The Damned

Atlas Caro was once the mentor, close friend and confidant of Miller Avesta. Upon discovering that Miller had unearthed evidence linking him to a rather long past, Atlas disappeared into the wind. He arrived in Fallcrest in May of 2018 believing that the town which once corrupted him, would also be the site of his salvation.

[atlas-caro]

bvdgexofxdishonor:

Though there were a thousand and one questions that sprung to mind the second she actually had him in front of her again, Miller immediately reminded herself that they were currently in her office, at the station, and that he was only here in a work capacity. In comparison to the subject matter at-hand, her personal concerns were trivial at best. A quick glance to the door, to make sure it was properly closed behind the man, and she settled back into her chair.

“I’m not sure if you’ve had a chance to acquaint yourself with some of the most recent cases we’ve got going on right now that would require your input, but I’ll go ahead and inform you that it’s very likely that a good portion of them deal with the supernatural in one way or another and that the council saw it fit to have a supernatural in the coroner’s position to be able to provide a niche expertise that a mundane would lack,” she stated evenly, before reaching over to grab two of the case files currently on her desk.

She placed them on the other side of the desk within his reach and said, “These two are just some of what we’ve been dealing with over the last three months. We have a working theory, but as a majority of the department is comprised of mundanes, not really much to work with.”

He hadn’t expected a warm or familial greeting, and truthfully, for now at least it would simply be easier to slip into a comfortable working relationship. A time would come when he’d need to explain himself, but the truth was he was no more willing to talk about his past was than Miller seemed to be to ask towards it. From what he had gathered Miller had come into herself and the position of Sheriff was one that was well-earned, but for all that occurred within Fallcrest and with the knowledge available to her, Atlas could only surmise that her job in the small town was infinitely more difficult than she had originally hoped it would be.

“I’m aware of the circumstances surrounding the council’s decision to bring me on board,” Atlas offered plainly, his eyes on the file closest to him as he picked it up and immediately began to leaf through it. “I’m still getting settled but,” Atlas picked up the other file, having already ascertained the information he needed from the previous one, “I’ve been reviewing the cases left open by my predecessor and these two seem to follow the same pattern as a few others.” He’d also been reviewing the cases that followed the suspicious trend of ‘animal attack,’ ‘natural disaster,’ or ‘freak accident.’ His current personal favorite was a case where a person had been frozen solid, the coroner at the time had deduced that the victim had frozen to death… Accurate, if not bizarre as the body was found in the middle of the forest during the hottest day of the year.

It was not to satiate some sick curiosity that he went as deep as he did, truthfully it was for the sake of justice, every single person who had been labelled a victim of an ‘animal attack’ when the truth was something far more monstrous was denied justice, and Atlas couldn’t stand for that. “What about these cases leads you to believe a supernatural entity might be involved?”

[atlas-caro]

isabellxhernandx:

Isabella couldn’t help but smile at his laugh, moving to sit next to him and catch her breath. “Morning’s always been my favorite. It’s a new start, every day.” She responded, before taking a deep breath “Look at me, I suppose I’m sounding philosophical now. Not usually my forte.” Leaning back against the bench, she leaned her head back, stretching it a little. “Any sleep is good, I don’t think I’ve gotten enough sleep in my entire life. That’s just how it is though.” Shrugging, she leaned forward now, taking another breath, heart rate slowing. He was right, it was very beautiful. She had seen many sunrises in her life but they never seemed to lose their beauty and peace.

“Something like that,” Atlas joked, human interaction wasn’t really his forte, but this woman seemed kind enough and hadn’t turned her nose up at him as some other passersby might have. “I never really had much of a taste for it to be perfectly honest, its only been in recent years where I’ve tried to expand my realm of thinking.” Atlas said easily as the woman took a seat next to him on the bench. “I can relate, I’m something of a workaholic insomniac myself, what’s your excuse?”

[atlas-caro]

moonchildjason:

atlas-caro:

“I wouldn’t say that I take a lot, I do take some pictures when I find something really beautiful, but it’s not really a hobby,” he didn’t think he do it often enough to call it a hobby, the last time that he took a picture, was months ago. It also wasn’t exactly a passion, just something that like he said, he did it when he thought something was beautiful. Moments like a sunset, but other than that, he hasn’t really taken a lot of pictures. “I guess so, especially because I need to be alert and wake because of my job,” he could end up messing it up and it could end up costing someone’s life. “Oh, seems like we will be seeing each other often then, I’m a cop.” he shook the other’s hand.

