Journey to Pandora

Chapter 5: A family amongst ruins

  Ethan counted everyone as they boarded the bus. After he got to the last person he realised his grave mistake; Eliouse.
He hadn't seen her since the meeting and she isn't here now. Devastating thoughts circled his mind, sending it into panic. They needed Eliouse. She was their weapon. She was special. She was the only kid from Pandora. Ethan didn't despise Eliouse, certainly not even if it came across as that way, he just didn't enjoy her company. But whether she pissed him off, he couldn't deny that Eliouse was generous because when he was being prowled on in Pandora, she was the only one to step in.
She was the only one to help when no one else did. Eliouse even gave Ethan a bed and food, and took him to the river to bathe.
Ethan swiveled around to Jen who was marking off the roll. "Jen! I can't find Eliouse." He said, trying to hid his frantic panic in his voice. Jen looked up, dropping the piece of paper to the side of her. Her eyes searched every inch if Ethan's face.
"What the fuck do you mean she's missing!?" She yelled. Ethan threw his hands up in the air, his breathing getting heavier by the second. " I don't fucking know. She was there when they attacked but I turned around for one second- just for one second and-" He exclaimed but stopped to breath, his thoughts taking over. He dropped his hands to his side and turned over to Jen who was now thinking the exact thing as him. Their eyes reached other.

"They took her." was all that was said.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Tight shackles binded Eliouse's thin arms together. The sky was overcast and the cold wind burned Eliouse's cheeks. She didn't have much to wear apart from the spare clothes Jen had given her but even so, her skin prickled with goosebumps. Brown locks of hair stood beside her. The figure of the tiny boy she had tried to save marched beside her.
His arms binded too. Hundreds of kids stood before them, all walking miles for their kidnappers.
When their feet hit the ground, they were almost all in time. Some wore fancy clothing, some wore nothing but a tunic. Men on horses trotted beside them, keeping them all in line and if one were to step out, a harsh punishment would befall them.
The boy beside Eliouse whispered, "I want to go home." Emotions stretching out every word.
The men had taken the girl when they found them trying to hide. They took her away, The boy screaming every word as she was yanked from Eliouse's arms.
It was a horrifying sight- Eliouse would admit.
But for the boy..... Eliouse couldn't even comprehend what it must've been like- and at a young age too.
Finally, after a long moment, Eliouse said, "I know, I promise- I promise I'll get us out of here."
And Eliouse meant every word. Every step they took towards Atlas, Anger burned inside of her, boiling a rage. She had abandoned society too long and now she was finally back. They will not get away with this.
She would be their saviour, even if it costs her life.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Two twin towers came into sight. Glass panes covering them like raw flesh on an animal. The sight bestowed Eliouse, as it did with other kids. But it also made her knee's shake. Her mind fizzing with confusion as they all marched towards the frightening structures. Up ahead was a large, metal fence that stretched onwards for what seemed like hours and covered the entire perimeter of the buildings.
Soldiers packed the walls, their terrorising machines they gripped tightly, in sight for everyone to see and know what they can do.
Eliouse clenched her hands. Almost as a reaction of how disgusted she felt. It was almost like they treated the children as livestock. Rounding them up to put away in paddocks and control how they eat and live.
And the thought disgusted Eliouse. But it wasn't even a thought, they WERE doing it right in front of he eyes.
Saying it was a disgusting thought was an understatement but rather an unjustifiable act.
As they drew closer, more guards seemed to swarm the line of kids, watching their every move.
Eliouse kept her eyes drawn to the ground, trying to avoid any eye contact. The boy beside her did the same.
As they got to the front of the line, the large fence seemed to double in size and a metal gate came into view, opening and closing for guards which seemed to lead to the buildings.
Eliouse gulped. In front of her was a older girl who was the first in line. A man in a white suit held out a large piece of metal. The middle-aged man mumbled something as the girl stretched her wrist outwards.
A loud buzzing noise rung the air for a few seconds. The man nodded as he glance towards the gate and the brunette walked forward, disappearing into the mystery of what held behind the gate.
Eliouse stood forward, in plain view of the man now. His distinctive features showing and every split grey hair.
The man didn't give Eliouse a second look,
"Wrist." he said and Eliouse hesitantly put out her wrist. The rectangular piece of metal searched her wrist up and down, a red beam light reflecting off and a noisy buzz hurting her eyes. A few seconds went by and Eliouse wondered why it hadn't worked. It had worked with all the others.
A few more moments passed by and the mans thick eyebrows narrowed. Creased lines on his forehead showing as he drew away the register. A large clicking sound came from the metal.
Eliouse's instinct said to run but there would be nothing she could do anyway. They were watching her every move and would kill her on the spot if she tried to make an escape.
Now, everyone's eyes were on her. The man lifted his head up, his eyes staring Eliouse down. Her skin prickled with fear.
What were they going to do with her?
The grey haired man reached for his pocket and Eliouse stepped back.
"This is C-section Unit 04 Beta, We've got an un-coded. I repeat, we've got an un-coded." His stern, croaky voice reached the other end of the receiver.
Eliouse didn't want to hear the response.
What was it? Kill her? Lock her up? The words 'un-coded' made her shiver and step back even more.
Whatever it was, It wasn't going to be good.
Eliouse took another step back. A crackle came from the radio in his hand. Eliouse couldn't make out what was said but from the man response, it had Eliouse turning on her heels.
Her foot skidded on the wet soiled ground as she hit a solid object which then turned out to be a man's chest wall. A bulky man towered over her.
Eliouse knew.
She wasn't going to escape.
She was trapped and they were going to kill her.

