12th october 20222

This chapter breaks my heart...

Thank you DennyRush, MoonPrincess731, Ummy, SilverDrops-6593 and Starfiction123 for your amazing reviews. You have no idea how much your comments motivate me and make me smile. Your words are so precious to me.

Playlist :

Ewan Mainwood - No One Saving Me

James Arthur - Train Wreck

Tony Anderson - Younger

Daughter- Medicine

Christian Reindl x Lloren ft Lucie Paradis – Home

Reading time: about 30 minutes

CHAPTER 9 – DAY 9

Shadow was piloting the X-Tornado while Sonic was slumped in the seat behind him, his eyes closed. Midnight was displayed on the dashboard. The blue hedgehog hadn't said a word since the ultimate life form and Silver appeared in that hellish basement. Silver had teleported Tails and Amy to receive first aid. He had also taken Infinite, to heal him and lock him up in a cell on the base. Zero not having survived, Ayko, the leader, devoted himself to take care of the body, sorry that such events took place in his base.

"What happened ? " Shadow asked when they were already halfway.

The blue hedgehog tensed and grimaced without opening his eyes. Of course, he wasn't sleeping. How to sleep while his friends were in critical condition? When he had lost control? He felt awful. He felt like a monster. A monster that Infinite had created as it went along with all the nightmarish illusions it had undergone. How could he put words to what had happened when he didn't accept what had happened. His body was covered in burns from the numerous electric shocks he had received from Infinite's batons, but the physical pain was not as strong as his guilt. He hated himself.

When they arrived at the base, Knuckles was waiting for them in the hangar but he didn't have time to ask anything, Sonic jumped out of the plane and ran at full speed towards the infirmary. Tails and Amy shared the same room but neither had regained consciousness. Silver had settled into the chair between the two beds. Sonic entered the room, with a ball in the stomach. The gray hedgehog looked up and rubbed his eyes, visibly exhausted. Sonic slowly walked over to observe the condition of his friends. Tails was in the nearest bed. He had a heavy bandage around his head. The monitor beeped regularly announcing the patient's heartbeat.

"Tails has a concussion and several broken ribs. His heart also seems to be arrhythmia. Impossible to know the possible aftermath before his awakening." Silver informed in a whisper.

Sonic swallowed hard, then looked in Amy's direction. She had an oxygen mask on her face and adhesive sutures on her right brow bone. She didn't have this injury before he lost control. He tried to remember but it was pitch black and that was all the more frightening. What could he have done? What could he have done to her? He stared at the already blood-stained bandage around the pink hedgehog's throat.

"Amy has a wound on her brow bone and a gash in her throat exactly two centimeters from the carotid. It really didn't go far… Not to mention the hematoma that slightly compresses his airways. She lost a lot of blood but we already gave her an IV. She should be fine. " Silver continued quietly, not wanting to disturb his friends' sleep.

Sonic took a few steps back, suddenly feeling nauseous and clung to Tails's bed to keep from falling. Silver stood up alert.

" How are you ? Are you hurt? " he asked as he approached, noticing his alarming state.

The blue hedgehog shook his head then stormed out of the room. This feeling was unbearable. These friends had almost died before his eyes, for real, without him being able to do anything. Worse, he had hurt Amy. He held her by the throat when he regained consciousness of his actions. He ran to the roof, making sure no one was there. He looked at his trembling hands, the gloves still soaked in dried blood, as well as his chest, and collapsed to the ground. His breathing quickened and his heart pounded painfully in his chest. His head was spinning. Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes but didn't escape. He took big breaths of air but nothing helped, he felt like he was choking. This time, Amy, was not there to stop the panic attack that immobilized him on the ground. How was he going to look at them in the face now? He only wanted one thing, to run away as far as possible.

