Sonic Hill 2: DX Chapter 30: Prelude to Fate, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

Sonic Hill 2: DX

Chapter 30: Prelude to Fate

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-BANG!

-Chic-chink!

-BANG!

-Chic-chink!

The last skinless gorilla fell to the floor, dead as Miles ran down the disillusioned and deformed corridor. The chorus of taps and clinks seemed to come from every direction, never ending, while the ground beneath his feel rocked back and forth like an unstable cruise ship. It was like a nightmare; it always has been, but it never literally felt as surreal as it did now.

Four more shotgun shells. Fourteen more rifle shells. And a few more handgun bullets.

Didn't matter all that much if he ran out, he'd die anyway.

Miles still couldn't believe he'd made it here. He'd gone so far, done so much, all to get to this haunted decimated hotel to find the truth he'd been hiding from himself all along. And now he knew, he wasn't going to get out of this town—none of them were, just like Eggman had said. Everything was so close to the end, he could feel it. He'd succeeded, and he'd failed at the same time.

Rouge was gone, if not dead. Maybe he could have saved her if he'd only done something…but he couldn't now.

Shadow was dead. Though it made little sense, it didn't change the fact that he'd been given a second chance to save his only real ally. And again, he'd failed.

Eggman was dead, though it was a justified killing wasn't it? He'd killed a murderer, and in doing that he might have just given the fat balding man the easy way out.

And finally, Sonic was dead. Murdered by the same boy he called his love. If it weren't for that…Miles would have never come to this town in the first place. Just like Rouge and Eggman, he had committed one of the deadliest sins, and for that he too would face his deserved end soon enough.

(soon enough)

'But…Sonic's voice…'

That was the only medium of hope left, although it was only a receded glimmer. Anything seemed possible in this place, and that was the only reason he kept going on as it is…

The flames that penetrated the decaying walls seemed to melt back into the rotted wood as the hotel continued to toss and turn restlessly. The Employee's Only corridor he stood in was wiped clean of other life now, the only inhabitant of it long past dead. Miles held the handle of the east wall door tightly, willing the emotional strength to use it. If the map was correct, this door would lead into the side-court of the hotel, where he could go around the front and take the entrance doors – the door to the T-shaped back corridor was locked so this was his only remaining path.

'Only way left…'

Pulling the door open, he peeked into what should be the outside area. Shock assaulted his thoughts – the maps accuracy seemed to be wrong for once. Although he should be in the court right now, he stared into another rusty faded wall. Looking down to his left, he saw that instead of the court, he was in another corridor that hugged the perimeter of the hotel. The flooring, rather than crumbling wooden boards, was brown-ish red metal grating overlooking a black bottomless pit, like it had been in the C-corridor of the hospital and the streets of the town. Dim red lights swung back and forth on the black ceiling, looking as if they'd drop down and bring the room back into darkness any second. Even though it didn't look like he planned, that didn't matter – the corridor turned left on the northeast corner and proceeded to where the doors to the lobby should be.

Miles ran down the corridor, his weakened legs aching along the way, and turned at the corner, running forward for a bit more until he jammed on the breaks at the wall.

'Whoa…'

9. 9. 9. Red plaques lined the wall. He didn't know what they were for or why they were there, but they gave off an intimidating and unsettling feeling, just like so many of the other strange things he'd seen (and killed) throughout his unfortunate quest.

As the soles of his tormented shoes dominated the caged floor, Miles knew the end was very very near. Sonic's voice seemed to almost echo from somewhere – but the way it was heard he couldn't tell if it was coming from inside his head or from very far away. And the taps and clinks that had sounded constantly for the past hour were getting even louder and louder by the moment.

The Lakeview Hotel front double doors stood beside him. Their aged rusty handles, which looked beautiful and elegant in the past, turned creakily as Miles pulled them over and pushed the doors open. With the large room in sight, Miles stepped into the lobby.

Concrete was the floor now, along in a thin film of dirt. That same mark he'd seen in the Book of Lost Memories and in the prison cell—that large triangle within a circle covered in foreign letters—was on the ground in the rooms center, making the place look almost like a ritualistic area. Everything else on the first floor was barren and empty. All the doors were gone completely except for the two double doors on both sides of the now non-existent staircase.

"Tails!"

Miles's blood-shot eyes darted right and left across the lobby again, searching for who that cry had exploded from. He knew who it was before he even looked up and saw him on the balcony of the 2nd floor.

"Shadow!"

The black hedgehog hung upside down, suspended in mid air. His arms and legs were strapped to a large and strange looking wooden structure in a way that made his thin dark furry body resemble an upside down cross. The mechanism itself looked like some sort of torture device. Miles realized its structure was similar to that of those metal cages he'd seen in the Misty Day painting. Behind the hedgehog, where the clean window overlooking the lake once was, was a large stain-glassed window depicting a woman and her baby screaming into the air as flames surrounded them. Shadow's crimson eyes, streaked with pain along with a little hopefulness, stared at him from afar.

(!shadow hes alive again!)

