Author's Note. I actually wrote this chapter blindly. I changed the ending to chapter 5 on a complete whim, so none of this was how I originally envisioned it. Surprisingly I was thrilled with this chapter and might say it is one of my favorites of the entire story.
Redid the entire thing to make it not as bad.
Legal Trash. Sonic and everybody else is copyright SEGA/Archie comics. Except for Max, Annie, and Sonia. I created them in my rattled brain; if you like my OC's, use them and let me know. It'll be fun; we will have tea.
Chapter 7. I'll Not Cry
Max stood there, presentable and kempt as he had always been. That bright, comforting smile was always welcoming to her eyes. Annie stared at her friend, and he walked up to her until he was but inches from her.
"What's wrong, Ann? You look sad." He said in an empathetic voice.
Annie nodded her head to answer his question and took in the most enormous breath she possibly could.
"Max… everything's come apart… You… My parents... Rotor..." She started shaking and tensing up from the overwhelming emotions.
"Just what have I caused? Why did I falter when you needed me most? I blamed your sister when I should have been blaming myself." She continued as the sadness took hold of her entire being, but she held back the cries of anguish with all of her might.
Max's face frowned hearing of her pain, and then he started to put his furred hand over his heart. His posture changed, and he looked like he was in intense physical pain.
"Ann… You need to help me..." Max said, and the look on his face turned to sorrow.
"H-help you?" She started to stammer, watching his hand as it began to reach up to her.
"Help… me... Ann." His voice was distressed and in agony at this point.
"Max… I…" She started to say.
"You left me to die! You need to make up for what you've done!" He shouted, cutting off her speech.
His hand attempted to grasp her, but she quickly evaded it by jumping backward. "Max! Please! I tried!" She cried out.
"Annie…" His hand started to catch on fire, and it spread quickly down his arm and to his beautiful, regal clothes.
Max slowly sauntered forward, his body was burning as he went, and his fur, flesh, and clothes were disintegrating with each step. His hand was outstretched in an attempt to grab onto her desperately.
"PLEASE! …" His agonizing cry echoed.
Annie moved back away from him in terror. No longer was he her cheerful, handsome, close friend, but a skeletal monstrosity. He slowed down as the fire started to put out, and his bones began to plink to the floor.
"She watched her friend melt away from the mortal coil, and as his skull hit the ground, it made a disgusting clank against the discarded bones.
…
"Ah!" Annie shouted, and the world around her became that of dimness.
Her head shot up, and she started looking around. She was propped up against the side of her bed, and it took a few seconds to realize that she has fallen unconscious while sitting there on the floor.
The sounds of a volatile, destructive storm were raging outside of her hut. She glanced around the room and could see it was in disarray. Her books were thrown about, and stuff was cluttered on the floor. In her insomnia-fueled rage, she had destroyed her room.
Her knuckles were sore and ripped from continually punching the wood of her hut wall, and her arm was tender and stinging from her laser wound. It had been two days, and she hadn't even bothered to change out of the clothes she wore for the mission to Robotropolis.
She was dirty, bloodied, distraught, and exhausted. She couldn't sleep, she didn't care to eat, and she was drenched in a cold sweat.
Annie had lost all motivation to do anything but fester in her misery. She looked down at her dirty boots and listened to the thunder as it boomed from outside.
"What was it all for...?" She choked out in disgust.
The weather was worse than ever, Max was undoubtedly dead, and her parents, along with Rotor, were MIA.
"You said it was supposed to STOP!" She angrily slammed her scraped knuckles onto her wooden floor, unconcerned with the damage she was doing to her body.
The world was still a shithole, and trying to make it better made it darker than ever.
"Max, you... you fucking idiot!" She cried and stood up in a huff, then started to pace around her destroyed room weakly.
He wanted to do this, and look what it cost them. Her parents were gone, Rotor was gone, and now she was truly alone.
Annie took in a deep breath feeling immediate sorrow for calling her dead friend an idiot. Her emotions were swinging wildly, and it was driving her to the brink of madness.
"Max... I... I'm sorry." She said to herself, hoping that he couldn't hear that.
She started to look out the window in an attempt to focus on something else rather than him. The sky was almost black at midday, and the rain was so heavy and thick that she wasn't even sure if Knothole wouldn't flood.
All looking out the window did was cause her to think about her parents gloomily. She was so worried about them, and now finally, she understood why Max had been so damaged by losing his.
It was one thing to know they were dead, but something else entirely to be left guessing for an eternity.
She started to pace once more, her despair and sorrow at their peak. She hated herself, she hated her life, and she hated every single thing that had occurred. She wished she'd never been born. The rough and raw emotion was overriding her wellbeing and her mental stability.
In the two days, she hadn't even left her hut or moved. She didn't even know if Sonia was still alive and felt that it would be better if she weren't also.
How could she ever look Sonia in the face again? How could they continue with just themselves? A fifteen-year-old and a thirteen-year-old running Knothole alone. It was a joke that had no punchline for Annie.
"Tails is dead! My parents are dead! Max is dead!" She gritted her teeth in rage and sorrow and cupped her hands over her face.
She wanted to cry.
To sob.
To bawl.
She couldn't… She wouldn't.
What use was it to cry? What purpose did it serve her? She threw her hands down in frustration and gazed around her wrecked room. Her eyes were starting to settle on the table by the window. There, sitting atop it, was the answer to her inquiries.
Annie slowly started to walk towards the disheveled table, and she reached out for it. Once she had it nestled in her hand, she stared at it as intently as possible. It was the gun Tails had made for her; it was her gun…
Her mind started to fantasize about it. The steel of the SWATBOT laser pistol felt cold against her fur.
She could see the gun sliding into her mouth, and in seconds it would be over. There would be no more pain. Sonia could be vindicated, spit on her corpse, and be happy she ended her miserable, worthless existence.
All she could think was the happiness it would bring to Sonia to blow a giant hole into her fucking stupid head.
Her muscles tensed, and she flicked the switch on the gun. The sound of it powering on echoed in the dark room. She stared at it still and could just imagine seeing Max again and everybody else that died.
For sure, it was hopeless for her and all else that tried to defy Robotnik.
The darker her fantasies grew, and the more elated she became over her thoughts of death, the more frightened she became. Something inside of her recognized irrationality, but in truth, did she even care about being rational any longer?
