Shattered Souls (BTS)

Chapter 19: Madeline

"Come on, Madi. It's not that difficult to stand up," She coaxed herself, determined to get out of this room. She didn't know who the hell was in the room with her and why they were pitched up on the floor and fold-up beds. From what she could see, she was the only patient in the room. The men were here for her.

Madeline used her hands to swing her legs around. Tentatively, her bare feet tapped the icy marble floor. She hissed at the extremely cold temperature. Madeline loathed the cold.

A loud snore interrupted her thoughts. Whipping her head in the direction, she squinted her eyes to try and decipher who was with her. Madeline mentally cursed the room for being so dark—she couldn't make out any features. All she knew was that they were tall and had broad forms.

Shaking her head, she focused on the task at hand.

Inhaling sharply, she used the bed's railing to push up. At first, her wobbly knees protested. She leaned on her railing for support until her legs started to regain their strength. Just as she was about to move, she noticed the wires that were hooked up to her body. Despite knowing she really shouldn't rip them out of her arms, she did it anyway and pulled the machines out of their plug sockets so they wouldn't create any noise.

As she stepped forward, a bag on her leg caught her attention. Madeline sighed as she realized it was a catheter bag. That meant she must have been asleep for a while.

The sleeping people in the room had no idea what was happening. They were blissfully asleep, unaware of Madeline trying to escape.

Stumbling towards the door, she quietly opened the door. Before she exited, she checked the people in the room were still asleep. When she received no sudden moves, she smiled thankfully. Ignoring the pull of her body to stay in the room, she swayed out of the room and used the walls to guide her down the corridor.

Madeline probably looked like a mess to the people walking down the corridors, but she paid no heed to them. None of them approached her to ask where she was going so, she knew leaving wouldn't be an issue.

As she rounded the corner, a tidal wave of dizziness hit her.

"Fuck," She swore and used her spare hand to grip the side of her head.

Before a nurse or doctor noticed her rough state, Madeline forced her body into the first room she could find. Heaving, she fell to the corner of the room, groaning in pain.

Her escape plan had to be momentarily delayed.

"Hello?" A frail voice asked into the darkness, startling the young girl. Snapping her eyes back open, Madeline barely made out a thin figure sitting up on a bed. "Is somebody there?"

Madeline licked her dry lips, debating whether to answer or not. "Uh, yeah."

The figure leaned over the side of the bed and switched on a light bulb. Madeline hissed like a vampire who had never seen sunlight before and covered her eyes.

She could feel eyes burning into her body.

"Are you okay, miss?" A female voice questioned, concerned.

Madeline slowly pulled her hands away from her face and blinked. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the light. She had no idea how she managed to walk down the brightly lit corridors earlier.

An old woman with thinning grey hair and wrinkles filled her vision. She was skinny and pale and looked exhausted. Madeline knew she probably looked the same—worn out and done with life.

"I—I'm fine. I just need a moment," She answered in a croaky voice. To add to the long list of realizations, she noticed how dry her mouth was. She was desperate for some water.