                                                                                                ~~



"Elrick" Jen called, her legs moving at top speed. Ethan ran beside her. The new base was almost like a school. Though hopefully they wouldn't get attacked again. Jen ran through the marbled corridor, children bouncing about. Finally, a door opened and out came a handsome, young boy. His curly black shimmering from the white lights and his toothy smile.
"Elrick!" Jen yelled as she jogged over to him, without a second thought she wrapped her arms around him.
He stepped back from surprise. "Sister, what are you doing here? The base isn't opening till another 5 months." Elrick stated as he removed his sisters clinging arms.
Though judging from his expression, he knew something was wrong.
"We were attacked! Atlas- We don't know how but they found us." She stopped to breath, "Elrick, we lost hundreds. They took them all and we escaped with the survivors."
Elrick put a finger to his mouth and looked both ways of the corridor before dragging Ethan and Jen into the room.


                                                                                                ~~



"How many were lost?" Elrick asked as they all sat around the long marble table. Jen breathed in and out, silence haunting the room.
"Three hundred and five. More than we thought." She breathed.
More sighs came from Elrick as he put his hands over his eyes in frustration and leaned back in the leather seat.
Ethan understood what it would've been like for Elrick, he left thousands of lives in the hands of his sister. Now it was all destroyed.
Elrick clapped his hands together. "How did they find you?" He asked.
"I don't know, but- The only way is if some had led them to us. A traitor."
Traitor.
The word shook the room. "There would be no way someone would be able to find us, we had been kept hidden for five fucking years! hidden for so many years until the girl from Pandora had come in." Jen stopped talking and Ethan immediately jumped to Eliouse's defense.
"Jen- Eliouse isn't a traitor." Ethan exclaimed and he was about to carry on but Elrick cut him off.
"Girl from Pandora?" Elrick questioned. Jen nodded and Ethan sighed. He knew where this was headed. "You went to Pandora?".
"Well- Ethan did." Jen said, she glanced over to Ethan who had an un-amused look on his face.
Elrick's eyes reached Ethan's face.
"Where are the other kids?" Elrick barked, not intendedly. Ethan clicked his jaw and drew his eyes up to Elrick.
He breathed in and leaned forward. Violence hanging in the air. Ethan was going to be blunt as possible.
"Dead."
"How?"
"I don't fucking know." Ethan spat. "I didn't have enough time to save them all, I had only 14 hours and Eliouse was the only that I could help." guilt brushed his lips.
"Where is this Eliouse?"
"She was taken." Jen cut in.
"Atlas?" Elrick asked and both Jen and Ethan nodded.
Ethan jumped in. "Eliouse is not a traitor, she had no idea about pandora, let alone Atlas." He claimed and met Jen's eyes.
"People can fake, Ethan." She pleaded as she sipped from the cup of tea. Jen was right, people could fake and they had no idea what Eliouse was capable of. "We don't even know if we can trust her." Jen finished and Elrick nodded in agreement.
"Unbelieveable- Jen. Eliouse is not guilty and she didn't lead Atlas to us!" Ethan raised his voice, anger ready to lash out.
"And how do you know that!?" Jen yelled back.
Silence hung up her words like a fish on a hook, leaving them built into his mind. How does he know that?
Elrick jumped into the argument. " Jen, let's say there is a traitor.... who would suspect the most?" Elrick asked the most heaviest question and it only made Ethan's blood boil more.
Jen turned towards Ethan who already knew who her answer.
She looked back at Elrick who had narrowed eyebrows from upon waiting the heavy answer.
She smiled.
"Eliouse."


