Where to Belong

by W.J. Smith

CHAPTER TEN

  Escape

  Every fiber of her being ached as Madison groggily awoke. Her stubborn eyes were slow to open. She was lying in a large, soft bed. There was a faint glow trickling into the blue walled room as daybreak filtered through the narrow opening above the blind, washing the white ceiling in a soft light.

  She closed her eyes and drew a full breath, holding it when the movement sent a searing pain through her abdomen. Her heavy hands shifted to inspect the area and found it wrapped with a gauzy bandage.

  Breathing a little more cautiously, she caught the tang of a medicine smell. She began to stir and tried to get up, falling short with another flash of pain. Madison buried her face in the pillow and muffled a moan.

  After a few moments, she tried again. She gradually progressed to the edge of the bed and put her feet on the floor. The plush carpet felt good against her bare feet.

  It took some effort to stand unaided. Her head was in a fog and her knees felt weak. She shuffled past the foot of the bed and reached the door. She carefully cracked it open and peeked out. The scene was known to her but it took a second to recognize it. It was Skyler's apartment.

  Madison latched the door and leaned against it. It was unsafe for her to stay. She had to get out of there. She had to go home.

  She pushed past the flare of dizzying pain with each movement as she pulled on a pair of drawstring pants she found in the wooden chest of drawers. She was already wearing a long t-shirt that hung on her, and she didn't spend any time finding something different.

  With her arm held fast to her aching stomach, she stepped out of the bedroom and snuck into the front room of the apartment. It was unoccupied. She could hear the dull sound of a television coming from behind the door that sat closest to the front door of the apartment. It was slightly ajar, the light from within spilling out into the dark main room.

  Madison approached the active room and held her breath. She glanced in and saw no one. A flat TV hung on the wall she could see, with shelving below it cluttered with movie cases. It took her a moment, but she convinced herself to sneak by and make for the exit.

  "Hey! You're up!" came a man's voice from the side room.

  She flinched and backed away from his direction. Her eyes flashed to the door that would provide her an escape and she thought to dash for it.

  The brawny man stepped into the doorway and gave an awkward wave. "You're probably looking for Skyler. He isn't here, but he'll be back any moment. How are you feeling? You've got to be starving."

  She continued to back away from him as he moved towards her. She glanced around and spotted a pair of scissors on an end table. Madison snatched them up and held them at him as clippings of a magazine scattered all around. "Stay away from me," she came in a whisper, her throat too dry to give it any strength.

  The man threw his hands up and backed into his room. "Hey now, you've got this all wrong. I'm just trying to help. No need to get all crazy on me."

  "Who are you?"

  "Just a guy, nobody special," he began to nervously ramble. "I'm just sitting here, minding my own business. Not looking for any trouble. Trust me, lady, I'm the last guy you should be worrying about."

  Did he mean that as a threat? She couldn't tell, but she didn't want to take any chances. She gave the scissors a jerking wave and he granted her more space. Madison shifted towards the front door with her stare fixed on him, "Then I suggest you stay back and leave me alone unless you like playing with scissors."

  "No, ma'am, I don't. Do what you gotta do. I wanted to call the police, just so you know. I'm not a fan of this."

  He didn't offer any protest when she reached the door and pulled it open. She peered outside and found the hallway to be empty.

  The sound of the door latch catching came as Madison reached the turn in the hall. She didn't quite run, the hurried breaths and steps were already too much for her throbbing belly. It was all she could do to get to the elevator.

  Her pulse was pounding in her ears as the silence of the elevator lingered on. The numbers above the door ticked by, telling of her descent. She then thought of the elegant lobby and her obviously inapt apparel. Her mind raced, and her hand involuntarily pressed another button beside the door.

  A ding sounded her arrival on the fifth floor. This was the first access to the parking garage. She decided she would take her chances on the lesser kept exits of the building.

  Her bare feet joined in the complaining when she stepped out of the building and into the windblown garage. The instant cold nearly took her breath away and she began to shiver. The quaking set off another nauseating surge of pain from her abdomen. Still, she pressed on.

  A glow of headlights came from the ramp ahead of her. Madison glanced around and found nothing to hide her. She hugged herself and lowered her head, hoping she would simply appear as a tenant running out to their car to grab something.

  It seemed to be working. The large vehicle rolled by her at their continued speed. Then the sound of screeching brakes rang through the garage. She looked up at the source. It was Skyler who had driven by, and he had spotted her. He jumped out of his idling SUV and ran towards her, leaping over the divider he had just pulled around.

  Madison knew she couldn't out run him. She turned and bolted back into the building. All her hopes rested on the elevator, that it would be at that floor and open to her. Maybe she could get away from him there and try another exit. She ran as fast as she could, his frantic callings coming from behind her.

  The elevator doors were beginning to close when she turned the corner. She put on an extra burst of speed and lunged for them, just barely catching them before they could meet. She went to the buttons and repeatedly mashed the one that would shut out her pursuer. The doors finally started to respond. She pressed against the far wall of the elevator and held her breath as the sluggish doors began to merge. Her escape was within reach. But then a hand caught the doors and they slid open once again.

  She regretted dropping the scissors when she had left his apartment. Not that she would use them on him, but maybe they would have deterred him. Skyler rushed into the elevator and stared at her. His expression was hard to read, possibly anger or fear. Either way she didn't hesitate to fight against him.

  The doors started to close again, and she let out a scream. Skyler grabbed hold of her and covered her mouth, pulling her to him in an unyielding grasp. He was shushing her and hit the stop button on the elevator panel. The enclosure came to an abrupt halt.

  "Be still," he growled. "I'm trying to help you."

  Madison bit the hand he held over her mouth and jabbed her elbow into his hard stomach. "I was doing just fine without you!"

  He wrestled with her and pinned her arms. "I know," he puffed as she continued to fight against him. "I'm sorry."

  She only slowed when the pain in her belly caused her focus to blur. Her breath escaped her, and she lost her footing. Skyler's hold lessened at her hesitation and she pushed away from him. She didn't get far. She had nowhere to turn. He dragged her back to him and pulled something from his pocket, sticking her in the arm.

  Madison knew what it was without seeing it. He had dosed her again. She let out a frustrated cry and fought against him as long as her wilting energy would allow. He muttered apologies and slowly sank to the floor with her.