Locked Away

IV

A few hours have passed. Lena, Harlow, and myself are watching out the sliding glass door, looking at the smoke trails in the yard move back and forth with the wind. I noticed that one of them started swirling and in the blink of an eye there was a man standing there. I could hear Lena talking to me, but her words were so muffled I couldn't understand what she was saying.

I just stared at him, my chest tightened and I could not look away from his eyes. He wore a mask that covered his mouth and nose. The color of his uniform was just as black as his hair..except his left arm. It was like looking in a chrome mirror with a red star printed on his shoulder. I couldn't believe what I was looking at. It was like he was standing there taunting me. I couldn't even hear the wind at his point, I heard silence. He wanted me to come outside..What I'm sure were just seconds, felt like hours to me. Did they get to him? Where are the others? We have to find them, before it gets to all of us.

"Emma," I finally snapped out of it and blinked my eyes. When I opened them he was gone. I looked around the yard and I felt my eyes sting as water clouded my vision. I turned to look at Harlow and Lena, "Did you see him?" I whispered.

Their eyebrows furrowed and they quickly looked at each other before looking at me again. "There wasn't anyone out there..The others are on their way back and will be here any minute. This is bigger than we think it is." Harlow explained as she rubbed my shoulders and wiping my tears away.

And just as she said, the door opened and Natasha appeared first. Dressed in all white, her belt is accessorized with weapons of sorts. Atlas followed behind her of course. Clint waltzed in and didn't hesitate to go over and embrace Harlow with a big hug as the arrows on his back clanked together. I could hear her sigh of relief as she relaxed in his arms. Lena met Loki halfway. He kissed her forehead and put his arm around her, the white star on his chest glowing from the light. I looked at the doorway, my heart was beating so hard that I could hear it and I swear it was going to come out of my chest. I bit the inside of my cheek and nearly fainted when James walked through the door. All black from head to toe, his left arm was black with gold accents..he was normal. I almost knocked him backwards from the force of me hugging him.

"He was here," I began as I started to shake nervously. "He was outside I saw him, I thought they got to you,"

He held me close and kissed me sweetly before wrapping his arms around me. I looked at everyone closely over his shoulder...they were all tired. Everyone that left had dirt on their faces and cuts and bruises. They came home because they can fight them, but even Atlas needs help sometimes. Atlas was hunched over the counter drinking some water..he ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. He was drained, using too much magic in a short period of time.

"We need all of you," Loki stated while setting his helmet down. "You each have abilities and we need every person available."

"What about the kids we can't just leave them," Harlow motioned her hands up the stairs. "Not with these things going after them."

"Uh, honey," Clint started as he pulled an arrow out of his back, "we need to worry about them right now."

Before we all even got to see what happened, there was a gust of wind that blew the doors open. You could see the barrier that Harlow put up around the house disintegrate. Leaving us caught off guard and the smog full access inside. In one swift motion you could see the smog push the door open and fly directly into Atlas. He fell flat on his back and held his hands on each side of his head, groaning in pain. They got in his head. Natasha remained calm as she held his head in place to get him to stay still, but you could see the tears drip down her cheek. After a few minutes of Atlas trying to fight them off, his body lay still for a few moments before he gasps and sits up. A look of sheer panic is on his face, the nerves in his eyes are bright red. Thunder rolled loudly outside.

Everyone turned to look outside, there were 3 of these things standing there. Waiting for us outside of the barrier. "Vis porta" Lena spoke while lifting her hand directly above her. All the kids were in that room above us, she sealed the door closed and nobody can get in without us breaking it.

"Nemi blir kraften tegnet kurse mente fra," She spoke again. They all winced in pain, you could see that they were trying to turn into that black smoke so they could fly away, but they couldn't. She incapacitated the part of their mind to be able to transform. So at this point in time, they can't get away.

It was like slow motion, everyone ran out of the house and began fighting them. Natasha and Clint worked together between the arrows and Nat's fighting skills. Harlow and Lena followed and were doing quite well for themselves. They were throwing punches and spitting out spelIs at the same time. Lena lifted her hands and rocks were coming out of the ground, she would use those to fight with along with using roots to hold the Smog's down while the others killed them. She can manipulate the earth and use it to her advantage.

I stayed behind with Atlas, sitting on the floor and held him. His body was shaking and he was having a hard time breathing, he was in pain. Trying to seal the door back shut and whatever he is hiding is going to come out. I looked down at him and shushed him, "Let it out Atlas, you're going to kill yourself if you keep fighting it."

He had tears in his eyes and shook his head at me. He was scared, I have never seen him like this before. He was the most powerful person I have ever met, and he was scared and helpless right now. I felt sorry for him, he has so much pride in himself and doesn't want anyone to see him as weak. I grabbed his hands and pulled them off of his head, forcing the door to be opened and the thing to be out of his mind. As soon as that happened, the Smog's disappeared. Once a door is opened, there is no need for them to be there anymore. Their job is done.

The room was bright and there was a little boy outside, one that I had never seen before. Along with his mother..they looked homeless and scared. Atlas slowly stood up, his eyes black. He walked through the doors and past everyone it was like time was turning back and he was younger, walking towards the mother and son. Atlas had a black cloak appear around him and he was dressed in all black. He head a chest plate on, and boots. He was intimidating.

"Oh my god-" Harlow started before she stopped herself as she realized what we are witnessing.

Natasha walked up next to him and took hold of his hand. His head snapped towards her, "Ignari." He bellowed. Natasha's body flew backwards into the house and went through walls. That's all it took from him was one simple word and he threw his wife's body through a building without even having to touch her. He turned his attention back to the mom and son and smirked at them in a disgusting way. Almost like he was enjoying himself.

"Please," The woman sobbed, "Please don't do this."

"I shouldn't do this," Atlas hissed while smiling evilly, "But I want to." He pulled the hood of his cloak down to reveal his blood splattered face. "Infero Eseri Gratas, Disasustos Vom,"

I was stunned. I put my hand over my mouth in absolute shock and disbelief. We were all frozen as we watched the mother and son start choking on air. They were suffocating..Atlas was killing them and he was laughing, enjoying it like a monster. The two strangers fell over, dead. They were not armed, they had no magical abilities...they were innocent.

Atlas dropped to the ground and slowly returned to his normal looking self..We all stood around him. We knew that Atlas was powerful, but none of us would have ever thought that he would do something so sinister and dark and find pure joy out of it. Atlas opened his eyes slowly and sat up, looking at us all. We all had the same expression, shock. They got to him because he was weak and they knew he wouldn't be able to fight it off.

Atlas knew what had just happened, and he completely broke down.