<<Hųśh>>

-'12'-

The ebony hedgehog dashed up the stairs and into the farthest room. It was a small spare bedroom. He did his best to barricade the doorway and allow himself some time before keeling over and panting. He let out a shaky sigh as he knelt behind the pile that now covered the door, squeezing his gun as the panic grew more and more within him.

He couldn't just escape, Sonic would be free. He couldn't harm Sonic, he would be curing him when everything was over. He couldn't accept his fate and allow Sonic to infect him, people were counting on him. He was helpless. He couldn't fight or escape, playing an elaborate game of hide and seek, except his life was on the line. If he were to die or get bitten, no one would know. Rouge and the others would wait for days on end without closure. They'd have to live without the ability to recover either of Sonic and Shadow's body. Tears began to brim within Shadow's eyes.

"Where are you!" Sonic's voice errupted from down the hall. Loud thumps and bangs echoed periodically. He would eventually be found. His time was limited. Doors were flung open or forced off of their hinges and various, heavy-sounding furniture was seemingly overturned or flung.

He quickly jotted down a message for Rouge, his words frantic and misspelled. He had no time to dwell on the sins to English he had committed however and clicked send as quickly as he could before locking his eyes on the door once more. The entire home had gone silent. He was waiting. Or perhaps he had grown bored.

The silence ended swiftly, the barricaded door was forced open in mere seconds and the furniture swarmed Shadow like a tsunami and forced him to release his gun, losing it amongst the furniture. Pain spread throughout his body as his back hit the floor and the furniture piled on him, limiting his oxygen as he groaned and tried to regain full consciousness.

He was dragged out of the amalgamation of furniture parts by the wrist, being face to face with the shell of a hedgehog before he could fully grasp what was happening, the deep black eyes and poising blood red irises bringing him back to reality. His face paled as he realised what type of situation he had found himself in.

He kicked the hedgehog and was released from his grip. Both hedgehogs tumbled to the floor in the amalgamation of furniture. Shadow jumped up, winded slightly, and began to search for his gun. He ducked down, sensing a presence behind him. A red shoe came into vision just above his head. He was at a major disadvantage.

He tried his best to turn as quickly as he could and land a hit before the other hedgehog could, but very quickly found himself pinned to the floor with the hedgehog above him again. "Ultimate Lifeform, huh?" Sonic chuckled and raised his hand, revealing the gun Shadow had been so desperate to find.

He traced the gun along Shadow's head, chuckling to himself. "If I were to shoot you in the head, would you wake up again?" He asked rhetorically. Shadow himself didn't know. He took a shaky inhale, fearing the weapon he kept so close to him within his quills. It was rather stupid really, one wrong move while the killing machine was being stored in his quills and he would have been shot in the back of the head. He wouldn't even have time to react.

"I'm not scared of my own gun." Shadow lied, trying his best to slow the pace of his heart, that was now beating at such a rate where he could hear it within his ears. Sonic placed a hand on Shadow's chest. "Your pulse tells me otherwise." He grinned. The navy hedgehog lowered the gun in a playful way, now aiming it at his ribcage. "What if I shoot you here?"

Shadow could only stare at the gun and Sonic. Surely he wouldn't shoot him. Surely he was still him deep down. Surely he was just messing around. Surely.

Shadow's thoughts emptied as a bang filled the air. He grunted lowly, every nerve being numb except for a sharp pain in the right of his ribcage. He lifted his head, fighting the sudden exhaustion and fear overwhelming him and looked down to a gruesome sight; a large hole in his abdomen. Blood was steadily oozing out and the skin seemed to no longer exist. He could see white bone fragments amidst the gruesome pink flesh that once layed hidden behind his skin and fur.

He looked to Sonic in terror. The navy hedgehog just smiled back in an almost childish manner, chuckling. He had shot him. He had shot him and felt the least bit bad. Weakly, Shadow began to fight back. He failed in desperation, punching and kicking the navy hedgehog to the best of his abilities. He had to get out. The beast was more than willing to harm him.

With all the strength he could muster, he pushed the manical hedgehog off of him with great struggle. The hedgehog fought back and raised the gun once more as Shadow stumbled to his feet weakly. He keeled over and held his wound, hissing and watching the other with half lidded eyes.

"Sonic-" He whispered weakly before another bullet was fired, hitting him in the arm. He hissed once more and stumbled backwards, the wall catching him. He looked up to Sonic as a shaky hand slithered into his quills. The hedgehog was ready to fire yet another shot.

Shadow pulled out his chaos emerald in a matter of miliseconds, clutching it tightly in his hand as he looked to Sonic. He could have saved him, yet here he was; running away from his problems in a manner Sonic would have also chosen. He thought of Rouge and the others, hopeful for his return.

"Chaos Control." He weakly muttered. His legs gave way as the familair bright light blinded him, leaving him to grunt in silence for a split second before the light faded and left him in a large room filled with beds. Before he could take the time to look around, he felt his vision grow blurry and his head hit the ground before his senses left him in utter darkness.

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1068 Words

Published: 26th May, 2024

((Edited))