A/N: Quick update, yay!

Chapter 5

Sonic's emerald eyes darted frantically back and forth between the two screens. Fear danced in his eyes as he saw the limp, vulnerable bodies of the two people he cared more about than any other. The thunder continued to crack overhead, still deafening from the basement confinement surrounding Sonic.

"One minute," the voice spoke darkly. Sonic bit his bottom lip, his brain running wild. He couldn't choose, could he?

'Tails is my best friend. He's been there for me since the beginning. But… he was going to run away, with Cream, without even telling me.' Sonic sighed as his gaze flicked to Amy, still wearing the clothes she donned when he fought with her in front of Shadow.

'Amy is my fiancé. I love her, always have. We've been together for ages. But… she cheated on me. With Shadow of all people.' He couldn't choose. How was he supposed to?

"Twenty seconds," the voice pierced through his thoughts. Sonic's words found his throat, carried by the desperation consuming him.

"Please, please don't make me choose," Sonic begged.

"Fifteen seconds."

"I'll do anything. Just let them go."

"Ten seconds."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Eight, seven…"

"What did we ever do to you?"

"Five, four, three…" Sonic ran out of time. He couldn't think, he couldn't reason with this disjointed, untethered voice and he had no bargaining chips. He was at the complete mercy of whichever psycho wanted to torture him. He had to make a choice.

Instinct took over, whether his heart or his brain made the choice, Sonic was unsure but instinctively his right arm rose and slammed down on a button, silencing the voice.

"You've made your choice," the voice concluded. Sonic watched in horror, his eyes bulging wide as the gloved hand holding the pistol squeezed the trigger. He lifted the palm of his hand off the yellow button and pressed it up against the rightmost television screen. He traced his fingers over the image of Amy's lifeless body, a pool of crimson liquid soaking her clothes. Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he stared, unable to look away.

Sonic couldn't find his voice, the phone dropping to the floor. He fell to his knees, his eyes fixated on the pixels. He could feel his heart shatter into a thousand tiny pieces, each one scratching his insides like knives. He knew he was responsible for the death. He killed his fiancé. The one girl he loved more than any other.

Suddenly, the since dormant anger sparked to life, kindled by the knowledge of being cheated on by Amy and ditched by Tails. The raging fire within him had been stoked and now there was no stopping Sonic. He reached down, almost breaking the phone in his grasp as he spat into the microphone.

"You listen here. I don't know who you are, or how smart you think you are but I will find you. And when I do, you'll wish it was only a bullet to the head that killed you." Sonic narrowed his eyes, his gaze still caught on the image of Amy but all he heard was a dark chuckle on the other line. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Big talk from such a weak man."

"Do you think this is all a game?"

"No. This has never been a game. This has all been retribution."

"For what?"

"I could tell you that," the voice offered. "…Or, you could ask me the question that you should have asked minutes ago."

"What the hell are you on about now?" Sonic barked, fed up with cryptic messages and being lead about like a blind dog on a leash.

"You did what I asked, so now you can go to Tails. That was the deal. And I'm nothing if not a man of my word."

"Tails! Where is he?" Sonic's tone shifted immediately, a desperate pleading replacing unbridled rage.

"I'm surprised you never figured it out. Tails was planning to leave, to run away. So where would be the best place to keep him?" Sonic was about to hang up, done with the misleading ramblings of a clearly disturbed man. However, before he could, realization struck, piercing through him like an arrow shot brave and true.

"His house…"

"Exactly where he should have stayed," the voice responded maliciously before the stagnated silence was replaced by the dial tone and, once again, Sonic was left all alone. Sonic jumped up, bounding over towards the rickety staircase when he heard it again. The same noise as before. Like a bump in the night… coming from the small tucked away closet.

Sonic hesitated, his body still screaming at him to get to Tails' house to catch the son of a bitch that killed Amy but he needed to know what it was. He sprinted over, wrenching open the wooden shutters to reveal whatever was locked inside but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. A girl, body bounded by tight, thick rope and a dirty sock stuffed into her mouth fell forwards, colliding into the hard ground below.

"Cream?" Sonic gasped, hurriedly helping her up, removing the sock from her mouth. Her eyes were puffy, streaks staining her cheeks.

"Sonic, oh my god Sonic. It happened to you too?" Cream sniffed, still unable to believe her eyes.

