‘Hey, HEY! It’s back here! You walked right stinkin’ by it’ I yelled down the hall.

Sure enough she turned about. I waited there for her to waltz back. I got a thorough look at her face since we hit this floor. Her glasses didn’t help the look of stressful frustration she had going. 

‘You alright there?’

‘Yes. Of course. This place is. Strange. That is all.’ 

‘Got that feeling too, huh?’

She didn’t give more than a simple nod in response. Glad it wasn’t just me.

‘Well alright, enough loitering.’ I decided and pressed the key into its metallic home. 

It clunked as I turned it and the door had an awful creak to it when it was pushed open. The room had been torn apart, the guts of it thrown into a pile; the sheets were in a bundle on the sliced open mattress, books and papers were strewn about the floor, dusty prints coated the walls and counters,  even the fancy Vivi-Color TV was dismantled. Unlike the hall and the rest of the vacant rooms. This room had the stench of sour milk seemingly stained in big splotches across the bright red carpets. I never did trust a hotel room with such a full kitchen. For some odd reason though there was a radio left on in the sink. It was just churning out indecipherable static. While I found myself clicking the knob off for the annoying radio; Masha had popped her satchel open for a notepad and pen. Cataloging the scene I’m guessing. She sure was quiet and focused over there staring at an open magazine; and here I was leaning back staring at her.

‘Yoo know. There is plenty of othur dings to stare at.’ She uttered

‘Not really. The place has been ransacked and picked clean by the last team. Don’t you find it strange they sent us here to this mess?’ I huffed and crossed my arms, letting my pissy mood show. Masha still had that look of calm collected agent on her face when she turned about after finishing her journal entry.

‘Do yoo not wonder why we were sent?’ Her brow was quirked up and she was thoughtfully nibbling at her pen.

‘I dunno. Boss has a few dozen hamburgers loose if you ask me.’ 

‘Oh come now, at least try without de adolescent jabs. Put that big bad American training to use.’  

I rolled my eyes at her and earned a warm chuckle from the blonde gal. 

‘Jennifer sometime ding are not all yoo dink.’ she said

‘Alright alright don’t worry a moment longer sugar I’ll give the place a pulling back and look over.’  a sigh poured forth and I went back to looking through the mess of the room. Picking up a picture frame that had been smashed into. The photo was nothing of note, just some stock image from the local modeling agency I’d wager. Masha was scribbling something down while staring awfully close at the tipped over table lamp. I had been to a number of scenes involving missing persons but this was the first one that ended with such a mess in the center of the room. I mean who in their sane mind just throws all the junk of a hotel room in a pile like this. You know what, I bet it was friggin’ Franklin. That guy is such a slob. Dang toddler can manage to keep their chin cleaner than that mook. 

Just as a huff of defeat came out of me I started to hear that static again. This time though, I swear I could make out what sounded like some guy crying for help. It wasn’t any radio show I remember, nobody in those has near that range of emotion. Even Masha was turning around. Eyes fixating on the radio still sitting in the sink.

‘Wait. Wait! Dhat’s him! Move!’ Masha shoved me over and had a fever in her eyes. A foul thick stench was filling the air. Purple-ish orange fumes were gushing from the rattling speakers. The cries were growing more desperate louder and not just because we were both now hovering over the dang thing. I didn’t really believe my eyes or understand fully what or why it was happening. What I did know is the Russian was becoming frantic, terrified, emotional. She started twisting the frequency knob and a sharp pained squeal erupted from her. The radio started to spill out high pitched groans. A whining was popping my ears over and over. 

‘Jen-Jennifer! It…It’s takinc me! kHelp!’ She whined out. 

Masha’s hand was fully inside the radio and I felt the burning urge to try something to aid against this cursed radio. I curled my arms around the blonde Russian and hoisted backwards with all my strength. A tearing of a thousand pages blurred my senses. I wrenched my eyes closed and felt gravity shooting us along. We both slammed with a hefty thud to the ground. Her weight alone shoving the wind right out of me. Leaving me feeling like a kid at recess all over again. Even with the hazey senses I could tell the smell and sound were gone; and apparently the ceiling was turned into a lovely star filled night. Also the floor was cozy moist grass? 

‘What the horse fly–where the frickin’ trucks are we?’ I said with utter amazing confusion. The chirp of crickets galore was the only response to my question I got. Masha was shuddering and whimpering atop me; and I couldn’t tell if it was because of our sudden departure or what we heard.  

‘Hey-uh..uhh Masha. Psssst! Masha! Hey!’ I was whispering and giving her little nudges. Trying to snap her out of this unresponsive funk. 

‘C’mon girl you alright there?’ At least she nodded I think. I could tell that was all I was going to get out of her for now. She was still holding onto the radio but good riddance it was still and silent now. A moment of relief swept over me as a distant moo tugged a smile at the corner of my mouth. The wet ground was starting to soak right through my jacket. Crisp chilly wet air filled my nose. I really started to feel like I was back home at my Dad’s ranch. Comfortable to some extent. Comfortable enough to let slumber take me away.