Huxloween: The Thirty Night Trial
Day 4: Dolls
"This is a really horrid camping trip, Ren," Hux complained.
"Oh do shut up," Kylo grunted.
Hux chucked a tiny stick on their latest campfire. "I'll admit the fiery chasm on the first night was freaky, but last night was just…sad."
"The spirits forming the trials are just feeling us out, gauging our response," Kylo said, aiming for soothing but hitting patronizing.
"Yes, well-" Hux cut off as something fell out of the sky and landed on his lap. He picked it up. It was a small, fabric doll with a somewhat familiar mask. Just to confirm, Hux pulled the plastic helmet off. "Kylo, I seem to have been given a small doll of Khee Ren," he commented.
"What?" Kylo looked up, baffled.
"It's Khee," Hux repeated. He knew all of the Knights, and was quite fond of Khee. He was quite fond of all of them, really.
At that moment there was a piercing scream that seemed to come from the doll in Hux's hand before it dissolved into a double-handful of blood red scraps. They both stared, alarmed, at the remains.
"I hope that's not portentous," Kylo said, worried.
"I'm…sure she's fine," Hux said, but he felt strangely hollow, almost as though he had borne witness to the destruction of the Knight.
There was another thud, and another. More dolls started dropping out of the sky. Kylo picked them up. "Kellan…Kwartho…Kelso…Hux, my Knights. You don't think something's happened?"
"They're strong, Kylo. They're fine. You can call them in the morning and-" He broke off as the dolls screamed, and dissolved.
Kylo looked paler than usual in the reflected firelight. "It's just a trial to scare us," he mumbled. "And so what if I care for my Knights? They're more of a strength than a weakness anyway."
"Exactly," Hux nodded. "Nothing wrong with that."
There was another thud. "That's Phasma," Kylo said hollowly. "Didn't you once call her the best 'trooper captain you'd ever met?"
"Yeah…" Hux said hesitantly. A few more dolls appeared. Colonel Datoo. A handful of lieutenants. Various other officers. Most of them Hux felt ambivalent over, but there was Mitaka, so wonderfully loyal and extra diligent just for Hux.
More and more dolls. Ex comrades. Former dorm mates. A few landed directly in Hux's lap. His father, and his long lost younger brother.
He tore his eyes away from his beloved brother's form and looked at Kylo. His co-commander was also surrounded by the little fabric effigies. There appeared to be a male and a female in his lap, a blonde in brown robes at his knee, something fluffy.
Another soft thump caused Hux to look down, as a tiny ginger cat figure landed next to him.
With a final sound, the Supreme Leader appeared atop the massed pile of First Order personnel.
And then the screams began.