Denial

Sonic opened his eyes. All he could see was a dimly lit greenish ceiling. Had he been sleeping? Where was he?

That's when he remembered. His friends found him outside a forest, covered in blood. He went onboard the X-Tornado, dropped off Knuckles and Amy, went to a hospital, they took his blood, and then left, walking slowly through the hallways…where everyone kept staring at him with fear. He could feel their eyes on him, the questions on everyone's minds, and the fear on their eyes as they gaped at the blood that covered his body…

Sonic shook that memory off his head, and then remembered him and Tails hopping on the X-Tornado and going back to Tails' place, where the fox told him to clean up the blood. He washed it off in the bathroom, and then Tails made a spare room for him to sleep in. The next thing he knew, he was awake, yet for some reason, he didn't feel like he had relaxed. He didn't feel like he had gotten a good night's sleep, his mind was still cloudy and messy, even though his body was relaxed and healthy.

I just…don't know what to do. I guess I could go out on a run, but I don't think it'll do anything.

What are you talking about, man? Running has always helped.

Yeah, but…I don't know. I just don't feel like myself.

Stop sulking over nothing. You can just sit here and worry or you can go outside and try and forget all this.

Even though he still wasn't convinced, Sonic got up and put his sneakers and gloves. He was ready to go, yet he had no desire to go outside. He just didn't find it exciting right now. But what else could he do? He couldn't think of anything else. He was just about to leave the room when Tails opened the door from the other side and popped his head in the room.

"Hey, Sonic," Tails added, glad to see Sonic was awake.

"Hey, Tails," Sonic replied in a low voice, not willing to meet his eyes. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. "I think I'll be going for a run now," he added, even though he didn't make a move to leave the room. Something was holding his legs in place, stopping him from running away.

"Amy and Knuckles are here. They want to talk to you. We want to talk to you," Tails said firmly but gently. When Sonic turned to look at him, appearing confused, Tails cleared his throat. "We're worried about you, Sonic. We didn't see you for days. And then you show up out of nowhere covered in blood…we just want to help you, Sonic," he said with worry towards his big brother.

"I don't need help," Sonic spat, sounding a bit more rude than he intended. "I'm fine, Tails. I was just…confused."

"Sonic, do you remember what happened?" Tails asked a bit more sternly. He wasn't going to let him leave like this until Sonic talked to his friends.

"No, I don't. Look, what does it matter?" Sonic answered and looked into Tails' troubled eyes. Even though he felt confused and lost, he didn't want to show it. He wanted to ignore this, pretend it didn't happen, anything that would make it go away. "Running has always helped me. Either I remember while on a run, and then I'll talk, or I'll just forget it, and we can go back to the way things were."

Tails kept staring at him with apprehension. Running was typical of Sonic, no doubt…but this was different. He was being distant and trying to ignore this, rather than his usual confident and confronting self. Sonic was acting different. Clearly, whatever happened out there changed him.

"It wouldn't hurt to talk to your friends, Sonic," Tails tried to reason, but Sonic just ignored him and walked out of the room.

Why can't you leave me alone? I just want to run away. What good does talking do? None.

Sonic had just entered the living room, when he felt a powerful force around him, crushing his bones.

"Oh, Sonic!" Amy squealed as he gave the blue hedgehog a crushing hug, more than excited to see the hero once again, and without any blood this time. "Sonic, I missed you so much! I've been waiting four whole days for you to be with me, and now you're here!"

But Sonic wasn't feeling the same. Feeling crushed and tied to the spot, he pushed her away, a little bit too harshly than he meant. Amy looked at him with obvious hurt, but his eyes didn't show anything. They were still cold, grayish, dull.

Seeing her face, Sonic felt the guilt in his heart. "Sorry," he said in a low voice, not willing to face her. Man, what was wrong with him? Why was he acting like this? He didn't even mean to do that to Amy, but something just wasn't right inside him.

"That's no way to treat your friends, you know," Knuckles added, standing a few feet behind Amy. He had his arms crossed, and he'd been tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for the hero to show up. "We take the time to visit you and that's how you greet us," he continued with a hint of annoyance. He didn't like being far from the Master Emerald. He always feared that Eggman would strike at just the right time.

"I said I'm sorry," Sonic added, if only to try and leave. He hated being forced to be in one place, especially if someone was giving him a lecture.

"Sonic, we're not here to force you to do anything," Tails remarked, as he entered the room and stood in front of him. "We just want to talk to you, see if we can help you."

What do they know? They have no idea what happened to me.