There was something profound in the desire to capture a moment and preserve it for an eternity, he’d spent most of his long life pursuing something that had always remained just beyond his grasp. The futile struggle of translating what one saw through a lens was no simple task, and too often was the tendency to romanticize moments that had long passed. “A noble effort, at the very least.” Atlas offered, somewhat surprised to hear that Jason worked at the precinct but glad there was a common ground between them other than their mutual love of sunrise. “Good to meet you, any hazing rituals you think I should know about?”

[atlas-caro]

slayerintheshadows:

There was no immediate threat to be gauged from the man, though his delay in response did give her pause for concern. A delay in response often indicated one of three things: an assessment of the other person to gauge how to response, an assessment of the words about to be used for response, or an assessment of the surroundings in order to gauge the likelihood of success based on the action one opted to take. Sometimes, it was all three at once.

When he finally did speak, she found that his words only served to make things far murkier than to provide any form of clarity. “I don’t mean to be a bother, but I don’t really follow…abstract concepts are very easily lost on me, and the use of metaphor isn’t always a good idea,” she shared.

“I see,” Atlas stated easily, he did not need this stranger to understand, but he could tell at a glance that her guard was up and hadn’t faltered from the moment they had started to converse. “It’s the difference between succeeding in a situation where the odds are stacked against you and simply giving up or walking away.” Atlas didn’t know this person, but it took a certain type to freely converse with a stranger in the morning – most people had too much to do to spare a moment or passing thought for someone they did not know. “For years I’ve contended with the odds, and in my darkest moments the rising sun has given me a resurgence of faith in my own abilities, for me, it is comforting knowing that no matter how dark things may seem, the sun will rise again in the morning.” He took a chance and scrutinized the woman a bit closer, “I’m Dr. Atlas Caro, I recently started working in the Coroner’s Office.”

[atlas-caro]

lakebarrow:

The man standing near her was something of a mystery to her… There was a sense of calmness to him, yet she felt like there was so much more to him. She didn’t like that, the hidden. Shaking herself out of it, she focused on his words. “It is that simple, or it can be.” The words left her quiet, breathy, and she hated that. She was supposed to be stronger than that, but the water drained her. She wanted to run from it, to run to the closest bar and drown in a different kind of liquid. “You can’t let the world choose for you, or you wake up one day realizing your entire life was spent doing everything for everyone else, and nothing for you. So you take that opportunity you want and you run with it, screw literally everyone else. You’re the only one that matters.”

The words had rushed out before she even knew she had said them. Pushing some hair out of her face, Lake took a deep breath and tried to get her heartbeat back to normal. “Or y’know, you could roll with things the way they are and die miserable, that’s up to you really.”

Atlas listened aptly, he was the product of his own poor decisions, there truly was no denying that but it was amusing at least to watch the woman before her. He couldn’t be certain if she was merely projecting or was somehow picking up on the turmoil Atlas quietly agonized over. He lived with a sense of impending doom, of a feeling that he’d never be able to escape himself, but there was satisfaction in the goodness that remained within him, and the ability to see happiness where ever it might find him.

“You speak as if I’m some miserable soul?” Atlas mused, smirking lightly, “I assure you, I didn’t come here this morning to despair, but to be grateful. The truth is I was a slave to my impulses for most of my life, I didn’t give a damn about anyone but myself and because of that I learned far too late that the consequences for my actions could extend further than I’d ever dreamed.” He sighed somewhat, absently relating to the desires she had just expressed. 

[atlas-caro]

moonchildjason:

Even though the werewolf didn’t take a lot of pictures, because it just wasn’t really his thing, the ones that he took from landscapes, he noticed, it never truly captured how beautiful it really was. “I noticed that, I took a few pictures of landscapes, and I must admit that they all looked much more beautiful in person,” he admitted, it was a good way to not forget how they were though, but unfortunately, it didn’t compare to how they were in person. “Neither, just jogging, it’s something I do every morning, it’s a good way to get wake me up a little, and get me ready for a new day.”

Atlas’ interest was piqued for the moment, “do you take a lot of photographs?” He asked, genuinely curious. Atlas had known his fair share of artists in his time, he enjoyed sketch work now and then as a means of decompressing after a particularly stressful day – or if he happened to feel inspired in that moment. Atlas surmised that if jogging was part of the stranger’s morning ritual, it was possibly a combination of the two, habits generally had a reason for forming. “A better way to start the day than most,” Atlas conceded, smiling lightly as he offered the man his hand. “I’m Dr. Atlas Caro, I’m the new Coroner at the Sheriff’s Department.”

