Auto-wash

It was only after she had dragged Cass into the ladies room and the door has slammed shut behind them that Jade notice the door had been tampered with. No matter how hard she tried, the damn lock had been damaged to the point of fusing shut, the electronic pad sparking on occasion. She looked back at Cass, who she had doped to stop her from having an aneurism. In a vain effort to stop the telepathic link from having as much effect, she had indulged her inner conspiracy theorist on the way past the buffet table to check Plisken was ok. Actually, much to her surprise, the old man got up, dusted himself off and stalked out the door.

She went back to Cass and sat down on the floor next to her. She pressed two fingers to the younger woman’s neck and checked her pulse, Cass moaned slightly at the contact in her drugged up stupor.

“Well, the good news is that your pulse has steadied, so I don’t think you’re critical anymore.” Jade said, Cass didn’t respond, her head lolled to one side and she drooled slightly. Jade sighed, wiped the drool away and adjusted Cass again so that she didn’t choke on her own…. Vomit… Jade banged her head on the wall in frustration. Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner?! All the Martini and vodka most likely. She quickly rummaged through her bag and hauled out a stimulant. The combination of chemicals in her system mixing with that much alcohol, it was only a matter of time once she was awake.

*Fifteen minutes later*

Cass groaned and vomited again. Jade once again apologised through the stall door, as a doctor she was supposed to heal, inducing this state in Cass hadn’t been easy. With a head like an angry bear, Cass spat back something vitriolic. Jade sighed and handed a bottle of water under the door. That’s when the gently annoying musak in the bathroom changed.

“Now aaaah’ve… Haaad…. The time of my life…” Jade sank to the floor, already feeling terrible and recalled last time she heard the song.

<Flash back>.

“Urgh, I hate this song.” Cass grimaced as she exited the stall, she tested removing the tinfoil hat and quickly put it back on again.

“Right now I imagine you hate everything.” Jade said in reply, heaving a sigh as she remembered curling up on the bottom bunk with Solvay on movie nights. She missed him. Cass walked over to the door and inspected the panel, reaching in her pockets for her palm computer. “The state you were in you would have broken it.” Jade filled in the blank, as Cass couldn’t find the device.

“So hand it over.” Cass snapped, grimacing as the sound of her own voice hurt.

“Can’t, Jay had it.” She shrugged. “I’d offer you a hangover pill, but someone’s stolen half of my kit.” Jade said, and it was true. Neither of the girls knew it was Tara who had stolen the drugs to prevent people feeling better after their nights out, or who had damaged the lock on the bathroom so they would get trapped in. The song reached its crescendo as Cass wheeled on Jade.

“What the hell, what kind of useless Doctor are you anyway? Shit. Without that tablet we are fucking trapped in here!” She yelled. Jade crumpled, the painful memories associated with the song, feeling terrible about not being able to help Cass in a better way, the angry scrutiny from her best friend fuelled by the mood enhancing drugs in her own system (alcohol enhances your own mood don’t you know) was too much. She slumped down to the floor and burst into tears.

“I…. I… I… I’m sorry.” She wailed through sobs.

“Ah… Urm… Aww shit.” Cass said, deflating herself, and coming to sit next to Jade and put an arm around her.

They sat there like that for a long few moments, the songs playing a playlist that caused both women to reflect on agonising moments of their lives, till the voice over the speakers changed.

“Auto-wash in five minutes, please vacate the bathroom.”

“What?” Cass said, her head snapping up and looking to the speaker.

“Auto-wash in four minutes, for your own safety please vacate the bathroom.” The monotone replied.

“That wasn’t a minute.” Jade said, looking up with Cass and sniffing lightly, brushing the tears from her face.

“Auto-wash in four minutes, for your own safety please vacate the bathroom. We cannot be held responsible for any damage or injury caused.”

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Cass said, scrabbling around and checking the door again. She hammered on it, but no one was there to hear. Thanks to the antics earlier, the casino was now empty and closed.

“Auto-wash commencing. Thank you for vacating the bathroom”

“But we are still in here” Jade protested as water began to spray across the floor of the bathroom, pooling in grates that opened up from the floor and draining away. Then the grates closed.

“Shit.” Cass said simply, trying to prise one back open with her fingers as water began to spray down from the ceiling and from nozzles that opened up in the walls.

“This isn’t good.” Jade said, sloshing over to Cass who was still trying to prise open a floor drain.

“The thing must have been sabotaged, like the door.” Cass scowled and stood up.

“We need to get out of here before we drown.” Jade said, jumping up to sit on the sinks and get out of the water which was already at ankle height.

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