"Standing on the edge
of the crater, as the prophets once said..."
He slowly and deliberately walked down the empty streets. Heading west towards his destination.
The sun was high in the sky, bright as ever.
Bombing would begin at dusk.
Plenty of time.
The undead lurched ahead of him. They sensed his presence and began their slow shuffles towards his position. With a casual glance, he drew his sword and sliced off the nearest head with lightning speed.
Unworthy of the title, he heard in his head.
He slashed outward, took off another head.
They died on your watch.
Another head.
And you could only sit there and watch it happen.
The fear, the panic. Wanting to save them all. Feeling like he could.
He found the sword and took off the man's head at his pleading. The rust coloured blood had sprayed everywhere with the unsteady cut.
He wasn't used to it.
A few hours made the difference.
He remembered holding it in his grip for hours, helpless to react.
He remembered seeing that frightened boy run towards his sister.
Another head severed on his walk.
He remembered gripping the sword, knowing. Feeling.
Charging.
He slammed the blade through her chest, even as the boy cried out.
And through her tears...a grateful thank you.
A plea to save him, to spirit him away.
And he promised.
Another head rolling down the street.
And he saw the boy.
Another head.
And he realized as he saw the white blood leaking down his arm, that he could not keep that promise.
Or any other.
He had to turn around and walk away.
The child turned his back.
The tears came down.
And he swung, silently.
A clean cut.
The blade had always been true. It was he who was lying to himself.
A hero no more.
No.
Something bigger, now.
He found himself at the top of the stairs leading to the subway. The reflection of the blade showed that there more undead to account for.
He grit his teeth, the rage and loathing curdling inside of him.
He turned on his heel.
And he charged the crowd.
Amy and Rouge walked through the streets as the sun blazed brightly. It was hot.
They could see the bodies breaking down.
That familiar agitation was pulsing through Amy and her arm.
"Shit, it's hot."
Amy quietly stepped to the music blaring through the one earbud, Rouge wearing the other.
"What about you? You okay?" she asked Amy.
"Peachy-keen."
"Hm. Well, that's all good. You go ahead and stay loose."
"I'll try."
"Worried about him?"
"A lot. But I want to let things build on their own."
"That makes sense." Rouge looked at the headless bodies. "This is what he called mercy, then."
"Yeah."
They continued walking until they saw him sitting on top of an abandoned car in the middle of the road ahead. His head was bowed low, legs dangling. The shine of his sneakers was gone. Those gloves of his were tattered, allowing glimpses at the bandages covering his hands.
Rouge handed Amy her earbuds and she placed them in her pocket.
"Sonic, we're here."
"Yeah," he said, not moving for a moment. He slowly raised his head and exhaled, holding an object in his hands. Omega appeared from around a corner a moment later.
He tossed the object to Rouge and she stared at it.
"Browning Hi-Power?"
"I couldn't find much with the time. Omega has the ammo for it in spades."
"Sonic-"
"Save it. I mean...sorry," he said. "Just...leave it alone right now."
"I got it, hon."
"Coordinate your movements. But make sure to go wild. I'll clean up the mess. All of it."
"What about Omega's little surprise?" Rouge asked.
Sonic gave her his usual neutral look.
"It's death or deliverance. When you feel the despair tearing you apart, call for me. Even if I die, I'll take you to the promised land."
"Hey."
He turned to look at Amy, her eyes sparkling.
"Do you really mean that?"
He walked towards her slowly, taking his hand away from the sword. She looked at him curiously, and he took a last step before bringing her close. She felt her eyes snap wide open as he kissed her.
In the next moment, he was turned around again, heading down the steps to the subway.
"Looks like he's gonna go all out for you, Rosie."
Rouge lightly touched her cheek before breezing past, cocking the pistol as she sauntered down the stairs.
"Time is of the essence, Amy Rose. We must proceed."
She nodded, feeling a fresh determination inside of her. A new, yet already concrete desire.
"Let's go, then."
She walked down the steps. Omega jumped down, landing beside her with a thud. Sonic was a few feet ahead, Rouge at his side.
"Wait. A transmission from Miles Prower."
"Can you guys hear me?"
"Tails! What's up?" Amy asked.
"You've had your leash shortened."
"How long?" Rouge asked.
"One hour, now."
"Plan's changed. Omega, start the charging. I know the implications."
"Acknowledge. Element charge commencing. Twenty four minutes to final discharge."
"Omega is going to be moving real slow. It might take him the whole time to get there. We need to keep him safe while he gets to the source, or else the charge is disrupted and we have to start again from the top. Eyes off me, worry about yourselves. I'll sync on the outside. You two...remember it. The feeling. Resonance."
Amy and Rouge nodded.
"Twenty three minutes."
"Blow the roof."
Omega transformed his arms and fired a laser burst, raking through the ceiling above and exposing the area to the light.
On the tracks and throughout the tunnel, shrouded in darkness. A multitude, impossible to count. Impossible to dream of, yet all too real.
A dimension of death.
"Motherfucker," Rouge muttered.
"Twenty two minutes," Omega uttered. He slowly walked forward, dropping onto the tracks. One of the walking dead lunged at him before being sliced in two.
"Save nothing for tomorrow!" Sonic roared. "Or there won't be one to step into!"
Rouge and Amy stared at each other for a moment before jumping into the fray.
A torrent of white blood sprayed out from the first body Amy cut. A moment later, the head was severed.
The two hedgehogs landed back to back.
"I'm kicking your ass when we're done here," she said.
"You're welcome to try it," he shot back.
With a synchronized step, they lunged forward.
The white blood danced in the air, and they separated once more to carve at the darkness.
"Twenty one minutes."
The robot and bat lumbered behind them.
The blood of life spilled in open defiance.
A communal journey to the final frontier.
"Gladiators draw their swords
form their ranks for Armageddon
I'm..."