Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the characters in this story. I only own Scarlet, Iris, and Cecelia Rose, OC's I made to serve as parents for the Rouge, Shadow and Amy respectively. Other made up parents are not named and will only be mentioned in passing.

Title is inspired by lyrics from Breaking Benjamin's song So Cold.

*Trigger warning: Implied sex between young adults. Depictions of body parts, blood, and violence. Underage drinking feature in this chapter.*

4 How Defenseless You Really Are

Amy slapped a hand to her mouth and backed away. She tripped over her own boot, slamming against the wall. She couldn't bite down the urge to vomit this time and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach on the carpet beside her. Shadow rushed in from the hallway, kneeling to her level the moment he found her. He reached to her with a hand as if to rub her back, but never quite made contact.

"Hey, are you —" Shadow started.

"N-Knuckles…" she gurgled.

Amy pointed to the body in the living room and Shadow froze.

"Shit."

He holstered his gun and neared the echidna. Knuckles rested on his back, shattered glass and a ripped curtain surrounding him. His jersey was ripped and purple bruises covered his exposed chest. His cheek was swollen, blood smeared his lips, and his left hand was wrapped tightly in a cloth, the material the same as the shredded curtain. What made Shadow curse again was the sight of a bloody butcher knife deposited in the corner. Shadow bent down and checked his pulse. All the while, Amy wiped her mouth and moved to stand.

I can't…

Amy didn't wait for the verdict. She retreated to the kitchen to get away, grabbing the filthy counter for support. Her empty stomach didn't help, her head burning and pulsing wickedly as she worked to control her breathing. She could hear Shadow whispering to Knuckles, urging him to wake up. She tried to focus on Shadow's distant voice, hoping his steady words would keep her anchored.

Come on, Amy. Don't be such a coward. You're not going to make it very far if you keep reacting like this.

A low groan from the other room made her heart surge. She tapped the counter in thought a moment before pushing off of it. Amy searched Rouge's cabinets, collecting a bowl and filling it with warm water. She reached in a drawer for a few clean rags and breathed a shuddering exhale. She started for the living room, only to make a quick stop in Rouge's pantry, grabbing a bottle of water and a couple of protein bars. When she emerged from the kitchen, she inched toward the couch, Knuckles and Shadow coming into view. Shadow shook the echidna vigorously, a pained look taking over his face. She eyed the bloody wound from a distance, swallowing, but moving to Shadow's side despite herself.

"Let me help," Amy said.

Shadow looked up, focusing on the items in her hands before standing. The uncertainty in his eyes almost made her shrink back, but she stayed where she was.

"Are you certain you won't have another episode like you did a moment ago?" He asked, gesturing to the vomit in the corner of the room.

She flushed, but nodded.

"I've got this," she said.

He searched her worn face for a few heartbeats, then Knuckles started to stir beside them. Relief washed over Amy and Shadow sighed.

"It looks like he may have… lost some fingers. Try to wake him first. It will be much easier to get him medical attention if he can walk," Shadow said.

"I'll do what I can."

Shadow moved to search the other rooms. Amy placed the warm water bowl on the carpet, tossing one of the rags into the water. She shrugged her pack off, pulling out her first aid kit. One more deep breath and she reached for Knuckles' shoulder, gently pushing him. He moaned softly, but his eyes remained shut. It was then that she noticed a belt strapped tight to his forearm. When she touched it, she realized it was loose.

A makeshift tourniquet? What exactly happened here?

"Come on, big guy. Don't do this to me," she begged.

Another push and Knuckles' eyes shot open, accompanied by a howl of utter agony. Amy moved to shush him, bringing a finger to her mouth. Knuckles looked around frantically until his eyes fell on the pink hedgehog.

"Knuckles! Knuckles, it's me. I'm here to help you," Amy said.

"A-amy?" Knuckles ground out.

She nodded with a weak smile. Knuckles regarded her with confused, bleary eyes, heaving uncontrollably with a sweat, but worked to sit up with a grunt. Amy reached for his shoulder to stop him, but thought better of it.

"W-what. Why are you—?" Knuckles tried.

"Don't waste your energy trying to speak. I'm gonna re-dress your wound. Do you think you can sit up… without using your injured hand?" Amy asked.

"Wha?"

Knuckles' head lobbed to the side and his eyes locked on his bloodied left hand. His eyes darkened and Amy grew anxious.

"Knuckles?" she asked.

"Ya. I think I can do that."

Amy helped him to sit up against the foot of the loveseat, but couldn't keep him from crying out. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed his back into the loveseat, teeth clenched as Amy cradled his wounded hand between her shaking palms. She brought the hand up for him, wanting to ask him how he sustained it, but decide against it. Instead, she started to carefully unwrap the makeshift bandage, earning another wail from the echidna, muffled behind his lips this time.

"Sorry. Let me see if adding a bit of water will help. Bear with me," Amy said.

Knuckles nodded in his delirium, recovering slowly as he observed the living room. While Amy wet his makeshift bandage, he tried to keep his eyes on anything but his hand. He felt himself falling back into unconsciousness, but came back to the surface a few minutes later. As luck would have it, another figure appeared, leaning against the wall across from them.

"I see you're alive," Shadow said.

"You're not the face I expected to see," Knuckles responded.

"I came looking for Rouge, but it seems she's not here."

Knuckles snickered humorlessly, a sour look scrunching his features as he looked at the carpet.

"Yeah, you're not going to find her here. Her mother took her away last night, leaving me here to deal with this bullshit."

