Crimson Vision

Chapter 5: Rose
Her innocence, her compassion, her curiosity.

I stand alone in darkness.

Her friends fear me and hate me but she sees deep within me.

I am alone in darkness.

Together my past will be uncovered and I will protect her as we journey down the dangerous path.

I live alone in darkness.

I know no one yet everyone knows me.

I continued to rest for the remainder of the daylight hours with Amy nursing me back to health.

"Why did you come here?" I asked her as she soaked the washcloth.

Amy glanced over at me almost as if she was surprised to even hear me speak.

"Well I…"

She was at a lost for words; either embarrassed or afraid of what she was going to say. I turned my head away and closed my eyes. I must be wasting my time asking her such a foolish question.

"Sonic didn't want me to come here." she finally explained. "But I couldn't help but think about you."

She was silent for a few seconds but I urged her to continue.

"Maybe it's me but when me and Sonic asked you about why you turned into that monster, it was like it never happened for you." she looked into my eyes. "I guess that's why I came here. To see if you would've remembered by now."

I remember them asking me the question but still had no idea of what they were going on about. Why would I turn into a monster? In fact how can I possibly turn into a monster? I let it slip out of my head.

"There's more to your visit here isn't there?" I interrogated her.

She looked at me with surprise again. I'd hit the spot.

"Well yes. There's so much I want to ask you but I'm afraid I'll just invade in on your privacy." she admitted.

I looked away again and scoffed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Amy frown. She must've thought she annoyed me a bit. Truth of the matter was that she did, but I do appreciate her tending to me. Sometimes I feel terrible after my nightmare trips up to the mysterious room. I don't know why but I felt the strange urge to sympathize Amy while she was here.

"If you want you can ask me any question you like while you're here." I informed her.

I saw her smile with some relief in her eyes.

"Thank you." she expressed softly and placed the cold cloth on my head.

After that I fell asleep. For the first time in what seemed like ages I slept peacefully. But the feeling of not existing consciously was new to me and the feeling of being in a strange place was as well. When I woke up Amy explained to me that I was 'dreaming'. She told me it's when beings think in their sleep of places better suited for them or places of adventure or peace. My dream was neither one. It was dark and grim and confused me as nothing happened.

I was standing alone in a lifeless field next to a dark forest. Then it appeared. Its red eyes glowing from the shadows of the forest staring into mine. They seemed to say 'pain'. Amy was just as confused as I was and suggested that it may have been a sign of some sort. I sighed and lay on the couch for none of this was making any sense to me. Hours later as night began to fall I did something that even surprised me. I stayed at home. It's not that I didn't want to go out it's just that with Sonic pestering me, where could I go and not be harassed? The fact that Amy was at my place also was a factor. What if Sonic was waiting for me and saw Amy exit out of the house with me? Then things would've taken a turn for the worse.

I sat in the dining room drinking the hours away. Soon Amy, who just stood at the doorway staring at me, accompanied me. I didn't make any eye contact with her but I could tell by her movements that she was intrigued by me. I would often find myself being stalked by her whenever I walked around. It didn't bother me much but at times I did need to get away from her. There was also something that she wanted to know yet was too afraid to ask. I didn't care at the time. I was too relaxed to worry about anything. Amy then carefully walked over to the seat opposite of me and sat down. I glanced up at her and then back at my glass taking another sip. Amy fiddled her fingers nervously so I decided to break the silence.

"Since I'm not doing anything this night you can ask me whatever's on your mind. I can tell you've been thinking a lot lately." I said calmly.

Amy let out a short gasp. I must've caught her off guard but she didn't hesitate in answering.

"Oh, thank you." she replied. "I am a bit curious about you and I just wanted to know if you ever get lonely being here by yourself all the time?"

I took another sip and answered.

"I don't understand these 'feelings' you beings have. Loneliness, love, happiness. They mean nothing to me. I'm fine being by myself since I'm shunned from the outside world."

"But don't you wish that you could see what it's like outside during the day? Being in darkness forever must not be what you want."

