“Madeline.”

“Madeline—”

Her name echoed in the distance, pulling Madeline from the depths of a dreamless sleep. She stirred, her eyelids fluttering open to the close embrace of nightfall. She hadn’t realized how long she’d slept.

Propping herself up against the cold wall, she steadied her legs and felt the faint, warm weight of something shifting in her arms. A quiet whimper rose from the little creature nestled against her chest. Gently, ...