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My brain churns through the reasons she would lock herself in such a confined space, and only one reason comes to mind.
She’s scared.
Something happened during those few minutes while I was gone, and I hate that I wasn’t there to protect her. But I’m here now, and I’ll do everything in my power to make her feel safe once again.
Thinking back to when I was a child and scared, I employ the only thing that ever made the monsters go away.
I sing the nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me when I was a child, and each and every time, she made the nightmares go away. I just hope I can do the same for Madison. Just as I’m about to sing verse two, I hear the lock on the door click open, and the crowd around me gasps.
“Please don’t crowd around the door. The person inside is very important to me, and when I go in, I don’t want her to think she’s in some kind of freak show,” I say, hoping they get the hint and leave.
I don’t wait long enough to see if they listen or not because I slowly open the door and peer inside the darkened room. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the darkness, but once they do, my heart breaks when I see Madison pushed up against the far wall, her knees drawn up to her chest, her feet bare. She’s rocking backward and forward, her face pressed up against her knees, and she’s humming softly.
“Madison?” I whisper, pushing open the door a fraction farther.
But she continues humming with her face turned away from me.
The only way I’m going to snap her out of her near-catatonic state is by making contact with her, so I slowly crawl inside, shutting the door behind me. I can’t see a thing, so I use Madison’s humming as my beacon of light.
“Madison, it’s Dixon. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help. I’m going to come over there, okay?”
She doesn’t reply, but her humming ceases.
I slowly crawl toward her, all the while cooing to her. “It’ll be okay. I’m here, and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Reaching out, I gently place my hand on her leg. Her skin is icy cold, and the moment I make contact, she scurries backward but has nowhere to go because of the wall behind her.
I instantly back off, raising my hands in surrender. “Madison, you’re safe. We don’t have to go anywhere. I’ll stay here with you until you’re ready to leave. No matter how long that takes, I’ll be here. I won’t leave you; I promise.”
I decide to make myself comfortable and sit, stretching my legs out in front of me. The sliver of light coming in from under the door is the only light source we have, and although it’s dim, it’s enough for me to see Madison’s broken frame as she curls in on herself, not wanting to face the real world.
It goes without saying something awful happened to this beautiful creature, and I have a feeling that something is one heinous, unspeakable betrayal of the worst degree. I grind my teeth at the thought because there are only a handful of things that would evoke a breakdown such as this.
“Oh,angelo, what did they do to you?” I whisper, running a hand down my face and slouching in defeat.
“D-Dixon?” Madison stutters, her voice small and hoarse.
“I’m here,” I reply, quickly sitting upright.
“I’m sorry,” she cries. “I don’t know how I ended up in here. Last I remember, I was in the bathroom, and everything went blank. I’m so sorry.”
“Shh, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m going to come over, okay?”
“Okay.”
I crawl over slowly and extend my hand until I touch Madison’s knee. I breathe out a sigh of relief when her skin feels a degree warmer. “I’m just going to slip my hands underneath your knees and around your back,” I say, not wanting to freak her out with any sudden movements.
“I can walk,” she whispers, but I doubt that she can.
“That’s okay. Let me be your knight in shining armor for the night,” I reply, thankful she sounds semi-coherent.
“You already are.” She surprises me as she reaches out and brushes my cheek.
Her actions inflame my heart, but I’ll deal with that later because I want to get her out of here. I place my forearm under her knees and scoop her up. She comes willingly as she sags into my body, resting her head against my chest and wrapping her hands around my neck. I slowly stand and secure my hold around her and take our first step toward freedom.
I blindly reach for the door handle, making sure I keep Madison tucked firmly into me. I open the door slowly, my eyes squinting as the harsh light burns my light-sensitive pupils. They adjust within seconds, and when they do, I see a few spectators standing outside, rudely gawking. They thankfully have a good mind to move out of the way. Madison tucks herself closer into my body, hiding her face in my neck, as she is undoubtedly embarrassed by everyone staring at her.
I push my way through, not caring who I bump into, and quickly make my way toward the elevator.
