Yay, my first multi-chapter story! I'm so glad I finally slammed my head against the wall hard enough to dislodge something longer than a oneshot! Anyway, I own nothing. It's an Archie universe fic that takes place somewhere between the present and 25 Years Later. If you like it please read on and review, it's appreciated! If you're reading just to be mean and flame the writing for no good reason…go away. Constructive criticism is one thing, but just being a complete jerk is another thing entirely. People write on this site as a form of artistic expression in a productive and public manner and you cyber bullies aren't helping! Once again…if you're here to be nasty, go somewhere else on the web to do your dirty work…otherwise enjoy!

Dying Island

The island was dead. The remnants of what was once a proud city was now nothing more than rubble and the soil that used to nurture the greenery had become poisoned and infertile. All of the vegetation had turned brown, dry and brittle from the great oak and redwood trees that had lived and grown for centuries, to the tiniest blade of grass. Knuckles growled as he secured a filtration mask over Julie's muzzle. He had a ferocious gleam in his eyes and his cheeks were wet with tears.

"Look at my beautiful island, everything's dead! What the hell was the legion thinking!? This mass genocide….they even destroyed the majority of their own people in the process. Why would they unleash a weapon like that, at the cost of their OWN blood?"

"Put your mask on dear." Julie sighed. Soon, even the air would be too toxic to sustain life. He fastened the strap and inhaled as he tried to keep himself from screaming. "I lived with those people for my first sixteen years…they are impulsive and ignorant! They didn't know the substances in those explosives would be so toxic. They weren't expecting they'd be poisoning themselves…much less the entire island." She rested her hand on the side of his face as she looked into his eyes. "…We can't stay here…We have to leave now…before the toxins spread any further." He nodded. He grabbed her by the wrist as he ran through the empty streets. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving the island to decompose as he merely stood at a distance and watched, but they had to. Soon the island would be nothing more than a world of death and decay.

…

Knothole had become a refuge for the citizens that had managed to escape Angel Island with their lives. The hospitals were full of victims who had inhaled too much of the savage poison, as were the morgues. God knows what it was like on the island. No one had dared to set foot there in days.

"This is unforgiveable!" Knuckles hissed as he slammed his fist down onto the table. There was a furious and desperate look scrawled across his face. Espio glanced at him and forced a smile though the false gesture was bittersweet.

"It could be worse…we could be dead…" the chameleon suggested.

"That's right…we're still alive." Julie agreed.

"We're still alive!? The entire fucking island is dead! Don't you get it!? There is no light at the end of the tunnel this time! There is no bright side and there is no happy ending!" he roared. The others lurched backward at the tone of his voice. Julie sighed as the sadness he tried to hide reflected into her eyes. A twinge of guilt tickled his senses. "….Forgive me….." he whispered.

"It's not your fault." Julie cooed. "You're in shock…all of us are." The group was suddenly caught off guard by a familiar voice.

"How're you guys holdin' up?" Knuckles didn't say anything at first but somberly shook his head in response.

"Not too good, Sonic." Mighty groaned. The hedgehog couldn't bear to bring himself to say anything comforting. Nothing was going to sooth this situation.

"Do you all feel alright… you know…physically?" the hedgehog asked. "You can breathe alright and your lungs aren't burning?"

"I-I'm al-alright." Ray stammered.

"I feel fine….what about you guys?" Vector asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"I felt a little nauseous earlier, but it's gone now. Probably just the stress getting to me." Julie said softly.

"This is enough to make anyone's stomach churn." Knuckles agreed. "What are we going to do about Angel Island? We don't even know who was able to make it off safely and I haven't heard from Mom or Mace in days…"

"I know…but there's not much we can do except wait." Julie whispered.

"Don't worry; I'm sure they've been too busy trying to sort out their situation. They're probably somewhere safe right now and just don't know how to get ahold of you." Charmy mused.

…

The decisions of what to do with the deceased were becoming difficult to make. While some were satisfied with burying their loved ones in the available cemeteries, others insisted that their family be buried on the floating island that had been their home for so long, which of course wasn't possible. He glanced into the cemetery where a female echidna with burgundy fur, in a black dress and a small group of others stood silently and watched as the casket was lowered into the ground. He didn't want to get help from a hospital, and there wasn't much of a chance they would help him anyway. They'd take one look at those cybernetic prosthetics and throw him back out onto the street or have him arrested. Then again he didn't have much of a choice, did he? He could hardly breathe and it felt like the inside of his chest was on fire. What did it matter? This part of Mobius was safe for now, but if the toxins were able to spread far enough…how long would it be before this place too, became a dead, poisoned, wasteland? He wasn't sure of anything except the fact that he was so far gone, he probably wouldn't last long enough to find out.

…

Knuckles sighed as he rubbed his temples. He was so deep in thought that he'd practically given himself a headache…and that obnoxious little phone of Sonic's laying on the corner of the table wasn't helping. The constant sound of the staccato beeping was nearly enough to make his ears bleed.

"I'm going out for a walk…..need to clear my head…." Knuckles groaned as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Let me come with you…" Julie insisted as she grabbed him by the wrist.

"Alright, then." Knuckles took a deep breath as he stepped outside with Julie at his left arm, neither one speaking to the other until Julie broke the silence.

"Knuckles?..." She whispered as she walked along beside him. "I'm scared...I know I try to avoid admitting fear but…I really am scared." He nodded and heaved a deep sigh in response.

"So am I…" He stroked her cheek with his fingertips and lightly kissed her forehead. "We'll be alright…" he said smiling.

"KNUCKLES!"

"Is….is that Mace!?" Julie gasped. "He's alright!"

"Mace!" Knuckles shouted as they rushed over to him. "Mace! You're okay!"

"Thank God I found you!" He gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

"What's wrong!?" The guardian asked as he rested a hand on his younger brother's shoulder.

"It's Mom…..She's in the hospital!"

"Is she alright?!" Knuckles gasped.

"She inhaled some of the toxins….Dad's there with her now, that's all I know….."

"Oh God….." He could feel his stomach twisting into knots. As far as he was concerned, he couldn't get to the hospital fast enough and had had no idea what would await him when he got there.

…

Woo! End of the first chapter! I'm going to apologize in advance because the updates probably won't come as often as you all would like. On top of taking a half load of college courses and working two jobs, I'm also going to be taking violin classes which I am quite excited about! I'm only 19 so I'd like to get the essential schooling and financial stabilization out of the way while I'm still young, so I can fully dedicate myself to music, art and creative writing in my prime! Review and/or critique!...Pretty please? With a big slice of pie, whipped cream and cherries on top? I realllly appreciate it!