Shadow used his shoulder to push off of the wall, heading back down the hallway and dismissing the echidna with a hand.

"You can regale her with the story. The apartment is clear, but all that noise you made likely garnered some unwanted attention from outside. I know you're in a rough condition, but try to keep quiet. I'll be back," Shadow said, disappearing down the hall.

"Chiper as always," Knuckles grumbled.

Amy still worked to get the wrap off, but stopped to give Knuckles her worried eyes.

"Knuckles, what happened? Where's Rouge?"

Knuckles groaned as he recalled the night before. Amy took the time to place his half-unwrapped hand in her lap and reach for a protein bar, using her teeth to open it. She lifted it to Knuckles' mouth and he took a bite, taking the food thankfully with his good hand. He continued after another few bites.

"Rouge texted me late last night to come over for a movie. I guessed she was in a pissy mood from her text, but I didn't ask the details. Just got over here as q-quick as I could," Knuckles started with a cough.

Amy stiffened as she reached for a bottle of water. She remembered Rouge's texts from last night and frowned.

Yeah, that was my fault. Her mom probably went ballistic after I had her ask about Project S. Oh Chaos, what if Rouge told him about the note? Ugh, I was hoping to forget about that already…

"She got into it with her mom over something. A project I think? I don't know, she was going off when I got here. She also mentioned something about her father being released from prison early. Apparently, he's been looking for a place to stay and he's been lighting up their home phone for days," Knuckles said.

Amy handed off the water bottle to Knuckles, reaching behind her for her pack. She sifted through the various painkillers and read each description.

"I bet Rouge's mom has been taking all her frustration out on Rouge," Amy said.

"You bet your ass she is. Scarlet's not very good about keeping that shit to herself. Heh. And leave it to Rouge's old man to try and come back into her life and make it a living hell. No wonder she hates it here," Knuckles said.

"I noticed Rouge had been a bit tense this week, though she denied it when I asked. She hides it pretty well, though. It took me a few days to figure out there was something up with her."

"She hides it well when she wants to. She doesn't like to show it when Scarlet gets under her skin. You and I both know how twisted their relationship is."

Amy gave him a humorless chuckle, pulling out a bottle. She popped it open and handed two capsules to the echidna who swallowed them eagerly.

"Anyway, I gave Rouge a good -erm… I gave her what she needed to relax, then all of a sudden, Scarlet came banging on the door, screaming bloody murder. Rouge opened the door because, well… let's just say Scarlet didn't exactly invite me in."

Her cheeks flushed uncomfortably as she handed him the half-eaten granola bar to finish. She was well aware that Knuckles and Rouge didn't exactly hide their physical attraction to each other. Amy kept her head low to hide her face, unraveling the last of Knuckles' wrap.

"I guess you come in through the window sometimes, too, huh?"' Amy inferred.

"Every time. Scarlet still doesn't like me much and she's been keeping Rouge inside more and more lately. How else am I supposed to see her?"

Amy finally pulled off the ripped curtain wrap, gagging a bit as the sight and smell of Knuckles' fingerless hand. The only thing left was his thumb, but his other four had been cleanly chopped off. Amy's hands began to tremble again, but she took a deep breath for the millionth time and observed the clotted blood across his fingerless knuckles.

"Oh, Knuckles…" Amy whispered.

"Ugly, ain't it. Would you believe me if I told you I've seen worse?" Knuckles replied.

"How did… What… what happened after Rouge's mom came to the door?"

Knuckles' face turned grim.

"Well, Scarlet ain't a fool. She knew I was there and she told Rouge I needed to come out. At first, I thought I was finished, but then I heard a man's voice through the wall. I'd never met Rouge's dad, but I knew as soon as I heard his sleazy voice that it was him in the living room. I didn't ask any questions; I just got up and prepared to fight."

Amy stilled.

"Wait. Rouge's dad actually showed up here? And Rouge's mom didn't shoot him?"

"I thought the same damn thing. Scarlet was yelling about how he threatened her while I was walking down the hallway, and that just made my blood boil even more. I might not be a fan of Rouge's mom, but I can't stand bastards that threaten women. I was ready to take him out or die tryin'."

Amy dabbed at his injury as gently as she could, trying to use his story to distract her from the horrific wound. She could see the white of what she assumed were his knuckles, or what was left of them.

"I found him in the living room and we only lasted a few minutes talking before we started throwing hands, but something was off about him. He was all wet and, after a few hits, he wasn't talking like before. His eyes started to look a little foggy and his skin looked kinda yellow. I almost asked if the man needed a doctor in the middle of the fight, but he didn't give me time to ask."

Amy furrowed her brow as she listened, already knowing where this was going.

"He was faster than I thought an old man like him could be. He was gyratin' and snapping his teeth at me like a rabid animal. Freaked me out."

Amy placed a clean, damp rag over his wound, preparing to wrap it. Knuckles winced, but continued.

"I managed to wrestle him back. Then I grabbed the coffee table and gave it to 'em. Rouge tried to get between us and that's when Scarlet pulled Rouge out of the front door instead. I tried to go after her, but Rouge's dad managed to grab me by the leg. There was nothing I could do. Rouge was crying for me, but I was stuck."

Knuckles' face contorted with anger and shame, crushing the now empty water bottle to nothing.

"H-he was still alive?" Amy muttered.

