The Man Everyone Abandoned

“The night his father died, he didn't give Elias a map or a key. He gave him a secret that would make him the most hunted person on earth. Elias just didn’t know it yet.”

Rain pounded the glass like it was trying to break in. Outside, the city was just a blurry mess of shadows. In the hallway, the old clock ticked toward eleven, every chime feeling way too loud in the empty house.

Elias twisted in his sheets. He didn't even have to open his eyes to know something was up. He could feel it—that weird sense you get when you know someone else is awake in the house. His dad was still up.

Usually, his dad just stayed in his office with piles of boring paperwork and way too much coffee. But tonight felt off. Voices he didn't recognize…deep and low were echoing from downstairs, pulling Elias right out of his half-sleep.

"I am telling you for the last time, Mr. Kane," a smooth voice said, sounding more like a businessman closing a deal than a man in an argument. "You have done enough."

"I have done what was right," David answered immediately.

After a short silence, another man laughed softly and replied, "Right? You have spent fifteen years collecting evidence against people you could never hope to defeat."

Elias sat up, his heart suddenly thumping against his ribs. Evidence? Against who? He slid out of bed, his feet hitting the cold floor, and cracked his door open. The hallway was pitch black, except for a sliver of light coming from the living room.

He tiptoed to the top of the stairs and looked down. Three guys in fancy suits were standing there. They didn't look scared or angry; they just looked... calm. Which was way scarier.

His dad was facing them, looking way more stressed than Elias had ever seen him. His sleeves were rolled up like he was ready for a fight.

"We admire your determination, David, we really do," one of the strangers said while adjusting his cufflinks. "But you have reached the end of the road."

"So have you," David said, folding his arms defiantly. The man smiled and stepped forward. "I doubt that. Just give us the Black Archive."

The Black Archive. Elias felt a shiver run down his spine. He had no clue what that was, but it sounded like something he didn't want to know about. The tallest guy just sighed like he was talking to a kid.

"I already did," David replied, his jaw tightening. The man tilted his head and asked, "Then why condemn your son to this?"

Suddenly, David looked toward the staircase and his eyes met Elias's. For a terrifying second, neither of them moved. "Elias," David whispered, and then his tone shifted instantly. "Run!"

His dad charged up the stairs, and the suits were right on his heels. He grabbed Elias’s arm just as they hit the landing.

He shoved Elias into his room and slammed the door, his hands shaking as he turned the lock. Outside, heavy boots were pounding on the floorboards.

Elias was shaking now, too. His dad didn't even look at him. He just scrambled to pull the big wardrobe away from the wall, showing a hidden window behind it.

He threw the window open, and the freezing rain sprayed inside. He grabbed Elias’s shoulders, his eyes looking totally desperate.

"If anyone asks you about me, do not believe them. They will tell lies and make me into a monster. They will say I betrayed people, that I stole, and that I killed. They will make the whole world believe it."

"Dad, none of this makes sense," Elias said, his head spinning. His dad swallowed hard.

A massive bang came from downstairs, the front door was gone. Someone was screaming his dad's name.

His dad closed his eyes for a second, like he was giving up on ever having a normal life. He pulled a silver pendant with a weird logo on it from under his shirt and looped it over Elias’s head.

"I promise," Elias whispered. David nodded and leaned closer, his expression full of regret. "Never trust your own blood."

Before Elias could even blink, a gunshot went off and the bedroom door started to break apart. His dad pushed him toward the window.

Elias was crying now, but his dad wasn't having it. Another shot rang out, and his dad threw himself against the door as it burst open.

Elias scrambled onto the roof, the rain blinding him. He couldn't catch his breath. He looked back one last time and saw his dad give him a sad, tired smile.

"I am proud of you," David said just as the suits broke through. Elias watched in total horror as his dad charged them. Another shot. His dad stumbled, red soaking into his shirt. "DAD!" Elias screamed, watching him fall.

Fire started spreading everywhere, climbing the curtains. Elias crawled across the slippery roof and jumped for a tree, landing hard in the mud. His ankle screamed in pain, but the adrenaline kept him moving.

He bolted into the storm, not even looking where he was going as his home turned into a giant bonfire. A black SUV was parked in the shadows across the street.

"No," the man in the middle commanded, watching Elias disappear. "If he lives, he will eventually search for answers. And when he does, he will lead us straight to the Black Archive."

The SUV pulled away, and Elias realized that silver pendant on his chest felt heavy—like, really heavy. He looked back at his house burning down and it hit him: he was carrying a secret people would kill for. He wasn't just some kid anymore. He was the target, and there was nowhere left to go.