(CHAPTER 16: THE INN)

"And here sir is your luxury double bed suite." The man opened the door dramatically but the supposed "luxury" didn't exist. The room was horrible. There were 2 bed, one closet, a lantern hanging at the middle of the room and a wooden table as well as 2 chair. Hero walk into the room as he look around. The bed wasn't even cleaned, with burnt holes on it that he is pretty sure that it was created with cigarette. The carpet on the ground was dry and sandy, leaking an unpleasant fell as he walk on top of it. He take a sniff, just as he expected every corner of the room reeked a heavy burnt smell as if something was one fire before. He try to sit on one of the chair but just as he was about to, the chair let out a huge squeak like the one created by dying mice. He stand back, there is no way that thing could support his weight. There were stain of food and other substance he didn't recognize at the table while the windows were covered in thick layer of dust and sand, making the scenery outside mosaic and pixel like, picturing the dead streets of this dead town.

"Your room sir, looks like crap."

"Hero don't say that."

"Well it's too late, we got a payment policy. You cant get the refund the moment you step in the room." He man laughed as he threw him the keys.

"You didn't say that before!"

"Well you didn't ask that before."

"You-" Hero was about to have a fight, but Brine put a stop.

"I'm tired," She says. "And it is not bad here to be fair."

"She is right sir, the bar is at the entrance and the library is above, enjoy your stay!" The man dash out of the door letting them alone at this old, cranky room.

"Just me luck then." Hero let out a sigh as he put all their belongings on the floor and Brine on the bed. "You okay?"

"Yeah." There were still traces of tear at her cheek but other than that she seems okay. "I wanted to take a bath, can you leave me alone?"

"Sure." He lead her to the bathroom, which is slightly better than the room. The mirror was cracked with moss on it and there is no sprinkler system, only one of those old school creepy looking wooden tub. "Enjoy your time." With that he shut the door up and dashed out of the room.

He look down the corridor that stretched in front of him as he remember the man telling him that there is a bar below him at the entrance. "Maybe I should spend some time there, have a quick drink." He've never been in a bar before, but he has once created his own beer back at his jungle base out of some leftover wheat and sugar he got from the sugarcane along the river. He still remember the taste, spicy, tingly down his throat, making him excited and warm like he was cuddled up under layer and layer of blanket, although he is not. And that was a month ago, he kinda misses that feeling so with that he walked down the stairs that lead straight towards the entrance and hopefully the bar that the man claims.

She took of her cloth layer by layer, before folding them up together and place them aside in neat folded stacks. She touch her way to the bathtub as she pours water inside, making sure it is almost fully filled before finally stepping into the bathtub. The water was cold, which make her shudder a bit. She put her toe first, then her leg, thighs before finally submerging herself completely into the water. She felt refreshed, it have been quite a long time she have taken a bath like this, mostly because of Hero was always around. Now she finally can enjoy her time. The cold water make every inch of her skin fell relaxed, her mind feels numb as a weird tickly fell crawl up her spine. She turn her head to where the mirror was supposed to be. It's been a week since she lost her sight, she is quite curious how she looks right now, how Hero looks like, how the world looks like. She misses the day where she is able to witness the beauty of the world, although she still could "feel" her surrounding, it was never the same than before. She remember what happened this afternoon, at the beginning she tried her best to help Hero, but right now she was a burden to him, the only thing that she doesn't wanted to be.

She felt guilty, she remembered how Hero carried her all the way across the desert, how he take care of her when she is injured back at the river, how he tried her best to make her comfortable, ignoring his own comfort. More and more things came in her mind, she felt guilty, a sour taste gush up her nose as she wash her face with the water, hoping to wash away her tears.

And hopefully her guilt and pain.

"Darn these stairs." Hero cursed under his breath as he almost stumble on a section of the stair while going down to the bar of the entrance. Whoever created these stairs must've no sense of art, each flight is almost unbalance, as if someone with a broken feet measured it. He went through layer and layer of the Inn, and almost met no one single living being, only row and row of room, a corridor after corridor that stretched endlessly. When he finally take the last flight and step out of the stair, he felt relive, as if he just have a walk down to hell.

"Heya mate, down here at the bar for a drink?" A familiar sound called him right when he stepped on the smooth sandstone floor of the bar. He lift his head up, and yeah again, it's the man. He was sitting at one of those old fashioned bar table that you would normally found at any humble cozy bar at the ally. He is holding a towel on his hand and a ceramic cup on the other. He waving his hand with the towel along with it, and just like any other part of the Inn, the bar was empty, it seems that he is the only one living here, although this is the one and only Inn in town.

He nodded his head ever so slightly before sitting down at one of those round wooden chair, which luckily isn't broken. He choose the seat right at the edge of the bar because seriously, he has enough nagging for today.

"What do you want, sir." Here it comes, trying to be professional as ever.

"Call me Hero, any liquor would be fine." He fell weird people calling him "sir", he is just a normal fella.

"You sure mate? Drinks here is a little off-"

"I am sure, hand me the drink." He is getting impatient, or maybe he just really needed a drink.

"If you insist…" He took one bottle out of the shelve before sliding it through the counter to his seat. He caught the bottle with one hand before feeling a sharp pain. He take a closer look at the bottle before realizing it was covered in a cactus skin.

