To Kill a Priest - The Priors, Episode 1
back into the stark hospital room. Madelin’s eyes
fluttered open but he continued to withdraw, only stopping when he
sensed the wall approaching from behind. Standing opposite her, he
watched with longing as she looked around the room. He didn’t wish
to leave the woman who had unknowingly controlled each decision he
had made for more than a decade.
    Awake, Madelin sat up and glanced around the
room. Seeing no one present, she muttered through tortured lips,
“How horrid.”
    Her shoulders slumped as tears threatened to
flood her jade eyes. She tried to restrain the onslaught, but her
emotions won out. Tears emerged and masked her eyes like a
translucent film, clouding their inner light. Salty rivers streamed
down her sunlight-deprived cheeks. The flow intensified, and sobs
wracked her body. She tried to stifle the noise in the sterile,
white sheets, but her bonds didn’t allow them to reach her
face.
    As she wept, Jedd heard her questions. “What
does it mean? What’s wrong with me?”
    She clutched large fistfuls of hospital
linens, much like she’d held Deedee minutes before, tensing under
the restraints. After the bout of confusion and self-pity, her
white kimono was drenched.
    Unable to stand the heartbreaking image any
longer, Jedd stepped forward. The static distortion crackled before
parting to his will. “Madelin, little one, don’t cry. I’m here to
help.”
    The interruption startled Madelin, and she
sank into the bed further than seemed possible. The fear that
infused her glazed eyes left Jedd feeling worse than before.
    But what else can I do?
    The flood gates closed at the sound of
Jedd’s strange voice. Peering over the wrinkled mass of bedsheets,
she replied with a stutter, “Who-o-o are you?”
    Seeing her fear turn to curiosity, Jedd took
heart. He was aware that she was unlikely to believe him, but
summoned the courage to answer. “A friend from a long time ago, but
we don’t have much time. Are you okay? Do you know where you
are?”
    “ No, but how do I know I’m
not still dreaming? I can’t see you. Where’re you
hiding?”
    Jedd’s voice responded, accompanied yet
again by the static, “I’m not hiding, and you’re not dreaming.
We’re speaking like we used to, back when you were a child. You
remember?” The question was tinged with the last ounce of hope he
could manage. Jedd listened for the door to announce any newcomers,
but the room’s quiet was only disturbed by Madelin’s sniffles.
    “ No,” came the reply. She
shook her head.
    His heart dropped like a stone, but he
noticed that her searching eyes had now focused on his location.
She squinted at him as he spoke.
    “ We’ll have to work on
that, but first we’ve gotta get you out of here. Can you
walk?”
    She interrupted him with an excited shriek.
“I can see you, when you talk! You’re standing by the window, where
the moonlight hits the floor. But then you disappear—why is
that?”
    Jedd thought for a second. Seeing no way of
explaining what he really didn’t understand, he replied, “I can’t
tell you now. We don’t have time. Can you walk?”
    Madelin squinted as he
talked, waiting for another glimpse. Then, she answered with
hesitation, “Yes… but I don’t know where to go. I can’t even get
out of bed without someone following me around with a handful of
keys and a loaded needle. What do they want from me anyways?” The last
question almost grew to a shout.
    “ I’ll answer your questions
later. Right now we’ve got to find a way out,” Jedd whispered
insistently to break through the static. He forced his voice to
remain calm in the hopes that it would be contagious. “I can show
you the way, but I can’t do anything about the straps.”
    Before the static had dissolved, her eyes
lit up. An opportunity at freedom had come her way. “I can get the
nurse’s attention…” As she finished the thought, her words
dwindled. “But she won’t take them off.”
    Seeing an opportunity, he
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