Atlas complied with her pleas and attempted to move his leg to the right. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest. Their combined weight was too much for them. He felt his body sliding down further and further as gravity tried to claim them both.

--

No! No! No!

They were so close. This couldn't be it! Freedom was just to the right. Atlas dug his nails into the floor. The pain was muted by the adrenaline pumping through him. His labored breath was tense as he moved his leg. There was double his weight pulling him down now. The beautiful girl's terrified eyes silently screamed for help, and he knew that she was too exhausted to speak.

I have to save her. I have to keep her safe. I promised!

Although he had no recollection of such a promise, Atlas knew that it was true. This was what he was made for. Protecting Hope. He couldn't let them both die. Not here. Not now. Not ever. He mustered all of his strength and willed his aching leg to move. Still sliding down, he felt his shirt rising off of his abdomen.

He closed his eyes and prayed that his exposed skin would give him enough traction to bring Hope to safety. The small girl was shaking as she held onto his leg.

Atlas moved his leg to the right. He moved it left, right, left, right, and left again. They were small, subtle movements, but that was all the momentum he needed. The weight and velocity would take over from there. Finally, Hope was being lifted towards the ladder. Pain consumed Atlas' body. His skin searing with the friction.

"Jump!" he managed to eke out the words with no small amount of effort.

Hope seemed more than happy to oblige. As he swung her form to the right, she jumped. Atlas felt the weight fall from his body and quickly pulled himself and his foot back into the elevator. His breathing was still heavy as he stuck his head through the hole.

He hadn't seen Hope stick the landing, but he had heard a metal clang sound from below. Whipping his head around, he spotted a head of fiery red hair grinning at him. She did it. She had grabbed hold of a rung and was now resting on it as she watched him. Her green eyes were brimmed with tears. Atlas couldn't even imagine the terror that must have ripped through her body. He could see the pulse of her neck as she breathed in relief. Hope was tough.

Now it's my turn.

Pulling his head back up, Atlas slung on the bag Hope had made him. He would have to make it over without the help of momentum like Hope had been provided. He lowered himself through the metal and made sure to keep his elbows above its surface to brace him, his heart thudding hard in his chest. It was time to move. He took a second to curse at the rooms he had ventured into while searching for freedom and then moved so that he was supported by his hands. It was a very free feeling, dangling above the emptiness; seeing how far the shaft tunneled. The dim yellow lighting was providing just enough to see that it was endless. Atlas got his breathing under control and willed himself to stay calm. His grip was sturdy.

Just swing and relax.

He moved his body so that it lifted towards the ladder. Hope climbed up a few rungs to give him space. He could hear her breath catch as she watched him. She was nervously anticipating his leap. He was moving faster now, his body swinging in giant arcs. All he had to do now, was let go.

He soared through the air as gravity reached for him, the ladder coming at him at a high speed. It felt like everything in his world had slowed down except for the ladder. He was going to crash into it hard and fast. Adrenaline raced through his veins.

He stretched out his arms as his body snapped towards the rungs. His hand hit the ladder, but he missed it.

He fell a few feet, a scream tearing out of his throat, before finally catching a rung. He had landed at least ten rungs below Hope. His wide eyes looked up at her. His heart had stopped mid-air.

He slowly composed himself and, unexpectedly, started laughing. It was a joyous sound. Hope smiled down at him.

We're free!

He returned Hope's smile with a wide grin and started to climb. "We should move."

He nodded up the ladder to Hope and watched the girl's feet as they traveled carefully upward into freedom. They passed several diagonal entries which Atlas assumed led to the other elevator shafts. Just as they had started moving, a loud buzzer went off.

It was an alarm.

Its pulsing rhythm struck fear into the pair. Hope looked down at Atlas. Worry was plastered on her face. They climbed faster than before, lifting their legs in time with the alarms beat, urgency in their every move. Red flashing light spun around the confined space. Every so often, the beam would hit their eyes, blinding them as they rushed up the ladder.

Below them, there was a thud. They both turned and slowed their ascent. Atlas could hear his heart beating just as loudly as the noise from below.

Another thump sounded; then another. Finally, a piece of metal opened just under the elevator car and next to the service ladder. Dozens of people flooded through the small maintenance hole. They were dressed in all black clothing like a trained swat team. Atlas' eyes grew wide. They had found them.

"Run!" he screamed to Hope.

Practically running up the metal rods, they tried to escape the unit chasing them. Suddenly, a loud ping sounded next to Atlas' head. He knew that it had been a bullet, but he couldn't do anything but try to climb faster. His muscles screamed in pain.

They were shooting at them. A few more pings rang through the walls until a feminine voice called out, "Stop it, you buffoons! They'll ricochet! Just catch them!"

Relieved that no more bullets were coming their way, Atlas and Hope jumped up the ladder. They were so close to the top, and a service door was waiting for them there. Hope seemed to have other plans though, as she leaped to the side.

She was moving to another shaft. Atlas had learned to believe the girl and her instincts and followed her to the right. Before he moved over, however, he took a water bottle from his bag and launched it down at the guards. The bottle fell true and hit one guard in the head. He didn't stop climbing but heard the sound of screaming as guards tumbled down the shaft.

He was following Hope as she traversed across the various shafts, praying that she knew where she was going. They passed four shafts before Hope abruptly moved down. "What are you doing?" Atlas whispered. They needed to move up to try and leave.

"Trust me," Hope whispered urgently. Just as she whispered the words she climbed to the left.

She was trying to lose them.

