A World Without Him (Shadow the hedgehog x Reader)

Chapter 7: The Night Everything Changed

Relief washed over Shadow's face. "Maria!"

She looked terrified but immediately ran toward them. "You have to hide! Now!"

"No," Shadow said firmly, grabbing her hand. "I'm not leaving you."

Y/N clenched her fists, her mind at war.

She wanted to grab Shadow and run, to follow Gerald's orders, but she couldn't leave Maria either.

Her pulse quickened as soldiers began to approach from the other end of the hallway.

No time to argue.

She spotted a restricted-access storage room to their left.

"Here!" she hissed, running to the door. It required clearance to enter, but she placed her palm against the console and focused.

Her energy surged, sending glitches through the system. The screen flickered wildly before flashing green.

The lock disengaged.

Shadow pulled Maria inside, and Y/N shut the door behind them just in time.

The room was dark, filled with rows of crates and metal shelving units. They pressed themselves against the cold steel walls, trying to stay silent.

Through the narrow slits in the door, Y/N could see what was happening outside.

Her stomach twisted.

The scientists—the ones who had taken care of them, the ones they had loved—were on their knees, hands raised in surrender.

The soldiers didn't hesitate.

Gunfire rang out.

Y/N felt her breath hitch. Her whole body went rigid.

Shadow tensed beside her, his fists trembling. His breathing grew harsh, sharp.

Maria pressed her hands to her mouth, stifling a sob.

Y/N reached for Shadow's wrist, gripping it tightly. "We have to go.*" Her voice was barely a whisper. "We have to get out of here. With Maria."

Shadow didn't move. His entire frame was coiled, rage boiling just beneath the surface.

She could feel it in his energy.

His Chaos energy—usually controlled, stable—was starting to spike.

Y/N squeezed his wrist harder. "Shadow."

His jaw clenched. But finally, after what felt like an eternity, he nodded.

Maria wiped her tears and took a shaky breath, her voice barely audible. "Where do we go?"

Y/N glanced around the storage room. There had to be another exit—something.

She scanned the walls, then spotted a ventilation shaft near the back. It was small, but big enough for them to crawl through.

"There." She pointed.

Shadow and Maria followed her gaze. Without hesitation, Shadow moved first, gripping the vent cover and yanking it off. The metal groaned as it was ripped from the wall.

One by one, they climbed in.

As Y/N pulled the vent cover back into place behind her, she took one last glance through the slits in the door.

The scientists' bodies lay motionless on the floor.

Blood pooled beneath them.

Her stomach twisted violently, but she forced herself to turn away.

She couldn't afford to break down.

Not now.

They had to survive.

☆⋆｡𖦹°✰꩜

The ventilation shafts were narrow and claustrophobic, the metal freezing against Y/N's hands and knees. Every sound—every breath, every shift of movement—echoed eerily around them.

Maria crawled ahead, Shadow in the middle, and Y/N taking up the rear.

They moved as quickly as they could, careful to stay silent.

Y/N's mind raced.

Why was G.U.N. doing this?

The ARK had been left alone for years. So why now?

She thought back to what the scientists had whispered about before.

"The government is getting nervous."

"If they think we're a threat—"

She swallowed hard.

They thought Shadow and her were threats.

That's why they were here.

To eliminate them.

A cold, bitter realization settled in her chest.

No one was coming to save them.

They were on their own.

☆⋆｡𖦹°✰꩜

After what felt like hours of crawling, Maria suddenly stopped.

Shadow almost bumped into her. "What is it?"

Maria turned her head slightly, voice hushed. "I think this leads to the escape pods."

Hope sparked in Y/N's chest.

"Good," she whispered. "We can get to the surface. Get you to safety."

Maria's brows furrowed. "What about you two?"

Shadow met her gaze. "We're coming with you, obviously."

Maria hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

Y/N pressed forward, moving up beside Shadow. She examined the vent cover blocking their path. It was rusted, old.

"I can break it," she whispered.

Shadow nodded. "On three."

They counted down silently.

Then—

Y/N and Shadow pushed at the same time, shoving the vent cover out. It clattered against the floor as they all scrambled out of the shaft.

They landed in a dimly lit corridor. Y/n's heart sank a little when she realized that these were not escape pods, but stasis pods. They went the wrong way.