Forum Thread

*Dylan put on a long, dark gray hooded coat and looked at Gwen* Follow me, Gwenny. *Gwen put on her own coat and the two went upstairs to see a old home, long abandoned by the city. They went out the front door and saw people were running towards the center of town. Dylan turned to Gwen* Where do you think they are going?

---

She gives him a nervous smile. The danger of what they were doing had suddenly hit her. But she never turned away from danger, and she didn't intend to start doing that now. "Shall we find out?" She asks as she grabs his hand. To any passerby, they would look like a young couple. As long as they kept their heads down, they would most likely be ignored. This would be less suspicious than them walking separate.

*40 minutes later, Maddy had hid Katniss under Benton's bed to stay hidden. Benton walked into Maddy's room and saw Maddy sitting in the corner. He had two guards walk over to her and cuff her hands to her ankles and attached thise chains to her collar. The two men brought Maddy to Benton and he stroked her face. He looked to one of them* Gag her and follow me. *One of the guards nodded and tied a gag around Maddy's head and mouth.*

*Dylan nodded and the two of them walked to the center of town where they saw Benton standing on a podium with a hanging mechanism behind him. Dylan whispered to Gwen* What do you think they are doing?

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Gwen swallows. "Whatever it is, it can't be good" she shivers, suddenly feeling exposed within the crowd. She hangs her head slightly lower, even though it would be nearly impossible for Benton to spot them from their location. "We should stay though, he'll most likely have a speech of some sort. Maybe we can get some information"

Luke, who was just waking up and things were still a bit blurry, realized he was upside down hanging from a line of chain. He also noticed he was gagged, which was great. Where could he even start with trying to escape and find Maddy? Was she hurt? Dead even? Or maybe worse, being tortured... He had to get out, but didn’t know how. If only he fought when he was captured with Maddy...

Barry finds himself in the outskirts of a city, as he decided to move a while earlier. He enters by limping, and sees a giant crowd. He starts limping towards it, wanting to know what was going on.

Irin had arrived at the center of town, having lost interest in Benton and his whereabouts. At least, until he saw the mechanism behind Benton in the very center of attention. He tilted his head, then began to force his way through the crowd, glaring at anybody who tried to resist him or piped up about it. If they continued, he either pushed them over or threatened them. That seemed to get him closer much more easily. His Kanabō may have helped with that, the mighty club-weapon on his back, it's sheath now modified for faster withdrawal. He glared at the man, hit spite for him much stronger now. "Why do I hate him so much all of a sudden? Because he ignored me? Maybe.. Probably not.." His hands rested on his elbows loosely, ready to reach for his armor-smashing weapon.

*Benton placed several pieces of paper on his podium. He looked towards the crowd.* My fellow citizens. For the past 5 years, the Telmarian Council has been deceiving you. They have been plotting against you all and have been planning to make all citizens their slaves, with the might of the military to create one military democracy, filled with traitors and tyrants. However, I spoke up against it all. I told them how all people in this city should be equals and not divided by class or former kingdom. But they didn't listen, so I decided to take action.

*Benton looked down and flipped a piece of paper* I, with the help of the rebel forces, took back our city from those who threatened to oppress you all. And today I with the help of the rebels will bring forth these traitors *Several guards began to walk the Telmarian council across the stage. They were chained and gagged and were all lead to a different noose and stood them all on a different stool. One by one, the guards began to say the names of the council until the last one spoke. Benton walked backwards to a lever and addressed the crowd.* So these traitors can pay the ultimate price for treason against this grand city. *Benton pulled the lever down and the squares below the council members fell down, strangling the council members until they all stayed still in midair.*

*Benton walked back to the podium and flipped the page of his speech* From this day forth, there will no longer be a Telmarian Council, but only one leader. I, former councilmember Benton, shall be your leader in our new Telmarian Empire! *The crowd let out one collective cheer upon hearing this. Dylan turned to Gwen and saw tears streaming from her eyes* Come, let's go. *Dylan and Gwen turned around but heard Benton say one last thing before they left* Should I or any soldier hear a whiff of rebellion, let these council members be a message to all. And let your once great leader, Maddy Wolf *Dylan and Gwen simultaneously turned upon hearing him call Maddy's name to see her in chains and forced to walk on the humiliation wearing only a necklace of skulls and body paint. People booed her and began to throw fruits and vegetables at Maddy* be an example of what we do to traitors! *People began to cheer for Benton.*

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Barry has a face of just pure terror on his face. He gets on the ground, and starts rolling somewhere into the forest, very noticeable because he was rolling. He wished he never had to see that, the hanging, and Maddy chained up, and everything that happened. At the outskirts of the forest, still able to be seen, he starts crying silently, not wanting to draw attention to himself to Benton so he also has to be hung.

