*Chapter 4: Phantom Manor*


"Stand back!" Shadow told the others who began to panic. He began to kick the door open. Everyone rushed inside the manor and see Sonic on the floor. Sally gasped and ran over to his side, as did Amy.

"Sonic? Sonic, speak to us!" Sally said, shaking the blue hedgehog's body. Amy brought Sonic's wrist up to feel his pulse. Then, Sonic let out a yell, making the girls jump back in shock.

"There is no Sonic anymore! Just the Phantom!" He spoke in a zombie voice. Silver and Shadow groaned as the rest just sighed in relief. Sally slapped the back of Sonic's head with a look on her face. "Ow!" Sonic laughed, rubbing his head.

"That's not funny." Amy said.

"You scared the hell out of us!" Blaze said, glaring at him.

"Man, I got you guys good, didn't I?" Sonic laughed, standing up, brushing down his costume. "Blaze, I found some candles. Can you-" The doors slam shut behind Shadow and Knuckles who turn in surprise. "Ha ha. Very funny." Sonic said to them, crossing his arms.

"That wasn't me." Shadow said, trying to open the doors, but couldn't.

"Or me. I didn't move." Knuckles said. Then, the candles started to lit up in the foyer.

"Uh, thanks Blaze." Sonic said, looking around.

"I didn't do that, Sonic." The purple cat said. While Knuckles and Shadow tried to open the doors, the others are looking around the foyer. Seems like there isn't anywhere to go. There's only candles, and a few plants that are dead, and a gilded mirror on the wall.

"The doors are stuck." Shadow said with a grunt. "We're trapped."

"Great." Silver grunted. Amy looked up at the mirror and see that her reflection changed. There is a woman with brunette hair, and she looked like she was wearing a veil. She had a sad expression on her face. Then she disappeared, showing Amy's reflection. The pink hedgehog took a step back, fearing of what she just saw. Could it be the bride?

"There has to be a way out of this room!" Tails said, touching the wall, trying to find some sort of passageway. But as soon as he did, the wall started to feel wet. Tails backed away, and watched in shock as red liquid started to drip from out of nowhere on the wall. "Uh, guys..." Tails said, getting everyone's attention. Sonic and the others turned to see the red liquid started to spell out a message.

Welcome, curious friends...

"What...the...hell?" Knuckles gasped at the message.

"Please tell me that's not blood coming from the walls." Amy said.

"I hope not." Blaze said.

"This is getting too creepy for me." Silver said. "Let's just work on the doors and leave this place." Then, there was a creaking noise. A wall near the message suddenly opened, revealing a small octagonal room with many flickering candles and four portraits. They were all of the same person. A young girl that Amy saw from the mirror.

"Let's get in." Sonic said, walking inside the little room. The others followed him in silent see the portraits. One of the woman picking roses, one of her riding in the boar with a parasol, one of her wading in a pond, and the other of her having a picnic with a man playing a guitar. As the mobians are inside, the wall slid shut.

"Oh god, we are trapped for sure." Silver said. Then, the room started to stretch. The portraits started to stretch as well. Revealing that they weren't as they appeared. The one with a woman picking roses revealed a skeleton coming out of the grave to attack her, the one of her in the boat revealed that she was headed right for a steep waterfall, the one of her in the pond revealed a water monster reaching for her ankles, and the picnic scene shows millions of ants and other creepy creatures were coming to ruin their picnic.

"Oh boy..." Sally breathed. "Things aren't going so great for that girl." Suddenly, the candles went out. The mobians then heard a scream above them. They all look up to see a corpse in a tattered tuxedo, being hung by a shadowy man. The mysterious man cackled and vanished by the flash of lightning. The candles are lit up again in the room. Tails gripped on Sonic's arm in fright.

"It's the Phantom!" Amy gasped.

"So he's real." Knuckles said.

"He's the one who killed the groom." Sally said.

"I'm scared!" Tails said, keeping his eyes closed. The wall slid open, and the heroes could see it leads to another part of the house.

"Let's go." Blaze said, leaving the room. "The Phantom is somewhere in this manor."

"I don't want to do this anymore." Tails said. Sonic wrapped his arm around his best friend.

"It's okay, Tails. I got ya. Stay with me." He said. "Worst part is over." They all walked down the hallway to see many portraits. But, Sonic found a full body portrait at the end of the hallway of a woman. She was in a wedding dress. Tails stares at the portrait in silent before turning to see a grand staircase where the others are waiting. Shadow has his arms crossed in wonder. Knuckles and Rouge are standing next to each other looking up at the staircase. Sally, Amy, Silver, and Blaze found a candelabra for them to have since they didn't bring flashlights with them. Blaze hands Sonic a candelabra.

"Let's stick together." Blaze suggests. "This Phantom is a menacing one. I can sense his darkness."

