Isaac and the others found the cabin before the sun had set. After Isaac had picked the lock, he was able to get the others inside. And as Lily had said before, no one lived there for many years! But surprisingly, it was in relatively good condition! A sign of quality when it came to its construction. Isaac walked through the cabin, finding it had a few rooms. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a cellar, and a storage room.
"This would be a nice place to live." Isaac commented, walking through the rooms. But as he did so, suddenly, the interior of the cabin became more well-kept, a fire roaring in its hearth.
"Barbara, put out that fire! We need to conserve our firewood!" A gruff voice announced, grabbing Isaac's attention. Isaac turned around, seeing an old bulldog walking towards him, phasing right through him.
"Another vision? Here?" Isaac questioned. The bulldog sat in the living room, the fire illuminating and warming the room.
"I've already told you, Harold. That nice hunter from near the shore gave us quite a few bundles of firewood for us to wait out the blizzard." His wife returned, walking out of the storage room. She was a canine as well but looked to be more of a border collie. She sat down next to her husband, her hand going over his.
"Oh… I'm sorry, Gertrude. Guess my memory isn't as good as it used to be!" Harold apologized.
"Harold, I'm sorry to tell you this, but your memory wasn't that good to begin with." Gertrude joked, patting his hand. As they laughed, Isaac walked over to the old couple, studying them.
"Do… do I know them?" Isaac questioned, not remembering them.
"You should've been here when that nice hunter came by. He had his son in a harness behind him, just cooing so happily!" Gertrude explained, smiling.
"A child? How old?" Harold asked.
"Just a few months. You know… it was nice to hold a child again, when he had to unload the firewood." Gertrude commented. Harold groaned, hearing this before.
"Gertrude, you're acting like our grandchildren coming to visit us isn't enough for you." Harold observed.
"Harold… I want to go to where our children are! Where our grandchildren are!" Gertrude confessed.
Harold sighed, knowing this was going to come up, sooner or later. He knew they were getting too old to live out here alone. He's been needing to use more over-the-counter painkillers to get him through his labors to upkeep the maintenance on their home. His old bones were going to one day give up on him, and he knew his wife wouldn't be able to live out here without him for too long. She's been slowing down as well, a little bit, ever so little, every day.
"Gertrude… just one more year. That'll give us enough time to arrange it with one of our children. Maybe Junior, or maybe even Delilah. They'll come here to pick us up, and we'll get ourselves somewhere in the Kingdom of Acorn." Harold bargained.
"You're rather agreeable today. Usually, you'd be more resistant to such a change." Gertrude observed.
"To be honest with you, I've been thinking about this for a while. Gertrude, my back has been aching. My bones have been on the verge of breaking. I'm… not a young man anymore." Harold admitted.
Gertrude lean close to Harold, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not quite the young bride you married fifty years ago." Gertrude said, chuckling.
"Sometimes, I forget. You know how bad my memory can get." Harold returned, laughing. Soon, the vision faded, leaving the cabin in its faded state. Isaac blinked a few times, still confused by the visions.
"Isaac, is everything all right?" Sonic asked, noticing him standing still. Isaac shook his head, snapping back into focus.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking." Isaac answered. Isaac walked to the door of the storage room where his vision of Gertrude had come from, grabbing the handle. Isaac pulled the door open, finding crates, barrels, and shelves full of preserved goods. He picked up one of the canned goods, being a can of corn. Surprisingly, the expiration date on it was still about two years from expiring.
"Hmm… maybe." Isaac said to himself, grabbing a few cans from the shelves. Isaac walked out of the storage room, walking into the kitchen. The kitchen only had a stone counter, a table with a few chairs, and a few cabinets. The stone counter had a small, scorched spot, where a fire would be made to cook something. Putting the canned goods on the counter, Isaac opened the cabinet closest to him, seeing a cast iron pot and a frame to hook it onto to go over a fire.
"This is looking better." Isaac said, pulling out the pot and frame from the cabinet, putting it onto the counter. Isaac soon made a fire, getting a nice temperature going. Isaac opened the canned goods, pouring out stewed tomatoes, jarred beef broth, canned vegetables, and canned barley. A quick pinch of salt and a few dashes of pepper brought things together, creating a quick and simple stew.
