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The shape came with nothing but words with it. Words, whispered words, of safety, of hope. The shape came in a rush and said it was here for everyone.
Carlos said there was something wrong with it. Cecil laughed it off and said: “Maybe it’s just the thing we’ve needed.” Carlos sighed, hugged Cecil close and tried to think of a way to find out what it was the shape wanted, what the shape needed.
The shape had a name. It whispered with no lips, no face, into the thin air and somehow everyone knew it was Hexagon. It was not a hexagon, it was Hexagon, and although it confused those who had acquainted themselves with shapes of all sizes and knew what a hexagon was, to others it was just a name, meaningless in itself.
“World peace comes in a rush,” Hexagon whispered and Night Vale shuddered under its breath. Non-existent breath. Everyone took the words at face value, even though there was no face to value. “I will take every threat away. Soon, nothing will hurt this town.”
Carlos tried to reach the shape, but it vanished whenever he came close. He knew it was probably speaking the truth in a way, but shaping it to look more like itself. Like its name had been shaped to look like it, in a way, but not in the way that it looked. Carlos feared for the town he now saw to be his home, feared, because nothing that promised good things never brought anything but harm there. Everything seemed like a threat.
“This time, I think you are wrong,” Cecil said when Carlos once again voiced his dislike of the shape that tried to shape the future of the town. “I know that Night Vale is nothing but safe, but don’t you think we deserve nice things as well? Don’t we always manage to deal with our problems? Were you not once a stranger?” Carlos was silent, he knew there was nothing he could say to change Cecil’s mind on this matter, and the next night he listened to Cecil speak of Hexagon in his show, talk about the savior that had come in the time of need, in the time of other strangers, strangers that did not speak, that did not seem to move. That were evil. And Carlos knew that even if he had managed to spread a seed of doubt into Cecil’s mind, he did not want to hear it as there was a big threat already.
Hexagon kept talking, whispering short sentences. “I am only me but many,” it said one day and Carlos shivered expecting others to appear. “The world may be beyond redemption. Yet your town will be saved,” it said the next day and this sounded like a threat towards all other life – Carlos may have seen Night Vale as his home, but there were still other people he loved beyond the town. Even if Hexagon was going to save Night Vale, it seemed set upon destroying everything else with its kind or perhaps by itself.
Cecil spoke on behalf of Hexagon in his show on the sixth day after its arrival. “And tonight, let us talk about Hexagon. I have heard the voice, I have heard everything it has had to say in words that are not words in our language, in terms that may not have made sense in my mind. Hexagon has told me that in sixes shall we be spared, that we should make sixes of ourselves before it shall destroy all enemies of our town, of everything that now is Night Vale. Hexagon tells us to be brave, that everything before has happened for a reason, everything beyond this moment will happen for a reason. So, Night Vale, turn into groups of six.”
Carlos watched as Night Vale was divided into sixes, and walked over to Old Woman Josie to talk, because he thought that she and Erikas would know what was going on. Erikas were five, now, and when Old Woman Josie opened the door to Carlos, she said: “We are six already, aren’t we?” She smiled, let Carlos inside, offered him tea. The Erikas watched over them and one of them asked: “Why aren’t you in your six?” Another one added: “Sixes are sacred, sixes are holy,” and Carlos was confused as to why Hexagon would have such power over them.
“Sixes are a lie,” said a voice belonging probably to an Erika, because Carlos didn’t recognise it as his own. But it may have been him as well.
“We need to survive, you know,” Old Woman Josie said, pushing the mug to Carlos’s hand. “It may still save our lives.”
Carlos took the mug, took a sip and nodded. It had probably been him, because Josie and the Erikas seemed to be speaking in sixes as well. “It may well be a trap as well,” he said, quickly sipping down his tea and knowing he should soon make his way to Cecil, to his own six.
Old Woman Josie just shrugged and gave Carlos a piece of paper. “Something to remember us by, love,” she said as the Erikas took hold of him and took him to Cecil. “Please do not forget us, Carlos.”
Cecil didn’t say anything when he noticed Carlos, only took hold of his hand and dragged him over to his sister’s house. They took Khoshekh with them and Carlos wondered if animals counted in the sixes, as they in this case should. Steve Carlsberg, Abby and Janice only said welcome and then everyone went silent. They were six, they were safe.
