CHAPTER 7

TRUTH

Soon Shadow had caught up with Lance he saw him heading into his hideout. Shadow broke the door down and once he made it in a shotgun was pointed at his face.

A black and green squirrel was having a firm grip on the gun, "Hello Shadow."

"Zena, where's your boyfriend?"

"Got something to say, hedgehog?" A red porcupine walked up to him.

"Where's Kayla?" Shadow asked.

Appex laughed a bit, "Like I'm going to tell you."

"Lance took the girl into the training room. You know where that's at right?" Maxcell then realized he told the wrong thing to Shadow.

Appex faced Maxcell, "You idiot!"

While Appex and Zena had their attention on Maxcell, Shadow decided to make his move. He kicked the gun out of Zena's hand and he kicked her to the face.

They ran after him.

Shadow turned around and faced him, "Chaos Control!"

Then they all froze and didn't move.

Shadow smirked, "That ought to stop you." He ran into the training room. He saw Lance talking to Kayla. "Lance!"

The grey fox turned and faced Shadow, "Shadow, you're here so soon?"

"Don't play that way. If you harm her I'll..."

"Do what? Kill me? Heh, I don't think so. You don't have the guts."

Shadow clenched his fists, "You're going down."

Lance pulled a pocket knife and held it near Kayla's neck.

She began to cry, "Detective Hedgehog, help me..."

"Don't cry, Kayla. I won't let him hurt you", Shadow tried to keep her calm.

"She won't die unless she tells me about Project D.E.A.T.H." Lance held the blade closer to her neck.

Kayla felt the blade of the knife touch her neck. She started to panic. She began to scream, "It's touching me!"

Shadow's hand glowed a yellow color, "Chaos Spear!"

A yellow spear knocked the small knife out of Lance's hand.

Lance smirked, he ran up to Shadow and punched him in the stomach.

Shadow kneeled to the ground holding his stomach. He hadn't noticed, but Lance had taken away his machete from his belt.

Lance held the weapon in a stabbing position at Shadow. He ran at Shadow with the point of the blade coming at him.

Shadow moved out the way.

Lance missed. He faced Shadow, "You really don't wanna die do you?" Lance took the machete and sliced at Shadow's arm.

Shadow fell to the floor holding his bleeding arm.

Lance again sliced the blade at Shadow. This time he got his chest.

Shadow couldn't go on. He couldn't move anymore. He was bleeding everywhere.

Lance was about to stab him again, until a voice called out to him.

"No, don't do it!"

Lance looked behind him and saw the little girl crying.

Her tears were running down her cheeks and falling on the floor, "Please, don't hurt Detective Hedgehog anymore."

Lance didn't move the blade away from Shadow, "If you care about him so much then tell me. What is Project D.E.A.T.H.?"

The girl got ready to tell him, "I'll tell you. Dandy Expert Advice Trustworthy Health. That's what it is."

Lance didn't understand, "What the hell does that mean?"

"It's a cure for lung cancer."

Lance was shocked, "What! It's not a weapon? It's some kind of health experiment? Damn you girl! I'm gonna kill you!" Lance ran up to her and had the blade in a stabbing position towards Kayla.

The girl got scared. She fell to the floor and closed her eyes tightly. She screamed. In a couple of seconds later, no harm came to her. She opened her eyes and saw a black hedgehog on top of her. Her eyes filled with water, "Detective Hedgehog..."

Shadow tried to smile, "Close call huh?"

"Why? You hate me..."

"I don't hate you, Kayla. I'm sorry for saying those things to you. I was just scared that something was going to happen to you. That's all." He fell off of Kayla with the machete stabbed through his chest.

Kayla removed the machete from his chest, "Detective Hedgehog!" She watched as Shadow coughed up some of his blood. "No, you can't die!"

"I won't die", Shadow coughed up more blood.

Kayla then saw Lance pointing a gun at Shadow. Tears ran down her cheeks, 'Detective Hedgehog wouldn't be this way if it weren't for me. He's dying because he's protecting me. I like him. I don't want him to die.'

Shadow was still laying on the floor injured.

Lance pulled the trigger to the gun.

The next thing Lance knew he didn't kill Shadow. Instead he got the girl.

Kayla fell to the floor bleeding from her head.

Lance dropped his gun to the floor and ran.

Shadow finally had the strength to get up. He crawled over to Kayla's body, "Kayla! Kayla, speak to me!"

The child opened her eyes a bit and faced Shadow, "I'm sorry for hurting you."

"Hurt me? You didn't do anything to me. Why did you do that? Why did you take the bullet?"

"I wanted to save you. You did the same for me and I wanted to help you."

Shadow began to cry, "No, I'm your protector. I'm suppose to do that."

"I know I just wanted to return the favor. You're the best daddy in the world."Afterwards she died.

Water was forming in his eyes, "Kayla..." He began to cry, "Kayla!"

Then Rouge came in the room with the rest of the Chaotix. She ran towards the bleeding hedgehog, "Shadow, what happened?"

Shadow answered while still crying, "Kayla...she...I couldn't save her..."

Rouge looked at the corpse of the little girl, "Oh my god, Kayla..." She held Shadow close to her, "She was a good kid."

Shadow cried into Rouge's chest, "Kayla! KAYLA!"