Eating
Chapter 3
'Is Shadow ok' Tails asked Sonic.
'I don't know…Shadow!Shadow can you hear us?' Sonic called to Shadow who lay motionless in the street.
'Shado-…' Sonic tried to call again as a bullet hit the edge of the wall he was behind, spraying debris in his face.
'Silver can you pick him up and bring him over?' Sonic asked.
'That will just make him an easier target… he'll be torn to pieces'
'Fuck…!' Sonic cursed.
Meanwhile Shadow very weakly opened his eyes to see the people firing at them were soldiers lined up behind barriers and garrisoned in the small gatehouses at the exit of the city.
'Fuck…!' Shadow cursed in disappointment. He really thought he could get himself and his friends out of this hell hole of a city, the chances of that happening now were very bleak. He ran his fingers into his chest fur to find a small hole oozing with his blood, Shadow finally realised something.
He can die.
Shadow was on such a kill streak and got so overly confident he had forgotten his mortality.
'maybe its my time…' he thought but then looked to his right to see his loyal team of friends in a frantic state, lost and unsure of what they should do.
'…No…not yet' Shadow weakly got to his knees. He held his chest as the wound sent shooting pains through his body.
'Guys look, Shadows moving!' Tails exclaimed pointing in his direction. The group's attention turned to Shadow struggling to his feet.
'What if he gets hit' Blaze pointed out.
'We need to help him Sonic!' Rouge demanded.
'How… what can we do?' Sonic wasn't used to not knowing what to do in a situation, all he could do was watch Shadow limp feebly towards them…kind of like a zombie.
Behind the city gates a soldier had stopped firing his weapon and pulled out his radio.
'Commander…'
'Yes Corporal, what's the situation?' answered the commander on the other end.
'We have located a small group of survivors at the northern gates of the city. What is the protocol for survivors in the city?'
'There are no survivors… we cannot chance the infection leaving the city. The use of heavy armour is authorised if needed, the infection must stay contained in the city understood?' commanded the commander in a dark tone.
'Yes sir, understood'
'Good job Corporal, report back to me if you come across anything else'
The Corporal put his handset back on to his utility belt and turned to his men.
'Get those grizzly tanks over here, flush 'em out from the buildings!' the Corporal yelled and three huge heavily armoured tanks rolled up to the gates of the city in a line.
Knuckles tapped Sonic's arm and pointed to the gates taking his attention from Shadow.
Sonic's face dropped staring at the three behemoth vehicles. For once Sonic had doubts about a happily ever after for this situation.
'FIRE!' yelled the Corporal, and the three tanks opened fire on the buildings. Sonic barely had time to alert the others as the building they were hiding behind exploded in a fireball above their heads.
Acting on instinct, the team made a dash out into the street to have more bullets volleyed at them, not one of them noticing they had left Cream behind but Shadow. The top half of the building started to fall with Cream underneath. Shadow made a desperate lunge and just managed to grab cream and get clear of the falling rubble from the building, but now they are trapped from the street and the others.
'CEASE FIRE! That should keep them for a while, good work boys' the Corporal announced to the soldiers aside the tanks.
The tanks stopped firing and the soldiers reloaded their weapons then resumed guarding the gates of the city.
Dust lightly settled over Shadow as he lay on the floor protecting Cream. He shrugged some rubble off his back and off Cream and got up to dust himself down. Shadow turned to the enormous pile of brick, concrete and metal that now blocked the passage into the alleyway. He could easily chaos control to the other side but then he wouldn't be able to take cream with him and what good will it be anyway, once he is on the other side he will just be mashed up from the guards at the gates.
'Sonic, Rouge, anyone where are you?' Shadow asked trying to reach out to someone on his radio.
'Shadow this is Rouge, we have just managed to get clear of the guards… Where are you?'
'I'm trapped in the alleyway with Cream, I'll regroup with you two blocks down the street from here ok?'
'Ok Shadow but… are you going to be ok moving around?' Rouge asked concerned
'Me and Cream will be fine, just make sure your group is surviving… Right?'
'Yeah…' Rouge's ears lopped in depression as she put away her radio.
