We the People Are Good to Eat
13. Accommodations

13

Accommodations

Inthe warmth of the afternoon, Pastor Domnick Luzak strolled beside Dave andKaren, away from the Zabelton crossroads, along the gravel road that wentthrough the thickly overgrown woods to the east. Louise's ghost moved besidethem.

Theystayed on the road, hearing birds singing around them. The road turned left,went down a hill, then turned right, and continued on for a quarter mile, untilthey came to a one story, yellow, rectangular building to the left.

Thebuilding had a sign out front that said, "Luzak's Motel". The officewas on the building's far left, with a line of eight rooms to its right. Eachroom had a dark green door, with a large window facing the road. Threehovercars were parked, each in front of a different room.

Acrossthe road was small stagnant pond, overgrown with old tree stumps sticking outof the water. A handmade wooden sign beside the pond declared, "NoSwimming Allowed."

Domnicksaid, "A visitor from Scrantondrowned here three years ago. His father made that sign with his ownhands."

Louisesensed another ghostly presence like herself, but that presence was no longerhere.

Thenthey left the road, walked across the hard packed ground of the parking lot,and stepped inside the Motel's office. Louise remained with them.

Sheheard Karen make a very soft sigh of relief.

Karenwhispered to Dave, "At last. We're inside."

A16 year old girl sat behind the desk, dressed in shorts and a halter, watchinga television that was set on a high shelf in a corner of the room. Unlike themirror thin TV's in the City Building; this one was arectangular box, with a 19-inch screen.

Daverecognized the scene from the movie she was watching. The movie was "Soylent Green".

Whenthey all entered, the woman stood up and smiled.

"HiUncle Domnick." She said, "My father's gonna be in Scranton all day."

"Goodafternoon Charlene." He said, "I have pair of guests for you."

He,Dave and Karen walked up to the desk.

Charlenesaid, "Right. Hi."

Shehanded a check-in card to Dave, along with a pen. He picked up the pen, lookedat the card and hesitated.

"I'msorry," he said, "but there isn't enough room on this card, for bothof our addresses."

"Notenough room?" Charlene asked, "Just what is your address?"

"Cubicle18, Apartment Compound 903, West 53rd Street, Level 1378, City of ManhattanBuilding. Her address is..."

Charlenesaid, "City of Manhattan Building?"

Shelooked at her Uncle, who nodded.

Hisniece was horrified. She glanced at theTV for a moment.

Thenshe asked, “They're people from Hell?"

Domnicktold her, "They are people just like you and I. They come from the City of ManhattanBuilding, where they attend Worship at a Christian Church.

"Rememberwhat the Lord said, 'Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers ofmine, you did for me'."

Charlene'svoice was shaky. "But they have no baggage. They'll have to pay in advance."

Daveand Karen looked at each other.

Shewhispered to Dave, "Do you have any money?"

Hesaid, "Yes, but I don't know if it's the right kind."

Hetold Domnick, "I don't know if City money will be acceptable outhere."

ThePastor announced, "The Church will pay for their lodging Charlene."

"ButUncle Domnick, I don't know if my father's gonna like having people from Hellstaying in his place."

"Ifhe has anything to say about it, he can say it to me."

"YesUncle Domnick."

Charlenehanded Dave the key to room 8, the room furthest from the office. Then Dave,Karen and the Pastor stepped back outside, while Charlene returned to themovie.

"Thereare small refrigerators in all the rooms." Domnick told them, "They contain pre-packaged dinners that can becooked in the microwave ovens that are in all the rooms. I'm going to ask around, to see if anymembers of the Congregation have extra clothing they can give you towear."

ThePastor headed back along the gravel road toward the Church, while Dave and Karenheaded over to Room 8. Dave unlocked thedoor. Then he and Karen stepped inside, and shut the door behind themselves.

Louise'sghost had entered the room ahead of them.

Theywere in a room with two double beds, a large dresser drawer, roomy closet withmany hangers, a writing desk beside the window, and another box television. Aknee-high refrigerator was in a corner, along with the microwave oven that thePastor had mentioned. There was also a bathroom behind a door in anothercorner.

"Willyou look at this place?" Dave said, "All this for just the two of us.Back in the City Building, only the richest people havethis much space."

