I needed to get this out! It was eating me from the inside!

Shadow's eyes shot open, before halfway closing. He was sleeping on his couch. When did he get on the couch? He sat up on an elbow, feeling his fur. His fur was matted down where he was laying on it. What happened to it? He couldn't even remember when he fell asleep. Or why. Was he tired? He couldn't remember if he ate. Shadow looked to the spot he laid on. The couch was wet and had small blotches of lost fur. Was he shedding? If so, why was he sweating? He tried to move his legs, but let out a pitiful and pained howl. With the small movement, he fell off the couch onto the cold floor. His legs pained him to move, and they shook with every twitch of a strained muscle. He couldn't relax them. He sat up onto his hands and knees, keening in pain. He was unable to open one eye, and the other was blurred.

He gurgled out a hiss, before promptly puking on the floor. It was nothing but a thin green liquid; stomach acid. Instead of the burn he was expecting, it was just a dulled numbing sensation. He coughed and sneezed, painfully crawling a few more feet before giving up and flopping on his stomach. What time was it? What day was it? All he mainly needed was help. Shadow had no clue what was happening, he didn't remember last night, or the night before, or last week for the matter. He looked up, seeing his chalendar. He could barely see it, but he knew he was X'ing off the days. He looked above the chalendar, seeing his digital clock. The time still ticked on, but it was impossible for him to see.

With a swift motion, he punched the wall. It caused him great pain, but the chalendar fell next to him. The clock was hanging on still, so he hit the wall once more. The clock fell and he grabbed it. "3:16 AM..." He mumbled, squinting at the time. He picked up the calendar and read it, January 1st. The date was circled, the memo at the bottom reading. "Repeat Cycle before this time, do not forget. Horrible things will happen if you do." He groaned, not remembering what he needed to do. "Cycle? W...What cycle?" He racked his brain. He knew he had it written down somewhere...The bathroom! He put a sticky note on the mirror. "Fuck..." He growled, lifting to his knees. He let out a howl and fell back to the floor, hissing in pain. "How the hell am I supposed to get up there?"

With a shake of his head and another splash of vomit, he forced himself to painfully crawl up the stairs. He howled and stopped midway, keening loudly. His arms were frozen in place, and he sighed, falling asleep. He woke a full minute later, able to open both eyes, and his eyes were clearer. His limbs were more relaxed, but he was covered in a cold sweat. He forced himself to climb the rest of the way up, finding the bathroom and crawling up the counter. He saw a sticky note. "You're body will fail on you and die on January First. Get to a Satis tank before 7:00 AM or else you will die with it." Shadow's eyes went wide, and he forced himself to his feet. He wobbled on his legs and quickly ran into his room, grabbing his phone before he fell to his side.

He fumbled with the keys, screwing up Rouge's number and accidentally calling Tails's house. 'Pick up pick up, please let someone be awake at this hour!' His eyes shut on their own, and he couldn't compel them to open. "Urg...Hello?" It was Tails's voice. "Tails, please-" Shadow's voice was hoarse with death and tears. "Please help me, I can't move anymore. I need to get to the Satis Tank. Please tell me you still have it." On the other side, Tails's eyes went wide. "Yes, I have the tank. What's wrong? Why can't you move? Can't you just come here?" "No...I can't move, I can't see, I'm in my bedroom. I need to get in that tank by 6:00. My fur is falling out, I can't stay awake, I keep sweating, and my legs won't move. Please, help-" A beep cut Shadow off, and he pulled the phone away from his ear. He open an eye with his hand, barely being able to read. "Low Battery" on the screen.

He grabbed the plug and jammed it in, turning the phone back on.

Tails gasped as the call suddenly ended, and he looked down to his phone. "Crap." Tails set the phone down and woke Sonic, mentally cursing himself for having stopped on Angel Island to rest. Now we was further away then ever, and would take at least an hour to get there. Sonic woke up with a groan, seeing Tails frantically call someone. "What's up?" Sonic slurred out, but Tails growled. "Shadow's really sick, or maybe he's dying. I don't know. Start up the plane, someone else might be closer." Sonic shot up in bed, running to turn on the plane. Blaze was no good, she hung up before Tails could finish calling. Rouge was miles away from the city, Knuckles was with her, Silver was in the future once more, and everyone else was still asleep and never answered. "Shhii...crap." Tails growled, slamming down the phone.

He ran off and jumped into the plane, flying as fast as he could to his house.

