Disclaimer: Shadow the Hedgehog and all related characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog games, shows, movies and etc. belong to Sega, the Sonic Team and all other affiliates.
Notice: The new character being introduced in this chapter DOES belong to me. :)
Note to all readers: The horizontal line in-between paragraphs indicate a period of time that has passed. Just so you know, so you don't get confused. :)
Chapter 3
A few hours went by and Shadow was already out of the bathtub and sitting at his counter once more, eating a pepperoni hotpocket fresh out of his microwave. The pain in his head was still hurting but it wasn't the throbbing pain that it was a while ago. He glanced at the oven clock and saw that it was already 1 PM.
"What the hell are you doing, Sonic?" he said aloud to himself. He took a drink of his ice water and got up to throw the remnants of his food away. He paced back and forth in his kitchen until finally his phone rang. He didn't hesitate to pick it up.
"Sonic?" Shadow said after he pressed the talk button.
"Yeah, it's me, Shadow." answered Sonic.
"What the hell, dude." said Shadow annoyed. "Where the hell have you been!? It's been at least three hours!"
"I know. I'm sorry but I've been trying to get ahold of everyone! No one answered Cream's house phone so I called Amy's house and she didn't answer either. I even tried Vector because I know that he talks to Vanilla..but I got nothing."
"Ugh, great! Just great!" yelled Shadow. "So basically, everyone is missing except you and me? Just freakin' peachy!" He slammed his fist onto the counter and closed his eyes. He laid his head on his hand and didn't say another word.
"I think we need to go look for them." Sonic said after a few seconds of silence.
"But I don't want to." said Shadow.
"Whatever, Shadow." Sonic scolded. "I know you do. You want to know exactly what attacked you last night. Just admit it!" Shadow grunted.
"You know, all I wanted when I moved away from all of you was some peace and quiet..away from the hero scene, away from everyone else's problems. No more Eggman, no more villians, no more choosing sides! Now all of a sudden voices are popping into people's heads and our friends are disapearing? Why does this always happen to me!?" Shadow was so angry that he slammed his fist onto the counter again and actually cracked the granite. "Fuck! Now I have to worry about my stupid counter."
"Shadow, I'm sorry to say it but you weren't meant to be alone. As much as you want to be life has reacted the opposite for you. I've always noticed..even when WE fought."
"Maybe you think so. I think differently. I am the way that I am, and that is that I like to be alone. I don't have anything to worry about when I'm by myself and I only do what is best for me! That is why I left. That is why I isolated myself and that is how it will always be! You dragging me into the park yesterday was a mistake. I want no part of this seemingly pointless journey." Sonic was silent for a moment.
"Shadow-"
"No!" shouted Shadow. "Everyone is fine, and I'm going to mind my own business like I intended to!" There was an awkward quietness between the two hedgehogs and it was apparent to Sonic that there was no tempting Shadow into helping.
"Well," started Sonic, "I'm going to Cream's house and then Amy's. If you want to join me, you can. I'll bring my comlink with me just in case." Shadow didn't say anything so Sonic spoke again. "I'm not asking you to be a hero. I'm asking you to be a friend." With that, Sonic hung up the phone and left Shadow listening to a dialtone. Shadow set the phone down onto the dock and stormed off into his living room. The house was dark because of the clouds outside. The rain that had seceded earlier that day was now coming back, although the lightning and thunder had not come back yet.
Oddly enough, Shadow walked outside to his backyard. As he walked forward, he looked straight ahead and observed the scenery. The endless amount of trees and other plants were slowly losing their green. "Fall is coming." he thought. He kept walking forward, leaving his house behind and entering the ongoing, dark forest. The leaves still clinging to the tree branches were enough cover from the rain. Shadow stopped and looked at the ground. To the right of him he saw a large rock right at the base of an oak tree. He walked over to it and sat down, leaning his back onto the tree stump.
"What am I supposed to do?" thought Shadow. "All I want is to be alone. No one to bother me with their problems. I have my own." He grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and let it sift through his fingers. "There's nothing wrong with what I want. Everyone gets what they want. Why won't I?" Shadow leaned his head on the tree and closed his eyes. As his thoughts wandered he could hear Maria's voice in the back of his mind.
"I want you to promise me, Shadow." said Maria's soft voice. "Promise me that you'll protect them..and keep them happy." Shadow played the event that took place between him and Maria over and over in his head. "Promise me..Shadow.."
"I promise, Maria." Shadow whispered. He opened his eyes and sat up straight.
"I promise, Maria." he said again, a little louder. This time he stood up and clenched his fists.
"I promise, Maria!" yelled Shadow. "I'm going to keep that promise. Maria..I promise!" Shadow raced back to his house and quickly grabbed his comlink from the kitchen drawer and clipped it onto his wrist. He drank the rest of his water on the counter and started heading to his garage. Just before he could reach the door, a massive pain hit Shadow in his head. It was more in the center than in the spot that he was hit. Grabbing his head, Shadow kneeled on the floor.
