Theodore Ackabecker's Story

It was the sound of agonized screams that woke Sabine every morning. She has long since become accustomed to it and couldn't find any sort of shock or pity in herself anymore for those poor souls who were far below her feet. The only thing she could wish for them was a quick death from failure on the part of the doctors.

Time passed was a hard thing to judge in the hospital. Of course one could tell how it progressed from day to night and what the season was, but unless you were really dedicated to keeping track of how many seasons you went through, there was no way of knowing just how long you'd been there. Sabine only knew that it had been a long time - far too long, really. She had seen other patients come and go, the going being some form of expiration. Some were due to faulty experimentation, causing them to die in their sleep, others were brought on by security for acting up or by doctors for continuing to do more and more during their "examinations." Then there were the few who brought their own early demise. Sabine almost envied them.

There was likely at least one other patient alive and well at this time, but she hardly left her room except to eat or get some sun on occasion, so she hadn't interacted with any. She assumed she was quite possibly the first really successful experiment, considering how well she's done all this time. Because of her good behavior and good health, they didn't bring her into examination often and she was even able to accumulate a few belongings. They weren't much and she had few, but they were hers and they helped pass the time sometimes. They'd given her paints and paper. She had to ask for brushes or pencils, they didn't trust her not to use them to harm herself. She also had a heat lamp and extra blankets, but she figured those were because of her cold blood.

On this morning she tried to drown out the sounds from the basement, concentrating on the mural she'd been working on, finger-painting on the wall. She was making good progress until she realized the sounds had stopped. This either meant they'd calmed down, been sedated or they expired. Oddly enough the uncanny quiet sent a chill through her and she started to creep from her room, hands covered in paint and stance somewhat predatory. Curiosity was getting the best of her this time and she had to see if someone new had made it out of the basement.