Chapter Text
“This uniform is so irritating-” The black hedgehog huffed to himself quietly, tugging at the collar of his uniform. The darkness spilling in from the windows was cut by the bright red of a digital clock. It read 2:45 and Shadow sighed with deep relief that he could finally start closing. Sweeping the dining area floor to rid it of the scraps of lettuce and crumbs of hardshell tacos, Shadow hummed to himself, an old song from the Arc. Times have been rough recently... By that, he means Eggman has been suspiciously quiet, and G.U.N. has yet to give him or his roommates an assignment in many months. The silence from Eggman had the whole crew on edge. Team Dark, Team Sonic, and the like. Everyone seemed on edge. Except Rouge.
Shadow was aware that it took a lot to shake his winged friend, however, he was beginning to grow suspicious of just how calm the bat had been. She had also been distant and, though he’d never admit it, Shadow was growing worried. It started when Rogue stopped coming home on a schedule. Then, she would spend all day at the training center, hitting the gym till the point of exhaustion. She’d come home pale and angry. Though she was exhausted, Shadow never saw her after her shower. She’d leave the house again immediately after. Then she’d come back, sometimes wearing different clothes, in a better mood than he’d ever seen her in before. They still had their nightly hangouts the nights she was home. Hangouts which consisted of Omega playing a lovely classical tune while the three of them all read books and drank wine.
Rouge never got another job. She tried but either wasn’t accepted or was fired within the first few days. The longer they went without a call from G.U.N, the more distant she grew. She was still the same old her when Shadow would actually stop her to talk… but there was a new look in her eyes. One Shadow couldn’t place. Over time, she also grew jumpy and skittish. It was honestly hard for Shadow to watch. He wanted to reach out but he just didn't know how.
A clunking sound rattled Shadow out of his thoughts, his quills standing in shock. He turned around to see the pans he’d accidentally knocked over. “You ok?” a small voice called from around a corner. Shadow whipped around to see his pre-teen coworker Charmy. How did he even get a job here? He’s like 5! Either way, Shadow shook his head to get out of the fuzz before answering Charmy with a quiet “Yeah.” Shadow then looked to the pans and sighed, his glance turning back to Charmy. “Go home, kid. I got it from here.” Charmy went to speak up before the two were blinded by headlights pulling up to the windowed walls, the lights glaring through the whole building. Looks like Vector was here to get him early. Without any further argument, the bee left, leaving Shadow more alone with his thoughts than before.
After the bee was safely in the car, Shadow returned to cleaning, now working on the kitchen. A task that took him far longer than he’d wanted it to. The grease needed to be emptied. Shadow hated working closing shifts for this reason. The grease somehow always got into his fur and he despised it. As soon as that horribly grueling task was over, he scrubbed his arms with dish soap in the large commercial sinks. Luckily the kid had done the dishes, one less thing Shadow had to worry about. He did a sweep of the kitchen. Clean enough. The hedgehog grabbed a bucket, filling it about a quarter of the way with water and another quarter with cleaning solution. Begrudgingly, he made his way back into the dining area, using the solution to clean both the windows and the tables.
As Shadow was scrubbing a table, he looked up to check how many tables he had left when he saw someone in the distance outside of the shop. A dark silhouette with a rather unsettling posture stood in the streetlight, their features indistinguishable. Shadow shook it off and went back to cleaning. Not his problem. However, when he finally went to clean the window he had been looking out of just a few minutes prior, the figure had moved. That wouldn’t usually be a problem, people walk the sidewalks, that’s what they're for. But… They were right outside the shop now.
Shadow moved quickly to lock the front door. He knew he could handle a problem easily but avoiding one was always easier. Shadow's hand reached for the lock but the door was already being swung towards his face. He jumped back, his eyes growing wide. He looked up and saw Rouge. She looked off but he was relieved it was just her. He scoffed, crossing his arms and looking down. “Anyone ever teach you not to come into a restaurant after close, Ba-” but before he could even finish his sentence, the wind was knocked out of his lungs and he was flat on his back. His eyes watered as he gasped for air. His brows furrowed and his eyes looked up towards the bat. “What the hell, Rou-” his already quiet voice trailed off , a name that he couldn’t recognize the correlating face of dying on his tongue. The bat had a crazed look in her eyes. A loss of humanity. Shadow couldn’t even recognize the girl in front of him.
The bat moved again in an attempt to get on top of Shadow. The hedgehog quickly rolled, the bat hitting her head against a wall. The frustrated groan that left the girl's mouth didn’t sound human. It was primal and animalistic. Shadow was still gasping for air and he pulled himself to his feet. He looked back at the bat that was working on regaining her own senses and furrowed his brows at her once more. “Rouge. Cut this strange behavior out,” Shadow demanded, the strength in his voice finally returning. The bat let out another groan, turning to lunge at the hedgehog. She was fast. Faster than usual. Shadow got taken to the ground, hitting a table and chair on the way down. His side was sure to bruise and his head was spinning. The bat had finally gotten on top of him, straddling him as she wound her arm back to punch Shadow. The hedgehog began to collect chaos energy in his palm to retaliate but… when he looked into her eyes, deep into her eyes, he saw a glimpse of the girl he once knew and was unable to react fast enough as she landed a heavy blow to the side of his head. She was stronger now too.