"I don't know how! That table shoulda knocked him right out, but he was still moving. I don't think I've ever seen anyone recover from that so quickly. I hate to admit it, but I'll probably be seeing that bastard in my nightmares for the rest of my life," Knuckles said.

The echidna slouched over in exasperation, shaking his head. Amy's ears twitched to the sound of the front door, Shadow materializing a moment later, pistol on his leg. He watched them quietly, finding his place against the wall again. The pinkette noted that Shadow looked uneasy, as if he were looking for a lingering threat, but tried to focus on the echidna. Amy placed Knuckles' wrapped hand in her lap, smiling at him genuinely.

"But you managed to get rid of him, right? I don't think you'd be here if you hadn't," Amy said with hope in her voice.

"Hmph. Yeah, I got rid of him, alright. Once Rouge was taken, all I could see was red. I let myself loose, but I think I went too far."

Amy swallowed at the sound of bitter remorse in Knuckle's voice while she used her remaining supplies to make him a sling.

"What do you mean? What… what did you do to Rouge's dad?" she asked.

Knuckles raised his head, giving her a somber look.

"I don't think you want to know the answer to that question, Amy. I think the safer question would be to ask where that bastard is."

Amy paled as his violet eyes bore into hers.

"Knuckles," Shadow warned, pushing off from the wall cautiously.

"Where…where is he?" Amy tried.

"The closet," Knuckles said.

All eyes fell on the closet on the far corner of the living room. Amy's body seized as the door seemed to turn ominously. She moved closer to the echidna, ready to bolt as her hearing finally picked up the faint rasp of someone breathing. Shadow was on the other end of the room in an instant, pistol already in his hand. He placed a hand on the closet door and listened.

"What did you do to him, Knuckles?" Shadow demanded.

Knuckles' face was emotionless as he responded. He looked at Amy as he explained though, the pinkette already holding herself with fear laced in her jade eyes.

"That son of a bitch got to his feet and took a bite out of my fingers, broke the skin and then some. Used the last of my strength to shove him into that closet. I threw him so hard that the top shelf came down, and a bowling ball pinned that bastard to the ground. Somehow he was still breathing when I slammed that closet door on him, but I didn't care. I had other things to worry about," Knuckles explained.

Shadow tapped the door and a low hiss sounded. The ebony frowned, but moved to the kitchen, bringing a chair back with him.

"Remember when I said he looked sick?" Knuckles said to Amy.

Amy nodded.

"After all that, I still tried to follow after Rouge, but my head was pounding. I broke out in a cold sweat and my fingers felt like they were melting right off of the bone. My instincts told me that the bastard had passed something onto me through his bite. I didn't know what was happening to me, but all I knew was I needed to make it stop."

"You cut off your fingers…" Amy said.

It wasn't a question.

"It was the single most painful thing I've ever done. Managed a tourniquet with a belt and I must have passed out in the middle of using the curtain to stop the bleeding. I remember waking up again at some point in the night and trying to get up. The only thing I had the strength to do was loosen the belt to get some feeling back in my arm. I don't remember anything after that."

"I'm so sorry, Knuckles. I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now," Amy said after a few heartbeats of silence, hand on his shoulder.

Shadow placed the chair at an angle against the door handle, facing the two with another sigh.

"Well, what's done is done. It's no use mourning the loss of a man that no one is going to miss," Shadow said.

"I know you're pretty hardcore, but are you really just going to pass over the fact that I just killed a man?" Knuckles asked Shadow.

Amy put her supplies back in her bag, handing Knuckles the last protein bar. The silence between her two friends was palpable, and she looked between the two of them anxiously. She tugged on a quill and shared a final look with Shadow. The ebony tilted his head before regarding Knuckles with a half-chuckle.

"That man was no man when you fought him. I mean, the fact that he's somehow still breathing in that closet should tell you that," Shadow said.

Knuckles gave him a lifted brow.

"What are you getting at?" Knuckles asked.

"The world is ending, Knuckles. That man in the closet is a literal undying, flesh-eating monster. And when you cut off your fingers, you saved yourself from becoming one of them."

Knuckles stared at Shadow like he'd grown two heads.

"You've gotta be shittin' me."

~aAa~

Explaining the situation to the echidna hadn't taken long, as his disbelief easily turned into a desire to knock some heads.

The dust in the storage room tickled Amy's nose, eliciting a sneeze from her. She rubbed her nose with a sleeve, waiting by the door as Knuckles and Shadow sifted through Rouge and Scarlet's belongings. Shadow opened a box, muttering a low 'bingo' as he found what he was looking for. He handed a crowbar to Knuckles who took it with his good hand, backing up to test the weight.

"So, how did you two manage to make it this far without getting eaten? No offense Amy, but I can't see you tussling with a monster that was anything like Rouge's dad. Shit, I could barely fend him off," Knuckles asked.

Amy shrugged, ignoring the feeling of inadequacy.

"I don't know how Shadow has managed, but I'm surviving off of sheer luck at this point. I was alone when this whole thing started and couldn't stand it, so I left home. My mom… never came home," she said.

Knuckles lowered the crowbar and gave her a look of sympathy.

"Ah, Amy. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm pretty hopeful that I'll find her soon. I mean, finding the two of you is more than I had planned for today and it gives me hope. My mom is pretty street smart. I bet she found her way to a safe house. And we're both pretty clumsy, so she probably broke her phone like me. I think that's why she never answered my calls."

"Shattered your little shitter of a phone? Good riddance, that thing is a fossil. You're due for an upgrade anyway. Speaking of phones, I need to find mine."

