Survive
A/N: I was originally gonna make this a multi-chap, but I figured I'd just make it one long oneshot instead. I based this one my times enjoying playing Fallout 4 when I'm not playing Team Sonic Racing lol. Rated M for violence and strong language.
Working together's all they have...
It's been two years since Earth and fell to the nuclear apocalypse. Mobius was no different, but it honestly didn't matter now, they're stuck on Earth and they just had to survive at the best of their abilities. Amy has been so consumed by despair and depression that she had been nearly killed twice. Knuckles saved her every time at the near cost of his own life. He was the first and only person who was alive that she knew that came for her.
The two of them had been together since it all happened, but the echidna knew the hedgehog was reaching her limits. She had been giving up on life more and more and as his attempts of persuading her to continue fighting seem to grow slimmer and slimmer. Patches of his fur were missing making him appear feral. Amy's dress was ripped so badly she simply ripped at the parts that bothered her. Her boots hurt her feet as she walked over the cracked uneven roads that was once thriving with heavy city traffic.
The two was wandering the former downtown of a bustling city, now empty and broken much like Crisis City of Silver's future. He forwarded of these events. He was somewhere here and he was looking for those he befriended of the present. Knuckles was certain the grey hedgehog knew how to survive in such conditions. He was born into this life unlike the hedgehog and himself whom was forced. Knuckles shook his head from the thoughts and took Amy's hand as he carefully jogged into a supermarket. He doubted there was anything inside, but they had to try.
"C'mon Amy, help me open this." Knuckles grunted as he and Amy lifted the piece of concrete from the door and went inside. Knuckles turned on his flashlight as he scanned the area.
"Stay close." Knuckles whispered. Places that were deathly silent we're always the worst. Amy adapted to taking Knuckles' tail in her hand when she wanted to be close to him. He didn't mind it at all. As long as she was close was all that mattered to the echidna. He kept his hunting rifle in his grip as he shined his flashlight on a few canned beans.
Amy put them in her knapsack and quickly retreated back to Knuckles. They scanned everywhere else and once their take of four cans of baked beans was it they headed back out. That's when a loud crash drew their attention to the back of the store. Amy screamed, her yellowed, bloodshot eyes wide with fear as she hid behind Knuckles.
The echidna aimed his hunting rifle at the heavily irradiated Mobian coyote disfigured by the events that claimed Earth. He was not himself anymore and was quick to sprint for the two. Knuckles fired his gun with a loud bang and the coyote dropped to the ground.
"Go, go, go!" Knuckles ushers Amy out the supermarket with him behind her. Every time a loud sound was made...those things come running. The two ran as fast as they could away from the supermarket just as strange mutated creatures came from nowhere and into the building.
Knuckles and Amy were lucky to escape in time. They hid in an alleyway, listening and shaking in their knees as everything became quiet again. At least they got themselves some cans, but whatever else that may had been there would have to be searched another time. Amy wanted to cry but she knew Knuckles would scold her. She had been mentally breaking down and she'll eventually get them both killed if she didn't toughen up again. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Knuckles still looked around the corner with his rifle drawn.
"Let's go back to the apartment." The echidna instructs. "We'll come back here tomorrow." He turns to face Amy and sees how skittish she was. He narrows his eyes at her and touched her shoulder, a squeak escaping her dry, cracked lips.
"Amy! Calm down and look at me!" Knuckles shouted at her while roughly shaking her shoulders. "We'll get through today. Those "things" aren't gonna get us so relax yourself and let's go." She hesitates before nodding, and they head back to their apartment hand and hand.
Amy and Knuckles sat on the floor of the dilapidated building they called home. They eat their canned beans with spoons they took from Amy's original apartment and ate together silently. The luxury of life before this tragedy was long gone. The struggle of survival everyday was real. These two knew it. After finishing their cans, they sat on the floor so quietly you'd think their life size Mobian dolls.
Knuckles knew he looked like a walking corpse to Amy. They both were thin and disheveled beyond recognition. Whenever they came back to the apartment they sat on the bare floor until it was nightfall.
The two slept together on the queen sized dirty, bloodstained mattress on the floor of the master bedroom. The blood was from them—mostly Knuckles—during their travels. The echidna lost more blood on the mattress then out in the Wastes of the former Earth. Amy was the best nurse for the two of them. She snuggled close to Knuckles as the lack of sheets forced them to huddle close together for body heat. This night was one of those bad nights where she just couldn't sleep.
