Sky: Been a while since I put stuff on here, but what the heck. I don't really have much to say, but, eh, I rushed it. Sonic and the gang don't belong to me.

Eaten Alive

Shadow ducked down to the ground, landing on all fours for a split second as an enormous tail cut the air above him, nearly slicing the head right off of his body. "Tch..." Shadow panted, trying to hide away the fear deep inside his heart. "It's just… a prototype."

The Biolizard howled inside the Chaos Emerald altar of ARK, his scream bouncing off the steel walls and cutting into Shadow's ears, causing him to wince in pain from the ring. Growing angry that it had missed its target; the massive orange monster turned its body to face its prey. Lowering its deformed head, the Biolizard's robotic red eyes scanned over the ebony hedgehog, its rancid wet breath wiping over Shadow as it breathed. Shadow had to use his hand to shield his mouth, stopping the gag reflex as the smell of rotting flesh washed across him, even dampening his fur.

Neither of the 'Ultimate Life Forms' moved from their spot, simply glaring at each other, waiting for the next to move. Without warning, the Biolizard growled, throwing its head forward, its mouth open wide. His eyes wide, Shadow rolled to the side just in time, the deformed monster's jaws clamped shut around the ground where he had been standing.

The prototype screamed again in fury, opening its large jaws out towards Shadow. With the stomp of its feet, it began to quickly try to snatch the ebony hedgehog in its mouth, causing Shadow to bolt the other way.

Feeling the sweat begin to trickle down his neck, Shadow looked over his shoulder, his eyes wide with terror; he saw that the Biolizard's mouth was just inches away. There were no teeth inside this damned creature, just strange discolored fleshy patches. Farther down its neck, Shadow could see nothing but an inky black void, surely a horrible fate to anyone this creature swallowed. The black hedgehog only knew he didn't want to become this deformation's lunch.

As if the cruel Fate had heard this thought, Shadow felt the tip of his foot hit the edge of a step. Shadow's mind raced with horrible thoughts as he began to feel himself slowly fall to the ground. His heart beating inside of his head, he threw out his palms to protect himself from the fall. Finally, as if an eternity had gone by, Shadow hit the ground, his knees planted against the stone. His heart stopped breathing, his lungs stopped their intake of air, and not a single thought crossed his mind for that moment.

Not a sound was heard. Shadow could feel his very limbs trembling as he held that open position, sure that the monster should have swallowed him up by now. How long had he been down on the ground like this? Where was it? Was it going to eat him? Where in the hell was it? He wouldn't dare turn his head, he couldn't even imagine it! Yet, something compelled him to do so, even if it went going against all his instincts.

Slowly, his face resembling that of a pale corpse, Shadow looked over his shoulder.

The Biolizard's face wasn't even a fingernail's length away.

Shadow couldn't move, he didn't know what to do! It simply stared at him, not moving a muscle. What was Shadow to do? His mind was racing and his blood was pumping through his veins at an extreme rate. If he moved so much as a hair, the prototype would most likely strike.

But, Shadow couldn't sit there forever, or else he would surely still be devoured whole. His lungs were now screaming for air, making it impossible to cry out to Sonic up ahead. He had to escape this, he had to!

His feet scraping against the stone, Shadow began to clamber up to his feet, causing the Biolizard to finally attack.

It was too late.

Shadow screamed out in pure terror, feeling his leg become caught in the Biolizard's mouth. He couldn't think clearly anymore, there was nothing left for him to do but to escape! Desperately, he tried to pull his leg out, muttering under his breath, "No, no, no, no, no…" Still unable to use his head, he thought to break off his own leg. It wouldn't work, however.

The Biolizard seemed to smile with the Devil's fiery evil. With the flick of his neck, he sent Shadow high up into the air above, as if tossing a snack up to catch in his mouth.

Shadow's world became blurred and hazy, his head screaming, 'No, not like this! Please, not like this!' As he looked down, his crimson eyes met with the gates of Hell, a dark and terrifying dimension opening up inside the Biolizard's throat. Desperately, he threw his hands out, trying to grab onto something, anything that could save him! As his body passed over the monster's lips, his palms clawed at the inside of the fleshy neck, just narrowly hanging over the black pit of the Biolizard's stomach.

