Hero’s mind was pulsating and something was burning in her stomach, like acid, when she woke up. Confusion ruled her mind and she couldn’t think; everything felt gray. She pushed her eyes open, the flickering light momentarily blinding her, and blinked them rapidly to rid herself of the blurriness. When it was gone, she tried to sit up on the bed, but the disproportionate weight on the pitiful bed caused it to tip and she went sprawling across the cement floor. Her cheek smacked the floor hard and her teeth clenched around the flesh, drawing blood.
The brunette struggled to her feet, spitting out the thick metallic-tasting liquid. It splattered onto the ground and she was finally on her feet. The room wasn’t composed of much, it seemed, but her eyes were drawn to the metallic door that must have been broken as it continued to open and close rapidly. Hero was afraid of braving the dysfunctional door, fearing a limb being caught between the rushing metal. Instead of messing around, she fell to the floor and tried to think hard of what happened before she woke up.
The Greek woman had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend, Tanner, in their apartment – that much she remembered. The reason why was a little bit fuzzy. Did they fight about taxes again or Tanner’s irresponsible spending? Did they fight about the girl in 2B or about their shared female coworker? Now that she thinks hard about it, it must have been about Tanner drinking too much – an argument that happened often, like all the others. Enraged, Hero had left the apartment without so much as a jacket and took a walk into the torrents of rain. And then she woke up.
“Am I missing something?” She thought to herself aloud, her eyes focusing on the blood on the floor just for the sake of a focus. She was brought out of her thoughts, however, when the crimson began to sizzle. The blood began to eat away at the floor, burning a hole into the cement as if it was lava. “What…?”
Hero gathered all of the blood in her mouth, though there was little left, and spat once again on the floor. The same reaction happened and it began to hiss against the ground. It was like acid. Chewing on her lip, she began to ponder the phenomenon when the insistent banging of the door halted. Swiveling around, the stuck metallic door gleamed back at her, but the sudden twist of her body brought a harsh pain that zigzagged down her back. Crying out, she reached for her shoulder and sagged to the floor, her forehead kissing the cold ground. Hero gasped and moaned, baring the pain, until finally it had dulled and she could move once again. With tears in her eyes, she stumbled out the door and into the darkness, but not before catching the electronic light that was impressed into the slab.
HERO KOKINOS
02/08/94
ADDMISSION DATE: 04/10/15
CURRENT DATE: 01/16/25
Hero sank to her knees, her lip quivering and her eyes burning as everything had finally gotten to her. The past few minutes she was running on nothing but adrenaline at the new situation; the situation was getting to her psyche, though, and the confusion, the variables that didn’t add up, began to take its toll. An embarrassing wail ripped through her throat and she sat there, hyperventilating. The brunette had never felt so alone in her life until no-
“Hey I need help. I-I’m stuck, I can’t get out!” The voice was faint, but it was there, and the presence comforted her if only a little. It took a second or two, though, for the words to register and she tripped to her feet.
Darkness surrounded her, pressing in, and she blindly staggered down the hall, her arms outstretched in front of her. She had almost ran into a wall more than once and actually did twice when she finally found the door. The bright screen that presented the name of the man crying for help blinked at her and she read it through squinted eyes:
ANDREW THORNE
03/21/91
ADMISSION DATE: 04/10/15
CURRENT DATE: 1/16/25
“H-hello?” Hero called to him, her voice stuttering against the metal. “Are you Andrew Thorne? I’m Hero Kokinos. I-I’ll try to get you out.” It was then she noticed the small crack and she pried her fingers into there, pulling and pushing as hard as she could.
It was so hard, though, and it didn’t even budge under her weight; the stress on her muscles did send another paroxysm throughout her back and she cried out. “I can’t move it. I’m sorry – I’ll keep trying.”
Ignoring the ache, she continued her procedures and poured her frustration into her arms, until she felt something wet on her fingertips. It came out of nowhere and began to coat the door in a gleaming sheen; the door began to fizzle and melt, bit by bit. It continued to move across the door as if a virus until there was a large opening enough to, hopefully, fit Andrew through.
Banned
