The Elysium Project (Solangelo AU) (Completed)

II

Barrenlands

Nico

I found myself staring up at the walls into Elysium. I heard that it's a paradise there.

Almost all my life I have lived in the Barrenland, which was an anarchic wasteland. My parents were tossed out here because they killed someone who was threatening one year old me. And they took me with them.

When I was eight, they were killed and eaten by someone else. I escaped, and since then have been trying my best to scale up the wall. Most people out here have a chip implanted in their ankle, which shocks them if they try to climb the wall. Since my parents smuggled me across pretty much, I didn't. But there were still security androids on the walls, and they have multiple times, zapped me off of the walls.

So yeah. Life out here isn't fun.

In Elysium, however, you can get food at the snap of a finger. You don't have to worry about starvation or sickness. You can do whatever you want with an exception of killing people. There's skydiving places, and beautiful gardens filled with exotic flowers.

I took the stick I have sharpened into a dagger and went into the woods. The trees provided little shelter from the hot sunlight, as even in the summer the leaves never fully grew back. I came across a starving rabbit, and started silently creeping up on it.

My sister, at least I considered her a sister, Bianca taught me this. She was born into the Wastelands, and when my parents died, she helped me get through the first winter. She died of a strange sickness when I was 13. And here I was again, alone. It's peaceful, though. I like being alone.

I struck the rabbit with the dagger, right at the back of its neck. It went limp, and I had food for the week.

I made it back to the cave I lived in. It was just a shaded area under a rock, but it defended me from the weather. It was also near a small stream which was somewhat sanitary, so during a drought I had something to drink.

I took off my jacket which I stole from someone who wasn't exactly alive at the time, and started skinning the rabbit.

There was a creaking noise, and I froze. People were never good news, as they always tried to kill you for your clothes, food, or to eat you. Usually all three.

I hid the rabbit, and used my black jacket to blend in with the shadows. I saw three pairs of feet pass by the cave, they luckily didn't investigate. Then a voice.

"Nobody here, let's move on."

The only odd thing that I found about it is that they had new-ish shoes. Nobody here, not even the people who just came here, had decent shoes.

After about ten minutes, just to be safe, I came out of the corner and went back to skinning the rabbit. Using sticks, I started a small fire in the fireplace I made, and put the rabbit meat there. I sat on the rock and turned the rabbit every once in a while, and by nightfall, I had a meal. I eat during the middle of the day, so I covered the rabbit meat in a piece of fabric.

And then I laid down in one corner, and continued writing out the story I had in my head. It was about what I would be doing if I were safe in Elysium. I imagined the guy who I would be dating — yes, I am gay, what's the problem — and what we would do there, based on the stories from my parents. This time, we were strolling through the park, and even though it wouldn't be necessary with the finger thing, it was better to do stuff in person I have heard. We then went to a restaurant by the park. I fell asleep soon after we finished the meal.

I woke up to rays of light entering the cave.

"Go away." I complained to the sun. Crap, I said that out loud.

I got up to get some water, but I was out, so I went outside to the stream, and collected water in the small rabbit-hide bucket I made.

I then proceeded to wash my face off in the stream. I looked worse every day, my arms thin and bony, and you could easily count my ribs. My cheekbones were easily seen. My face looked sunburnt.

And once again, I looked up to the walls guarding Elysium.

Tonight.

I'm going to try and find safety tonight.

The large sloped gray walls were at least fourth feet tall, making me feel like an ant. But I've reached roughly 90 percent of the way up the time before last, and I can do it again.

So I sat there near the river, and started thinking of how those fantasies could be true.