Shadow's First Life
Chapter XIV
The Massacre
20 December, 1971 is the final day of my life as I once knew. Christmas was around the corner, and I could not wait for that morning. My dear sister had applied for college on Earth, and she was accepted for a summer term. I remember her excitement. That summer would be her first days outside the colony and into the real world.
I was glad for her, but, also in a way, jealous. I was stuck on the ARK. I was stuck in a high school with my own friends as well as strangers and dimwits that I hated and could not avoid. I craved freedom. I was ready to get out of that fishbowl and leap into the ocean!
During the Christmas break, I met my biological father. I was shocked by my similarities to him, and how I got along with him really well. I had no affectations or intentions to impress him or his family. I was just... me. I seemed to beguile them, and they liked me. I felt exhilarated by their fondness, as it was sincere and simple.
Christmas break was just some week on some month every year. Every single day on the colony was the same! Same black sky, same weather -which was literally nothing at all- and no seasons. The lack of seasons was something I did not miss until I learned about the Earth and how great it seemed.
After I went to Earth with my family, I dreamed about how the seasons would feel and what would happen to the nature, people, and weather as the seasons transformed. I wanted to enjoy just one year on the Earth! Just one year was all I wanted! I wanted deeply to share its marvelous colors and changes with my family. I was told that after the end of that school year, my family would move to Earth. I was thrilled to death!
I was just staying at home all day, sleeping ceaselessly to answer my fatigue. I worried about it not, I was just growing up. One day, Grandpa told my parents that they would be expecting company soon. I had no idea about who would be visiting. Who came to the colony was a big surprise.
Grandpa had gathered all of us in the living room as we waited for the sojourned group. Maria reclined in the chair, Mom and Dad sat in the sofa. We bought a new chair and added it to the family room. I did not know all of the seats would be full, since there were enough seats for ten people.
I was wearing a buttoned shirt with a collar and blue jeans, to not look so casual. Maria was boasting a new dress. I didn't have any idea why Grandfather was so eager for us to meet the visitors. I was the first to see the face of any of the travelers, and I thought the face I saw was my own.
My grandpa opened the door and out in the hallway my complete reflection stood. I found myself looking at a hedgehog that was slightly taller than me and had black fur and curved up quills. There were two other differences aside from height. The reflection had completely black quills, and it had rich, chocolaty brown eyes.
My mouth was agape for a brief moment before I held out my hand, surprised to receive the warm hand of the man in front of me. The man spoke up with a pleasant, deep voice. "Hi, kid!" I was speechless. "..." "You do not need to say squat. I know how surprised you are!" The man chuckled. I finally found my voice. "Who..." I trailed off, losing my thought as I looked him over. "Am I?" The man finished my question. "Shadow, I am your father."
I was stumped, and embraced him warmly. He retuned my affection. I felt so awkward. I quickly invited him into the room, noticing that waiting behind him were seven other people. One was his age. There was a beautiful hedgehog woman, with golden fur and quills and deep blue eyes wearing a complementing dress, and she was followed by two teenagers. Behind her were two couples somewhat younger than my grandpa and looked like the man and woman in front of them. I followed the family into the meeting room and waited for someone else to speak.
The guests seated themselves. Mom and Dad sat together, the man and pretty female sat next to my parents, Grandpa sat in a chair, and the two older couples sat in the other sofa. Maria, the teenaged boy and I stood. The teenagedgirl appreciated me giving her my seat. It was my legal father who spoke.
"Well, how are you doing, Shadow?" I was about to answer, when my proclaimed father responded. "I am wrestling with two teenagers! How are you?" The two teenagers responded. The first teenager, a pretty girl with black fur and her mother's beautiful eyes, blushed lightly. Her brother rolled his eyes. "I saw that, you stinker! I know more than you might think I do, Roy Hedgehog!" The man said confidently. The brother replied. "Shoot! I guess so, Dad." Roy's eyes widened as he acknowledged his father. Roy had his mother's fur and his father's brown eyes. My own parents and my other father and his wife laughed heartily.
