Higher Than Hope

Nail glanced down as the outskirts of Edmonton came into view, his whole body feeling boneless as he was tired from the flight and the last few days. I want to get some sleep, the minute I land I'm going to bed, he thought wryly.

"I remember all the hoopla from last year, it is exhausting", said Ryan in understanding.

"Da, I will need to yank my eyes open", said Nail, biting his lip to stifle a yawn.

"You can crash at my place, I like having company", said Ryan.

"Spasibo, Ryan", he said.

The plane landed at Edmonton International Airport half an hour later, Ryan leading him off the plane and hurrying away with their bags in case anyone recognized them. Luckily for them, it was nearly three in the morning so there were no reporters around and only a janitor vacuuming the rug as they made their way towards the parking garage.

"This is my baby, I got it with my bonus money", Ryan laughed as he took his keys and clicked a button to open the doors of a black Chevy Blazer.

"Very nice", said Nail approvingly.

Ryan just laughed as he got in the driver's side and turned on the ignition, the powerful engine coming to life as he backed out of the space. "Yeah, I know. Alberta's really rural and getting a truck is a good idea, you ought to get a truck or an SUV. There's this dealer where a lot of the guys got their trucks, they can give you a deal", he said.

Nail just nodded as Ryan followed the signs for the exits, seeing the lights of Edmonton in the distance. The capital of Alberta was not the largest city in the province but at this time of night it appeared like how the Emerald City might have appeared to Dorothy and her friends. Tall buildings with their lights ablaze casts their brilliant glow on the prairie, quite a shock after seeing the vast empty plains below them on the flight.

"My place is near the arena, I have a condo and a lot of the other guys live in the building", said Ryan as he turned on the signal as the exit approached.

Ryan's condo was located just several blocks from Rexall as the guard on duty waved him through after seeing the decal on the windshield. He parked in his spot in the underground garage, leading them to the elevator and pressing the button for the tenth floor. "Just make yourself at home, I'm going to crash too", said as he opened the door of the condo.

Nail barely glanced around as Ryan turned on the light, seeing a big parlor with a cream couch facing a coffee table and a big screen plasma TV, a kitchen and a small dining room and a closet in the foyer. He took off his sneakers and carefully placed them near the door and took his small overnight bag to the bathroom, quickly deducing the larger room was Ryan's. Nail took his duffel bag into the other room and turned on the light, barely noticing much as he stripped down to his boxers and took the covers off the bed. The room was plain but clean with a queen-sized bed covered in a brown quilt and matching sheets, a nightstand and dresser made from the same white wood, a lamp and a clock radio resting on the nightstand.

Nail flopped down on the bed and mused that the packing could wait until tomorrow, his limbs feeling heavier than lead and his eyes drooping as though weighed down by coins. He reached over and turned off the light, his eyes clamped shut as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.