"What happened?" Sonic asked, his nimble fingers swiftly untying the knots that bound her wrists to her back.

"The choice," she sobbed, too distraught to couple more than a few words together. Her body still shook.

"Cream… Cream please, we don't have any time. What are you talking about?" Sonic urged, restlessly trying to help her up so he could go rescue Tails.

"Last night… oh god I killed him, Sonic. I made the choice and I killed him," she cried, tears running freely down her face now, dripping from her chin.

"Wait, this happened to you last night?" Sonic asked stupidly, his mind still a flurry with thoughts and worries.

"This… this guy," she choked out in between sniffs. "He called me saying that Tails and Knuckles had been taken and I had to go down to my basement."

"Wait, hang on-" Sonic tried to stop her, none of her story making sense but she continued despite his interruptions.

"I saw two videos. One where Knuckles was begging for his life, pleading with me and the other was a recording of Tails. Except he must have been told he had to beg to you because instead of my name, he was begging you to save him," Cream explained through her intermingled tears.

"Wait… which one did you save?" Sonic whispered, his voice soft and strained.

"I didn't save anybody, Sonic. I'm a killer. I made the psycho kill Knuckles. Oh god…" Cream broke back into an uncontrollable fit of sobs, but Sonic didn't sooth her. He couldn't move as he sat up stiff.

"That's impossible…" Sonic's breath caught in his throat. His eyes grew wide, the sudden realization of what he'd been subjected to thrusting more fear through him than had been previously. Cream looked to him, confused and scared. "That can't have been possible. I just spoke to Knuckles tonight, and last I saw him he was coming… here!"

…

Knuckles' eyes shot open to the sound of a door creaking open. His head was pounding, too much alcohol ingestion the night before.

"C-Cream?" He whispered through the dark, trying to make out her figure.

"I'm just going to work, I didn't want to wake you," she hushed him softly as she turned from the door. "You can sleep in, I'll be back later tonight." Knuckles tried to sit up, wanted to talk more but exhaustion took ahold of him and dragged him back down into the depths of unconsciousness.

When next he woke, the sun was streaming brightly through the curtains. The rays fell upon his eyelids, rousing him from his slumber. Knuckles yawned, stretching out his sore, stiff muscles. He glanced over to the vacant spot next to him, nothing but messy sheets. Suddenly, a memory surfaced from his grogginess. He darted out of bed, pouncing on his jeans that had been tossed haphazardly to the floor. He threw his hand into his pocket, fishing around until he found what he was looking for.

"It's still here," he drew a sigh of relief as he pulled out a small, black box. He quickly popped open the lid, revealing a breathtaking golden engagement ring inside. "Time to start making plans for tonight," Knuckles smiled as he rose to his feet. As he stood, he felt a horrendous pounding in his head. He stumbled, pushing against the wall to keep himself up. Knuckles staggered over to Cream's bedside table where he recalled her keeping some pain relief tablets for his screeching headache. He rummaged through the top drawer, sorting through papers, batteries, a bible but no tablets. Knuckles began to close the drawer when he noticed something tucked underneath the bible. An envelope with Cream's name written on it. However, Knuckles recognized the handwriting from all the Thursday nights. It was undoubtedly Tails'.

Despite his better judgement, curiosity took ahold of Knuckles and he unfolded the letter inside but the more he read, the angrier and angrier he found himself.

Dear Cream,

I'm writing you this letter because texting has become too dangerous. Knuckles has almost seen our texts twice. I miss you so much, but seeing each other is too risky. It's so hard to stay away from you, but until Friday we must. I've arranged the tickets, the plane leaves Friday morning. I'll meet you at the airport. I booked Hawaii, just like you always talked about. Don't let Knuckles see you packing.

I love you so much and although it's only been a year, it has been the best year of my life but I agree with you. It's not fair on you to keep sneaking around like this. I just got back from my weekend away with Sonic. I couldn't tell him I was leaving. I wanted to, but I just couldn't. What if he came with us? Knowing him, he would. After seeing him propose to Amy last week, I couldn't take him away from her. That's why I'm leaving him in the dark. I'll call him from Hawaii, we can call him and Amy together and explain why we left and for them not to follow us.

Enclosed is your ticket. Until Friday morning, I love you.

Tails

Knuckles let the envelope fall from his hands, too stunned to keep ahold of the object. His blood boiled, anger seeping through his veins. He visibly shook, unable to control himself as he held up the box to inspect it.

