System, I'm Sick...Again!

??? (2)

"Don't stray from the original person's personality, just a quick in and out. Do you understand?"

Caspian rolled his eyes before answering.

"Yeah, yeah. You told me this three times already. Can we get this going already?"

"Thank you for doing this, Cas." Axl said sincerely.

"Better me than some random idiot you find."

"Can we just knock him out already?" Rhys said.

"Why? You can't handle me conscious, Rhys?"

"Axl, it's not too late to change your mind. Also, one word and no one would even know what happened."

Axl sighed. He already feels five years older because of the two.

"Just remember what I told you. We can start."

Rhys grabbed something that resembled a helmet. It has wires attached to it connecting to the only computer in the room.

"We can't guarantee your survival if you happen to die there, so be careful. Goodluck."

"Don't miss me too much. Especially you, Rhys." Caspian winked teasingly at Rhys, who only rolled his eyes at him.

"Okay, bye-bye. Say hi to Chaim for me." Rhys typed something on the computer and hit enter.

"Going dark in 3...2...1..."

Not even a second in, Caspian felt a punch hit his face.

'Damn you, Rhys.'

He immediately got up and dodged the following hits that came after.

Caspian fought back and rendered his attackers unconscious.

As he was about to leave,  he heard something rsttling behind the nearby trash bins.  When he went closer to investigate, he saw a boy. And with one look, he knew. This was Chaim.

This boy is his Chaim.

"Hey, it's alright. They're gone now. Come with me. Let's go somewhere safer." He said softly. He didn't want to scare the boy even more.

The boy hesitated. He looked around before nodding hesitantly.

Caspian offered his hand, and the boy took it.

"What's your name? I'm Caspian." He didn't know if the body he was in had a name.  Truthfully, he wouldn't care either way. He is Caspian, and he will always be Caspian.

"I don't have a name." The boy softly said. So soft that it was almost a whisper.

"Do you want me to give you one?" Caspian expected the boy to decline, seeing as they were strangers to each other. Contrary to his expectations, the boy looked at him with big eyes and nodded excitedly.

"Okay, okay. How about....Atlas."

"Atlas." The boy smiled as he tested his new name with his voice.

"I love it. I'm Atlas. Atlas. Atlas."Caspian chuckled as Atlas repeated his name. He would've loved to name him Chaim, but even with the same soul, this boy is different. He is a different person. He deserves his own identity.

"It's getting dark. We should find a place to settle in for the night."

"I know a place. We have to hurry, its getting really late." Atlas' voice is still soft, but Caspian can hear a bit more confidence, and that made him happy, but he couldn't understand what Atlas meant.

The sun was only starting to set. It wasn't that late. But he didn't say anything.

Atlas guided him towards the end of the city, somewhere quieter. After a few more turns, Caspian was led in front of a shack.

The shack was barely standing, with a roof full of holes that let in rain and wind. The walls were cracked and peeling, and the paint long faded and flaking off. The floor was just bare dirt, packed down over time. A broken window was covered with a ragged piece of cloth, and the door hung crooked on its hinges, creaking every time it moved. Inside, there was little more than a worn blanket and a few old rags for bedding.

Atlas looked at Caspian and hid his disappointment when the older man showed no emotion.

"Sorry. It's all I have." Caspian shook his head slightly and smiled at Atlas.

"It's more than what I have." Which is nothing. He added in his mind.

Atlas smiled slightly and pulled Caspian furter inside. He directed him to the 'bed' on the floor.

"You can sleep here."

"How about you? I can't take your spot. You're letting me sleep here, I can't intrude more than that."

"It's fine. You gave me a name, and if you didn't beat those guys, they would've come after me. You saved my life. This is the least I could offer."

Atlas wouldn't budge no matter how hard Caspian insisted that he was fine with sleeping on the dirt. So, in the end, when Atlas was asleep, he carried him and laid him on the blankets.

"What the hell am I supposed to do here? I found him already. They said this was a simple in and out. I really can't trust those two."

Caspian headed outside. He looked around the area and noticed the lack of human life. Yes, it was at the edge of the city, and it was pretty dilapidated, but he literally couldn't see a single living soul in the area.

Even when they were heading here, the people around became lesser as they proceeded to the edge of the city.

Inspecting his surroundings now, Caspian noticed that all the buildings had boarded windows and the doors looked like they had a lot of locks installed, seeing as how some of the screws were poking out.

"What in the..."

Caspian walked around a few more times before going back to Atlas' residence.

When he entered, he saw Atlas walking in circles, clearly panicking.

"Atlas! What's happening?" He immediately approached the boy.

When Atlas noticed him, he gave him a tight hug, and answered with a shaking voice.

"Wh-where did you go? You can't go out when its this late. Its forbidden. You're lucky nobody caught you."

Atlas spoke too fast, but Caspian could put his words well enough.

"Whoa, what do you mean? Calm down."

He pulled Atlas down so they could sit on the ground.

"You can't go out. When the sun goes down, creepy creatures start coming out. If the guards saw you, they would think you're one of them and wouldn't hesitate to shoot you down. How do you not know this?" Atlas explained.

Now Caspian realized why there was not a single soul outside. It was also eerily quiet. Too quiet.

"Just rest. Everything will be back to normal when we wake up."

Caspian listened and laid down. He would investigate more about this tomorrow.

«-Φ-»

??? (2)

First of all, I am so sorry. Its been like two months. I got caught up with college. The first year is really hectic. So I am so sorry in advance since updates will be lesser than before. Still, thanks for all the support. Keep safe.

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight.

Thanks for reading!