Eating
Chapter 2
Shadow walked slowly through a meadow, lightly brushing his hand over the crops as he strolled. He took in a breath of the fresh air and let it out with a rush of tranquil. Cream joyfully ran past Shadow waving at him.
"Hi Mr Shadow!" she cheerfully called to him.
Shadow smiled and watched her play in the field with her little chao cheese. The sun was setting lightly casting an orange glow over the barley crops, the image put Shadow's mind at peace as he took it all in. He stopped walking and folded his arms to take in the atmosphere.
'Hey…' a voice called from behind him.
Shadow turned to see Rouge next him.
'You ok?' she asked.
He turned back and gestured towards Cream and cheese who seemed to be playing a game of tag.
'…bless her' he said.
'She looks happy…' Rouge stated taking hold of Shadow's hand.
Shadow looked down to her hand in his then back to Rouge.
'…I just hope you can keep it that way' she smiled weakly.
'What do you mean by that?' Shadow asked puzzled.
'Mr Shadow…Mr Shadow!' Cream called in the distance.
'You'll see what I mean…'
Shadow paused then looked down to Rouge's hands finding her flesh rotten and decomposing.
'Rouge what's hap-?' he looked up to her lifeless grey face and clear white eyes. Shadow let go of her hand and moved away from her unsure of what was happening.
He grew more and more unnerved as she sluggishly started to walk towards him. She dragged her feet and outstretched an arm towards him as more of her flesh rotted and turned to grey.
'Rouge tell me what is happening!' He demanded.
Rouge continued to stagger towards him.
'…save us' she whispered.
'Mr Shadow… Mr Shadow!' the same voice cried from the distance.
Shadow turned to look to the field to see Cream running towards him with blood running down her face from her eyes as she cried out in pain.
'Mr Shadow… help!' Cream cried out as her flesh too turned a dull grey colour.
Shadow didn't know what to do.
Rouge then tripped over her self and Shadow instinctively caught her in his arms before she hit the floor. Shadow froze as she looked up in to his eyes. Her eyes were so lifeless and her face showed no emotion. He watched her grotesque hand slowly reach up to his face and touch it.
The moment was short lived as her hand ignited from the contact. Rouge screamed as the flame moved up her arm and to the rest of her body. Shadow watched her burn in complete shock. The sound of her screams where unnatural and blood curdling to Shadow. Rouge's burning corpse then fell to the floor setting the field's crops alight. Suddenly the whole area was engulfed in flames and nor Rouge or Cream where to be seen but Shadow still heard their screams as the flames swirled around him in a towering inferno.
'…Shadow save us…'
'…help us…'
'…save me Shadow…'
'…Shadow…'
The voices echoed in his head until he closed his eyes.
'Shadow…Shadow wake up!'
He opened his eyes to see Rouge with her normal features tapping his face trying to wake him up.
'C'mon we're leaving' she told him.
Shadow sat up and looked around at the apartment then rubbed his forehead.
'I'm loosing it' he said out loud. Down the flight of stairs in the apartment block the rest of the team where packed up and waiting by the front doors.
'Okay do we have everything, is everyone here?' Sonic asked doing final checks.
'Wait Shadow isn't here yet' Amy announced, just then Shadow came down the last few steps of the stairs and walked past Sonic towards the doors.
'What kept you?' Sonic asked.
'Nothing… just a bad dream' Shadow replied.
Sonic looked confused.
'Shadow… nightmares?' Knuckles asked himself then turned to Sonic to see his reaction.
Sonic shrugged his shoulders.
'So what's the plan of action?' Shadow asked.
'We are going to make a dash for the exit of the city to the north as we are only a couple of blocks from the gates, and we are in the time window where the zombie numbers are low' Sonic informed.
'And the immediate horde?' Shadow asked pulling out his handgun and cocking it.
Sonic looked through the glass door.
'Only stragglers' Sonic stated.
'Good that's just what I wanted to hear' the said kicking the double doors open and firing at the first three infected.
Shadow went ahead and made his way into the street and the team followed with weapons ready. The team made a protective formation around the team members that were weaker or unable to combat the infected, having the stronger ones on the outside. This allowed the team to move as a unit and also protect their most vulnerable as they moved. Blaze from the rear of the main group immediately threw a fire ball at an infected, burning it to the ground. An infected made a lunge for Amy until it froze and levitated into the air. Silver's front quills stood on end as he held his palm to the zombie and then with his eyes closed moved the undead to hover right in front of Knuckles.
'Why thank you Silver' he thanked pointing his shotgun at the zombies head region. Knukles squeezed the trigger and took half of its head away in one shot. Silver then threw the corpse behind him distracting Shadow as he was reloading.
