She woke up before dawn broke. No matter how hard she tried, she could not sleep any longer, 5 hours was her limit, no matter how tired she was. It wasn't nightmares, night terrors or the heat that woke her up, maybe it was the expectation, knowing that the earlier she started her day, the earlier she would end it, even if at the end of the day she was left alone with her memories of when things were better, staying drowned in melancholy was better than enduring what had become her day to day.
When she began to get up from the cot she called her bed, she began to feel the pain of yesterday and of all the previous yesterdays. Her back was shattered, her hands parched and cracked, her knees creaking, the perennial fatigue, the bruises on her arms... She stared at the wounds for a moment, with a detached expression on her face, as if She were looking at the wounds of a stranger. The pain was so general that it was difficult for her to identify to which of them each bruise corresponded, She entertained herself a little trying to decipher it until her neurons finally freed themselves from the slumber and She realized how twisted the situation was. Then she would jump out of her cot and get dressed in a ratty dress and sandals, gather up her hair, pull down her hare ears and tie them both up so they wouldn't get in the way and go out to do her business.
Outside the workers' barracks the atmosphere was dry and dull. As usual, she was among the first to rise, even before the sun. She retraced her steps to the kitchen of the main dining room where she would find the only person who woke up before her. At the back of the room, an old buffalo was peeling some sad potatoes, sitting hunched over on a tiny stool next to at least six sacks full of potatoes.
"Good morning," said the hare as She approached.
"Morning, Anne ," the buffalo replied without looking up.
"What is today's menu?"
"The same as yesterday."
"How can I help?"
The buffalo didn't answer, engrossed in the potatoes. Anne merely fetched another peeler and sat down next to the old woman to peel the tubers.
As time passed, the day grew lighter and the sacks of potatoes emptied, more people began to leave the barracks. By 7 a.m. the dining hall was filling up with animals of all species, all with the same sorrow in their eyes. When all the potatoes were peeled Anne the Hare got ready to cut them for cooking, but a deer girl came to the kitchen window with a crash and when she saw Anne, she shouted:
"May I know what you're doing in there? and where's your uniform?"
"I'm just helping-" the hare tried to answer before she was interrupted.
"Did you ask for her help?" the deer asked the buffalo.
"No," replied the old woman.
"Then you have no business there. Come here quickly before you get us in trouble."
Anne hesitated for a moment, but then let out a resigned sigh and stopped what she was doing to leave the kitchen, where the deer was waiting to take her by the hand to a corner of the dining room where other girls were sitting.
"After we eat we're going to fix you up and go to work ok?".
Anne only responded by nodding her head.
After the breakfast of tasteless mashed potatoes with limp sausages, the deer took Anne back to the barracks to change, it was then that she discovered that Anne's uniform was dirty and that's why she hadn't worn it, so she decided to borrow one from one of the other girls. The one they found was not exactly Anne's size, but there was no other option. The deer did her best to tighten the corset as much as she could and keep the maid's miniskirt in place. She reached for her makeup case and realized she was almost done, the deer hesitated for a moment.
"You don't have to if you don't want to...", Anne kept telling her.
The deer put on a half smile.
"What does it matter what I want? This is for him anyway, like everything else in this place," the deer replied as she began to apply makeup on Anne's face. "You are his favorite, after all."
The last sentence caused a churning to form in Anne's stomach. She swallowed saliva and took a deep breath to keep herself in control so as not to ruin her partner's work.
When it was all over, with her makeup on, her dress in place and her light almost whitish fur, Ana looked like a living porcelain doll, even her melancholy gaze did not detract from her enigmatic beauty. The deer stared at her for a moment, with a certain air of pride, before approaching her to embrace her. Then, with her index fingers, she drew a smile on the hare's face and said:
"Keep it up and yesterday won't happen again, okay?"
"Yes..."
"Be Strong! I know you can do it," concluded the deer before hugging Anne again and dispatch her so she could get ready.
The hare went to gather with more than a dozen of her coworkers, all dressed the same and wearing the same fake smile, waiting to be dispatched to their daily duties.
"Anne," called a loud, authoritative voice at the end of the line of girls.
Anne poked her head out and found that the call came from the chief of the group, a gazelle quite a bit older than the other girls.
"You need to come to the front. Hurry up and come."
"Yes, miss," replied the hare as she moved to lead the group.
"Are we all here already? We only have two minutes."
"I-I'm coming!" shouted the deer as she ran to join the group.
"By Gaia, What happened to your makeup? don't you have enough?" questioned the gazelle .
"Uh... no, it's just-"
"We don't have time. Please stay at the back of the line and let the Master see as little of you as possible."
"Y-yes miss..."