                                                                                              ~~



Two guards flanked Eliouse as she walked down a narrow hallway. Their guns in her peripheral vision, reminding her of the lives they took. Great long silver drapes blocked out the sunlight from the glass pane windows. At the very end of the hallway was a broaden metal door with two carvings in it. As Eliouse grew near the door, the first thing she wanted to do was run. Or even die.
One craving was random scribbles everywhere, but they end up being a tessellation.
The other carving.... was a face. It stuck out of the door, it's ogre like features terrifying Eliouse. It's eyes- shaped oval- seemed to stare her down. There was something about the face that Eliouse couldn't take her eyes away.
What was this? and more importantly, what was behind the door?
The guards halted at the door. For a few moments Eliouse was uncertain of what to do but then a tiny gap started to show through the door as it opened. A large, white pale room awaited her.
She waited for a few moments to see if the guards were needed but they stood still- one almost taking them as statues.
She wanted to turn back. She wanted to go back to her old life, leave all this behind.
But she couldn't, if she were, Grave and everyone else would be lost. Eliouse would torture herself because of that.
She took a step forward into the bleak room. The doors slammed shut and Eliouse jumped from surprise. She slid her hands down her white dress they had given her, straightened out all the creases. She ventured into the room more but there was nothing to really see. There was no furniture, there was no one- not even windows. And shortly enough, if she was in here any longer, the smooth milky walls would make her start hallucinating. She bit her gum- a nervous habit.

"What are you doing?" a husky masculine voice came from behind her and Eliouse was quick to skid on her heels and back away.
A middle-aged man dressed in a grey suit- different from all the others. He walked towards Eliouse who held her ground. "Don't be afraid, child. I just wish to talk." He said again but Eliouse could sense the menace in his voice.
She walked backwards as he neared her and stuck out his hand.
"Dorian Ulbrecht, Director of Atlas. Don't worry, I won't hurt you, I just wish to ask questions." His snake like voice slithered up and down Eliouse. Pure evil.
Evil, was all that Eliouse could sense. All his sins seeping out from his pig-like skin. She could see it all- He may not hurt her but he hurt thousands of others, enough to make Eliouse hate this man at first sight.
Eliouse didn't speak. She just stood there, watching every death he wrought upon play out in his eyes.
"Eliouse Reeves...." Eliouse spoke soft- spoken.
Dorian lifted his eyebrows in amusement but yet curiosity. "Reeves....? As in the Reeves family?".
He knew her last name and more dangerous yet, he was curious about it.
"Say... Eliouse, do you remember your parents? at all?" He asked away and Eliouse's heart slowed right down. She had to watch what she said here- for the sake of her life and others.
Eliouse didn't speak up.
The man sighed and on the wall, a screen turned on.
A photo of a man and woman popped up.
The woman with dark brunette hair, her toothy smile twisting Eliouse's insides around. The man in his formal suit and shaggy blonde hair.
But what the woman was holding got Eliouse the most.
A little girl with light brown hair and emerald eyes.
A little girl who happened to look exactly like Eliouse.