Tales of Jason Ch. 23

Chapter 23

The elevator stopped on the 1st floor. I stuck my head out and saw no one. Not even the clerk at the front desk. Casually, I walked through the lobby, hoping no one would spot me. Once outside, I saw the security guard at the booth next to the gate. No one else was outside. Who would be at 6 in the morning?

An 8-foot-tall cement fence encased the whole property, something I had learned from the brochure while I was in the room. There was no way I could simply walk out, so climbing the fence was my only chance. I had to find an excellent location to do it from.

I walked along the side of the hotel building. Staying close to the wall, hoping the cameras wouldn't spot me. I stared at the tall fence when I got to the corner of the property. It was a lot taller than I expected. Doubt was starting to increase. The entire surface of the fence was flat, so I would simply slide off. I had to think of something else.

My brainstorming session ended when I noticed a flashing light from the corner of my eye. I turned in its direction and saw it was a security guard with a flashlight. I cursed and stood still, hoping they wouldn't notice me. But after a few seconds, I heard a "Hey" from the guard. They had spotted me.

"Fuck," I said.

I made a quick decision. I backed up a few feet and ran towards the fence. I leapt in the air with my right foot outward. When my foot made contact with the wall, I pushed off the surface. My hands were above me as I tried to reach for the edge of the fence. My fingers tried to hold on, but I slipped off. I fell hard onto my right butt cheek. I groaned through the pain as I stood back up.

The security guard was approaching fast. I had to try once again. If I failed this time, they would catch me. I backed up to the wall of the hotel and ran once again. I leapt once again and used my foot again to lift myself. This time, my fingers got a better grip on the top of the fence. Using my arms, I pulled myself upward. The spikes were about six inches apart, which was good for me. I had a way to climb over the fence. Gingerly, I brought one leg over the gap between the spikes. I looked down at the side of the hotel and saw the security guard was about to reach me. I didn't even check the other side of the fence. Who knew what was even on the other side? I brought my other leg over, but the groin area of my pants got caught on the spike. I wasn't able to lift myself any further, so I let go, tearing my pants from the groin in the process. I fell to the other side of the fence.

The fall was further than I thought. A bush was on the other side to catch my fall. I felt a branch pressing into my lower back. I rolled off the bush and felt minor cuts on my lower back. My pants had a cut in the groin area, and I could feel a draft between my legs now. Thankfully, I still had on my briefs.

Voices could be heard above me as the security guard attempted to scale the fence.

"Persistent," I said. I made sure I had everything and started going down the hill away from the hotel. I had no idea where I was going or what I would do when I finally got away. I was making everything up as I went.

My short trek led me to the lake. I gazed at the shimmering water for a brief moment. I didn't think the guard would come all this way. So, I sat down and took a break. Out of breath, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. It had no signal at all, and on top of that, it had little battery left. I failed to charge it before going to bed. I had to go somewhere to get a signal. After looking around a bit, I saw a hill northeast of me. It would have to do with. Hopefully, up there, I could get a good enough signal.

I intended to stay longer, but I heard voices from behind me. I turned to see a group of security guards with flashlights, "These guys must be paid well," I said as I rose to my feet.

I ran alongside the lake and went up the hill.

On top of the hill, I brought out my phone and began to hold it up, waiting for at least a bar to show up. A noise in a nearby bush startled me. It began to shake. I began to feel scared as I wasn't aware of what would come out. After a few seconds of shaking, a deer jumped out and ran past me. It gave me a jump, but thankfully, it was just a deer. I turned to look down the hill. I saw a few lights off in the distance, which looked like a town. I called for Javi. The phone rang once, and then I heard a roar that shook me. Slowly, I turned around and saw a tall beast standing on its hind legs. It was a bear, and it was ready to attack me. I took a few steps back, hoping Javi would pick up, but my ankle ran into a piece of wood, and I fell backward. Down the hill, I rolled. My phone flew from my hands. I tried to grab onto anything, but the momentum would not allow me every time I tried.