[atlas-caro]

amaryllisflynn:

It’s been months since she last shifted so Amaryllis took the opportunity of the moment to go for a run in her feline form. Since there weren’t many people around at this time, she had no qualm of shifting without hiding in a bush. It might seem odd to a mundane to see a little black cat just racing through the forest with no goal in mind but the cat needed to stretch out her legs.

Hours later, she returned to where her pile of clothes were and quickly changing back into them once she shifted back. It wasn’t the same as using her abilities to sneak into a house, but at least she didn’t have to worry so much about someone chasing her out like this.

Stretching out her limbs as she walked through the forest to find her way out, she froze when she sensed someone was nearby. Amaryllis tried her best to refrain from making any noise but apparently, it didn’t work since the man called out to her the moment she neared him enough to see who it was.

Cautious as she made her way closer, Amaryllis frowned at his words. “… I guess?” Someone was optimistic, a trait that she rarely had. Her eyes drew to see what the other was seeing. “.. Were you here the whole time?”

To most, the scene may have been slightly comical, Atlas had taken notice of the peculiar movements the black cat had been employing. Less concerned with the usual motives of its cousins: sneaking, stalking, hunting and apparently much more carefree than one might assume. Initially he’d dismissed the being as a housecat that was merely enjoying the rare chance of freedom that the outdoors and the forest offered, gladly watching with a hint of amusement as the creature slinked away.

“The whole time?” Atlas questioned, the girl who had emerged from the foliage sometime after the cat had posed an interesting dilemma. “I’ve at least been here long enough,” Atlas breathed, taking a closer look at the woman, he didn’t exactly feel threatened but he knew enough to know that looks could be deceiving – the last thing he wanted was to end up in a confrontation. “and I’d heard this was a good place to stretch my legs, but you already know all about that.”

[atlas-caro]

georgiaxcarver:

Georgia smiled at his words, thankful for another human to keep her awake at this early hour. “You know, you really think we would, especially with life becoming so increasingly fragile, but I still sit here and ignore all the right things and pay attention to the wrong ones…. Sorry…. I get a little existential when I’m sleep deprived, so you’re not the only one who didn’t get much sleep. I’m still getting used to these early morning shifts, y’know?” she said.

She smiled when he placed her name. It gave Georgia a sense of accomplishment that she was worthy of being remembered. “Yeah, that’s me. I don’t think we have, either. Just in passing when I’m dropping off paperwork. It’s nice to meet you, properly this time,” she smiled, holding out her hand.

Atlas found the rambling endearing, the absurdist of it all was the only meaning each day held was that which they themselves applied to it. “Don’t apologize,” Atlas breathed, the nightmares that plagued him were more vivid while he slept, it was in these waking hours that he could come out here and find at least a sliver of bliss, and as it happened, hope. “guess these early hours are something of an occupational hazard. At least you have coffee, that’s always good start.”

He offered the woman a smile to compliment her own as he extended his hand towards her, “it is,” Atlas agreed as his hand gripped hers, it was his own bad social skills on his part that had kept the Doctor from making a proper introduction. “I’m heading back to the station now, would you care to walk with me?”

[atlas-caro]

georgiaxcarver:

Georgia was barely awake when she stumbled into work that morning. Her shift at the desk had started at 5, and she was already falling asleep. One too many late nights drinking to relax, and all of a sudden, she’d screwed over her sleep schedule again. So, when the Sherriff offered that she go for a coffee run and a break, she was more than willing to snatch it up. She had wandered down to the water’s edge, hoping the fresh and crisp air would wake her up. Watching the sunrise, she noticed someone around the corner from her, someone familiar as he spoke. 

“Definitely,” she said, eyes wandering from the lake to him, watching him analyze the view. “I’m sure I take it for granted, too, I’m just always too busy to even realize that, I feel. A product of the world we live in,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Atlas, right?” she asked. 

The last thing Atlas had expected was to run into someone that he recognized or knew, he was still relatively new to town and his list of acquaintances was dismal at best. A byproduct of working as the town’s coroner was a lot of late nights where your only company was a corpse. Although he arrived here only a couple weeks ago, as Atlas had understood it, the secretary had only been at her post for a few months. It was oddly comforting being in the presence of someone who was as perhaps as green to the town as he was, the last time Atlas had been in Fallcrest was prior to the town’s founding centuries prior.

