The Door {Abandoned}

2

The soft melody drew everyone's attention to it. Sonic moved first, knowing it was just his strange friend. "Hmmm~" Behind his peaceful humming, was a frown. Shadow was aware that more than one had entered his home... and he was not happy about it. Sonic limped carefully to the kitchen, and everyone else followed him, taken aback by Shadow cutting up fruits and humming. The group looked back at the Shadow stood just as confused as they were and then at the imposter again. "Hi, Shadow... sorry about... ya know. Them... and just dropping in like this." Sonic apologized. Everyone was silent for a LONG few seconds... until Shadow smiled to himself. "I don't mind.... Who are your friends?" "Uh..." Sonic moved closer to him, but Shadow stabbed his cutting board and stopped Sonic before turning. Head down, eyes closed. "I asked you a question... Who are they?" Shadow asked again, in a bit of a more demanding tone. " ....That's my team. Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Blaze, Silver, Sally, and... interestingly enough, Shadow." Sonic said. Shadow turned his back on them again, resuming his fruit cutting task. "Ah... funny how the world works...!~ Would any of you like something to drink? Perhaps a snack?" He offered. "....why, whatcha got?" Knuckles asked, earning a glare from Sonic. "What? Eggface ruined our chance at broach." "It's 'brunch' you idiot." Rouge corrected. "Not if you're with the bros." "I can make a meal if you're hungry." Sonic smiled. "You don't have to, Shadz... isn't it late? You're probably tired." "Never!~ I'll start something." "....ok... we'll be around..." "Ok... take care of that wound, Dear." "...I will." Sonic carefully left the kitchen, his friends following. "Did he call you 'Dear'?" "Yup... don't ask, 'cause I dunno. We gotta get upstairs, he's got a med kit up there." Sonic said calmly. Everyone helped him upstairs and then helped Sonic, Rouge, and Silver treat and bandage their wounds. "So... Who is this guy and what is this place?" Sally asked. "He's Shadow. I don't fully know anything... not about him, not about this place... nothing. I just stumbled across that door... and I broke through the bricks blocking it off and crawled through it, the day I moved in. Met him and mistook the two... but I mean... you guys can see the difference too, right?" Shadow huffed at this, making Sonic chuckle. "Nah... he's a cool guy... but this place is all sorts of 'odd'. And he won't let me outside." Sonic added. "Why not?" Amy questioned. "I dunno... he just likes staying inside I guess... he's kinda clingy so... if he stays inside, I have to stay inside." "And the 'Dear' thing?" "Ah, he calls me all sorts of things like that... b-but we're not, ya know, that...!" Sonic quickly pointed out. "He just... I don't think he gets out much. Or he just likes it. OR it's a part of his 'game'..." "What kind of stupid game?" Shadow asked. "The only thing he told me about it was that the rule is to visit him everyday... didn't say anything about what it actually is, what the goal is, or how long he plans to play it... just 'Hey, stick around'... I dunno." Suddenly, Shadow called from the kitchen. "Food is ready!~" Everyone but Sonic looked at each other. "That was... quick." Tails pointed out. "Oh well, food is food. Let's go." Knuckles said, leading the others back to the kitchen -with Sonic's help-. When they entered, they expected something that was really quick to make... but instead, they were greeted with a feast. Like an all you can eat brunch spread. "Holy...crap..." Knuckles said in awe. "How...!?" Amy shouted in shock. "I have my ways. Sit, eat!~" They didn't need to be told twice. Everyone sat and quickly began filling their plates and enjoying the food. Except Sonic. He still felt bad that Shadow had cooked so much for them, so he carefully gave him a hug. "You're something else, Shadz!~" He praised. "Thank you, my love. Please, sit and enjoy." He whispered, helping Sonic sit down. Sonic chuckled. "Not the first bullet, won't be the last." "Well that's not healthy...be smarter." Shadow teased, lightly tapping Sonic's face. "Hey I have a question... other Shadow." Amy said. "Yes, Amy?" He asked, surprising everyone with the fact that he knew who was who without actually having seen them yet. "That's... actually related to my question. How can you... see with your eyes closed?" "Mm... practice!