Some things to state before I begin: This is a rewrite. This version is in no way related to the first. In fact, just disregard the first one if it behooves you. There are parts of it I'm not proud of.
And consider this a sort of AU thing if that helps, too, for it involves my OC having been a part of some of the characters' childhoods.
And also, I'll be doing my best to adhere to the following pairings: Espio X OC, Sonamy, and Shadria.
Alright… This is a big project… Let's begin!
*Sonic's POV*
Look at this. Just look at it.
Sonic the Hedgehog remembered this very intersection. Before it was all up in flames. This intersection held the park where most of his best childhood memories had taken place.
The barrier that surrounded the playground was now melting and becoming one with the wood chips. And gone were the footprints that Rachel the Fox left when she walked atop it. When it was like an entrancing dance to him. And now, those green, rotting excuses for lifeforms were stumbling over what was left of it.
The woodchips themselves were practically nonexistent at this point. Lost to the flame. And gone were the marks he always used to make whenever he curled up into a ball and dashed in place to make the chips fly in the faces of his friends as a mean little joke. Well… At least the zed-heads were walking into the fire.
The bench was painted with red and pink. A fresh victim's flesh-print. And gone was the rut that Sonic always thought Shadow the Hedgehog would make by sitting there so much, with his eyes closed and his tolerance for the setting dropping like a rock. Now, the infected were lapping up whatever was left of whoever was the last to sit there. If it was even sitting.
The monkey bars were on the ground and close to being caught in the flame. And gone were the sweat and tears that Amy Rose had left the first time she ever tried them out. It always made Sonic nearly laugh his shoes off every time. She was so determined to make it across that for those few days, she was the last to leave the park. Everyone had been there when she finally made it. He remembered it so well: He, Rachel, and Knuckles had nearly cheered their lungs out. Hell, Shadow had even opened his eyes, if Sonic could remember correctly. And now, the last Sonic ever saw of those monkey bars was a green thing straddling them before the flames ate the entire scene up.
The basketball hoops themselves were still standing strong, but the nets on them were starting to sprout little flames due to the heat. And gone was the occasional swish before the subsequent bounces on the gravel that could only make Sonic ever think of Knuckles the Echidna. Basketball was almost like a drug to that echidna. Sonic even remembered the time that he, Rachel, and Amy had joined in on the dose. It was a pickup game that the girls had lost terribly. Still, though, the only thing left to connect to that was the limb that hung from one of the… Wait, how did that even get up there?!
"'Ey, Sonic!" a voice snapped from a certain distance behind him. "You coming with us or what?"
He looked around to see that the voice belonged to Knuckles. He was standing in the middle of the intersection, in front of an SUV that a certain Rachel, a certain Shadow, and a certain Amy were climbing into.
Always the dream team. As time went on, they became the big kids. Alongside Rachel the Genius, Shadow the Grown-Up, Amy the Future-Seer, and Knuckles the Powerhouse, Sonic the Speedster always thought he was a part of the up-and-coming local league of superheroes.
"Yeah," Sonic sighed, looking back toward the park.
Their base was up in flames.
He walked toward the SUV and climbed into the front seat, confused as to why nobody had called shotgun.
The rest of them, even Shadow, had faces stained with tears of pain and agony… but at least Sonic still had them.
"Our final destination is a mysterious location in Oregon known as Safe Haven," Shadow explained. "We'll be making numerous stops along the way for supplies and to rest."
"This place will be lost in a matter of hours," Knuckles added. "They're setting off a nuke."
On foot, Sonic knew he could be there in mere hours, if not mere minutes.
But if he did that, he'd not only miss the opportunity for supplies that could very well be needed, or end up passing any other friends by who are in distress. He'd be leaving the group of his best friends behind, and living with himself would become impossible if even one of them was lost as a result.
Welp… We're off.