"Robert… what have you done?" Ben was barely able to express that thought, as he stared at the scene that was now
enveloping Station Square. People were streaming out into the streets now, some noticeably crying over the tragedy that
had just occurred. Clouds were beginning to drift in outside, obscuring the moon. As if the moon was trying to hide itself from
the catastrophe.
"I… just lost control… THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN DAMNIT!" Robert exclaimed furiously, hurling the rifle he had been
holding against one of the termite infested walls. Termites were beginning to stream onto the new object, checking to see if it
was edible.
"No time for dramatics now Robert, I hear police sirens. We have to get out of here, now!" Ben proclaimed, taking a quick
glance outside the window as he hurried Robert along the dusty path to the room's only door. He could see police cars
speeding into the area, and realized very quickly how urgently they needed to leave. He managed to kick down the door with
a kick.
"Where do we leave Ben? BEN?!" Robert asked him almost frantically. As it stood now, Ben was the decision maker in his
eyes. They were both in the decrepit hallway of the apartment building now. To Robert's disgust, termites were everywhere.
All the termites; engorging themselves on the last remnants of wood in the building.
"To the roof! We can try to sneak off the side from there! Hurry Robert! I don't know how much time we have left before the
cops decide to check this place out!" Ben announced, leading the charge down the hallway. To the opposite end of the
hallway, like a heaven of sorts, was a broken neon sign that read "Exit". No longer glowing, confined to a dreary darkness
after so many years of disuse. Rushing past the broken boards and cracking walls, they both continued running. The door
seeming to drag on farther down the hallway each step they took, the kind of illusion one might see when overly panicked.
Even now Robert could hear sirens blaring off in the distance, seeming to get ever closer. The musty air of the hallway caused
his nose to itch noticeably, the various small dusts and timbers floating through the air invading his nasal regions. A terrible
smell lingered in the apartment, akin to the traditional bad smell simile of "smells like rotten eggs".
Ben completely obscured his view of the narrow hallway, all he knew was that they were advancing farther and farther away
from the room they had just occupied. Thinking all of this, he didn't notice as Ben suddenly stopped moving. Robert bumped
into him as Ben fell forward a little, pushing against the door ahead of him to steady himself. Likewise, Robert was knocked
back a little by the blow. In nervous silence and anticipation, Ben twisted the door handle as soon as he had recovered from
the earlier blow.
The door flung open as Ben unleashed a terrible scream. "That many termites, eh Ben?" Robert chuckled mildly grasping his
friend's wrists. "Let me see then, there can't be that many termites." Robert proclaimed, trying to advance futile past his
friend.
"What the hell Ben? Let me through; the fucking cops are almost here you moron!" Ben exclaimed in indignant anger,
grasping his parnters shoulder and spinning the man around to face him. "OH MY GOD, WHAT THE FUCK!!" Robert shouted in
horror, pushing Ben away from him. Or rather Ben's corpse, the face was almost entirely gone. Small droplets of blood and
hair lay matted on the area where one would expect a mouth, nose, and eyes. The sinewy flesh that was horrifically visible
was frayed in varying places, small strings' of muscle and tendons streaming from the gaping hole in his head. Robert
continued to scream. His voice echoing loudly off the rafters, as he continued staring in terror at his partner's deceased body.
He found his legs were locked to the ground, too stunned to move anywhere. He tried to force his legs to obey, his brain
screaming for him to get the hell out.
Yet he found he was also curious, a horrible curiosity. The kind one may think about morbidly when hearing the old "curiosity
killed the cat" expression. Instead of backward he found his legs inching forward slowly, eventually stopping at the door. He
couldn't make out anything past the doors frame, someone. Or something he thought with a shudder; had cut the power for
the stairwell. He tentatively stuck his hand in the murky black, retracting it quickly when he deemed it had gone a sufficient
length. He found himself fighting in his mind, a battle between curiosity and the not unreasonable notion to get the hell away
from this place. One glance at Ben's now termite infested corpse, gave him the foresight to pick the latter option. He was
beginning to turn when he heard a voice through the dark. He quickly spun back around, having been too sudden a sound for
him to guess what had been said. He half hoped it was Ben and he had just been having some insane hallucination. But the
figure that now stood at the brink of the door was not Ben. "Did you kill…Ben?" Robert found himself whispering calmly, far
too calmly given the pretext of the situation.
