Chapter Text
He did it.
He got out. And he got out alive.
He breathed in a breath of air he thought he never would take again. He sucked in that breath as if it were the only thing keeping him up as he ran down the broken and battered road that led him away from that city.
He laughed as he slowed down his running to a light jog now that he was miles away, one both panicked and in disbelief. He was still in shock, not knowing how to process what he had just accomplished. His legs burned from the distance that he ran, shaking from the overexertion and the still healing bruises as he calmed down from the adrenaline rush. The light-gray quilled hedgehog took in another sharp breath of air—one that sounded too much like a gasp of air—or a sharp laugh of pain and relief.
The hedgehog turned his head to the night sky, ever so happy that he had managed to get out of that wretched place and that cursed hedgehog's claws. Never to set foot in that crestfallen town that he once called home. He felt his eyes gloss over as he stared at the glittering stars in the night sky that were no longer covered with the constant smoky clouds that he has grown used to. A sky that wasn't permanently dyed with the red that followed the constant fires. They glistened and shone all throughout the blackness of the night, never once stopping even if they were surrounded by the darkness at every corner.
He grasped the locket that hung by his neck in fear, hidden behind the thick, battered down jacket that he wore on his back. A promise that was shared between two friends, each filled with the young and naïve hope and faith that only appeared with the ignorance that a child could hold. A promise that only one now holds, held tightly between the shaky hands covered by scars and bruises and a similarly worn out heart.
The young teen took in another gasp of a breath. One that reminded him that he was still alive, away from the danger.
He was alive.
“I made it out,” he whispered as a tear trailed down his face, afraid that if he made a sound too loud that he would find him and drag him back to the Hell he just escaped. He whispered because that was all he could do. “I made it out Blaze. Just like we promised.”
He swallowed as he forced another breath of air into his lungs, not allowing himself to rest too long. The teen picked up the pace and began running once more.
The stars have never looked so beautiful. It terrified him.
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The light gray hedgehog continued down the road, not sure as to where he was going. He was contempt to go anywhere if it meant he could be away from that wretched city.
He breathed out a raspy sigh, one bordering a cough, as he took another step. One foot in front of the other. Keep it up and he can make it to the next city. Which would be fine had he had a car, or food, or water, or any other reliable source at all other than him right now. He debated turning around, thinking that maybe if he went back quick enough that he could get back safely. Yet as soon as that thought was complete he shook his head until he was dizzy all over again, insistent that he would never return. Anything was better than back there. Anything was better than him.
He sighed in frustration that was underlined with unspoken fear. “Why did the next town over have to be so far away from me? I’ve been walking for hours.”
That much was true considering the sky was now a sharp shade of blue and white compared to when he first entered the road when it was nothing more than a dark canvas with spattered white and purples and blues. As frightened as he was, the moment he looked around, whether it be up at the sky or the desolate road, it brought ease to him. It fascinated him to see just how different the world was than how it was back home. He heard about the beauty of the world from word of mouth, whenever the older of the group, scarce as they remain, loosened their tongue late into the night after one too many drinks. They would speak of a time in which the crisis of a city they live in was once home to all sorts of beauties. That there were people of all backgrounds, creating new inventions that would benefit the world as a whole. To bring everyone together.
There was always a sad look on their faces whenever they recounted their tales. Looks that bore more weight than the strongest of them could pull. They would smile at the young ones, any children that remained, engrossed in a world that wasn't in flames. Of when the grass wasn't burnt to ash and vines didn't crush whatever buildings that still stood. It was never a happy smile. They always had questions, ones that couldn't be answered by the picture books; questions that they would rarely have the courage to ask.
He was never allowed to listen to their talks for long. He always whisked him and her away, claiming it would make them greedy.
“At least I’m finally out huh,” the teen looked down at the locket in his bruised hand, “I guess I should be grateful for that much.”
On the outside, the locket didn’t look like much. And it wasn’t. It was broken, dismantled, only staying intact due to his best friend wielding it together with her fire. But on the inside.
The inside of it was something personal.
The inside of the locket was a blurry, worn out picture of him and the one he called his best friend. Two best friends, sitting next to each other as they both held the camera together. One laughing so hard he was blurry and the other’s face filled with joy and fulfillment so subtle to anyone other than him. Both held worn out eyes that no child should bare, having been both a witness and a victim to unspeakable acts of a man they trusted. But they were children, and so they were hopeful.
The other side of the locket held their names, sloppily engraved together in the gold like metal that rusted at the ends with childlike handwriting to the point it could be illegible. Right below them were two small gems, each no bigger than the size of a thumbtack; one sparkling white and the other glittering turquoise. It was crooked and messy yet it was loved all the same.