Yeah, but neither do you. Maybe talking to them will help. Perhaps they can help you remember what happened. Isn't that what bothers you?

I don't feel like talking to them, or anyone. I just want to leave everything behind and forget. Just go back to the way it was.

"I don't think you can help me," Sonic replied, showing no interest in opening up.

"You could at least try to tell us what you think happened," Knuckles insisted, already annoyed. He didn't want to leave Sonic like this; he certainly wasn't in his best shape. But if kept rejecting their help and didn't cooperate one bit, then this was a wasted trip.

"I told you, I don't know what happened," Sonic insisted in a frustrating tone, wishing everyone would just leave him alone already. "Maybe…maybe it's best if I don't remember," he said out loud, and it took him a moment to realize that everyone else heard that.

"Well, that's just great," Knuckles blurted out in annoyance. "I come all this way to help you, I give you my time and you just don't care at all. I'm going back," he finished, and then left the house, wishing that Sonic were a little more cooperative. Didn't he understand what was at stake? People were missing, and he could've seen something or someone that had to do with it. But the guy just stood there and denied the clear fact that there was something wrong with him. So much for helping him out.

"Don't pay attention to him. He's just worried, and doesn't know how to show it," Amy reassured Sonic from inside Tails' house. She sometimes hated Knuckles for being so rude to others, especially to Sonic. She took another glance at the hero; it was obvious that he needed help. Something was bothering him, even if he kept saying that it'd be best to do nothing about it.

"Sonic, why did you say that it'd would be best if you didn't remember what happened to you?" Amy asked, her heart suffering from seeing Sonic like this. "I'm sure that whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant, but don't you want to know?"

"I don't what to know…because I know that I went through something horrible," the other hedgehog replied, trying to keep his imagination from creating images of whatever happened that night, or anything that he might've done to anyone…

"I know, but…" Amy tried to go on, but she knew that Sonic was right. Someone might've done something terrible to him; it certainly wouldn't be nice to remember. But she talked with Tails earlier; she knew that Sonic most likely knew something about the missing people. She knew that they had to make him remember, even if it hurt. "I'm just trying to help you, Sonic."

"I told you, I'm fine, I don't need help. Why do you care so much, anyway?" Sonic asked, now starting to get frustrated, nothing seemed to get this girl off his back.

"Sonic, don't you see? You're not acting like yourself. Something happened, and it changed you. I just want you to help you get through this," Amy pleaded, silently begging him that she'd let her talk to him. She just wanted to see that handsome smile of his, that playful attitude. "I know that you could've seen some awful things, like feeling lost or lonely, somebody attacked you, or someone getting hurt…"

Someone getting hurt…those words suddenly made Sonic's mind pay attention. Why was the thought of someone getting hurt so…disturbing? Almost like…he'd seen that, seen someone suffer in pain before, somewhere in his forgotten memory.

An image flashed on Sonic's mind. It only lasted an instant, but it was enough. An image of someone covered in blood, screaming in pain for help…someone dying. And that image seemed…familiar. He'd seen it before.

He immediately closed his eyes and turned his head away, trying to get that image out of his head, trying to forget that sight. That image…that happened in front of him, he knew that. It was too much of a painful sight for him to bear it even one more second.

Amy saw this, and her eyes got big with worry and fear. What was happening to him? Was he remembering something?

"Sonic…" she started, trying to put her hand in Sonic's shoulder, if only to help him calm down.

"Leave me alone!" he said harshly, and then took off immediately, running away as fast as possible, leaving a hurt Amy behind, her eyes wet, threatening to send tears down her face and muzzle.

"Sonic, why are you doing this?" she wondered out loud, trying to hold back the tears. Sonic had rejected her before, turned down her hugs and her love, but this…this was too much. To be pushed away without a care was not something Amy had ever seen from him.

"It'll be okay," Amy heard, and turned around to look at the young fox who was trying to reassure her. "He'll come around eventually. I'm sure he'll feel much better after a run," Tails continued, trying to reassure not only Amy, but his own mind as well. But it was Sonic. This guy could get through anything and it was only a matter of time until he realized that he'll do much better if he let his friends help him.

"I sure hope you're right, Tails," she replied softly, her heart still hurting from those words. Sonic didn't want her trying to help him, but it only made her want to do so even stronger. "I don't know why I came, I only made things worse. Goodbye Tails," Amy finished, and then left the dining room, and Tails heard the sound of his front door closing, leaving him alone.