"I'll help you look for it. It will be easier to find Rouge and everyone else if we can get someone on the phone," Amy said.

Knuckles scoffed.

"Well, you can take your bets off of Rouge. I guarantee Scarlet has already thrown Rouge's phone out of the window," Knuckles said.

"She would do something like that to keep you guys apart?"

"Oh, that's the least she'd do. I think, next to her husband, I'm at the top of her kill list."

"And yet, she went to you for help when her ex-husband came bursting through the door, raising hell."

Knuckles just hummed, placing the crowbar by the backpack against the wall. Shadow passed him a hammer and a Swiss Army knife. Shadow moved the box over and opened another. All the while, Amy pressed her back to the wall, giving Knuckles an encouraging look, as the echidna looked like he had something else he wanted to say.

"Well, one thing is for sure, I need to find Rouge and make sure she's safe. And, as much as I don't want to, I need to find her mother as well. Their safety is my priority, whether Rouge's mom likes me or not."

Amy giggled.

"Ah, you big softie. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in love with our resident bat girl," Amy teased, shoving his shoulder lightly.

Knuckles hid his blush under a cough, kneeling to place his supplies in his bag with his good hand.

"I'm not sure which relative Scarlet decided to go to to hide her and Rouge from that bastard, but I know a few of them live a couple miles from here. We can check those places first. I just hope they weren't… eaten along the way," Knuckles said.

"Well, wherever you decide to look, Shadow and I will be right by your side. I won't set foot in a safe house until I make sure everyone is okay," Amy stated.

"You won't be going anywhere else but a safe house," Shadow interrupted.

Amy twisted to retort, hesitating as she noticed Shadow slide something black into his bag. She squinted at the compact item, thinking she saw the G.U.N. label on the device. She didn't have time to confirm as Shadow pulled out a rope, a lighter, and another gun. He turned and handed the first two items to Knuckles, angling the grip end of the gun to the echidna. Knuckles refused it and Shadow pocketed the gun, giving Amy his attention. He lifted a brow, making Amy's frown.

"Shadow, I didn't come all of this way and risk my life just to get sidelined. I want to help find our friends, too. That's the reason I left in the first place," Amy said.

"You couldn't even take care of the one infected child that threatened your life just a moment ago in the alleyway. You expect me to believe that you could hold your own?"

Amy flinched at his harsh tone, looking at her shoes as she responded in hush.

"I couldn't… I can't…. bring myself to kill. Those infected people are still … people."

"And that's why I'm dropping you off at the nearest safe house as soon as possible," Shadow said.

Knuckles stood up with his pack on his back, looking between the tense hedgehogs uncomfortably. Amy huffed and stepped away from them, leaving the two to continue gathering supplies. She ran a hand through her bangs, swallowing her urge to cry.

"I'm going to go check the kitchen for food," Amy muttered.

In the kitchen, Amy did a thorough check of the cupboards and the pantry, her irritation evident as she jerked the doors open aggressively. She grabbed the last of the protein bars and snagged a can of beans. She skipped the perishable foods and searched for more cans and anything wrapped in foil. All the while, her frustration consumed her thoughts.

I can be helpful! I got out of my apartment and found my way here all on my own, not a bite on me. I got up through the fire escape on my own and even managed to open the kitchen window. I can hold my own, he just needs to give me a chance to…

A loaf of bread caught her eye, but she left it where she found it, letting her stomach scream angrily without addressing it.

Who am I kidding? He's right. I failed in the alleyway, and the only reason I'm alive is because Shadow took that infected kid out before it had a chance to get me. I'm pathetic. I shouldn't even bother going with them. If I stay here, maybe G.U.N. will be here by the morning to get me?

She sighed to herself, pulling out a dining room chair and pulling it close to the window. She sat down, lifting a leg to loosen her boot, rubbing the aching muscle of her calf leg.

No, I shouldn't think that way or I really will get left behind. I just need to prove myself to him. Shadow may be uptight at times, but he has to be in this situation in order to stay alive. And I certainly don't want to get eaten.

She relaxed her boots and placed her hand on the glass of the window, her breath fogging the glass as she stared at nothing in particular. She was too lost in thought to notice the infected pooling in the street beneath them.

I hope everyone else is alive. Tails, Rouge, Silver, Blaze, Mighty, Espio, Charmy, Sonia, Manic, Sonic…. I can't bear the thought of finding any of them infected, or dead for that matter. They've been like family to me for so long, the thought of any of them dying is… well, it's never been a thought.

A figure slipped into the kitchen, but Amy didn't care to address the newcomer. Instead, her thoughts took her on a ride.

And Cream. Chaos, I hope she and her mother made it out alive. She's too young to… to…

Amy swallowed and closed her eyes, trying not to think of the implications of the phone call she's shared with the rabbit.

Blaze. Silver. I haven't talked to Blaze in a few weeks. I wonder if she hates me. Silver and I were supposed to meet up after school earlier this week and take Blaze to her favorite bakery, but we both bailed to juggle extra responsibilities from our extracurriculars. I wish we would have just gone to get Blaze instead. Now, we might not ever get the chance to see her. Hell, I might not get to see either of them ever again.

Amy stiffened at the ding of the toaster oven. She shifted in her chair and found Shadow preparing something at the farthest counter, his back to her. When he finally faced her, his eyes held a tinge of remorse, a sweet smell following him. Amy looked from his face to the plate in his hand as he approached and found two pieces of toast smothered in peanut butter, a pile of sliced banana pieces next to it.

