𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Seventy Eight ~

Dusk stirred in the bed, hoping to feel the warm embrace of her lover. But as she stretched her arms out, the only thing she could feel was the bundled-up white sheets. Where did he go now? The raven shifted her gaze to the other side of the room, thinking maybe he went to the bathroom and would return soon. But as the second and third-minute mark ticked by, it became clear to her that that was not the case. He likely disappeared but to where?

She went to the bathroom across the hall to freshen herself up. She pulled her dark locks into a ponytail and wiped away the remaining mascara smudges before looking through the halls and calling out his name. "Klaus? You here?" She asked, hoping to find him picking the lock on one of the rooms. But with every call unanswered, she grew more and more worried. A door creaked open, and Dusk immediately stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Victoria?" She questioned, seeing the redhead holding Pennycrumbs in her arms.

"Have you seen Klaus anywhere?" The redhead shook her head, claiming that she hadn't seen him since his coming back from the dead. "You don't think he's been..." Dusk trailed off at the thought of her boyfriend being kugelblitzed. "I'm sure he's fine. But if it makes you feel better then I-" Before Victoria could finish her sentence, the sounds of running came out of the White Buffalo Suite and down the hall, followed by Lila's British accent.

"Dusk! Tori! Have you seen Stanley anywhere?" She asked rather panicked. The two women shook their heads, growing panicked as well. "He has to be around here somewhere," Dusk reasoned, attempting to calm the situation. Lila could only nod, hoping that he was okay. "You wouldn't mind checking for the halls for him, do you?" she questioned. Dusk and Victoria nodded before beginning their search, the little dog trailing right behind. Perhaps they would be able to find both Klaus and Stanley in one search. They did bond a few times during his cleaning punishment.

They walked into the Oasis and Spa, checking every nook and cranny to no avail. The search continued to the next floor, then the next, and so on until they reached the lobby. "Well shit, do you think maybe he left the hotel?" Dusk questioned. "If he did, where do you think he went?" Victoria inquired. With the Kugelblitz breaking the world apart, there were only so many places he could be.

"Maybe he went to the store? He seemed pretty eager to get some Slim Jims and slushies the last time," Dusk suggested. "Then, let's go check it out! Quickly!" The redhead crouched down to Pennycrumb's level, clipping his leash onto his collar before they walked onto the cracked and ash-filled streets. As they rushed down the streets, Dusk could see some buildings had partially collapsed, some even catching fire. The sky was no longer blue, instead, it was covered in thick gray clouds, the air filling with a smoky smell.

The smell was becoming so overwhelming that Dusk had to pull her sweater over her face. As soon as they saw the grocery store in their sights, they rushed towards the entrance, hoping to find Stanley there. "Stanley! You here, little dude?" the raven's voice echoed throughout the empty store. When Dusk approached the snack counter, she saw someone using all the slushie flavor machines at once, laughing and cheering at the color bursts.

"There you are, Stan! We've been looking all over!" the raven sighed, walking towards him. "What? A kid can't take time to get a Slim Jim and slushie?" Stanley raised a brow. "Well, the world's ending out there. We gotta make sure you're okay!" Dusk reasoned, before calling out to Victoria, letting her know she found him. Finding her nephew was a relief, but when she noticed Klaus wasn't with him, the weight of worry fell back on her shoulders.