Bound for Eternity
By The Chuckinator
Chapter 1: A Story to Tell
It was a nice day in Transylvania. Sonic had just got off from work and was walking home; since he was an innkeeper, it had been a long day. It was a good job for him; his unusually high stamina meant he could fix what needed to be fixed, clean around, and still have enough energy to help the guests with whatever they needed. Granted, it wasn't particularly exciting, and it used to be lonely because nobody ever stayed for more than a few days. However, his life already had a fair amount of excitement, and at least now he knew that someone would be waiting for him when he came home.
Coming in the door of his small house, Sonic noticed all the lights were off. He fumbled for a light switch while looking for Shadow. It wasn't that late, was it? "Shadow?" he called out. He found the switch, but flipping it did nothing. Sonic groaned. "What, did you blow a fuse or something?"
The hedgehog sighed and flicked it again. This time, the lights did come on. Sonic looked around, but Shadow didn't seem to be home yet. He sat down on the couch and yawned. Sonic stifled his small feelings of disappointment. Today had been a particularly tiring day at the inn, and he wanted somebody he could grumble to. He spread his legs out on top of the couch, a wave of exhaustion preventing him from even snuffing out the light. Oh well. It wasn't as though he would forget about his frustrations with the creepy guest in room four by the time he got home.
Another yawn escaped his mouth, a bigger one this time. It was still day, but short nap couldn't hurt, right? He closed his eyes and took a nap. A few hours later, Shadow got home. He'd been working at the mill and was pretty exhausted as well. A smile came to his face as he saw Sonic sleeping on the chair.
"Sonic, I'm home," he said.
His eyes opened. "Wha...oh. You're home." A lazy grin spread on his face, despite being woken from his sleep, as he sat up. "Missed you at work today. You look as worn down as I feel."
"I've been hard at work also. Sawing at the mill is pretty exhausting."
"But at least now it's over." Making his way to the kitchen, Sonic began to take out various pots and pans. "I've got a weird story from work for you, if you want to hear it."
Shadow smiled. "Sure, go ahead."
"Well, this guy came in today. He was the spitting image of you – the quills, the intense glare, everything. Except his streaks and eyes were this weird green instead of red like yours. So I thought, maybe you're related or something. A long lost cousin." Looking at his icebox, Sonic pulled out some meat and vegetables. "But before I could ask, he had already taken the key to the room near the front of the inn and locked himself in. He hasn't come out since."
"I don't have any family. They all died in the late 1700s. It's 1810 now."
"Are you sure? This guy could have been your twin!" He looked at Shadow, who shook his head. Sighing, he turned back to his cooking. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. He creeped me out, so it's just as well."
Shadow shrugged. "I'm sure. They all died 20 years ago."
"Huh; that's weird. Whatever; I'm not going to dwell on it. How was your day at work?"
"Hard. I didn't really do much, besides saw and chop up logs."
"Do you like working at the mill?" Sonic asked.
Shadow shrugged. It was okay, and he enjoyed it somewhat. Sitting on the couch, he waited for dinner. Shadow thought about everything he had done at work, and sighed. It was a half hour before dinner was prepared, and the two sat down to eat.
"This is nice," Shadow said as he ate the meal that Sonic had prepared for them. Sonic smiled and ate as well. The two talked about their jobs and what they were like, often joking about how hard they were. "So...tell me more about this mysterious figure," Shadow said.
"There isn't really much to tell," Sonic said, setting his fork down. "As I told you before, I was behind the desk at the inn, and he walked in. He looked just like you, and walked to his room after he paid. But here's the strange part: as he left, I could have sworn I saw fangs poking from his mouth and his eyes change briefly to red. It was scary. He didn't say a word."
"That is odd. You have to go to the inn tomorrow night, right? Maybe you can observe him more then."
Sonic nodded. The two cleaned their plates and yawned before walking upstairs and going to bed. Before long, they were asleep. As they slept, two eyes shone outside their window, watching the two. The green irises turned red and narrowed. They blinked, and vanished.