"This should be easier for you to hold down. It shouldn't irritate your stomach much."

"Um, thank you."

Silence remained between them as Amy took a few bites of the toast. Her stomach hurt for a moment, but she forced herself to keep eating. Shadow watched her intently and Amy couldn't help the warmth that grew on her cheeks. She spared Shadow a look, but kept her eyes low as she ate. Then, Shadow took a seat across from her and pulled an item out of his bag, handing her a green-cased smartphone. She eyed the item, baffled for a moment, before gingerly taking the phone from him.

"To replace your broken fossil of a phone," Shadow murmured.

"This… this is Espio's," she said.

Amy's eyes held countless questions, and Shadow held her gaze with an unsteady facial expression. He drew his eyes to the window, pain coloring his face.

"Espio was at my house right before the chemical was dispersed. He headed home in the rain. I wasn't aware that anything was off about the shower until it was too late."

Amy felt that knowing and nauseating feeling hit the bottom of her stomach.

"Espio, he… he didn't… did he…?" she tried, but feared Shadow's reaction at stating the obvious, given he looked to already be in pain recalling the events.

"He left his phone behind in his rush to get home. Right after the rain stopped, I headed to his house to return it to him. When I got there, the door was wide open, and all four of them were already infected. The only thing I could think to do was shut the door behind me and run," Shadow explained in hush.

Amy's breath hitched, she placed her half eaten toast on the plate and held herself, steadying her breathing to keep from crying again. Though Shadow had used few words to tell his story, she could vividly imagine what happened. Espio turning into a monster as he opened the door; Vector, happy to see him home, greeting him with his toothy croc smile only for Espio to turn on him; Charmy startled from his homework at the bloody attack, fleeing just to be caught; Mighty rushing downstairs just to have his three brothers turn on him. Amy swallowed her horror.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Shadow. I don't even know what else to say," she said.

Shadow's eyes turned hard.

"Whoever this doctor character is, he better not cross paths with me. I'd give it to him tenfold before G.U.N. could find his body."

Amy eyed him sympathetically as he seethed. She was afraid to ask him anything else, but her worry for everyone else overtook her fear.

"And you're aunt?" she asked.

Shadow shook his head.

"She left for the grocery store around the time Espio came over. She never came back. The grocery store was the first place I checked when I left this morning, but the store was deserted."

"Oh, Shadow. I'm so sorry."

They sat in silence for a bit, Shadow staring forlorn at the window, and Amy mournfully gazing at the threads in the table cloth.

"All I can do is focus on the people I can save right now," Shadow said.

A thought made the pinkette sit up and tilt her head as Shadow looked her in the eye.

"You said you tried to call me. Who else did you try to contact?" Amy asked.

"Rouge, Knuckles, Manic, Blaze, and Sonic. They were the only of our friends whose numbers I had. No response."

Amy nodded and fell into her own thoughts again, drawing a finger across Espio's phone, finding the device unlocked already.

"I'm sorry I couldn't call everyone. I've never made it a point to get everyone's numbers. I'm, um, not much of a social butterfly," Shadow said.

Amy searched his face before giving him a warm smile.

"I know. You don't have to apologize. We'll find them, Shadow. Whoever is left, at least."

Shadow didn't smile back; he simply held her eyes with his own as Knuckles came into the kitchen behind them. The echidna shuffled through a cupboard before humming in approval, muttering something about a bottle of bourbon and pocketing a few kitchen items and leaving. Shadow cleared his throat and got up from the table, adjusting his pack.

"We'll go together to see if Rouge is at her cousin's house nearby. Then we'll drop you off at a safe house. Knuckles and I located one that should be en route. We'll leave soon."

Amy watched him leave, then found her eyes drawn to Espio's smartphone. As Shadow and Knuckles shuffled around, she sifted through Espio's contacts, seeing Vector, Charmy, and Mighty's numbers, her stomach sinking. Cream, Vanilla, and Manic's contacts popped up, and she stopped to send them each a quick message asking if they were okay, tagging the end of the message with her name. She found Shadow's contact and placed a star on it, but froze as she found two contacts that she hadn't expected to see.

Why does Espio have Silver and Blaze's numbers?

She didn't think about it for too long, but instead started a group message with the white hedgehog and the purple feline.

Hey, it's Amy. I hope you two are okay. Shadow, knuckles and I are looking for everyone, starting with Rouge. If you can, please let me know you all are okay and where we can find you. - Espio (Amy) 5:55pm

~aAa~

The city hummed and thrummed with strange activity as they crept along the wall of a building that cast evening shadows along their path. Shadow guided them to another wall and motioned them to wait. Amy, sandwiched between the two battle-ready boys, squatted to the ground with her back against the bricks. She gasped for breath as Knuckles flicked the sweat from his brow with a ragged cough.

They hadn't stopped moving since they'd left Rouge's apartment, but the pinkette couldn't complain. Shadow had distracted the infected that surrounded the emergency exit, giving Knuckles and herself the time they needed to escape. After clearing a few blocks, Amy almost stopped to turn back to look for the ebony hedgehog, only for him to appear beside her, overtaking them as if he'd been running with them the whole time. He hadn't even broken a sweat, and his movements seemed effortless as he scanned the area, his body on high alert. Even now, she was surprised that he let them stop long enough to catch their breaths.

"Knuckles, are you going to be okay?" Amy asked.

The echidna caught his breath and nodded, but his eyes were heavy and his injured hand twitched in its sling.

