Madk1d || Madkid || Serkov

The girl's life had been going downhill since childhood. Despite a prosperous family, she picked up bad habits quite early. First, just smoking, then alcohol. But over time, she developed an addiction to everything. These things no longer brought the same pleasure. Then her friends introduced her to harder substances. Pills. Tramadol, promedol, morphine. And off it went.

She spent her nights in odd apartments, in groups where no one asked unnecessary questions. She came home less and less often. Her parents were very worried and knew everything, but to protect their reputation, they kept silent. Ultimately, they sent her to rehab anyway.

The people there were all sorts. There were teenagers willing to do anything to get a fix, and grown men who came here of their own accord. Among all this mass, she found Mark. She never found out how old he was, but they looked about the same age. His parents had sent him here, too. They had something in common. Mark's main advantage was that he had connections here, and he could find a pack of cigarettes. Right now, they were a lifesaver.

The girl and the guy had a plan. At night, they would meet outside her room, after which they would go to the shower. It was the only place with good ventilation, but it was right near the ceiling, so they had to try to get up there.

Today, everything is as usual. The girl already sees a white head in the doorway. They head to the shower. The guy holds on to the sleeve of the girl's clothing the whole way, because he can barely see in the dark. Here they are. A dim lightbulb illuminates the room.

The plan is to climb up onto the ledge in the wall. Mark crosses his fingers to get the girl to sit up. She deftly places her foot on his arm and climbs up onto the ledge. From there, she extends her hand to him, and, holding tightly to the pipe, he reaches out to her.

The guy takes out a pack. Red Chester. He hands one to the girl.

"Let's not stay up too late this time. I have group therapy tomorrow. I need to sleep a little longer," he whispers, taking a drag on his cigarette.