"After all that happened… she was going to leave with him!" Knuckles yelled as he hurled the ring as hard as he could against the wall. Something inside of him snapped, watching the rings ricochet off the wall and land harmlessly against the carpet. "Let's see who she loves more. Him… or me."

…

"No, no, no, no," Sonic repeated frantically, babbling madly as he unlocked the phone and looked at the one video that remained on it. He studied it, his blood running cold as he realized the truth. The recorded video of Tails pleading for his life was exactly the same as the one he had just watched. Down to the exact timing of when Knuckles knocked him unconscious with the butt of the gun.

"How could Knuckles do all this? You can't be sure it was him," Cream reasoned, unable to accept what they both knew was true.

"I talked to him today, Cream, and if he was coming here we need to get out of here, now," Sonic replied forcefully as he grabbed his hand, tugging her behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"Tails' house," Sonic confirmed as Cream fell into step behind him. The two took her car, speeding down the stormy streets as fast as the lightning flashes above them. Sonic never slowed until he pulled up into Tails' driveway, leaping out of the car while it was still idle despite Cream's calls. She grunted, chasing after him as he pushed against the front door, not locked.

Sonic and Cream bounded up the stairs, breaking into Tails' bedroom. Sonic fell to his hands and knees, unable to believe the sight.

"Sonic, what is it?" Cream asked, trailing behind him but as she entered the room and laid her eyes on the gruesome sight. She fell to the floor, vomit spewing from her mouth. The putrid smell filled their nostrils, stinging their eyes. There, on the bed, lay the limp, lifeless, deceased bodies of both Tails and Amy.

Sonic inspected the body's, nearly giving into the nausea that overtook him as he saw the bullet hole in Amy's head and the four that peppered Tails' stomach.

"How could he do this?" Sonic cried out, clutching his stomach.

"Sonic, look at this," Cream breathed as she turned around, holding a gun in her hand.

"Cream, drop that," Sonic hissed, slapping the weapon out of her hand. The two watched as it skidded across the floor, clattering against the wall. "That's evidence. We'll call the cops and get Knuckles arrested and-" Sonic began frantically but the sounds of blaring sirens filling the night silenced him. The luminescence of blue and red flashing lights poured through the window, bathing the room.

"I guess it's finally our lucky day," Cream remarked sarcastically as the door to the bedroom flung open and three armed men, dressed in bulletproof body armour burst in.

"Officers, thank god you are here," Cream sighed with relief but was quickly tackled to the ground, along with Sonic.

"You sickos are going down," One of the men growled angrily at them.

"No, please, you have made a mistake. These are our friends," Sonic spoke.

"You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used in a court of law," another barked at him.

"We didn't do this, it was Knuckles. Knuckles," Sonic howled at them, desperately fighting against the two men that held him down in futility.

"Sonic?" Cream turned to him, tears in her eyes as handcuffs were clamped around her wrists.

"It's going to be okay, Cream. Everything is going to be okay," Sonic repeated, more to himself than her, over and over again as the two were marched out of the house and pushed into the back of the cop car.

Knuckles smiled, watching from his hiding spot behind a tall tree as the lights grew faint in the distance.

…

Knuckles needed somebody to talk to. Somebody to help him and Amy's name was the first one that popped into his head. Tails' words of the letter he had just read echoing through his brain, taunting him. He hastened over to her house, ready for some advice but before he could knock on the door, he heard some noise from inside. He quietly snuck around to peer into her window, only to discover her making out with Shadow in the living room. Knuckles fumed, the rage inside him bubbling to boiling point. First Cream cheating on him, and now Amy on Sonic. He knew he needed to settle the score.

Knuckles got to work throughout the day. He hid himself away in Cream's basement, wheeling two televisions down and constructing a wooden box with two buttons. He rigged up their compression, both wired to send his phone a notification of which one was pushed. He sneakily hid a camera up in one of the corners, training it on the televisions.

Knuckles retrieved some rope and set up his phone, recording, on a stand to face him. He steeled his nerves, psyching himself up before he punched himself in the face. He staggered backwards, taken aback by the pain but didn't let it deter him. He punched himself as hard as he could again and again, in the face, arms, gut and legs. He stumbled over to the wall and slammed his head against it. Blood pooled in his mouth and pain overrode all his senses. He spat out a tooth, watching it clatter to the floor. In his bruised, battered and bloodied state he took the rope and tied it around his body before holding both ends behind his back, obscuring it from the camera as he got down on his knees.

