Flight 2147 to Denver has been canceled due to severe weather conditions. Please proceed to the customer service desk for rebooking.

The terminal groaned. A collective exhale of exhaustion and frustration rippled through the gate. Across the row of windows, rain hammered against the glass like impatient fingers.

You checked your phone. No new messages. The charge was at fourteen percent.

The customer service desk was a battlefield. Bodies pressed shoulder to shoulder, voices overlapping into one dull roar. A woman in a navy blazer held a clipboard like a shield. She was the only employee visible, and she looked like she'd been there for twelve hours.

You joined the line. It moved at a crawl.

By the time you reached the front, the hotel options on the screen behind her had dwindled to a single name. The last one. A place called the Pinecrest Motor Lodge, twelve miles from the airport.

"One room left," the woman said, not looking up. "Queen bed. Non-refundable." A pause. "You want it or not?"