Hexagon

Chapter 69: Played

I'll bet none of y'all were expecting an update. I explain everything in the end notes :D

So I invented a weapon in this chapter. It was very, VERY loosely based on the captive bolt pistol, a device used to stun animals before slaughter. However, unlike the weapon the Dark Forest uses, the captive bolt pistol (the penetrating type to be exact) actually completely destroys the animal's brain matter. Because I'd prefer it for my characters not to be brain dead, I came up with something different, which I called a bolt stunner.

Also! Thank you to the following people for their lovely reviews:

-WildxPaws

-HollyleafML

-xbloodywhalex

-Guest

-Ivystormrandomness

-Muziccat91

-Runereader of the Nightwings

-Briarfang

Can we just appreciate that I straight up FORGOT to list the names? And that I only realized as of 1/11/20? My god.

Hollyleaf's POV

The further we progressed into heart of the warehouse, the nastier and danker it became. Despite having only been deserted for a week, tops, the empty hallways were musty. The air was a clammy and sickeningly warm. The air itself seemed to be sweating. Jayfeather lingered by another puttering air conditioner, but kept walking.

"There's a door here", I hissed. Lionblaze seemed to snap back to reality. "Open it", he rasped. Casting him a concerned look, I carefully pushed into the room. It was empty, save for a plastic folding table and a metal stool. The shelves, just like before had been cleaned out. A single burst lightbulb swayed on a cord from the ceiling. More than a little creeped out, the three of us backed out of the room.

"Well", Jayfeather mumbled sarcastically. "We can check that one off the list."

We kept creeping down the hallway, pausing every so often to check inside doors. So far, we'd found a small employee breakroom complete with kitchenette, a bathroom, a broom closet, and a storage room full of plastic IKEA folding chairs. There was no sign of the Dark Forest.

Somehow, I almost wished they'd make an appearance. I trusted Lionblaze, despite his concussion, to defend us. Not just that, but the strange radio silence from the Dark Forest's end was making me uneasy. It felt like the calm before the storm.

Jayfeather was running his hand along the wall, feeling his way along the hallway when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stepped back, and brushed his fingers along the same spot again.

His face had suddenly gone very white. He was struck dumb, his body rigid. And then, absolutely silent, he signalled for us to stop. I opened my mouth to ask him why he was suddenly stopping, when he resolutely shoved a finger against his lips.

His message was quite clear. "Be. Quiet." He brushed his fingers over the spot again, and leaning closer, I saw a dark, inconspicuous bluish dome set into the wall. It was no bigger than a 25-cent coin, and was sunk into the cement of the walls in such a way that it was practically invisible. It was only Jayfeather's direct touch that had alerted him to its presence.

Lionblaze leaned close to examine it, then recoiled, as if burned. He turned to me, then mouthed, "microphone".

It felt like my blood had iced over, and I began to look wildly around the hallway. There, tucked behind a small protrusion in the wall, was the unmistakably glint of a camera lense. I knew it. The Dark Forest knew very well that we were here. They weren't neglecting us. They had been tracking us like how a rancher tracked his cattle. We had been played.

Jayfeather nudged me, giving me a reassuring look. And then I remembered. We had split up. With any luck, Ivypool and Briarlight had noticed the cameras before we had, and had been able to avoid alerting the Dark Forest of their presence. There was no reason to lose hope yet.

Just as this reassuring thought had warmed my insides, the clack of a boot turned my whole body to ice.

I strained my ears. There it was again.

Clack. Clack.

Figures began emerging from the shadows, and I felt nausea beginning to kick in. It was so many, dozens, headed by one small, curvy figure. It was Dovewing, dressed in a dreadful pink faux-leather ensemble.

A smug smile spread over her painted face, and she strolled away from her entourage and toward us. I glowered.

"Behind us!", Lionblaze suddenly yelled, his voice breaking the uneasy silence and making me jump. "Get down!"

