Code Zero by Mick Bose

Author:Mick Bose [Bose, Mick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hard Wire Publication
Published: 2018-12-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 41

Valona sat near the entrance of the restaurant, partially hidden from the doorway by a counter. She kept an eye on the door, ready to duck underneath the table. She ordered steak and fries with an omelette on the side and surprised herself by devouring the whole meal. She washed it down with apple juice, although she craved a nice glass of red wine with the steak.

She paid and left the Holiday Inn and walked to the Best Western. She got a room on the ground floor, next to a fire escape door. The room faced the street, and she could see the cars through the net curtain. The double bed looked inviting, and when she lay on it, she realized how exhausted she was. But sleep wouldn’t come easily. She ejected the magazine of the Glock to find it had seven rounds left. She racked the slide, checked the barrel, and put the gun underneath the pillow. She dragged a chair and jammed it underneath the door handle. She made sure the window was shut, turned the lights off, and watched the road in front.

Her eyes gradually grew heavy, and her head sank downwards.

*****

Valona almost fell off the bed when she awoke. Morning light was bright through the window, and she blinked. For a few seconds, she had no idea where she was. It was one of the strangest moments in her life. Her mind tried to grasp where she had seen the lavender walls, soft bed, desk, and window before and came back with a blank. Then it all came back, a rush of memory that left her disoriented, fragile. She gulped and reached for the gun underneath the pillow. It was strangely comforting to feel the hard metallic surface.

Heart pounding, she jerked her eyes around the room. It was empty. She checked the bathroom then washed and got ready. The short black hair looked alien in the mirror, and she guessed that was a good thing. She changed into the new red T-shirt she had bought the previous day and pulled the jumper on before leaving the room.

The woman at reception greeted her with a smile. Valona took directions to the breakfast room and ate quickly, eyes on the door again. When she came back to the lobby, the same woman was still at the reception desk. Coffee had woken Valona up. She had a better idea now of where she was.

She asked the woman, “What national parks are around here?”

The woman took out a map from under the counter and spread it. “Behind us, you have the Wintergreen Resort, which is in the George Washington and Jefferson National Park area. The park’s a big place.” The woman pointed on the map.

The names meant nothing to Valona. But her eyes were drawn to a highway going northward. Number 340.

An electric flash sparkled inside her brain. She saw a sight from many years ago. As a teenager, she had seen a road sign with that number while sitting in the back of their family car.

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