She rose the gun up and placed it to her temple. Would this be quick enough? She wondered and started to squeeze the trigger slightly. Her hand was shaking, and she quickly removed it from her head after not too long a time.
"Rrrr!" She roared in frustration.
Was she too much of a coward to even blow her fucking head off? She couldn't run into the facility and save Max because she was a weak, pathetic failure. Now she couldn't merely end her suffering and, by extension Sonia's sadness.
Annie breathed in deep and took the gun up close to her mouth. She was going to do it; she had to do it. She opened her mouth and slid the weapon into it, her thumb on the trigger.
"Pull…"
…
…
BAM!
…
The gun made a loud banging noise as it fell from her hand and slammed to the wooden floor.
"I'm pathetic..." Annie whined in exasperation.
She was too afraid to do it, and the longer she contemplated it, the worse she was feeling.
Annie hastily sprinted out of her hut door and went into the violent storm, slamming it behind her.
She gasped for air and looked at the soaking, wet, miserable world she was left in. She needed to be out of her hut; she needed to be away from the gun. In the back of her mind, she still felt it was what she wanted to do, but her fear made it difficult.
Annie kept thinking about how scornful and angry her parents would be, but she couldn't control how she felt, even if she wished it could be different. She moved away from her hut and out into the endless rain.
All the huts were so empty and dark. Even Sonia's hut was eerily silent, and remorse for the things Annie had said only brought more pain. She moved around a bit, trying to keep her mind off the misery, but it all did no good.
Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned into an hour.
It was no use… Nothing was making things better for Annie, but she was too frightened to go back to her hut.
Eventually, her eyes settled on the dining hall, where they would all come together to laugh and eat. It was a source of warmth and joy for her, and before she knew it, she was walking instinctively towards it.
Maybe staying out of her messy, dark, depressing hut was what she needed to clear her mind. Deep down, she knew it would persist, but doing anything was better than doing nothing. Her hands pushed the doors, and they flew open with a slam.
The torches outside were snuffed out by the rain, but oddly enough, the inside was lit with fire and felt warm and inviting.
Annie looked around, confused. Then froze when she saw Sonia peek her head out from the kitchen.
Their eyes met, and Annie was too afraid and ashamed to move. They stared at each other, and it was apparent that neither of them was taking excellent care of their hygiene.
"A-Annie!" Sonia said in shock. She looked nervous but didn't try to flee or hide from her.
"I…" Annie tried to speak, but she struggled to find the right words to say to her.
Sonia gazed at the older girl and knew she was going through hell. It wasn't hard to see at all that both of them were grieving and suffering.
"H-hold on, Annie, wait right there," Sonia said to her and disappeared into the back room.
Annie stood there silent and confused but waited for the girl to return. When Sonia came back, she was carrying a plate of pancakes that, in all honesty, looked lopsided and horrible but smelled reasonably delicious. Especially to the ravenously hungry rabbit who was starving herself.
"What? You made some food?" Annie said as she slowly tried to put the pieces together.
"Well yeah, my… I mean." She stammered a little bit, and her voice cracked from a sudden influx of crying.
"Max always made you berry pancakes." Annie finished her attempted explanation, and Sonia nodded, wiping her eyes with her free arm.
"I was hungrier than I had ever been in my life, and I haven't seen you in a while… so I thought I'd make some food for and bring it to you after I ate." She slid the hotcakes on the table and sat down tiredly.
Annie was somewhat shocked by the act of generosity she was given from Sonia. Truthfully, she felt she didn't deserve it but would probably feel worse if she didn't force herself to eat the food prepared for her.
Annie sat down and took one of the lopsided pancakes in her hand, not caring about cleanliness, and took a bite. They may have looked odd, but they didn't taste half bad. Even if it was the starvation talking, she was thankful to have the food.
Sonia was slowly picking at her portion, and the two sat and filled their empty stomachs for the first time in a while.
It was awkward for them to be sitting together, but at the same time, it brought Annie a great sense of relief that she hadn't felt in a while.
"Thanks... For the pancakes." She said to Sonia, who looked up.
It was clear she was surprised to hear a thank you, and she gave a sheepish smile.
"I was worried about ya," Sonia admitted, and to think Annie thought that she was despised by her.
"Why?" Was all Annie asked. Like it was weird for Sonia to be so concerned about her.
"Whattya mean why? I dunno' I hadn't seen ya in a while, and I know It... well it has been hard for me..." She admitted.
Annie could tell by her red eyes, puffy cheeks, and runny nose that she had done nothing but cry and beat up on herself this entire time.
"Sonia… Look." She started to speak but was abruptly cut off by Sonia.
"Please don't... I already know what it is about, and I've made my peace with it." Sonia declared and put her hands on the table.
She looked like she was struggling to hold back her tears of sadness with every gesture.
"No... I was. Well, I was wrong to say that to you." Annie's heart was broken, and she felt intense remorse for the suffering she had a hand in.
"No, Ann… You don't get it. You were right. It is my fault." Sonia said, balling her hands into fists as tears leaked from her eyes.
"No, Sonia..." Annie said but was silenced by the young girl's shout.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, ANN!" The girl screamed violently. Her voice started breaking into silent sobs as her fingers un-balled and grabbed onto the wood of the table.
"Y-you just need to shut up..." She wheezed in deep breaths and cried softly.
Annie said nothing and looked at the younger girl at her lowest point. She didn't protest or try to argue back; she just waited there in silence, listening to the faint sniffles and the crying.
After some time, Sonia wiped her eyes and spoke up once more.
"I hated your guts for what you said to me. I hated you so much for the pain you put me through. I kept hearing your voice as I lay there and sobbed in my bed. I-I just…" She stopped and cried a bit more and then shook her head to try and force herself to continue. "I wasn't ready for the truth. I just wanted to hate you for your harshness."
Annie quietly listened, and even though she was filled with volatile emotions, she refused to give in and succumb to tears herself.
"But," Sonia went on.
"As I kept thinking about it over and over. I realized you were right. When I was out there fighting the SWATBOT army and using the power ring. I was having fun, a lot of fun doing what I was doing." She paused for a minute and sucked in her snot, and wiped her mouth.
"I… My brother needed me, and you were the only one there... I should have been there with you. I should have been serious, but I wasn't. It was all a fun game to me, and I felt powerful." She poured her heart out to the older girl and rested her hands on the table.
She had mulled over these thoughts for two days straight, and it was the minute she realized that Annie was correct that she became worried for her.