"So, that was his name. Yes, I suppose you could say I did. I had no need for him, but for you…. perhaps." The creature
replied, slowly advancing towards Robert; who found he was once again filled with a mix of horror and curiosity. He could not
budge. As the figure moved closer, Robert could distinguish some details he had not noticed before. The man, if it could be
called that, wore a rather simple black cloak that extended to the floor. The kind one might find in a thrift store, albeit it was
very well maintained. The cloak ended in a hood that did a remarkable job in obscuring facial features. The figures fascination
with the color black did not end there, as he also wore a matching pair of gloves in that same color. In any other circumstance
Robert would have written him off as some emo kid in the wrong side of town, yet he knew this was not true. When's the last
time I've heard of an average emo kid ripping off someone's entire face? He thought wordlessly. No, this was more like a figure
from a horror movie. Yet it was real, a very profound difference between life and Hollywood movies.
"I suppose you think I'm some kind of monster don't you? Not too far from the truth to be perfectly frank. I can see you are
afraid, yet you do not run. Why do they never run? You should be afraid you know, for all my outward calm I hate you. I
would like nothing more than to end your pathetic existence. Yet that is not very … polite… now is it? We have not even been
formally introduced have we? " The figure rhetorically spoke, now almost face to face with Robert. Even at this distance
Robert could not see anything within the hood, as if by some kind of black magic. The figure began to speak again, softer this
time. "I suppose you are waiting for a name. I have had many names over the years; I am not particularly fond of any of
them. You may call me Steve if you wish for a name. I really don't care about your name, so we don't have to delve into a
general introduction from yourself as well. Now, I have taken the time to talk to you and therefore am expecting a response
worthy of the time and energy I have spent thus far conversing with you. You murdered Cosmo; do you have ANY idea… how
much damage you have done to my plan?" Suddenly the creature grabbed at his throat, displaying an amazing strength as it
lifted him high above the ground. Robert tried desperately to claw his way out of the grip, noticing with horror a terrible smell
of decay. As if the aforementioned rotten eggs; had been applied liberally onto a corpse. The figures hands seemed bulge
noticeably out of the gloves, an eerie effect to be sure.
"Now then assassin, I shall give you a chance to right this wrong. Normally, you would already be dead. Consider the mere
fact you are alive and breathing my gift to you. However, in repayment of this gift; you shall tell me the name and location of
your employer. I would very much like to have an… amiable chat with him or her." Steve cooed, an undeniable charm tinting
his words. Robert did not know exactly why his speaking method was persuasive, but he had the idea that the stranglehold
he was now in had something to do with it.
"E…GG-M…a-…n" Robert choked out, his saliva slobbering disgustingly all over the man's cloak. Steve released the assassin
from his grip, he fell to the ground panting and choking out for precious mouthfuls of oxygen. His earlier predicament nearly
killing him, he realized air had never seemed to taste so good in his mouth before. The figure before him regarded him with
what appeared to be curiosity; either that or he was pondering something. Either way Robert knew what he was doing,
trying to escape the obviously insane man before him. He recalled with solemnity what had happened to Ben, and assured
himself he would not suffer the same fate. Whoever this person was, insane or not, Robert had to escape by any means
necessary. So far the easiest way would be to answer this man's questions.
"Eggman… He ordered this… why am I not surprised?" The figure said aloud, more to himself than to Robert; who figured if he
could just answer all the creepy man's questions, he could get away or be set free. "Answer me this." Steve suddenly asked,
causing Robert to turn his head in that direction. He seemed to be nervous as he remained on the floor, not getting back up.
Not caring what disease ridden bugs infested the floorboards, he wanted to keep as large a distance between himself and
the nutter as possible in the circumstances. "Where is Eggman? I suppose this event is partly my fault, I did not see him as a
viable threat. Yet, it now appears he is far more dangerous than I was led to believe. So I must know where he is located, it
makes finding people much easier." The form finished with a disturbingly out of place snort of laughter. Yet it was an odd
snort, Robert couldn't quite put his finger to it. The movements he had taken to create such a reaction seemed to be,
rehearsed; as if he had been practicing such a reaction for long periods of time. An odd thought to be sure and he quickly
tossed it aside, he had more important things to worry about than snorts. He realized with a shudder as his last thought
passed, that he did not know where Eggman was quartered. The only thing he knew was what the little hologram cube that
had been deposited in his mailbox quite a few weeks ago had told him. With a sinking heart, he explained his position to the
man before him.