"Shadow?" Both the man that looked like me and I faced the beautiful hedgehog woman. "Not you honey, the boy." She was addressing me. I focused on her. "Please stand in front of me, where I can see you better." I hesitantly walked up to her and was absorbed in her eyes. She giggled and stroked my head. Her touch startled me and my eyes widened.
"You are so cute!" She cooed as a delicate hand fondled my quills. I blushed and my heart skipped a beat. Shadow laughed as he watched me. "Um, excuse me?" I asked quietly. "What is it sweetie?" I could not stop watching her eyes. I blinked and glanced at her mouth and then back at her eyes. "Watch out, kid! She might slap you!" Shadow joked. I grinned sheepishly for my staring. "I am sorry that I am staring," I apologized as I took a step back. "But you have lovely eyes." I covered my mouth with my hand and blushed in embarrassment. Crap! What are you thinking? Stupid!
The woman smiled softly. "Thank you," she replied. "I said that too, kid, and I got stuck with her!" The woman playfully swatted at her husband, and they both laughed. "Are these other people your parents?" I asked reluctantly. "Yes. The guy with grey fur and brown eyes is my dad's dad," the girl with equally stunning eyes replied. "Dad's mother is the lady with tan fur and brown eyes. My Mom's mom is the lady with fur like Mom's and green eyes. Her dad has the light blue eyes and blue fur."
I looked at the girl. "I am Alison. Nice to meet you," she kindly held out her hand and I gently took it in my own. I blushed red as a tomato! "You are shy, like my dad," she said with a grin. "No surprises there. You are exactly like me, well almost," Shadow said as he placed an arm around his wife, causing her to smile again and blush.
I was silent. "Is something wrong?" Her eyes were drowning me with their depth. "I am fine. I am just stunned..." I trailed off. "Why is that?" She asked. I could not speak, but I still could give her a soft grin. I recovered my voice after a minute. "You are gorgeous," I stated simply. My cheeks burned and I swallowed. "Thank you," she said back to me with a smile of her own. Wow! She is as beautiful as her mom! I like her. She is nice and sweet.
"Shadow," my grandfather said as he cleared his throat. "You know what kind of girls to look for now. Just look for some girl like Alison or Katie." I noticed my own parents were quietly laughing as they held hands. "Would you date me if I lived here on this prison?" Alison asked. "Uh, err, I d-do l-like you, but I do not know; we are closely related." Her parents chuckled at my stuttering. That is right, we are related. But damn! She is hot!
The grandparents left for a nearby room, and we waved goodbye. I sat next to Maria. Alison sat on the other side of me and Roy took her former seat. After I met Alison, Shadow spoke to me. "Good grief! You look just like me!" he shouted. "I stared at you because at first I thought I was staring at a mirror," I explained. "Hah. I can't blame you." "You are my brother's dad? You are more outgoing than he is," Maria stated. "Because I am older, and I have my wife with me," Shadow remarked. Katie giggled again as Shadow held her hand. I silently agreed.
Shadow talked to Maria. "Maria, how are you doing?" "I am excited." "Why?" Shadow asked. "I got accepted to college," Maria said with joy. "Do you remember when we first met?" Maria paused. "I barely remember you. I said you were cuddly. You really are," Maria said. Shadow smirked. "I see you do remember. Your brother does not, he was only one year old," he stated, and I listened. Shadow looked at me. "Speaking of cuddly," he started saying as he stood up and walked up to me. I watched his eyes.
He unbuttoned his shirt, and there was a white tuft of fluff on his heart. "Do you have a bib of fur like I do?" The man waited for me. I unbuttoned my shirt and showed him the plush tuft on my chest. "I am just like you. Two peas in a pod," Shadow concluded as he rubbed my fur with his thumb. I was startled by his touch. "Fluffy and soft. It feels different to rub your fur, because I cannot feel what you feel." Like tickling, I thought. It is hard to tickle yourself.