The gazelle took her place at the front of the line next to Ana, filled her lungs with air so as to enhance her bust, an action that the other girls imitated, and then began to walk hurriedly but gracefully as the other girls followed in her footsteps towards the main building.
On their way they passed the group of male workers on their way to the plantation and the settlement's small factory. The morning sun began to warm, the desert air felt drier. When they arrived at the building they were greeted by the guards, who opened the doors wide for them to pass. Anne was immediately hit by the frigid air inside the compound, the contrast shocked her a bit, but she held her posture as she walked in next to the chief, who was bellowing as enthusiastically impostorishly as she could:
"Good morning, Dear Master Fang!".
"Good morning!" the other girls repeated in unison.
In the central part of the room, on a high dais whose steps led directly to what looked like a throne made of ostentatious material, sat the weasel former bounty hunter, now more plump and slovenly, with an annoyed expression.
"Yes yes, morning. Get to work already."
The maids' duties at Fang The Weasel's settlement consisted of keeping the main building clean and tidy as well as serving as "entertainment" for Fang and his henchmen. While the former could be exhausting due to the sheer size of the building and how difficult it was to keep it free of desert dust, it was the latter that the girls regretted the most. The weasel over the years and being drunk with power after conquering the settlement had become erratic, annoying and inappropriate at best, violent and abusive at worst. Nothing seemed to satisfy him, and yet the girls had to make the effort to seek to please him. They worked in shifts, one half doing the cleaning and the other keeping Fang happy, and after a while they would switch. It was easy since Fang saw them all as the same... except when they made him angry.
A metallic clang echoed throughout the room as an aluminum tray bounced on the steps going down the stairs. Everyone present turned to look. At the top, next to the throne, one of the Maids was trembling as she covered her face, next to her Fang was standing with her clothes slightly stained with whipped cream from one of the snacks the Maid was trying to give him in his mouth. The weasel was incensed, cursing and swearing left and right, his screams echoing throughout the room.
"I-I'm-sorry-I'm-sorry-I'm-so-sorry, Master!" the poor girl apologized insistently. "I-I'm-I'm going to get a towel to clean-!".
"Where the hell do you think you're going!?" interrupted Fang as he held the girl's arm tightly. "You think you're going to get away that easy after humiliating me like that, huh? Do I look like a clown for you to make fun of me?".
"It wasn't a mockery, it was an accident-!"
"Don't you dare to antagonize me!", Fang shoved the girl in such a way that left her just a step away from falling off the high dais, only being stopped by Fang's abrasive grip, which was already starting to leave a mark. "Tell me, does it take a little smack on the head to make you stop being a jerk, broad?"
"Please don't! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it, please!"
"Oh, so you admit the mockery...," the weasel was saying as he slowly released his grip, letting the girl slide further into the abyss.
"Please forgive me! forgive me! I'm so sorry!" the girl pleaded as she clung to Fang's arm in desperation.
The other girls could do nothing but look away and bear the anger, some clenching their fists tightly, others biting their lip. Anne remained stoic, at least outwardly, as she ran the cleaning cloth with such force over the tile that she almost seemed to want to vanish its pattern.
In the end Fang put the girl back away from the edge only to dispatch her and require another of the girls to clean him. The poor threatened girl retreated in tears with no one able to come and comfort her, as they had to get on with their work. It was not a strange occurrence, the last girl to whom it happened was not so lucky, resulting in a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder, which translated into less work for her, or what is the same: less food ration and, of course, water.
At about noon the great alarm sounded, warning of the daily water ration. All the girls stopped their work and looked up to the sky as if they were hearing a divine song straight from heaven. They all lined up in front of the exit to be directed by the workers to the delivery area.
"Remember: One glass per person! One ration per day!" commanded one of the guards on site. "It's your responsibility how you manage your water ration! You will not be given any more for the rest of the day!".
The line of workers was incredibly long. Poor tired, underfed and, above all, thirsty souls. They walked in a lethargic, staggering fashion. For every person who drank their ration of water and withdrew, they took a step, periodically and precisely, like the workings of a clock. No one chatted, no one turned to look at the person behind them, everyone stared at the ground and moved forward automatically, like ears of corn moved by the wind.
And in the middle of the line, Anne moved in unison with her companions, rubbing her arms for the overexertion she made washing the tiles. What had just happened with Fang and one of her coworkers was replaying on a loop in her mind. Absorbed as she was, she was taken aback when someone tapped her shoulder to get her attention.
"Anne," it was the chief of the group. "The Master requires you now."
"What?" one of the girls behind Anne replied before Anne herself could react. "It's water time! The deal was that he wasn't going to bother us as long as it was water time."