"I stay in darkness for my survival. The daylight will burn me severely even with a simple touch. But even if I could go out into the daylight what would there be for me? Everything will be the same I assume, nothing dramatic about that. The darkness I dwell in will always be my only friend."

It was a cold answer but it was the truth. I never understood why these beings rely on the daylight as if it was essential to their life. They can survive in darkness with their own light they make with the electricity they created. But then there will always be that someone who will think different than the rest…and think outside of the lines. Amy continued on with her questionnaire.

"It must be terrible to be alone like this in such a cold place. No friends, no family. All shut out from the world." she pitied me.

There was an uneasy silence between the two of us. I looked up at Amy who had an unsure look on her face.

"You know it's better to let some things out than to hide them. They can often destroy you." I warned her.

She nodded in response.

"I know this may get a bit personal but…I just wanted to know." Amy began. "Is there something going on with you? When I came here and went upstairs I saw you on the floor in front of the stairwell that lead up to a room. You were burned badly and smoke was rising from your body. What happened?"

I froze. Amy did cross the line with that question. I knew she was going to ask about the room since she did in the past. I wanted to avoid the question but there was something inside of me telling me that she should know. She should know about me and the mysterious room. I knew it couldn't be hidden forever or else the room would be my death. I finished up the last of my drink and set the glass aside. Then I told Amy the tale of me and the mysterious room.

"For as long as I can remember that room and I have been battling a very strange war. It calls to me as if its in pain; whispering my name with a luring soft voice. There were times when I tried to ignore it pushing it out of my head with other thoughts. But it fought back with more pain enticing me to its door. I gave in so many times and when I was able to avoid it, I would often find myself going nearly insane. That's probably when I turned to drugs for some relief. But it got worse from there on. Day in and day out the mysterious room called me more frequently. Every time I would go further up the steps…and every time I would get injured more and more. I'm not sure if I want to live now that I've been to hell and back with that room. Now that Sonic is here, things are getting worse."

I stopped to take in a few breaths when I realized how hard I was breathing. Amy took this opportunity to speak to me.

"I feel as if this is all my fault." she said softly. "But what do you mean when you say the room calls out to you?"

"It whispers my name." I replied. "It begs for me to come up and eventually I give in. The voice is so soft and innocent yet it means to do harm. But after I've suffered, the idea that there is something in the room for me comes up and that may be another reason why I keep going up there."

"Maybe there is something up there for you Shadow." Amy said. I looked at her. "What if there's something that is essential to your in that room? Something that you need but you don't have now? That could be what's calling you up there."

My past. I've been here for as long as I can remember but my past is a blank. Perhaps there is more to this than what I see.

"I have no past." I say to her.

"Then that could be your answer. Whatever drives you away from the room could be something inside of you that feels guilty." Amy explained.

Guilty? I do feel guilty when the angry voices yell and curse at me. They blame me for something that I don't even know about.

"There are voices that yell at me when I go up there. They find me guilty of something I don't know about and they weaken my spirit; trying to break me as to admit it when I don't even know what I did. The only history I know of this house is some being who was killed in the mysterious room." I noticed Amy was interested in what I had told her. There would be much for her to say.

"Maybe it's a ghost." she said.

Amy had to be kidding. Only foolish beings would believe in false sightings of apparitions and such. But I decided to hear her out.

"There are lost of possibilities Shadow and you said you have no past. Maybe that's the answer to all of your problems."

Amy was onto something there. The death of that being wasn't just a coincidence; there must be a connection between it and me. Finding out the truth wasn't going to be easy. I needed an ally of some sort; someone I could trust. In the end, there was only one being I could trust.

"Amy, I've lived with this problem long enough. I think it's time I did something about it. I only ask of you to help me in finding out about my past…you're the only one I can trust." I was sincere with every word I spoke.

Amy was taken aback by this but a warm smile appeared on her face.

"Shadow even though I don't trust you too much, as a friend I'll do anything to help you." she replied.

We sealed the deal with a handshake and thus began our journey.