chapter twelve

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SIX BOOTS stomp through the tunnels beneath Scaparus. The girl leads the pack, two fast feet sending rock and rubble flying. Behind her, a brunette and a ginger, all of them equipped with stolen silver blasters.

The girl giggles as they come to a dead end, her shrieks bouncing through the cave system. She waits for the boys to catch up to her, one hand planted on her hip and one foot tapping the rock floor. One of them looks exhausted, the other looks terrified.

"Alright, let's do this!"

"You're sure this is the one?" The ginger asks. It is clear he is the voice of reason.

The girl presses her ear to the wall. As expected, behind the stone, is the dull, resounding thump of movement, like some great beast is smacking its tail against its cage. That is what she likes to image.

"Come take a listen for yourself."

The boys follow her lead. The brunette nods almost at once. He pulls away first, satisfied, but the ginger lingers. A frown settles over his face.

"What is it, Armitage?"

"He's just scared daddy's going to catch him!" The brunette cuts in. The girl rolls her eyes although she laughs when Armitage begins to smile.

"You're right, it's stupid..."

"But?" The girl asks, noticing his discomfort. Armitage chews his lip.

"But this wall doesn't look like it formed from a cave in. It's so neat. Every rock fits perfectly into place, like somebody built it here on purpose."

"I mean, does it matter if they did?"

Armitage hesitates.

"I guess not," He says.

The brunette grins.

"Well, come on then!"

He takes a few steps back and aims his blaster, an old model, at the wall. The girl pulls Armitage out of the way and follows suit, steadying the weapon against her shoulder.

"Look, if anything happens, we'll use the Force to protect you," She assures him.

The girl winks and Armitage nods. He raises his own blaster to the wall in two, shaking hands. All three of them take a few steps back.

"Fire!"

The sound is deafening. Smoke and the stench of burning metal fill the air within seconds. Twice, the force of the blaster threatens to knock Armitage off balance. But the wall crumbles. In less than a minute, there is a gaping entryway in the place where it used to be and the floor is covered in rubble. The gunfire ceases but in its absence is not silence. The three peer into the darkness as the distant thumping sound grows louder. It almost sounds like a roar now. Something sparkles in the darkness but it goes largely unnoticed.

The brunette bends down and picks up a scrap of rock, only to drop it at once.

"What is it?" The girl asks.

"It's wet," He says shrugging.

Armitage feels his stomach drop.

"Run!"

He is the slowest runner of the three but his headstart has him at the front of the pack. Three pairs of feet stampede down the twisting maze of cave tunnels, chased by the sound and what it means. Water. A body of water trapped by the makeshift dam, about to flood the tunnels thanks to them. Armitage flings his blaster to the ground and pushes himself to move a little faster. The girl catches up to him, the brunette lagging some distance behind.

"Maybe we can stop it!"

"Be my guest," Armitage grunts out.

The brunette slows to a stop. The girl glances over her shoulder, slowing her pace though Armitage keeps running.

"What are you doing?"

"It's no use," The brunette says, shaking his head furiously. The girl runs back and grabs his arm but he stays fixed in place.

"Come on! Armitage, come help!" She calls out but Armitage has already turned the corner. The girl looks back where they came from. The cracks in the cave walls look new.

"I'll hold it off, you go," The brunette says. His voice is a hushed whisper. The girl shakes her head.

"You know you're not strong enough. I'm the oldest. It's my duty," The girl injects her voice with confidence and pushes him forward, "Go!"

The brunette hesitates a moment then begins to run.

Armitage is nearly out of the caverns when the wave hits him, the brunette shortly behind. His head bobs underwater and he flails, losing his grip on the ground as the water carries him forward and over the edge of the mountainside. The pair land, some distance apart, in the mud, Armitage fading in and out of consciousness, the brunette barely breathing. Armitage hears a woman's voice, sees two pairs of shiny shoes stop by the brunette, lift him off the ground. He rolls to his side and feels the warmth of sleep consume him.

"Armitage! Armitage, get up!"

Armitage wakes to the feeling of rough, calloused hands on his shoulders. No sooner have his eyes fluttered open than a closed fist strikes him across the jaw. Armitage falls hard against the bed, his cheek aching.

"You imbecile." The voice hisses.

Armitage flinches at his father's grasp on his arm. Part of him imagines Brendol will stop and pull him close. You could have died! He will say. And just once, he will feel his father's arms around his. But there is nothing of warmth in him. He keeps his head low and yearns to disappear.

"Two of my force-sensitives, dead! Because of you!"

Dead. The word hits Armitage like a blow. He lowers his hand from his throbbing jaw and looks to his father in shock. A moment of anger flashes through him. Two of your force-sensitives? Your son nearly died, but nevermind that.

"I told them!" He says, his voice coming out as a whine, "I told them not to go!"

His father grabs his chin, nails digging into his cheeks. Armitage can feel them drawing blood like pincers. He shudders but does not fight back, afraid to be struck again.

"You told them? If you were anything like them, you would have stopped this."

Hux clutches the wood plank in shaky hands. The underside is wet. He rushes forward, reaching Carah just as she pulls the trigger and a blast flies into the exposed stone wall.

THE NEW ORDER // kylo ren // armitage huxWhere stories live. Discover now