"Sonia, even if that is true, and you stayed with me… There is no guarantee that we would be able to get inside and get Max fast enough. I know you're fast, but..." Annie tried to comfort Sonia, but Sonia just shook her head.
"I had the power ring... If my brother got stuck, I could be in and out faster than you could blink. I could have gotten through anything… I just know it, but instead, I choose to play with the SWATBOTS." She wheezed and sniffled.
It was clear that Sonia was trying to be mature about this, and Annie could sense the difference in the girl already. Her sharp wit and tongue had been blunted, and a fractured, less confident Sonia was revealing herself.
Annie looked down at the table feeling sullen, and she didn't know what else to do or say now.
"He's dead, isn't he?" Sonia's voice said after a short silence.
Annie was hesitant to answer, but she knew why she was asking. She wanted to know what Annie had seen because she refused to believe her brother would die so easily.
"I… I stayed until the last minute of the countdown… I tried everything I could to get into the facility, but I couldn't do it on my own. He never showed up, even up to the 45-second mark, so I ran." Annie paused for a second and watched Sonia's expression change to that of almost crying once again.
"I ran and ran until I almost collapsed, and then when I turned around, the entire place exploded. It was so massive and destructive that I don't think anybody running on their legs could escape the radius in such a short time frame from inside." Annie started rubbing the back of her neck and looked at the wall.
"I waited for you for a few minutes, and when you didn't show up, I, for some reason, figured that maybe everyone made it back to the rendezvous point. I guess I was in denial, as I hoped against all the odds that Max was already there." She concluded and felt terrible even recalling watching the building explode.
It played over and over in her mind, and just the thought of Max burning to death brought her extreme discomfort.
Sonia sat there quietly for a minute choking back tears, and then she became defiant. "I… I have to believe he is still ok, just like I believe Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor are ok. Max would never give up hope on me, so I refuse to give up on him."
Annie could sense the denial, but Sonia's proclamation did make her feel some semblance of hope.
"Yeah…" Annie trailed off and took another pancake.
She stuffed it into her mouth like a pig and continued dwelling on the dark aspects of their situation, even if she didn't want to.
Sonia ate another pancake slowly and took a drink of water to clear her throat. "I love you… Annie." She said abruptly, staring into her cup.
"What?" Annie immediately said, feeling embarrassed but also elated. It was the last thing she expected to hear from her, Sonia of all people too.
"Yea… My brother loved you a lot, and I always used to think of you as my big sister." She admitted while playing with her fingers. "I know you and my bro always used to be together, but even when I was little, you guys let me tag along when you didn't have to."
She took a quick drink, possibly to hide the blush on her cheeks.
Annie stared blankly at her and then looked down at the table, staring intensely at the various wood marks from the tree it used to belong to.
After about a minute, she smiled slightly, and a slight chuckle emitted from her mouth.
Sonia looked at her confused and placed her cup on the table. "What's so funny about that!?" She said, ready to get angry.
Annie laughed again and shook her head. "Like that time I was nine… and Max tried to pretend to be a great hero. She laughed again, recalling the memory, so strange that she was smiling, but she could see it so vividly.
Sonia thought for a second, and instantly she recalled the day. She was only seven years old at the time, but the visions were striking in her memory. She smiled slightly and looked into her glass again.
"I remember Max trying to save damsel Annie," Sonia said with a chuckle, recalling her brother.
Annie chuckled also. "Yeah, we were playing, and he desperately wanted to be a hero, so I was pretending to be in trouble, and I wrapped myself in vines."
"Oh, help me, brave Max." Annie imitated Max, laughing slightly more.
Sonia smiled, remembering what happened next. "Oh yeah, unfortunately, when he came to rescue his damsel, he was swallowed by the log beast."
The two laughed simultaneously. Remembering Max struggling because he got caught in a log he tried to crawl through and couldn't get out. The thought of him as he was trying to be brave, but then getting upset when he got caught in an old log.
Annie rubbed her face and looked at Sonia. "That was the day I felt you were like my little sister. I remember having to try and pull Max out quickly with your help because we didn't want to get yelled at for being late for supper."
Sonia smiled at her words and just looked down again. It always hurt to think of her brother now, but it never seemed to break the vivid pleasant memories she had of him.
'Thanks, Annie. I… You are all I have now." She said earnestly.
Annie leaned back in her chair and just took another pancake. "At least until Max comes crawling back..."
Sonia looked up and gave her a warm smile. She appreciated the kindness of Annie's words, even if she knew Annie didn't believe them in any capacity.
The two sat and ate for a short while, and their sadness was lessoned for the first time in days. Annie was still full of anger and sadness, but for a little bit, she could pretend not to be.
The thought of going back to her hut still scared her, and she was filled with a deep shame that she could never really talk about.
"I… body…h…r" Their silence was interrupted by what sounded to be muffled shouting.
Annie and Sonia looked up and stared at one another without a word. The two of them got up from the table then busted out of the hut door.
As soon as they were in the rain again, they scanned the village rapidly, looking for the source of the sound.
Their eyes honed in on Rotor, who was not too far in the distance. He was waving to them when they appeared, and the three of them wasted no time in running towards one another.
"Rotor!" The girls shouted.
"Guys!" Rotor shouted back, and when they finally met each other, they embraced tightly.
"Oh god, I was so worried about you two!" Rotor said as the girls hugged him from both sides.
"We missed you too!" Sonia shouted ecstatically.
"Where are mom and dad?!" Annie roared with panic.
She had immediately noticed he was here on his own, and that caused her heart to sink.
"Whoa, Whoa... They are ok." Rotor said to Annie and took a look at both of the girls. He could see how dirty and miserable they looked and knew they had been suffering this whole time.
"Hey, are you guys ok?" Rotor said in a concerned tone.
"Who cares about that? Where are mom and dad!" Annie demanded, and Sonia nodded.
"We've been worried sick! We deserved to know!" Sonia said, raising her voice about Rotor's late arrival.
Rotor sighed and understood that they needed to have a sense of closure. He moved passed the girls and started to make his way towards the dining hut. "If I got to explain everything, I at least want to be in the dry warmth for a bit."
Sonia and Annie looked at him and then at each other. They nodded, figuring that they could hear him better inside and out of the rain than in this storm. After that, the three quickly made their way inside the hall and took their seats.