"What is up with the red highlights? You are not supposed to have those," Shadow wondered as he watched my quills and glanced at my arms curiously. He buttoned up his shirt. I buttoned up mine. "We know that, Shadow," Grandpa answered. "He got them in an accident. It could have been worse." "Can you fix them?" I sighed. "No, grandfather cannot do anything. When he tried transplanting my black fur to my red streaks, my black hairs turned red! All I can do is dye the red fur black," I answered as I pointed at my quills.
"Do you always wear clothes?" I was caught off guard by that final question. "Um, I do not wear clothes sometimes, when it is too warm or I feel like it, but I prefer to." Shadow's chocolate-brown eyes glanced over my pants. "Why do you do that?" I shrugged. "I am raised that way. Besides, I fell more modest and comfortable in clothes," I replied. "Same with me buddy," Shadow agreed with a smile.
Dad spoke up in a serious tone. "Two things about furries that I envy..." Shadow, Katie, Alison, Roy and I stared at him, as well as everyone else. "One: boys generally can be nude without scaring people to death." All of us laughed briefly. "Two: furry women do not need to shave." We all laughed. Mom looked at him with a sneer.
"Christina used my razor on her legs, and I tried to use it on my face. I did not know she had used it!" Dad rubbed his face gingerly and winced. All of us laughed hysterically. Even Alison and Roy laughed, because all of us knew what he was talking about! Christina slapped him after his comment. "Ow! I shaved! And my face hurts! Your legs don't have hairs, they have quills!" Dad yelled. Another wave of uproarious laughter filled the room!
The family stayed with us. Shadow and Katie got the guest room in our house, and Alison was with my sister. Roy was with me. We went out to eat that night. Restaurants were all over the colony, serving anything from chicken noodle soup to caviar. We picked an Italian place. My dad loved Italian food, and I was liked it. After the whole party of eight people was seated, we ordered drinks and waited for the meal order. Shadow ordered wine to share with his wife, and poured her a glass.
"What? No champagne?" My dad joked with a chuckle. "No! That stuff is terrible!" Shadow stuck a tongue out in disgust. They both laughed, their wives laughed, and Maria and I did also. Champagne? Yeah, I tried that junk at a wedding reception! Alison and Roy both shrugged. "Why are you laughing?" Roy asked before sipping his soda. "Champagne!" Shadow repeated and laughed with my Dad. I turned to him and replied, "Do not worry about champagne. It is a very terrible wine." "At first other wines tasted the same to me, but I grew up and found they are different." Shadow had a small sip of his glass.
"Remember to always drink in moderation," Shadow said after he put his glass down. "God does not like drunks much," he added. "How do you know?" Alison asked him. "Read Proverbs 20:1. 'Wine is a mocker and liquor a brawler. Whoever is misled by them is not wise,'" Katie remarked. Shadow backed her up. "Drinking slows reflexes, distorts senses, and impairs judgement. What bothers me is when people get drunk and hurt others." I frowned for a moment. Drunks raped me... Maria put her hand on my shoulder and tried to cheer me up. "Shadow, do not let that thought get you down! Have fun!" I sighed. "You are right, Maria," I admitted.
I asked Roy a question about Alice quietly. "Hey, Roy." He faced me and waited. "How old are you?" "I am thirteen. Alice is fifteen." "Do you get along fine?" "Sure we do, but I love to tease her," Roy stated as he scratched his head. I grinned. "I tease Maria, too," I boasted. Alison's voice cut in. "What are you two doing? Are you talking about me?" Roy faced her with a smirk. "Maybe," he said with sly eyes. Alison scowled. "Take it easy, Alison! I am kidding!" He said in defense.
I caught a whiff of parmesan and oregano. The waiter came with a large tray for all of our orders and I looked at mine. "Good, I am hungry!" Shadow and I chimed. His statement matched my own exactly. We were silent as we stared at each other, and then everyone laughed. I got a shrimp and parmesan pasta dish. It smelled so good! I enjoyed my meal greatly. We went home and played board games, and then we just talked.