“There’s something to be said about the business of human nature, you’d think since our time was so limited we’d learn to appreciate it more.” Atlas had chosen his words carefully, not sensing any magic within her he could only assume that the woman was a mundane. “Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Atlas mused as he offered the woman his hand, placing her face with the name he’d seen in passing now multiple times. “You’re Georgia, right? Don’t think we’ve been properly introduced yet.”

[atlas-caro]

lakebarrow:

Lake wasn’t usually an early riser, but for some reason today seemed to be a much different case. Or maybe it wasn’t, after all, was it considered rising early if you hadn’t fallen asleep at all? She’d been out all night, still getting acquainted with the town, and she wasn’t ready to return to her very empty apartment just yet.

She’d found herself walking for a while, drowning out everything and everyone around her. She hadn’t realized where she was walking until the sound of the waves reached her. The lake. She’d been avoiding this place since arriving, not wanting to lay eyes upon her namesake, and yet here it was, more beautiful than anything she’d seen before. It felt wrong. Was this what her mother had thought of when she had named her? This tranquility?

Lake’s head snapped around when she heard someone speak to her. She’d been so focused on the water, she hadn’t even realized she wasn’t alone. “Yes, I suppose it is.” The water felt like it stared into her soul as the sun started rising from it. “The days will come no matter what, we just have to take hold of them ourselves. What we take for granted is not the new day, but a new day we get to see. We should spend them as we see fit, doing what we want to do.”

Atlas had been working as a coroner from sometime, not shy on detective skills, he relied on these abilities far more frequently than he ever thought to use his magic. As such, the demon was quite observant and he wasted little time in turning his perceptive eye towards the girl who, despite her proximity, seemed a million miles away. Her eyes were trained towards the water in an almost hypnotic-like state, startled by his words as if she’d been quite suddenly and violently pulled from her dream.

A smile tugged lightly at the corner of his mouth, he averted his gaze from the woman and turned it back on the lake in front of them. Their common ground. Absently Atlas lit a smoke and took a long, contemplative drag, one benefit of immortality happened to be he didn’t need to concern himself with the drawbacks that poor decisions had on a mundane’s health. “If only it were so simple.” Atlas said easily, the truth was, what he really wanted to do was feel someone’s heart stop beating beneath his hands just one more time: to give in to every impulse he felt just looming beneath the surface. At times it was all he could think about, other days were easier than others, but after a long night nothing ever restored his faith in himself quite like watching the sunrise.

[atlas-caro]

elxlenore:

&it was a typical night for the lenore family. the two women had been cleaning up from their rituals that began at the beginning of the witching hour and ended at the break of four a.m. it was unusual to see other about at the time of the day, especially the unfamiliar. usually it was other women or people they new did rituals at the times of witching.

elspeth waved her mother on as she approached the man cautiously. she drew her jaw down, ripping her robe off that offered her protection from any forces that might contradict with her outfit or practices — one that she didn’t question, but her mother firmly believed in. it was a family tradition and she was not sure it even worked. the small girl’s hand tossed it to the side behind a nearby bush as she listened to the man.·“it is.” she was more for the night time. she drew her jaw back into her friendly face of deception.·“i understand what you’re saying. it is a _marvelous _work by force and nature. hope? you make it sound like the dawn does not signal the day.”

To some the scene might appear quite odd, a different man would caution the woman against such displays were a mundane to happen by, but he was not a lecturing man. Atlas could appreciate the woman’s candor as she seemed to carry herself with an air of confidence that was rarely found outside of a coven. “That was not my intention,” Atlas answered easily, only to remark upon the opportunity that each day brings, and how the dawn is the first promise of that. What brings you out at this time?”

[atlas-caro]

moonchildjason:

Jogging was something that he usually did when he couldn’t sleep, because it not only tired him up, but it also relaxed him. He almost never really paid much attention where he was going especially because he listened to music while he jogged, but at the same time he also didn’t tripped and ended up falling down. He usually jogged on the woods though, not wanting to worry about being run over by a car because he wasn’t paying attention, or bumping into someone, even though at that time, the streets didn’t have almost anyone. He was surprised when he heard someone’s voice, because he thought that no one would be there. “What?” he asked before looking in the same directions the other was looking. “Oh, yeah, it is, I like to watch the sun rising sometimes. I took a picture before, but it didn’t capture how beautiful it truly is.”

