With twenty bucks in my pocket, I decided a motel room wouldn’t be so bad. I would miss Snow but I wasn’t willing to spend another night in the biting cold, my body acting like a dinner for ravenous mosquitos. I found the cheapest motel room where a night cost ten bucks. The room was crappy and kinda sketchy even to my standards but it was better than the cold floor at the abandoned building. It had one dusty sizeable bed by the corner that seemed like it was past its working years. I estimated that it was even older than me. Beside it, was a dusty brown desk with a lamp on top of it. The only nice thing about the room was that it had a hot shower.

After eating, I spent over an hour just feeling the warm drops of fresh water splashing on my skin. At the juvenile correctional facility, the water was so cold that everyone hated bathing. Actually, some of the boys went weeks without bathing, and no one could blame them. Furthermore, privacy was a forgotten courtesy as the single washroom which also acted as the urinal, was regularly filled with boys within the free fixed fifteen minutes daily. And thus when I stood under the hot shower, naked with nothing but the fragrance of the washing soap, I momentarily forgot about all my predicaments and struggles. The feeling was calming, soothing and relaxing.

My moment of bliss was halted when I heard the window to my room creek open. I abruptly opened my originally closed eyes then switched off the shower. I then heard in miniature details how something walked inside my room, its soft thumps on the floor instilling fear and chills inside me. As if to spook me further, the lights in the room flickered for a couple of seconds before they suddenly went off.

Shit, I cursed inwardly as I felt my way to the bed. That was after I had gathered whatever courage I had in me, that and the fact that most murders happened in showers so I wasn’t willing to stay in one and wait. Before I bumped unto the bed, a cold draught whizzed past me, consequentially making me clench my balls.

I froze then slowly turned around

“Who’s there?” I asked, my hands grabbing around. I happened to touch the lamp so I took it, to aid in my defense in case something attacked. Putting it defensively in front of me, I waited for the attacker who had snuck into my room to make a move.

After a prolonged silence, the shower was turned on

 I was now legit spooked.

This was definitely someone trying to kill me, using the shower sounds to drown my screams in case I decided to call for help. I tightly clutched the lamp in my hands as my mind raced in search of an escape

I was just about to streak outside, mindless of my naked body when suddenly, the lights came back on. It was followed by a soft meow and a series of uncomfortable cat-like cackles.

I glared at Snow which was busy having a time of its life looking at my spooked face. When its eyes sunk to my nether region, they widened making me quickly grab a sheet and cover myself.

“Not funny”

“What are you doing here?” I quizzed as I went over to close the window and then the shower.

“Why are you here and how did you find me?”

I wanted to shoot a lot more questions, most of them insane but since I wouldn’t get a straight answer from a cat, I refrained from asking the bulk of them.

The cat meowed then jumped on top of the bed. It made itself comfortable then closed its eyes. Bitterly swallowing whatever questions I had, I occupied the vacant space on the bed then fell asleep.

I woke up late, proving I had yet again enjoyed my sleep on the worn out mattress.

“No, that’s enough” I said resolutely as I pushed the snuggling cat away from my arms. Snow exaggeratingly sprawled on the bed, limbs stretching towards four different directions. It did the weird morning cat cleaning routine which involved licking its whole body using its small tongue up to it’s…

It paused and growled mid-way when it realized that I was still gazing at it. I went on with my business wondering why a cat would be so concerned and self-conscience when a person saw its nakedness, it was naked all the time so I didn’t understand its worries when I saw it cleaning its butt.

Thinking of butts, was it a guy or a girl? I internally wondered

“Here’s the keys”

“How was your night?” the old landlady asked with a wrinkly smile, her one functioning eye blinking a bit too rapidly. The other one was just white.

“I almost died of terror” I replied honestly “I mean the lights…”

“I will have someone check them today, they do flicker a lot, right?”

“And the shower, seemed like someone remotely switched it on, it was weird” I added

“Yeah, a couple died in there two years ago, it’s probably haunted”

“What?” I shrieked “like ghosts and stuff?”

“I’m just joking kid” the old lady chuckled and yes, it wasn’t the sane kind of laugh I was used to. It was an eerie chuckle.

“Okay”

“Is that your cat?” the landlady asked, her finger pointing at Snow which had unknowingly followed me to the motel’s counter

“Yeah, kinda, she’s Snow”

“ Well, Snow owes me fifty bucks” she stood akimbo, her eye scoldingly regarding the cat

“Fifty what? How?”

“Finished a steak I had ordered for supper, I had to sleep on salad”

Snow was at the moment licking its paws, unaware of the trouble it had just landed me in

“I am so sorry, I will refund you”

“No, its okay…just feed it, okay?”

“Thanks”

“You are not leaving the cat, are you?” she frowned

“Uhm, cats aren’t really allowed at my workplace” I said apologetically and whilst I did, Snow pluckily sauntered over to the woman’s seat and made itself snug. That was after it sipped from the woman’s cup. Unsure of what to say, I mouthed a ‘sorry’ before hurriedly leaving.