Being covered in blood, guts, and bits of bone matter was not Atlas's idea of a vacation.
It had been a fucking tough year of battling through the wasteland, a place populated by portals that randomly sucked people in from Earth.
The relentless year of fighting trolls, bandits, and the undead had left him both physically and emotionally scarred, but the thought of returning to normalcy kept him going.
Cold beer, hot pizza, and not having to constantly watch his back were calling him.
He finally saw the portal home.
Atlas stood among the group of survivors, their faces illuminated by the otherworldly glow of the portal. Each person bore the marks of their journey—scars, exhaustion, and the haunted look of those who had seen too much.
But now, amongst those looks of exhaustion, a new emotion was seen—hope.
Atlas's heart pounded as he stared at the swirling vortex.
*This is it,* he thought, barely able to believe it. *After a year, I'm finally going home. The last year had been brutal, but now it was time.*
In front of the large group stood Clark, his scrawny shoulders barely filling out his ragged cloak. In his hands, he clutched a small pouch, his fingers twitching as if itching to reveal its contents. Clark, as the settlement leader, had been the designated token holder, responsible for distributing the precious tokens that would allow the survivors to pass through the portal and return home.
Clark emptied the pouch, letting 100 gleaming tokens spill into his hand.
"Alright, we've got everybody here," Clark announced nasally, his voice grating on Atlas's nerves. "Let's go through the portal and go home."
The group cheered and eagerly grabbed tokens from him, heading toward the waiting portal. Atlas wasn't the only person dying to get home.
Despite his unimposing appearance, Clark had become the de facto leader of this ragtag group. A feat that was hard to accomplish in the wasteland where the strong made the rules. Luckily, he had paired up with Atlas early on. The two of them had teamed up. Clark ran the settlement, while Atlas fought from the front.
*I can't wait till I never have to see this guy again,* Atlas thought. *I don't know what was worse about him—his callous disregard for other people, or the way he hid it all behind a veneer of social justice and equality.*
The two of them had fought together against the dangers of the wasteland. But they had also spent a year butting heads.
*I can't believe I fell for his "good guy act," like so many other people.*
Atlas watched as people started moving through the portal, thinking of all the things he would do when he got home.
*Wait a second,* he thought. Something didn't add up. He scanned the crowd, noting the eager, weary faces of those around him as they also headed home.
"What's Shaniqua doing here?" Atlas yelled out.
*Shaniqua wasn't supposed to be here. Was she here to say goodbye to her girlfriend? I tallied up the contribution points personally, and she hadn't made the cut.*
The slowly moving crowd paused, all eyes turning to Clark. Some people looked confused, others questioning, and a few indifferent. Regardless, they just kept moving through the portal in an orderly manner.
Clark turned to Atlas slowly, a smug smile curling on his lips. "Well, that's the thing, Atlas," Clark yelled, his voice dripping with mockery that made Atlas's blood run cold. "I've made a new decision."
YOU ARE READING
Atlas: Back to the Present - Time Travel + Post Apoc + OP MC
Science FictionWhat would you do, if you were portalled two years before the apocalypse happens? How would you prepare, and also let other peoples know? BONUS GOAL: Don't get yourself locked into the looney bin. ***** Atlas was ready to return home from a post ap...
