Atlas
"Oh god... Oh god...! Please! Someone help me!"
Eli shot straight up, gasping for air. His first reaction: his whole body hurt. A lot. every muscle in his arms, back, and legs were on fire, as if he just did the most intense workout of all time about 1 billion times, and his neck felt stiff. Although he hurt badly, there was a sense of relief and happiness... As if he was waiting a very long time for this. The second reaction: Who the hell was he?
Eli Greene. The Bearer of the Heavens. A voice chimed in his head. His name was Eli Greene, and although the second part sounded familiar, he had no idea what it meant. He heard a female scream again. The voice that woke him up. His golden eyes scanned the area. He was in a courtyard. The grass was dead, the trees as well, weeds and other ugly plans grew through the concrete, and Eli was in the center of it. He looked to be in what was a pavilion, but the roof was long gone, only the wooden posts remained.
"someone! Please!" The voice said once more, sobbing. Where was the voice coming from?
One block away, ground level, about 70 feet from his position. That was the first thing that chimed in his head again, and although it came out of nowhere, and he didn't know anything, he knew that it was right. He started forward until his foot hit something solid. Looking down he saw that it was a backpack, and upon further investigation, it was full of a lot of goods and valuables in this hellhole of a city. There was also a dull golden sword under the pack. It looked grimy, but the blade was sharp even though it looked as dull as a butter knife. The handle had worn leather around it, and the sword itself had a small layer of dust on it, as if it hadn't been used in a while... Why was this here, where was he?
He was in Chicago, and he also knew that the world was in fact a hellhole. Funny how he knew that but absolutely nothing about himself... He grabbed the backpack, putting it over his shoulder, strapped the blade to the belt of his jeans, and headed towards the voice. It was still sobbing, so it was easy to follow. he stumbled upon an old mechanic shop. The store was run down, and the giant garage gate was partially open, a woman was underneath it. She was the source of the call. Eli walked over, obviously hesitant to just rush. She was the first person he's seen in the deserted city, he had to keep his eyes open.
"Oh thank god! You have to help me!" The woman sobbed once she saw Eli. Her face was bruised and cut, and her blonde hair was cut short. Her face showed a lot of pain, and although tears streamed down from her eyes she looked relieved that someone found her. Eli looked at the heavy garage door, then down at the woman. "How did this happen?" He asked her, trying to examine the situation. "I-I was trying to get some supplies to help fix my door. Raiders tried to get in last night. As I was leaving the garage door fell on me.. Please, I need help. My-My daughter is all alone right now." The woman fought back a sob. Eli was determined now.
He knelt down and grabbed the bottom of the garage door. "I'm going to try and lift this up." He said to the woman, who looked at him skeptically. "This thing is heavy, maybe you should take off your pack to help." she suggested. Eli thought for a second, but decided it would be a good idea. Less weight to carry. He dropped the backpack, put his hands on the bottom of the cold metal garage door. He took a deep inhale, and started to lift. Eli was feeling a great sense of deja vu as he lifted the heavy door with some sort of ease. He kept his hands on the door, lifting it up so he could rest it behind his back. His knees wobbled a bit at the weight, but he held his ground. "Alright... move...!" Eli struggled to say. He didn't hear the woman move. She only gave an even more depressed sob, and spoke a very weak and broken. "I'm so sorry..."
Eli understood what just happened. He had been tricked. A group of four men came storming into the garage, weapons drawn at Eli, and laughing. "They would have killed my baby..." The woman tried to explain to Eli who was now having a much more difficult time holding up the door. "They threatened to--"
"Come here, Bitch!" One of them yelled. He was a muscular man and wore a black wifebeater and some cargo pants. He held a machete, and looked like he survived a lot of fights before. Eli immediately hated the guy. The woman obeyed and stood at his side. He put a hand up to her face and she flinched, closing her eyes shut and muttering something. Things were making sense to Eli, and he wasn't sure how he liked it. He glared as the man walked towards the golden eyed man, a smug look on his face. "It's always the heroes that die first, my friend. But you saved her, you die with nobility, and we get your loot. Nice sword." The man said with a scoff. Eli didn't have the strength the talk as he held open the door. If he let go the door would immediately fall on top of him, killing him.