The rolling finally stopped when my back collided with a fallen log at the bottom of the hill. I felt pain throughout my body. I felt weak as if I was about to pass out. I tried to lift myself using my arms, but my right arm was hurting a lot--another roar. I looked up to see the bear running down the hill. I had to get up and run. Every time I tried to get up, I felt pain in my left leg. I looked at it and noticed a large cut. The bear was approaching fast. Even at my top speed, there was no way I was outrunning a bear, especially with this injury. I was screwed.

A loud bang echoed through the field. The bear came to a complete stop and roared. Hearing that bear roar scared me to the bone--another loud bang. The bear got on all fours and ran away. I looked around, searching for the source of the loud bang. Ahead of me in the field was a dark figure holding what looked like a rifle. The pain was so immense that my vision became blurry. The dark figure approached me, and before I could say anything, my head fell to the grassy field, and my eyes closed.

I ran through a cold and dark forest. The trees were so tall and bushy that they denied any sunlight from entering. A monster was chasing me. I looked around, and all I saw was a row of endless trees. I had no escape. It felt like I was running forever. I hadn't seen the monster and didn't even know its size, but I still ran. However, luck had turned in my favor as I saw a clearing up ahead. I exited the forest and stood on the edge of a cliff. A roar from the beast caused the birds to fly away. It was approaching fast, but I had nowhere to go. I turned around, ready to face the beast. The sounds of the beast's footsteps went silent. I stood there frozen in place, waiting for the beast to appear. But nothing happened. The only thing I heard was the pounding beat of my heart. I braced, and then the beast appeared. A bear stepped out of the shadows. It's size comparable to a minivan. It roared again, causing the ground to shake below me--cracks formed in the ground. The beast stared at me with an open mouth, ready to strike. It rose onto its hind legs and roared again. The cracks grew, and the bear landed on all fours. It moved quickly towards me. The ground gave way as soon as it stepped over a crack, and I fell off the cliff. I looked up at the roaring bear as I fell to the ground below.

The falling sensation woke me from my sleep. I sat up, sweating and breathing heavily. My heart was pounding in my chest. It was just a nightmare. I was relieved that it wasn't real. I sat back on the bed and looked around. My rapid heartbeat began to diminish. I didn't know where I was. The room was unfamiliar.

I looked under the sheets and saw I had on a pair of thin shorts and a shirt. Someone had tended to my wounds, but who? Someone had saved me from the bear, but who? Answers: I needed answers. I looked around for my phone but couldn't find it. I couldn't find any of my belongings. Did my savior hide my belongings?

I removed the sheets and attempted to move my left leg, but I felt a sharp pain. There was a bandage wrapped around it. Walking wasn't the right choice right now. There was nowhere for me to go. I had to wait.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait very long. The door to the room opened. A tall, thin man walked in. He was an older man with short gray hair and a matching thick mustache. He looked at me with his wrinkled eyes, and walked to my bed, "I see you're awake," he said in his deep voice.

"Who are you?" I said in my raspy voice. My mouth was dry.

The man sat on the stool next to the bed and poured water from a pitcher into a glass. He then handed me the glass, and I took a drink. But I ended up drinking the whole glass. I was thirsty.

"You want another?" he said.

I nodded.

The man poured me another glass of water, and I drank half of it.

"Glad to see you're awake there, son. Surviving an encounter with a bear is no easy feat."

"Thanks, but I had help. I assume you scared the bear off?" he nodded, "Thank you for saving me and tending to my wounds."

"You're welcome. But I didn't tend to your wounds. That would be my son. He'll be in here soon to check on you," the old man cleared his throat, "So I gotta ask, what were you doing out there so early in the morning?"

I didn't know how to answer or what to even tell him. He could be hostile towards gay people like myself. But he did save me, and I owed him that. I had to be cautious about what I said until I found out more information. "I was running away."

"From who?"

Before I could answer, the door to the room opened. Another tall, thin man walked into the room. But he was far younger than the old man sitting next to me. "Ah, he's here," the old man said.

"Hello, Father. How is he?" the young man stood next to his father.

"Ask him yourself," the old man said.

"I'm better now that I don't have a scary bear roaring at me," I said.

A small chuckle came from the old man. The older man spoke, "This is my son, Peter. My name is Stephen."

Peter spoke, "What's your name?"

"Miguel," I used my middle name.