~" "But... you can't see us... can you?" "Yes, I can." Shadow replied happily. "Nah... no way, he took a lucky guess. You just sound like an 'Amy'." Shadow chuckled, still not opening his eyes. "While that is very true, Knuckles, I can see you all." "....how'd you know...? Two lucky guesses." Knuckles said. "Oh? I know where you and Amy are. Rouge. Sally. Blaze, and Silver. Tails. And this other Shadow." Shadow said, gesturing to everyone as he said their names. "And I helped Sonic sit so of course I know where he is!~" He said happily. "....ok, how the heck did you do that?" Sally asked. "Secrets, Sally...secrets~" "I find it better not to ask. We'll never know." Sonic said before biting into a muffin. "You might..." "Why do you keep your eyes closed then?" "....fun." Shadow responded, before opening his eyes with a smirk. "And... some people find them... unsettling~" The others were slightly freaked out, but 'calmed' when Shadow closed his eyes again and began happily smiling once more. "I need to rest. It is late. Goodnight, Sonic!~ Don't go outside, it's far too late." "Goodnight, Shadow... we'll keep quiet." Sonic hugged Shadow before he left to go upstairs. "....what the fuck is he....!?" Knuckles whisper yelled. "Different." Sonic answered. "Look... I admit, his eyes are a bit freaky looking, and he has some weird moments... but he really is a nice guy. I mean, he made us food. He was clearly minutes away from going to sleep but he did it anyways. Ya get used to him very quickly..." Sonic defended his friend, hoping he wasn't listening. "I dunno Sonic... this guy is... weird... like WEIRD weird." Rouge said. "We've met worse...." Shadow said. "He hadn't killed us... yet. Dealing with a strange look-a-like is still a better alternative to being gunned down by Eggman." "Thank you, Shadow." "Not to say he isn't a complete freak. We don't have to like him... but offending or insulting him would be stupid." Sonic huffed quietly, but nodded. "Fine... but only because this food is fantastic." Knuckles said. Everyone ate in an awkward silence. Once they were finished, the others explored the bottom floor as Sonic cleaned up after them. He felt it was the least he could do for Shadow after they all literally just crashed into his home without warning. "Literally not even a month in my house... And he shoots the place up. Lovely." Sonic complained to himself. Once he finished cleaning, he went to the backdoor with a bag of trash. 'Hm... He said not to leave... but... surely I can just step out to place this out there right?' He thought. Figuring it was no big deal, Sonic unlocked the door and swung it open. Cautiously, he stepped outside of the safety of the home. He took the trash bag to the pile of trash that was seemingly waiting for trash day, before turning around to head back inside. He paused, enjoying the feeling of the crisp air of the night completely engulf him. It was so pleasant, but out of nowhere, somebody tackled him in a panic. Sonic screamed from the sudden stranger pouncing on him, alerting everyone to his choice to leave the building. It was too dark for him to actually see his attacker, but he kicked and punched them anyways. Everyone, including the one who had warned him to remain inside rushed to the door. Shadow pushed past everyone, screaming at the stranger. "Don't touch him- DON'T TOUCH HIM!!!! GET AWAY!!!!!" He glared, and the stranger fell backwards, holding their hands up in a defensive manner. "LEAVE!!!!" The stranger ran like hell, terrified of Shadow. "S-Shadow, I'm fi-" Shadow roughly grabbed Sonic's arm, pulled him up, and dragged him back inside the house. "Ow!" Sonic whined, his leg hurting as he tried to keep up. "Hey!" "Leave him alone!" "You're hurting him, you asshole!" His team followed him, and the agent Shadow shut and locked the door while his copy angrily pinned Sonic against the wall by his shoulders. "I told you to stay inside." He hissed. "I-I was just taking the trash out...! I'm sorry... I didn't know it'd be that big of a deal..." Sonic lowered his ears sadly. Seeing this, Shadow calmed and gently rubbed his shoulders. "I... I'm sorry. I just... you should stay inside.... in the morning... I can take you outside... but NEVER leave this house alone. Especially at night. You leave with me or you stay inside, do you understand? That is a rule." "....yes..." Shadow moved away. "...is your leg ok...?" "Yes. I'm alright, Shadow... but... you never said that was a rule before..." "....it wasn't. It is now..." Sonic nodded slowly. "...Sorry again..." Sonic apologized. "...don't do it again." "I