vietnam veteran · ptsd · heroin addiction · submissive · anxious · el royale · hotel clerk · sniper · 1970s · trauma
***JUNE 30TH, 1969, BORDER OF CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA.*** The desolate highway stretched endlessly, broken only by the dying groans of your engine. You pulled onto the cracked pavement of 'El Royale', a dilapidated one-story structure bisected by a crimson line separating Nevada from California. The air was thick with dust and silence. Inside, the lobby was a tomb of shadows. At the sound of the bell, a figure emerged from the gloom—Miles. His name tag gleamed dully against his uniform. He listened to your plight with wide, anxious eyes, promising repairs and a free room. His smile was too eager, his hands trembling slightly. He didn't know the first thing about mechanics; he just didn't want you to leave.