Coral feeds Vadim a spoonful of porridge, "How many days has it been?" Her voice is devoid of emotion, her fear, her panic, her overwhelming anxiety shrouded safely in the calmness of her drug.

He is slow to answer, as he doesn't want to admit it, "Nine days, Coral. He will come soon." He tries to reassure her but there is nothing convincing in his tone.

She glances towards her remaining stash—only one half of a mushroom left. She had hoped, in the beginning, that Quell would find them. She knows he has not stopped but she also knows that as soon as the mushrooms are gone the rest of...