Noah stuttered and looked around. "I - what?"
Whitney shifted her weight. "There's still things I can't tell you, for your safety as well as mine."
"Fuck safety! Who are you?"
"...Ky was right."
"What about Ky?"
Whitney threw up her hands. "I don't expect you to trust me. Not now and possibly not ever. But I assure you, I do not wish to harm you in any way."
Koko stepped in between Noah and Whitney, holding out her arms to keep them separated. "Whoa, hold up, what's going on? Who's Ky?"
Noah motioned towards Whitney in a 'go ahead' gesture, a glare etched into his face.
"Ky is my b- friend. He is my friend." Whitney recovered quickly and no one noticed the stumble.
Noah's eyes narrowed. "Since when? He's never mentioned you."
"Since when does he mention anyone?"
He started to argue but found nothing to say. "Alright, that's fair." Noah pointed towards her. "But I'm still not trusting you."
"I accept and understand that."
Silence fell before a loud voice echoed through the clearing. It was monotone and robotic, just like the guards in the streets had been. It appeared to be coming from the direction of the castle and not directly from the woods. It was loud and filled with static, almost as if it was being broadcasted over a speaker.
It seemed sort of familiar.
"The five fugitives are still out there. Anyone who knows of their whereabouts-"
There was shuffling and muttering.
A higher-pitched and less monotone voice came on. "Yeah, I know, babe."
Everyone in the clearing looked at each other, all of them confused. Cooper mouthed 'Babe?' to Sean and they both exchanged a 'the fuck?' look.
The voice, which was brighter and peppier, drawled on. "Anyway, what Carlos here was trying to say was that the five sweethearts hiding in the forest are still - y'know - hiding in the forest. So if anyone has any information on who they are or anything like that, stop by the castle and we'll kill you last when we run this town."
Quiet words replaced the louder ones. They could just barely make it out.
"I- for the love of Quint, Ryan, why did you do that?"
"'Cause I wanted to, babe." The voices became louder again. "So apparently I'm joking for most of you. But to the people hiding? We won't hesitate to take your life. Come on, April," they mocked, "won't you come out and play?"
All eyes shot to the girl in question. She attempted to keep her face blank.
"Now, I know you probably are saying something heroic right now, such as 'You'll never take me alive!' and you're right!" A cruel laugh. "We'll be taking you dead."
And then silence.
YOU ARE READING
Shadowstruck
FantasyA girl wakes up in a forest with her memory wiped. Now they have to figure out who's behind The Uprising and, more importantly, how to stop them. If they can stop them. They're losing time. And the gods aren't on their side.
