The Shadow of Winter

Chapter 17

        The bitter scent of coffee wafted from his mug, encircling the striped hedgehog's face and leaving its pungent odor lingering about the kitchen. Shadow took a sip of the coffee with a stoic expression, idly wondering if the dark circles he saw underneath his eyes in the reflection of the window would go away. Usually, drinking caffeinated beverages offered no aid in staying awake—as he was "The Ultimate Lifeform" and relied partly on the natural Chaos energy within his body—but, he did sometimes enjoy the taste with the right flavoring. This time, however, he was indifferent to the pure black coffee that he had poured into his mug, focused as he was on feeding as much caffeine into his body as possible.

        He had slept only a small amount within the past 24 hours, and that wasn't nearly enough after spending that time searching for the missing orphan with no breaks while also using his energy to go at speeds over 100 miles an hour and withstand the freezing winter temperature. When Sonic had gotten too tired to continue after the hedgehogs had checked by (Name)'s and her friend's house, finding the girl absent in both places, Shadow had allowed himself to be led to Station Square. The moment the two entered the teen hedgehog's home, Sonic had dropped onto the couch dead-tired, too exhausted to climb the stairs to his shared bedroom with Tails, who didn't know they had arrived. The agent as well had closed his eyes for a few hours after settling into a snug armchair. However, he had soon awoke after the experience of a stressful nightmare. Shadow didn't remember the last time he had dreamed. His nights had always been silent and dark save for the occasional brief images of his life on the ARK. But even those were disappearing.

        A loud ringtone caused the brooding male's ears to twitch in irritation. Shadow grabbed his phone off the counter to answer it before the noise awoke the boy on the couch. The screen flashed with a certain crocodile's name. "What is it, Detective Vector?" growled the hedgehog in a low voice, turning back toward the kitchen window to view the backyard.

        "Shadow! Have I got news for you!" bellowed Vector, his breaths coming in huge pants. The hedgehog listened with mild interest as the detective continued. "Last night, after our investigation, Espio found out some crazy shit is goin' on at Carter & Trade. It turns out the director of the company arranged for Mr. Carter's murder with one of their clients—some guy with the pen name 'Mr. Wolf.'—"

        "That's all very well, Vector," interrupted Shadow, "but right now I have more pressing matters on my mind."

        "Oh, yeah, the kid ran away," the crocodile stated, and Shadow felt for the power button on his cellphone as his anger quickly rose. Before he was able to hang up the call, Vector's next words held him frozen in place. "There was an accident on one of the freeways in Ohio, and a girl was hit and sent to the hospital. I heard on the news that she was travelin' alone during a blizzard when it happened."

        Shadow's mouth went dry. The reflection he saw in the window displayed a hedgehog standing still as a statue, his red eyes open wide in shock. In the drawn-out silence, a voice echoed in his ear, but Shadow did not understand what it said. His grip on the coffee mug handle began to tighten, the liquid dangerously quivering near the rim. Noticing this, the agent carefully set it on the counter with a shaking hand, clutching at the ledge in front of the sink and leaning on it for balance. "Tell me she's alive," he whispered.

        The detective on the other end of the phone hesitated after the delayed reaction. "I honestly don't know, Shadow. It was on the 6 o'clock news this mornin' and all they said was that a girl travelin' alone got hit by a car and was sent to the hospital in bad condition. I wasn't there, so I don't know what happened after."

        Shadow pressed the cellphone to his chest and groaned, further leaning above the sink. His teeth clenched together, threatening to crack under the pressure of his strong bite. What if it was too late? he thought. Had (Name) perished cold and alone beneath the tires of a vehicle that had no way of seeing her? Or was she still alive and barely breathing, hooked up to wires and machines in a hospital room? There was no way of knowing unless Shadow saw her for himself. He still had to apologize for his terrible treatment toward her, even if his apology was to a corpse covered by a white sheet.