The stone surrounds me from three sides, and the iron bars trap me in from the fourth. Mars appears out of thin air. He's closely followed by Minotaur, Blade, and Twig. Where's Rex? My Blended form, my other half, is nowhere to be found. "Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?" Minotaur growls. My heart sinks at the Wasteland guard's words. My least favourite question.

"I-I won't answer," I say, but my voice wavers and lacks the hard edge I intended.

"Oh, Hawk. Your resistance if futile. I'm going to ask one more time, and one more time only, so answer: who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?" Minotaur advances in slow, deliberate steps. A sick grin oozes across his face. I move backwards, but my back slams into the wall. My heart races in my chest.

"Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?"

"Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?"

"Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?"

"Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?" Minotaur asks the question over and over, and Twig and Blade join in. Their voices repeat, becoming hundreds, thousands, then millions of voices talking all at once. I press my hands to my ears. But I can't block it out. Their voices continue chanting. My body trembles as tears start to roll down my cheeks. "S-stop! S-st-st-stop! STOP!" I scream.

"Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?"

"Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?"

"Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?" It becomes all I can think. The eleven words, sixteen syllables, forty-three letters, fifty-three characters take over my mind. "S-stop. P-p-please," I beg.

Then it stops- the millions of voices fall silent.

I draw in shaky breaths in an attempt to calm down. The walls are closing in. The iron bars grow thicker with each passing second, blocking out the dim hallway light. Mars prowls closer. The red, flashing light in his eye brightens, taking over the darkening room. I try to run, but I'm frozen in place. Blood orange spreads like a sickness over Mars's black eyes. My hands curl into fists as I choke for breath. Every muscle in my body is screaming for me to run, but I'm rooted to the spot. Mars's claws click on the stone. It's the only sound I can hear- I can't hear anything else, even my own ragged breathing. The last of his black eyes turn into that hideous blood orange, but the red light continues to flash. One second on, one second off, one second on, one second off. Just like clockwork. My legs give out, and I fall to the ground. The stone scratches my skin, hurting, but not drawing blood.

The robotic Rottweiler is right in front of me. His blood orange eyes glow, reflecting the blinking, red light. His short, black and brown fur is stiff with anger. His breaths are slow and steady, the opposite of my shallow and gasping ones. He snarls, baring his fangs.

When he lunges, there's nothing I can do. I'm frozen in fear, but I want to fight. I can't move. Mars moves in slow motion. His attack is drawn out, letting me soak in every moment of despair. He hovers above me, floating as his paws arc in a swipe. My heart flutters in my chest as I watch in horror. Is this the end? Mars continues to inch closer, and there's nothing I can do; I can't fight back, I can't resist, I can't move, I can't do anything. I'm powerless, reduced to nothing. My fate is set, and there's nothing I can do about it. The plaid bandana falls from my head. I try to pick it up, but my hands remain frozen to the ground. I'm forced to watch Mars with big eyes as he draws ever closer. A sneer spreads across Mars's face. His shoulders rotate as he draws a foreleg back, giving him all the power he can to his attack.

I brace myself for the pain, but it never comes.

xxxx

Sweat drenches my skin. I sit up, pulling my knees into my chest as I try to slow my racing heart and calm my shaky breaths. It was just a nightmare. "It was just a nightmare," I whisper. My voice trembles. I reach up a hand to touch my cheek, expecting it to come back red, but it doesn't. See? Just a nightmare. You're safe. Rex is sound asleep beside me. His paws twitch as he dreams. I look out the window, and the stars twinkle as an owl hoots and crickets chirp. A few fireflies buzz around. It's like the calm before the storm.

Tomorrow we leave for Capital City to launch our attack. Us against the might of Guthrie Harper and his Wasteland guards and Clicks. Will we be able to pull this off? Will we be able to get a win against him? Will we be able to create the world Adrien saw? One where Blenders don't live in fear? One where the Wasteland doesn't exist?

But what if this turns into a slaughter? What if we're marching ourselves to our deaths? No. I can't think like that. I've gotta stay positive. I have to stay positive. Think only positive thoughts. Only positive thoughts. Only positive thoughts.

I lay on my back with the blankets pulled up to my chin. Their weight provides me some sense of comfort, and it proves to be just enough to get me to lightly doze until dawn. Rex wakes before me, and is waiting patiently by the door when I get up.

I'm among the first in the cafeteria, and it's about five thirty. "Couldn't sleep, Hawk?" Lily asks as she sips her drink. Her plate of toast and eggs remain mostly untouched.

"Not really."

"Nightmares?" I pause for a split second. How do I want to reply? How about not lying, Hawk?

"Yeah."

"Guthrie Harper?"

"Sure." I shrug, and walk away, ending the conversation. Why does she keep asking me things like that? Rex bounces on his paws in anticipation of eating the bacon and sausages I pile onto his plate. He crow hops as I carry the plates over to an empty table, wolfing down his food as soon as I set it in front of him.

Afterwards, Rex and I head back upstairs. I open a book and unfold the dog ear. Are we going to pull this off? As soon as I start reading, my mind jumps back to the attack on Guthrie Harper. We haven't worked out every last kink like we usually do. Will that affect anything? What if that map isn't of Capital City? Are we walking to our deaths? What happens when it's all over? What will happen if Guthrie Harper wins? What happens if we win? Is it going to be a free-for-all? Is it going to be a sort of multi-person thing? Or one person like with Guthrie Harper, but nicer? Or is it just going to be a sort of cycling thing with new people every set period of time? Half an hour passes by, and I haven't read one paragraph- I can't focus.