Atlas hadn’t intended to disrupt anyone’s morning ritual, some people took their jogging seriously: judging from this guy’s appearance, at first glance Atlas would have assumed he was the type of person to breeze straight by without a second look. Atlas wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, in his line of work it was a basic requirement not to do that, but when it came to character he didn’t often give people more than a single chance. “It never does,” Atlas conceded, the thoughts of that night still weighing on him somewhat. “Running to something or from?”

[atlas-caro]

bvdgexofxdishonor:

There had been many times over the course of her few years in town, in which decisions were made without her input and all that was left for Miller was to follow. It was something that honestly tended to happen in any town or city and as a member of law enforcement, she was used to it and hardly questioned it. More so since becoming Sheriff to a town she had come to learn was basically the meeting of two worlds in one. So overall, she couldn’t say that she was surprised to learn that the Council of Elders had approved both a new Town Secretary and a new Coroner all in the same week and without so much as letting her know the positions were up for a new person to fill.

Having received the official paperwork that actually informed her of the identity of whom would now be reporting to her, on the other hand, definitely managed to throw off her entire week - and it was only nine am on a Monday. Having set the file down almost immediately, and then paced the length of her office for almost ten minutes, she came back to her desk and re-read over the name listed: Atlas Caro. Realizing she hadn’t in fact just imagined it, she made a mental note to ask him at some point why the hell he couldn’t just stick with something more average like John Smith. Maybe then she could’ve deluded herself for a bit about what was likely to come.

The knock at her door, followed by an all too-familiar voice calling out her name, had Miller sitting back in her chair as her eyes took in the sight of the one person outside of her cousin that she once would’ve called a friend. “Dr. Caro. Welcome to Fallcrest,” she said evenly, her hand gesturing to a seat in-front of her desk.

Atlas lingered for a moment in the doorway, not nervous necessarily but definitely hesitant to proceed. It had been years since he'd last seen Miller, and as previously noted the circumstances surrounding his disappearance were less than ideal. It had in no way been his intention to appear in the same town where she worked, but it seemed fate was determined to bring him across her path once again.

His hand gripped the doorknob and twisted as he took a step into the Sheriff's office, whatever their past, Atlas reported to her and when necessary to the Council as well. Whatever worries the man might have had walking into the room, they quickly dissappated as he looked upon Miller's face. She had changed, not the green officer she'd once been, he could tell at a glance that in more ways than one this town and the passing years had left its mark. 

He wasn't sure if they'd be as close as they once were, if she'd allow him back into her life - or hell even if he should. To Atlas, history dictated that it was unwise for him to get too close to people. It had been fifty years since his last incident, but in fifty years Miller was the only person he'd come to consider a friend and there were good reasons for why he felt it was better to keep people at arm's length. He was better for it, and they were alive. It helped that he took precautions, Atlas generally remained in a human form, he couldn't use his magic like this but that was for the better, his power could be a slippery slope and it was easy to get carried away. He was strong, he was a doctor, he was a good shot, and he was damn good at his job: that was enough. "Sheriff Avesta," Atlas greeted, the warmth in his tone not lacking sincerity, though he could tell already that Miller was not exactly pleased to see him.  He was kind of hoping they could grab a coffee, maybe go for a walk and catch up, but obviously Miller had other plans. "Its been a long time, old friend."

[atlas-caro]

slayerintheshadows:

It wasn’t the first time that Kyle found herself having spent the entire night fully awake. If anything, it was the nights where she somehow managed to get any modicum of sleep that were the oddity. The brunette wasn’t entirely sure if this was a trait that was inherent from birth or a result of years of training, though she had reason to believe there was also an aspect of latent guilt that was exacerbating the issue as of late. The last four years had been quite the journey for the former hunter, and as she stared at the now empty bottle of Jameson on her kitchen table, she found that she’d rather do just about anything else then sit there and dwell any longer.

Opting for a walk to pass the time before her first scheduled pickup of the day, Kyle found herself walking the shore of the lake. She’d taken note of the person standing off in the distance, but she didn’t think it would be of importance. Then they spoke, and she realized walking by unnoticed wasn’t an option. Glancing out over the water, she said, “I don’t see how something that occurs as it has since the beginning, with little to no difference, can promise something such as the concept of hope.”

Atlas smiled lightly at the comment, he had not been expecting such a comment by someone out at this time of day. Still, Atlas couldn't expect equal measures of optimism from everyone, least of all from a complete stranger who happened to be passing by at that particular moment. His eyes looked down at the water for a moment before he casually brought them back towards the woman whose day he'd interrupted, but the truth was her words had betrayed her as words so often did. He spent more time than he cared to admit alone with his thoughts, on some level he could understand that this, perhaps, was a routine that perhaps this stranger shared as well.

