Four

As Shawn stepped out of the diner, he thought it was a perfect time to light a cigarette to celebrate; celebrate the fact that he had successfully (albeit unknowingly) gone back in time. As he puffed on his victory cigarette, he began walking the same way he had come. He felt excitement overwhelm him like never before. 1942! Wow, he thought. Just wow. That was the only word reverberating in his entire mind. There was no way he was going back to the present anytime soon.

Then Shawn stopped walking as realization hit him. How the hell was he even gonna get back?

He took a long drag on his cigarette and thought about what he had done to get himself here. All he did was open the hotel room door and bam! he was here.

That hotel door though…

"Ohmigosh!" Shawn shouted as he finally understood what had happened to him. The room he had entered was 1942, the door plastered with the large, brass numbers of "1942". Shawn thought perhaps that hotel room was like a time travel portal to this year he was currently in. Step in and woosh! you get transported back. "So that must be it! That's how I got here!"

Nearby, a homeless man who had been watching Shawn, shifted nervously on the bench he was seated on, glad that he was homeless but not insane like that kid in front of him who was talking to himself about a room door. At that, the homeless man felt slightly envious. At least that kid had a room door. And a cigarette.

Shawn, once again not realizing that he was scaring someone, walked off. He had a new plan. He would go back to 46th and 5th and figure out if there was any clue that he could see that would bring him back to the year 2014. Not that he was particularly dying to go back to his wonderful life in the present times with his crummy hotel job and not to mention scary-as-hell Russian mafia hell bent on getting him but Shawn just had to see if it was even possible to get back at all.

He was trying not to panic but his excitement of having conquered time travel was being replaced by loads of fear, anxiety and panic of thoughts of not being able to return, which was only heightened by his not being able to use his smartphone in this era. Shawn considered this a major setback and wondered what kids did in those days. Of course, he did take into account that perhaps young boys were recruited to fight in the war and were occupied the whole day with war stuff. He put out his cigarette and while anxious to find a way back, looked around for a trashcan to throw his cigarette away. He hated littering and people who littered, although he had no issue with selling drugs.

After walking six blocks over, he was right back to where he had started. The same square with the fountain and people milling about or buying food from street carts met his sight.

Shawn knew that if he wasn't so panicked about finding a way to go back home, he would enjoy this adventure so much more. The fish tacos looked really good at one particular street cart and Shawn would have stood in the long line to get one of them. Later, he thought. But for now at least, he had other things to do.

He knew it was stupid but he started looking around the square for a door with the numbers "2014" on them. After all, that's how he came to be in 1942 so he figured that it was worth a shot.

But he soon realized that nearly all the doors on the street level were open and most of them belonged to quaint cafes, diners and tiny clothes stores and they didn't actually have doors but rather, steel shutters for barricades that were devoid of any numbers.

So Shawn thought that he might try the twentieth floor of buildings. Maybe the "20" from 2014 meant that it would be on the twentieth floor. Maybe, Shawn thought, just maybe, there was an order to time travel.

He looked around for buildings that were as tall as 20 storeys. There were many of these such buildings scattered across the square and Shawn felt at a loss. Was he really going to check all the twentieth levels of all the buildings here?

But he had to go home.

Shawn trudged up the stairs of an apartment building but he could not get into the building without being buzzed in by one of the tenants. However, he actually didn't need to be buzzed in. He checked out the unit numbers written on the letter boxes at the base of the apartment building. Nope, no unit number with "2014" there. Shawn moved onto a few other buildings and did the same. Some buildings with doormen refused to let him linger near the letter boxes and one doorman asked him, "Why do you get a kick out of dressing like an idiot?"

Shawn glared at the sniggering doorman and walked off, feeling embarrassed. If it was up to him, he too would not want to be strolling around the streets in his Marriott Marquis bellboy uniform.

And that's when Shawn got the idea that he had been checking the wrong place the whole time. Shouldn't he try to find the Marriott Marquis here in 1942 in order to get back to 2014?

With hope surging through him, he almost ran the whole of two avenues as he made his way to 1535 Broadway, which in current times, was being occupied by the Marriott Marquis. But Shawn did not know what was in its place now and whether it would be the hotel or some other old looking building. Shawn received strange looks from passers-by not only for his utter lack of fashion but also because the determination on Shawn's face was too intense for him to be out on a normal stroll. People rushed out of his way and Shawn appreciated that although the feeling wasn't mutual.

He was nearly there! He felt impatient that his view was still being blocked by several tall buildings in front of him. He did not even stop to take in Times Square in the 1940s and simply afforded his surroundings a cursory glance. Then, there it was.

Shawn slowed down as he saw a derelict, dingy-looking building coming into view. It had the look of a building that had long since been abandoned by its owner or any sort of cleaner for that matter. Shawn took it in as he tried to catch his breath.