"Alright, guys... I know you have questions, but let me just give the story. Ok?" Rotor spoke up, and Sonia and Annie nodded.
They were eager to hear what he had to say, and they felt some significant relief in knowing they weren't the last two alive around here.
"Alright, so, when we came out after planting the explosive. We were overrun by an immense amount of SWATBOTS. We tried to make it out of the city to reach the rendezvous point, but Antoine was injured. We ended up taking the sewer system under the city to escape the blast radius, but with Antoine bleeding so badly, we knew we wouldn't make it that far."
Annie looked horrified, and Sonia scowled, but Rotor continued before they could go into a total panic and interrupt him repeatedly.
"We ended up navigating the sewer system for a while until we decided to go above ground. Once we did that, we sought out uncle Chuck who allowed us to hide and stabilize Antoine by stopping his bleeding…. Sadly, we couldn't get out or return because Robotropolis is just overrun by SWATBOTS, and your father was in no condition to move." He finished, putting his soaked hat on the table, and then stole a pancake to stuff in his mouth.
"So, what are you doing here then?" Annie asked him, she was apprehensive about her dad, but this enormous pressure lifted off of her knowing that they still lived.
"Well… the… thing about… that…." Rotor said while chewing and then swallowed the pancake to finish speaking. "Is that your parents were out of their mind worried about you, they wanted to send messenger birds, but with the excess amount of activity, uncle Chuck advised against it. Once the SWATBOTS started clearing up, I volunteered to go." He stuck another pancake in his mouth and chewed it while he was not talking.
"What about everyone else?" Sonia asked him, concerned still for Bunnie and Antoine.
"Well, I am here to pick up medicine and supplies to take back, so we can treat Antoine better and then move him. Uncle Chuck ironically gave us the med supplies, not expecting them to be needed there." Rotor paused and took in a deep breath. It sure felt good to have something in his stomach. He hadn't eaten anything in a while.
"Once I get the meds, a bit of food, and check up on you three, I will be heading back... Then I'll probably return to Knothole by nightfall, so you guys aren't alone." He finished and looked around. It was now starting to dawn on him that Max hadn't been around this entire time.
"Hey, uhm..." Rotor started to speak up, but Sonia began talking over him.
"What is with the weather? You said the mission would stop it, so why is everything still bad?!" Sonia said indignantly.
Rotor nodded, now focusing on her question, and leaned back in his chair for a second, thinking about how to respond to the younger girl. "Robotnik pumped a lot of heat and garbage into the atmosphere for a long time…. I guess you could say this is the planet's way of getting rid of its sickness, so to speak. It will be horrible, and then over time, it will steadily return to normal."
Sonia and Annie looked at him after his explanation and just nodded. There was nothing anybody could say or do, but it was good to know that it would go back to normal days after a short while.
It gave them a higher degree of relief than they had just hours before, and they would take whatever they could get at a time like this.
Rotor stood up and put his hat back on, and started turning to the door. "Where's Max? I need to make sure he is doing ok before I gather everything and leave."
Annie and Sonia looked depressed, and their gaze averted almost instantly. Neither one wanted to tell him the truth, but in just their short, wordless gestures, they explained everything he needed to know.
"So…" He started talking but trailing off. His face had a perplexed look on it, and then slowly, the grief began to hit him. "I… see…" He rubbed his hands sadly and could barely find the words to say next.
It was evident he was not expecting this, and out of all of them, Max was the one who talked to him the most.
It was hitting him hard, but he never the less maintained most of his composure. "Well, if that is how it is... Then I should probably just gather everything and report back."
Annie started to walk up to him, and all he did was shake his head. "No, you can't come... It is still dangerous, and I need people here to make sure Knothole stays secure."
Annie just looked at the floor. She wanted to see her parents so badly but understood now was not the time to force her way into going.
"Please… tell my mom and dad I love them." Annie requested and stepped back away from Rotor to give him room to leave.
He nodded, giving her a thumbs-up, and turned around. His mind was preoccupied with the devastating news.
Rotor felt awful but knew once Bunnie heard about this, she would have a complete and utter meltdown. After the pause, he disappeared from the hut to head to storage to gather the things he needed.
Sonia gave Annie a small smile and spontaneously hugged her, catching the older girl off guard.
"They're ok!" Sonia said, crying tears of joy.
Annie embraced Sonia back, and she felt such a great relief wash over her. She was scared of losing her parents, and now at the very least, she knew she had not lost them to Robotnik.
Sonia broke the hug and rubbed her hands together. "Well, everything is turnin' back to normal…." She said, trying to stay on the bright side.
Annie, on the other hand, was feeling immensely guilty. She knew that Sonia had nothing and nobody now, and it was apparent that Sonia was dying on the inside.
"Yeah… let's hope it keeps getting better and better," Annie stated numbly.
The two of them started to walk out of the dining hall, and they could see Rotor had quickly thrown a bunch of supplies into a sack and was getting ready to move out already.
Annie and Sonia moved towards him and wanted to give him one last heartfelt goodbye.
"Please be careful." They cautioned him as he nodded back while throwing the bag over his shoulder and setting out at a steadily fast pace.
"You guys should get cleaned up… You don't want Bunnie and Antoine seeing you like that."
He turned his head to focus on Annie's bandaged arm, soaked through with blood. "Keep that wound clean. Bunnie is gonna' want to check it out when she returns."
They both nodded, and Annie felt her tender arm that she had neglected all of this time.
It was evident to Rotor that they were going through hell without them here and with Max gone. "I'll try my best to see you guys by tonight, alright?" Rotor stated.
"Alright!" They said as confidently as possible, but in truth, him leaving them alone again terrified them.
With that all said and done, the girls stopped following his brisk pace, and Rotor walked off towards Robotropolis alone. Leaving them to stand there watching him until he had disappeared into the woods.
"I guess we should clean up…" Sonia said, rubbing her arm and casting her gaze at the ground over her lack of hygiene.
"Yeah…" Annie replied, staring at her dark, sinister hut sitting across the way.
It filled her with a deep sense of dread to even think about going in there. After what she'd done and what she tried to do, she was afraid the temptation might take hold of her again.
"Hey, Sonia?" Annie asked.
"Hm?" Sonia looked at her.
"Do you think you could let me use your bathtub to get clean? I just…" She started to try to think up an excuse, but Sonia just nodded.
"Sure, just head on in my hut. I'll run and get you some clean clothes." She said.