He regained consciousness with a start, face against the ground, his heart racing. He rolled onto his back and stared at the stars to calm down. Passing out was not his habit. He doesn't know how long he spent staring at the stars, lost in thought, trying to fill the gap in his memory, to fit the pieces together. The pain that emanated from his knuckles suggested that he had struck, a lot and with force. Infinite had certainly been the victim of his beatings, but what had happened with Amy? His arch injury worried him. The night quickly gave way to its opposite. Sonic sat up and stared at himself. He was certainly scary to see in this state: covered in dried blood and burns, but he didn't think he deserved a shower, in fact he didn't deserve to sleep or eat, not after what had happened. . The most important thing was his friends. He got up with difficulty, tottering. He walked to the infirmary and stuck his head in the doorway of his friends' room. None of them had regained consciousness. Shadow had taken Silver's place. He sat there with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. It was impossible to tell if he was sleeping or thinking. Sonic couldn't stay in the room, the feeling of oppression was too strong. He ran full speed in the opposite direction, escaping as far away from the base as possible. The sun was rising revealing a landscape still as devastated.

Amy could hear the steady sound of a heart monitor. Her memory was slowly coming back. Sonic. She absolutely had to see him, tell him she was fine. She opened her eyes slowly but widened when she saw the black and white wolf. Her heart raced in panic.

"You're finally awake, but it's too late." Infinite said with a smile.

She couldn't move but noticed he was covered in blood. Besides, there were splashes all over the opposite wall.

"They are all dead. You are the last one." he said, approaching her before grabbing her neck to squeeze it. She gasped instantly. She struggles by reflex but what for, if she was the only survivor?

" Rose ! Breathe gently! "

She opened her eyes violently on Shadow. He looked worried. It's a look she didn't know him to have. He was holding something to her face. She put her hand over his to realize that he was holding an oxygen mask over her nose. With his other hand, he pressed the emergency call button.

" Gently. " he repeated. "Everything is fine."

Amy's heart calmed down gradually, and her breathing did the same. She huffed. It was just a nightmare. The pain in her throat awoke. She grimaced, frowning but stopped immediately feeling her sore arch. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound would come out.

Edward entered the room.

"Miss Amy, I'm glad to see you awake. Your constants are good. On the other hand, I am not able to confirm the state of your vocal cords… Time will tell if it is temporary or permanent…"

She turned her head to see Tails in the bed next to her. She exhaled slowly and gestured to Shadow that she wanted to write. He nodded, slowly letting go of the mask for her to take over, and stood up to grab a notepad and a pen. Amy's first word was : "Tails?"

"He is stable but he has a concussion and several broken ribs. We have to wait until he wakes up to know his condition." Edward informed, checking the fox's constants as he passed.

She closed her eyes replaying the moment she was massaging Tails to get his heart going again. The moment she had heard cracks. She was almost certain that she was responsible for his fractured ribs. She blew into her mask before taking a long breath of oxygen.

She turned the page to write hastily:

"Sonic?"

"The last time I saw him was this morning around 5:30 a.m." Shadow said.

"I am also worried about him. Shadow and Silver told me he was hurt. But no one knows where he is…"

She couldn't hide her worry.

" Time ? " she wrote.

The doctor looked at his watch. "1:37 p.m."

Why wasn't he there?

" What has happened ? " asked the ultimate life form, as no one had been able to answer that question.

The events paraded at full speed in the head of the pink hedgehog, giving her nausea. With the notepad, she was not going to get away with it.

"My computer please. "

The black hedgehog nodded and walked out of the room only to return a minute later with what she had requested. He helped her up by placing several pillows behind her. He approached the mobile table and placed the computer on it in front of her. He hesitated for a moment as he watched her enter her password. It's always hard to deliver bad news. Should he tell her or wait for her to recover? No, she wouldn't forgive him if he didn't tell her now.

"Rose..." He paused. "I found this in your room. "

He handed her a piece of paper, his eyes hard. She picked it up and read it nervously:

Sorry for everything.

Goodbye.

Sonic.

If someone had stabbed her in the heart, the pain wouldn't have been as bad as what she was feeling right now. She shook her head as tears escaped her tired eyes. She wanted to scream but the sound died in her throat. She crushed the paper in her hands. He was gone. He had left them. She and Tails. He had abandoned them. She shook her head trying not to imagine the worst. Was he going to hurt himself? She grabbed Shadow's arm with all her might and pulled him towards her. She wanted him to go looking for him and at the same time she resented Sonic so much. Right now, she just needed to hold on to someone or she was going down. She dropped her head on the chest of the black hedgehog who didn't know what to do for several seconds, before pressing her against him. Amy was surprised by the strength of the embrace but accepted it in despair. She cried silently without stopping for about twenty minutes, before collapsing from exhaustion, not even feeling physical pain.