Shadow was picking off the infected with precise head shots as they advanced towards him, keeping them from approaching the rear of the group. The group continued moving along the road with Sonic and Knuckles in front of Tails and Cream followed by Amy and Rouge then Silver and Blaze. Sonic halted the team holding a fist in the air then tapped Knuckles and pointed to two infected with their backs to them.
'Go' Sonic quietly commanded to Knuckles.
Knuckles holstered his Shotgun, pulled down his mask and readied his shovel claws on his knuckles. He quietly approached the designated target from behind and put it to its knees with a kick to the back of its legs. The infected groaned as Knuckles pinned it down by standing on it leg and holding its shoulder. He smiled underneath his mask as he rammed the claws into his victims back. The infected weakly cried out as it hung on the two protruding spikes sticking out its body. Blood sprayed from its chest on to the pavement as Knuckles swiftly retracted his claws and let the zombie drop with a thud. It wheezed exhausted as its pool of blood around it grew bigger. Knuckles put his foot on its back while holding its head by its greasy black hair and decapitated the zombie by running his blades across the back of its neck. He held the dripping head up and stared at its face with its eyes rolled back. With a little chuckle he discarded it to his left then turned his attention to Sonic sneaking up on his zombie.
Sonic didn't waste time and slide tackled the zombie taking out its legs. His helpless victim hardly had time to fall before Sonic finished it by ramming his combat knife in to its throat. With a gargle of blood the infected died.
Amy cringed hearing the noises of Sonic killing his foe. She hated having to see Sonic and the rest of the people she loved pushed to these extremes but it was all for their survival and for that she was grateful but devastated by the horror they must endure every day.
Tails looked to his left to Cream who was covering her eyes shivering in fear. With Cream being at the tender age of six, she found it the hardest to cope with the situation. Tails reached over to her and put his arm around her, he was growing tired of seeing her like this.
'Mom…?' she asked quivering.
Rouge, Amy, Silver and Blaze turned to look at Tails who had his hand on her back rubbing it gently.
'Don't worry Cream we'll soon be somewhere safe and you'll be able to see you mum then…' he assured her.
The others listening in exchanged glances at each other touched by the little scene, Amy looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Amy reached over to Cream.
'It'll be ok Cream, we'll be safe soon' She assured her.
'I'm not sure how much more of this I can take' Silver announced in a low tone.
'Don't worry Silver we'll be safe soon' Blaze told him.
'Safe… nowhere is safe, we haven't slept in a secure place in over three months!' Silver exclaimed
'Well at least soon we will be out of the city' Blaze pointed out trying to look on the bright side.
'And what about the infected outside the city, how is that any saf-'
'…Silver I don't know anymore than you do but I do know that we are here now and we need to make the best of it…so can you be a little bit more optimistic' Blaze interrupted getting more and more agitated by Silvers whining.
Silver was taken back by Blazes outburst but noticed the point she was making. He and the rest of them need to stay focused and alert in this situation or they are all going to die, complaining about the situation is not going to help.
'Ok Blaze I'm sorry, lets get the hell out of this hellhole'
Sonic ordered the group to begin moving again with a hand signal. Sonic and Knuckles regrouped with them at a 'T' junction in the road, Sonic stood in front of the team checking they where all there.
'Everyone ok?' he asked and they all nodded in reply. Shadow soon rejoined them and took a few steps into the junction looking down the streets.
'Where to now?' he asked Sonic
'This left on this 'T' junction will take us to the gates of the city'
Shadow looked down the street to find it empty, all the zombies where lying motion less on the floor.
'Looks like we have a clear shot for the gates, lets move' he commanded to the team who followed him down the empty street.
Rouge was pleased the exit of the city was close but she noticed something about the dead infected on the floor, they all had bullet wounds on them.
'Oh thank god we are out of here' Amy admitted in relief.
Rouge knew something was wrong, it was too quiet.
'Errm guys-…'
She was cut off by a single gun shot in the distance and the group paused to listen, until Shadow was struck in the chest by flying bullet.
'Shadow!…' Rouge gasped
'…Everyone down behind something!' Sonic yelled as Shadow fell to the floor.
Suddenly waves upon waves of bullets were volleyed at them. They were lucky enough to take cover in an alleyway not to far away from them before anyone was hit. Sonic sat at the edge of the wall trying to see who was shooting at them or if he could see Shadow but the whizzing bullets made it hard to see anything.
'What the hell is going on?' Silver shouted
'We were so close why did this have to happen?' Amy cried sitting down against the wall of the alleyway.
'Guys just calm down, we may still get out' Blaze assured trying to hold the morale in the group, but her attempts were futile. They all knew that getting out of the city now was going to take a miracle of some kind.
Hello all, sorry I havn't updated in a very long time, I have been busy sorting things out with my new job so... again apologies.
Anyway hope this was more exciting than the last chapter, please let me know what you think.
Yours El t0mm1e