Page 51 of Out of the Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Five

Madelyn

“No!” Madelyn suddenly screamed, yanking at the tubes and wires that were running up and down her arms.

Her nails clawed at her arms, attempting to dislodge the small, plastic tube that had wormed its way into her skin, while her other hand went to the one on her face that was trying to climb up her nose. At the same time, she kicked her legs widely to get the heavy piece of cloth off of them. She felt restrained, confined, and it only made her panic increase. Even the steady beeping up by her head was beginning to speed up.

“Whoa, it’s okay, Madelyn,” the oddly familiar voice said as a pair of hands gently grasped her flailing legs. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

A second, larger pair of hands circled both of her wrists and pinned them down by her hips.

Madelyn blinked a few times, and the room she was in finally came into focus. She wasn’t still in the refrigerator as she originally thought. Instead, she was in a hospital room. The beeping was coming from the heart rate monitor. The tube she had torn out of her arm had been an IV and was now weeping blood down her arm, and she had a nasal cannula on her face providing her with a steady stream of oxygen.

Melanie was at the foot of the hospital bed, her hands on Madelyn’s shins. She had dark circles under her eyes, messy hair, and wore disheveled clothes, but she was smiling at her with tears in her eyes.

“Breathe for me, little dove,” a deep voice said from right beside her. Her gaze snapped to him as he released her wrists and placed a warm, calloused hand on the side of her face. “You gotta remember to breathe.”

Licking her lips, Madelyn sucked in a deep, shaky breath. Her whole body ached, and it felt like she had been hit by a freight train, especially in her chest. If she was being honest, she felt like she had a couple of cracked ribs, though she didn’t remember how she had gotten them.

As she looked between Melanie and Xavier, she discovered that she didn’t want to believe that any of this was real because she feared that it was all just in her head. She was afraid it was some kind of death dream and that, when she woke up, she would still be inside that refrigerator, taking her last breaths. Or, maybe she was already dead.

Madelyn had never been more afraid in her life than when she was locked inside that refrigerator. It had been so dark and quiet that it nearly drove her mad. She remembered how the air began to thin and how hard it was to catch her breath and keep her eyes open. She had fought hard to stay awake, but sleep had taken her against her will, which was the last thing she remembered.

“Good girl,” Xavier soothed after she did what she was told. “Take another deep breath for me.”

With her eyes locked on his, she breathed again, and some of the panic finally began to dissipate. It was then that she realized that his arm was in a sling. The left side of his zip-up hoodie was only draped over his shoulder, and a fresh bandage was adhered to his skin.

“You’re hurt,” she croaked, her voice sounding weak and pitiful.

Xavier smirked. “I’ve had worse. It’s just a scratch.”

Melanie snorted then, drawing Madelyn’s attention. “You’re here,” Madelyn said after a while. “You’re both here.”

“Of course I’m here,” Melanie replied. “My best friend gets kidnapped by a psycho and buried alive while her stalker boyfriend sets out on a quest to get her back and crush everyone in his way? You can bet your ass I’m going to be there.”

Madelyn laughed softly as tears formed in her eyes. The last time she had seen Melanie, she was screaming at her and calling her crazy for falling for her stalker. It appeared as though all of that had been forgotten, at least, for the moment.

“And there is not a single fucking place I’d rather be than right here with you,” Xavier added as he splayed his hand across her abdomen. “And our baby.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and the machine monitoring her heart rate betrayed it. “You know.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“How?”

He jutted his chin toward Melanie, which caused her brows to furrow. “And how did you find out?” she asked her friend.

“We found your purse in the parking lot of the clinic. It had your test results and prenatals inside,” Melanie answered, moving from the foot of the bed to the other side. “And I don’t want you to worry. The doctor already said that everything looks good and the baby is fine.”

“And C-Colby?” she asked, her voice cracking. “What about him?”

While she was beyond grateful that her baby was okay, it wouldn’t matter if Colby was still out there. He would never stop coming for them and would always be a threat to them and their child.

“Hey,” Xavier whispered. He pinched her chin between his fingers and pulled her attention to him. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore, okay? He’s gone.”

“Really?”

Relief flooded her system as Xavier nodded and pressed his lips against hers before gathering her gently into his arms. “I love you, little dove. And I am so relieved that you are okay.”

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