The building itself needed a new paint job though not an extensive one as this version of The Marriott Marquis was much simpler than the current, glamorous-looking building that Shawn was so used to. Instead of its usual 42 floors, the hotel in front of Shawn seemed to have only 25 floors. This Marriott Marquis lacked its signature bold name which usually, is plastered proudly on the building front to be seen for miles throughout Times Square, and instead, settled for just a tiny sign hanging on top and in front of the hotel doors. The grimy windows on of the hotel did not appeal to Shawn either.

The cursive font on the sign read, "Welcome to the Marriott Marquis" and below that, "Have a pleasant stay!"

The good news for Shawn was that at least the Marriott Marquis did exist back in the 1940s. The bad news…was it even still in use?

Shawn approached the hotel apprehensively which looked more like a motel to him where shady ladies would go to, to hook up with even shadier men. He walked up the stairs to the front doors where no bell boy greeted him (oh the irony of that!) and yanked open the doors.

Much to Shawn's relief, the hotel was still in business and the door swung open easily to admit him. This surprised him, as he thought the door wouldn't budge and that he would have to put his whole weight against it to force it open. Not that Shawn had a lot of weight to use in the first place which was why he was relieved to open it on his first attempt.

If Shawn was told by someone yesterday or any time before that the Marriott Marquis back in the 1940s was a complete shack, hugely lacking in exquisite decorative taste, a warm feel to it and instead, was dimly lit with pale blue walls, he would have told that someone "Suuuure…and I'm taller than the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty is still that dull brown!"

But it turns out, that someone would have been right. Shawn stared at the lobby area (if you could even call it that) which looked dingy as hell as there were very few lights around to give it that bright, warm feeling. The walls were also devoid of any grand art pieces, be it renaissance or contemporary and instead, were stained from liquid having dried up and God knows what else and there were several torn and tattered looking couches for guests to sit on which Shawn could only think of one word to describe this entire affair: scroungy. The hotel tried to save its appearance by putting potted plants around the "lobby" but they had long since withered and added to the unkempt feel of the hotel.

"Hi there, sir! Can I help you? Are you checking in?" a female voice called to him, bringing Shawn's attention to the reception desk where another sad looking plant sat.

The desk itself was tucked away in a corner of the room and a perky young female with blonde hair swept up into a ponytail was seated behind it with a bright smile on her face. Her cheeriness seemed out of place in this dilapidated looking structure.

Shawn walked up to the desk and noticed that the receptionist's name tag read "Daphne Lane". He also noticed that she was really pretty, with soft features that were accentuated by her thick lips painted bright red. Her white blouse suited the color of her skin which was slightly tanned and Shawn liked that a lot in girls. Pale girls were really gross to him.

As he approached, Daphne stood up to greet him again. It was a policy that receptionists "must abide by" as her boss liked to say. She found it strange that he emphasized that but didn't set much store by anything else, specifically keeping this hotel clean and worthy of humans. Daphne couldn't wait for her contract to end. Two more weeks and she'd be out of here, preferably meeting a sweet, young man in her first semester at college. Her smile widened as Shawn reached the desk.

"Daphne is it?" Shawn asked, sounding very business-like and waited for Daphne to nod in agreement before he continued. "I'm not checking in. My name is Shawn. I'm the hotel's new bell boy. Where do I start?" He wanted to appear confident in front of this pretty, young thing.

Daphne's smile dropped. New bell boy? Were there even people to greet at the front of this hotel? Were there people who checked in, let alone needed someone to carry their bags for them? Occasionally you get the odd person walking in, in need of cheap lodging. But the hotel business wasn't exactly booming to warrant bell boy service. "Did Mr Robertson ask for you? He didn't tell me that a bell boy was being hired. We do need cleaners though," Daphne said, looking and sounding hopeful.

"Does it look like I'm dressed for cleaning rooms and the rest of this hotel? You'd probably need the entire population of China to freshen this place up and make it look half decent. How'd it end up like this anyway?"

"It's always looked like this! What do you mean 'end up'? And…what are you wearing?" Daphne asked Shawn. "You walked on the streets like that to get here?"

Shawn had heard enough digs about his uniform and especially didn't want to hear them from a girl like Daphne. He shook his head and told her that he would really like to start his job now. "The fact that I'm already dressed in a Marriott Marquis uniform shows that I got a job here. Is there any other Marriott Marquis in this area?" Shawn asked, hoping she'd say yes and direct him to a much better-looking hotel with a receptionist as pretty as herself.

Daphne shook her head again, looking amused with a slight smile on her face. "No, no, this is the only one around here so…welcome to the Marriott Marquis team…I guess! You can leave your—oh you brought nothing with you?"

"Nope!" replied Shawn simply, smiling.

"Ok then. Well I really don't know what you want to do right now," Daphne said. "The few guests that are staying here all have their bags with them in their rooms so maybe—"

"Great! Then I'll just have a look around this hotel. See ya later, Daph!" Shawn said and moved off to explore the rest of the dingy place. He was particularly excited to try the second floor.

