Canadon't - A Hatchetfield Story

Panic At The Everywhere

The Starlight was empty, say for spiders in the vast network of cobwebs. MacDonald checked his schedule and realised, "Everyone is supposed to be meeting in HQ. Part of the portal ritual, or something."

"We might have to miss that. They'll have security footage, branded you and I as traitors."

"I never thought of that," MacDonald took deep breaths, like his vocal coach had told him. It seemed like everything he took for granted in the world was taken from him. He had to work incredibly quickly, time was running very thin. He got an alert on his phone, a text for all of PEIP to enter their nearest HQ in 30 minutes. They had a short time for HQ to be empty.. MacDonald ignored the text. He was going to do anything but let PEIP ruin his life any longer.

John waited impatiently, truly feeling the tension, "John, we can't be sitting around! This is bad! This is really, really bad!" John was beginning to hyperventilate, for once he felt like there was no hope. No solution he'd be able to reach. He was the General, he should have a way to fix this. But PEIP had organised such a secretive apocalypse. PEIP's luxuries turned into weapons.

MacDonald recalled, "No one's gonna be in HQ for another 30 minutes, they'll all be out doing final checks, meaning-"

Pinewood ran into the conversation, "-that Xander is all alone with the controls. He said he'd go and run tests back in the quarters, one last precaution."

MacDonald questioned, "How did you know we were here?"

"You'd checked this very camera back in HQ. I can see the logs. Listen, bad news about Georgiana-"

John stood in front of his double, "What? What happened with Georgiana? Where is she?"

"She's in the Witchwood."

"Alone?!"

"She got shot, she's nursing it. I didn't wanna bring her to the front line anyway."

"She could be taken at any moment!"

"Except for the fact Jay was the only one on Witchwood duty. Gentlemen, we don't have time to argue, get the remote from Xander and put an end to this."

MacDonald felt the reality of everything around him. The darkness of Hatchetfield. The betrayal from his team to exclude him. He was at a loss. His perfection was an imperfection that would cost him dearly.

John broke the silence, "If we haul ass we can make it to HQ in, what, 8 minutes? What are we supposed to expect at HQ?"

Pinewood thought, "They'll be setting up the portal. And the sacrifices."

"Sacrifices?"

"Oh, you don't know-"

"Neither of us have had access to the logs, we're not admins."

"It's not in the logs. Listen, I'll explain it on the way there!"

The trio ran to the Witchwood, their hearts pounding. The moon watched as they ran, following them on their journey to HQ. Everything felt surreal, something you'd see in a nightmare. Was this all one Nightmare Time? It was too real to be that.

John slammed his hand against the HQ hand sensor. It felt like he'd escaped only to return right back in the devil's lair.

MacDonald looked to his do-gooder counterpart, and spoke tensely, "If I had been in on the plan, I would've never agreed. I'm sorry for everything I did to you, John. I wish it didn't have to be this way."

John looked at his redeemed counterpart, "You're forgiven. If you trust your judgement, yours only, you can be better. I know you can."

Xander Lee stood on the top platform of HQ. He'd seen the 2 exchange their conversation as they walked in the building.