They left the building. It was light outside, the darkness paling in comparison to the city life. The moon was shrouded by clouds, casting an eerie spell upon the land dwellers, and the stars were hidden. The air was chilly and cold gusts of wind broke over the two friends bodies. Tails shivered, teeth slightly chattering, so Sonic threw his arm around his shoulder. They walked through the city at a crawling pace, for Tails had difficulty walking. Silence accompanied their steps, broken at random intervals by hiccups. Sonic stared at his feet as they walked, a little bored, time seemed to warp and sway, not a constant. He didn't realise that they had taken a wrong turn. He looked up when his normally bright red shoes turned crimson. A dark street loomed before them, it was as if light was rejected, it seemed to swirl around an invisible barrier. The graffiti entrenched brick walls held a foul stench that permeated the air, a mixture of urine and rotting meat. Sonic nearly gagged. They took a single step and Sonic's neck hairs immediately stood on end. An ominous feeling hung in the atmosphere, tickling at his senses. Shadows seemed to flicker, hinting at things darker than black.

"Tails I think we should…" Sonic turned, realizing Tails was not next to him. He looked up and saw Tails, arms outspread and making zooming noises, skipping along the street ahead of him.
"Tails!" He moved after Tails, jogging slightly. He stepped into the entrance to an even darker alleyway. Bells rang in his head, screaming at him to move, to yell, to do something. Something was not right. He moved to roll forwards but it was too late. Firm hands gripped Blue's shoulders and hoisted him into the air.
"Hey boss. Look what I found." A loud, slightly slow and almost brainless voice cut through the night.
"Hey! Let me go!" Sonic struggled but to no avail, the hands were steadfast. Sonic managed to wriggle around enough so that he could see his captor out of the corner of his eyes. A large bear with grey-brown fur, sporting only a little-too-small leather jacket, grinned at him. He was stout but the fat hid a layer of neat muscles.
"What is it Gaz? Ah look what we 'ave 'ere." A corpulent male pig emerged from the shadows. He was bedecked in a dark leather jacket and pants and scars riddled his body. His belt held a considerably large knife. Another male, a rat, followed him. This one was much scrawnier than the other two and wore only a pair of ripped denim shorts. His belt was littered with a multitude of different sized knives.

The pig came before Sonic, he held up the trapped hedgehog's chin and stared into his eyes, bequeathing nose with constant blasts of disgusting breath. The pig's crooked smile boasted an only half full mouth.
"Name's Butch." He dropped Sonic's face and turned his head towards Tails, who was standing dazedly, eyes were half closed. "That's a pretty friend you got there." He said, indicating the clueless fox, utterly oblivious to the confrontation behind him. The fidgety rat came and stood next to Butch, mumbling the whole way.
"Y-Yeah, r-real pretty." He laughed.
"Don't go near him." Growled Sonic, all the while staring daggers at Butch, obvious leader of the gang. The pig went on, ignoring him.
"A pretty boy like 'im mayhap need some company, no?" An evil grin spread across his jowls.
"Don't you touch…" Sonic tried again. He stopped when a ball of spit flew into his face. The pig snarled.
"Shut up! There's still the matter of you comin' into my territory. What're you doin' 'ere?" Sonic sputtered, the saliva slid down his face. Butch grinned when no answer was forthright. "Didn't think so." Butch turned towards the fox.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Yelled Sonic, pure hatred manifesting itself in his words. A hard slap in the face was his only reply.