ALEX
Alex opened his eyes, his heart pounding as his mind struggled to comprehend what had happened. The dim light from a single overhead bulb cast eerie shadows across the cold, concrete floor beneath him. His head pounded with pain, a dull throbbing that seemed to echo through the silent, cavernous room. He pressed a hand against the unforgiving surface, trying to ground himself as he took in the stark, desolate surroundings.
“What the hell?” He groaned as he tried to sit up, the room spinning around him.
Across the room, another moan echoed into the large space, breaking the eerie silence.
“Hello?” Alex squeezed his eyes closed, hoping the darkness behind his eyelids would bring some stability to his mind.
“It’s me. It’s Doc,” Kyle answered him.
Alex opened his eyes to find the hazy form of the doctorhurrying toward him. He knelt beside Alex, pressing two fingers against his neck to check his pulse.
“How are you on your feet? I’m dying over here.”
“Symptoms?” Doc asked.
“I’m dizzy, and my head is pounding.”
“Yeah? Your heart is racing, too. I need to assess you.”
Alex groaned as he flipped onto his back. “You’re not having this?”
“I’m hazy, but not that bad. I’m not sure I can drive though, but we should get you to a hospital. I’ll call an ambulance.”
“No.” Alex reached out to knock the phone from Kyle’s hand. “No. No hospitals.”
He couldn’t afford to be incapacitated in a hospital bed. Not when Ava needed him. The thought of her in Raven’s clutches drove a spike of fear through his heart.
“Seriously?” Kyle scoffed as he leaned over to retrieve the phone. “You could be having a serious medical issue.”
“Well,” Alex said with another grunt, “I trust you to treat it. You’re my physician, remember?”
“I…Okay, that’s so not cool. You know I’m going to fall for that because I like to feel important.”
“It’s your time to shine, Doc. Now…drag me to the car and get me in front of a laptop. I need to find Ava.”
“Wait, maybe she’s here. We have no idea how long we were out.” He scrambled to his feet, leaving Alex laying on the cold, hard floor as he raced away.
After a few minutes, he returned with a shake of his head. “I don’t see her anywhere.”
“How does this Raven guy constantly win?”
“Pretty sure Ava went willingly. I distinctly recall her offering him her wrists.”
Alex pressed his palms against his closed eyes. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”
“You still dizzy?”
“Extremely,” Alex said.
Kyle let his hands fall onto his hips with a shake of his head. “Okay, well, I can’t drag you all those blocks to the StoneCorp headquarters like this. You can’t even stand.”
“Put me in a shopping cart and wheel me there.”
“You can’t even stand up, Mav. I’m not putting you in a helicopter right now.”
“No, no, no, just take me to my office. I can use the computer there to find Ava. We’re not leaving this city without her.”