Shadow woke up a third time, his eyes slowly sliding to the left to see a dim screen. 4:32. A loud thump sounded out, and if he wasn't so close to death then he would of been startled. Tails rushed up the stairs, his tails twirling in suspense. "Shadow the tank's still at my house- I can't take it out of the wall." As he was talking, he grabbed Shadow's ankles and Sonic his shoulders.

The flight to Tails' house took about another hour, because the kit was going too fast and past his house twice. Once Shadow was in the home, it was just about 5:58. He was rushed downstairs and into the basement. One minute to go. Shadow was no longer awake, his body limp and still in pain despite his slumber. He was crying nothing but salt, his body becoming dry. Drool dripped from his unhinged jaw, his nose constantly bleeding and his body shivering. Tails cursed his fingers for hitting 'Mario' instead of "Maria" Once he got it right, Sonic shoved Shadow into the tank as the clock hit 6:00. As soon as the clock ticked, Shadow fell completely limp and compacted. His knees were bent sharply, his quills quickly falling out and his drool turning into blood. The water filled the tank in seconds. Shadow floated weightlessly, the blood still bubbling from his mouth and dirtying the water. Clumps of fur floated to the top of the tank, followed by stray quills

The site was pitifully gruesome.

"We're...we're too late, aren't we?"

Tails stayed silent, pressing his hand to Shadow's tank. "Please, we can't be too late. Please..." Sonic set a hand on Tails' shoulder, feeling the kit shudder as tears streamed down his face. When Shadow's nose twitched, Sonic gasped. Shadow twitched once more, before he became stiff. Shadow's movement was purely his muscles reacting to the water before rigor mortis set in. Sonic closed his eyes and turned away, tugging Tails away from the tank and back to the stairs.

"There has to be a way to bring him back," Sonic mumbled, before his eyes trailed to the fake emeralds that Tails laid out as a trap. "That's it!" Tails looked up in shock, looking to the glass case. "The fake emeralds?" "No, the real ones! The emeralds have the power to heal, right?" Tails softly smiled, but his smile died almost as soon as it showed. "Yeah, but...what if it doesn't work?" Sonic shook his head, racing off to get the emeralds. "We wont know unless we try!"

Shadow's chest convulsed. He couldn't breath.

Once Sonic found said emeralds, he nearly dropped them all when he heard a scream. He rushed down to the basement, seeing Tails on the ground and shaking. Shadow was seemingly floating upright, his eyes open.

But that wasn't the worst part.

Nearly half of his flesh was gone, few bones and organs visible. He placed his still whole hands on the glass and tilted his head. He didn't know anything was wrong with him, or why Tails screamed. All he knew is that he was hungry. So hungry. Sonic grabbed Tails and ran, running back upstairs and locking the door behind them. "What the hell happened to him!" Sonic screamed, sitting on the couch. Tails' namesakes were curled around him, his knees to his chest and his arms holding them closer. "H-he was dead...Sonic, b-but...he was st-still moving..."

Sonic shook his head and carried the emeralds to the plane, dropping them in. Tails still sat on the couch, until a loud thump coming from downstairs sent him flying to the plane. They flew back to Angel island.

Blaze angrily knocked at their door, but when it slowly creaked and opened, she instantly lost her anger. Why did they leave their door unlocked? She looked around the house, seeing a struggle to rush outside. She checked everything, but once she got to the basement, it was locked. She panicked, thinking that they were locked downstairs. She quickly picked the lock and jumped down the stairs, stepping in a small puddle. she looked to where the water was comming from, seeing a fogged tank with a spider crack. Blazed held her hand on the crack as she got some glue, painting the crack over and stopping the flow. Blaze wiped her glove off on her fur as she looked around. There was no sign of them there.

She turned and left, but slowly began to ache all over. Her legs pained her, and she laid on the couch to rest. Her fur became matted down with her sweat and started falling out in clumps. She vomited, blood leaking from her mouth. "What the hell-!?" She vomited again. She stared into the puddle of blood on the ground, crawling off the couch and lading hard on her side. She felt pain all over, and randomly in places the pain would get worse before suddenly ending. Blaze's eyes slid close, then she coughed. She couldn't seemed to breath.

Her eyes shot open. She was so hungry.

Tails ripped off his gloves ad threw them away, the smelled like Shadow and death. Sonic had done so long ago, his keen instinct for bad smells unable to take such a scent. "Tails, please go to sleep. We'll head back tomorrow to see if there's anything we can do." Tails shook his head. Despite having thrown out his gloves, he still smelled death. Despite not even being there, he still saw Shadow's rotted body, he still saw Shadow's confused and pained eyes, he still heard the loud thump from the basement. "I can't sleep, Shadow died. I know it. But he's still alive..."

Who doesn't love zombies?! Come on!