“All right, honey, let’s go home,” I said, soothingly, trying to keep my panic under control. Madison was really sick, and I wasn’t sure if it was too late to do anything about it. It was probably too late. But I couldn’t think of that right now. “Ash, help me.”
Ash came immediately to Madison’s other side and hoisted her up. We made our way out and into the cold air. It blasted me, sending shivers up my body. My coat was still inside, but I didn’t care. It was chaos outside. People were frantically hailing cabs or heading to the subway. A few people were on the phone, and several panicked voices filled the air.
“We have to get her out of here,” I said, looking around.
“We should take her to the hospital,” Ash insisted.
“No!” I said sharply. “We’ll take her home.”
“Zoey…”
“She’s fine,” I said, trying to keep the hysteria out of my voice. Someone shoved me from behind. He turned, his eyes widening when he saw Madison. He backed up quickly.
“Get her out of here. She’s going to die,” he said, his voice shaking. “I don’t want to die too.”
“Hey, back off,” Ash said, stepping toward the guy, his fists clenched.
“Ash, please. Let’s go,” I begged. He looked at me and nodded. The two of us grabbed Madison again and started pushing our way through the crowd. Blood was dribbling out of her mouth and down her chin. I picked up my pace.
We hadn’t made it more than a few blocks when a black van came screeching up next to us, bouncing up onto the sidewalk. Ash and I froze in shock.
Three men jumped out of the van. They were wearing all black, and their faces were covered in surgical masks. They walked straight to us, determined, reaching for Madison.
“Zoey…” Madison said uncertainly. Her voice was low and weak, and her eyes went wide at the men coming toward her.
“What are you doing?” I demanded. “Who are you?”
“Don’t worry, dear,” one of them soothed. His voice was too sweet, and his tone didn’t reach his eyes. “We just want to help her.” He pried my hands off Madison and, in one swift movement, swung her into his arms.
“No! She’s fine!” I shouted. “We’re just going to take her home. Please.”
Another man stepped forward, a syringe in his hand, the needle looking sharp and bright in the faded light of the street lamps.
“No!” I shrieked. “Stop!” I stepped forward, but Ash took hold of my arm and pulled me back.
The needle pierced Madison’s neck as her eyes met mine. They stared at me, blinking a few times until they closed completely. Her head lolled to the side, her lips parted.
“What did you do?” I trembled. “Is she…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence. She looked tiny in the man’s arms, like a doll. Her skin was so pale, it was nearly blue. How long had she been like this? When was the last time I had seen her?
“She’s fine. She’s sick,” the man said again. “We’re taking her to the hospital.”
Fear washed through me. “No, please don’t take her. Leave her. Leave her with me.”
The third man, who had been standing off to the side, came over to me and grabbed my arm. He held me in place as they took Madison and loaded her into the van.
I strained against him. “No! Madison! Please! Please don’t take her!”
The man shoved me, causing me to trip backward into Ash. Ash’s eyes flashed, and he reached forward to peel the man’s fingers off of my arm.
“Don’t touch her, “Ash growled in a low voice. He pulled me away, his arm wrapped around my waist.
The man’s eyes narrowed, and he looked for a minute like he really wanted to hit Ash. Instead, he turned on his heel and got back in the van. Before I could react, the van pulled away from the curb and sped down the street.
“No!” I screamed, straining against Ash’s hold. “Maddie!”
“Zoey, let’s go,” he said, glancing around. “It’s going to be okay, but we have to go home.”
“It’s not going to be okay.” I ripped myself away from him and fumbled for my phone, tucked in my bra. My bloody fingers slipped on the screen as I dialed for my dad.
“Zoey!” Dad’s voice was frantic and worried. “Zoey, where are you?”
“Dad!” I answered, choking back a sob. “Dad, we went to go get Madison, and she was sick. I wanted to bring her home, but these people came in a black van and gave her some kind of shot, and they took her! Daddy; they took her!”
There was a long pause. “Zoey, come home. Now.”
“Daddy…”
“Is Ash with you?”
I nodded, and then remembered he couldn’t see me. I was shivering in the late night. It smelled like rain and I had left my coat at the venue. “Yes.”
“Tell Ash to bring you home right now.” Ash nodded, having heard, and started pulling me toward the nearest subway station.
“But…Maddie. Dad, they took her!” I cried.
His voice softened. “I know, champ. Come home. We’ll figure it out.”