Stephen grinned, "He remembers his middle name. That's good. We saw your name on your driver's license, Jason. It's in the top drawer with the rest of your belongings. Well, at least what survived. Your backpack must've fallen off during your tumble down the hill, and the bear tore it, and its contents were to shreds."

"Great, so I have no spare clothes."

"None at all unless you want your torn clothes back," Peter added.

Stephen rose from his seat and excused himself, leaving Peter and me alone. Peter sat down on the stool and began asking me questions. Peter was a good-looking guy, tall and thin. He wore round glasses and had no facial hair. He was probably in his late twenties or early thirties.

"I checked your wounds this morning when they brought you in. I had to give you a bath to clean your wounds. You didn't seem to have any broken bones, which is good," Peter brought out a flashlight from his breast pocket and began looking at my eyeballs, "Any pain in the head?"

"No."

"No signs of a concussion. That's good," Peter turned off the blinding flashlight and tucked it back into his pocket."

"Where am I?"

"A small town called Los Endos."

"How far is that from the Faraday Hotel?"

He shrugged, "About 25 miles. Is that where you were staying?"

"Yes."

"Why were you out there so early in the morning, Jason?"

I was reluctant to say anything earlier because I didn't trust the old man. But, with Peter, I felt comfortable. It was probably because I found him attractive. "I was running away from someone."

"Who?" he said in a concerned tone, "Should I alert the police?"

I shook my head, "No. It's my boyfriend."

"Did he hurt you?"

"Not physically."

"You can talk to me, Jason. It will stay between both of us. Did you tell my father?" I shook my head, "Good, it's best you told me that and not him."

"And why is that?"

"He's not too keen on the same-sex life."

I lifted myself and winced in pain, but I was able to adjust myself on the pillow. Peter opened the cabinet and brought out a kettle. He poured water into it and turned it on.

"What about you?" He looked up at me, confused. "Are you keen on the same sex life?"

Peter grinned, "I'm gay myself. My father knows. We had our falling out before I left for college. He didn't speak to me for years."

"So what made him change his mind?"

"It wasn't necessarily that he changed his mind, rather that he needed my help. A couple of years ago, this town got a small pandemic. They claimed it was God's wrath. My father plead for me to come back and help the town. Which I did. My mother was one of the victims of the sickness."

"I'm sorry about your loss."

"Thanks, Jason. After I helped with the sick people, he thanked me and said he would open up to me. It was apparently a dying wish from my mom. For us to make amends. He still doesn't like my sexuality, but he has to deal with it."

The water in the kettle came to a boil. Peter brought out a mug and dropped some tea bags in it. They looked homemade. He poured the water into the mug and let it steep.

"Are there any other gays in the town?"

Peter shook his head, "At least not that I know of. This town is very religious. They don't kill the gays or anything barbaric like that. They just tend to push you of town."

"Got it, so never book a trip here."

Peter laughed, "Well, it's great here in the fall. The chrysanthemums look beautiful at that time."

Peter handed me the mug of hot liquid. I blew on the top of it before taking a sip. Immediately, I tasted bitterness. I almost spat it out. "What's in this? Dead grass?"

"Among other things," he joked.

I took another sip. The door to the room opened and Stephen walked in holding a tray of food. Peter set up a bed table while Stephen placed the tray on it. The food looked absolutely delicious. The tray had two eggs, a sausage, bacon, and a biscuit.

"I wasn't sure what you could or could not eat, since you're from the city. I hope you're not gluten free."

I laughed, "No, I eat everything."

"Good. I don't understand that 'gluten free' crap," the three of us laughed, then Stephen left.

Peter stood up from the stool and said, "I have some things to do. I'll come check on you in a bit. We don't have a TV in here, but we do have some books."

"Thanks," I said before stuffing a piece of sausage into my mouth.

"Make sure to drink the whole tea. It will help with the pain."

Peter left.

When Peter left I reached into the top drawer of the cabinet and pulled out my belongings. First thing I checked was my wallet, everything was still inside. Including the card with Raymond's phone number. The screen on my phone was shattered. I attempted to turn it on, but it failed to even turn on. I didn't have a charger either. I had no way to contact anyone I knew. I was stranded. How was I even going to get home?

