Author's Notes:
Finally, another chapter's out. These chapters are getting harder and harder for me to write. It also doesn't help that my editor is being overwhelmed with like 10 chapters are baked up. On the bright side, I've already started the next chapter.
Did you know that by eliminating death from the world, you just condemns it to eternal oblivion? Did you know that death doesn't just manifest physically, but invades your inner psyche too? Did you know that life is meaningless without death?
These are the questions that flood Honey's mind as she looks at the planet before her. Robots littered every part of the streets, each of them taking on the shapes of various people whom she had seen of the Spirit Trail. Then there were the humans, each of them battered and bruised, looking completely miserable. She heard people whispering amongst themselves of secret places to escape to, or more commonly, death.
Did you know that people looked to death as an escape, as a way out of the suffering and pain that the world was inflicted by Eggman?
Did you know that there is another form of death? It's called roboticization. It is when all of your human attributes are drained out of you and you are turned into a mindless drone. A ton of metal—only useful for following commands.
Once roboticized, one loses all humanity. Even the robots created by Dr. Eggman have more personality than a roboticized mobian. And that's all that Honey notices, at first.
Then there is the fact that every little inch of the world is now overpopulated. Everywhere you look, you either see mobians or robians. Trees are now a thing of the past; instead, metallic wastes and toxins line the streets. Little children are growing strange mutations from all the toxins inhaled while others grow so sick that they are labeled incurable, forced to live the rest of their lives in pain. However, they never get the sweet relief of death. They just live on eternally in pain.
Honey watched every moment of this. She listen to the endless cries of pain that would never cease, she watched numerous people attempt suicide and fail, and perhaps the scariest of them all, she saw the fake smile on their faces every day. It looked like plastic, something carved into their faces—doll-like, forced.
Did you know that in your inability to die, you also lose your humanity?
~.~
"Hi guys," Honey calls out, looking over at her group of friends huddled around a small fire. The group of seven look like vagabonds in their filth.—all grasping onto the feeble warmth the fire provided.
"Hey, Honey!" Mighty replies, motioning to the spot beside him for Honey to take a seat. The lynx stumbles over to the spot and falls lazily to the ground, suddenly aware of just how cold it truly is.
Looking around the circle, Honey easily senses that something is amiss. This wasn't her spot in the circle, and in a way, this wasn't her life she was living. She had taken on the job of Espio, always silently watching and waiting from the background.
She had completely ousted the of his feelings, she selfishly stole his group of friends for herself. It made her sick to think that she could use her powers in such a selfish way. To kill someone who had always been her friend.
"-ney… HONEY!" Vector yells, waving a scaly, green arm in front of her. The girl jumps, looking around at all of her friends and frowning. Things would never be right as long as she sat in this world.
"Yes?" The girl asks, large indigo eyes staring up at Vector.
"Ya zoned out on us. We were just decidin' what our next plan was." Vector explains carefully, watching the lynx's eyes.
Honey shudders, aware but unsure of how to react to the scrutinizing glare that Vector is giving her.
"Would you relax?!" Mighty hisses, glaring at Vector and defensively pulling Honey behind him. What had the girl done? She had simply walked up to them.
"Look, with all the hokey pokey stuff Robotnik's been pulling, I wouldn't be surprised to find out she has a chip in her head. I mean, just think about it. Robotnik could do anything he wanted with her. She hasn't been here in what feels like years…things change Mighty." Vector grumbles, eyes never once moving from the lynx.
"Honey can take care of herself. Do you really think that Robotnik could have gotten ahold of her?"
"Yes."
He wouldn't have trapped Espio; he could never have gotten Espio. Could he? No, she just needs to make herself feel worse…or better…she's so lost.
"HONEY!" It's Vector again, but he, along with everyone else, start to blur before her eyes.
"I…I'll be right back." Hopping up from Espio's spot in the circle, the girl dashes away from their campsite, stumbling over sickly corpses in an attempt to flee. Dry hands grab at her ankles, pleading for help. To her, they resemble the hands of the dead, shooting up from the ground to swallow her whole.
This is the mess she made. The Chaotix are falling apart. Sickly victims of unknown maladies are prevented from freedom, from death, because of her. The world is overpopulated, and more and more people fall to the ground in the hopes of a peaceful death that will never come. Cliffs have been barricaded to stop people from attempting to jump off of them. The world in itself is dying.
Where are the great heroes now, anyway? Where is Sonic? Where is Knuckles? Where are the iconic sidekicks like Tails and Amy and Sally and Antoine and Julie-Su? Where had the Greats fallen?
"Oh…them…well" It is the same voice that had convinced her to "save" humanity. The same voice that had tricked her. Now, it permeates everyone and everything, like some unknown omniscient being the rest of the world has to obey.
Coming to a stop, Honey looks around. Rocky landscapes blanketed with the sick and the old are far as the eye can see. The sky is a murky reddish-orange, with what could only be called acid clouds floating above. The air is rancid, stinging her lungs with every breath she takes. Her eyes water, maybe it's from the air, maybe it's from the pain and sorrow that consumes her.
"Nice isn't it?" Is the voice supposed to be taunting her…mocking her? This new world is hell.
"I like it."
Honey shudders, falling to her knees. Maybe she could curl up with the rest of the afflicted. She would wish the pain and suffering away…but…something in her didn't feel right, and she doubted that she could actually make a change. It was the old god, Chaos, who had given her these powers; now, under this new dynasty, she was equivalent to useless. Well, that's not true; she was useless before, now at least she's living Espio's life.
But, what does this mean for everyone? Does this mean that they will continue to suffer on in silence? Maybe there's a way that she can fix it. She isn't the strongest, and her powers are dwindling as she continues to try, but maybe, something small.
"NO."
She could have sworn there was a flash of light right in front of her, and the moment it faded away, she was in pain. Such pain. Searing pain. Pain she had never before experienced. It was like her soul was being tortured, and with every second, a tiny part of her soul was ripped off and left behind.
And then there is blackness. The blackness that she had once known as her life. She is nowhere. She was nowhere. She is going nowhere. She's done.
Author's Notes:
A new chapter to start the New Year! Hopefully I can get the rest of the chapters out soon, I know you've been waiting for this story to end.
Review! They inspire me!
And vote on the poll on my page…please!