Annie was terrified to let her into her hut but figured Sonia going in was much better than going herself. "Sure, I will run a bath… Thank you."
She wasn't sure what else to say to Sonia, so she just thanked her for her kindness.
"No prob, just take your time. I do everything super quick, so it is not like it gets in my way." She said and started to run off towards Annie's hut.
Annie made her way to Sonia's hut, and it was somewhat messy when she entered, but then again… it was always dirty.
She moved into her bathroom and started to draw a bath. Her mind drifting to the positive and then the negative. It kept oscillating but inevitably settled on the bad things. She threw her clothes off and let them lay on the floor in a dirty pile.
Once she was naked, she started to undo her bandage. It hurt quite a bit to yank off, but she could see how dirty her wound had become once removed.
Annie moved over to the mirror and looked at it by pushing some of the bloodied matted furs aside. She could see the red on her skin, and the injury was weeping. She had not taken good care of herself at all, and it showed incredibly well in the mirror.
Her once lovely fur was disgusting and grimy, and she felt horrible looking at herself. She could hear Sonia come in, and then she turned around to see her placing nice clean clothes on the bathroom floor.
Sonia went red in the cheeks and blinked when she stared at the older girl. She couldn't believe how beautiful and terrible Annie looked at the same time. She felt awful for her, especially that wound on her arm.
"Here ya go… I have to say, it wasn't easy to find clean clothes in there." Sonia said to her.
Annie froze in place, and she became terrified of what she would say about her room. Images of the gun she left on the floor kept flashing into her mind, and she was mortified that Sonia would know what she had done just by seeing it there.
"Your room was a mess," Sonia commented on the destruction of Annie's hut. In truth, though, she knew Annie could have a temper and that it was probably her way of venting.
Annie nodded, feeling slight relief that was all that Sonia commented on.
"Thanks, Sonia." She said honestly and turned the pouring water off.
Sonia nodded and turned away. "Enjoy your bath." She said, shutting the door behind herself.
Annie put her body into the hot water, and in all honesty, it felt excellent on her body. The heat was relaxing her muscles, and as she lay back to sink further into the depths, she could feel the sting of her wound upon being submerged.
She stared at the ceiling quietly, listening to the storm pound on it. Her mind was preoccupied with what happened in her hut. To think she could have possibly done that, and then what?
Her parents were alive, and Sonia didn't hate her... She felt so remorseful, but she had been having feelings like that since she had become a teenager.
She had always been able to suppress the hatred for herself and the sadness, but after what happened, it seemed to put her in a place she had never been before.
Annie always felt like the world would have more peace in it if she were gone, but she still ended up feeling like a guilty piece of shit for wanting to end her existence.
She never had any reason to whine or cry and never wanted to compare her fake sadness to those with genuine sorrow like Max.
Why did she have to be this way? It was as if she was destined to be sad for no reason, and just being sad was what made her feel selfish.
Annie shut her eyes and dunked her head under the water to completely submerge herself. After thoroughly wet from head to toe, she sat up and started lathering her body with soap. She wanted normalcy, but everything she felt and everything she was attested to a broken, miserable, worthless girl.
She rinsed herself off with water, and she could feel the hurt welling up in her. An explosion of tears was screaming to get out of her eyes, but still, she held them back.
"Nothing can fix me." She thought and stood up in the tub.
She looked down at the darkened, dirty, disgusting water she left behind inside of the tub.
"If only I could wash the dirty rotten parts of me away just as easily." She berated herself in her head, feeling anger replace the sadness, though she preferred it that way, to be honest.
Annie got out of the bath while pulling the drain stop and used a towel to dry off. She looked at her now pristine form in the mirror, and she was amazed by how clean she looked and how much better she felt physically.
She picked up her clothes and started to dress into the jeans and sleeveless shirt that Sonia fetched from her living quarters.
Her arm still looked sore, and it smelled slightly bad despite the soap cleansing. She reached into the box in Sonia's bathroom where medicines were stored in each hut and started to wrap the wound up with clean bandages.
"I hope it'll be ok." She said to herself and turned to walk out to the central part of the hut.
She could see Sonia getting up and walking towards the bathroom for her own bath.
"All yours," Annie said, stepping aside and letting her in.
"Thanks, I'll be quick," Sonia said and slammed the door on her way into the bathroom.
Annie could hear the tub run, and she moved over to the window to look out at the storm and then to her hut.
She didn't want to be alone because horrible thoughts started to come to her every time she was.
What was wrong with her? She didn't know, but she was sure of one thing.
She was going to ask to stay in Sonia's hut for the rest of the night.
…
…
The storm raged on violently with the dark clouds signifying a terrible disaster that could very well destroy vast chunks of the forest land.
Tails watched as the stream he once followed was now overflowing and soaking his boots. Many trees had been uprooted and lay on their side due to the winds.
It was not safe at all to travel, and despite that, Tails choose to press on.
Cream was following him, her eyes darting about in every direction, and she questioned if it was a good idea to be going to his home in such a disaster.
Her backpack and bag were soaked, as was her dress and fur, but she continued despite her doubts. For she feared if Tails left without her, she would succumb to a violent death.
In his arm, Tails was carrying the thick, metal robot box attached to the assailant from yesterday. In it was the destroyed helmet contraption as well as pieces of the various weapons they were using.
The container was heavily damaged, and much of its contents seemed nonfunctional, but Tails collected it regardless.
His destroyed utility belt was haphazardly tied around his waist since the strap was cut through.
"Uhm... M-Mr. Tails… do you think it is necessary to carry all of that? E-especially since you have not fully recovered?" She asked from a place of genuine concern and uncertainty.
Tails sloshed through the water while thunder boomed overhead, and he slowed down to walk next to her. He could tell she was scared, and it was evident that she was new to all of this.
He had many questions to ask her but never wanted to come across as callous and unsympathetic to somebody who seemed so polite and sweet.
"It is necessary because while it may not seem like it. Those robots are something new to me, and they have proven to be exceedingly dangerous… I still don't quite get their purpose, what they intended to do with us, or even why they just eradicate some animals but capture others." He stopped talking and thought for a second before he continued.
"Time was years ago… old, clunky SWATBOT models would capture everything in sight and take them for mass roboticization." Tails concluded in his explanation.
Cream blinked as the rain dripped off her ears. She hopped over a downed tree and tried to keep the pace up with Tails.