"God, please, no!" he screamed, still seeing the light outside of the Biolizard's mouth. "Help me!" he pleaded desperately, his voice quivering and cracking with uncontrollable terror, completely skinning the hedgehog of his former calm and quiet self. "Someone, please, help me!" he shrieked, feeling his body slowly slide down the Biolizard's slimy neck.

"Shadow!" was the last thing he heard.

Wailing and screaming still, clawing desperately to make his way up, Shadow sunk into the creature's stomach, any trace of light gone. He didn't know where he was, he couldn't possibly be here! Slowly, he felt the fleshy walls around become tighter and tighter around his body, until he felt himself face down in some kind of horrible goop. His back was being crushed, and he could hear every organ inside the creature beating like an explosion inside of his ears.

He couldn't move his arms anymore, his body completely crushed. He screamed continually in the inky black hell, feeling vomit like goo flooding into his mouth as he did so. "Help me! Help me! Please, help me!" he cried over and over in a futile effort, knowing no voice could possibly be heard now.

He was dying slowly, and was feeling every agonizing second of it.

Suddenly, searing acid hit his skin, causing the hedgehog to shriek in a terrible pain, feeling as if millions of toxic needles were digging into his body all at once, seeing him aflame from the outside. Shadow wasn't sure, but even he must have been crying right now. Liquids dripped from his eyes constantly as he felt Hells fire envelope his weak body in the dark.

"Maria! Save me, please! Sonic! Someone!" he howled, his voice inaudible as it was mixed with his bloodcurdling screams of agony.

All the while, the beating continued to emanate around him, crushing his skull with pain every single beat. The air around him was gone, nothing left but the moist rotting flesh he had smelt earlier, only now, it was burning and much more pungent.

A million eternities had gone by, and Shadow was still squirming in pain as the acid slowly ate away at him, some even trickling down his throat as he screamed desperately. How long must he suffer?

Soon, he no longer cried out for help. "Let me die! Let me die! Stop! Stop!"

Why wouldn't he die? He could taste his own blood and vomit against his lips now, every muscle in his body was surging with agonizing gut-wrenching pain. Even past the never-ending beating of the Biolizard's organs, Shadow could hear his own bones slowly begin to crack, his ribs breaking under the intense pressure.

Let me die… Let me die… Let me die… Please…

Suddenly, he felt the Hell around him begin to shake violently, probably readying itself for another unbearable torture at Shadow's expense. The organs around began to beat stronger and faster, driving the hedgehog insane. Even as all of this went on, Shadow continued to try and scream, finding that there was nothing left inside of himself to let out.

Another rumble shook around, and the fleshy wall crushing against him began to let him slide down further. The walls wide, Shadow could have easily moved, but found that he could not anymore. Looking down, he saw something strange. Maybe it was the Devil himself, greeting Shadow. It was a bright, blinding light, burning the hedgehog's eyes even more than the acid could have.

Something was out in the distance, calling his name now. He had truly gone insane. The Devil was calling him, dragging his pitiful soul down to hell. "Shadow! Shadow!" it bellowed as he fell. "Shadow, don't die, I'm here!"

Suddenly, the ebony hedgehog felt something clasp around his hand. He couldn't possibly comprehend what was going on. Feeling a cold, frigid air blanket over his body, Shadow hit a solid ground, his lungs already at work again and gasping in as much air as possible.

"Shadow…" the voice said again, this time gentler.

The black hedgehog's soul felt freed again, the pain finally stopped, the constant beating around him finally dying away. Tears rolling down his cheeks, he clung onto the soft patch of fur, unable to let go, still traumatized by what had happened, still trying to comprehend the terror that had just occurred.

"S-Shadow… it's okay now… it's all okay… I'm here, you're safe…" the voice said, soothing the nearly insane black hedgehog. Gently, he felt a hand begin to stroke his fur, lulling him.

He couldn't remember what happened next. Black shadows fell around him again, but this time, it wasn't horrifying. Peace began to flood back inside of his head. In the next moment, he either fell asleep, or fell unconscious.

"Shadow… you're okay now… Don't be afraid…"