Madeline’s head felt muddled under the influence of the drug. She vaguely thought she had heard a voice by her ear, calling her Madeline and telling her that it was going to be alright.

Madeline struggled to open her eyes just so she could see who it was, but her eyelids seemed to grow heavier by the second. Instinctively, she curled toward the man who refused to let her go. Perhaps because he gave her a sense of security.

This might have been the first time Madeline felt what it meant to be