Crimson Vision

Chapter 4: The Adversary & the Comforter
He'll meddle, he'll anger me, yet she will get closer.

I stand alone in darkness.

He'll push hard and I shall retaliate with my wrath but she will be compassionate.

I am alone in darkness.

My rage will be unstoppable as he cries to the heavens when I consume his life but she will look into my heart.

I live alone in darkness.

I know no one yet everyone knows me.

Amy spent most of the daylight hours resting in one of the many rooms upstairs. I had cleaned the blood off of her face caused by a cut yet I didn't feed off of her. Sitting alone in the dining room, I had already gone through two bottles of alcohol drinks wondering what would happen next.

"Sonic is tougher than I thought. But I doubt he'll ever find me here. But then there's Amy. There's something about her that put me at unease." I thought.

My thoughts wandered off as I continued to drink the hours away. The mysterious room wheedled its way into my mind. Its soft voice that would lure me to it. The angry voices that would drive me away. Why would it want me to go in when at the same time drive me away? Is there something inside for me to discover? Answers that I may need to know? But what about Amy? Is there a reason I didn't feed off of her? Perhaps she is the key that'll open up the doorway to the mysterious room. Perhaps…

Wooden boards above me creaked. Soft footsteps were walking towards the stairway. I sat and listened to them as they slowly came down the stairs. Then a timid voice called out.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

Amy was awake but I kept my place and continued to drink. Her footsteps were getting closer to the dining room. Then she appeared in the doorway and let out a small and short scream.

"It-it's you." she said pointing at me.

I looked up at the pink hedgehog. There wasn't much fear in her eyes as she stared at me. For the most of it, she was shocked and frozen probably just from seeing me. I noticed her bandage around her head was getting a bit soiled from the blood. Sighing, I averting my attention away from her and continued to drink.

There was dead silence between the two of us. The ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway was heard. Suddenly it chimed. Three consecutive tones. Amy jumped with a shriek; I continued to drink. Then the last tone died away just as I finished another glass of the alcoholic drink.

"That bandage around your head needs to be changed." I informed Amy.

She spun around with a shocked look staring at me.

"A-are you a vampire?" she asked.

"Yes but you still need some fresh bandages." I answered pouring another glass of alcohol.

Amy felt around the top of her head at the soiled bandages and then looked at her hands. I assumed she had some blood on them from her facial expression.

"Must've been from last night." she spoke. "Why did you change into that huge monster?"

I froze and looked Amy dead in the eye. She stepped back quivering.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong." she apologized quickly.

"I have no idea of what you're talking about." I respond.

Leaving my drink, silently I got up and passed Amy exiting the dining room. I heard her follow me out into the living room where I sat on the couch. She stood at the doorway just staring at me but I ignored her. I sensed some tension in her as though she wanted to ask me something. But instead she sat down in a chair to the left of the couch. Dust rose from the old piece of furniture and the girl fanned it away coughing a bit. Silence filled the room again; the ticking of the clock seemed to echo.

"If you're a vampire, how come you're not asleep?" Amy blurted out.

"I don't get much sleep nowadays."

"How come?"

I glanced at her and then stood up and begin to exit out of the main room. At the doorway I stopped and looked over my shoulder at Amy.

"Don't ask me anymore questions."

Then I left and went down into the cellar. Time had passed and the late hours had come. It was time for me to take my leave. But as I was leaving I noticed two things that were different: Amy was nowhere to be found and she was outside…where Sonic was waiting for me. As I closed the door to my house I stopped at the top of the porch steps.

"So you found my domicile. I knew you wouldn't give up. Not after that fight we had." I spoke.

"Actually it wasn't the fight that ticked me off." Sonic said while I raised and eyebrow. "It was when you almost killed Tails and the fact that there are so many innocent people here getting weak because of you. That's when I had to put my foot down."

I understood what he meant about the weak beings in town. My draining of their 'life' must've left them weak afterwards. But me almost killing Tails? He's obviously lying.

"Listen Sonic I don't know what you're talking about with me almost killing Tails but what I do to these beings is only for my survival. It's a tough world out there." I casually answered.

"Understandable. But Tails' situation won't go unnoticed."

He wanted a rematch; I could see the vengeance in his eyes. I took off my shades and placed them into my pocket.

"This time I'll make sure of it that you die." I warned him.

In reply the hedgehog revved up some sort of spindash and shot out towards me. I dodged and made my way out into the yard. Sonic charged at me yelling in anger. I blocked his punch with one hand and threw him to the side.

"You can never defeat me." I said. "My immense power will crush you."

Sonic lunged at me tackling me to the ground. I underestimate him. He had more power than the eye could see as he choked me. I struggled to get him loose but Sonic's anger fought back with more force. I punched him off of me to recover some the air I had lost. Sonic had a cut on his face and he tended to his injury. My rage grew as I got up along with Sonic. I attacked quickly beating my oppressor brutally with each hit. More bruised appeared on his face and from the way he kept his balance I could tell that Sonic was losing his concentration.

Another hit from me and Sonic was leaning against a dead tree. Seizing the hedgehog by his neck I held the enemy above me; my hand grasping hard against his neck. His breaths became short as his eyes rolled back into his head. Just as Sonic was about to expire Amy intervened.

"Shadow drop him!" her small voice shouted.

I looked over to my right and the pink hedgehog approached me furiously.