It was strange how just being with somebody who understood this world of madness made her feel safer than she did with most of her own group. They had only just met, and she already trusted Tails with her life.
Though, in many circumstances, her naivety would be her death… She was willing to take a chance with him rather than be alone in this twisting maze of a forest by herself.
Tails looked at her bruised face, then the cut above her eye, and kept thinking back to when she tried to save her older dog friend.
They could have quickly shot her, but they refused to assault her at first… and he didn't understand why. He was eyeing her over so intently that Cream eventually overcame her bashfulness to ask on the matter.
"Uhm... Pardon me, Mr. Tails, but uhm…." She blushed and averted her gaze. "What exactly are you looking at?"
He stopped staring and felt hot in the cheeks himself. It was kind of a rude thing to do, but the reality was that he was not used to having somebody, let alone a woman who looked about or around his age, with him.
He was inspecting her as if she were some sort of scientific experiment that needed solving. "Ah, f-forgive me. I just was wondering about you was all… I have been a Freedom Fighter for a long time, and never have I heard about this village you live in." He said in an attempt to shift the focus off their awkwardness.
"Oh… well, uhm. That is because we grow our own food and have our own internal commerce. Even though we know the animals are at war with Robotnik, most of the citizens pretend that nothing is going on and choose to live life as if the great city had just moved." She said.
"Great city? You mean Mobotropolis?" Tails said as he was getting into the information, she was giving him.
"Y-Yes, I believe that was the name... Anyway, every so often, a group of animals volunteer to venture out in search of more trade so that our city can continue to prosper. The established leader of our village then decides whether or not to approve of the support of more Freedom Fighter factions." She said.
"So, you basically only come out every so often to establish ties with a Freedom Fighter group and create a mutual benefit for both parties?" Tails summarized her explanation.
Cream nodded. "That is correct. The approval process takes a long time, as the central leader talks it out with other district leaders, and then once an agreement is made. They approve of the expedition and give those requesting it a map cube so that they can send the coordinates back to home." She took a breath and looked at Tails.
Tails found this system interesting, but it still didn't explain why he had never heard of it before. Especially seeing as members of the Mobian royal family were in his village and commanding many other Freedom Fighting groups.
"I see, but why have I never heard of this?" He questioned her, and it came off as doubting scrutiny.
Cream looked away, sensing his distrust, but she just responded to him in her same polite manner. "We… well, a lot of us are not suited for combat, and that makes the journey extraordinarily dangerous to make. Many of us never stumble onto a Freedom Fighter faction and are killed with no results. Those that do manage to find one end up getting killed before they can return home. A lot of the Freedom Fighter groups that we established trade with have been destroyed." She explained.
"So, that is why you guys were out here? You cared that much about the Freedom Fighters and your village's continued existence that you risked your lives to find us... That's incredibly brave." Tails said.
He admittedly was touched by the pure heart of her group, but after seeing what had happened to them. He wasn't sure if it was wise of them even to try, as the scarcity of Freedom Fighting groups became more prevalent. It would be challenging to succeed in this mission, and it was pretty much blind luck he ran into them.
Cream was surprised by his kind words and became embarrassed, but it was primarily the truth. "I care a lot for everybody, and even though the number of animals wishing to be involved outside of the village has dwindled. I still felt it was my duty to go and help those that needed it."
In her words was a pure selflessness that Tails was not used to, and even though you could call her foolish, she was undoubtedly fearless to come out here alone with only four other animals.
Tails kept walking, and for a little bit, he hesitated to say anything. Cream seemed preoccupied with her thoughts, and he was always nervous about prying deeper. Eventually, he just resigned himself and asked the burning question on his mind.
"Cream… Who exactly was everyone back there?" He came out and said it, though it might reopen her fresh wounds and cause her distress.
"Oh…" Cream was a bit nervous to talk about them, but in truth, she always knew the question would come up. She looked up as a flash of thunder pierced the holes in the trees above her head and decided it would be rude not to answer his inquiry.
"We were the group of animals who thought that it was time to help... Sammy, the pig, was a chef who owned a restaurant in our village. He was always kind and loving, and he desired to make a difference in the world. Severa, the raven, was the same way. She was fluent in different languages and cultures and worked at our library." She started giving bits of character history to Tails.
"Wait? You have restaurants and libraries?" He said in a disbelieving tone.
Cream nodded. "Yes, I was not lying when I said that our village is similar to the gr- I mean Mobotropolis. It may not be so fancy, but it offers many pleasantries the forest does not. We even have our own form of currency." She said and reached out and showed him an etched stamp on some useless rounded bronze metal. It might not have been gold, but it was proof she was telling him the truth on the matter.
Tails took the coin and examined it while walking. "Radcliff Village?"
"Yes, the name of our village founder, Sir. Radcliff. During the coup, he was a knight in service to King Maximillian Acorn and decided that it was better to hide his family and loved ones from harm than go out and die. He established everything, and over the years, people joined, as the population grew." She wiped some of the rain out of her eyes.
"Now, we don't even allow entries from outsiders unless they can demonstrate their usefulness to the village." She explained the history of her home, and Tails could see she was knowledgeable and well educated. He didn't doubt such a place contained some education system as well.
It made him feel jealous that all the Freedom Fighters were out here slumming it while other animals were living in relative normalcy. He was upset and angry about it but decided to let that rest for a later time.
"Red… I er… R-Redford… the canine that I-I tried to save. He, well he was uhm…." She tried to speak, and it seemed beyond painful for her, but she eventually pushed through to what she wanted to say. "H-he used to be a knight before the coup too. He was a kind, honorable, and loving dog who sacrificed a lot for the village... and for me." She admitted.
"I-In his old age, his mind was going, and his combat training left him years ago. He was capable of sometimes fixing certain things from before the coup because he had been around that long, but many times he forgot how to use them or what they were exactly for." She finished with a long face and decided to change the subject before it got too painful.
"Diana, the bat you saw was actually the sister of our central leader Sarah. The two of them always had different opinions on whether or not it was wise to traverse outside of the village, but they were very close. I- well, Sarah didn't seem to want her sister to go, but Diana refused to give up on her ideals." Cream finished her summation of everybody.
Tails thought about everybody that day. The raven was gone, and it was uncertain if she was still alive. Everybody else was dead, and Tails now understood why the bat was dressed so gaudily. She was undoubtedly wealthy and influential in the society she came from, and for her to risk her life came across to him as commendable.
