Madk1d || Madkid || Serkov

The girl's life had been on a downward spiral since childhood. Despite coming from a stable family, she picked up bad habits quite early. First, it was just smoking, then alcohol. But over time, she developed a tolerance for everything. Those things no longer brought the pleasure they once did. That was when her friends introduced her to harder substances. Pills. Tramadol, Promedol, morphine. And then it all spiraled.

She spent her nights in sketchy apartments, in circles where no one asked too many questions. She appeared at home less and less. Her parents were deeply worried and knew everything, but to avoid ruining their reputation, they remained silent. Eventually, she was sent to rehab anyway.

The people there were a mixed bag. There were teenagers ready to do anything just to get a fix, and grown men who had come here on their own. Amidst all that crowd, she found Mark. She never found out exactly how old he was, but they looked to be around the same age. His parents had sent him here too. They had something in common. Mark's biggest advantage was that he had connections here and could scrounge up a pack of cigarettes. Right now, they were a lifeline.

The girl and the guy had a system. At night, they would meet near her ward and then head to the showers. It was the only place with decent ventilation, though the vent was right up by the ceiling, so they had to find a way to climb up there.

Today is just like any other day. The girl already sees a shock of white hair in the doorway. They make their way to the showers. The guy holds onto the sleeve of her clothes the whole way because he can't see much in the dark. Now they're there. A dim lightbulb illuminates the room.

The plan is as follows: someone needs to climb onto a ledge in the wall. Mark laces his fingers together to give the girl a boost. She deftly places her foot on his hand and climbs onto the ledge. From there, she reaches her hand down to him, and, gripping a pipe tightly, he pulls himself up toward her.

The guy pulls out a pack. Red Chesterfields. He hands one to the girl.

"Let's just not stay too long this time. I've got group therapy tomorrow. I'd like to get some extra sleep," he whispers, taking a drag of the cigarette.