"This is good!" Isaac exclaimed, smiling widely. Abandoned for years, and this place still had something to give! Grabbing a spoon from one of the cabinets, Isaac stirred the stew, a delicious smell coming from it. As he did so, he heard footsteps behind him, someone walking into the kitchen. Isaac quickly looked behind him, seeing Rosy.
Rosy was wearing an extra set of Isaac's clothes, Lily having hemmed them so they would be a good fit for her. Rosy was wearing a white wool shirt, a pair of flax trousers, and a pair of leather shoes. Isaac didn't know where Rosy had gotten them from, but it wasn't from the clothing he gave her. Rosy was holding Isaac's cloak, folded.
"Here. I don't think I need to have this anymore." Rosy said, handing Isaac the cloak. Isaac took it gladly, fastening it to himself.
"Thank you, Rosy. How are the clothes suiting you?" Isaac asked, turning back to the simmering stew.
"Uh… good? You're actually… not being angry?" Rosy questioned.
"As long as you do not yell at my family, I will not yell in response. Otherwise, I try to be kind to all I meet. Oh yes, and as long as you do not attempt to kill my friends and family, I will not have to kill you in response." Isaac explained. Rosy giggled a bit, thinking Isaac was joking. Isaac looking back and staring at her confirmed he wasn't.
"Oh, you're serious." Rosy realized. Isaac nodded, stirring the stew again. Rosy walked over, smelling the food.
"What're you making?" She asked.
"Dinner. Harold and Gertrude, the people who lived here, left a pantry full of preserved food. I would estimate there's enough for about two years, if rationed properly." Isaac answered.
"You knew the people here?" Rosy asked.
"No." Isaac answered, tapping the spoon on the rim of the pot. Rosy was confused, not understanding how Isaac knew who lived there, but didn't know them.
"How did you know who lived here?" Rosy asked.
I… I had a vision of the people who lived here. Apparently, they knew my father. That is the only reason I would assume I have had a vision of them." Isaac explained.
"Do you have visions often?" Rosy asked.
"Yes." Isaac answered. As he cooked, Rosy walked out of the kitchen, leaving Isaac alone. Soon, Isaac patted out the fire a bit, having a small flame. Isaac covered the pot, letting it simmer. Isaac pulled out a chair, sitting down and keeping an eye on the cooking stew. But as he sat there, he began hearing noises from one of the rooms. While Isaac's hearing was keen, he couldn't quite make it out. But it sounded like someone struggling. Struggling… to stay alive?
"Scourge!" Isaac exclaimed, leaping from his chair. He just realized the sound was coming from Scourge's room, where Scourge had no means of stopping Rosy from killing him! Grabbing his knife from his belt, Isaac ran towards his room, the sound becoming more prominent! Isaac burst through the door, prepared to stop a murder plot!
"STOP!" Isaac yelled, seeing a glimpse of pink, indicating Rosy being in Scourge's room. But to his surprise, Rosy wasn't strangling Scourge or trying to kill him. Instead… she was right on top of him, making out with Scourge. Scourge's left hand freed, going through Rosy's quills. Upon Rosy hearing Isaac bash through the door, she stopped, looking terrified! She quickly got off of him, looking down, acting like a teenager who got caught by her parents.
"Rosy… leave." Isaac ordered, pointing towards the door. Rosy didn't hesitate, quickly getting out. Isaac pulled out the chair next to Scourge's bed, sitting down. Scourge looked scared, his unbound left arm moving towards his broken shoulder, feeling Isaac was going to grab it again.
"Explain." Isaac ordered.
"Listen, I don't know what happened, alright?! I was just in here, dozing off, when Rosy came in! I thought she was going to kill me! But then… she kissed me. She… undid the binding on my arm and just… kept going." Scourge explained.
"I'm not angry. I only wish to understand what happened." Isaac clarified. Scourge breathed a sigh of relief, his unbound arm over his heart, which Isaac could hear was racing.
"Oh, thank God! Listen, I don't really know what happened. I was dozing off, she came in, and then she started making out with me." Scourge summarized. Isaac nodded, getting up. In response, Scourge quickly clutched his injured shoulder. Isaac left the room, leaving Scourge alone.
Isaac closed the door behind him, seeing Rosy sitting on the couch that was in front of the fireplace. Isaac walked up to her, sitting down beside her.