"Never better," Knuckles said.

"Shh," Shadow hushed.

Knuckles and Amy quieted, watching Shadow like a hawk. The ebony male had his gun low, his eyes scanning something around the corner. Amy stood straight and stiffened as a scream rang out, the sound of heavy footsteps finally making it to her ears. Shadow motioned for them to inch back down the wall and they complied. A group of workers emerged from the alleyway as the group of teens drew their weapons. From their hard hats and high visibility vests, they looked to be laborers. The strangers looked around frantically as they broke through the intersection.

"T-they're still following us!"

"Shit, where's Joe? I think they got Joe! Oh, Chaos."

"Hey, where'd those kids come from?"

Amy's heart was in her throat, her bow arm trembling as she counted the strangers. There were seven of them and as they came to a stop in the street to look behind them, the hiss of the infected started to grow. Shadow, Amy, and Knuckles stood very still, their standoff with the workers broken swiftly when one of the men made a move to approach them, his eyes giving way to insanity.

"Hey, you kids shouldn't be running around with those weapons. Give 'em to us. We'll make better use of 'em."

"Yeah, h-hand 'em over and scatter. Don't you hear 'em comin'? We ain't got much time."

The man that came forward was a bear a head taller than Shadow. He scanned the three of them before his eyes fell on Amy. He smiled almost hungrily.

"I could do wonders with that hunting bow. Give it here, girl."

Shadow was in front of Amy in an instant, gun pointed right between the bear's eyes.

"Back off!" Shadow snarled.

"Shadow, don't!" Amy cried.

The bear stood very still with his hands up. His friends watched as they shuffled, ready to fight. All the while, groans and hisses echoed from the alleyway between them. Amy felt Knuckle's breath on her neck, his crow bar visible in her peripheral.

"You're going to stay right where you are and let us pass, then move along as if you never saw us. Sound like a plan?" Shadow said.

The bear gave Shadow a growl as he barred a fang, but took a few steps back. Shadow looked back and gave Amy and Knuckles a nod to move forward. Though her legs were locked in place, Amy forced herself to move across the street, keeping her eyes off the approaching infected in the alleyway she passed. Knuckles was right behind her and Shadow took a few steps to follow them every few seconds, his gun aimed at each worker as he did so. They were almost in the clear, when a fox in an orange vest lost it and charged Knuckles.

"Gimme that crowbar, kid!"

A gunshot rang out along with a clang. Amy twisted around as chaos overtook the intersection. Knuckles had dropped his crowbar to lock arms with the fox, ripping his injured hand from its sling to aid him. It was hard for her to tell with Knuckles in her way, but she saw flashes of Shadow as he wrestled with the bear, the rest of the workers rushing about as well. Two eyed the alleyway before fleeing, another two headed for Shadow. The last hovered around Knuckles and the quarreling fox, eyeing the crowbar.

"Amy g-get outta here!" Knuckles choked.

Amy took a few steps back, stunned and afraid as her breathing picked up. Knuckle's grip slipped and he had no choice but to throw his injured hand out, his fingerless fist connecting with the fox's jaw. When he cried out, Amy's blood went cold.

"Ahhh!" Knuckles cried.

"No!" Amy cried.

Knuckles grabbed the wrist of his injured hand as he started to crumble. Amy wasted no time, taking off and shoving the fox away with all the strength she could muster. Knuckles crumpled to the ground behind her and she drew an arrow. The fox recovered and got up, staring stupefied at the bold girl.

"S-stay back!" she cried.

The hovering fox grinned at her, unthreatened. One of the men trying to apprehend Shadow broke away at seeing Amy defending Knuckles on her own. He nodded to the other and they both moved to corner her. Her aim moved between the two, but she was overwhelmed and her first shot passed through the air into the unknown as the two men ducked.

"Nice shot, girlie. Now stay still while we take what we want."

Amy froze, her eyes reflecting the fox as he grew closer, his eyes reminding her of something unpleasant and dirty.

A singular shot rang out and Amy flinched, dropping her bow to cover her ears.

"Amelia, go!" Shadow cried.

Her eyes shot open and the fox in in front of her writhed on the ground clutching his ear. Shadow appeared in her peripheral, uppercutting the last man. Amy snapped out of her stupor and grabbed her bow, leaning over the moaning Knuckles to try and help him up.

"Knuckles, we have to move!" she said.

"I-I know, but my hand!"

The madness escalated as Amy looked up and several infected stumbled through the alleyway. Thankfully, Shadow was already kneeling beside her, shoving the discarded crowbar into her arms and pushing her forward.

"Move!" Shadow ordered.

Amy blinked and Shadow had Knuckles propped over his shoulder. Amy clutched the weapons to her chest and did as she was told, Shadow and Knuckles shuffling right behind her. Cries rangout behind them, but they kept their eyes forward, weaving through the city streets as if they'd never been in that intersection.

When they reached the front yard of Rouge's cousin's house, Shadow hopped the fence to make sure the yard was clear all the way around. At his approval, Amy guided Knuckles through the gate, drawing the sweating echidna to sit up against the wall of the house, nestled between two trees and huddled next to a bush. Knuckles huffed as he lowered himself to the grass. Amy handed him some water and more painkillers as Shadow paced around them.

"It looks like we weren't followed. There's a car in the driveway, so someone may be home. I don't see Scarlet's car unfortunately," Shadow said.