"You gotta be kidding me." Hero rolled his eyes.

"Well, I try to warn ya." He let out a chuckle before continue to polish his ceramic ware with his towel.

He open the crock of the bottle with the edge of his tooth before taking a huge sip out of the bottle. The taste of the liquor inside was far too different from the liquor he had before. It was much more spicier, with a stinging sensation that goes down your throat, he put down the bottle on the counter with a huge thud, before shaking his head furiously, the alcohol has make him dizzy, just only a bit.

"What are these."

"Cactus beer, one and only." The bartender took another down, but this time he pour it in a small ceramic cup before drinking it himself. "I mad it myself, there ain't nothing much to choose for when you are at a desert, you gotta stay creative,"

"Yeah." I took out another gulp, somehow the stinging sensation became more and more pleasing.

"So tell me, why did you come here to this town." He walk closer as he question Hero, before taking a sit right in front of him. Maybe he just wanted to ask him for more info, maybe the alcohol is getting his guard loose, he blurted out everything to the man.

"I need to find somewhere that I can settle down Brine, I owe her too much." He took another huge gulp, as he let out a reflexing gasp, alcohol is a great thing right? Keep your head out of the game, make you lose track of the reality….

"Then don't stay brother, there is nothing in this town."

"I know, but I need to restock too…." He take another chug, his face is already blood red, swaying around like a tree in a storm. "I need to find a plain for her, fast."

"Then what will you do, brother?"

"…." He went silent for a while as his head hung low, shaking the remaining cactus beer in the bottle.

He has no idea too.

"See, that's what we know brother, the future is far beyond our understanding and expectations, maybe once you reach the plains, you will know. To stay, or to continue." He lean forward and take a sip out of his cup.

"You are right….." Hero suddenly realize he didn't even know his name. " What's your name again?" He lift his head as he stares at the man in front of him. His sight is blurry and hazy, his eardrum is ringing, but his instinct tell him that he is a kind man, the one you could leave your back for him.

"Phil." He smiled. "Name's Phil." He reach his cup for a toast with Hero: "For the future!" He laughed.

"Yeah, for the future!"

The clock struck 12, the town was silent, even dead than before. Literally everyone stay's in door, the gate towards the town was closed to keep mobs from entering, which is literally everywhere. People keep their door shut, some were fast asleep while some were still working, they had no other choice, the only option given to them was by the harsh and deadly desert that they are trapped with. And all they could do, is to cope with it.

At the bar of the town's one and only Inn, two men were still drinking.

"I've tell you my story Phil, tell me yours." Hero was totally drunk right now, there were bottles of cactus beer lying on the floor, all chugged down by one man.

"I don't know Hero, my story is normal like any other." Phil laughed, he is still awake, maybe he is just used to the beer. "I am just someone who owns an Inn passed down by generations, and I am just trying to keep it alive."

"Why are no one living here, it is so cozy and warm." Hero blurted out as he take another gulp.

"Yeah, people here aren't living their best, so do I. I am just planning to hold on as long as I could, I can't let this place die in my hand, not on my watch." He let out a chuckle as he pour down the last of the liquor down to his throat.

"Yeah." Hero let out his last smile before finally stumbling to the ground, completely out cold.

"Are you okay Hero?" Phil hoist him up from the ground and carries him to his room. He is literally dragging him up the stairs. "Boy he sure is heavy." He say as he strained to drag him up to the last flight of stairs.

"Miss Brine?, Hero here is quite drunk." He knock on the door as he called. The door opened with a creak.

"What happened to hero!" She asked as she sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

"Well that's cactus beer, he is just drunk, no worries, he might be OK tomorrow morning, a small headache is unavoidable." Phil drag him into the room as he throw Hero on the bed before bidding them a good night and leave.

She touch her way to Hero as she sat beside him. Her arm extends as she touch his back. She still remember the first night with him. Seeing the scars on his back. Now although she cant see it clearly like before, but she could still feel it. She could feel every curve and edges, every depth and shallow, the texture, the length the width of his back, feeling every hump and crate carefully as if they were stories. As her hand crawl up from his back slowly and to his arms.

And to his hand.

She is now laying right beside him. She could not see him, but she could feel him, he was still the Hero she remember, the one that rushes, the one that risk his life for her, stay with her, laugh with her, play with her, fought with her.

The one that she loved.

Suddenly she could see his face, clearly, it was the most beautiful image she have ever seen. She was happy that she meet him, that's why she fought for him till she couldn't hold on and break through her limits, although she lost her sight, she is happy she didn't lose him.

He is most beautiful scene she have ever seen.

Tears stream slowly down her face as it dampens the blanket beneath it, she let down a light chuckle and smiled as tears rain down. She hoped that time would freeze so that she would stay in this moment, forever, and ever…. Hero looked at her face, she didn't realize he is actually wide awake. He look at her crying, he didn't make a peep, or move, or struggle like the last time she did this to him. Without even realizing, he was crying too, silently as he closes his eyes. And that's how the night passes, both of them lying head to head, crying, without wanting for each other to know their pain, their suffering, their guilt….

That night, both of their knot in their hearts were untied….