"Gah!" Shadow grunted. He felt paralyzed for a moment and finally the pain went away. He stood up and looked around the house. Nothing was around him except for his own belongings. Suddenly, he heard Amy's voice in his mind. It was sharp and loud as if she was right next to him.
"Because you would have said no if you thought I wasn't important enough." he heard the high pitched voice say. Shadow, startled by the sound, continued to go into the garage and he hopped onto the bike. Before he started it he thought to himself.
"Amy.." Her name repeated itself in his mind and he couldn't sit back anymore.
"Sonic. Are you there, Sonic?" Shadow bellowed into his communicator. There was no answer. "Sonic..!?" After a few seconds Shadow heard Sonic's playful voice on the other end of the communicator.
"What's up, Shadow?" he asked.
"I..I'm going to help you." Shadow replied with a sigh.
"That's great to hear!" Sonic responded. "But what's with the change of heart?"
"It's just something I have to do." hesitated Shadow. "I have..a feeling."
"Ok, well, I'm just glad you're going to help!" Sonic said joyfully. "I'm on my way to Cream's. Do you want to meet me there?" Shadow sat for a moment then addressed Sonic's question.
"Actually.." he started, "I'm going to Amy's. It may take me a while to get there but like I said..I have a feeling."
"Great, Shadow." said Sonic. "Let me know when you get there. If she's there then obviously she'll tell us what's going on." Shadow agreed with an "ok" then started up his motocycle.
"Thank you." Sonic said. "I appreciate it."
"I know you do." said Shadow. "But I'm doing it for me." Shadow opened the garage door with the remote and before he turned onto the road in front of the house, the same voice repeated itself in his head; "Because you would have said no if you thought I wasn't important enough."
"You're definitely an unpredictable one, Amy Rose." he whispered to himself with a half smirk. "I hope you're alright." As soon as he finished his sentence he drove away as quick as the flash of lightning behind him had struck the ground and returned back into the gray clouds.
The rain began pouring down harder, but it didn't stop Shadow from racing through the forest at bullet speed. His look was so determined, so anxious, so unlike himself. All he could think about was finding the answer to the situation he was in.
"No one plays me for a fool." said Shadow over the roar of his motorcycle. He continued on and didn't stop for anything. On his way to Amy's he passed through Juliani and about an hour later he passed through another small town. There, he stopped at a gas station to fill up his bike. He had about a half a tank but he didn't know if he would need the extra gas or not. He walked into the building, handed the clerk his credit card, payed for his gas and walked back out to the pump.
When the pump finished Shadow clicked it onto the holder and started up his bike again, taking off a little slower this time because of traffic. Once he was on the road he accelerated and eventually was going as fast as he had been. "Only a little farther." he thought. And indeed, in about 45 minutes he, was sitting in front of the light green cottage. He observed the house and noticed that the roses in the garden in front of the house were starting to wilt.
"Amy wouldn't let her garden die." Shadow murmured to himself. As he turned off his motorcycle he then noticed an open window. The only problem with it, however, was that the left shutter looked broken.
Shadow lifted his leg so that he was off the bike and he made his way toward the house. He first walked over to the window. As he had observed the shutter was in fact cracked almost completely in half. "A forced entry?" contemplated Shadow.
"Amy Rose!" Shadow shouted her name over a booming crack of thunder. There was no answer. He tried peering through the window but he could only see the kitchen. He walked around to the back of the house and noticed that the back door was wide open. Shadow's ears perked up and listened for any movement in the house. Curiously, he stepped inside and saw nothing but an empty, furnished house.
"Amy Rose?" he asked a little quieter this time. "Are you here?" His blazing eyes seared through everything in the room. He walked to the right and peeked into the kitchen again. Nothing looked like it had been put out of place. He then came back into the large living room and made his way towards another room. It seemed to be Amy's because of the small bed that was in it.
"Amy? Answer me, damnit!" Shadow yelled angrily. Angered by his lack of findings, he walked back outside into the stormy weather and contacted Sonic on the comlink.
"She's not here, Sonic." Shadow said disappoined. Sonic's voice crackled over the other end.
"Neither Amy or Cream are here." said Sonic. "Vanilla was here and she told me that Cream went with Amy to her house yesterday afternoon. She had gone grocery shopping when I called which is why I didn't get an answer. She hasn't heard from Cream or Amy." Shadow sat on the edge of the sidewalk.
"So what do you suppose we do?" Shadow mentioned. "This is like a wild goose chase. We have no leads to where they might be. Did you try asking Tails."
"Funny you mention it.." said Sonic. "He's not answering either. It's like all of the team is..gone."
"Are you kidding me?" Shadow scoffed. "What the-" A giggled was heard behind Shadow and his ear turned into that direction. He looked behind him and saw nothing. "Anyways, I-" A bush shook and he quickly eyed the plants in front of the house. "Hold on, Sonic. Something's here."