"If you're going to yell at me, at least let me explain." Rosy argued. Isaac shook his head, aiming his palm towards the hearth. A fireball shot out, igniting the firewood left by the previous occupants.
"I will not shout at you. As I have said before, I will only do so if you yell at my family. But I would like to hear your side of things." Isaac said.
"I just went in to see if Scourge was alright. He was falling asleep, so I went to leave. But as soon as I reached for the doorknob, he was talking in his sleep." Rosy began.
Isaac motioned for her to keep going.
"He was saying he was sorry for what he did. He was saying that he regretted hurting me. That… he wanted to die." Rosy continued.
"I wanted to kill him for so long, but hearing him say that… I don't know what to call it. Empathy? Sympathy? But after hearing him say that… I didn't want to kill him anymore." Rosy finished.
"And you kissing him?" Isaac asked.
"I… alright, I don't have an answer for that one. But just seeing him lying there, sleeping, looking handsome…" Rosy began to say, before sighing.
"You're smitten with him." Isaac realized. Rosy's face quickly went from being smitten to terror!
"What?! No! I can't be in love with him! He's a maniac!" Rosy exclaimed, quickly getting up. Isaac held his hands up, showing he wasn't being accusative.
"You cannot dictate what the heart wants. You didn't fall in love with the madman. You fell in love with the repentant man." Isaac clarified.
"I don't care if he's repentant! It doesn't change who he is!" Rosy exclaimed.
"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it actually does. The old Scourge would've most likely never considered to repent for his actions. But considering the fact he is, that would already prove he has changed." Isaac pointed out.
Shaking her head, Rosy stormed out of the cabin, slamming the door shut. Sighing, Isaac got up, walking back towards the kitchen. But as he did, he passed a large mirror. In the corner of his eye, he saw something dark in the mirror. He quickly went back, looking into the mirror. He saw only his reflection, contrast to what he saw in the corner of his eye.
"I just need some sleep." Isaac thought to himself, knowing he had been awake for the past 24 hours. Isaac walked back into the kitchen, taking the lid off of the pot and stirring it, feeling that the stew was almost done. As Isaac blew out the fire, taking the pot off of the frame and setting it down on the counter, Sonic and Lily walked into the cabin, carrying armfuls of firewood.
"Isaac, we got the firewood!" Lily announced, setting it down next to the hearth. Sonic did the same, the firewood clattering into a heap.
"Thanks. Did you see Rosy out there?" Isaac asked.
"For a moment. I think she went to the stream outside of the tree line." Sonic answered. Isaac nodded, grabbing a few bowls from one of the cabinets. After plating up the stew into some of the bowls, Isaac gave an extra bowl to Lily.
"Make sure Scourge has dinner. Tomorrow, he will be handed over to the guards, where he will begin to serve his time." Isaac explained. Lily began to show concern at these words.
"Isaac… wouldn't it be better if he served his time elsewhere?" Lily asked.
"Elsewhere? Like the United Federation?" Isaac asked.
"Well, no. I mean, somewhere he can repent without disturbance." Lily suggested. Isaac shook his head, knowing Lily wasn't talking about a prison.
"Scourge may be repentant, but he still needs to answer for his crimes. The Kingdom of Acorn doesn't have the death penalty, so he will most likely stay in a correctional facility for many, many years. He will have time to repent and begin to serve his time, where he can begin to make amends with the people he has wronged." Isaac explained.
"But Isaac, he…" Lily began to say, before Isaac held up a hand.
"It's out of my control, Lily. I promised that I would do everything in my power to bring Scourge in. So, Scourge will be relinquished to the guard and shall be serving his time in the Kingdom of Acorn." Isaac reiterated.
"Now, if you'll go in and make sure Scourge eats, that'd be excellent." Isaac said, sitting down at the table.
Grabbing both bowls from the table, Lily walked over to the door to Scourge's room, opening it. Scourge was asleep, quietly snoring. Putting the bowl onto his nightstand, Lily shook his left shoulder, rousing him from his sleep.
"Oh, hey Lily." Scourge greeted, stretching out his left arm.
"I've got dinner for you." Lily said, giving him the bowl on the nightstand. Scourge grabbed it and put it into his right hand, using his left arm to feed himself. Lily sat down in the chair next to the bed, eating.