Earlier in the day :

Sonic was standing, on that cliff he had loved for the breathtaking view and now hated for the same reason. He had thought for hours, but he always came to the same conclusion: he was dangerous and he had to get as far away as possible from his friends and survivors. The only people who were able to bring him to his senses were no longer able to do so because of him. He examined his body, he had burns on his arms, chest and he could feel one on the right of his jaw where Infinite had hit him with his high voltage batons. What bothered him the most wasn't the physical pain, it was how Infinite beat him again. He had seriously injured his friends without him being able to do anything. It had been a situation that he had experienced repeatedly in the illusions he had suffered during his six months of captivity. He grimaced and sighed deeply. He had thought Amy had died in his arms and suddenly nothing mattered. He closed his eyes and felt a shiver run through him. He had to stay away for everyone's sake. He rushed into Amy's room. Her flowery smell invades his nose immediately. He lingered on the wall where she had hung the pictures she had managed to salvage. That time seemed even more distant. He looked away and picked up a sheet from the pink hedgehog's desk. The pen remained suspended for several seconds. His heart didn't agree with his brain. He didn't want to leave but he had to. The pen slid slowly across the sheet, writing the words that would break Amy's heart. He knew it, but he couldn't confront her. He left the note on the table and left.

He ran for hours. Knowing where he shouldn't go but not knowing where to go. His body was tugging at him. He quickly returned to his starting point: the cliff. The lack of sleep was felt but the guilt gnawed at him so much that he forbade himself from satisfying his vital needs.

He had inspected the whole area, several times, without ever leaving it. The sun was high in the sky and no clouds were there to disturb it. It was completely at odds with his mindset. He looked down the cliff and a dark thought flashed through his mind. It would be easier, if he didn't exist anymore, he wouldn't be able to hurt his friends anymore. He shook his head and took a step back before collapsing on his seat bones. His heart raced and he put his head in his hands. It wasn't him. All he wanted was to go back to who he was. The heroic Sonic the blue hedgehog, fearless, brave, funny and cool. He felt like the complete opposite: a dangerous, terrorized, dark monster. He was totally lost.

His gaze was suddenly caught by a large cloud of white smoke in the direction of the base. He rushed off without thinking. He arrived at the construction site as the dust that had risen gently fell to the ground.

" What has happened ? " Sonic shouted hoarsely through the fine particles, which made him cough.

"Sonic? Thank God Chaos! One of the houses has collapsed! " said a red wolf he recognized.

Sonic approached, his hand over his mouth to protect his airways, and saw the damage: only one wall remained of the three-floors house that stood there. The wolf watched him for a moment, noticing the pitiful state of the blue hedgehog.

"Were there people inside? " asked the latter.

" Yes ! Cori and Stanley! "

Sonic didn't wait another second to head towards the rubble. He helped Marcus and Leon remove the pieces of wall.

"A beam must have failed…" Marcus said, more to himself.

"I found Cori! " Leon shouted, lifting a large stone.

Sonic approached to see the condition of the monkey, removing the debris as quickly as possible. He felt his forearms scratch several times against the protruding pieces of cinder block, but he ignored the pain. Cori was conscious but badly hurt. The blue hedgehog helped him get out of the rubble but the monkey couldn't stand up so he carried him to a stretcher that was waiting for him, under the admiring eyes of the workers. As soon as he was dropped off, he returned to Leon and Marcus. Marcus used his wolf-like sense of smell to spot Stanley's position. They lifted stone after stone. Time was running out. When suddenly, the only wall that remained trembled to come crashing down on them. But that was without counting on the speed of Sonic who went to find wooden poles stored further away and used them to hold the wall above them. He was sweating profusely but didn't care.

They pulled the unconscious parrot out, his condition seemed more serious than Cori. Sonic carried him at full speed to the infirmary and settled him on the examination table of the doctor who got up from his chair when he saw him arrive.

"A house collapsed at the construction site. " the breathless blue hedgehog explained hastily.

The doctor dog nodded and examined his patient as Sonic backed away. Edward pressed a red button before cutting the parrot's clothes.

"I'll take care of you right after. " said the doctor, quickly noting the wounds of the supersonic hedgehog.