“The end is near, my people,” Hexagon’s voice came soon. Carlos still wondered how the voice was produced, where it came from. How were they able to hear nothing. “I have destroyed all your enemies. Soon it will be your time. If you are a six, good. Otherwise, you have chosen another destiny.” Then the counting began. “One, two, three, four, five, six.” It repeated, again, again, getting closer.
“What if Khoshekh does not count?” Steve asked, silently, afraid of angering Hexagon.
“Then we are doomed, done for,” Cecil answered, calmer than he usually did when speaking to Steve. Even if the situation had seemed odd before, it seemed dire now.
“One, two, three, four, only five,” Hexagon’s voice said in the distance, but not as far away as before. Carlos wondered what shape it would be when it reached here because he was not sure it stayed the same shape. The voice turned into thunder and there were clicks and hisses and shocks.
“It is angry, wants to eat,” Cecil noted in a light tone. Khoshekh made noises that sounded like it was agreeing with Cecil and some more. “Why wouldn’t you count as one?”
“Why didn’t you listen to me? I knew this would end badly!” Carlos said, in a voice louder than anyone else’s. He didn’t care if Hexagon heard him, he didn’t know if he wanted to live in a world that would be brought with it, with what it was now doing.
The others hissed, “Shh shh shh shh shh shh,” not daring to break the sixes.
In the distance, they could hear silent music. “Oh no, I forgot the weather,” Cecil whispered and wondered if this would make a difference. Carlos was certain it would, the weather always made a difference in this kinds of situations. Suddenly he felt better about the future. He felt better about himself, less like he was changing into a mindless creature taken hold of by Hexagon.
Erika appeared into their group. “You were right, Carlos the scientist,” they said. “There is great evil inside Hexagon. Josie and other Erikas will take care of that, the spell will be broken.”
“What spell, what are you talking about?” Cecil asked, and Carlos, who had started counting words earlier, sighed in relief.
“We can take care of it. I just came here to take Cecil back to the station to finish his abruptly finished show. There is still the big finish of tonight’s episode to be spoken to everyone living in Night Vale,” Erika said and grabbed Cecil, taking him away and vanishing himself.
“How did you get Khoshekh here?” Janice asked, like nothing had happened. “Aren’t you allergic?”
“Cecil brought him here. Cecil, who was just a moment ago still here.”
The voice of Hexagon suddenly boomed. “What have you done, my people? I was going to bring peace. I was to be your savior.” There were sparks, redness of the shape growing ever bigger until suddenly it all vanished. The quiet came back, the usual noises of the town.
Every radio came on and the final notes of the weather vanished slowly. “Night Vale, it has been an evening. I do not remember much of it, only what I have been told. I have been told of the sixes, sixes in groups, sixes in words. I have been told of Hexagon, but slowly the shape is vanishing from my mind. I have been told of possible destruction of Night Vale, but since we all still are here, it seems nothing irreversible has happened. Night Vale, we may never remember all that has happened, but what we will remember is that there was a redness, there was a voice. Six is now a banned number. Six should be avoided at all costs. There will be someone to talk to you about this new rule tomorrow. We should be grateful we have a tomorrow. Ponder on tomorrow, on all the coming tomorrows, but not too much, for you might change something that has yet to come. Stay tuned for predictions of the future and tomorrows of tomorrow for the next few hours. And, as always, good night, Night Vale, good night.”
Every radio went silent, save for words spoken in a foreign language and Carlos sighed in relief.
“Shouldn’t you be getting home?” Abby asked. “It is late and Janice should be getting to bed.”
Carlos nodded slightly, wondering a bit about the past few days and how they suddenly seemed blurry. “Yes. Yes of course. Why am I here at this hour and without Cecil? How am I going to get Khoshekh home with me?”
Steve smiled. “I’ll take you home. I’ll carry Khoshekh for you. I know how it is when suddenly a lot of things don’t make sense anymore.”
“I – that is actually quite accurate. Thank you, Steve.” Carlos smiled slowly and yawned, making his way to the door as Steve carried Khoshekh, who was fighting back less than usual. Carlos wondered, briefly, if the cat was also forgetting or if it remembered everything and was confused as to why everyone else was acting so weird.
Slowly, every memory of Hexagon would be forgotten. Not because of Night Vale, no. Because of the shapes, they did not need the people living in the town remembering them. They needed them to forget, and the final glow of Hexagon had made sure they would forget. All but the Erikas, and even their memories were to become blurred. One day in the future they would come back, the shapes. They would send someone else. But until then, Night Vale was as safe as any place, even safer. Hexagon hadn’t lied about getting rid of their enemies.