Quinn’s Apartment
”We’ve kept your identities as secret as we could. Some medical records were needed to properly treat you. We didn’t think it was our place to bring in your families. I know what it’s like having a big secret, Mr. Stevens, yours is safe with us.”
Kent Danner’s words rang through Quinn’s head, repeating over and over. The Chief of Police knew who he was under his mask. He also knew Hero, who tired so hard to keep his identity secret. Quinn respected Hero too much to ask Kent his name.
“What happened?” Why am I here?”
“You… you have been in a coma… for three months!”
Time is a tricky thing. Once it’s gone, you can never get it back. Three months? No man can disappear for three months and not have consequences. Quinn stands outside the door of his apartment in hospital scrubs, his costume concealed in a plastic bag at his side. His key doesn’t fit in the lock any more. He scratches at his newly redeveloped beard and pushes his even longer hair back. With a deep breath, he knocks at the door.
”Debbie, will you marry me?”
“I can’t believe you waited so long to ask! Of course I will my love!”
The door slowly creeps open to reveal a young woman with long black hair.
“Quinn?”
“Emily? Wha-”
Emily doesn’t say a word, but hugs Quinn with all of her strength. After a moment, Quinn hugs back. Emily holds back tears as she pulls back, seeing Quinn with her own eyes, positive that he’s alive.
“What’s going on Em, where is Debbie?”
Quinn looks past Emily and notices that everything in the apartment has been boxed.
“Debbie!”
Quinn rushes past Emily and franticly searches his apartment. Emily tries to stop him, but pulls away, letting him go. Quinn visits room after room, finding the same empty walled, cleaned and boxed up results each time. Upon entering the bedroom he is stopped cold by the site of Debbie’s engagement ring. Stepping closer towards it, Quinn notices that the inner band of the ring is stained with blood. He turns facing Emily, who has tears in her eyes.
“She was found shot in an alleyway. We all though you had been killed too.”
“No.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“No!”
Quinn yells at the top of his lungs as a mist of silver appears around his body. Without thinking, Quinn flys upward and smashes through the ceiling of his apartment and soars up, crashing through each level of the apartment building and into the night’s sky. Emily runs to the hold and looks up through the damage and at Quinn with is floating above the building, looking over the city.
Tears stream down her face.
Quinn passes out from the strain and free falls back down through level after level and slams to the ground just in front of Emily. Emily kneels down behind Quinn and holds him close to her body.
“Thank God you’re alive. Thank God.”