"Be careful." Sonic cautioned. Shadow rose from his seat and walked towards the bush. He pounced on the plant yet nothing came out of it. He growled and turned around. Unexpectedly, an invisible force pushed Shadow onto the grass. Shadow was startled from the event and rapidly rose again in his spot.
"Who are you?" Shadow yelled as the pouring rain began to come down in sheets of water. "Show yourself, coward." As soon as he said that, he heard another giggle and a figured began to appear before Shadow's eyes. He squinted through the rain and slowly began to realize that it was not a person or even a ghost, but an animal.
"Now, Shadow, do you really have to be mouthy to get what you want?" said a womanly voice. As the figure became clearer, Shadow gasped and was taken aback when he saw in front of him, himself.
"Your voice.." Shadow started. "I heard it come from Amy's mouth when she hit me."
"Ugh, I just hate when everyone mixes me up with another being." she said. "Bugs me to hell." The figure of Shadow walked over to the bush and plucked a flower from it. It wilted in her hand. Shadow was speechless. "Well aren't you going to say anything, Shadow?"
"Who are you? And why do you look like me?" he demanded. "Tell me, creature."
"Why, you don't know who I am?"
"Apparantly not, you wretch."
"No need to be mean, Shadow." the creature said as she walked behind a nearby tree. When she came around the other side, she wasn't Shadow anymore. She was now another figure. Shadow realized that she changed into Amy.
"So it was you!" Shadow yelled as lightning struck the ground in front of him. "You came to my house last night. You bashed me and about killed me!"
"Oh, no. You have me mistaken. I would never kill you, Shadow the Hedgehog."
"How do you know my name!?" Shadow yelled again.
"My, aren't you impatient." The creature glared into Shadow's blazing eyes. They were locked on and Shadow felt paralyzed once more.
"What are you doing? Stop this!" He tried to move but failed. "What did you do to Amy?"
"Is that girl all you ever worry about?" asked the creature as she moved closer to Shadow. She walked behind him and pressed the soft, pink body against his.
"Stop!" he screamed. A hand cradled Shadows face and slid down to his neck. Two fingers brushed over his fur and onto his back.
"It's such a pity..that you worry so much about one thing..when there is so much going on around you." The creature walked back in front of Shadow and it's emerald green eyes met his.
"What are you talking about?" asked Shadow.
"This Amy Rose that you have found yourself looking for..she is the only one that you seem to be looking for..when others that you have called your friends are gone as well." Suddenly, Shadow fell to his feet, weak and unsteady. The creature continued to speak as she ran her fingers through Shadow's quills. "Is it true that I found a weakness in Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate life form? Is it true that this, girl, is key to your empty and broken heart?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Shadow managed to say.
"Of course you do, Shadow." the voice answered. "Of course you do." The body of Amy soon changed again into another form. When Shadow looked up he saw neither him nor Amy, but Sonic. He gasped and was pushed onto the ground again. A blue knee landed on his chest and a hand extended over Shadow's head.
"No..I..feel so..weak.." Shadow whispered.
"Shh.." said the voice. "Let me see..into your mind..your abandoned spirit." The hand drifted on top of Shadow's heart. The voice that Shadow could hear now sounded more vial, more evil. "Search your heart, Shadow. Feel the feelings that you once had. Show them to me..show me the things that you desire..show me what makes you angry, what sparks the fire in your empty soul." Shadow closed his eyes and attempted to stop the madness that was surrounding him. He was unable to stop the currents flowing through him, and emotions rushed through his mind. "Amy.." he thought.
"Yes, Shadow." When Shadow opened his eyes, he once again saw himself. The creature moved itself off of the hedgehog and with a burst of adrenaline Shadow jumped at the figure. It disappeared before he reached it, and it reappeared behind him.
"I know what you want." said the voice coming from the mouth of the other hedgehog. "You're weak, pathetic..just like everyone else."
"No, you're wrong." Shadow said turning around. "Whatever you did to Amy and the others..you'll pay when I find out what happened to them."
"Your friends are fine.." the voice chuckled. "For now. It is up to you whether you are able to find them in time." Shadow screamed and fell to his knees, feeling the weakness he felt earlier.
"Where are they? Tell me, creature!" Shadow yelled with his last amount of energy.
"You already know, Shadow." said the voice. "You already know." The figure began walking away from Shadow until he exclaimed, "Beast! You better not hurt her!" The figure of Shadow stopped and a crack of thunder shook the ground underneath it's feet.
"Oh, I'm not going to hurt anyone. It's your choice, hedgehog..your choice." Shadow reached out his hand to the figure as it disappeared in thin air. Shadow screamed at the top of his lungs and emotions of anger, hatred and passion mixed and flowed through every ounce of his body.
"Fine!" he exclaimed. "I do care! I care about everyone! I care that some bastard has them in a trap and they won't be set free until I help them! I promised that I would help them and keep them happy, and that's what I'm going to do!" With that, the rain slowly let up into a light sprinkle. A hole formed in-between two clouds and a small ray from the setting sun shone through and stretched East across the world. Shadow studied the picturesque and now..he knew.