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Adam didn’t know where he was.
He had been completely numb when he left the computer behind. When he stopped listening to Sarah and left. When he had to deal with the new knowledge he’d been granted.
He wished he could purge that knowledge. He hated knowing it. He hated knowing that it was all true. Because he did indeed remember. Somewhere deep down... locked away in the memories of his cells... he remembered that man. That... Alternate.
And where did that leave him now? The family that he had known of all his life wasn’t his. Everything he thought he’d known... wasn’t true.
Who even was he now? Was he still Adam? Could he still call himself that?
He didn’t know.
Adam paused when a sudden light filled his vision. In the back of his mind, he could hear a chorus singing words he didn’t understand, and he lifted his hand to shield his eyes.
When the light faded, a robed figure stood before him. A tall man with flowing blonde hair and wise blue eyes. He held up his hands.
“Be not afraid, my child,” he said. “I have no intent to harm you.”
His voice was warm and almost comforted Adam. The figure was still giving off light, but not nearly as blinding as before. It glowed softly around him.
“Who... who are you?” Adam asked.
His day was just getting worse and worse...
“I am your true savior,” said the figure. “But you may call me Gabriel...”
Something was wrong here. Something was very wrong. This man was not human. This man was not a friend. This man could be anyone or anything and could kill Adam.
And yet... he wasn’t afraid. If anything, the figure was almost... familiar.
“You’re an Alternate!” Adam took a step back.
Gabriel’s smile did not falter one bit.
“That is a word the humans have used for me, yes,” he said. “But you are too, aren’t you? I can sense it. I know you, Adam. From infancy, I have known you. Oh, how you’ve grown!”
Gabriel reached out, and Adam was still not scared. He let Gabriel card his fingers through his hair, and the touch felt familiar. Adam liked it. He wanted more. He wanted more of this touch. It was soothing a craving that he never knew he had.
Adam moved forward and let Gabriel’s other hand join in. It cupped Adam’s face and his thumb gently brushed away the tears that were suddenly falling.
“Life has been so cruel to you,” Gabriel softly said. “It was hard, wasn’t it? That feeling. That feeling that you didn’t belong. You didn’t belong in this city. You didn’t belong in your family. You didn’t even belong in your own skin. You must have been so sad. So much longing. All you wanted was to belong. To be loved. But you never felt that, did you?”
Adam said nothing, but he did let himself fall forward into Gabriel’s arms. Gabriel’s warmth flowed through him, and Adam inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and just letting himself feel. He was so tired of everything...
“I can give you what you want,” Gabriel’s silken words almost seemed to pour directly into Adam’s mind. “I can give you those feelings of love and belonging. You were never meant for this world, Adam. You were never human. You don’t belong with these worms. These parasites that are deaf and blind to the world around them. These beasts. They are nothing more than beasts...
Beasts. Yes...
Adam inhaled again, and Gabriel’s sickly sweet scent filled his nose and flooded his senses. He knew only warmth and sweetness.
“Come with me,” Gabriel’s words continued. “And I will give you a purpose. I will give you a family. I will give you a place to belong. Haven you not grown tired of living among these beasts? Have you not grown tired of such emptiness? The paradise that they promised you is a lie. A far better place awaits you, Adam. A place where you truly belong. A place where you will be able to fill the emptiness within you. Where you will be able to cast aside this poisoned flesh and embrace who you truly are. Doesn’t that sound wonderful, Adam? Is it not all that you desire and more?”
Yes. Yes, it was. It was everything that he’d ever wanted...
Adam’s eyes opened when Gabriel moved back. Gabriel was still smiling as he held his hand out to Adam. The light around him lit up the darkness, making him shine like a beacon. A beacon that promised to lead Adam home.
“Come with me, Adam,” Gabriel said. “Accept me as your savior. Accept me as your lord. Follow my words. And in return... you shall have paradise. True paradise.”
Adam felt as if he were being suffocated. His skin itched and felt far too tight. He felt far too cold. Far too empty. Everything felt wrong, and he wanted it to stop! He wanted... he wanted...
Long fingers wrapped around Gabriel’s hand. Eyes widened until they looked almost too big for the elongated face they rested within. Gabriel’s smile grew, and he curled his own fingers around Adam’s new hand.
Ah... such a handsome boy. Such a wonderful boy. Such a wonderful servant.
“We have work to do,” Gabriel said. “There is much to be done. I can only hope that you will survive. You don’t want to disappoint me, do you?”
Adam shook his head, his voice suddenly feeling as if it were impossible to leave his new mouth. But it was ok. He no longer needed to speak. He no longer had any words. Gabriel’s words were the only thing that mattered now. Gabriel’s happiness was the only thing that mattered now.
“Let us return, little lamb,” Gabriel said as his light slowly began to fade into the cold darkness. “Your new family awaits you. Paradise awaits you.”
Family. Paradise. Belonging.
It was all that Adam wanted and more...