The Man Everyone Abandoned

The First Truth

The expected sound of a gunshot didn’t happen. Instead, the whole building went quiet, and a scary, heavy feeling filled the air. Elias watched Gabriel stand by the window, looking at three black cars waiting outside. Elias felt his heart thumping against his ribs like a trapped bird.

"Gabriel," he whispered, his mind racing for an answer.

"Shut the curtains," Gabriel ordered. When Elias didn't move fast enough, the old man snapped, "Now."

Gabriel sounded so serious that Elias moved right away. He pulled the thick cloth shut, hiding the street and making the room feel smaller and darker.

Gabriel ran to the front door and locked it three times with loud clicks. Elias felt a wave of fear and confusion wash over him.

"Who are those people? Why are you locking everything?" he asked, but Gabriel stayed silent.

"Gabriel!" he shouted, needing to know what was happening.

The old man finally turned with a sad, scary look on his face. "Because they're here for you," he said.

Elias felt his stomach do a flip. "Who?" he pressed.

"The people who killed your father."

Elias stood perfectly still, his brain spinning from the shocking news. He couldn’t believe Gabriel had kept this secret for so long.

"You know who killed him?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"I know who ordered it," Gabriel replied.

"Then tell me!" Elias demanded.

Gabriel just shook his head and looked toward the basement. "Not here," he insisted.

"Then where?" Elias asked.

Gabriel started walking toward the dark stairs, and Elias followed him into the shadows, feeling like he was walking into a mystery.

The basement door shut with a loud bang, and Gabriel locked it before pushing a big, heavy cabinet in front of the door. Elias realized Gabriel had planned for this, which made him feel even more confused.

"You knew this would happen," he accused.

"I knew it could," Gabriel admitted.

"That's not what I asked," Elias countered, his anger growing.

Gabriel looked tired as he rubbed his face. "No. I hoped we'd have more time."

Elias stepped closer, feeling betrayed. "You knew my father. You knew about the Black Archive. You knew those men were coming."

Gabriel looked him in the eye and said, "Yes."

Elias squeezed his hands into fists. He felt like everyone had been lying to him his whole life.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" he yelled.

"Because knowing the truth makes you a target," Gabriel explained calmly.

"I already am a target!" Elias shouted back.

Gabriel lowered his head, knowing it was true. "You're right."

He walked to an old table and sat. "Sit," he commanded.

Elias stayed standing, too upset to rest. "I've been sitting while everyone around me lies."

Gabriel looked up at him. "Then stand," he said softly. "You'll need your strength."

Elias eventually sat down anyway, his eyes searching for the truth.

Gabriel took a long, deep breath. "Your father wasn't a criminal," he said.

Elias felt a lump in his throat. "I know," he whispered.

"No," Gabriel shook his head. "You don't."

He leaned forward, looking serious. "David Kane spent twenty years investigating something the government didn't want anyone to find."

Elias swallowed hard, wondering what his dad had discovered. "What?"

Gabriel looked around the dark, dusty room. "The Circle."

"The Circle of Thirteen?" Elias asked, remembering old stories.

Gabriel nodded. "Thirteen families. Thirteen pillars of power."

Gabriel started naming all the things they owned. "Banking. Energy. Construction. Technology. Healthcare. Shipping. Mining. Real estate. Media. Agriculture. Aviation. Telecommunications," he said slowly. "And politics."

Elias stared at him, trying to imagine how a few people could control so much. "They control all of that?"

"Not openly," Gabriel explained. "That's what makes them dangerous."

He explained how they manipulated everything from the shadows, hurting anyone who tried to stop them. Elias felt his whole world changing as he listened.

"Then why didn't the police stop them?" Elias asked, thinking about how things should work.

Gabriel gave a sad, mean laugh. "Because some police officers work for them."

"The courts?" Elias pressed.

"Some judges work for them."

"The media?" Gabriel shook his head. "Some journalists are paid to tell their stories."

Elias felt his face get hot with anger. It felt like no one could be trusted. "So they can make anyone look guilty," he concluded.

"Exactly," Gabriel said. "Your father's greatest mistake was believing evidence was enough."

