BODIE POV

I stepped off the greyhound and put on my sunglasses. I didn't want to see anything, except maybe the bottom of a bourbon bottle and the back of my eyelids. I walked down the street, my small duffle over my shoulder and tried to decide what to do with my newfound freedom. It wasn't exactly my choice. When the U.S. Special Forces says you're discharged, that means you gotta go. There was a small Hotel nearby, with any luck they would have a bar. He quickly crossed the street while there was no traffic and bounded up the stairs into the hotel lobby. It was much nicer than it looked from the outside but there was no bar in immediate sight. Deciding that a nice bed was more than necessary, I tried to convince myself that there might be a decent mini bar and headed toward reception.

"Good morning. Welcome in, do you have a reservation?" A young man in a heavily starched shirt greeted me.

"I don't actually, I wondered if you had any rooms available?" I removed my sunglasses and looked directly in his eyes. I wasn't too surprised when he started to get shifty, people tend to get shifty in the presence of direct people.

"I'm afraid all the rooms are booked at this location. But we have a smaller motel a few miles from here with some available rooms..?" He looked hopeful that I would take him up on that offer.

"Does it have a bar or something nearby?"

"Not a stand-alone bar, but it does have a restaurant with a fully stocked bar."

"That'll do. Can I take care of the details here?"

"Of course, sir. I just need a credit card and an I.D." He seemed to relax a little. I assume it's because I won't be staying here. I pulled my duffle over my head and dropped it to the floor. My backpack held my wallet and when I pulled it out, he murmured "thank you for your service." I'm not sure why, but that made me uncomfortable. I wasn't in service to anyone but the people that paid me. Nonetheless, I acknowledged his thanks with a small smile and handed him what he asked for.

The details were handled quickly and I was out the door before he could say 'Have a good day.' I turned left and started the walk toward the edge of town where the motel was. I walked quickly, hoping that sleep would claim me as my head hit the pillow. I didn't want to think about the past, I didn't want to think about who I had lost, who I saved… who I left behind. Before I could dwell on that thought any further, The motel came into view. A quaint little building surrounded on three sides by trees. If I wasn't paying attention, I would have missed it. I took off across the street at a jog and bounded up the steps to the front office. The older woman sitting at the counter on the inside looked like she was as ready for sleep as I feel, having laid her elbow on the counter so she could rest her cheek against her hand. I stepped up and stopped far enough away from her so she wouldn't be startled and cleared my throat loudly.

"OH! Excuse me! I apologize, it's been slow all day. I expected you to come in, but normally people take longer to get over here from the big hotel."

"Please. Don't stress yourself about it. I just walked in and I'm dead on my feet as well, I just wanted to get to the room as quick as possible and you can get back to your business." I said and attempted a smirk so she would know that I wasn't the type of customer to call corporate for any human problem. He seemed to get the message when she threw a sympathetic smile at me.

"I just need your I.D. to confirm you and your room." I pulled my I.D. from the pocket I had stashed it in and slid it across the counter.

"If possible, do you think I can get a room as close to the tree line as possible? I'd like to be away from the street."

"Traffic doesn't get bad or too loud out here, unfortunately for me." She smirked. "But I do have a room available to accommodate you. Do you know when you might be checking out?"

"Can we leave it open until the end of the month? I just got into town. You can keep my credit card on file."

"Sure honey. Just let us know about twenty four hours before you plan to leave." She says handing me my I.D. and a keycard together. "There's the key for your room. Just take a - " she turned around and pointed with her right hand then turned back around. "Right, and it's at the far end of the property." I took the key thanked her and bid her good day.

The journey to the room was a short one thankfully. There were no problems with the key, and the bed looked like a cloud. I shuffled over and let the door close behind me. The rest of the room looked cozy, like the woman who ran the desk had decorated it to her liking, I smiled and walked through the entire room. Habits were hard to break, and this was one I had no interest in breaking, too many people getting got all over the place. But at least I could sleep well for the night. I made my way to the bathroom after my inspection and took off all my clothes. The water in the shower heated up quickly and when my body got underneath the hot spray, my muscles yielded to the pressure. My first shower in three days. I amend my earlier necessities, this was definitely at the top of the list. I'm not sure how long I stood in the shower, but the water was still warm when I decided I shouldn't waste anymore resources.

When I stepped back into the room, I made my way to the mini fridge. No hard liquor, whatsoever, only grape flavored sparkling wine. I gave up and got into the bed. I was probably better off. I hadn't eaten anything anyway. That was my last thought before complete darkness came over me.