"Rouge and her mom might have taken a taxi here," Amy muttered, dabbing at Knuckles' sweat with her sleeve.

"Knuckles, who am I looking for in there," Shadow asked.

Knuckles swallowed and let his head fall back. His eyes drifted to the ebony hedgehog from under his lowered lids, and when he spoke, his voice dragged.

"Rouge's older cousin and her husband. They've got a kid, but I can't remember how old the little tyke is. Maybe four or five. There's a key to the back under the flower pot."

Shadow reloaded his pistol and nodded.

"I'll go in and see who's home. Whether they're infected or not, we'll stay here for the night. I'll be back," Shadow said.

"Wait," Amy said.

Amy stood and addressed Shadow's back as he stopped.

"I'll go with you. You'll need someone to watch your back," Amy tried.

"No. Stay here with Knuckles," Shadow said.

Shadow started to walk away, but Amy tried again.

"It's not safe out here. We'll get inside faster if we split up and check the house together."

Shadow turned to her, his arms crossed.

"You'll only get in the way. I can't risk having you get bitten while I'm not looking."

"We can't risk losing you either. You're clearly the most prepared for this kind of thing, so if you get bitten, I don't think Knuckles and I stand a chance," Amy explained.

Shadow went silent, but looked as if he were about to walk away without a retort, so Amy continued.

"I'm sorry, Shadow, I just… I just want to help. Even if I act as an extra set of eyes. Just… please."

Shadow's frown deepened, and he gave her a hard look for all of ten seconds before he sighed.

"I know you want to help, but I don't want to risk either of you getting bit, especially now when we still have such a long journey ahead of us. Fighting in the close quarters of a house is dangerous and neither of you are in any state to handle it. And if something happens to me in there, at least the two of you are out here where you have many escape routes."

Amy withdrew from him, her shoulders slack.

"Stay with Knuckles and look out for trouble. I'll come back for you once its clear," Shadow said.

Amy brought her bow to her chest with a nod, seeing the ebony hedgehog off. Once he disappeared behind the house, she kneeled to Knuckles level and sat beside him. After reassessing the new damage to his hand, she worked to rewrap it, unsure if the echidna could go on without real medical treatment. When she finished fussing over him, he reached into his pack and pulled out a silver flask, taking a swig.

"Knuckles, is that…?" she started.

"I-it's only… for emergencies," Knuckles said.

She watched him wearily as he took another swig, but left him to his devices. She pulled out the little green smartphone Shadow had given her and held it close. No messages or calls yet. She looked up into the gray-green of the murky sky and sighed. There was no breeze, and the last light of the gray day was almost gone. Though the bleak atmosphere tainted their mission, Amy found herself at peace in that moment.

I think… I think we're going to be okay.

A muffled gunshot made her jolt and stare in the direction Shadow had disappeared.

"Shit," Knuckles said.

"Oh Chaos," Amy whispered miserably.

Another shot came, then the rumbling of a structure collapsing from inside the house made Amy get to her feet. Silence encased the two teens for a moment, then groans started to rise to their ears. Amy didn't want to wait around to see how many infected would be attracted to the sound. She helped Knuckles to his feet and together, they shuffled to the back gate.

As they headed for the back door, Shadow came bursting out, a trail of trash and white dust following him.

"Shadow!" Amy cried.

"We can't stay here. Head for the alleyway!" he ordered.

Knuckles pulled from Amy's hold and headed for the ebony male.

"What about Rouge?" Knuckles asked.

Amy was already looking out for danger and rushing for the back gate. Shadow pushed Knuckles forward, seeing infected already lining the edge of the fence. He shook his head and pulled Knuckles along.

"She's not here. We need to clear the area before –"

An explosion ruptured the house down the center. Knuckles and Shadow hit the ground. Amy, already at the opened gate, stared in a morbid awe as flames mushroomed to the sky, flames slowly licking the structure before her as heat made her squint. Infected people started to surround the fenced in home, drawn to the noise and the light.

Knuckles and Shadow were in her peripheral vision, breaking her trance, and she held the gate open for them. They took off into a nearby alleyway as they dodged the hands of the infected, a few street lights flashing on to light their path as panic overtook them.

"Shadow, what happened in there?" Knuckles asked between ragged breaths.

"Propane leak. Turn, now!" Shadow ordered.

All three careened left, falling into an empty street with only a flickering street light illuminating the front of an abandoned supermarket. Amy was ahead of them and froze when she realized there were only two ways for them to go, and both were flooded with meandering infected. She backed up, Knuckles and Shadow catching up with her a moment later.

"No, this can't be it," Amy said.

They found themselves back to back. Shadow reached for his shotgun for the first time, but even he was looking for a way out, unsure if they could handle so many. They creeped from both sides of the street, the light above them flickering wildly before going out. Amy pressed her back to Shadow's, but drew an arrow, watching the silhouettes creep in the dark. Knuckles gripped his crowbar as he heaved, an angry growl erupting from him as he charged forward first.

"Outta my way!" Knuckles cried.

Shadow and Amy stared wide-eyed as Knuckles smashed three heads with two strong swings of his crowbar, the bodies of his victims crashing onto the asphalt with a wet thud. Shadow felt Amy twitch behind him and that brought him back to the matter at hand. He took a shot at a few infected headed for the echidna and pushed Amy toward Knuckles.

"W-what are you–?" she asked frantically.

"He's creating a path! Follow him. I'll take the rear."