'They'll be fine' Blaze assured her placing her hand on Rouges shoulder.
Shadow turned behind him to see Cream cowering in the corner of the alleyway. This is not where she should be, in this state. She should be happy, playing and enjoying her life but no… She is dragged into this nightmare with all of us.
Shadow knelt down and wrapped his arms around Cream who was in a state of shock.
'It's alright Cream, I'll keep you safe…ok?' Shadow found it difficult to make is voice comforting but Cream looked up to his face where he managed a soft smile.
'I know you will Mr Shadow… I'm just really scared' Cream whimpered shaking in his arms, then his nightmare and visions from the previous night came back.
The image of Cream blood drenched and combusting in front of him flashed in his mind.
Shadows face went blank.
'Mr Shadow your hurt' Cream pointed to his blood stained chest.
Shadow examined his wound.
'Bah… don't you worry one little bit, I'm a tough cookie like you' he smiled holding her hand.
'…let's get you out of this mess'
Shadow managed to rise to his feet and peered down the long alleyway. It looked empty but that didn't mean it was safe.
'Stay close' he informed Cream.
She nodded and held his hand tight as they made their way down the passage.
Sonic and the others were slowly making their way down the street to where Shadow said they would meet up.
'Well… at least we don't need to worry about zombies for a while' Knuckles pointed out stepping over the numerous zombie corpses.
'True that… but I'm starting to get really hungry though' Silver also trying not to trip over all the bodies.
'Me too, Sonic have we got any food left?' Amy asked.
'Sorry Amy we're out' Sonic replied
'Ohft… what if we starve to death?' Amy moaned
'I don't think we will, look!' Blaze pointed the entrance of a super market.
'Jackpot…' Silver sighed with relief.
'Right team grab as much as you can but nothing you have to cook and be quick… we don't know where the zombies might be ok' Sonic ordered.
Knuckles waved his hands in front of the sensor to try and open the front doors to no avail.
'The grid must be out, Silver help me with this door' knuckles asked. Silver took one side as Knuckles took the other and pulled on the sliding doors until they were agape for the team to enter the store. It was a large super market with many aisles of food, drink and other groceries.
With out wasting time the team set about grabbing a trolley and venturing through the store and taking what they could.
'He he… look out Amy, coming through!' Tails yelled charging past her with his trolley.
'Urgh… right, come here you little pest' Amy mocked giving chase to Tails.
'Guys keep it down' Sonic ordered keeping cautious of the surroundings a little too much.
'C'mon lighten up Sonic, we could all do with chill out from time to time' Knuckles taking the more optimistic view on things, but remaining naïve as usual.
Sonic rolled his eyes at Knuckles' stupidity and carried on into the super market keeping an eye on his friends.
Tails childishly threw various items from his cart at Amy who continued to chase him up and down the aisles while Blaze and Silver filled baskets with canned drinks and food they could salvage.
Sonic approached Blaze still keeping watch of the others.
'Is it me or does this feel a bit…easy?' Sonic asked Blaze.
'Hell, I'm just making the most of it while we can' she answered placing soda cans in her basket.
'Hmm… and it's wrong, I can't believe it… me looting' Sonic shook his head, still trying to stay in some kind of state of normality despite the catastrophe they are in.
'Sonic you have blood running down your face, if that isn't gonna wake you up then I don't know what will' Silver said waking past him down to the next aisle.
'He has a point'
'I know Blaze I'm just not ready to accept the whole worlds gone to pot, it helps me sleep at night' Sonic said grabbing a can of coke and opening it.
Blaze looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
Sonic took a swig of the soda then shouted to Knuckles
'Knuckles tell Amy and Tails we are leaving now!'
'Sure!' Knuckles replied
Sonic turned back to Blaze
'Let's go…'
'Okay… Silver lets go, we're leaving!' Blaze had no reply
'Silver… C'mon we're going now!' the silence remained
Sonic grew a frown of concern
'Silver!' Still no reply, Blaze looked at Sonic to say 'this is bad'
'Follow me!' Sonic ordered heading down the many aisles.
Hi everyone, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try to up the update speed, as usual R&R.
Yours El T0mm1e