"That's true," added another of the girls standing nearby. "If Ana leaves the line, she won't be able to take her water ration for today."
"That's a direct order," the chief sentenced.
"Then let him wait! Anne is almost there!".
"This doesn't concern you, it's Anne whom he requires."
"Anne, say something!" reproached the girl as she tried to get the hare's attention.
"Its all right...," Ana replied at last. "I'll go."
"What? No!" protested the girl.
"Let him wait! You're almost there!" added yet another girl.
"Master Fang doesn't like to wait, and I'm already late," concluded the hare as she stepped out of line.
"At least leave me your glass so I can-!" one of the girls tried to propose before being interrupted by guards.
"One ration per person," the guard sentenced as he encouraged people to keep walking.
A conglomeration formed at the point where Anne had left the line, the girls arguing with the guards as they tried to maintain order and the workers behind them complained about the line not moving forward. The chief pulled Anne away from the chaos and escorted her into the main room.
"Don't forget to smile Anne," the chief reminded her.
"Yes, Miss."
"And... I'm so sorry. I still have my untaken ration, if you want I can-".
"No, please," the hare interrupted her. "That's all right. Thank you, Miss," Ana said as a farewell before walking off on her own to meet Fang.
Then...
It was the third day in a row that the pink hedgehog and the echidna hadn't found any water.
They had spread out over a 10-kilometer radius from the house, Amy to the east, Knuckles to the west, tracking from north to south. Knuckles concluded that it was best to drill a hole at least 20 meters from the last hole drilled, trying to be as accurate as possible, but not redundant. They had made their best effort to rationalize the resources: only eating dry food, drinking only a glass of water of what was left every 5 hours, they had also taken into account the exception of the care that Sonic needed, in his state of abnormal coma. Feeding him with dry food was very difficult, it required moistening, and as it was impossible to close his eyes for some reason, they still had to be moistened with saline solution so that they would not be atrophied. The situation was precarious and did not seem to want to improve.
The grounds around the pink hedgehog's house resembled an abandoned battlefield, with holes piercing the earth wherever one looked. The sky remained cloudy but no less warm, the sunlight scattered among the clouds giving a dreary and aseptic illumination, without strong shadows or much contrast, giving the landscape the appearance of being an unreal and strange place.
At the westernmost point of the search radius, from where the house looked like a speck of dust on the horizon, knuckles was finishing digging his last hole. He was sweating profusely, his gloves stained with all kinds of dirt, limestone, clay, sandstone, etc. He was tired, fed up, angry, frustrated... He was pounding hard on the walls of the hole, seeking to relieve his anger somehow.
It was easier to find treasure, his intuition was not prepared to search for water, let alone subterranean water. Water was plentiful on Angel Island, he had never bothered to find it, and even in the most arid deserts, there was hope for a passing rain. But the sky remained indolent and indifferent to the needs of mortals while remaining seemingly expectant of a deluge.
It didn't help that his natural instincts were more distracting than helpful. A foreboding, familiar feeling called to him beyond the horizon... But it was impossible. He kept telling himself that what he sensed was a product of the Chaos Energy mismatch that had occurred after The Union. It was too faint to be what he thought it could be... But it was also hard for him to ignore it at times, and the frustration of not being able to know what that was added to his already immense frustration for the lack of rain.
"Damn it! Get it over with!" the echidna shouted futilely to the sky. "If you're not going to be any good, get the hell out!".
The whistling of the sandy wind was its only reply. The echidna took another frustrated swipe at the earth before climbing out of the hole and heading east.
When Knuckles reached the opposite end of the search radius, he found Amy sitting at the bottom of a hole, hugging her legs and with her head buried between her knees. Next to her, the shovel she was using to dig was broken in half, while her canteen with her water ration was spilled on the ground.
"May I ask what you are doing?" the echidna asked irritably.
"... There's nothing...", muttered the hedgehog.
"Yes, so I see. Why aren't you digging the next hole? That's what I'm asking."
"The shovel broke... I'm tired... I'm hungry... I'm thirsty... I stink..."
"You stink? Is that what you're worried about? Why don't you dig the next hole and see if you can find something to take a bath with?
"... There's nothing..."
"Did you already look or...?"
"... There's nothing..."
"Are you going to stand there like an imbecile repeating the same thing or what!?"
"THERE IS NOTHING!" the girl suddenly exploded, rising from the hole. "Where else do you want me to look!? Where else do you want me to go!? There's nothing here! I could go to the other end of the island and it would be all the same!"
"And you're just going to give up already?"
"What more do you want from me!? There's no water here! There's no more water in the house! The little water we have left will run out today!"
