BLEACHED

90: Escaping madness

After finishing the tray of food, Lavender takes the dishes and puts them back onto the tray as Domen grabs his phone from the floor, only to frown when he notices his phone's battery is about to die.

He turns it on and clenches his jaw when he notices the investigator's number in his messages, at the very top of it.

It's recent.

He taps on the message and notices it's already been ten minutes since the investigator had texted him.

Warning him that his grandmother knows where he is and is coming.

"Sh*t." Domen curses and turns to grab Lavender's phone as he gathers their belongings. "Hey, uh.. Lav, we need to go."

Lavender glances over her shoulder as she's chugging down a glass of water, furrowing her brows as he walks over to her and holds up her dress.

"Wear this, we really have to go." Domen says as he reaches down to the shirt she's wearing and loosens the buttons.

"What... What's going on?" Lavender asks but obliges and begins to wear her dress.

"Grandma found us." He says as he pulls on the shirt and his trousers. "We should leave before she gets here."

Lavender widens her eyes in horror and quickly finishes wearing the dress before rushing into the bathroom, wanting to at least wash her face.

Domen finishes up buttoning his skirt and rushes to the bathroom as he shoves Lavender's bra into his jacket's pocket.

"W-Wait just a moment-."

"-We don't have one." He grabs her wrist and pulls her out of the bathroom just as she was trying to rinse under her arms.

He hurries with her to the door and quickly steps out as he grabs both their shoes in one hand while holding hers in the other.

The rush to the elevator and he stops the moment he notices the elevator is rising up to their floor.

"Stairs." He says and doesn't give her a second to process what's going on as she's taken down the stairs.

"Domen wait! I can't... I can't keep up!" She panics as she's about to fall.

He stops and bends his back a little, signaling her to hop on.

Knowing she doesn't have time to complain, she pulls her dress up a little and gets on his back just as the elevator dings.

Once she's on him he sprints the rest of the way down the stairs much faster than before.

"Domen!" The distant scream of his grandmother the moment she steps out of the elevator fills Lavender with fear as she widens her eyes when they finally get to the reception area.

People glance towards them in shock and Domen puts Lavender down as he walks over to the receptionist.

"Go to the car, Lav, I'll find you there." Domen says as he gives her the keys before turning to the receptionist who is looking at them with furrowing brows. "I'm leaving uh... Room 204, you know me I know, here's my card and do it fast."

Domen hands the receptionist the card and he quickly recieves it.

Domen glances towards the elevator and clenches his jaw as he notices it descending.

"Could you be a bit faster?" Domen asks and the receptionist nods frantically as he inputs whatever he is doing on the monitor before handing it back to Domen who snatches it and leaves the front desk in a blink of an eye.

Domen rushes out of the building and goes to his car, finding Lavender already seat looking paranoid as she watches him open the door and hop in.

"Did she see you?" Lavender asks as he starts the car and steps on the reverse peddle, driving out of the parking lot and towards the gate.