So, helping Sonic wouldn't be as easy as he thought it would be. He knew that Sonic wasn't a very talkative guy, but the way he just pushed her away, that was too harsh for him. He was wondering if he should talk to someone who knew about this, someone who-

The phone rang loudly, snapping Tails out of his own thoughts. Wondering who would call him, he walked to the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Is this Miles Prower?" a strangely familiar voice replied, making Tails wonder where he'd heard that voice before.

"Yes, this is Tails. I mean, Miles," the fox had to correct, not used to answer to his first name.

"Miles, this is Dr. Anthony Hilpert," the doctor stated, sounding just as respectful and professional as Tails remembered him.

"Oh, hello doctor," Tails replied, happy to hear that voice again. He'd forgotten all about him today, but now he anxious to know what the doctor had found.

"You don't happen to be busy right now?" the doctor asked, knowing that this news would be best received without distractions.

"No, not at all. Did you get the blood results?" Tails asked impatiently. He was hoping the doctor would calm his conscience and answer some of his questions.

The fox heard a sigh from the other end of the telephone. He didn't think that was a good sign. "Yes, I have. I have thoroughly examined Sonic's blood, and there's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing missing, all the numbers are right. He's perfectly healthy."

But for some reason, the doctor's voice seemed to indicate that there was something wrong. Tails knew that that tone of voice meant that the doctor had found something else.

"What about…the other blood?" the fox asked softly, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Well, I ran DNA tests on all samples, like you wanted me to do, and I'm afraid your suspicious were right," the doctor added with a heavy voice.

"You mean…" Tails started, with his throat just didn't let him finish, knowing what those words meant.

"I'm afraid that the blood matches the DNA of some of those that have disappeared for the past days. I'm sorry," the doctor finished, knowing what the facts implied.

Tails didn't answer. He was too shocked to say anything; he let the receiver slip off his hand, falling to the floor. If the blood on Sonic matched some of the people that disappeared, then that might mean that…

Sonic…what happened out there?

Please Sonic; please tell me that you are not responsible for this. Don't tell me that you are the one that…

Sonic…what did you do?


The leaves rustled and the dust flew off the ground as a blue blur passed through, every minute going faster and faster.

Sonic was running his heart out, going as fast as possible, trying desperately to get that image off his head, trying to shake it off with speed. But no matter how fast his legs pumped, how fast his feet took him; he could never get rid of that image.

But it wasn't just that image. Ever since he left, he kept seeing more and more images. All of them full of blood, full of pain, yet never really remembering what happened. He tried to focus on the blurry objects and the sounds around him, but it didn't work. He kept seeing flashes of those mysterious days.

Why can't I stop seeing all those images, but never remember?

Maybe…I caused all that pain…

Don't be ridiculous, Sonic. You'd never hurt anyone. You don't even hurt Eggman when you have the chance. There's no way you could've done that to innocent people.

But how can I know if I can't remember? Maybe…all this is guilt, my mind telling me what I've done.

Sonic regained focus quickly enough to avoid bumping into a tree. Usually, his head would be clear as the sky when running, but now everything was…blurry and foggy. He knew nothing for sure.

That can't be it. Stop worrying so much. I'm sure there's a reason why all that happened.

But why did I forget?

Maybe…I wanted to forget. Maybe I saw something so horrible, that I didn't want to ever remember that. And my mind…just turned off.

But there's people missing. And you know that you probably had something to do with it, or whoever was taking all those people. You need to remember, especially if Egg-head is the one making people disappear. You may have inside your head the key to this mystery.

I can't remember anything; all I have is flashes…

Just then, another mental flash hit Sonic's head, once again showing pain. He tightly shut his eyes and clenched his teeth in an attempt to push that thought out of his head. Man, what did he do to deserve-

Sonic suddenly felt something trip his foot, and the next thing he knew, he was rolling around on the ground, his body scratched and poked by rocks and fallen branches. He felt his skin being cut, his quills bending in pain. And when he stopped rolling, he felt a shooting pain in his leg.

Sonic screamed loudly in anguish, feeling his legs protesting and burning in agony. He whimpered on the ground for a minute, before shakily climbing to sit upright, his grayish eyes darting to his aching left leg. It was bleeding badly, red liquid gushing out and staining the ground. He felt the muscles inside his leg pulling strongly, only making the pain worse.

He grabbed his legs, trying to soothe the pain, but to no avail. Nothing seemed to go right.

This is it, right? I'm being punished for what I've done…

Another flash crossed his mind, only this time it lingered on Sonic's mind for a second. He was standing over someone. But he wasn't screaming, not asking for help. He was dead, lying motionless near him, blood covering the blue hedgehog's hands.

What have I done?