Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ War of Hearts ❯ Torture ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: The characters belong to SEGA, not me

War of Hearts

Sonic growled, still trying to figure out the situation. So many questions he had and very few answered. What were the creatures? No doubt they were dangerous. He glared at the blood red eyed demon, “How do I know you're not going to kill him anyway?”

“You have our honour, he is of no threat to us,” the creature raised his right hand, “Now hurry up hedgehog, or my brother Skull will wipe your little friend out.”

The yellow eyed demon called Skull pushed his gun-hand further into Tails' head. Tails tried to scream, but it was muffled through the slimy hand that was covering his mouth. Sonic began to feel fear pulse through his veins as he began to understand that they would seriously kill Tails without a care or a worry. If he made a move, they'd blow his brains out. If he didn't they'd still blow his brains out. Sonic clenched his fists, at a loss for what to do.

“Clocks ticking hedgehog, now what's it going to be?”

Sonic glared at the blood-eyed demon, who simply stared back at him with little to none emotion. It was quite unnerving, especially when a smirk crossed its face, revealing one of its yellowing fangs, which protruded over the bottom lip. The simple look and calm attitude the creature held, when it was full aware of its brother holding a gun to somebody's head, sent shivers up Sonic's spine.

He had to save Tails somehow, but all ways and plans of how to had long exited his head, and he didn't want to do anything that would risk Tails' life in any way possible. And with the possibility of them shooting Tails high, Sonic was at a loss for what to do. He knew he had to move fast or it was bye-bye Tails.

“What do you want from me?” Sonic asked coldly. The creature towered over Sonic and glanced down at him with an emotionless face.

“I thought you'd have realized the severity of the situation hedgehog. If you do not comply, we'll kill your friend.” the creature pointed at where his brother stood, his cold yellow eyes containing a hint of excitement as he pushed his gun-hand into Tails' head. Tails muffled a scream as the pain began to reach him.

Sonic clenched his eyes shut, hoping that the sounds of Tails' muffled wails would disappear. He wished more than anything that these creatures weren't here, that Tails was okay and that he wasn't in this position. But he was. And he couldn't stand it.

Sonic clenched his teeth, seeing horror in Tails' eyes which were telling him not to do it. But Sonic couldn't comply. He couldn't let Tails die because he wouldn't turn himself in. And he could always escape. His mind made up, he turned to face the first creature, his face set.

“Well?”

“I'll come with you.” Sonic answered firmly in resignation. Tails gave muffled screams trying to warn Sonic not to but Sonic did his best not to listen. The creature smiled eerily, twirling one of the few greying hairs on its head with a bony finger,“I knew you'd see to our way of thinking, hedgehog. Typical, all organic life-forms are weaker than we thought…”

Sonic gritted his teeth, trying not to lunge at the beast. The first creature glanced at its brother, “Release him Skull.”

The second creature groaned, releasing Tails from its grip and letting the fox collapse on the floor coughing and gagging for air, before he passed out. The gun-like hand disappeared and a filthy hand reappeared. It was clear that this Skull was eager to wipe out Tails but Sonic's decision had prevented him otherwise. But his brother had always said, the real threat was Sonic the Hedgehog, and he had to be eliminated as soon as possible.

“Follow us hedgehog, and don't try any stunts.” the first creature said firmly. Sonic grumbled, before complying reluctantly.

XXX

Tails awoke from his short state of unconsciousness, to find himself gazing at a dark, starlit sky. His head banged painfully, like a huge weight was being crushed against it. He struggled to gain his memory and almost passed out in shock when he eventually remembered what had happened.

“Sonic!” Tails shot up, a sharp pain suddenly travelling through the fox's head. His hand shot to his head, flames dancing through his mind, and he didn't even notice someone speaking to him.

“Kid, kid, you okay?” a hand shook on Tails' shoulder, as the fox gritted his teeth in pain.

The fox lie back, and felt pure warmth travel through his fur. Tails forced his eyes open halfway to get a good glimpse on his saviour. An extremely furry yellow polar bear, wearing a green scarf and a red woolly hat, which Tails considered strange, for it was the middle of the summer.

“He'll be okay.” another voice sounded. Tails' sapphire eyes sought out the second speaker, and caught sight of a green feathery duck, with a huge fringe and a little red scarf around his neck. Tails was so sure he knew these two from somewhere, but his head was in too much pain to register anything.

“So-nic!” Tails squeaked, trying more than anything to get his friend to hear him. He knew he had to hear him, wherever he was, “So-nic!”