NowKaren breathed a sigh of relief. "At last! We're inside. All that openspace has been just too much. I'm used to being behind walls and underceilings, with a lot of people around. Now we're stuck in the middle of allthis empty land that they drove us through. There's nothing but farmland andwoodland, and we hardly saw anyone at all. It's just too different. It's toomuch for me to deal with."

"Butyou've been in large open spaces before. The Gym is an enormous place. It occupiesthe space of an entire City block."

"Yes,but there the walls aren't too far away for me to see them, and neither is theceiling."

"Andyou've been completely alone before."

"Yeah,when the doors were shut, but people were still all around me, on the oppositesides of the walls."

"Karen." He said, "It's obvious, that thisemptiness is just something else that we're gonna have to get used to."

"Getused to it? Dave, when we came outside the City Building,we thought it was just gonna be for a few hours; but instead we're gonna beliving out here for who knows how long? We weren't prepared to deal withthis."

"Onthe other hand," he told her, "when everyone we meet, calls us'People from Hell', don't be surprised when your head comes off."

"That'sall going to depend," Karen said, "on how we get along with thepeople who live around here. TheReverend's an okay guy. He wants to giveus a chance. I have no idea if anyoneelse around here would. We just have tomake a good first impression."

"Howdo we do that?" Dave asked,"How do I make a good impression, by telling them that I was the combat team'sequipment handler, who used to bring out the ropes to hang our own cheerleaderson?"

Karensaid, "What we did inside the City Building doesn'tmatter. It's how we're gonna behave outhere that does. While we're out hereneither of us is gonna be killing and eating people, and I'm not gonna bewalking around in public with my boobs naked, while wearing shrunken heads onmy belt."

"Yournot? In the City Building,girls dress that way all the time. That's how almost one third of the girls who attended the HomecomingDance were dressed, including the Homecoming Queen, AlyceVanderland."

"SorryDave. I know that's part of our culture,but out here I'm sure it’s not. It'sbetter not to take that chance."

"Right." He said, "But we have to tell themsomething about life in the City Building. One thing they're gonna want to know, is thereason why we left the City Building in the firstplace. If we tell them that you heardthe voice of God, while you were hanging dead, and then he brought you backtwice; the second time after you were killed in a punch fight? I don't think they'll believe us."

"Ireplace it hard to believe myself." She told him.

"On the other hand," he said,"if they do believe that, we might be allowed to live."

"Whetherthey believe us or not," she spoke firmly, "they are going to allowus to live, Dave. The Lord is not going to let either of us die, before you'vegiven me children."

Louise'sghost felt a pain in her heart.

"Karenwe agreed." He said, "You and I are too young to even think aboutmarriage, let alone children. I don't want to sound nasty Karen, but even if wewere old enough, I know that I don't want to marry you or have children withyou."

Thepain in Louise's heart eased.

Karentold him, "Forget about Louise Torelli Dave. You can't fight againstGod."

Hetold her, "But I'm not sure that I'm the one who God chose for you Karen.What I do know, is that I'd rather be with Louise."

"Forgetit Dave. God has made his choice. He's put you out here with me, and keptLouise back inside the City Building. We can't avoidit. You're gonna have a long healthy life with me. All Louise is gonna be, is adead Warrior Girl, who you might have some nice memories about."

"Idon't want memories about her. I want her."

Karensaid, "Then it's better if we don't talk about this. I don't want to eventhink about marriage either."

"Good. That's something we can both agreeupon."

"Dave."Now Karen stepped up to him and spoke with a gentle tone. "Is the idea really all that awful? I know I treated you wrong, when I decided tobecome a team girlfriend. Well that'sover now. It'll be just you and me fromnow on," she smiled, "starting tonight."

Hesaid, "Tonight?"

"Oneadvantage," she smiled, "to having been a team's girlfriend, for thepast two months, is that I've learned how to do it really good. Starting tonight, it'll be all yours."

Henow also spoke with a gentler tone. "I'm sorry I've been sounding too harsh. I apologize for that. It's just that we're much too young to thinkabout marriage. On the other hand, ifthis really is what God has decided, everything between you and me should workout very well; and you're right. Louiseis just someone who I'll have to have only nice memories about."

Theyput their arms around one another, and they both smiled.

Davesaid, "I don't see why we have to wait 'til tonight."

Theythen kissed each other.

Atthat moment, Louise's ghost felt a pain in her heart, like she was beingimpaled again. She made an unheard loud cry. Then she was no longer inZabelton.