"Because we have a choice," Atlas said easily, "hope is more than a tool to be employed in an instance, it's a state of mind that translates to a method in which one achieves ones goals and overcomes situational obstacles." Atlas added before looking back over the water, "but I guess there is something to be said about beauty and the beholder.”

[atlas-caro]

isabellxhernandx:

atlas-caro:

Isabella knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Being here had her mind racing, thinking of the past and future and just, everything really. Since she had arrived she had spent a lot of time at the gym, blowing off some excess steam, but sometimes the best thing was to be outdoors. Quietly and quickly she slipped on some running clothes and headed out, breathing in the cool morning air, on alert as it was still dark out and who knew what would be out here, not that she couldn’t handle them.

She was focused on her breathing, the patter of her feet against the concrete, trying to keep her mind focused until she came up to a lake. The sun was slowly peeking behind the horizon and Isabella slowed to a walk, feeling as if this would be a nice place to relax, watch the sunrise, until her heard someone else speak. Cautiously, Isabella walked forward towards him “That’s awfully philosophical for 5 in the morning, you know.”

He had expected to run into some morning joggers, Atlas had never really taken to the practice, but he enjoyed the crisp morning air and the walk at least was nice. He couldn't help but laugh at her comment, he supposed she had a point and he imagined he might look quite foolish posing such thoughts to complete strangers at the most ungodly of hours. "Guess that's my problem, I never get to catch enough sleep," Atlas joked before looking at his watch, it was about time for him to start thinking about work anyways, but he still had some time he could kill here. "It is beautiful though." He added, more softly this time as his eyes shifted back towards the rising sun reflected off of the waters.

[atlas-caro]

esotericemerson:

Blake could only chuckle at his response, retrieving her hand from off his shoulder once she was sure he was steady on his feet. “Don’t sweat it, neither am I,” she said with mischievous grin. Though she wasn’t exactly used to being called a hero either, the idea of playing the damsel -as he’d said- just wasn’t one that her brain could properly process. “Are you alright though? You seemed pretty deep in thought to have missed the signs around it,” Blake asked, “Might not be the best idea to try and walk around town without keeping a good eye out. From what I recall, we don’t have he best drivers as it is.”

For some reason, Atlas had expected to be somewhat-ironically, burnt at the stake by the first witch that crossed his path. He knew he wasn't the only demon in town, and there were a number of half-demons floating around, but he hadn't expected everyone to be so immediately tolerant. Then again, just because he was aware of the magic in her blood didn't mean she was necessarily aware of his. He wasn't someone who was short on enemies... in fact, his bloody history had ensured Atlas had a number of them on both sides of the field. "Yeah I'm fine - just a long day at work," Atlas answered honestly, "pretty shocking amount of animal attacks in this town," he shrugged glibly, not at all concerned about the quality of the drivers around here.

[atlas-caro]

Despite his predilection to solving crime and generally contributing in a positive way to humanity, Atlas wasn’t fond of most people. In fact, being in their presence was a bit draining and worrisome. It had been half a century since his last episode and he had no intention of losing control ever again: avoiding people was an important catalyst in that. Plagued by nightmares that only seemed to get worse upon coming to Fallcrest, Atlas considered himself lucky if he got a couple of hours of sleep each night.

The hours where he couldn’t sleep made his living quarters feel as if the walls were beginning to close in around him. Currently staying at the Radcliffe, Atlas left the hotel shortly before dawn with the intention of getting into the office early enough to plug through the mountain of backlogged information he still wanted to get through. It was no big surprise that mysterious deaths and disappearances were a trademark here, but if he could identify accurate causes of deaths that weren’t chalked up to generic ‘animal attacks’ then Atlas might be able to identify a pattern.

Instead however, Atlas found himself wandering a bit, finding his way to a particularly scenic body of water as he watched the sun slowly rise over the waters. He stood at the water’s edge, looking out into the distance and tried to work through the barrage of images his nightmares plagued him with. Violence. Violence. Violence. It was ever-present, and yet here in this moment Atlas could feel a distant tug of tranquility: some light at the end of the tunnel. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Atlas posed, suddenly aware through the sound of falling footsteps that someone was lingering close by, perhaps drawn by the same sight he saw now, “the dawn promises hope for a new day, too often I think I take it for granted.”