Hotel California

[athersgeo]

Because someone on fanficrants said they wanted to see a songfic using Hotel California...I thought I'd oblige.

On a dark desert highway
Cool wind in my hair

Matt had been driving for hours through the apparently unchanging desert. It was odd. Until he'd offered, no-one had shown the slightest bit of interest in taking the car back to the San Diego office. It hadn't made sense to Matt at the time, but as the monotony of the drive set in, he realised his more experienced colleagues had been sensible in turning it down.

"Make sure you get there in a day," Carl had warned. "And don't whatever you do, make a stop over before you hit San Diego."

It had been strange advice, particularly seeing the distance between the two offices made it difficult to do the journey in a day, but he'd tried. Unfortunately, with the sun setting straight ahead of him, it looked as if he wasn't going to succeed.

Up ahead in the distance
I saw a shimmering light
My eyes grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night

Just up ahead, Matt saw the lights of a roadside motel beginning to gleam and twinkle in the twilight. That looked like a good place to stop. As the last of the sun's light faded from the sky, he pulled into the motel's parking lot. The sign above the veranda styled entrance named the motel as Misión de California, suggesting it was once one of the religions missions that the first European settlers founded and the building did look vaguely church-like.

'Who cares!' Matt thought as he parked the car. 'Just as long as they have a room to rent and food to eat.'

He got out of the car and headed across the dusty lot towards the building. As he neared, he spotted a woman dressed in white standing in the doorway.

"Hi," he called.

"Hola," she answered. "You would like a room?"

Matt nodded. "Room'd be great."

She smiled. "This way."

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place

The room was small and, oddly, there was a mirror on the ceiling, but the bed was comfortable and as far as he was concerned, that was the important thing. Matt lay down and soon found himself drifting. His last thought, as sleep finally claimed him, was that he should make San Diego just in time for lunch.

And in the master's chambers
They gather for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast

Matt jerked awake as he felt hands on his arms and legs. The first thing he saw was the face of the woman in white. She was smiling, predatorily. With her were others, all dressed in white, all with devilish, hungry smiles on their faces. Matt tried to struggle but he found he'd been tied down.

"Go on," said the woman in white in a seductive purr. "We like it when they struggle."

"You're insane!"

The woman laid a knife blade against Matt's throat. "And you, young traveller, are lunch."

You can check out any time you want
But you can never leave

With apologies to The Eagles who almost certainly didn't quite intend their lyrics to be taken literally...

Comments

Once more, with feeling ...

[germankitty]

Okay,made a stupid html mistake the first time round, posted twice by mistake ... *sigh*

Here we go again:

Um ... interesting. :)

And damn you for putting the song in my head now! *grumbles* At least it's a good tune that I like. Hmph.

Re: Once more, with feeling ...

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

Though you probably like it less third time round ;)

It's probably not one of my better ficlets - but it was fun do do something that structured :)

Re: Once more, with feeling ...

[germankitty]

Well, as I watched the Live Aid documentary later last night, I had plenty of other good songs to chase it away. :) And gah, forgot to mention I liked the ficlet, too!

[freespirit127.livejournal.com]

Nice work, Rach. :)

[mcity.livejournal.com]

The sign above the veranda styled entrance named the motel as Misión de California, suggesting it was once one of the religions missions that the first European settlers founded and the building did look vaguely church-like.

"The sign above the veranda styled entrance named the motel as Misión de California, suggesting it was once one of the religions missions that the first European settlers founded. The building did look vaguely church-like."

I'm such an editor. Nice work.

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

*chuckles*

I'd have probably caught and rewritten that particularly horrible sentence myself when I did a proper read through, but thanks for the suggestion :)

Glad you liked it.