She did as she was told, aiming at the infected that neared her, but never took a shot as her heart beat in her throat. A few gunshots from behind her made her flinch, but she focussed Knuckle's distinct figure in the dark, guided by the sound of his battlecry. Knuckles cleared the way and headed into the narrow passage between the supermarket and a clothing store, rushing the few infected in their way.

"Knuckles!"

Mid-swing, Knuckles saw a flash of pink, but knew it couldn't be Amy, for she was behind him. As blood wet his side, he blinked once and found a door cracked open on the supermarket side of the path. As the door came into focus, he found a familiar face twisted with desperation. The figure waved him over and he obliged.

"Come on!" Knuckles called out, motioning to Shadow and Amy.

Amy and Shadow saw Knuckle's dark figure headed for the wall of the supermarket and worked to catch up, infected on their trail. As they approached, a familiar voice called for them, their hearts racing at her call.

"Hurry!"

The door slammed closed behind them as they bolted inside and the trio worked to calm their breathing, their eyes adjusting to the dim, quiet space around them. A lantern glowed to life, illuminating a pink echidna brandishing an exasperated smile.

"Julie-Su?" Amy breathed.

"Jules!" Knuckles cried.

The pink echidna let Knuckles embrace her gratefully, her own relieved laugh falling from her lips.

"I thought it was you out there," Julie-Su said in hush.

Knuckles pulled away from her, gripping her by the shoulders as looked her up and down.

"You're okay. The world is ending and you don't have a scratch on you," Knuckles said.

Amy and Shadow watched the exchange awkwardly. Shadow's ears picked up the groan and hiss of infected from behind the wall, whispering to Amy to get away from the door as he made sure it was secure. Amy took his advice and neared the reunited echidnas. All the while, Julie-Su laughed at Knuckle's bewilderment.

"Well, I'm not the only one who's managed to keep a low profile," Julie-Su said.

And with that, three adults shuffled into the hallway, calling for Julie-Su. The pink echidna lifted the light for them, urging them over to help.

"You kids okay?"

"Damn, we could hear you screaming from the other end of the store."

"Oh, that hand looks nasty, kid. Let's get you to the doc."

The teen trio let the three adults pull them away down the hall, opening a set of double doors to guide them to the open spaces of the supermarket. Knuckles hesitated, eying Julie-Su uncertainty.

"Hey, Jules, what's going on?" Knuckles asked.

"Don't worry. They'll take good care of you," Julie-Su assured him.

Knuckles gave her a releived smile.

"We'll get you guys some food, too," Julie-Su assured as she followed.

"Thanks, Jules."

~aAa~

A/N: APOLOGIES! I meant to have this out three days ago, but I came home from work to find another internet outage in my area. Words can't describe my frustration about it, and what makes it worse is the internet provider we have is the only one that services my area. Well, I guess I have to suck it up or move closer to the city if I want more options. Using my phone as a hotspot has its own issues and consequences as well (and I cannot, for the life of me, type stories on my phone like I used to), so I was forced to wait until now to post. But, because I could only do things offline, it forced me to sit down and start the next chapter in my boredom. So you should be seeing that sometime this week! As long as my internet doesn't go out again. Anyway…

Lots of talking in this one…

Sorry that Knuckles' explanation was so long. I wanted to make sure I infused a bit of character in his explanation so you get to know him in case something happens to him soon. This will be a trend with each new character that comes up. As we catch up with these characters, I wanna make sure you guys get a full picture as to what happened to them the day the apocalypse went down. My favorite so far has got to be Silver's story, but we won't get to him for a chapter or two. Sigh~~

And you maaay have to suspend your disbelief on Knuckle's injury a bit. I did some research on whether or not someone could realistically survive chopping off their own fingers (and talked with my paramedic husband), and I did what I could to show how Knuckle's efforts helped him survive that. You'll also get a bit of backstory as to how he knew how to help himself medically in the next chapter. Theoretically, he could survive a clean chop, but for how long he was out, I'm not sure he should have been able to wake back up. Regardless, he's alive for now. :)

Not gonna lie, I cut out the last 2k words from this chapter because it just made the chapter a little longer than I anticipated. My goal is to keep my chapters under 8k, but I am such an overwriter that even when I edit my own words down, I find it's still too long, though I feel all the words are necessary. I'll get it together one day. I wanted to end with a little scene between our trio at this grocery store sanctuary, where we get some important info from Amy about her father, but we'll start the next chapter with that wonderful scene before we jump right into the action! Let me know what you think so far.

In private school

Our Cast

Amy 16 (Junior)

*Shadow 18 (Senior)

Sonic 18 (Senior)

Sonia 18 (Senior)

Manic 18 (Senior)

Sally 18 (Senior)

Rouge 18 (Senior)

Knuckles 19 (Senior/held back a year)

Cream 11 (Sixth grade)

Tails 13 (Freshman/skipped two grades)

Silver 17 (Junior)

*Blaze 17 (Junior)

*Mighty18 (Senior)

*Espio18 (Senior)

*Charmy11 (Sixth grade)

Vector (Mighty, Espio, and Charmy's adoptive dad/more like a brother)26

Vanilla (Cream's mother) 30

Aleena (Sonic, Sonia, and Manic's mother) 40

Iris (Shadow's aunt/OC) 40

Cecelia Rose (Amy's mother/OC) 35

Scarlet (Rouge's mother/OC) 35

Elias (Sally's brother) 23

Bunnie 20 (Graduated/Sally's close friend)

Mina 18 (Senior)

Julie-Su 17 (Junior)