"Looks like this'll be the last good meal I'll have in a long time." Scourge commented. Lily sadly nodded, feeling this was all unfair!
"They shouldn't lock you up. You'd do better being free!" Lily said. Scourge smiled, slightly shaking his head.
"Sorry, kid. But I know I can't be trusted. When they lock me up, they can all breathe a sigh of relief." Scourge lamented, resuming to eat.
"But… how would you know if you can be forgiven if you're imprisoned? That would tell you nothing. But if you were still free, but chose to not do harm, then that would prove you have changed!" Lily argued.
"I know I have changed, kid. And I still deserve to be thrown the book. When I get there tomorrow… I'm just gonna confess to everything and have it all over with. They'll throw me in prison and then I can just start new. I'm not afraid of it." Scourge explained.
"Listen, I killed my dad. I killed too many people to not be allowed to go free. I've stolen, extorted, and beaten down a lot of people. I'm not Saul of Tarsus. I can't just be forgiven and let go. I have to face the music. The horrible, out-of-key music." Scourge explained, joking at the end.
After dinner was finished, Lily walked out of the room with both bowls, letting Scourge to go to sleep. As she brought the bowls to the kitchen, she passed by the mirror, catching something light in the mirror through the corner of her eye. She quickly ran back, only seeing her reflection in the mirror. She blinked a few times, nothing changing in her reflection.
"I… I could've sworn I saw something!" Lily said to herself, feeling she saw something. As she was still staring into the mirror, she saw something in the mirror behind her. A figure. And Lily knew no one she knew matched that figure!
"Oh no." Lily muttered, seeing it was next to the main door. Lily quickly ran to the corner where she kept her bow and quiver of arrows, quickly slinging the quiver onto her shoulder and notching an arrow! The door began to open, revealing a red arm. Soon, the figure stepped in, revealing a red fox wearing black clothing. She was around seventeen, with red hair and blue eyes.
She quickly saw the young hedgehog with the bow and arrow, who simply looked terrified!
"Woah! Wait! I'm not going to hurt you!" She said, holding her hands up. Lily already knew who she was through Scourge's memories! It was Fiona Fox, and she was just as guilty as Scourge!
"I know who you are! You're nothing but a traitor! And I'm not letting you take Scourge away!" Lily yelled, raising her voice to get Isaac's attention. Fiona Fox soon adopted a sly smile, admiring Lily's aptitude.
"Won't lie, I'm impressed. How does someone as young as you figure something like that out?" She asked, walking a little closer. Lily responded by letting an arrow loose, purposefully missing her head by a few inches. Lily quickly notched another arrow, not letting Fiona take advantage of the situation.
"Doesn't matter! You're not taking Scourge back with you! Not if my brother and I have anything to do with it!" Lily exclaimed. Suddenly, Fiona began looking around, almost as if panicking. She didn't see anyone else around, which means either they didn't know she was here, or they were waiting for an opportune moment to strike!
"And if I were you, I wouldn't move." Lily warned, before the sound of a flintlock mechanism was heard behind Fiona.
"Wise for her age, huh?" Isaac asked, the barrel of the flintlock pushing against her back. Fiona mentally cursed herself, letting herself become vulnerable.
"Sonic and I saw you lurking around about a few hundred yards away. Well, I saw it. So, I had Sonic go and run back to the Kingdom of Acorn to get Tails to bring the Tornado X around. Have to say, from what Sally told me about you, not your brightest moment." Isaac explained.
"Sally talked about me?" Fiona asked.
"Yes… and she made it clear how she didn't appreciate you betraying them. Of course, Scourge wouldn't have anything to do with you now, considering how he's voluntarily turning himself in." Isaac explained.
"Wait, you heard that?" Lily asked, still keeping an arrow aimed at Fiona.
"Nothing passes by me, little sister. Now, if you'll grab some rope, we can go and tie her up until the others get here." Isaac answered, grabbing Fiona's shoulder. Suddenly, Fiona grabbed his hand and twisted around, grabbing the flintlock, and digging it into Isaac's stomach, pulling the trigger! Isaac felt the lead ball dig into his abdomen, stumbling back and collapsing!