"Drop him now! He's not worth it!" Amy yelled.

I released Sonic and he dropped to the ground motionless. Amy quickly went to his aid in reviving him.

"Sonic please wake up." she said shaking him.

The hedgehog stirred, slowly opening his eyes. I was the first he saw and he stood up immediately preparing to attack. But Amy blocked him.

"No Sonic. Just leave him alone." she pleaded.

Sonic continued to glare at me. Waiting for my next move.

"Sonic, it's not worth risking your life over a senseless fight." Amy told him.

She was right. Why would I want to fight this hedgehog? I can break him in two if I wanted and what difference would it make? I'd only be wasting my time.

"Amy has a point Sonic. I have no time for you." I said leaving them.

I walked over to the side of the house and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. I took a puff and blew out smoke along with some of my anger. Feeling relieved I looked over at the two hedgehogs as they were leaving. Amy, supporting Sonic on her shoulder, glanced over at me. It was a few seconds before we tore our eyes away from each other. Then they disappeared out of the front gates. I began to walk back to the house, not in the mood for my nightly outing.

"There goes my night." I uttered before entering my home.

Hours pass and the daylight was beginning to wake. I was lying on the couch silently in the main room with thoughts rushing about in my head. The shrilling angry voices rang in the back of my head from my previous attempt to reach the mysterious room. The strangest mystery of all for me. Why would the room call out to me only to drive me away? Even if I traced back to times of when bizarre happenings took place in my life, none of them seemed to lead up to the mysterious room. And the voice that would call out to me; it was soft and gentle as if it was a young girl. The soothing voice almost seemed comforting to me. Perhaps that is why I fall victim to its trap of hell-bound tortures. Then without a warning the voice spoke to me.

"Shadow…please come." it spoke softly.

I tried to resist it by turning away but it pulled at me even more.

"Shadow…why…why do you ignore me?"

It was trying to shatter my confidence, my strength. Nevertheless I was determined to keep my distance from the cursed room. The voice continued to call out my name; it's soft voice nearly begging for me to come. In return I tried to put my mind on other things that would hopefully make the voice go away. It still summoned me.

"Shadow…please…don't leave me here." its soft tone sobbed.

I was hyperventilating. My pupils shrunk and slowly I was losing my sanity. I couldn't take the voice's helpless cry for help. I felt the strange need to rush up to the room to aid the voice. But I also knew that I would suffer from the hateful remarks of the enraged voices. It was now or never. Either I'd allow the voice to break me or I'd take another chance to reach the dreadful room. I gave myself three seconds to make the decision then I would be on my own from there on. Three…two…one…

I had reached the steps that lead up to the mysterious room. As I peered up the dark cold stairwell, I sensed and eerie presence coming from the room. This strange feeling, in addition to the soft voice, enticed me to venture up into the trap. Being the zombie I had become, I took the first step into the stairwell. The voice called out for me once more.

"Shadow… please come closer."

"I'm coming." I responded.

Mid-way up the stairs a faint angry voice stirred my senses. I turned looking behind me. No one was there. I remained still to hear if anyone had entered. Silence. Turning back to face forward, I resumed my journey up the stairs. Soon the angry voices became more abundant and louder with each step I took.

"It's starting." I thought.

I built up confidence bracing myself for the punishments of the voices. More and more were making themselves heard. They grew louder and louder; I still held my ground. Soon each step was becoming difficult to make. Along with the vulgar insults and bashing of the voices, I heard the sound of an angry mob booing and hissing at me. Fear was pushing its way into my head wanting me to quit. My journey up these steps had never gotten this worse. Just as expected, the scream came. Its ear-piercing sound made my muscles numb making me immobile as I kneeled on the stairs. Horrible pain was in my head as the mob grew louder and closer. The fear was growing more and more. But refused to give up; I wanted to go into that room.

Slowly I forced my hand to grab onto the rail and pulled myself up. Suddenly a hush falls upon the stairwell. The screaming had stopped, the voices died away, and mob was gone. I was baffled but immediately was reminded of the room. Only five steps away from me. I took each step carefully just incase the angry voices returned. Finally I reached the top for the first time in ages. The only thing that stood between the room and I was a mere door. I grabbed onto the doorknob, but as soon as I made contact a sudden rush of heat flowed through my body. I was burning from head to toe. I felt my skin scorch severely as if someone had set me on fire. I yelled in agony and pain and released the doorknob but it was no use. I still burned and my body became immobile once again sending me back down the flight of stairs and into darkness.

There was still a slight pain in my head and it was dark.

"How can it still be dark when I'm fully conscious?"

I realized, like an idiot, that my eyes were closed. My body had cooled and there was some sort of cold moisture being placed on my head. I slowly opened my eyes and there she was. Amy was looming over me with her soft eyes. A small scar could be seen off to the side on her forehead from her previous injury; and there was a washcloth was on my head.

"You're finally awake." she said with a smile.

I tired to sit up but a sudden pain shattered inside my head sending me back down.

"Take it easy." Amy spoke. "You need rest after that nasty fall down the stairs."

I looked up at her and then closed my eyes. I remembered being burned and falling down the stairs. I must've hit my head or something on the way down. I opened up my eyes and Amy was still there looking down at me. Here eyes held some sort of curiosity in them as if she was looking for answers. Speaking of answers, why did she come here?