Sally runs desperately through the forest, her mind a dull blur of panic and grief. Survival instinct keeps her upright and fast despite her arms being uselessly bound behind her back. Breathing is hard through the gag, but with adrenaline flooding her arteries, the hedgehog doesn't feel her lungs burning with the effort.

Eventually, she cannot run anymore. Her legs fold under her, dumping her brutally to the forest floor. For several minutes, Sally lays motionless, unable to think straight, just waiting for her senses to recover and her breath to return.

Reality starts to reassert itself. Where am I? What time is it? Where's my‑ oh… Grief hits Sally like a landslide, and she breaks down, tears streaking across her face at the realisation her father is almost certainly dead.


"What do you mean, she's disappeared‽" Serpentine demands.

"We couldn't keep up with her, boss," the masked man with the broken nose explains.

"Useless, both of you!" Serpentine screeches. "I should kill you where you stand! Get this body dealt with!"

As the two masked men deal with the corpse of Matthias Flynn, Serpentine enters the bunker and activates his radio. "Sir, there may be a delay in getting the Crystals: the father is dead and the daughter has escaped."

There's a lengthy pause before the voice on the other end replies. "Make sure it's as short as possible. And if the girl dies before you get the Crystals, your life is forfeit."

The radio connection is terminated before Serpentine can reply.


Deep in the forest, Sally is back on her feet, carefully making her way through the undergrowth, looking for anything that will help her cut the ropes binding her arms. Her search proves fruitless however, and before she realises, it's sunrise. When she notices it getting lighter, Sally almost panics, but with a couple of deep breaths, she just about manages to remain in control.

The increased light soon proves to be a bonus when Sally notices a fallen tree, the exposed sheared wood looking like it might be sharp and strong enough to cut the ropes. Feeling a wave of hope and relief flowing through her, she darts over to the fallen tree, gets in position, and frantically begins rubbing the ropes around her wrists against the sharp wood. Initially, it feels like she's making no progress, but slowly, the ropes around her wrists start to loosen.

After a few minutes of frantic effort, the ropes suddenly give way. Her wrists now free, Sally breathes a huge sigh of relief, and rests a few moments before repeating her efforts with the ropes around her elbows. The act is harder due to the awkward position she's forced to adopt, but the extra tension on the ropes means they wear through faster.

When the ropes break, Sally wastes no time ripping the gag off. Breathing huge lungfuls of air for the first time in over a day, the sense of relief that she is finally free of her bonds combines with the dopamine hit of survival, almost pushing her into a delirious high. Giddy, Sally cannot help but laugh as she rolls onto her back to recover and allow the pain in her back and shoulders to subside.

A sudden noise causes Sally to jump, her heart rate spiking in fear‑ Oh, it was just a wild fox. Sally pushes herself to her feet, and takes stock of her situation. OK… I'm lost in the forest… somewhere, I have only the clothes I'm wearing, no weapons, no food, no water, and I'm almost certainly being hunted. I only have one option: keep moving, and hope I find water and food soon.