It was so much easier when he was younger. When he could still hide behind the ignorance and naivety that a child is blessed with. It was so much easier when he was back in the city. It was the same routine everyday. No changes. No new decisions to be made. Just the same old chores and expectations that marked every day. Same old training that he would be subjected to by his mentor.
The small bag on his back suddenly felt like it was weighing him down much more than before.
Yeah, he was stopping that train of thought right there.
He swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in the back of his throat and instead tried to focus on the task at hand.
The young hedgehog had already traveled a large distance, most of which he ran on pure adrenaline and fear, and was starting to feel the effects of it all throughout his body now that the adrenaline had begun to wear out. The battering his body took didn't help with the crash he was now experiencing. It was alright, though, as he had gone through worse and made it out the other side stronger.
He continued walking down the road–or gravel if you ask him, it really wasn't that maintained–as he looked for any building in sight. He hoped for even a gas station to rest at. He knew he didn’t have much money on him to buy all that he wanted, but was hoping that whoever was there working would let him rest for a while before kicking him out.
The sun was blaring on his back with endless heat that was beginning to get to him, especially since he had so much fur surrounding his neck.
He sighed tiredly as he continued trancing down, hoping for a new life, a new chance. A new future. The teen was still young, and thus he was optimistic. He made a promise with the last person that ever cared about him and he would be damned if he didn’t see it through.
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The sky had already turned a warm shade of oranges and yellows as he found the gas station.
He trudged his exhausted legs to continue forth to the door and into the cool building, away from the ever constant heat that was pounding on his back. He took in a long breath of air that sounded a bit too much like a wheeze as he stood in the doorway, attempting to calm something that resembled a lot like fear down and preparing to possibly come face to face with another living being.
The teen stayed frozen right in front of the doorway as that thought began to sink in.
Oh Chaos. He would have to come face to face with another living, breathing, thinking being. He could feel his heart begin to race the more that he thought about it. How could he not panic, he hadn’t come in contact with another person in weeks, and before that, it was only him and his mentor (not abuser, he’s his friend, he would never hurt you unless you deserved it).
The fear of everything and nothing began to overtake him as it started to become difficult to think or breathe. He wished he was back in the city; at least there was a sort of rhythm of what would happen. Now, in front of the glass door of a gas station in the middle of basically nowhere, he was completely terrified of everything around him, waiting for it to attack him. The hedgehog wondered why it was so difficult to do things, even if they weren't necessarily new.
He took in a shaky yet deep breath as he pushed the glass doors open and stepped into the building that held cool air.
The cashier didn’t even look up from where he was sitting behind the counter, instead keeping their attention glued to what looked like a phone. Or at least he thought it was a phone. He really wasn’t sure what was what anymore. Either way, he was happy with it as the less attention drawn to him, the better it was to him and everyone.
He made his way to the back of the store and into the bathrooms. He entered it and locked the door behind him to ensure that nobody would enter behind him. The hedgehog took a few steps toward the sink and mirror and just stood there looking at himself.
The teen couldn’t recognize who was in the mirror anymore.
What was once pure white fur now became a dirty light gray. Fur that used to be full and soft to the touch was now thin and worn out. He didn’t have to look hard to see his own ribs and the bruises that were too hard to cover with his fur. The jacket that he wore was too big and hung a bit too loose to only be because of its size. Eyes once filled with light golden eyes that sparkled now dulled to a dirt yellow. He was fading as he breathed. He had been fading for years now.
The teen sighed as he turned away and turned on the faucet to splash water onto his face, drinking straight from the faucet as he was dehydrated, not wanting to look at the shell of a person he had become over the years. It was no use to him anyways.
Once he was finished with washing himself off, he made his way through the bathroom door and back into the gas station. He walked down the aisles and grabbed a couple of granola bars and two water bottles and shoved them into his bag when the cashier wasn’t looking. He didn’t have any money on him and he hasn’t eaten in over half a week now so he believed it was justified to take it.
He glanced up at the cashier up at the register who hadn’t even moved once since he walked in. Letting out a breath he had been holding in, Silver quickly moved out of the aisle and picked up a map that resided next to the door to help him on his way to a new city he had heard only a few stories of. Once he grabbed the map, he sped walked out of the station and back onto the road. Now with actual food in his bag and water in his stomach.
He sighed, which he had been doing a lot more recently, and started his track to a new city. One called Mobius, according to the map he had nicked.
God. He really hopes that he can find happiness in that city. As much as it terrified him that he could possibly come and find him at any point and take him back home to that broken city, the resentment towards the man who had ruined any relationship that he could have with anyone was much greater.
He swore to get out and find a new future for himself, and he plans on following it through.