"I don't actually know you see I am ju-"Robert didn't finish that sentence. Steve had closed the gap between them quickly,
and with a herculean strength had managed to hurl Robert easily through a wooden wall. Pus infested white termite guts
coated his clothing, as he slammed violently against a far more structurally stable wall to the opposite side. His joints ached
and his back hurt like a bitch. This is one violent motherfucker Robert thought as he began to rub his back; hoping to dull the
pain that had taken root. He quickly managed to brush aside the termite body parts that were adorning his form. Big, puss-
filled, globs of organs and blood lay dotted along his shirt and pants; as he splayed frantically to remove such horrific
evidence from his being.
The termite body parts had been easy, the blood and guts now adorning his shirt were much harder to get rid of. After
managing to get rid of most of the termite blood and organs, he realized with horror that the figure had been observing him
silently through the hole in the wall. The room was completely devoid of any kind of content except for himself, the nutter,
and the disgusting termites. The figure seemed un-tired, quite an odd sight after the fact he had managed to slam someone
directly through a fucking wall. Termite infested or not, that took strength and the least one could expect would be at least a
fleeting sense of stamina loss.
"I grow tired of this; I was hoping you could provide me with information. As it stands now you are merely wasting my time, a
bad thing for you I might add. The fact that even as I speak Cosmo lay dead; possibly rotting does not help your case in the
slightest. Do not confuse my calm with some kind of camaraderie between yourself and I. As I think I have stated before, I
hate you. Now you will tell me, or you will die. Where is Eggman?" Steve finished calmly, too calmly. The kind of calm one
might see from the archetypal quiet one, or the calm before the storm, if you preferred metrological metaphors to simple
criminal ones. Robert began to wrack his mind, searching for any kind of info related to Eggman's whereabouts. The tapping
of Steve's foot on the creaky floor did nothing to ease his tensions. The almost universal sign of impatience; the constant
tapping sound driving him to think harder, and explore more obscure areas of his mind. Then he remembered, while he
himself did not know; he knew someone that did.
"Wait! I know someone that does!" Robert exclaimed, ceasing the foot tapping to his relief.
"Well spit it out then, I do not have all night."
"Shadow knows where Eggman is!" Robert replied with confidence. Steve didn't respond for a few minutes, as if he knew that
name. With the hood on Robert didn't know for sure, but he could have sworn that Steve was smiling. Not by seeing, but by
feeling the presence of a smile; odd as that may seem. Then again with all the weird shit that had gone on in the last few
minutes; Robert welcomed this new knowledge. Steve gave a reply, startling Robert.
"Shadow… The black and red hedgehog-like figure correct?" Steve asked completely emotionlessly. That display making it
difficult for Robert to decipher whether this was good or bad news for him.
"Ya, that's the one, I have bumped into him a few times and happen to know where he is. Of course I'll tell you if you ask."
Robert replied, trying to get on Steve's good side.
"Yes, it has been too long. Far too long." Steve cryptically announced aloud, an odd thing to say for sure. Steve seemed to
realize he had said this aloud, something he had not intended. All of the man's odd mannerisms and motions were beginning
to bug Robert. Who the hell is this guy? Robert thought, he decided to tread dangerous water by asking a question.
"Did you… know Shadow?" Robert asked, as meek and fragile sounding as he could muster.
"What I have and have not done is none of your concern. I have done many things throughout my… life. Terrible things, if I
was to stand here and recount everything I had ever done. Well, it would be quite the story. Violent, horrific, and yet also
enrapturing. Perhaps one day, long from now you will know. Know of…" Steve gave a pause, Robert wondered what he was
about to say with anticipation. As bat-shit insane as this guy seemed, he could probably tell a story or two.
"Never you mind. I misspoke before. Tell me where Shadow is, so that I may find Eggman." Steve commanded, changing the
subject deftly. Robert would not be dissuaded however; his curiosity easily overriding his fear of this man. So against the
wishes of most of his senses he asked again, more forcefully this time.
"First, tell me a little about this 'plot' of yours first. Your cryptic comments are beginning to get rather annoying." Robert
commanded, without a tinge of fear in his voice. The fear came back quickly when Steve began to laugh. A hideous sound, the
pitch and tone constantly changing. The laugh started off low then began booming throughout the room, the disturbing
sound of one whom had probably jumped off the deep-end long ago. The laughing didn't die down, it just stopped. An eerie
silence pervaded the room; Robert began to fear for his life. Then the man spoke, though Robert was now almost sure this
was not a man. To his shock its eyes became visible, dark red orbs. Creating quite the horrific look, as the creature spoke
slowly and calmly; far too calmly given the words that emerged from his lips.