Vanilla and Cream arrived in the room to assist the doctor who was already giving them indications. Sonic caught the worried gaze of the two rabbits towards him but decided to leave the room so as not to disturb them. He staggered towards his friends' room and the scene that unfolded before his eyes squeezed his heart. Amy and Shadow in each other's arms. He was relieved to know that Amy was awake but this scene made him feel sick. Had Amy told Shadow everything? Was she afraid of him now? Did she hate him? He couldn't blame her for turning to Shadow. He was definitely a better choice than him. He could hear her erratic sniffles. She was crying. He grimaced and with the strength he had left, he ran to his refuge: the cliff. His legs gave out and he lay on his back exhausted, unable to fight any longer against his heavy eyelids and bruised body. He had never suffered so much. Every cell in his body vibrated with pain, with guilt. He prayed that sleep would take him quickly.

Amy looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She was wearing that gorgeous blue dress that Luna had given her. Will Sonic like it? Will he find her pretty? She moved excitedly through the corridor to head towards the hall of the base where he had the party. When she arrived, she was impressed by the crowd and looked around for the one she loved. She walked over, she felt like everyone was watching her. She recognized Jordan, the green hedgehog in the crowd who waved at her. She nodded and suddenly her gaze caught sapphire blue and she moved towards him. Sonic burst out laughing with his two-tailed best friend when she arrived.

"What's so funny? " she asked as they finally noticed her.

But her only answer was silence.

"Wow! Amy, you look stunning! " the fox finally exclaimed.

"Thank you Tails. " She blushed and smiled shyly at him.

Sonic gulped down the drink he was holding. Soft, slow music began, inviting the couples to join the center of the floor. She felt a hand grab hers and when she looked up she found the blue hedgehog's smile. He pulled her gently, before melting into the crowd. He put one hand on her waist while the other raised the hand he was holding, to gently dance to the beat of the music. He pulled her closer and rested his forehead against hers. They closed their eyes and enjoyed the moment. Everything was perfect. Everything should have happened like this.

Amy woke up several hours later. She got up from her bed. Shadow was gone. She grabbed her watch from the bedside table. 9 p.m. She opened her laptop. She needed to know where Sonic was before it was too late. She didn't know what state he was in, but he couldn't be well, that was for sure. She felt her heart sink as she entered Tails' codes to connect to the tracking network. The page loaded. She tapped nervously on the table, turning her gaze to the still unconscious two-tailed fox. She had to find Sonic quickly. Tails wouldn't recover from losing Sonic, just like her. She sighed in relief when a red dot appeared on the map confirming that Sonic was wearing his watch but fear suddenly gripped her guts when she saw where the dot was. A cliff. She jumped out of bed removing her IV cleanly and slipped out. She quickly went to her room to get dressed, she definitely couldn't go there in a hospital gown and barefoot. She then headed to the shed, grabbed the key she needed, and climbed onto a motorbike before revving its engine and speeding off. She turned the throttle all the way. The closer she got to her destination, the more the nervous ball in her stomach grew. She stopped abruptly. She had climbed half the cliff but she couldn't go further on her motorbike. She put on the stand and descended quickly, turning off the engine. She ran down the steep slope, through the rocks. She hoped to find him upstairs, because if he wasn't there, that meant he had jumped off and was definitely no longer here. The ascent was endless but she did not stop. Her lungs, her throat, her arch, her rock-scratched hands and knees tugged at her body, but she didn't care.

She finally climbed upstairs, out of breath. She scanned the horizon and saw her favorite color on the ground. She moved slowly, holding her breath. He was lying on the ground, his body covered in blood, scratches and already infected burns. She moved closer and watched the hedgehog's chest heave frantically. He was alive. He winced and squeezed his eyes in his sleep. He moans. She still couldn't speak so she gently shook his shoulders to wake him up. The coat of the blue hedgehog darkened suddenly, he grabbed her arms, passed over her to press her violently against the ground. He was straddling her. He still had his eyes closed. He roars. She trembled with terror. If only she could talk to him. She felt the hedgehog's hands move to her throat. She put her trembling hands on the supersonic hedgehog's cheeks. His emerald eyes snapped open. He quickly analyzed the situation: he was on top of Amy, his hands ready to squeeze her bandaged neck. He jumped to his feet, horrified. He looked at his hands. He had lost control again. He took a few steps back, shaking his head not realizing what was happening to him. She got up quickly panicked, unable to cry, and rushed, stretching her arms towards him, while the body of the blue hedgehog rocked in the void. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

Sonic gasped as his aching body slammed against the cliff face. He looked up to see Amy clutching his wrist with all her might.