The fox curled up in fear, the piercing glance that the blood-eyed demon had given him haunting him. All of a sudden, the fox was lifted up into the arms of the tall, muscular polar bear, and Tails passed out again with one whisper leaving his lips.

“Cosmo…”

XXX

Shadow's ears perked up, a muffled wailing heard nearby. The hedgehog's ruby eyes narrowed, as he glanced ahead over the fields. Something was happening out there, he knew it. He had good instinct for things like this.

“What ya thinking?”

Shadow ignored the comment made by Rouge, who had walked up beside him with a sly look on her face. A grumble almost erupted in his throat; he had no time for chatting with Rouge the Bat, lest of all standing here and doing nothing about that wailing, which had somehow wormed it's way into his head.

There it was again… Shadow had a bad feeling about this.

“Do you hear that?”

Shadow was almost caught off guard, as he whipped around to see Rouge, standing there as still as possible, her ears perked and alert.

“Hear what?” Shadow sighed, his arms folding across his chest, with a look on his face which seemed to say that he wasn't in the mood for Rouge's games.

“Hear what?” Rouge sarcastically mimicked Shadow, an impatient face on her face to match Shadow's grumpy one, “Wailing! Crying!”

Shadow's face fell to the floor, “So you hear it too…”

Rouge nodded, “Yes, I don't have these for nothing you know,” she exclaimed, pointing at her ears, which were even more alert than before, and the soft wailing hit her senses again.

“Over there!” Rouge whispered, flapping her wings and taking off into flight. Setting off north, Shadow shook his head, briefly muttered something about `Troublemakers' and followed her as fast as his legs would allow him to go.

XXX

“We can't stay here Bean; you know what those creatures nearly did to the kid! What's not to say they'll come back for him?” argued the tall yellow polar bear, his hands clenched into tight boulder-like fists, his eyes occasionally flicking between the unconscious fox teenager, beaten and bruised, and his comrade's angry features.

“Where the hell are we supposed to go then Bark? We can't take him up north with us! And we have no idea where that `brother' of his is!” the green duck argued his cheeks red when usually gold like the rest of his beak.

“We'll have to find him!”

“Did you see what those creatures could do Bark, or are you blind!” shouted the duck, waving his feathery arms around in frustration. He certainly saw what those creatures did, and he didn't like the thought of coming face-to-face with them… things.

“I saw what they did Bean! I'm not blind!” the bear named Bark roared, almost knocking his partner flying. Bark's cheeks were flushed as much as his duck friend's was, but he tried to calm himself down before he lost control.

“He had other friends, remember?” the duck named Bean recalled, “All those years ago. He had other friends in that tournament.”

“How are we supposed to know if he's still friends with that girl though?” Bark queried, rubbing his shaggy chin in thought. It could be possible, but where would they find this girl anyway. He sighed; Bean always was one for thinking with his heart and not his head.

“I don't know, but chances have gotta be high, haven't they?” Bean pleaded, pointing towards Tails, “Think of the kid, Bark. He wouldn't want to be dragged up north by two people who are almost strangers to him.”

Bark found himself very interested in his right shoe at that moment. He twisted his foot, tapped it up and down. He could feel his stubborn friend's eyes on him, almost glaring. Somewhere inside of him, Bark knew that for the first time ever, Bean had beaten him in an argument. Taking the kid north with them should only be a last resort. Bark shook his shaggy head, snapping himself out of his thoughts, “Fine, we'll try and find that friend of his.”

Bean smirked, “I knew you'd come around to my way of thinking.”

XXX

Trailing around at night wasn't always what Amy had in mind. Every time she thought of walking alone at night, images of tall, lanky, leering men came to mind, and nevertheless, it terrified her as to what could possibly happen. She told herself, “You're not that little girl anymore Ames.”

She wrapped her long coat around her shoulders tightly, the cold air pressing in on her. She forced her legs to walk faster, but it wasn't so easy when the night air was cold and tried it's hardest to claim her.

She forced herself to move on, shivering violently, her legs, bare except for her delicate pink fur, shook underneath her body weight. Soon, the place she had been looking for came into sight. The mall. Of all the times to come to this place, Amy considered it important. She couldn't stand sitting there in that house of hers, reminiscing over the past, trying to stay that little girl that she no longer was.

