oxygen | druig

Chapter XVIII

It's on the fifth floor, very far right. Number 203." the receptionist explained to her, giving her a crooked smile.

„Thank you." Persia muttered, lifting her lips barely before dropping them again.

"If you need anything-"
The woman tried, but Persia was already heading up the flight of stairs.

For some reason, his energy was collecting at some hotel, even if they needed to get back to the Domo as soon as possible.

And when Persia asked about him, the woman told her he had been there all day.
She could push her wonder aside and finally reached the first floor.

Her body stopped, allowing her eyes to wander along the dark halls, doors aligned each side.

It felt as if she was going to throw up any moment.
But she urged herself to move further up, until she stood in the entrance to the fifth floor.

His energy was heavy, cast a weight into her chest.
Persia took a breath, shook her head.
She moved forward without even thinking clearly.

199.
200.
201.
202.

"203." she exhaled so softly as if it wasn't any more than a simple thought.

What was she supposed to do, knock?

One of her hands rose, closed in a loose fist.
It stopped an inch in front of the wood, collapsed against it and laid as a flat palm.

Persia took a breath, let her eyes fall shut for a moment.
Then she gave the woods two fast but quiet taps, forcing herself to stand her ground instead of running back down the hall.

Nothing followed, second after second passing.
She thought about turning around and leaving when it creaked open by just a bit.

"Who's there?" he asked.

Persia bit down on her tongue.
"It's me."

Silence surrounded them for a while, Persia was convinced he'd just close the door on her.
She would have honestly preferred that.

Druig exhaled a short breath, then shoved the door a little to the side.
"Why are you here?"

He was barely visible, she could see his face halfway, the room was dark and the only small light didn't reach his body.

"You saved Maya." it slipped from her mouth even if she didn't mean to say it.

The boy stayed silent, clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
"I don't remember."

"Please don't lie to me." she whispered, rubbing the back of her aching neck.

Druig's fingers wrapped around the door defensively, hiding himself further from her gaze.

"I wanted to thank you, that's all." Persia lied, turning on her feet to get away.
The air was growing too stuffy.

A thousand thoughts on her mind and she couldn't bring herself to speak a single word out loud.
Was it embarrassment?

She didn't know.

"You didn't come here to thank me, did you?"

Still playing the smart guy, he hadn't changed at all.

Cold air slashed her ankles, made the hair on her arms stand.
Persia looked down, past the threshold into the room. She could peek at the sheets of a white blanket, pillows.
Thrown to the ground.

Her brows furrowed.

There was red sticking to them.
Then she smelled it, very faintly.

"Are you bleeding?" she asked, taking a step towards the door.