"Cream… Cream please," Knuckles begged, staring deep into it. "Cream I don't know what's going on but please, please help me. I love you. If… if I don't make it, the engagement ring is hidden in our spot." Knuckles stood up, cutting off the footage and editing it so that it cuts out after he professes his love, hoping that throwing in the line about the ring would get her to choose him.

Knuckles drove over to Tails' house as the sun set below the horizon, being invited in by the surprised fox. There, Knuckles jumped Tails while he was distracted, beating him senseless until he passed out. Knuckles proceeded to tie him up and train a gun to his head, instructing him to beg for his life to Sonic, who would be the only one seeing this. After recording it, Knuckles turned to Tails' unconscious body and, blinded by an incurable rage, shot four bullets into his stomach.

Knuckles took his phone, wiping it of all applications, pictures and text messages apart from those with Cream. Just as he was finishing up, he felt his own phone buzz in his pocket.

"Hey Cream… yeah… yeah sorry the office forced me to stay back late tonight. My car broke down, can you come pick me up? Thanks, see you soon." Knuckles sighed as he hung up the phone. He acted quickly, now on the clock as he quickly burnt the two recordings onto disks and drove back to Cream's house. He loaded them both onto the televisions, priming them for remote access before retreating into hiding just as Cream got home, confused.

Knuckles waited until the dead of night before he walked up to her front door, knocking loudly. He placed a cardboard box on her doorstep and dived behind a tree, watching Cream as she inspected the box and the phone inside. Knuckles performed the same ritual he would later repeat for Sonic. He watched Cream's face in horror as she found out. He walked back to his car, accessing the hidden camera from his laptop. He watched with tears in his eyes as Cream broke out into hysteria watching the real video of the now deceased Tails begging for his life and the staged one of himself.

Knuckles spoke clearly into the phone, forcing her to make a choice. One, to him, she chose poorly. Enraged, Knuckles stormed into the house, frightening Cream. He donned a black hoodie, shadows obscuring his face as he knocked her unconscious, tied her up and stuffed her into the basement closet. He made sure to position Tails' suitcase on Cream's couch and leave his letter on the tabletop for Sonic to find, just to push him into the direction of saving Amy.

Knuckles then got to work again. He watched Sonic's reactions to the phone, kept an eye on him as he approached Amy and made sure he was at home for when Sonic pounded on his door. Exhausted from all the running and hair still wet from the storm, Knuckles quickly threw on some pajama's and answered the door, pretending to have been asleep. It was there that he planted the seed for Sonic to return to Amy. After he stormed away, Knuckles broke into Amy's house, luckily after she had kicked Shadow out and tied her up. However, instead of getting her to do a recording, he decided to stream it live to one of the televisions instead. He warned her that he would shoot if she mentioned his name and that only Sonic could save her.

Knuckles frowned as Sonic pressed the yellow button, reluctantly shooting Amy in the head, watching her brains stain the floor below. However, as he continued to watch Sonic, he never expected him to find Cream. Knuckles smiled, a wicked idea springing into his head as he picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello, police. Yes, I just heard a bunch of gunshots from my neighbor's house. I think some people may be hurt, please hurry!"

A/N: So, did you get it right? Did you guess it was Knuckles all along? He was in love with Cream, and Tails was one of his most trusted friends and after finding out that the two had been sneaking around for over a year together and were planning to run away and never return pushed him over the edge. And right when he was about to propose, too. And yes, Sonic saved Tails... too bad that Tails had been dead since before the first chapter. Did any of you notice that the video in chapter 1 was the exact same as the video in chapter 4. Control C, Control P to the rescue :P Nobody seemed to pick up on that. Neither did they pick up on the face that Knuckles had damp dreds, despite claiming that he had just woken up from bed. And after all that, he got away and set up both Sonic and Cream to take the fall. If only Cream didn't put her finger prints all over the gun...

Either way, what did you think? Did you like the ending? Please let me know in a review about what you thought about it all. But don't worry, there is still a short epilogue to come. We aren't quite done with Knuckles just yet. I'll try to get it up by the end of the week to end this story but until then, don't forget to review and have a great day :)