"You didn't tell me about everyone…." Tails looked at her and gave her a small smile.
Cream looked at him and then to the wet ground. "There isn't much to tell... I uhm. I am an orphan, and I have read many books on medicine and animal anatomy over the years. I was being trained by doctors for a few years before I set off to search for Freedom Fighters. I am not a doctor… However, I guess you could say I am an advanced apprentice."
He looked at her and could sense the great hesitation in her tone and speech. She did not want to talk about herself, and Tails was not about to force the issue.
He just smiled at her and let her keep her silence if she had to. He marched onwards, and finally, he reached a giant overflowing lake in the middle of the forest.
"This is it!" Tails got excited and looked at Cream.
"What is it, Mr. Tails?" She asked.
"It is the lake of rings. It signifies that Knothole village is close by. We only have a little way to go." He responded to her.
Cream smiled at him and was thankful for his help. Admittedly she was excited to see his safe village and meet the other people in his group. Perhaps get out of the rain and have some food.
She felt terrible for the loss of life and suffering that had occurred in her team but had solace in knowing she might succeed in her greater mission of helping her home.
The two of them picked up their pace despite the heavy bags and equipment. The sooner they got there, the sooner that help could be delivered to the Freedom Fighters of Knothole village.
…
…
Annie sat in Sonia's hut quietly. It had been hours, and the light started fading from the world. The dark, depressing atmosphere was even more gloomy than it had been all day.
The room was lit by a tiny electric lamp on the table, and Annie couldn't help but feel a slight comfort sitting next to its brightness.
She gazed along the bed and looked at Sonia lying there on top of it. The girl just wanted to rest her eyes after a nice warm bath but ended up passing out from exhaustion.
Perhaps Annie's presence brought her enough comfort to find some rest finally, but Annie herself was still an emotional wreck.
She looked out the window like she had for the past few hours. She felt numb and seemed to be holding out for the hope that Sonia instilled in her earlier. She waited and watched for Rotor or her parents… or…
Her eyes caught something in the distance, though she could barely make it out in the rainstorm. She stood up and pressed her nose against the glass, trying to determine who it was.
"Max...?" She whispered to herself.
Her heart started to beat frantically, and she turned and quickly made her way out of Sonia's door, not even thinking to wake her up.
"Max…!" She said excitedly to herself in the falling rain, and her chest felt as if it were about to burst.
She ran as fast as her bare feet could carry her, and finally, when she skidded to a halt, she was in front of the tall figure.
"Ann?" She could see and hear the fox speaking to her, and even though she felt crushed, it was not who she thought it was. She spontaneously grabbed hold of him and hugged him regardless.
"Tails!" She cried out.
Tails quickly grabbed the young girl and hugged her close to his wet chest fluff.
"Ann!" He cried back.
She couldn't believe it. He had never even entered her mind, and now here he was, safe and well. It might not have been Max, but it indeed was somebody she wanted to be safe and sound.
"Ann... What is going on here? Where is everybody?" He asked nervously.
Annie wasn't even sure how to begin telling him, but before she could even start, she heard a voice calling from one of the huts.
"Um, E-excuse me, Mr. Tails, but I put all of the things in your hut, and I..." She stopped as soon as she noticed the young girl and stared at her.
Why was somebody so young part of a warfare group? Her eyes settled on Annie's bandaged arm.
"W-what is going on here?" Cream asked hesitantly.
Tails looked at her and then to Annie. "I really don't know… Nobody is here like they should be, and Annie seems hurt."
"I-I am fine… really." Annie tried to protest, but Cream came over to the young girl and grabbed her by the hand gently.
"Come inside. I will take a look at it for you." Cream said as sweet as she possibly could.
Annie looked at Tails as if to say, "who is this person." And he just responded with a pat on her shoulder.
"C'mon, let's get you inside, and you can explain everything." Tails was reassuring to her, and she allowed Cream to guide her inside of Tails' hut.
It was messy inside, and there were technological parts and junk piled everywhere but the bed. Annie sat on the side of his bed and let her legs dangle over it. Cream brought over her brown bag and proceeded to unravel the wet bandage gently and slowly.
Tails moved next to them so he could watch, and Annie looked pretty scared of the strange rabbit trying to mess with her painful wound.
Cream smiled at Annie, and she talked in a calm, sweet voice. "Don't worry, sweetheart, you will be just fine. You don't have to worry about anything. I am just making sure you aren't severely hurt."
Annie looked at her festering arm and became frightened when the rabbit took off her dirty, messy gloves and put on some clean latex ones stored in the bag. She could see the rabbit probing and examining the wound, and Tails came over to try and take her mind off of it.
"What happened, Annie? I need to know. I think that something big might be happening in Robotropolis." He said while taking a seat next to her, but he was careful not to interrupt Cream while she worked.
"Ah!" Annie cried out, feeling searing pain shoot up her arm, and her attention was turned to Cream.
"What are you doing!?" Annie cried out indignantly, but it was apparent she was terrified of what was going on.
Cream just gave her a sweet smile once again and stood up. "Please forgive me, Miss Annie. I didn't mean to cause you discomfort." She turned and started pulling more things out of the bag, and Annie began swaying her feet nervously.
Annie reluctantly started speaking to Cream out of fear. "I-well. Am I going to be ok?" She stammered a bit, knowing she had not taken care of her festering wound well.
Cream smiled at her and started wetting gauze with a transparent substance. "You will be A-Okay, sweetheart. There is a minor infection, but I am going to take care of that and clean it. Then I will redress the wound, and you should be right as rain."
She bent down and started applying pressure to Annie's arm. It burned a little bit and hurt badly with force applied, but she became more relaxed around the sweetly natured rabbit.
"This'll take a little while, so don't mind me." Cream said while working gently and slowly.
Annie looked at Tails, who gave her a comforting smile, and she just kept her gaze on him in an attempt to take her mind off the discomfort she was feeling.
Annie watched as Tails stood up in front of her, and she began to speak to him.
"It was awful…." She started explaining the entire story from beginning to end.
The cannon, Robotnik, her parents, the mission, Max… It was so much information that by the time she had wrapped up to the present time, Cream had been finished her treatment for over ten minutes.
Tails looked like he was beside himself. He couldn't believe any of it, especially that of what happened to Max. That was Sonic's son, and to know that he was supposed to be there and that Max was acting in his place only filled him with disgust and rage.
