Nick Holloway

When Lilac awoke, she was greeted by Teddy’s upside-down image looking down at her. A soft curiosity painted her features as her patient was unceremoniously entangled in a mess of bed sheets on the ground. “Are you alright?” Teddy inquired. “I’m on the floor?” Lilac grunted, abruptly claustrophobic from her cocooned self. She struggled against the sheets as if she were fighting a ghost. “It appears so.” Teddy moved to help the other release herself from the mess of linens. “Did you perhaps...

Even with a subpar lunch, Lilac felt a bit clearer-headed as they tossed the remnants into the trash. While cleaning up after lunch, Teddy guided her into a crowd filing down the halls. Teddy had run over a detailed explanation of Lilac’s schedule. Likewise, by the time they’d reached the activity center, Lilac was too embarrassed to admit she’d already forgotten. The 'activity center' Teddy described was little more than the foyer into the courtyard. A table was laid flush with the wall,...

Even before they reached the doorway, her anticipation curdled into sharp anxiety. Char, oil, fat, and cooked meat slammed into her senses. The cafeteria’s suffocating aroma pressed against Lilac’s trembling form, forcing her backward. But before Lilac could even consider protesting, the double doors swung open, and she was led inside. The mugginess made her fur feel greasy. The room was a distorted version of Lilac’s university cafeteria. It was a madhouse. Grey and brown bodies tore into...