"God help you and your race if I succeed, child." That reply sent chills and unease down Robert's spine. The way he had said
it, the hate that seemed to lie dormant beneath those words. That scared the hell out of him the most, for an instant it was
like he could feel this creatures hate. A dark and burning sensation, that seemed to perspire from him like a sweat. It was
only for a moment before that old sense of calm replaced the hate. Yet in that moment, he had learned almost everything he
would ever want to know from this being. 'You and your race' what the hell does that mean? Robert thought, he might have
asked again to clarify. But he did not want to piss this thing off now more than ever, that last comment scaring the snarky
attitude straight out of him. He was now positive that this creature was not even human.
"I believe I have done my fair share of cryptic comments and clues for now. Now that we have that little hurdle out of the
way, I will repeat for the final time before things get violent. Where is Shadow?" Robert knew better than to keep this creep
waiting, and instantly spilled the beans.
"He is in the forest, a little ways behind Tail's workshop off in the hills. I think he's working with the doctor, a bit surprising
actually because I thought he chummed with Sonic. Anyway, that's where he is now please let me go!" Robert found himself
shouting. This experience was far too unnerving and he needed a beer something bad. Steve merely stood there, probably
staring. He suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"Not just yet, there is one last thing I require from you." Steve responded, beginning to stroll over to Robert's location. Robert
stood up from the floor; he found he did not want to know what Steve wanted. He could remember movies where the same
thing had been said to a victim, turning out to be something intensely disgusting or creepy. Yet he asked anyway, hoping it
was just a 'be good' lecture or something innocuous like that.
"Wh-what?" Steve did not reply they were now face to face. Robert's entire field of vision now consisted of the creature in
front of him. The void of Steve's hood seemed to suck him into its eternal black. Steve grasped his shoulders, digging the
gloves into his flesh. Robert was terrified now; hoping whatever it was he was doing would be over quickly. Then to his shock
and disgust, Steve had leaned over to kiss his mouth. "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL! GET OFF ME YOU QUEER! YOU FAGGOT! GE-
"Robert couldn't finish that last sentence, as Steve plunged his mouth deeply onto his. Low grunts and murmurs of hate
escaped his lips, he tried desperately to escape. To no avail, the hands held him firmly in place. The smell of rot and decay
was now overpowering, as he was now in this creatures hood. Even inside the hood, he could not distinguish any features,
all he saw was black. He could feel the creatures tongue moving inside his mouth, trying to intertwine with his own. He could
feel elements of disgust and hate that were now overpowering all other senses. I AM NO FUCKING TWINKLE TOES! Robert
thought, still trying desperately to escape its grasp. The tongue seemed to be moving deeper and deeper into his mouth,
exploring the dank and forgotten areas near the back. The sticky tongue of this creature seemed to be able to extend,
pushing itself farther and farther. Robert might have been amazed if he wasn't so pissed off and revolted. The invasive
intruder somehow managed to reach the back of his throat. Leaving Robert wondering when the queer-bait would get the
hell off him. He had never before been so revolted by an act before.
He realized faintly that Steve's grip had loosened considerably. He thought quickly, raising one of his feet in preparation. He
managed to kick away Steve, who fell quickly to the floor with a loud thud; unmoving. Robert was having an intense moment
of triumph, too ecstatic to remove the tongue that must have come off the creature; still wiggling about in his mouth. He
would remove the invader later, for now he wanted to have a look at the face of his tormentor. With surprising speed, he
managed to roll the body over to its front. The hoods darkness obscured its master's face even in death. Tentatively, Robert
lowered his hands onto the hood, shaking in anticipation. Grasping the edges of the smooth, almost silk-like substance, he
tugged away the hood violently.
He began to scream, and scream.
His hands darted quickly away from the hood, as he moved as far away from the body as possible. His screeches of terror
could be heard for miles around. His eyes bugged almost out of their sockets, His blood ran cold and seemed to freeze in his
skin. A lump began to form deep inside his throat, preventing speech as his loud screams became thin whispers of horror. His
body was sweating noticeably; such was the horror of what he had seen. The tongue still wiggled around in his mouth, but
he was too shocked too notice.