Cream was listening to the story as well and couldn't believe the numerous atrocities she was hearing. It was now that she realized that her village was not safe at all and that no amount of hiding could keep them from a grisly fate.
She couldn't believe that children that were not even adults were throwing their lives away to stop Robotnik.
Annie sat there and rubbed her clean bandage because it was really sore and tender. She looked at Cream, who put on a smile no matter how she might be feeling on the inside.
"How do you feel, sweetheart?" She asked.
"I… it stings a little," Annie admitted.
Cream shook her head and responded. "That is normal. Just remember to keep changing your bandages to clean ones every day." She looked down and then back up to Annie once more. "However, that wasn't what I meant. I mean, how are you feeling emotionally?"
The question caused her to feel a lot more pain than the wound or the treatment. Annie became hesitant and started to fidget slightly. She turned her head to Tails, and he just looked at Cream.
"Mr. Tails? Do you mind if I talk to Miss Annie alone for a second? That is if she is willing to." Cream looked back at Annie.
Tails nodded. In fact, after hearing that bombshell of events, he needed a few minutes by himself.
Annie sat frozen as she was too scared to say no, and watched as Tails left the hut to go outside.
Cream bent over so that she was in front of Annie and put her hands on her dirty, ripped-up dress.
"My name is Cream Rabbit. It is a pleasure to meet you." She chirped, taking off her latex gloves and placing them on the floor.
"W-what do you want to talk about?" Annie said defensively and rudely.
Cream's inquiry had opened her emotional wounds, and she didn't know how to react.
"Nothing... I just figured you wanted to talk." Cream said sweetly and looked at the girl.
"Wh-why would I want to talk to you!" Annie said once more, feeling anger well up inside of her. Just who did this rabbit think she was? Coming here randomly and running her mouth.
Cream looked into Annie's eyes and could see the desperate fear in her. She just sat in front of her and spoke gently. "Because I am here to listen."
Annie had had enough of these games and started to tense up, and her hands balled into fists revealing the scratches and cuts on her knuckles.
"Fuck you!"
She insulted Cream outright and felt herself losing control. She hated the pain she was feeling, so why did this rabbit want to scrape the wounds more?
Cream just continued to smile at her. "It must be painful holding all of that in." She said gently.
Annie could feel herself losing it. The anger turned to guilt, and the guilt turned to shame, and the shame turned to sadness. She was shaking and once again confronted with the tears banging at her eyes. She held them back and looked away from Cream.
"I… I... just... want." She struggled to talk as she choked back her tears between each word.
Cream sweetly placed a hand on her shaking shoulder and spoke in a calm voice once again. "You want to?"
Cream's touch made her body turn to rubber, and the trembling of inward sobs was breaking the surface. Her eyes started leaking tears, but she quickly tried to wipe them away, to hide them from the rabbit.
"I… want… to… stop… hurting..." She choked out and struggled with every fiber of her being to keep the tears at bay.
Cream gently rubbed the girl's back and moved her head forward so that she could be heard clearly. "My mom used to say that the best way to wash away sorrows was to flood them out with tears." She said to Annie in a quiet, sympathetic tone.
Annie choked as images of her own mother came into her mind, and then images of her dad, and then images of Max. Her trembling worsened more so than before, and her chokes became louder than ever.
She started to squeal and whine and abruptly grabbed onto the fabric of Cream's dress so hard it was like she was holding onto a cliff for dear life.
Annie's world melted, and her tears started to flow down her furred cheeks while she cried out loudly. Her body uncontrollably trembled, and the pain in her heart felt unbearable. She pulled herself into Cream's chest and sobbed loudly onto the dress. Her wails of anguish muffled by the fabric.
Cream placed her arms on the girl and rubbed her back to give her support and comfort. The months, the days, the years of keeping the misery locked away within her were bursting out in one torrent of unstoppable crying.
It went on like that for so long that Tails looked through the window, and when he saw Annie crying. He knew it best to stay away from the private moment.
Annie's sobs and chokes lessened as she cried the torment out of her body. Cream reached over to hand her a few tissues, and Annie grabbed them to wipe her runny nose.
Annie felt weak and as if she were in another dimension; her body felt drained and exhausted from the intense release of emotions.
Cream moved away and stood up while resting a hand on Annie's shoulder. Annie just grabbed onto her hand and sniffled.
"I... I'm sorry…." She quivered.
She was feeling ashamed for not only saying mean things to her but for even crying in general.
Cream moved away from her and smiled. "You don't need to be sorry. I just want you to feel better. That is all."
Annie stood up onto her feet woozily, and her body felt empty. All of the emotions were still there, but they felt several degrees lighter than they had before. She had tried so hard to pretend she was normal and to pretend she wasn't sad that it had decayed within the reaches of her soul for a long time.
Cream sat on Tails' bed and started putting her tools back into her bag.
"If you need anything while I am here, just please come see me." The rabbit bowed her head politely, and Annie briefly felt that things might actually turn out ok.
Annie nodded and stumbled herself out of the door. Her eyes were sore, as was her nose and throat from crying so hard. When she exited, she could see Tails waiting out in the rain and walked past him quietly.
"Everything ok?" He asked her vaguely so that she would not know he had seen her sobbing.
"F-fine." She said and kept walking. She felt exhausted, and all she wanted to do was go back to Sonia's hut.
Tails nodded and watched her walk off into the darkness towards Sonia's lit hut, and when he saw her safely enter. He turned and walked back into his own to converse with Cream about Annie.
…
Annie walked in and shut the door behind herself. Sonia was still lying sound asleep on the bed, completely unaware of anything that had just occurred.
She reached her hand up and turned off the electric light, and once it was out, it shrouded the room in complete darkness.
Annie placed herself on the floor and stared up at the hut ceiling as she had in the bath. The sound of the storm pounding against it.
She stared for the longest time, and then she started to fade in and out of consciousness. Her body felt some semblance of relief, and the sobbing had tired her out immensely.
She eventually shut her eyes and let out a quiet sigh. Maybe now she could finally sleep undisturbed.
"Perhaps there is a way to flush the bad things out of me. Who would have thought it would be the one thing I avoided doing?"
Annie thought to herself as her mind started to go blank, and sleep finally claimed her.
Wrap up. One of the best chapters of the story. I genuinely believe so.