Jay knocks before coming into my room. "Oh. You're already up. Ready to head for breakfast?"

"I already ate." I re-dog ear the page, and put it away.

"Okay..."

"I've been up since before five thirty," I add when he frowns.

"Did you not sleep well?"

"Yeah." My voice is flat. No, I just slept really well, and got up long before I wanted to. Yeah! I slept badly! Hawk, be nice. It was a stupid question. Jay wasn't intending to be rude. It wasn't a rude question. It was a stupid one. "I'm going to get a quick bite to eat. Training starts at six thirty, and it's about six ten, so get whatever you'll need for the day. See ya, Hawk."

"Yep," I mumble.

"Bye!" Jay gives me a quick smile before heading for the cafeteria.

I help set up the targets along the sidewalk opposite the base. What if-. No! Stop! I need to focus! I try to build a brick wall around the thoughts of the attack on Guthrie Harper, but they keep breaking through, turning the bricks to rubble. It's six twenty by the time I'm ready. Jay sets up what appears to be a sort of obstacle course on the front lawn. "Jay!" I jog over to him with Rex on my heels.

"Yeah?"

"Are we doing that mock battle thing?"

"After lunch."

"Alright. So an obstacle course?" I need a distraction, something to drive off the thoughts of the attack on Guthrie Harper.

"Sorta, I guess. Just something to practice doing while Blending back and forth. What are you doing?" Jay shrugs.

"More target practice, but while moving. Yesterday was for getting the hang of it and learning a few tricks."

"Looks like they're here. Good luck, Hawk."

"You too."

The day goes by in a blur. Show something, practice, show something, practice, show something, practice. Over and over I go through the motions, but my attention is elsewhere. I fight with my mind, trying to keep my thoughts well away from the attack on Guthrie Harper. It was a few minutes after six thirty when we started, but hours have passed in the blink of an eye, and it's now almost dinnertime. "Hawk, you alright?" Vladimir asks as he approaches me.

"Yeah, just a bit tired."

"You've been distracted all day." Because the stupid battle's taken over my mind!

"I'm pretty tired."

"Alright. Sleep well tonight, though. You'll need it." I know...

"No kidding." I chuckle.

"The fight of the century." Don't remind me.

"Indeed." It's so high stakes. One slip-up, and the whole thing comes crashing down like a house of cards. What have we gotten ourselves into?

Dinner is fifteen minutes later. The cafeteria is packed with people, both from T-LOOT-D and not. I hunt for Jay, scanning the room as I fill up two plates, but he's nowhere to be found. There's a table close to be with an empty spot. "Is this seat taken?" I gesture to it with one of the plates.

"No. You can sit here if you'd like."

"Thank you." I set Rex's plate in front of him, and he digs in.

"Who's this?" The person sitting next to me asks.

"This is Rex. He's my Blended form."

"Wait. How'd that work?"

"Shortly after I was captured, Guthrie Harper decided to test some concoction he'd made, then voilà, Rex is here. So what are your guys's names?"

"Josh."

"Mia."

"Emily."

"Oliver."

"Valerie."

"Ready for tomorrow?" I take another bite after asking the question.

"Oh, yeah. I've got a bone to pick with Guthrie Harper," Oliver growls. His eyes light up with anger.

"I can't wait to use... T-to use my Blended form against him." Emily trails off as she speaks, as if testing the response.

"Me too." The corner of Mia's mouth pulls up into a weak smile.

No! Stop it. Go away. My mind drifts back to the attack on Guthrie Harper, and it comes up with every possibility of the outcome. I nod, and add the occasional comment to the table as I try to get my mind back under control, and wrap it up in chains or lock it in a box. Every attempt winds up unsuccessful. "I'm sorry. I need to go. Have a nice evening, and see you tomorrow morning." I stand up abruptly, my chair screeching backwards, and clear my plate and Rex's.

"Uh, alright? Bye, Hawk." Oliver frowns, but doesn't ask any questions.

"See you tomorrow," Emily says.

"Come on, Rex." He scrambles to his paws and speeds up to a trot to keep up with me.

I fall onto my bed when I reach my room. Please, stop. I-I... I beg you. My mind swirls like a hurricane, and thoughts slam against the sides of my skull like a tsunami. I press my hands to the sides of my head, my nails digging into my skin. What will Guthrie Harper do? Has he planned for this? Does he intend for this to happen? Are we walking right into his trap? Or will we catch him off guard? If we catch him off guard, will he react quickly? Will he immediately send enough Wasteland guards and Clicks to double the numbers of those already there? Stop. Please, stop. I roll to lay flat on my back, and take deep breaths.

I drift off to sleep an hour or two later, a while after people have gone home and settled down. Tomorrow we leave for Capital City. Have we done enough? Will we pull this off? 

Thank you for reading! Please comment and vote! I would be very grateful if you would click the yellow star in the corner of your screen! After I finish Blend the Light, I will start my next story, The King's Remorse, so please check it out!

Will T-LOOT-D and the Raydownians defeat Guthrie Harper?

If they do, how will they pull off a win?

If they don't, what will happen?

-Werewolf14-