"ISAAC!" Lily shouted, letting the arrow loose! Fiona quickly snatched the arrow, the head of it mere inches from her face! Lily charged in with her knife, leaping at her and pushing the knife through her side! Fiona screamed in pain, grabbing Lily by her collar, and slamming her into the doorframe, keeping her pinned!
"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Fiona yelled, wrath spilling from her voice! Lily looked down, seeing the knife within kicking distance. Lily quickly kicked her foot at it, moving the blade of the knife while it was still embedded in Fiona's side! Fiona let go of her in response to this, letting Lily grab the handle of the knife and pull it out, letting blood flow freely!
Lily quickly leaped back and charged again, tackling Fiona out of the doorway and off of the porch! Suddenly, Fiona was kicked away by Isaac, who was leaning against the porch, still bleeding from the lead ball in his stomach.
"Isaac, you're okay!" Lily exclaimed, quickly hugging him. Isaac gently pushed his sister away from him, his hands retreating to the growing blood stain in his shirt.
"Not quite, little sister. But enough to show Fiona a lesson in what happens when someone threatens my family!" Isaac responded. Fiona quickly leaped from the ground, surprised to see Isaac still alive.
"Why is everyone I fight are hard to kill?" She wondered, grabbing a knife from her boot. Isaac adopted a defensive stance, unsheathing his sword. Isaac quicky tore his shirt open, revealing the wound. Isaac's hand began to glow, soon becoming shrouded in fire! Isaac pushed his hand into the wound, yelling in response! He took it away; the wound having been cauterized!
"Ready for round two?" Isaac asked, showing he wasn't as hurt as Fiona thought he was. Fiona quickly charged in, slashing her knife wherever she could! Isaac was too quick, his trained reflexes allowing him to block her strikes while using his free hand to hit pressure points throughout the fight! One quick jab with his left hand pushed her away, Fiona feeling a sharp pain every time she breathed!
"What did… you do… to me?" She asked, breathing heavily, and coughing up a small amount of blood. Isaac smirked; glad his studying of anatomy had paid off.
"I call it 'the deflating punch'. Basically, I punched you hard enough to cause one of your lungs to collapse. Now, it won't kill you, but it will severely limit how well you can fight. I highly recommend you stop and turn yourself in before I do something worse." Isaac explained, warning her.
Fiona shook her head, taking up an offensive stance. Isaac sighed, realizing it was going to boil down to this. Fiona charged again, ignoring the pain in her chest! She tried to slash at him again, but her unable to take enough air in her lungs began to tax upon her, leaving her to become winded, the pain in her chest becoming unbearable! Isaac quickly pushed Fiona, her falling down in a heap, exhausted! Fiona slowly got up, not wanting to give up!
"Just stop! You obviously can't continue! I'll make sure you get into the infirmary to recover! Just please, stop!" Isaac begged. Fiona looked around, soon seeing Rosy near the stream. She began to panic, not knowing that Rosy was cured! She knew she couldn't keep up with Isaac, but she knew that Rosy would tear her apart being this weak!
As she backed away, the ground beneath her gave away, revealing an old sinkhole! Isaac quickly ran to her, grabbing her wrist before she could fall!
"Ahh! Don't let go!" Fiona cried out, looking down. She could see the sinkhole extended down below the ground, unable to see the bottom!
"I'm not letting you fall!" Isaac responded, getting a better grip on the edge of the sinkhole.
As he pulled her up, as soon as Fiona got a foothold on the edge of the sinkhole, she quickly dug her knife into Isaac's back, quickly pulling him into the sinkhole!
Fiona was on the edge of the sinkhole, breathing heavily. She pushed herself away from it, only hearing what sounded like Isaac hitting the edges of the sinkhole as he fell down!
"HOW'S THAT FOR GIVING UP, YOU BASTARD?!" She shouted, beginning to laugh. As she got up, a great column of fire erupted from the sinkhole, scorching the ground, and causing more of the sinkhole to develop! Suddenly, a 5 foot-tall, muscular, demonic figure leaped from the sinkhole, landing only a few feet from Fiona! It's clothes were in tatters, scorched and burned!
