White Space Season 2

a truth she couldn’t believe: She was actually happy.

    * * * *

CHAPTER 9 — Emma Hughes

    Emma had just brushed her teeth and was about to climb into bed when she looked over in the next room and saw Houser staring at the TV.
    She said, “Goodnight, Houser.”
    But Houser didn’t answer.
    He stared at the TV like there was something funny stuck to the screen.
    She walked into the room, thinking he was messing with her like he sometimes did, until she noticed the monitor’s picture was scrambled with many images at once. All were different and none made sense, especially moving so fast. Along with the messed up picture, there was a loud crackle, like a hundred bowls of Rice Krispies.
    “Hello, Earth to Houser, come in.”
    Emma smiled as she moved closer to tap Houser’s shoulder, then stopped dead. A cold chill ran through her body as she found his glazed expression, eyes wide and fixed to the monitor. The TV’s blue glow and scrambled images bathed his face in a ghostly hue. The mirrors in his eyes didn’t match the blurred images on the screen. There was something else inside them; something horrible, impossible, and not anything Emma knew how to understand.
    Houser wasn’t moving. She couldn’t tell if he was even breathing.
    Is he dead with his eyes open?
    Emma’s heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest. She forced herself to reach out and touch Houser’s shoulder anyway.
    Her hand touched his. She felt a spark shoot from him to her as he turned on her, eyes still vacant, yet staring, then his hand flew to her face, and stifled her scream.

    * * * *

EPILOGUE — Jon Conway

    Jon was awake for several minutes before he opened his eyes, then spent another few staring out at the water and skyline before turning back to Cassidy and kissing her good morning, first on the lips, then on the cheek and back on the mouth and — because he was hard and she was still naked — on both of her nipples, along an imaginary line between them, and down toward her bellybutton.
    Cassidy slowly moaned herself awake, and parted her legs for Jon. He had his way, quietly without any words, then finished and collapsed beside her, just as he had three times since parting their hotel room door the evening before, preceding an evening of euphoria and confession.
    They lay in silence until Cassidy broke it. She yawned, “Think we should check on Emma?”
    “Definitely,” Jon said, reaching across the bed toward the hotel phone. He swiped a finger on the glass, then tapped #1214 and let it ring in Houser’s room, nine times with no reply.
    “Weird,” he said, turning to Cassidy. “Probably went down to get coffee and breakfast. No matter how many times I tell him it’s cool to order room service, Houser never believes me, especially in places like this. He’s cool with me paying for the room, but not so much with the extras.”
    Cassidy said, “Some people like to pay their way, Popcorn. Can you try his cell?
    “Of course,” Jon said. He dropped from the bed, went to the bathroom, took a piss, then returned to the front room of the suite, fished the cell from his pants, scrolled through his contacts, pressed a thumb to Houser’s face, and waited through four rings that sent him straight to voicemail.
    “Hey, it’s Jon, call me,” he said before hanging up.
    “No answer,” he said.
    Cassidy seemed suddenly frightened, worry all over her face — certainly more than there should have been considering they were safe in a hotel and Emma was with Houser, the jolly black giant.
    “Relax,” Jon soothed. “I’m sure he’s downstairs with Emma, getting food. Like I said, Houser doesn’t like to order room service, it makes him uncomfortable. He probably pulled on some sweats and left his phone upstairs. He doesn’t take it everywhere like I do. Besides,” he grinned, “I’m sure he figured we wouldn’t be disturbing him this early.”
    Cassidy’s face was red and upset.
    “It’s OK,” Jon said. “I’ll go to his room and check on them. Cool?”
    “Sure, cool,” Cassidy said, “but I want to come with you.” She pulled pink panties up over her ass, then jeans up over her underwear.
    They left their room together, then walked down the hall to the end where they said goodnight to Houser and Emma the night before. Jon knocked and waited, then waited more, through a long minute that would have felt endless enough without Cassidy tapping the carpet beside him and making it longer.
    Jon