Truth was she had always feared growing up. Maybe that's what pressed her to pursue Sonic like she did. Though her heart told her otherwise, she knew that she did fear adulthood, being on her own. Growing up, marrying and having kids… she had always thought that it would be a dream come true. But maybe that was to cover all the fear she had inside. Maybe she was confused and was unable to tell the difference between fearing something and wanting something badly. Maybe that's why she chased Sonic so much. To help her feel like a child still. But even he was more mature than she was. No wonder he was annoyed with her so often.

Amy shook her head as she finally entered the warmth of the mall. Shivering, she allowed her body temperature to rise into comforting warmth again before continuing on. Seeing her favourite clothes shop, she bit her lip, tempted to go in and try on a few dresses, to twirl in front of the mirror, wink and say she was the prettiest girl ever. She took a step towards it, before shaking her head and approaching another clothes shop nearby.

“No more behaving like a child,” she told herself firmly, “Time to accept that I'm not that little girl anymore.”

After all, she was a woman now.

XXX

“Damn it!” Shadow grumbled, “We lost it!”

Frustration had truly taken the black hedgehog this evening. Wailing and crying. Sounds Shadow associated with pain. Needless to say, Shadow knew a lot about pain. He had inflicted it, he had felt it, and he had seen others experience it. Now he only wanted to stop someone experiencing pain, for once, though the reason never was registered anywhere.

“Over there!” Rouge screamed, taking off as fast as she could. Shadow groaned at Rouge's feisty behaviour, before following her, having no choice but too.

Shadow's legs a mere blur, he sped in front of Rouge. Though Rouge had amplified hearing, being a bat and all, Shadow also had highly advanced hearing; something that was implanted into his shameful being when he was created nearly sixty years ago now. He shook his head while in high speed, not wanting to remember the horrible truth he had discovered just over four years before.

“Shadow…” the voice seemed to whisper all the time, turning every peaceful dream into a nightmare which was almost inescapable, and seemed to revolve around that same girl's death, but not in the way he had at first believed it to be.

“Shadow!”

One simple call broke Shadow out of his confused thoughts, as he skidded to a halt, glanced around in confusion and saw Rouge's face, not sneering, not sarcastic, but in actual fear. Something he had never seen in Rouge.

“Look!” she pointed, her voice a frightened whisper. Shadow's followed where Rouge was pointing and his eyes glazed over in shock. Now he could see why Rouge was so frightened.

Sonic the Hedgehog.

But it wasn't the presence of Shadow's rival that feared Rouge. On the contrary, Rouge and Sonic get on well enough, apart from the odd bicker about Rouge's stealing habits. Sonic was tied down to a stone table, coated with blood. Deep gashes and cuts rested on Sonic's arms and legs, and he was bleeding heavily. Sonic's teeth were gritted, his eyes clenched shut. He was clearly conscious, but in a great deal of pain.

“We've got to help him!” Rouge stated in a petrified whisper.

While Shadow and Sonic had their arguments, their bickers, and their occasional moments of hating each other, Shadow knew Rouge was right. They couldn't leave Sonic like this.

“We'll have to be quick then,” Shadow told Rouge in a silent mumble, “C'mon, quick, we have no time to waste.”

“Our master…”

Shadow clutched his head in pain, a horrible voice that somehow reminded him of something or someone. He couldn't fault it, he knew something was wrong.

“Come and witness the demise of the Chosen One…”

“Shadow, look!” Rouge sobbed, grabbing Shadow's arm in fear, pointing down below. Shadow forced himself to look.

Two tall beasts, lanky and filthy, one with eyes of blood red, the other with eyes of a poisonous yellow. The blood-eyed demon had a mad gleam in his eye, as he held in his hand, a tall scythe.

“We shall provide what we need for our race to survive… by killing the Chosen One…”

“Chosen… One?” Rouge questioned, “I never knew anything about a Chosen One.”

Shadow wasn't paying attention. Those blood red eyes, gazing down at the injured blue hedgehog madly, almost like he had been waiting a lifetime for this very day. Those eyes, so much like Shadow's, haunted Shadow somehow, in a way he couldn't even recognize…

“Shadow… the time has come…”

That voice, the one who haunted his dreams, the one who has been haunting him for four years…

“Eliminate Sonic the Hedgehog…”

Shadow clutched his face and howled in pain. No matter how much he tried to take his mind off it, he couldn't. The pain waved over him. While Shadow yelled in his blank, pain-filled world, Rouge trembled in fear as the two lanky figures torturing Sonic glided over towards where they were sitting.

“Well Skull… looks like we've got us some company…”