We all sat in the living room and talked. Nothing else happened. Dad always told me that when he was a boy his family would always just take time out of their day to talk about anything and everything. The socializing was becoming a rarity. It is almost gone now. I hope to bequeath that bit of the past on with me, in this world of text messages and e-mail.
"Gee, it is pretty up here, I can see every continent on Earth at one time," Shadow remarked. "It is nice, but it gets boring really fast," I said with a sigh. "No weather, no seasons, no grass or trees or mountains or anything up here," Maria said with distant eyes.
"Why don't you get out of here, guys?" Shadow was talking to my Dad. "We actually are getting off this tuna can next summer," Dad replied. "I can't wait. The kids are about to explode. Forget waiting!" Maria and I smiled. It is hard to embellish a space colony, no matter how advanced the technology is. Technology is not nature. The colony is absolute ennui, it is boredom, constant and without change. It does not appeal to me much. "I would hate it up here! After a while, I mean," Roy said. "The technology here is amazing, but... you know." I agreed. "Yes, Roy. I do know what you mean," I answered.
"Don't you ever feel trapped?" Alison asked me. Her eyes were lambent in the glow of the lamp. I was dazed by her beautiful eyes, jet black quills and sexy frame. "I feel worse than trapped. I feel crippled," I responded. I would not date Alison, but I would later find a girl that I dare say is just as pretty as she was, if not even more. Her eyes dimmed as she considered my metaphor. Mom and Dad noticed how much I hated the ARK. I still hate it.
We were off to bed by eleven at night. Roy was in my bed, and I was in a sleeping bag on the floor. "Roy," I said as I ruffled my pillow. "Yes, Shadow?" "Your sister is so hot and beautiful." I did not yell because I wanted to avoid bothering anyone. "I know. She likes you." "She does?" "Of course! She acts like she does when she likes someone. Then again, you hardly know her," Roy realized. "I like you too, Shadow."
"Why?" I asked him. "The same reason my sister likes you. You are nice. You are thoughtful. Too bad you are related to me and my sister." I sighed. "I know. Even so, we can still be friends." I considered my response again in my mind. "Yeah, I guess so," Roy stretched. "By the way, why did you look so sad in the restaurant?" "What?" I looked up at him. "After Dad had that statement about drunks, why were you so sad? You looked so depressed for a minute." He lay down on my bed and stared down at me. "I don't want to say. Some drunken men hurt me years ago." My mind darkened.
"What did they do?" Tears filled my eyes. "I do not want to talk about it," I repeated. "Okay, I am sorry for pestering you." Roy flopped on the bed and stilled. "They... molested me." Roy gasped and stared at me. "No way!" He whispered his shock, but the words still hurt me. Tears trickled down my cheeks. My eyes burned with hate.
Roy got off the bed and hugged me. "I am sorry. I did not know..." "That is alright. Few people know." His firm hug soothed my pain. "I am sorry, Shadow. Really, I am," he whispered. I hugged him back in fear."They raped me five years ago, and it still hurts. My heart hurts. They beat me, and they broke my arm before that." Roy gripped my tighter. "I sincerely hate them. I feel alone, alien, strange." "Shhhh," Roy shushed me. His warmth soothed me.
An alarm blared off, causing both of us to jump. My parents and Roy's parents were up and they opened the door. "Get up! Get up! We need to get out of here!" Dad's voice was urgent. "I will go get Alice. Honey, stay with Roy and Shadow," Shadow said as he ran off. We all left the house and wandered into the hallway. Shadow looked his family in the eyes.
"Stay with them, I need to get my parents." Alison objected. "We stay together." Shadow looked at her. "Okay. Do not leave me, then." They all went in to find the grandparents. Other people were busy rushing to the safety zones. The red lights and siren were scary. Without warning, guards armed with machine guns and pistols stormed through the hallway. They smashed down the door where my new friends were and rushed inside. "It is him men! Shoot him!" A guard ordered. A girl screamed. My blood curdled as my quills stood on end.
