Chapter 39- The Knuckles Family Murder

Warning: This chapter contains a scene of graphic violence.

 

 

Some time twenty years in the future. It was raining, hard and relentlessly, the rain drops sounded hard against the pavement of the black street. In a nearby ally stalked a figure wearing tattered gray robes and a matching hat. The brim flopped down and the figure was drenched with rain. Laughter was heard nearby. The figure smiled, he lifted a robotic arm up, it gleamed in the lamp light. 

He looked over the edge of the ally to spy on the three happy echidnas walking. There stood, Knuckles, Julie-Su, and their daughter, Lara-Su. Lara-Su’s fur matched her fathers. She wore a green sleeveless vest, a black shirt under that and large brown shoes. Two small spikes extended from her white gloves, and green sunglasses sat atop her nose. 

They were all happy, laughing, enjoying themselves. All worries had been long beaten and forgotten. Or so they thought. The figure drew a sickly grin across his face, vengeance, hatred, no he demised Knuckles for what he had done to him. For so long he had fought for what was supposed to be justice to his own kind. But "them", the Guardians. They were the cause to all his pain. It was their fault.

"Now I shall end it all. All the plans I’ve done. This! This was all it comes down to! The simple action, of going in, and ending it. I will send them to hell!" the figure thought. He looked up toward his targets, his red bionic eye reflected the image of the three.

The three laughed joyously. Knuckles with his right bionic arm about Julie-Su’s shoulders. Lara-Su a step ahead of the two. Knuckles leaned over and kissed Julie-Su on the cheek, then it was ended. A shot echoed about the place. Julie-Su shouted out, she fell forward.

"Mom!" Lara-Su cast a glance back.

"No! Julie! Julie-Su!" Knuckles cried out as he lifted his wife into his arms. Her side was dripping red with blood. 

"Julie! Hang on Ju-" he was cut off as the figure charged from out of the darkness. 

"This shall end it all! I will kill them!" the figure thought, rage filling his very being his very soul and every cell in his body. 

"Lara-Su watch out!" Knuckles cried as he tried to step in the way, but was a step to slow.


The figure brought his clawed bionic arm up under Lara-Su’s jaw and slashed the bottom of it. Blood erupted fourth as the young echidna feel backwards still alive, but severally hurt. Tears streamed from Knuckles eyes as he saw the blood splatter on the silvery arm. He slowly lowered Julie-Su to the ground and began to charge the figure. All hell broke loose inside the echidna. Knuckles felt hatred run red though him. 

Lara-Su backed herself to the brick wall as the clocked figure stepped slowly forward. As Knuckles neared the figure quickly grabbed hold of Lara-Su. He gripped one arm about her jaw and lifted it up to reveal her neck, he pressed the claws of the robotic arm against it.

"Daddy," she chocked out as she reached forward to her father who was only a few feet away.

"Daddy’s girl’s in trouble," the figure cackled as he brought the claws across the tender throat, blood leaked fourth, Lara-Su gurgled out a cry, then slumped forward, dead.

"Kragok! You’ll pay!" Knuckles screamed as he blindly charged the Ex-Dark Legion Lord. Kragok only replied with a wicked smile.

Knuckles launched a strong punch from his right arm, only to have Kragok side-step it and bring his metal arm over to grab Knuckles and hurl him into the brick wall behind them. Knuckles hit hard and slumped on the ground.

Kragok steadily walked over to the wounded and dazed Julie-Su and grabbed her by the hair. She groaned at the strong tug, and Kragok placed his open metal arm near her head. The smile widened on Kragok’s sinister face, he felt the gun emplacement open from his palm and the small metal barrel make contact with Julie-Su’s temple.

"Kragok no!" Knuckles shouted as he scrambled upright. Just as he took his first step forward, the shot was heard. Blood painted Kragok’s gray robes, even more dripped from his claw. Julie-Su fell to the ground with a hole smoking from the side of her head. Blood trickled from her mouth, the rest poured from her open skull. 

"Kragok! You son of a bitch!" Knuckles cursed as he sobbed hysterically. Kragok only laughed his wheezing laugh that he now had.

"Tonight is indeed a dark night," Kragok thought as he replaced the gun-emplacement, quickly stepped forward and took Knuckles from underneath the jaw and lifted him. The three claw extensions dug deep into the sides of Knuckles’ face. Blood began to run down them and Knuckles sobbed as he looked down on the killer of his wife, his daughter…

"and….me,’ Knuckles choked out. Kragok’s wide smile mocked him, and now reminded him that he had lost everything within a few seconds. He had watched as his wife and daughter were killed in cold blood. 

"Why?" the Guardian thought. Then it struck him, because of him, because of his father and because of their fathers and so on. 

They had almost done no better to the Dark Legion. They had killed their family, friends, and were almost at the same level as the villains. Now he was paying the price for it. Now he was suffering because of the errors made in the past. But a lot, he blamed on the echidna once known as Sotsu. 

"Kragok had died," Knuckles told himself over and over as he stared down into his tormentor’s face. 

"And now… you… Guardian," Kragok stated with a horse voice. 

Kragok’s metal arm lit with blazing electricity. The energy ran wild through Knuckles’ body, slowly burning him in the inside. The echidna’s screams of pain and agony went unheard. No one was around, all was lost for Knuckles.

Kragok laughed insanely, so wildly that it almost seemed one endless hackle. Blood ran down the metal claws, now sizzling and popping from the intense heat. Knuckles’ voice slowly was lost until he merely hung limp. Knuckles the Echidna was dead.

Kragok lowered his arm and tossed the corpse on the ground. The murderer was the lone figure standing up. The man standing in his own massacre. He looked up and let the rain fall on his face. He felt so relieved it was all over. 

"I hope you’ve enjoyed this Master Sotsu!" Kragok cried out before breaking into a maniacal laughter that echoed down the empty streets. The only other sound was that of the rain hitting the street. The street that was black but now splotched with blood. The same blood that was dripping from the figure’s claws. The same blood of the Guardian that had saved so many. It was over now. In a simple attack the Guardian family was ended. 

Sotsu shot upright. He sat forward with his face in his hands and cried. His soft sobs didn’t disturb Gray and Carmen who were sleeping nearby. Lightning flashed outside the window on the inn. The hard rain disrupted the dirt path that was heading trough the grassy fields.

"It was only a dream," Sotsu told himself quietly. Then it crossed his mind, how many dreams had he had lately that weren’t just dreams? 

That night, Sotsu witnessed the Knuckles Family Murder. He would be the only person to witness this act. It was now his choice weather it will happen or not.

-Nicholas D. Wolfwood-