"What happened?" Elias asked.

"He discovered something that could bring them down," Gabriel replied. "The Black Archive."

Gabriel nodded. "David spent years gathering evidence. Financial records. Names. Payments. Witness statements. Everything connecting the Circle to crimes that had been buried for decades."

Elias felt his heart race. "Where is it?"

"That's what they're searching for," Gabriel said.

Elias was confused. "But you said my father was gathering evidence. Then why didn't he just give it to the authorities?"

Gabriel smiled sadly. "Because he eventually realized the authorities were part of the problem."

The basement went quiet as Elias touched the pendant his father had given him. "This," he said.

Gabriel looked at the necklace immediately. "Yes."

"What is it?" Elias asked.

Gabriel stood up. "Your father gave you that for a reason."

"Tell me," Elias insisted.

Gabriel waited a moment before speaking. "The symbol belongs to a group that existed long before the Circle became what it is today."

"What group?"

"The Keepers," Gabriel answered.

Elias frowned. "The Keepers?"

Gabriel explained that they were a secret group who protected the truth when others tried to hide it.

Gabriel stepped closer to him. "Whenever one Keeper died, another was chosen."

"And my father?" Elias asked, a strange feeling growing in his chest.

"Your father was the last one."

Elias felt like he had been hit by a truck. "And now..."

Gabriel looked right at him. "You're next."

Elias backed away, shaking his head. "No. I don't want any of this."

"I know," Gabriel said.

"My father never told me," Elias argued.

"He couldn't," Gabriel explained.

"Why?" Elias asked.

"Because if you knew, they could have tortured the truth out of you."

Elias looked down at his necklace, realizing it was more than just a gift. "So he spent my whole life preparing me without telling me why."

Gabriel nodded. "He taught you how to remember. How to observe. How to survive. He was preparing you for this."

Elias felt tears stinging his eyes. He wished his dad had just talked to him. "He should have trusted me."

Gabriel’s face looked kinder. "He was trying to keep you alive."

Suddenly, a loud click sounded and the lights went out. The basement was pitch black.

"What was that?" Gabriel grabbed his arm hard. "Don't move."

"What?" Elias whispered.

"Don't move," Gabriel repeated.

A tiny red dot appeared on Gabriel's chest. It was a laser from a gun. Elias felt a chill run down his spine. "Gabriel..."

The old man looked at the dot and then up. He didn't seem scared. "They found us," he whispered.

A loud voice shouted from upstairs. "Gabriel Thorne! Come out!"

Elias’s heart was pounding so hard it hurt. Gabriel pushed Elias behind him. "Stay down," he ordered.

Another voice called out, "We only want the boy."

Gabriel pulled an old gun from his coat. Elias couldn't believe it. "You had a gun?"

Gabriel didn't turn around. "I've had many things you don't know about."

Elias heard footsteps on the floor above, getting closer to the basement door. He watched the red laser move until it was right over Gabriel’s heart. Elias jumped forward to help.

"Get down!" he cried. But Gabriel pushed him back.

Suddenly, a huge BANG echoed in the dark. Elias froze as Gabriel’s body was jerked backward.

"Gabriel!" Elias caught him as he fell. He felt something wet and warm on his hands. It was blood.

"Gabriel! Stay with me!" he begged, his voice cracking with fear.

Gabriel gasped for air, his voice very weak. "Elias..."

"I'm here," Elias said, trying to stop the bleeding with his hands.

"Listen... The Archive..." Gabriel started coughing. "Don't let them... Don't let them find..."

His eyes started to close. "Find what?" Elias asked, shaking him gently.

Gabriel’s mouth moved, but he didn't say anything else. "Gabriel!" Elias cried, but the old man was gone.

He heard boots stepping down the stairs. One. Two. Three. A voice called out from the dark: "Bring us the boy."

Elias slowly stood up, holding his father’s pendant tightly. His hands were stained with blood, and he knew he could never go back to his old life. The people who killed his family had found him, but they had made a big mistake. They had given him a reason to fight back. He wasn't just a scared kid anymore; he was a Keeper. End of Chapter Ten.