won't... who was that?" "Goodnight." Shadow turned and headed back upstairs, ignoring the question. Everyone looked or glared at him, and he glanced at them in return before disappearing behind a wall, walking down the hallway. "Sonic, are you ok?" "Fucking freak..." "I'm fine, and don't call him that." Everyone quietly argued over what happened, but Sonic insisted that the person who assaulted him was the bad guy. That Shadow was just tired and upset as he had warned them to stay inside and he didn't listen. This response caused concern to rise in the real Shadow. "Faker... We understand that you think this guy is a friend.... but there is something wrong with him." "Why? Because he's not as rude and violent as you? That guy was clearly a threat, that's why he got upset." "He is keeping you inside this house. Making you come back everyday, even bribing you with food and attention. Making you feel guilty. He's dangerous." Shadow stated. "That person's body language was non-threatening. They were the scared one." "Look, just because this version of you is a THOUSAND times better, AND a better friend, that doesn't mean you have to be jealous." "Jealous!? This guy has 'master of manipulation' written all over him. Those eyes- Having the ability to see without his eyes, sudden mood changes. He is NOT NORMAL and NOT WELL!" "SO WHAT!?" "SO!? WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!" "YOU KNOW EGGMAN IS STILL SEARCHING MY HOUSE, ASSHOLE. IF WE LEAVE, HE FINDS US AND THIS PLACE! I'M NOT GOING TO RISK MY FRIEND'S SAFETY OVER YOUR PARANOIA!" "EGGMAN COULDN'T FIT HIS FAT ASS THROUGH THOSE DOORS IF HE FUCKING TRIED!" The two rivals began screaming at each other, pleasing Shadow... who was actually still standing next to the stairs listening. "Hey!" Blaze inturrupted. "WHAT!?" The two screamed in unison. "...he came outside after hearing Sonic scream from outside... there's no chance that he can't hear you two screaming in here. Yet... He's not coming down to see what's going on or telling you to stay quiet." Blaze pointed out, glancing at the stairs. "...maybe he's scared." "Maybe you should stop defending him." "Hey, I've known him for several days, YOU'VE known him for like an hour. And he went straight to sleep so it barely counts. I spent hours with him. Wide awake and alone. He is NOT dangerous." "...that's what he wants you to believe, moron..." "We aren't leaving yet. We wait until morning... that way it'll be night time when we get back. I'm going to take a nap, and I swear to you... if any of you leave, I'll make sure you regret that choice if it exposes him." Everyone begrudgingly agreed to stay the 'night', and napped or sat, or roamed around the bottom floor of the house. Curious, Shadow decided to go up the stairs. When he did, he was stopped at the top of the stairs by the slit-eyed copy being spotted in his peripherals. "....you're not resting...?" He asked. "Screaming is loud....so... you think I'm a threat?" He asked in response, moving away by walking through the hallway. "...what do you want with Faker?" "Faker?" "...Sonic." Shadow specified as he followed the copy to continue the conversation. "Oh... my husband!~" The copy stated, keeping his back to Shadow. "He's not into men as far as I'm aware." "He is now... we are close. VERY close..." "Sure... but what are you planning to do with him?" "Many things." "....So you are a threat?" "Define 'threat'." "Answer me." "A threat to what? To Sonic? No." "And the rest of us?" "No comment. Though... you aren't apart of this and.... Accidents happen~" Shadow took something out of his pocket to press a button on it. "Good enough to convince Faker to avoid you." Shadow stated. He had recorded their interaction. Alerted, Shadow turned and glared at the agent and then down at the recording device. "You should mind your business. You aren't involved. You can't inturrupt. You can't show him that." "Fuck you, freak. I may hate the idiot, but I hate you more." Shadow growled, turning to leave, but that was a mistake. The moment he turned around, his mirror image wrapped some type of a thick wire around his throat. Shadow choked the agent and dragged him down the hallway. Said agent struggled against it, but this thing was somehow winning. The wire was so tight that it was cutting into his neck a little, and preventing him from screaming out for help. He kicked and clawed at the wire, but was ultimately dragged into a dark room, out of reach, and at the mercy of the strange being.