Every breath it took was permeated with sulfur! It's skin was black as charcoal, almost as if charred! Instead of regular legs, it had the legs of a goat, the knees bent inward! It had quills on its head, but now looked unkempt and sharp! Two large, curved horns protruded from its forehead, coated in ash! It's veins were hot red, as if it's blood was on fire! It's scars were glowing in the dark night, showing three sixes on its left pectoral muscle!
"Isaac?!" Lily exclaimed, never seeing him like this before! Growling, Isaac began walking towards Fiona, Fiona backing up to maintain distance! Isaac stopped momentarily, pulling the knife out of his back, the blade having been rendered incandescent. Isaac continued to walk closer, revealing hands full of razor-sharp claws! He quickly slashed at Fiona with his claws, sending her away from him and to the ground! She slowly got up, feeling her chest bleed with three gashes across her chest!
"Oh, God no!" Fiona screamed, retreating onto the porch. Rosy began running towards the others, equipping her hammer! She soon recognized Isaac in his demonic form, seeing the scars on him!
"Isaac, don't do this! Please!" Rosy yelled, trying to snap him out of his state! Isaac stopped, his vision glancing over to Rosy.
"The Inferno cries out for the souls of the Damned!" Isaac bellowed, his voice deeper and distorted. He quickly returned his vision to Fiona, his hand finding its way around her throat! He began lifting her up from the ground, Fiona clutching onto Isaac's wrist! Isaac prepared his free hand, his long claws aimed for her heart!
"Eternal Damnation for your sins!" Isaac announced, reeling back his arm! Fiona clenched her eyes, bracing herself for her life to end! Suddenly, a large spotlight illuminated Isaac, bringing unnatural light to the forest! Isaac looked up, seeing the Tornado X above him! Isaac quickly let go of Fiona, lumbering as fast as he could from the cabin, soon disappearing into the night!
Sonic leaped down from the hovering aircraft, Sally holding onto him. Sally quickly got herself onto her own two feet, looking around. Rosy covertly got herself into the cabin, not seen by the others.
"Where's Isaac? When Sonic came and told me that Fiona was here, I knew I had to be here myself!" Sally asked. She soon saw Fiona on the ground, gasping for air. Sally grabbed her under her arm, hoisting her off of the ground!
"So much for not getting caught." Sally commented, before noticing the slashes on her chest.
"Oh, fuck you, Sally!" Fiona gasped, before clutching her chest.
"Isaac collapsed one of her lungs. She'll need to get to the infirmary before she's locked up." Lily explained.
"By the way, where's Isaac? Is he inside?" Sally asked.
"No! Something happened to him!" Lily blurted out, not wanting her to go inside!
"What?! What happened to him?!" Sally asked, concerned by the nature of Lily saying it like that.
"He… he became dark! Big! Horns! Fire! He almost killed Fiona before you guys got here! He went running out in that direction!" Lily said, pointing in the direction Isaac ran towards.
"Where's Rosy and Scourge?" Sonic asked, looking around.
"Gone! These strange men wearing metal outfits came from this strange portal, restraining them and taking the two of them with them!" Lily lied, taking an excerpt from Scourge's memories when he was captured and imprisoned by the Zone Cops.
"The Zone Cops. Without Fiona to break him out, Scourge will never be released. And Rosy, she'll probably receive care for her mental state." Sally assessed.
"Bullshit! They're still in the cabin!" Fiona hissed, coughing.
"You don't really give us much reason to believe you, Fiona." Sonic commented. Fiona responded by rearing her head back into Sonic, causing Sonic to push her away from him. She landed on the steps of the porch stairs, feeling the wind knocked out her.
"That's what you get for shooting my brother!" Lily said, feeling a fire within her soul.
"Wait, shot him?!" Sally asked, shocked.
"He should be alright. I saw him cauterize the wound before continuing the fight." Lily explained.
"Guys, I can't be hovering here forever! What're we doing?" Tails asked over Sally's communicator.
"Tails, we're getting Fiona to lockup. I'll make sure Sonic goes with you to keep an eye on her. Have Nicole access the security system. We're not letting her get away this time!" Sally informed.
As they loaded Fiona into the Tornado X, Lily looked out into the forest, seeing the path Isaac had taken. The snow had melted under his feet, revealing footprints into the ground. Lily looked near the footprints, seeing Isaac's cloak. She walked over to it, picking it up, fastening it around herself.