Within that cloak, he had glimpsed a face and that revealed the source of the terrible smells. The 'body' was a corpse, a
walking talking corpse. Whatever this being had been, it had not been alive. Perhaps most terrifying, the body was no more
than 13 years old. The eyes were rotting noticeably, a few worms squiggling within the sockets. The eyes might have been
blue at one point, but now the color was a slightly murky white in each pupil. His ears had been clipped on either side, large
holes in each earlobe. The skin was a pale and ghoulish white, the look of one whose blood ran dry long ago. The nose was
for all intents and purposes, nonexistent. Only a small impression of where one would be was slightly visible on his face.
Robert remembered the hair which was dirty and contained large traces of lice and ticks roaming about the undergrowth of
his scalp, perfectly content to feed off one who was already dead. The man's mouth had been open, and the teeth had been
rotten and cavity infested. Large holes in almost every tooth, the barest basics of hygiene ignored. The tongue-
Robert stopped cold in his tracks, a new sweat beginning to pour over his face. He began to hyper ventilate rapidly, his hands
grasping for his own mouth. Shoving his fingers deep within the crevices, he moved them around frantically. He was searching
desperately, for the thing that was now wiggling up his throat. He remembered clearly through the panic in his pitch.
The tongue had been inside that mouth, inside the corpse. Whatever was now squirming up close to his nasal regions was
most certainly not a tongue. He began to feel dizzy and light headed, stumbling around drunkenly. He could feel it, writhing
and squirming inside his very body. The creature was pushing itself further and further in the direction of his cranial matter,
pulsating and oozing a kind of slime. The slime made him woozy, and he began to cough uncontrollably as he slammed
against a wall. Falling to the ground, clutching his head as he realized this being was now inside his skull. He began to smash
his head against the wall, trying desperately to kill whatever this fucking thing was. All he managed to accomplish was
seriously hurt himself, blood now oozing out of his ear from the many blows they had received.
OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT MAN? WHO THE FUCK IS THIS GUY JESUS CHRIST! Robert thought with clear
panic lining his own thoughts. The creature within his skull grasped and pulled itself along inside his cranium blindly, Robert
too injured to stop its ascent. He could feel the being latch onto his brain, a terrible pain enveloped him as the creature
began to burrow itself into his grey matter. He could feel it writhing, he could feel it writhing. He tried once again to slam his
head, giving up before he had even lifted his head. The pain blinded him; he could feel something pulsating inside his brain.
The slime coated monstrosity was becoming larger, and larger; seeming to feed off him. His thoughts ended, when his brain
was engulfed by the humongous creature. The void enveloped Robert, as life slipped away.
From his corpse, a new creature was born. Unsteadily, the new figure stood up. His feet wobbled uncontrollably, but after a
few minutes managed to remain perfectly still. It stood for a few minutes, flexing and un-flexing its fingers. Observing the
area around him in almost crystal clear sight, sound working marvelously. The process it was now engaged in took the
creature less than 10 minutes. He extended his arm, almost a perfect movement. He began to practice his speech, testing his
newfound voice. "Yes, a very admirable job in the upkeep of this body. Everything seems to be working perfectly, perhaps
even… no… still no… after all these years. Ah well, I didn't really think that function would work anyway. But soon, soon it shall
function. And it does, this world shall die. Oh yes, it shall writhe in its death throes." The creature exclaimed using the voice of
Robert, giggling uncontrollably. The giggles became snorts and the snorts became laughter. The same putrid and bile laughter
he had exhibited earlier.
He calmed down a little, removing his cloak from the other corpse. Slipping it on quickly and efficiently, the hood darkening his
face in that much loved darkness. He checked for the ring, it was still tucked safely in its sheath. "It is time, time to see how
events will turn out. Perhaps nothing will come of Cosmo's murder, perhaps everything will. Only time could reveal that fact."
He spoke aloud, still testing out his vocal capabilities. He knew what he would do though; he would murder Eggman and
anyone else that stood in his way. He quietly left the building, cloak billowing in the breeze. He exited by the rooftop, sirens
still blaring. He took a quick glance at the event, but only a glance. He had more important things to do than stare all day. He
leaped off the building, into an abandoned alleyway. Nobody noticed him as he continued his journey, all the while hoping his
plan would still work; as he disappeared amongst the throngs of people.
Editor's note- I tried to model this chap after a horror novel. I think I did fairly ok. Any comments or suggestions please tell me!
Thankies in advance: D