Several hours later, and it was starting to turn bright outside again. Everyone was up, switching bandages, and then regrouped in the kitchen. Shadow was already in the room, looking for the dishes that should have been dirty. "Oh. I did the dishes last night too, Shadz." Sonic explained. "O-oh... you didn't have to, Darling, I would have done it." "I know, but I wanted to!~" Sonic purred. "Thank you~ Hungry? I'll make breakfast!~" "Yeah... let me help you though." Sonic insisted. "I can do it... besides, you're injured." "I can still help." Shadow tried to refuse, but Sonic wasn't having it, and so the two made breakfast for everyone. Almost everyone. "Hey, where's Shadow?" Rouge asked. "I'm right here!~" Shadow stated. "No, the real Shadow." "I am real." He argued. "Ok fine, OUR Shadow then." "Oh him... he's gone." "Gone? Gone where?" Sonic asked. "Through the little door!~ He was mumbling something about an egg man, and left." Shadow lied. Nobody noticed, since he didn't sound like he was lying. "That jerk! He better not have been seen...." Sonic huffed. "It was quiet, I think he's ok on the other side." "You sure...?" "Don't worry your pretty little head... I'm sure he's just fine, my love." "....ok... we should still wait for a few more hours before going back." "...I guess..." Rouge and the others agreed. However, Rouge tried to text and call Shadow, with no luck. This was odd... her partner always answered her, even when he didn't want to, just to ease her mind. She hesitantly brushed it off as an impossibility to communicate between doors. 

Meanwhile,

Shadow awoke to find himself restrained to a chair via barbed wire. He tried to move, but every movement was excruciatingly painful. He tried screaming for the others, but his mouth was gagged. 'That bastard... I should have known. How could I make such a rookie mistake...!?' Shadow thought. "MMMMM!!!!!" He ignored the pain and struggled to try to get free, bleeding. While he was the ultimate lifeform, he wasn't untouchable. He could still die by the same means as everyone else, it would just take a lot longer. A long time of torture, pain, suffering... He had to break free. But he couldn't. The worst part to him was that he could hear everyone talking... muffled, but audible. He couldn't really hear a lot of their words. But he heard them. And they had no idea that he was still in the house, but more importantly, they had no idea what this copy was going to be willing to do to them too. Shadow could only pray that this was because they looked the same, and that his copy wouldn't hurt the others.... but he could never get confirmation. And then his fear and guilt went to Sonic. Sonic was this guy's INTENDED target. The others weren't supposed to be there, but Sonic was. "MMMMMMMMM!" He screamed Sonic's name, but it was hopeless. 'This freak called him his husband... I don't even want to know what disgusting and perverted acts he'll force or trick Faker to do....! I hate him but nobody deserves that.... Please. Please leave and do NOT come back to this house, Sonic.' Shadow thought and he stopped struggling due to pain. He knew death was inevitable, so he didn't care if he died here... but he wanted his friends to stay safe, even if he perished.