17 Chapter 15 – Hess – Iteration 144 (1/2)
His plan was to rent a room, clean himself up, buy clean clothes, sleep for a few hours, and make his way into Pittsburgh to catch a bus early in the morning. What happened was Zack lay on his bed and fell asleep before he dredged up the motivation to move.
He woke midmorning to the sound of talking in the room next to his. Zack checked the clock, saw it was after nine, and rolled out of the bed. In the bathroom mirror, he appeared normal enough save for his clothing, which was sliced and faded from repeatedly soaking in his blood. While the blood may have vanished from his shirt and pants, the damage it had caused remained.
Studying his appearance, Zack decided a change of clothes would be worth the delay. Anything that made him harder to spot could potentially save him. Which was why he needed to abandon the truck as soon as possible. Why didn't I learn anything about the closest city that didn't come from a television? I really am a terrible Observer.
Zack tore the wrapper from the tiny hotel soap and turned on the water. He thoroughly washed his face and hands. While he was toweling dry, Zack glanced at the wedding band perched on his ring finger. He imagined Lacey at home, clutching her phone, unsure if he lived or not. She deserves to know. Well, maybe not know the truth, but to have some sort of closure. If I tell her I know the baby isn't mine, then she can move on with her life.
The hotel room phone felt heavy in his hands as he dialed Lacey's number. He took a breath and prepared himself for the accusation that would be in her voice. The phone rang twice and picked up. ”Hello?” The voice was Erik's. ”Is that you, Zack Vernon? Hess?”
What is she doing with Lacey's phone? Shit, this is so wrong. ”What do you want?” he said.
”Hiya Hess! Seems like just yesterday you were on the farm. So anyway, I was thinking you could stop over for another visit. Lacey's here right now and we were just talking about how much happier she would be if you joined us.”
Zack had to clear his throat to speak. ”Why take her? She doesn't know anything.”
”Same reason I abduct anyone. Cause I wanna play. Now I want two things from you in exchange for the little darling's life, Hess. First, come back to the farm. Second, tell me which one of these shitheads helped you escape.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. Am I supposed to just abandon her? There has to be another way. The solution struck him. ”I'll call back with my decision in an hour.”
”I don't think so,” Erik said. ”You call the authorities and things go very, very bad. Things look squeaky clean at the farm right now. Ingrid's got the legal right to be here. Cops won't find shit if they show. This ain't my first rodeo.”