SURVIVORS |J.FOLEY ¹

II. beginning of the end

CHAPTER TWO
BEGINNING OF THE END

Madison finally completed her first day back at school. It felt like she'd been in those corridors for hours upon hours, watching people take pictures of Hannah's locker or pretend to be sad. But none of them truly knew her. None of them cared enough to help her.

Usually Madison would get a lift home with Justin and her friends. But today was different. She'd decided that she would walk, give herself time to think. And she did a lot of thinking. Like always. Madison was a thinker. She thought far too much. It wasn't healthy, but her deep thoughts always turned out to be right.

Madison treaded up the walk to her front door, knowing that her father would not be home. He was never home. He was working full time at the hospital. He would work long night shifts, sleeping throughout the day and working throughout the night. Or he would work day shifts which still meant staying at the hospital until midnight.

As Madison reached her hand out for the handle, something caught her eye. Madison paused, she stared down at it for a moment. It was a small package placed down on the mat. She hadn't ordered anything, and her father was not home enough to have time to order anything.

The package was the size of a shoe box, propped against the front door at an angle.
Slowly, Madison crouched down and picked it up. Hastily wrapped, over taped, addressed, with a hurried scribble, to her. With no return address.

Madison shook her head with a small sigh and she reached for the door again, pushing the key into the hole. She twisted the key in, took it out and opened the door before her. The house was cold. Sometimes, Madison felt like her own house was abandoned. She felt like she was living alone. It was so quiet. But not in a peaceful way, in a defeaning way.

Madison set the package on the counter before throwing the straps to her backpack off her shoulders and throwing her backpack onto the floor. Madison pulled a few drawers open until she found a pair of scissors. Madison was quick to slice the package open. She was curious to find out what had been delivered to her door in her name. A birthday present, maybe? No. Her birthday was a month ago.

Madison ran the blade around the top and lifted it off. Pulling out a bubble-wrapped bundle, Madison furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. The young girl unrolled the bundle to seven audio tapes.

Madison reached into the small box and she picked one up in her hand. Her eyes scanned the small audio tape. She knew for a fact that she had not ordered tapes. Madison's eyes continued to study the tape in her hand. Pictures were drawn on the front, small flowers. Slowly, she opened it up, revealing a number in blue nail polish.

1.

Madison wasted no time in shooting away from the kitchen counter, leaving the box full with tapes behind. Madison marched through her house in a hurry, curious as to find out what was on the tape. Madison found herself in her fathers room. It was dark, and messy. Of course. He never had time to clean, he never had time to even make his own bed. His curtains were drawn.

Madison flipped the light switch, lighting up the room. Madison immediately strode towards her fathers small radio. Madison wasted no time in lifting the radio and bringing it back into the kitchen where she sat down before the small box.

Madison hurriedly fiddled with the radio, opening the small hatch and pushing the tape inside of it. A click sound. Madison pushed the small hatch closed and clicked a small button at the top of the radio. Madison waited patiently, a small and excited smile stretched across her face, wondering what was coming next.

"Hey." A voice spoke. A voice that felt and sounded all too familiar. A voice that made Madison's heart drop in her chest. And the smile on her face immediately dropped again. She blinked. "It's Hannah. Hannah Baker."