The guards would never expect them to move down or back to the original shaft. The pair moved quickly but tried to remain as quiet as possible. They could hear the guards chatter as they searched for the prisoners.

They continued to move to the left, but after a few shafts, Hope paused. She peered out and up. This was where they had started. Hope quickly made her way across the shaft. Atlas hesitated as he saw the guards still scrambling up and to the right. They were following where the two had previously gone.

Atlas grinned with a mixture of disbelief and triumph as he followed Hope sideways. They traveled through several shafts until Hope stopped. The guard's voices had disappeared into the shafts far away from them.

"I think we lost them. Let's try to find somewhere to stay just to be safe." As an idea came to mind, Atlas instructed Hope, "Look for an elevator. One on the floor we just left."

Atlas' limbs were shaking from the strain. First, he had held Hope's weight, then he held his own, and now he had tested his muscles in their escape. He had little strength left in his arms.

Hope did as she was told and moved to the shaft with an elevator. Atlas looked to the elevator and with only a moment's hesitation, jumped onto its top. He heard the elevator creak and groan with the impact. His body felt similar stress as he took this moment to calm his shaking hands. As they passed by their elevator earlier, Atlas noticed a handle on its top. It was a service hatch in case the elevator stalled. Shortly after he jumped, Hope followed. He unhooked a red vertical latch and lifted the handle. The bright light of the elevator illuminated his vision. He squinted and leaped into the box.

"W-Who are you? Are you the one who put me here?" Atlas stood up and snapped his head to see a boy.

He couldn't have been more than fourteen, but he stood poised and ready to attack. His long blonde hair fell into his eyes and over his round glasses. A pair of brown determined eyes sat behind them.

Atlas glanced at the boy's hand. He had a pair of scissors pointed threateningly. They looked like they had been sharpened to a point.

Atlas raised his hands in the air in submission. Hope dropped down into the elevator and smiled at Atla., "That was crazy! We did it!"

Her face fell as Atlas moved her behind him. She turned to see the smaller boy and her eyes widened. She pulled out her pair of scissors and glared at the boy threateningly. The boy blinked in surprise. He stared at her scissors and carefully put his weapon away.

"Where did you get that?" he questioned. Hope slowly put away her blade and answered him. Her reply was short and stern. "The first room."

The boy was easy to read. He was in awe.

"H-How did you get out? Why did you come here? I didn't know there were more people," he breathed quickly. He was nervous, but he seemed more amazed and hopeful than anything. Hope was prepared to answer his questions when Atlas interrupted. "Look, kid, we would love to stay and chat, but were hiding from the guards. They could come at any moment to kill us. We need a place to lay low. Stay in the elevator so that they can't see you."

The boy blinked in surprise. He opened his mouth as if he was going to ask more questions but quickly popped his mouth shut. He nodded. "C-can I go too? With you, I mean..." His large brown eyes were pleading as he looked to them for confirmation. "I have been stuck here for 23 days and," he examined the watch ticking on his wrist, " 14 hours."

Atlas examined the boy. He was very thin and was probably hungry. If he had been trapped for 23 days and had only gotten this far, then he would be dead in a week. He wouldn't have enough food or water to sustain him.

He had threatened them, but Atlas could see now that he had been scared. After all, the boy hadn't seen another person and suddenly two of them came crashing through the ceiling.

After some thought, Atlas nodded. The boy's eyes lit up with joy. He smiled and nodded his thanks back. Then, he stepped into the elevator to avoid the darkroom and possible cameras.

Hope reached into her back and fished out a protein bar and a water bottle, "Here," she said as she extended the necessities to him. The boy eagerly took them and scarfed down the contents. He discarded the trash to the floor and sat down.

"How long do we have to wait?" he asked. He was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Atlas could tell the boy didn't like waiting and was growing impatient. He had been trapped longer than both of them, after all.

"What's your name?" Hope asked him. She was looking at him with special kindness. They looked soft to the touch, like her skin. Like a mother and her child. Atlas noticed that when she spoke her pale cheeks twitched with the movement of her light pink lips. He thought Hope looked to be in her early twenties or maybe a little younger. It seemed strange for her to mother a boy who was not much younger than she was. The boy, however, seemed to appreciate her comforting voice as his shoulders visibly relaxed. The light conversation was almost enough to make Atlas relax. Almost.

The boy watched her as she sat against the wall across from him, "William...but you can call me Will," he looked between the two.

Atlas slid down beside Hope and stared at her face as she spoke to Will. It was soft and sweet. Her green eyes seemed to radiate a calmness that Atlas had not seen from her.

"Alright, Will. I'm Hope and this," she gestured to her partner in crime, "is Atlas. We managed to escape, but some guards found out. They are still looking for us and if they find us, they will kill us. We are going to stay here until they pass. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded, and Hope continued, "you don't have to come with us if you don't want to. It could be dangerous and I understand if you're scared."

Will puffed up his chest, "I'm not scared. I can do it." He shrank his shoulders back to their small size and shrugged. "Besides, I would die here anyway. I want to leave. No matter the costs."

Hope's face turned into a sad smile, and Atlas could tell that her heart went out to the boy. No one should have to go through something like this, especially not someone so young. Hope was about to speak once more when a loud thud sounded inside the elevator.

Standing in between them and Will was a guard clad in black, a rifle strapped around their neck. The guard adjusted the gun into a proper firing position and looked down at Atlas and Hope.

"Found you."

It was the same feminine voice from earlier that had yelled at the others for firing, and it sent chills up and down Atlas' spine

This is how it ends.

Atlas reached over to grab Hope's hand, knowing that he was powerless against the weapon.