A barrage of loud bangs was heard. "SHADOW!!" It was Katie. More shots were fired. Silence was in the nearby room. Oh no! They are dead! They are dead! My family and I had no time to weep. We ran. We ran past the room to the escape, and I did the worst thing I could. I looked in the room. Shadow and Katie were slumped on the floor; the beige carpet was stained scarlet. Their children lay still, and their grandparents were in a corner. Time froze for a moment. The whole family, three generations of innocent, loving people, was coldly murdered before my eyes, blood everywhere. They are gone.
I was too scared to scream. I remem ber the bastards that shot them, with their helmets and visors, their uniforms. The three letters were on top of emblems. GUN. Time sped up again. My heartbeat was at a quick pace again. A voice crackled on their radio. "Destroy anything related to Project: Shadow!" Mom and Dad were the next to go. Three shots were fired, and I was frozen in terror. My mom and dad fell over, large holes in their chests. Maria screamed. I grabbed her arm and ran as tears of despair dripped out of my eyes.
Running. Panting. That is all I remember after that. Maria was behind me. We sprinted for the escape room through bleak halls of steel. My feet clacked against the floor as we rushed. "Shadow, I do not think I can make it." Maria was panting. "We are almost there, hold on," I assured. "Don't let them escape!" A voice shouted behind us.
Maria stared absently at a console in the room that controlled escape pods. She started typing buttons. "Shadow, get in the escape pod." I shuddered and walked up to a seat that had a safety harness and buckled up. The seat was suddenly enclosed, and I was trapped. "Maria!" Guards walked up to her, guns at the ready. I could barely hear them through the capsule. "Stop the capsule, or we will shoot." Maria did not flinch.
"MARIA!!! DO WHAT THEY SAY!!!" Maria pushed a button to launch me. A thud was heard. My sister fell to the floor, crimson stained her nightgown. I choked on my breath. "Maria." Maria faced me as she pushed her chest off the floor, looking directly at me as tears left her eyes. "Shadow. I beg of you please, do it for me; for a better future… for all the people who live on that planet. Give them a chance to be happy. Let them live for their dreams, Shadow. I know you can do it. That's the reason that you were brought into this world. Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."
My sister moved never again. Her face stared lifelessly at me, her lifeless eyes drilled into my heart. Time froze and colors turned grey. In shock I stared at her eyes as blood pooled on the floor. That moment seemed to last several minutes, but I only saw the body for a few seconds. "Maria!!" The capsule I was trapped in launched me into space. "MARIA!!!!!!!!!!!!" My body pulled as the capsule dropped down and into the vacuum of space.
I was still within the ARK's generated gravity field. I stared absently at the stars around me. My family is gone. I screamed. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" My vision blurred with tears, my heart was crushed. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!" Painful sobs ripped my throat open. I sobbed as the blue marble below me neared. Moisture dripped out of my nose as a shower of tears flowed down my face. My throat burned harshly. I ignored it and kept on screaming. "NOOOOOO!!!!!" My chest felt like it was on fire inside. My heart was on fire. It was burning with paralyzing pain.
"WHYY!!!! N-n-no! The-they are d-d-dead! I-I c-can't! I-I c-can't d-do th-the-this!" A torrent of tears soaked the fur of my lap. "The-they are d-d-dead! I-I c-can't! I-I c-can't d-do th-the-this!" I sobbed. "N-n-no. C-c-come b-b-back. C-come b-back." I sighed in grief. I screamed in despair. "COME BACK!!! COME BACK!!! C-come back." My ragged sob was blocked by a cough of my sore lungs. My carmine eyes were made even more red by my crying. I added one final mourning stanza to my song of death. "COME BACK!!!!!!!"
My tears continued long after I cried my heart out. I was exhausted. My body was languid. My heart was slamming, pounding against my ribs. My throat felt as if barbed wire was digging against it, sore from my crying.
This time, no one is there. I screamed, I cried, I shuddered, and I sobbed. No one was there. No one was there for me. I am alone. My heart was gone, left behind and shattered on the very same colony that I will forever hate...