"Amy…" he breathed.

She grimaced. Her body was lying against the ground, at the edge of the cliff and this position did not allow her to go up Sonic without tipping over. Her hands couldn't reach her watch to start the distress signal because they were busy holding him. Tears of frustration escaped. Sonic felt the pink hedgehog's tears fall down his face.

"Amy. Let go of me…" he said, his voice hoarse with emotion, with despair.

She shook her head. She felt her armpits grating against the edge of the cliff but there was no way she would let go. If she lets go, she kills him. The image of Zero formed in her mind in spite of herself. The moment she pushed him into the electrified tank.

"Amy. " Sonic began calmly. "Let me go…or we both fall."

She shook her head, her breathing hitching with her sobs. Of course she preferred to fall with him. Guilt gripped the blue hedgehog's heart. It was all his fault. He just wanted to get it over but he didn't want to put Amy in danger. She sighed to calm herself down and looked at her watch before looking at him again insistently. If she couldn't speak with her mouth, she had to speak with her eyes. He frowned in confusion, but she started again. He didn't understand why she wasn't talking. He followed the pink hedgehog's gaze on her watch and tilted. He gently raised his free arm, so as not to unbalance them, and pressed two buttons at once to activate the distress signal. He watched her close her eyes in relief. She impressed him. She never gave up, nor did he normally. He was far from his normal state. But, she reminded him who he was, that there was always hope and that he had to fight until the end. He didn't deserve her. She was starting to shake with the effort. She opened her eyes and her gaze locked on the blue hedgehog's. Dark circles outlined his eyes. She had never seen him so pale, so badly. She wanted to tell him something, anything, but she couldn't. Could she speak again one day?

Suddenly, she felt the edge sag. Their gazes widened at the same time, feeling their bodies drifting into space. But Amy suddenly felt a weight on her body and a black and red arm stick to hers to grab the blue hedgehog. Sonic saw Shadow lying on the pink hedgehog's back so she wouldn't tip over. His heart sank. Maybe Shadow was right all along... He was just an impostor.

" PULL ! " shouted the dark hedgehog.

Amy complied, drawing on her last strength. Slowly but surely, Sonic was brought back to solid ground. The three hedgehogs were panting under the effort, under the emotion. Amy put her numb arms around the blue hedgehog.

"I'm... so sorry..." Sonic muttered with a grimace, letting out a tear, before fainting.

The black hedgehog looked at them full of questions but he knew he was going to have to wait for the answers. When Amy finally turned her head towards him, her eyes full of gratitude but at the same time sad, he approached and lifted the blue hedgehog to down from the cliff. Amy followed him, exhausted.

"Can you drive? " asked the ultimate lifeform as it pulled up next to the motorbike.

Amy nodded. Shadow ran towards the base, without losing sight of the motorbike, holding Sonic in his arms. He put him on the examination table of the dog doctor who took care of Sonc right away. Amy helped him despite Edward's reluctance, who advised her to rest. She took off the hedgehog's gloves. His hands were covered in scratches. His knuckles were bloody. She cleaned him entirely, passing the wet towel, removing the traces of grime and blood, inspecting every part of his body in passing. The more wounds she discovered, the more her eyes filled with tears. He must have suffered so much. She remembered his horrified look when he realized what he was doing to her. He was afraid of himself. It was all Infinite's fault. She had let her guard down and the situation turned around in an instant. She imitated the doctor and put tulle gras on the cleaned burns and dressed them. He was almost completely bandaged. They put the hedgehog in the bed next to Tails. Amy shook hands with the fox who hadn't yet opened her eyes, then sat down in the bedroom chair, tired. Now she just wanted Tails to wake up. Sleep took her quickly despite her.

I don't know how much time I spent on this chapter... and I don't care! It feels so good to get all this images out of my head and I hope for your enjoyment!

Don't hesitate to leave me a little comment: it's my fuel!

I still have so much to tell you! Stay connected and take care!

KimberlouxXx