She thought of how many times the echidna nearly died because of her foolishness. He told her she'd be the death of him one day and it seemed closer and closer. If Knuckles died right now, Amy wouldn't even know what she'd do. She doubted the others were alive with the exception of Shadow whom the two are trying to look for. The dark hedgehog was the only one of their friends who's most likely alive given that fact that he is the Ultimate Life Form. Knuckles predicted he Chaos Controlled his selfish ass to the ARK just as the bombs dropped. Knowing he's up in space he'd be safe in the abandoned lab where he was born.
Amy nuzzled her face into the echidna's bandaged chest, she smelt the blood that had soaked through the white fabric. He was always bleeding out for her because he cared. She falls asleep, Knuckles' breathing and heartbeat calmed her.
Based on how early the sun appeared, it had to be around 6 or 7 in the morning. Amy woke up first, heading out the apartment to use the bathroom. She returns inside the safety of the building and wakes the echidna. It's the same ritual everyday—wake each other up and head out for food and supplies. Knuckles used the bathroom himself and set up the traps before leading Amy out on yet another day of scavenging.
This time they trekked passed the supermarket and former downtown area all the way towards the airport. It was just passed noon when they got there, sweating and tired from the long walk. Knuckles wanted to scavenge everywhere so to say, Amy just trudged along. When they got closer a voice startled them, Knuckles aimed his hint ring rifle at the voice's owner faster than a rabid Mobian coming at them.
"Woah man don't shoot! I'm a friend." It was a man in a ripped-up button-up shirt and dirty jeans and white sneakers. He looked so casual despite the surrounding area.
"Who are you?!" Knuckles demands. The man grew nervous.
"I'm Ken. Ken Alberts. I run with a group of survivors living hold up in the airport. I was coming back from scavenging and I noticed you guys." The man said. Knuckles lowered his weapon. He didn't see a bag or anything in the man's hand, so he found it suspicious. He let him continue.
"I can take you guys to 'em and offer you guys some food and supplies if you want." At this, Amy shook Knuckles' shoulder.
"Maybe we can take something back at the house Knux." Amy whispered.
"I don't trust him Ames." Knuckles told her. "If he was scavenging, he'd have a bag to carry stuff in. He doesn't even have a weapon."
"So? Maybe the area's safe. C'mon, please?" Amy begged. Knuckles growled.
"Fine." He turns his attention to the man. "Let's go see what you got." Knuckles said and the man grinned.
"Sure thing." He led them into the airport and into the building where you'd formerly check in. Some people, all humans were mingling around when they say the three come in. The look on their faces made Knuckles and Amy uneasy. A woman stood up from a makeshift throne.
"Ken! What you've brought today?" She shouts like she was a queen in some medieval fairytale. The man gets down on a knee and says.
"I've brought fresh meat wandering outside the airport." At those words, Knuckles wasted no time buttstroking the man with his rifle and everyone surrounding them began shooting. The two Mobians take cover behind the check in counter and began strategizing.
"Damnit!" Knuckles cursed under his breath as Amy screamed.
"We need to flank 'em all, NOW!" Knuckles yells just before an explosion startled both of them and Knuckles instantly wrapped his body around Amy to shield her. He looks over upon hearing the humans scream and realized he hear the gunfire of an assault rifle. He peers over the counter to see a rather familiar hedgehog firing at all the humans on the area.
The hedgehog was Shadow. His fur was a mess and he had bloody bandages around his wrists. He had a nonchalant expression as he gunned down everyone save for the leader of the group who he purposely wanted to fight by hand. He lets the derangement woman rush at him with a bloody machete only for him to fluently dodge and use the butt of his rifle to smash the woman's knee in.
She hollers out in pain and when she was down, he grabs her by the neck and breaks it by giving it a sharp twist. When the bloodied, bullet-ridden corpses littered the ground and everything was quiet, Knuckles and Amy emerged from their hiding spot.
"What the..." Knuckles was speechless. Amy couldn't help the surprised gasp she made when she saw it was Shadow.
"Shadow?!" Amy was shocked to see the dark hedgehog she and Knuckles had been desperate to locate. He held his assault rifle and flared down at the lifeless body of Ken and his people.
"I didn't expect to see you two alive." Shadow says in his deep, husky baritone. Amy almost forgotten how rich it sounded. Knuckles narrows his eyes up at him.
"Where have you been the last two damn years?" Knuckles rudely asks. Shadow slides his weapon on his back and slides down the rubble he stood on, walking up to the two.
