Manhattan, Kansas

I stumbled off the Greyhound bus at five in the goddamn morning. Downtown Manhattan wasn’t much to look at, especially at that time of day. Closed storefronts and lifeless neon signs in darkened windows. And shadows. A lot of shadows. Cats. Of course there are always stray cats dashing across the mouth of an alley in a tale such as this.

I picked up my suitcases and headed for the residential hotel across the street.