Chapter 13

Shadow and Knuckles had just exited the hospital when Knuckles communicator went off. He answered immediately, "Hello?"

An urgent-sounding voice replied, "Is this Knuckles the Echidna?"

Knuckles put the call on speaker so Shadow could hear as well, "Yeah, this is him. Are you from the police station?"

The caller said, "Yes I am. Please come to the station immediately. We may have found where your friend Miles Prower is." Before the sentence was even finished, Shadow was pulling out his Chaos Emerald. After arriving at the police station via Chaos Control, the police chief quickly ushered Shadow and Knuckles into a backroom. In the room was several male and female Mobians with headsets and computers. The ones who weren't answering emergency calls were gathered around one female's desk as her phone, which was on speaker, relayed someone in a desperate fight for their life.

Tails had frozen when the Apex Killer had burst into the bedroom. His face was twisted into an evil grimace as he lunged at Tails with a thundering, primal roar. Tails flew to the ceiling with the phone, luckily for him it was cordless. "Please send help! Send help! He's going to kill me!" cried Tails into the phone.

The Apex Killer jumped onto the bed and snagged Tails by one of his namesakes, "Give me that phone!"

Tails screamed, "Let go of me! Let go!" Tails swung the phone and hit the Killer on the head several times before being able to get away from his claws and ran out the bedroom doorway. Tails ran down the hallway to what he thought was the living room but was startled to find a stairwell going down. He was about to turn back but the Killer was right on his heels. Having nowhere else to go, Tails practically jumped down the stairs. Tails than ran down the basement hallway to a door. He closed and locked the door just as the Killer came crashing into it. As the Killer banged away on the door, Tails backed into the freezing room, clutching the phone to his ear, hyperventilating. He bumped into something hanging from the ceiling. He turned around and to his horror, Tails discovered that he had bumped into a corpse. The corpse was terribly mutilated with huge chunks of flesh missing from it. Tails moved away from it shouting into the phone, "Oh Chaos! Oh Chaos there's a body down here! I'm in his basement and it really cold like a meat locker and there's a body down here! I can see scales, oh Chaos it's completely torn apart!"

The operator said, "Miles, I need you to calm down. The police are trying to trace your call. Please hang in there and stay on the line. Is there anything around you that you can use to defend yourself?" Tails looked around the basement frantically. All the while the Apex Killer banged, clawed, and roaring at the door.

Tails ran to the back of the basement and was horrified, "There's a big table, full of knives, like something you would find at the butcher's. There's a slab of something on the table. It looks like meat of some sort, there's deli paper and plastic containers. Wait. Oh my- Oh- OH CHAOS!"

The operator replied, "Miles? Miles what's going on?"

Tails yelled into the phone, "HES EATING THEM! HES EATING THEM! OH CHAOS!" At that moment, the Killer kicked the door in and came after him with teeth bared a terrible snarl.

Knuckles had gone white as a sheet as he and everyone in the room listened to what was going on through the phone. One female operator ran out in hysterics and nearly plowed Shadow over. Shadow regained his balance but he his mind was in turmoil. Tails' cries and screams tore at his heart and ignited a rage inside him. At that moment, a police officer ran into the room, "The trace is complete! We got an address!"

The chief barked, "Get a couple cruisers together, get the hell down there, and save that kid!"

The officer replied, "We only have one cruiser sir. Most of our units are taking care of that riot on the west side."

"Damn!" swore the chief.

Shadow jumped forward, "Sir, me and Knuckles will go!"

Knuckles at once backed him, "Please sir! You can send your other officers when you can but let us go ahead or it might be too late!"

The chief hesitated, "I don't know. This is dangerous criminal."

The operator working the phone Tails was on suddenly cried, "Chief! The line has gone dead!"

The police chief turned to Shadow and Knuckles, "Alright go! Go!" Shadow and Knuckles got the address and Chaos Controlled to the secluded property.

There was black van parked next to a shed with a splintered door. A few feet away was a house with one busted out window. Shadow and Knuckles wasted no time jumping through the window. They stopped in their tracks as they heard a horrible scream from below their feet. The two flew down the basement steps and through what remained of the door. At first both froze at the sight they were greeted with. The Apex Killer loomed over Tails with a tire iron and was beating him with it. The young fox was screaming at the top of his lungs in pain and fear. Shadow was the first to leap into action. He punched the Killer in the back of the head, "Get away from him you bastard!" The Apex Killer whirled around, swinging the tire iron. Shadow ducked under it and Knuckles came from behind and put the Killer in a choke-hold. The Killer flipped him over his shoulder and began to hit him with the tire iron until Shadow tackled him to the ground. The black hedgehog punched the Killer in the face as hard as he could. Blood splashed from the Apex Killer's mouth and cuts and bruises formed. Shadow threw punch after punch as he acted out his rage. He found himself unable to stop the blows from landing again and again. Knuckle was knocked out from a blow to the head.

Only a small weak voice broke through Shadow's angry haze, "Shadow stop!" Shadow froze, mid-punch and turned his head in the direction of the voice. Tails was on the ground, covered in his own blood and wounds. His face and eyes were pleading as he said, "Please Shadow. Don't kill him. Don't stoop to his level." Shadow stepped away from the Apex Killer. He then went to Tails' side and was trying to help him to his feet so they could rouse Knuckles and leave. Tails shouted all at once, "Behind you!" Shadow turned in time to see the Apex Killer pounce on him and close his hands around his throat and squeeze. Everything was quickly going black for Shadow and Tails' cries ringing in his ears.

Without warning, the police chief and the officer from the station burst into the room. The chief opened fire on the Apex Killer, the shot landing in his flank. The Killer fell to the side grabbing his wound. The officer shoved handcuffs onto the Apex Killer and drug him away from Shadow and Tails while the chief radioed for an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, everyone had been moved upstairs. Knuckles had regained consciousness but nearly fainted when he caught sight of Tails. The paramedics put their focus on Tails who was the worst off. After applying bandages here and there, the paramedics transported Shadow, Knuckles, and Tails to the hospital while the police cruiser took the Apex Killer. When they got there, Tails and Knuckles were treated for their injuries. The Apex Killer was treated for his gunshot wound in a special ward before being hauled off, with the help of several police officers, to jail.

After treatment and some convincing, doctors let Tails and Knuckles leave their rooms and go visit Sonic's room. Shadow and Knuckles helped Tails, who had a cast on his left arm and a brace on his leg, make the trip across the ward. Shadow knocked on the door and received a, "Come in!" Shadow and Knuckles walked in the room together with Tails between them. Sonic couldn't help but gasp and cry out, "Oh Chaos Tails! Tails what happened you?"

Tails hesitated, "Are you sure you want to know?"

Sonic scooted over in his bed, wincing from the pain in his chest, and gestured to Tails to sit down, "Yes, every detail." Tails looked at Shadow and Knuckles who had already pulled chairs close to the bed.

"Please tell us Tails. Please." said Shadow as he sat down. Knuckles nodded in agreement. Tails sat down on the bed, drew in a shuddering breath, and began recounting his frightening ordeal. As Tails did so, he finally allowed himself to cry the tears he had been holding in for so long. As he did so Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles embraced him. All four of them sat on the bed and wept together.

Author's Note: Tails is safe and the Apex Killer is behind bars. But there is some unfinished business. What about Tails' machine? What will be the fate of the Apex Killer? That's why we have epilogues! Please read, review, and enjoy.