I stuffed my mouth with the last piece of sausage and chewed. I burped and removed the empty plate from the bed. The tea had been finished. I removed the sheets and attempted to get off the bed. I wanted to see if I could walk. My foot made contact with the floor and I tried to stand up. The tea has managed to mask a lot of the pain, but I still felt it as I stood up. Holding onto the bed I tried to walk to the chair across from it. I reached the window next to the chair and looked out. The sun was above in the sky. Which meant it was probably noon.

I had been sitting on the chair staring out the window for a while. I was so entranced by it that I never noticed that Peter had come back. "Good to see you can walk," he said.

"Actually, I fell out and crawled my way over here."

"Sarcasm. Nice," Peter grabbed another chair and saw across from me, "You finished the tea?" I nodded. "Good. Hows the pain?"

"It's better. How long will it take to heal?"

"You didn't sustain any major injuries, thankfully, maybe a week or two. The scars will heal. In a week you can try to run into another bear."

I shot him a harden look. Making him rethink his words. The bear scared the crap out of me. I thought I was definitely dead meat.

"Sorry, too soon," he paused and lifted my injured leg. He rested it on his lap and began to check it, "You think you can walk?"

I shrugged, "Maybe. It'll probably hurt. Why do you ask?"

"Let's get some air," Peter helped me get up and we walked out of the room.

When we got outside, Peter hooked his arm around mine and we walked down the street. The medical building I was in was on the outskirts of town. The only buildings nearby were a few small shops and houses. We passed by a fruit stand where an elderly old smiled at me. I looked at the fruit and vegetables that looked fresh as if they had just been harvested. He brought out a tray which had some homemade candy. He gave me one and smiled, "How much?" I told him.

He waved his hand, "It's on the house, my niece makes them," he handed one to Peter.

We walked away to the stand and crossed the street to a small park. There were a few people in the small park. A family of four eating at a table under a tree. A young guy pushing what appeared to be his girlfriend on the swing. An old man sitting on a bench feeding the birds. Peter and I sat on a bench. The park had plenty of shade thanks to it's tall trees. I looked up at one and a flash of my dream appeared in my mind. I shook and suddenly I felt Peter's hand on my arm, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just the trees triggered a memory from my nightmare."

"A nightmare you had this morning?" I nodded, "It's clearly your body in shock."

"It's nice here," I said, admiring the scenery.

"It is. I loved coming to this park as a kid."

"I have to admit, it's nice to come to a place like this. A town where no one knows you. It's quiet, unlike the city. It's very loud."

"I get that, but I like the sound of the city. I live in Burbank. We get plenty of noise down there."

There was silence between us. Both of us admired the nature that surrounded us. I felt at peace. It was quiet and warm. The birds chirped. The trees rustled as the wind moved through them. It was nice. I'd love to live in a town like this. Well not one so sunken in religion. I wondered if Steven would survive in a place like this. Or Eric. It was the first all morning that I thought about him. I wondered if he was worried about me or if he was mad. It was noon, so the story of me climbing fences would've passed through the hotel already. I had no idea what I was going to do.

"So, Jason, you want to tell me about your boyfriend trouble?" Peter said.

"Here?"

He gave me a nod, "Yeah, no one will hear us here. I figured some fresh air would provide you a moment to think."

I looked around and saw everyone else was pretty far away, "Well," then I began to tell him everything. From the moment I met the twins to yesterday.

Peter clicked his tongue, "I remember when I was your age. I wasn't as horny though. Like, I'm ten years older than you, Jason, and I haven't even had that many sexual partners."

"How many, if I may ask?" He held up his right hand; it was five. "Wow, I feel like a slut."

Peter laughed, "To some people you would be. But you're young. You're experiencing a lot and going through a lot of changes. This Eric guy sounds great, but I fear that you might be right about him. The man is double your age, and guys like him are only interested in twinks like you for sex. They'll toss you aside the moment you start changing or," he turned to me, "asking for a public relationship."

"So what do I do?"

He shook his head, "I don't know. I think right now you should focus on healing. Not just physically but mentally. You had a near death experience, it takes time to recover from that."

I opened the candy the old man gave me and began to eat it, "Then what?"

"Date someone your own age. I doubt this relationship will continue after this."