"I've been helping a group of scientists rebuild this world by using my blood. I'm the Ultimate Life Form, I hold the key to rebuilding this world." Shadow said. "I happen to be in the area when I spotted you two coming in here with that man. At first, I couldn't believe the colors I saw in the distance. I couldn't believe you two were alive." Shadow turns his attention to Amy. "Especially you Rose."
"Life's too short..." Shadow hesitates to finish, "...for mortals."
"Hey! I went through hell for the past two years protecting Amy from everything that comes our way! Every time I do, I almost die!" Knuckles retorted. Amy put her hand on his shoulder.
"Knuckles stop!" She began.
"Humph. The two of you still bicker and argue even after the world ended." Shadow turned on his heel and was about to walk off.
"Wait! Shadow where are you going?!" Amy extended an arm out to him.
"Nowhere Rose. Let's get out of here before something bad happens eh?" Shadow took point leading the two safely back to their apartment just as night fell.
Knuckles disarmed the traps to let them in and reset them after and Shadow looked around. It was a place the two called home. Shadow can now call it home himself if he wished.
"Did your apartment collapse Rose?" Shadow asked. Amy nodded.
"The building was hit pretty hard. It wasn't so sturdy, so we found this place instead." Amy answers him. He nods.
"Very well." Shadow simply says. Knuckles was still on edge about what happened earlier but said nothing. He went into the bedroom and laid on the mattress. Amy and Shadow followed him. It was big enough to accommodate all three of them, Amy slept between the two and felt warmer then when it was just Knuckles keeping her warm. Going to bed early was a sign the echidna was mad—something Amy quickly learned. Nonetheless, everyone slept peacefully.
Shadow woke up early, the hard mattress made him sore. He shifted to get on his back and noticed how close Amy was to Knuckles. Understandably the pink female would lean into the comfort of the red male given she's used to him. Shadow didn't mind at all. He was proud of the two for working together despite their differences. He gets up and heads into the living room to sit on the couch. He looked around the dilapidated structure, the former owner of this apartment may had lived alone, he wouldn't know or cared.
Knuckles took point leading the two showing Shadow how he kept Amy safe as they scavenged yet again. Shadow Chaos Controlled them to the airport to save time from walking so it was still early in the morning when they got there. They explored the ruins of another neighborhood ruined by the atomic strike. They rummaged an old diner and found some food in the fridges. They looked through a police station and found ammunition and weapons.
Shadow handed Any a handgun. She timidly takes it from him and looks at it in her hand. It was first time she's ever held one. She always had her hammer, but there were times when it wasn't enough. Shadow looks at Amy, nodding before Knuckles looked over at them.
"Are you gonna use it this time?" Knuckles asked Any who looks at him. She knew what he meant and didn't want to say anything in front of Shadow.
"Are you?" Knuckles pressed. Amy mumbles.
"Yes!" Amy shouted quickly. She felt the tears leaking. Shadow looked at the two he now accompanied. He sensed the strain the two had. Amy and Knuckles never saw eye to eye even after the bombs fell, but now it escalated to a worse state.
"If we're going to survive, we need to work together." Shadow rasped. Amy and Knuckles looked at him.
"Since when you cared about working together?" Knuckles snapped. Amy looked at Knuckles she wanted to say something, but Shadow spoke.
"Now's not the time to be a ballsy motherfucker Knuckles." Shadow growled lowly, taking a step towards the echidna. "I'm here with you two because you two are...friends." Shadow rasped, baring his canines at Knuckles who bared his own. Amy was worried that the two would start fighting, so she spoke.
"Shadow?" Amy timidly asked. His head snaps to her.
"What Rose?" Shadow answers.
"What about the scientists you said you're helping?" Shadow almost completely forgotten to speak about them. The black hedgehog sighs.
"I'm no use to them anymore. My blood is all they needed from me and I left. No point in me staying with them. I traveled the cities until I came back here to Station Square. That's why I'm here. You guys were looking for me, weren't you?" Shadow asked.
"Yeah. Our asses been lookin' for your ass ever since the world collapsed. We knew you'd be the only one alive." Knuckles rudely answered.
"It's hard to believe the others are probably gone." Amy whispered. Knuckles walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. Shadow sighed, putting a hand on his hip and closed his eyes.
"Life's too short." Shadow rumbled. "We have to continue living for those we've lost." What Shadow said was very similar to what Knuckles always told Amy. It was the truth. The three had to live for those who died.
Together the trio would keep that promise, living in the wasteland of what was once earth.
A/N: Well, that took forever to write. I hope it was interesting enough. Not too many sci-fi fics. I hope y'all had an enjoyable read and keep safe out there.