Daphne watched Shawn walk off, feeling something was slightly amiss with him. He didn't look like any other guy she had met. What was up with his hair? And that uniform? From the previous two bell boys this hotel had employed, she had seen them in a simple white uniform like hers but Shawn's was a bright burgundy and he had that fancy burgundy hat as well. She thought she should keep an eye on this Shawn person.

***

As Shawn went further into the hotel, he found himself thinking of Daphne. She was fine for a 1940s babe. And he thought she kinda liked him, the way she was studying him so closely. Plus, he felt he had made an impression on her with his manner of being so abrupt. Showed that he had confidence. Girls like confidence. He ought to go back to "Shake It p" and try some of that on that hot barista.

Shawn passed the elevator on his way and decided rather than risk the rickety-looking thing that he may or may not but most probably may get stuck in, he opted for the stairs. What could possibly happen to him on the stairwell?

As he began climbing the stairs, he heard a loud and squeaky noise that seemed to be coming from right beside him but from the ground. Shawn looked down and saw two of the largest rats in the world sharing the stairwell with him. They ran towards his boots, curious about his scent and Shawn jumped out of the way in time before they ran up his pants and got into more uncomfortable areas. "Good Lord," Shawn muttered and hurriedly left them on the bottom stairwell as he continued his climb. Another rat came out of nowhere and scurried between his legs to join its fellow rodents. "Can this place seriously get any worse?" But Shawn didn't want to stick around long enough to find out and raced for the exit in the stairwell. He decided that perhaps, it would be better to take the elevator up to the twentieth level instead of battling rats and God knows what else. He pressed the elevator button and waited.

***

Daphne didn't feel right about leaving Shawn alone and she got this feeling from his initial behavior which to say the least, was aloof. Sighing, she got up off her hard-backed and extremely uncomfortable chair and went in search of Shawn but not before putting the "Will be back in 10 minutes" notification on her desk. She had a feeling that no one would be missing her in her short absence. She went to the lift lobby and stepped into an elevator, thinking that she would get out at each level to look for Shawn. She pressed '02' and waited for the elevator to ascend.

***

Shawn was about to step into the elevator as the doors opened when he saw Daphne in the same elevator. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "I was coming to look for you. You should be in the lobby."

Stepping in, he let out a calm breath and pressed the button for the twentieth storey. To Daphne, he replied, "I'm going home."

***

As the elevator neared the twentieth floor, Shawn felt his heart beating wildly in his chest, the anticipation killing him. He had ignored Daphne's questions about what he had meant with much difficulty, as the girl was relentless! The sweet 'dng!'told Shawn that they had reached and he dashed out of the elevator to the corridor in search of Room 2014. Much to his dismay, he counted only 10 rooms on this floor and he stopped in his tracks. Ten rooms meant he could only travel up to 2010, if his logic was right. Daphne caught up to him, and with arms akimbo, demanded to know what was happening. "Why are you so interested in this floor? What are you doing here, Shawn?"

"If all goes right, you will see what I'm doing here and you won't have to bother about my shenanigans for much longer." I'm here now so I might as well see this through, he thought as he approached the first door. His feeling of apprehension gave way to disgust as he faced the door. It was made of shabby and rotting wood though he assumed the rotting had taken place over time and it wasn't the design of the door itself. The bottom of the door was splintering and watermarks appeared on the door, not unlike those in the lobby area. These doors also lacked the added security feature of newer hotel doors as they didn't have the key-card locking system. It was a simple physical key that was given to guests with a keyhole on the outer part of the door. However, what made his heart beat wildly again was that the number on this door was 2002. This potentially meant that every room was an even number and six doors down meant that the room number could be 2014!

He took off for the seventh room in that corridor and stopped upon coming face to face with it. The number that stared back at him was indeed 2014. He stared at it for a moment longer as it seemed to loom ominously in front of him. He inched forward and put his ear to the door, listening for anyone inside. Even Daphne stood behind him with bated breath, realizing that now was not the time for questions. She did not know what Shawn was doing but she knew that the air was heavy with tension and she did not want to cut through it with her input. When Shawn heard no one moving around inside the room, he pulled back, stood very still, then attempted to open the door, even though he didn't have the key to the door with him.

But he didn't need it as it swung forward at his push. The room was empty and Shawn felt like it was beckoning him forward. All that he needed to do now was to step in.

But he couldn't move. If he did go back to his time, would he be able to come back here again? Maybe he should stay in the 1940s a little longer and experience life here. He was going home to vengeful Russian mafia but here, he could start over. With these thoughts in mind, he backed away from the open door and bumped into Daphne. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go inside!" she urged as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the room.

"No, no, no, Daphne, stop!"

But they had crossed the threshold into Room 2014 and white fog started to engulf them.