"We'd still have more water if you didn't waste it on..." the echidna was saying to himself.
"Would you leave my flowers alone already!?"
"You know it's true!"
"Go to hell!" the hedgehog shooed before turning and walking away from the echidna at a brisk pace. Knuckles began to follow close behind.
"I'm serious, especially with that weird blue flower you take such great care of. How can you waste so much water to water a flower that's going to-".
"It won't die, Shut The Hell Up!"
"Yesterday I saw you skip 3 turns to drink water so you could water that flower! How on earth can you appreciate a flower Sonic gave you more than yourself or Sonic himself?"
"That Flower isn't Sonic's, it's...!" the hedgehog exclaimed angrily as she turned around to face the echidna, but mid-sentence her anger was replaced by a deep sadness. "It's Sally's..."
Knuckles blinked and stood confused for a second. "Acorn's? The one who stole and destroyed the Chaos Emeralds?" he thought. But before he could say anything, Amy continued-.
"That flower is the only thing... The only thing I have left of her before..."
"But she wasn't-?" tried to question Knuckles.
"No," Amy interrupted sharply, "She did not do it, I know."
Knuckles was silent as he crossed his arms. He knew Amy was very passionate and sentimental, but such passion never clouded her judgment. If she considered someone redeemable, it was because they were indeed redeemable. But the facts didn't seem to agree in his head, though it was too late for it to matter.
"That flower...," the hedgehog continued. "I can't... I don't want to lose it... I'm sick of losing things, losing people. Cream, Vanilla, Jewel, Whisper, Tangle, Belle, Shadow, Rouge, The Chaotix...", Amy's voice began to break. "Tails...", her legs faltered and she was forced to stay on her knees, trying to stop the tears with her hands. "I don't know anything about them... I don't know if they're still alive or... I don't want to give up hope, I'm giving all my effort, doing everything I can to keep the hope of finding them all again, and...".
"It's okay," interrupted the echidna as he rested his hand on Amy's head, 'I'm sorry for what I said... I don't want to give up hope either-' knuckles was suddenly silent then turned his gaze to the sky.
Amy wiped away the few tears that had sprung to her eyes and stared quizzically at the echidna.
"... is something wrong, knux?".
"Shhhh," the echidna muted, pressing his index finger against his lips.
"What's wrong, what's what-?" the hedgehog froze on the spot.
Amy turned her gaze to her right shoulder, following the slight cold sensation she suddenly felt. she had to blink several times to corroborate that her eyes weren't deceiving her, then thought maybe it was her sweat, but she was undeniably seeing a drop of some clear liquid. Then She stood up and imitated Knux, turning her gaze to the sky.
They both stood in silence for a long while, perhaps minutes, totally paralyzed, as if fearing that, if they moved, their desires would disappear into the ether. They breathed slowly and deeply, blinking little, the breeze whistling as it passed by their ears, a breeze more... colder.
Amy then brought her hand to her parched lips quickly, knuckles turned to look at her and found her transfixed.
"By Gaia...," the hedgehog managed to say as she saw the wetness on her fingers.
The second drop landed on knux's arm, the third on Amy's back and so around them fell the others, a full-blown rain.
"By Gaia, it's-"
"Amy, Quick! Have you got enough pits and buckets at home?" spat knux.
"W-what?"
"Do you have it or not?"
"I-I don't know!"
"Damn it, Come on!" the echidna shouted before grabbing Amy by the arm and dragging her back into the house as fast as their tired legs could go while the sky began to threaten to fall on them.
After thoughts:
If there is one thing I have learned is that NEVER promise anything that you are not at least 80% sure of, the best thing to do is simply deliver, whatever it costs and however long it takes, but deliver at the end of the day.
A lot of things have happened, bad things, good things, things that don't interest you, if we are frank. The only thing I will say, though, is that the publication of this chapter is a birthday present to myself! Beyond that, I just ask those of you who are still reading to bear with me. I have a lot to tell about this story, and it will all be epic.
This I can promise because I am sure, not 80%, but 1000%.
Random Trivia: The Hooligans
I originally intended to put the skunks Rough and Tumble as the slavers of the settlement, but I realized that that would be literally plagiarizing their introduction in the IDW comics lol, so I scrapped it and preferred to switch to the Hooligans.
The Hooligans, being Bark, Bean and Fang, are very underused characters in the franchise. In Archie they had their moments (few, but there were some), and in IDW there is this special Classic Sonic comic, but little else. In the games, Bean and Bark don't even appear, only Fang. Apparently, one of SEGA's mandates is that the Hooligans remain as enemies of Classic Sonic, no interaction with the Modern Sonic, which is a shame, since they are very interesting.