Adam : From a man to a God

Atlas City was 564 km away. Adam felt tired and hungry.

"Damn, I haven't eaten in two days," Adam muttered. "I'm almost there. Probably 200 km to go." He recalled his last visit to Atlas City the previous year when he visited his cousin June.

He continued running at 128 km per hour and could now run for an hour without resting. He stopped when he saw a fence surrounding something.

"What's in there? Maybe I can find food or water," Adam thought. "It might be dangerous, but with the power I have..."

He jumped over the 12-foot tall fence. Almost immediately, he saw a man carrying a gun and wearing black glasses marching his way. Instinctively, he bolted out of there at 184 km per hour. The guard turned his head, confused by the sudden movement.

"Was that a person? I need to stop smoking pot before going on duty," the guard mumbled.

Adam ran and stopped when he saw numerous guards surrounding a big building. A bald black man with a rifle and a bulletproof vest noticed him.

"We have an intruder," the guard yelled.

He pointed his gun but was left astonished as Adam whooshed out of the way. Adam dashed past them and headed to the building, unaware he was running into a slave trading camp. Spotting a balcony, he jumped up and landed on it, then got inside.

Adam looked left and saw a hallway. He sprinted through it and entered a door. Inside, he saw a man putting his hands on the shoulders of a girl about his age, who was looking at a glass mirror. She looked pretty, though her clothes were revealing. The man turned and saw Adam. Adam sprinted and punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. The girl gasped and stood up.

"Please don't hurt me! I'll do anything. I'll… I'll try to look more beautiful for the auction," she pleaded.

Adam frowned. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not here to hurt you. What's going on?"

"You're not one of them? But you move like the man who brought us here," she said, confused.

"What man who—" Adam stopped as another man entered the room.

"It's your tu—" The man lunged at Adam at 40 miles per hour and threw a fist.

Below the floor was a huge room, like a theater. Men sat in seats looking at the stage as a woman was introduced to them. A man spoke with an enthusiastic voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have another one. Her name is Annie. She is 20 years old, looks young and beautiful. She has no diseases. She hails from Rose Garden Village. Since she's not a virgin, we'll start the bid at… 650 thousand."

"800 thousand," someone shouted.

"800 thousand, going once."

"1 million," another voice called.

"1.2 million."

"1.5 million."

"2 million!!" a woman in red yelled.

"2 million, going once. 2 million, going twice. And… sold to the woman in red," the auctioneer announced.

A guard whispered something to the auctioneer.

"Sir, we have an intruder."

"What the hell are you telling me for? Handle it!" the auctioneer snapped. "Damn! They can't leave before we sell her. She's going to bring us a lot of money. Is it a power holder?"

"Yes, sir, he's fast. Probably upper-grade mortal."

"We have a superior power holder. Tell Daniel to take him out."

Mumbling started from the crowd. The auctioneer turned to them.

"Sorry, we have some issues, but they will be handled. Moving to our last one of today—"

He was interrupted by someone crashing through the ceiling, landing near him and breaking the wooden floor. The crowd panicked and fled as guards rushed to the scene. The auctioneer jumped back, frightened.

"What the hell was that? I thought I told you to handle it!"

"Is that Lyle?" a guard asked.

"He was a mortal power holder. Where is Daniel?" the auctioneer demanded.

Adam stood in the hole he made, clenching his fists. The girl was surprised Adam took the guy down with one punch.

"Who are you?" she asked, noticing his torn jersey and jeans.

Adam turned to answer her, but suddenly, someone came straight at him at 130 km per hour, kicking him in the chest. Adam crashed through the wall and fell out of the building, hitting the ground hard. Guards quickly came outside and fired bullets at him. The bullets hit him as he lay on the ground.

The girl watched from inside the building, terrified. The man who sent Adam flying out of the building was holding a beer can.

"Sorry I'm late," Daniel said, smirking.