Labrat (SONADOW)

chapter 10

POV: 3rd person
"Sonic-!" Both Knuckles and Espio looked worried as Sonic was brought back. Usually he was bandaged but now they could see his back covered in cuts. The flesh on his back was stripped away where the whip had hit. It was still bleeding and flowed down his back and sides.

"It's fine.." Sonic said and stayed laying down.

"Damn it Sonic! You're not fine!" Knuckles yelled. Every day Sonic was brought back looking worse than the day before. Donovan was treating the blue hedgehog worse than them.

Espio and Knuckles had started training as well. At first they refused to work along too but knowing what torment lay ahead, they decided it wasn't worth it. Unlike Sonic they didn't have as much trouble with shooting something they didn't see as living anymore.

"Sonic. This can't go on like this." Espio sighed. "I know you can't kill them because there might be a chance to get them back, but there is no chance. Sonic, you're getting yourself killed if you go on like this. You will have to go along with what Donovan wants. The zombies don't feel anything at all. You even help them by putting them out of their misery. There is no way to turn them back."

"N-No.. I refuse. They can be saved." Sonic refused to think else if it.

"Your body will give up if you keep getting hurt. Sonic, we're trying to protect you." Knuckles said. "I would have busted us out of here a long time ago if it wasn't for the fact that it feels like I have no muscles at all, thanks to that drug. Our goal is to stay alive till we find a way out."

"We won't be saved.." Sonic had given up hope of being saved. But yet his spirit didn't break.

"The others are trying to find us. I'm sure of it." Knuckles said. Espio nodded. Their friends wouldn't leave them behind.

Sonic moved to get comfortable enough to sleep. He closed his eyes and tried to rest.

"You haven't eaten yet. You should eat some." Espio said and pushed his bowl to the blue hero's cage.

"No." Sonic said, not opening his eyes. One bowl was barely enough for one person, and they shared. Sonic had noticed they were starting to lose weight and took less of the share of food so his friends could have more of the food given to them. They needed it more than him since they were active in the training.

Sonic still hadn't done much other than holding the gun. He hadn't fired once. Meanwhile Espio and Knuckles were a few levels up. They had started with killing the zombies that didn't do anything, but that weren't the only zombies that were around.

There was another kind, one that was aggressive and attacked, like the one that had attacked and bitten Sonic. That virus was contagious and when bitten, it wouldn't be long before you would be turned into a zombie as well. There was an antidote for it, a clear yellow substance, but it had to be injected before the person turned.

Donovan would lure a few of these wrathful zombies to a room and then unleash them on Knuckles or Espio. They had to kill them if they wanted to live and not turn into a zombie themself.

"Please eat some.. You have been eating less the last few days already." Espio pleaded.

"It's your food. You need the energy." Sonic said.

"And you need it not to die. Your body needs to heal. Now eat." Knuckles said sternly and narrowed his eyes at Sonic to hopefully get the blue hedgehog to eat.

Sonic still refused to eat and simply ignored them to be able to sleep. He needs rest and nutritions to heal but he doesn't get much of both with being stuck in this awful place.

Knuckles and Espio ate their share and left the rest over for the sleeping blue hedgehog. "He's gonna die soon like this.." Knuckles looked down.

"We can't do anything about it like this. If he refuses to eat, we can't force him." Espio sighed. "He indeed won't have long if this keeps on. Hopefully we will be rescued soon before it's too late for him."