Days' End by Scott L Collins Read Free Book Online

have a name, merely a number. They drove slowly through the rising and falling landscape until finally turning down a secluded road. After some time, Nysa realized that she hadn’t seen one house or business since turning off the main street. She tried to catch a glimpse of some sign of human life through the increasingly thick pine trees. Finally Nysa gave up her search.
    Eventually they passed through a checkpoint and arrived at what appeared to be a Bed and Breakfast. The outside was weathered, worn, and completely ordinary in appearance. Inside was state of the art. The lobby was so clean Nysa thought surgery would be safe in there. It was a lab in and of itself, organized, minimalized, and as efficient as possible. There were no islands with vases of flowers, no small tree tucked into the corner—merely an open space with spotless white tile floors. The ceiling was painted in the same overwhelming white, giving the room a very sterile feeling.
    The driver brought in their bags and disappeared through a doorway to Nysa’s right accompanied by Mr. Stevens. Straight ahead, a small, stern-looking woman behind a counter beckoned her. She stood about five and a half feet, with a medium-build, and sandy-blonde hair pulled back into a severe bun. She wore no make-up that Nysa could see, and her business suit looked like it had just come back from the dry cleaners, heavy on the starch. Nysa and Dr. Leyden proceeded across the small lobby to the counter.
    “Dr. Knight, Dr. Leyden, thank you for joining us and welcome. My name is Bekki, and I am here to assist you in any non-project related matters. If you want a movie to watch in your room, you see me. If you want a book, you see me. Jackets, blankets, video games, shoes, whatever it is, you see me. Do you understand?”
    “Yes,” they replied in unison. Nysa fought the urge to salute and click her heels.
    “Very good,” Bekki continued. “Dr. Knight, you will be in room 158; here is your key. Please take the elevator to your left to level B-15 and follow the signs to your room.” Bekki turned to Dr. Leyden.
    “Excuse me, miss?” stammered Nysa. “Where did my bag go? And this place is only two stories, not fifteen.”
    “Your bag will be in your room when you get there. It was taken through security to ensure no mobile phones, laptops, or other forbidden devices were being brought onto the premises. Your room is on level B-15, down, not up. Is there anything else?”
    “No. Thank you.”
    Fifteen floors down? “Wow, don’t judge a book by its cover,” Nysa muttered as she made her way to the elevator. She entered the elevator and pushed B-15. Nothing happened. An automated voice came over the speaker instructing her to insert her room key into the slot and press her desired floor. After doing so, the elevator began its slow descent, announcing its arrival with a pronounced ding. She stepped off the elevator and had no difficulty locating her room as there was only one other on the floor; hers was left and the other right.
    “Wow,” she whispered upon entering her room. She entered a living room roughly the size of her apartment in Venice. In contrast to the lobby, the finest pieces furnished her room. In the middle of the room and surrounded by matching coffee and end tables was a luxurious couch that she hesitated to sit on. Across from the couch, to her left, was an enormous plasma screen television.
    She turned to the right and walked through a set of double doors to her bedroom. Her bed looked more comfortable than a cloud and sat facing an ornate entertainment center holding yet another massive television.
    The bathroom, while having a traditional door, also had a large opening that could be closed off with shutters should someone desire privacy. Through the opening, Nysa saw the bathtub. It pulled at her like a siren calling a sailor. After a long day of travel, she desperately needed to relax. Although it was only four o’clock in the afternoon, she was