The way he was tricked, the way he held the heavy object above his head, it all seemed all too familiar, and he really hated the feeling of both. "Let...The wo...Woman go." Eli managed to mutter, it made the guy laugh. "Not a chance. She's great at lying to people, plus she's with us for the safety of her baby. A true treasure." She looked at Eli with a dark stare, but it wasn't for him. She managed to get to a movable tool box. He soon understood what was happening.
"I'm not your treasure." She said with a strong voice, although she was trembling. The leader laughed at her now, walking over and smacking her across the face. "You'll be whatever we want you to be if you want to keep your child safe." He said with a chilling calmness. She looked back at him with anger in her face, spat blood in his, and then took the movable toolbox, slamming it in his side, and then pushing it towards the garage door.
Eli let go of the heavy metal, falling to the floor on his stomach, his hands going above his head... The toolbox held its ground! Eli looked up to see a frenzy. The woman was running, the gang following after her. Eli was infuriated. He had been tricked by a man who thinks he's superior than everyone. Eli stood up, and charged at the leader. He tackled him to the ground before he could turn around, cussing at Eli. The golden eyed man still had incredible strength, and his hatred for him fueled it.
The leader of the gang managed to find a wrench and hit Eli upside the head, knocking him off him. He was dazed, and when he finally got his vision again, he saw the man running where the woman ran seconds ago. Eli stood and heard a scream coming for him. One of the gang's members swung a blade at him, but Eli ducked and gave an uppercut to his jaw. Eli seemed to have incredible strength as the enemy was knocked backwards a few feet. Eli's anger got the best of him. He grabbed a heavy pipe, from a table, lifting it with ease, and swung it at the man's head, hearing a sickening crunch. One down, three to go.
Eli ran after the other group, hearing shouts of frustration as they were searching for the woman. Eli found two of the four, as he burst open a door to a small office, and immediately dove back out when they drew their weapons. "don't shoot the fucker! It'll draw the creatures out!" One of them yelled. He didn't know what they meant by creatures, but he did know that they won't shoot him. He took a sharp inhale of breath before showing himself in the door frame again, an throwing the pipe with all his might. Another sickening crunch was heard as it made impact with a man's chest. Eli rushed in, tackling the man, but at the same time getting stabbed in the shoulder. He grunted in pain, but it didn't stop Eli from swinging his fist at the man's face over and over, ignoring the blinding pain. He had a feeling that he had experienced much worse. Once the man stopped moving, Eli stepped off him, his hand numb and bloody.
He heard a gunshot. Eli ran toward the sound, and saw a horrific scene. The woman he tried to rescue was slouched against the wall, a red dot in her chest, looking at the leader with fear and realization. His rage built up, the sword on his belt feeling heavier. He looked down and pulled it out, walking quietly over to the man who had tricked him, beat a woman for his own gain, and now killed her. The swung the flat side of the sword at the man's head, sending him flying to the side. He made his way over to the woman, crouching next to her to see the damage. She had been shot in the lung, and he assumed the hospitals were not open anywhere. She looked up at him with awe, and smile on her lips as her hand tried to reach up to him. She tried to say something, and although there was a lot of gurgling, he heard the words "I'm sorry" escape her mouth. He didn't know if she was being sorry for tricking him, or saying sorry to her child somewhere out there. His rage turned to dread, and sadness, trying to fight back tears.
Tell me, Atlas... Bearer of the Heavens...The same female voice was in his head again. His mind started racing, he heard the name and title before... He was Eli Greene, but he was also... Atlas? The woman had passed. Eli looked at her with sadness for a little bit before gently closing her eyes. He heard the whimpering of the last gang member on the floor. The leader. The one who tricked Atlas in holding up the heavy door. The rage soon returned. He walked over to him slowly, examining his sword, then him. He placed the golden sword up to his neck, he was flinching and breathing heavily, glaring at Eli as if thinking how could he have possibly lost to this guy.
"She deserved it. Heroes don't live long out here..." The leader explained, a sick smile on his face.
Which is heavier? The World, or its people's hearts?Eli had no sympathy for this man, but he still hesitated at the thought. No. He tricked you, and killed an innocent. He raised his sword, and then swung down at the man's neck.
You're the only one strong enough to bear this weight. Redemption is full of loss sorrow. Find the others. Do not be on the wrong side again.Eli flicked the blood off his sword, staring at the aftermath. He collapsed to his knees and broke down. Minutes after waking up with no memory and this was his first experience. He got his composure, standing, and grimly left the mechanic shop, grabbing his backpack along the way.
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