Irin's eyes popped open, his teeth gritting. "You ba**ard." He heard the chain mail under his clothing click, and a few people around him stopped and stared, then looked back to Benton. Irin wanted to step up there. He wanted to yell, to shout, to crush the man's skull. "Chakti wouldn't have stood for this. Neither will I." He stormed away, pushing people down and aside, stepping on those who tried to keep him there. One man in particular, a larger, more muscular man, grabbed him, trying to keep him for the rest of the "show", as he called it. Irin glared at the man, then delivered a knee to his crotch, then a fist to his nose, the crack more meaningful to him than anything else. "If she's a message to us... Then you're a message to him." Irin continued on, not realizing how much force he'd delivered in the one knee. He didn't bother to look back and notice the man, now collapsed, or even the attention it had brought to that area of the crowd. He left the area, not caring what happened next.

Gwen feels a comforting arm wrap around her waist, Dylan places his other hand over her mouth, muffling her scream of rage and stopping her from racing up to the stage. A few people have turned to look at them. "Let's go now" Dylan tells Gwen as he drags her back a step. There is a flicker of panic in his tone. This snaps Gwen back into place. She turns around and follows Dylan. She doesn't stop the tears this time. She didn't know what was worse. Seeing Maddy like that or being unable to do anything about it.

*Dylan lead Gwen back to the tunnels and looked at her* Gwen, what did I tell you about waiting? You could've gotten us both killed

*Tani's eyes began to open and she looked around the bunker. She tried to speak but her voice was highly strained* Hello?........ is anyone there?......

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Star had watched everything go down from the trees and she grit her teeth. She couldn't wait until his head was on the chopping block. She jumped down from her spot and tailed Gwen and Dylan from a safe distance.

When it had gone slient Katniss pulled herself from underneath the bed and started to find her way back out of this unsafe place, hoping she'd find one of her parents. The noises caught her attention and she looked out the window to see Maddy chained and walking somewhere being led by that mean man while people were throwing food at her.

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"I'm sorry" Gwen whispers as tears stream down her face. "I just-.. I didn't expect it to be that bad. Whatever they are doing to Maddy it's worse than I can imagine" she clenches her fists so hard that her fingernails prick the skin. "And I can't help her... Dylan, did you see the way they reacted? How are we going to sway everyone to join our side?"

*Dylan took Gwen into his arms to comfort her* Gwen, some might have been cheering, but some didn't. And I understand you are upset, I am too. But you cant just run in there like you wanted too. You, Sage, and Tani are the last symbols of hope that we have left. If you die, the whole plan dies. So we need to just be patient. *Dylan kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes, wiping the tears away with his thumbs* And I promise you, the frost opportunity we have I will bust into Benton's home and kill him. Ok?

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Luke makes some muffled noises, trying to get attention. He continues after a minute or two, his through hurting now. He wondered if anyone would get him food or water, or else in at least 3 days he will be dead, and if not dead, maybe driven insane with no water or food.

Barry runs back, then trips on a root of a tree and thumps on the trapdoor in the forest that’s leads to where everyone else was hiding at the moment.

Gwen smiles, but it's forced. "It's hard to be patient right now... But I suppose it helps knowing that if I wait, then Benton will eventually die" she practically melts into his arms, feeling much safer and much more comfortable with him than anywhere else

*A guard walked down the steps and looked at Luke. He rolled his eyes and looked back out the door* Calrus! He was supposed to be at the prison 3 hours ago! *The guards named Calrus walked in apologetically* I'm so sorry, Winters. I'll do it now. *The guard named Winters watched him take Luke down and begin to walk him out* And get him his lunch!

*Dylan nodded his head but then brought something up* Did you notice Benton looked... different?

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"Different?" She pauses, trying to remember what he looked like. She suddenly pales. She was so focused on what was happening, that she failed to notice the obvious. "He looked younger... Like Sage" she pulls away slightly so that they can see eye to eye. "But that's impossible.. the only possible way that can happen is by having a Thunderbird give it's life up... And I thought they were all dead"

"He looked younger." Star stated from above(?) them. "Dont Thunderbirds give youth? Or is that just the old ones?"

Katniss started to follow Maddy and Benton, ducking behind trees and brush to avoid getting spotted, thinking maybe she could help Maddy somehow.

---

Luke, glad he wasn’t upside down anymore, walked reluctantly with the guard to where he was supposed to go. He didn’t know about the day.’a events so he had no idea that many people just died. He somehow gets the gag off of himself and asks, “Why am I here again?”

Barry just stays still, hoping nobody heard the loud thud that he made.