Too late. There was a concussive bang. Something struck him, and he seemed to freeze mid-jump. He sank down onto the floor, trying to keep himself aloft until his knees gave out, and he collapsed.

The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion. Jayfeather whirled, head swinging from side to side as he tried to figure out where the noise had come from when it struck him too. He was already on the ground when I reached him.

Bile rose in my throat. In both Lionblaze and Jayfeather's arms, was a small hole, seeping blood.

Bullet wounds.

The two of them were still alive, but not for much longer. Lionblaze was slumped on his stomach, his eyes wide with terror. It wasn't long until he went limp. Jayfeather next to him was gone within the minute. Whatever had been in those bullets had spread around his small body alarmingly fast.

I stared around wildly, trying to figure out who had the gun. I didn't know what to do. Run? Protect their bodies, in case those sadistic fucks decided to mutilate them? Or the option that seemed most appealing, rip the gunman to shreds?

"Relax, Hollyleaf", someone sneered behind me. "They're alive. They're no good to Brokenstar dead."

Heathertail was stalking out of the shadows behind us. It had been her. She had shot my brothers.

The rage boiled over, and it took all my strength to stay by my brother's corpses instead of charging her, lest the Dark Forest do anything to disrespect their bodies.

"You", I snarled. "What. Did. You. Do? I'll beat it out of you if I have to." Heathertail gave me a contemptuous look.

"They're stunned." She reached to a holster at her waist, and withdrew a strange, bulky black gun with a cylindrical tip. "This is a bolt stunner. It fires wax bullets, which contain a fast-acting sedative." A wide grin spread over her face. "They're often used during riots and in prisons."

And then she aimed it directly at my face.

"Say goodnight, Hollyleaf", she said gleefully. "You're next."

…

Ivypool's POV:

We had barely been alone for a minute when Briarlight's body hit the floor. Something came hurtling out of the dark, and a gloved hand clamped over my mouth. I panicked. Bucking and twisting, I struggled against my attacker. My elbows flailed, trying to hit whoever had grabbed me.

"Relax!"

I went stock still. I knew that voice. "...Breezepelt?", I whispered. I felt the figure behind me nod affirmative. "Let me go, what are you doing?! Don't make me hurt you!"

"For the love of StarClan, shut up!", he hissed. "They'll find us!" I immediately went quiet. "They…?", I muttered questioningly. "The Dark Forest?"

Another nod.

"Briarlight!", I asked quietly. "Is she okay?" By now, Breezepelt had fully let me go. He looked down at the floor, looking guilty. "I used a mild sedative on her. She should wake up in the next few minutes." Upon seeing my accusing look, he hissed, "I had to make sure you two wouldn't make any noise. You guys got very, very lucky that you came in through a blind spot. But this place is still bugged. The mics start all the way down there", he gestured down the hall, "but if we're too loud they'll be able to pick us up."

I peered around the cargo hold, feeling wary. "Do you think they know we're here yet?" Breezepelt shook his head. "No. If you two haven't left this cargo hold and have been keeping quiet, you should be okay."

"Fuck…", I snarled. "Lionblaze and the other left a few minutes ago. They don't know about cameras."

"Then Brokenstar will definitely know they're here. In hindsight, it's good that you guys split up. Does he know how many of you there are?"

I shook my head.

"With any luck, he won't find out about you two. There's a small staircase to the upstairs in this room. The upstairs hasn't been bugged yet. Use the passageways up there, and find one of the surveillance rooms. See if you can find out what happened to the siblings."

"Got it." And then to my surprise, he wrapped me in a hug. He gave a wan smile. "In case I don't see you again. Stay safe."

End Chapter 69

I apologize for the short chapter guys. But my plane leaves soon and I won't have access to my laptop for the next 2 weeks, so I needed to get this out fast.

IMPORTANT: I'm going to be on vacation with no access to my laptop, so I will not be able to update at the usual time. Expect the next chapter in around a month.

On a side note: I wrote a lot of this while stuck in lockdown while my school flooded. At least we got let out early :D

Reviews are love :3

Azra out!