Chapter ten

A Light of Hope

Later that day Rouge sat in the canteen eating her sandwiches slowly; she stared at all the other prisoners around her and wondered what they had done and what crimes they had committed that lead them to being banged up.

As she lifted her sandwich, she suddenly heard shouting coming from the outside of the wing, Rouge dropped her Sandwich and stood up; some of the other prisoners also did the same. Then through the door, a black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills appeared, he strode in, not caring that the guards were trying to stop him. "I don't care what you think! I'm here to see Rouge and I'll spear anyone who gets in my way!" the guards stood back as he said that.

Shadow flexed his hand threateningly then ran to the bars of the canteen. As he did the prisoners began to stare and gape. "Wow!" shouted the ginger cat, "look at the quills on that guy!" "He'sa handsome!" cried the lioness with a smile, "I wonder who he's looking for!" said Jenny looking at Julie. Julie just shrugged as she stared at the handsome hedgehog.

"Rouge!" Shadow called "Rouge!" "Shadow?" thought Rouge "it can't be!" she walked over to the bars and saw the black hedgehog stride up to the bars, his long coat flowing behind him, "Rouge!" he called through the bars, Rouge ran forward in joy "Shadow!" she cried "oh God Shadow!" she fell against the bars and grasped his hands, "I knew you hadn't given up on me!" "It's Rouge's man!" cried Ellen with joy "rock on girl!" she said punching the air.

Shadow kissed one of her hands, "Rouge" he said "I'm gonna try everything I can to get you out of here! You don't deserve to be behind bars!" "Shadow" said Rouge desperately as she grasped his hand through the bars, "I'm on death row, I have to stay here until my fate is decided"

Shadow put a hand through the bars so he could stroke her hair to comfort her, "don't worry Rouge, I promise I'll get you out! Whatever it takes! I don't care what will happen or what sacrifices I have to make, but I will prove your innocence, clear your name, and we can be together" Some of the prisoners including the murderesses sighed with happiness for them.

Rouge smiled, "oh Shadow" she said cupping his face with her hands, "thank you so much! I always knew you were my dark hero" Shadow smiled and blushed "I promise you Rouge" he whispered, "I've arranged for all your personal belongs to be removed from the apartment you and Knuckles were in, and I've arranged to have them brought to my apartment for safe keeping, so when I get you out, you can come and stay with me"

"Oh Shadow!" cried Rouge "I love you so much!" she kissed him, and Shadow returned it, "no bars are gonna keep me from you Rouge" Rouge chuckled "if it weren't for these bars I'd have you right now" she said, Shadow kissed her again, "I love you Rouge" he whispered, "I won't rest until you are free, my love, my dark angel" he kissed her again, making the prisoners sigh again in happiness.

"I have faith in you Shadow" said Rouge, she squeezed his hands and looked into his blood red eyes, Shadow kissed her again, then walked away from the bars, not before whispering 'I love you' to her once more, Rouge also mouthed back "I love you too" then finally the guards roughly escorted him off the wing. "The next time you wanna speak to your girlfriend, visit during the visiting hours!" said the Wing Governor as the guarding roughly lead him out.

As Shadow disappeared, the prisoners began to clap and cheer, Rouge turned to see the murderesses, Jenny, Julie and Ellen all clapping and cheering along with some other prisoners, "yes!" cried Ellen "Rock on girl!" Julie and Jenny then came over to pat Rouge on the back. "See! You have someone whose gonna help you eh love?" said Julie, "yeah!" said Jenny "well done Rouge!" Rouge smiled at them both, then looked up at Buxton who had the look of death on her face. Rouge gulped worried.

Later that evening Rouge sat at her table eating her dinner, with Ellen, Jenny and Julie, "so who is that guy?" asked Ellen "his name is Shadow the Hedgehog" said Rouge "he and I have been best friends and allies for years, we got together the night before I killed Knuckles"

"Blimey!" said Julie "so did you murder Knuckles to be with him?" "Julie!" said Jenny, "no" said Rouge "I killed him because he was trying to rape me" said Rouge, "oh…" said Julie blushing a little "sorry" "No it's fine" said Rouge with a chuckle, "I wanted to break up with the bastard ages back, but I was too scared to, because…" she looked sad again, "he was so controlling and so violent…I thought he would kill me"

Ellen, Julie and Jenny looked sorry for her, Julie was about to say something else when suddenly a voice said "blimey what a bastard!" the four friends looked up to see the Deadly Six walking over to the table. "Hey Rouge" said a Brown Spaniel, "we just came to apologise for being such idiots to you yesterday" "Yeah" said the blue kestrel "can we start over?"

"Yeah" said Rouge "er…sure" she smiled at them, the Spaniel and the Kestrel smiled back, "now first of all Rouge" said the Spaniel, "you should know this…." She held up her hands showing the other women in the group and said "we're the Deadly Six, the Six Murderers of the Mobotropolis Women's Prison"

"they all have a story to tell" said Jenny, "that's how they like to introduce themselves" she turned on her chair sipping her tea staring at the six women, "what do you know" smiled Jenny "dinner and a show" she sipped her tea and also turned to the Murderesses.

Ellen then spoke up "ladies and gentleman, welcome to the introduction of the Six Murderesses of the Mobotropolis Women's Prison, The Deadly Six!" she sat down and watched as the ginger cat stepped up towards the table...