The hedgehog blinked the blur from his eyes and the dizziness from his head. The hedgehog wasn’t out of it for long but the damage that had been done was immense. Clawed marks ran across his face and down his arms. His uniform was shredded down the center, his white chest fur stained with deep crimson blood. Shadow tried to open his left eye but it was swollen shut. His head spun. He looked for the bat but couldn’t see her. He heard clattering in the kitchen and willed himself to his feet. Almost as soon as he stood, however, he was back on the ground. His legs felt like jello and his head was reeling. He lost more blood than he thought. When the hedgehog finally looked at the floor below him, prompted by the slight splash sound he heard upon falling, he noticed the blood pooling below him. His fur was wet and the feeling of dripping blood was driving his already fleeting mind insane.
Clattering came from the kitchen. It sounded different than last time. Shadow’s mind was screaming for him to move. Just move. He tried, his feet were weak and his arms trembling, but he pulled himself up. His tired body crawled towards the exit. He was so close. His hand reached for the door. So close. Just push. Just a little more. His hand reached for the door. He could feel it… He could feel the knife slip past his bones and through the other side of his flesh.
Shadow cried out, his head whipping around to see where the blade came from. And for a moment. For a fraction of a second that felt like it stretched on for hours, Shadow could see Rouge. She was in there. She was screaming. It hurt his ears. The look in her eyes hurt his ears… She was backing away, tears in her eyes. Her hands clawed at her eyes, mascara running down her cheeks. It wasn’t Rouge screaming. It was whatever took over her. Streams of red mixed with the tears that poured down Rouge’s cheeks. She pulled her hands away, claw marks ruining her beautiful face. The face that Shadow knew, she worked hard to maintain. The face he had grown to love. The beauty of a friend he hadn’t had in years… was being torn away.
The bat faced the ceiling. There was stillness; a silence that was so thick Shadow found himself gasping for air again. The bat fell to her knees. And laughed. Shadow felt like he could breathe again but that wasn’t his main concern anymore. He was scared. For the first time in a long long while, Shadow’s blood ran cold with fear. The bat’s laughter trailed off as she lowered her head to look at Shadow. Her breathing grew heavy as she crawled towards the boy. He backed away until his back hit the wall. Rouge was on top of him again.
The bat had finally calmed down. Somewhat. Her chest was heaving, her breathing labored… Her eyes slowed though. They weren’t darting anymore but they also weren’t her anymore. Finally, those eyes, eyes Shadow couldn’t believe belonged to his friend, locked with his. And something inside him snapped. Tears pilled in his eyes. The bat's hand moved up to Shadow’s quills and for some reason, he melted into her touch. He closed his eyes and, for a moment, it felt like her. She grabbed his head gently, tilting his neck to the side. Her head leaned down to his neck and Shadow went numb. His head spun like crazy and it all went dark.
Breathing. Breathe. Air. Smell. It smelled. What was that smell. It burnt. Everything burned. No. No no. Who. Why. See. Can’t see. Eyes. Open. Please. Who. Why. I need to know.
Rouge gasped for air, her eyes opening as she fell back. She lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling as the scent of blood assaulted her senses. She couldn’t move. Her body hurt… She felt… alive . Energy coursed through her body at alarming rates and all her aches faded. The burning on her face simmered. The dripping stopped. She could move again. She tilted her head to the side. Where was she? Her eyes examined the blood bath surrounding her and she felt like she wanted to hurl. She knew it was her fault… even if she couldn’t remember it. The guilt that pooled in her stomach made her sick. She forced herself to sit up, still looking around. Who had she done this to?
And that was when she saw him. Her heart stopped. Her blood ran cold. Her breath caught in her throat. Her muscles froze. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t look away. The sound of the clock ticking rang through her head like gunshots. She felt dizzy. She was gonna be sick. She was dying. Suffocating. Why? No. Please. It can’t. It was so hot. Burning. Sharp. Tears. Tears. She was tearing at her skin. Get her out of her skin. Out. Out. Out. Get it out. Please. Shadow. Why? Help. Someone help me. No kill me. End me. Monster. I’m a monster. Shadow. Help. Help him. Wet. tears. Sounds. Sobs. Clicking. Ticking. Cars passing. Pulse. Pulse in ear. Her pulse, not his. Flatline. Dizzy. Spinning. Panic. She could hear the panic...
The restaurant was silent. No noise. Stillness. She reached for him. He was gone. She did this. Shadow isn’t breathing. HE’S GONE. It was her fault. Rushing. Air. Can’t breathe. Cold. Hot. Both. Air. Smells. Blood. Wet. Soft. Softness. Warmth. Pulse. Thump… Thump… Thump… pulse.