Disclaimer: I do not own Heavy Rain nor do I own the character of Madison Paige. The game and the female protagonist belong to Quantic Dream.
Author's Note:
Rated T for violence.


Heavy Rain
Sleepless Night

Madison Paige awoke with a jump, beads of sweat revealing themselves from her facial pores, dripping slowly down her face. She gasped, breathing heavily for a moment before her breaths became calmer. She put her hand to her head and shut her eyes for some relief. It certainly wasn't the first time this happened to her; insomnia was not a friend to her. She sat up on her living room couch and observed her surroundings.

Her Philadelphia apartment was a lovely one. It was much like a New York style studio apartment, but with much, much more space. From the front door, one would enter the living room area and a step down from the raised foundation, one would find themselves in the kitchen/dining room, where Madison also kept a desk at the end of it where her laptop rested. The room next door was her bedroom and across the room was a door to the large bathroom. The entire apartment was beautifully furnished and was very stylish and homey.

She ran her hands through her hair and picked up the watch on the coffee table, sighing when she noticed the time. "2:47am," she said aloud, "Same time every night." Reaching for the television remote, she turned her 38" LCD television off and stood from the couch. Walking over to one of the many, large windows, she leaned against it and watched over the city like an eagle, as the rainwater from the ongoing storm flung itself helplessly to her windows. It's been raining like crazy the past few days, and the city was to see much more of it throughout the week.

Pacing her apartment, Madison finally decided on a hot beverage. "That should help me sleep. I mustn't take those pills again, though." She made her way to the microwave slowly, as if she were reluctant to be moving around. Warming up a cup of tea, she made her way to the bathroom and washed her face with some warm water. She started to look at herself in the mirror, taking note of her exhausted, almost zombie-like appearance. Her dilemma was almost comical to her, in the sense of how amusing it was that it was so difficult for her to get sleep. "How hard is it to just fall asleep?" she asked herself.

Sighing, she went to the shower and undressed, first removing her undergarments and then her top. Allowing the water to run, she jumped back as it first poured cold, and then warm, and then a relaxing, hotter temperature. The water dampened her hair and then soaked it, the water making its way down her back and her chest, down her legs and to the floor before making it to the drain. She turned the water off after a moment and returned to the chair outside the shower to dry off and put her clothes back on. In the distance, she heard the familiar beeping of her microwave.

Leaving the bathroom, she went to the kitchen and got the cup from the microwave. She carried it with her as she crossed the room to get to her desk. Sitting down at the computer, she took a few sips of her tea and started typing, working on an article for her employer – Madison worked as a journalist. A moment after continuing the article, she heard footsteps running through her apartment briefly. Jumping, she quickly turned and looked around, but saw no evidence of an intruder. Sighing, she shook her head and continued working until she was done for the night.

"I ought to try falling asleep again," she mentioned to herself. Going to her bedroom, she lay on her bed and got comfortable. Closing her eyes, she started to drift off into a slumber, but once again heard the footsteps running through her home. Jumping again, this time with a gasp, she looked around and breathed heavily. Feeling nervous, she climbed out of bed and walked to the living room to have a look around. But, upon entering the room, she noticed something out of the ordinary: the refrigerator was wide open.

Moving slowly toward it, she peered inside and closed it quietly and reluctantly. Suddenly, the lights in the apartment went out simultaneously, and once again, she heard footsteps and saw a dark figure run across the room near the bathroom door. Backing up against the fridge, she breathed heavily and moved to the corner next to it. "Someone's here," she thought, scared, "Someone's in the house." She looked to her desk. "The phone! If I reach it, I can call for help." She looked toward the front door. "The front door! It's the only way out. If I can reach it, I still have a chance."

Crouching down, she crept toward the desk and stood – the phone was nowhere to be found. She started to panic but reassured herself that she would be all right. Sprinting to the door, she seized the handle and began to turn it, but it wouldn't budge – the door was blocked from the outside. Suddenly, the footsteps were sounding again and they were coming closer. Before Madison could realize it, she was being grabbed from behind, an arm going around her neck. She fought back and kicked off the wall, sending her masked attacker flying against the other wall, causing him to release her. She grabbed the ladder against the wall and threw it in his direction with great force, knocking him to the ground.

Before she could regain her composure, another set of arms wrapped around her legs and pulled her to the floor – another masked attacker was pulling her into the kitchen. She screamed as she tried to release herself from his grasp, but had no luck. He picked her up and threw her against the sink before pulling out a sharp combat knife. He attempted to stab her, but she kicked his arm away and kicked him in the chest. Running past him, she was quickly intercepted by her previous attacker as he picked her up and threw her on the dining room table, breaking the plates and glasses set there. He too unsheathed a blade with intents to open her flesh, but he failed as she kicked him away as well.

Once again, she was surprised by yet a third attacker who grabbed her by the neck and started to pull her off the table, but Madison launched her leg over her, kicking him in the face. Rolling off the table, she ran to the hallway near her bedroom but was cut off by a fourth attacker and one of the previous ones as they cornered her in the hallway. She launched herself at the newer intruder, but was caught by the neck in his grasp. He slammed her against the wall, but before he could do more harm, she bit his ear and ran to the bedroom, but was once again intercepted by one of the other intruders. She tried to hit him, but he blocked her four punches, picked her up and threw her onto the bed.

She kicked her legs wildly, getting him to back off long enough for her to stand up on the bed and launch herself at him, sending him through the glass of the wall and landing on the floor. She ran to the living room as an attacker was right on her tail. She knocked over her television in his direction, but missed, the television falling to the floor and breaking on impact. Her pursuer tried to tackle her, but she pushed him aside and ran around the coffee table, but was cut off by another attacker who punched her in the face, knocking her to the floor. The man she knocked aside as he tried to tackle her grabbed her head and slammed her face on the corner of the coffee table, injuring her nose, causing it to bleed.

Madison grabbed the glass from the television and stabbed one of the men in the arm as he tried to stab her with his knife, but then dropped it because of the intrusion of the sharp object. Madison picked up his knife and stabbed the other attacker. Running to the bathroom, she locked the door shut behind her and backed away from it nervously. Before she could react, she felt a hand cover her mouth and pull her head back. She saw the blade of a knife come around her head, lowering to her neck. Suddenly, she felt the stinging pain as the blade was quickly dragged across her neck, slicing it open. At that moment, Madison once again awoke with a jump. Breathing heavily, she put her head in her hands and sighed. "It was just a dream…it was just a dream…"


I hope you enjoyed my little novelization :]!