"Wait a minute." Sonic said. "This manor is huge. I say we split in three groups."

"Are you kidding?" Rouge asks with a look in her eyes. "What if we get killed?"

"We won't." Sonic told her.

"We'll get lost in this place." Knuckles said. "We have to stay together."

"Guys, come on. It'll be easier if we split up and found out what happened here. We saw the Phantom back there, didn't we?" Sonic said.

"Did you not see what we just saw?" Sally asked, coming up to the blue hedgehog. "He hung the groom who was missing!"

"Tails, did it happen?" Amy asked. The yellow fox nodded a bit, still terrified by that scene in the elevator. "Look, Sonic. Tails is scared to death. Maybe we should leave this place and-" The pink hedgehog was cut off when a loud thunder noise is heard outside. Silver is looking up at the large window to see the storm. It's pouring rain.

"When did it rain?" Knuckles wondered. "The night is clear when we come in."

"Well, great." Rouge said, throwing up her hands. "Guess we are stuck here."

"I can Chaos Control out of here." Shadow said, taking out a green Chaos Emerald. "For those who want leave, come over here." No one said a word. Rouge and Knuckles went over to Shadow. Silver, Sally, and Amy are coming over to them as well. Tails releases Sonic's arm and followed them. But Sonic and Blaze stood at their place, watching them. Sally turned to Sonic.

"Sonic, we have to get out of here. This place is haunted. We should've never come here." She said. "Come on. Let's go back to the motel and forget about this place."

"But, what about the ghost hunting? We saw the Phantom. And we should find the bride. She can be anywhere." Sonic said. "It's Halloween and we're just getting started here. And Shadow, you think the story Tails told us sounds made up and you want to see what happened here in person, right?"

"That was before we knew the Phantom is still roaming around." Shadow said. "He could kill us all if we stay here."

"He's a ghost! Ghosts can't kill us! They haunt us!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Sonic. This trip is over. We're going home." Sally said. She turned to Blaze. "Blaze, you coming?" The purple cat shook her head, standing her ground.

"I'm staying here with Sonic. We are solving this mystery." She said. "There is more about this manor. So, go ahead and leave. We'll be okay." Shadow raises the emerald.

"Chaos Control!" He yelled. But, the emerald didn't glow. "Chaos Control!" Shadow said again. The Chaos Emerald didn't glow. Nothing happened. "Chaos Control!" Shadow yelled, gripping the emerald. He stares down at the emerald. "Why won't it work?!"

"Uh, guys..." Tails said pointing up at the staircase. There is a Phantom, cackling at them. They couldn't see his face. It's covered by the shadows.

"You shall never leave!" He spoke. His voice echo through the halls, and thunder is heard outside. He disappeared with a flash of lightning. His cackle continues. Silver gulped.

"We're trapped." Shadow said. "He uses some spell where I can't teleport us out of here."

"How is that possible?!" Knuckles cried out. "Now we're stuck here for good!"

"Guys! Calm down!" Sonic said. Everyone turned to him. "We're getting out here soon! Let me think of something, okay?" He walks away from them, passing the stairway, but he spotted something down the endless hallway. He hears singing. There is a woman in a wedding dress, holding a candelabra. Her face is covered by a veil. She seemed to appear and disappear, frozen in time, searching for something...or someone. "Hello?" Sonic called. But the bride didn't turn to him. Maybe she didn't hear him since she is singing with her lovely voice.

"Sonic?" Amy called. She came up to him. She saw the bride and gasped. "The...bride." She said. Tails and Sally came over with the others who followed.

"Can she hear us?" Rouge asked.

"I don't think so." Sonic said. He tried calling to the bride. "Miss? You need help?" He asked. Again, the bride didn't hear him or notice the confused heroes. Shadow turned around to see a piano playing by itself. It's playing a doleful funeral march. The mobians left the spot where the bride is to think things over. Pretty much the bride couldn't see or hear them somehow.

"Since we can't get out of here, I guess we should split up for finding a way out our selves." Knuckles said. "Sonic, we can split in three groups." Sonic nodded at him. Sonic chose Tails, Sally, and Amy to go with him. Silver and Blaze are on their own. Shadow, Knuckles, and Rouge are together.

"Let's be careful." Rouge said. "Hope we find each other soon if we find a way out of here."

"Okay." Silver said. So, the heroes split up to search different parts of the manor. Shadow turned back to see the bride in the endless hallway again, hearing her singing voice. If only she could hear them, she could tell them what has happened. The black hedgehog caught up with Knuckles and Rouge.

'How could that Phantom have the power to prevent me from using Chaos Control? That is impossible. Once I find him, I'll make him pay.' Shadow thought with a look on his face. As he, Knuckles, and Rouge walk down the hallway, the head busts watches them by turning their heads with a sneer.