"Tails…" Shadow's eyes were half-lidded, and he looked just as tired as the other furry felt.

(help him)

"I'll get you out of there!" Miles exclaimed while rescanning the area. Maybe he could play the role of the hero for once, after all…

But that would be no easy task. Since the stairs were missing, he had virtually no way of getting to him any time soon. Still, Shadow gave him a weak smile that reassured him a bit, reassured him enough to try and find another way again…

-Creek!

The fox's gaze darted back up to the second floor and widened in pure horror as the doors on both sides of the 2nd floor balcony opened. Two hulking bodies staggered out of them simultaneously. A giant red metal helmet shielded on both of their heads, and for a second Miles thought he was seeing double.

Pyramid Head stood on the right wall, but also on the left one, bringing Miles to the realization that there must have been two all along. Giant rusty knives still in their gray withered hands, they limbered towards Shadow at a painfully slow pace. Terror spread itself across the hedgehog's pale face as he—along with the equally terrified fox—concluded what they intended to do.

(no no not now not him please go away demons go away)

"No…" Shadow whispered, crystal sadness suicidally sliding down his forehead and onto the floor far below.

(!no not shadow!)

"No! No! Go away!" the fox cried. He knew they wouldn't stop, and they didn't, they didn't even seem to hear him. They continued moving in on Shadow, finding pleasure in the distress they were causing the helpless fox who might as well have been light years away. "Stop! Leave him alone!!"

"Help me…" the hedgehog weakly spoke, knowing just as much as Miles what was going to happen in mere moments.

(!no!)

Miles let out a terrified, devastated scream at the top of his lungs, completely shattering his voice's usual barrier of both pitch and volume and sending explosive rivets of his hopelessness throughout the dead hotel. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!! LEAVE US BOTH THE FUCK ALONE!!!"

At the same time, both Pyramid Heads reached the hedgehog, raised their knives, and thrust them into his small body. Like a ticket machine, both tips of the blades spurted out of Shadow's black-furred belly, along with an ocean of blood that splattered onto the floor below.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" A scream tore the hedgehog's lips open—similar to the scream he'd given in the hospital before his first unfortunate collision with death. It merged with Miles's horrified scream that followed, creating an agonized crescendo.

(!!!NONONO!!!)

"T-tails…I don't wanna die…" Shadow managed to croak painfully, before his weakened crimson eyes shut and his whole body went limp on the device. Almost mocking the way Sonic had died, blood oozed out of the hedgehog's mouth, along with the oceans of crimson erupting from his decimated stomach. Flowing down his lifeless body, it all joined together again the puddle already forming on the lobby's floor.

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

The Pyramid Heads' giant blood-sheeted knifes clinked against the ground, creating that very familiar death beat. Like they were both one mind, they jumped off the balcony and landed on both sides of the crimson puddle, only about ten feet away from where the traumatized fox now stood.

Miles's useless shotgun fell to the floor, followed shortly by himself as he too fell to his knees in the middle of the symbol on the floor – he was too drained of hope to even stand anymore. With each passing second, the monsters took a step closer to him, clinking their weapons murderously against the uninviting floor. But he didn't try to run away – he had no want or reason to any longer. He whispered softly, feeling his eyes begin to sting with tears not for the first time that day.

"Shadow…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"He's gone…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"It's all my fault…they're both gone…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"I caused all this…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"And he's going just to keep dying before my eyes over and over again, forever…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"I was weak…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"That's why I needed him…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"I needed Shadow—and you—to punish me for my sins…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"But now he's gone…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"It's all over…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"I understand now…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"It's…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

"It's time…"

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

Miles looked up to the monsters, still closing in on him and only a few feet away. His aching eyes narrowed into hateful slits. "It's time to finish this!!!"

The duel Pyramid Heads, both of which were now standing on both sides of the weakened but still living fox, beat their knifes against the ground even harder now, adding a pinch of angered disappointment to their increasingly loud song. They knew he would not go down that easily anymore. Adrenalin spilled into the young fox's body in a sour, jittery flood, and he rose painstakingly to his feet. Quickly, he raised the shotgun to his eyelevel, pointed at the large beast to his immediate left, and fired.

-KABOOM!

While not fatal, the blast proved to be more powerful than the ammo he'd fired into the monster in the labyrinth. It stumbled back a few feet, clutching its stomach for a few moments before standing upright again and continuing its assault. The second Pyramid Head, with amazing agility, raised its blade above its head and slammed it down to the floor that fox stood on, but by that point the fox was already off the ground, flying through the air with the shotgun still in hand. Before ending his diving dodge and landing on the ground, he fired the weapon into the beasts' thigh. He was rewarded with a groan from inside its tin can of a metallic helmet.

When his dive ended, he immediately rolled and was back on his feet just in time to dodge another attack by the first Pyramid Head. Rather than giving up its advance, the monster swung its knife into the air, turning it and doing a hard horizontal swing. Miles ducked underneath the weapon, saving his head in the process, and shot the monster in the torso right before it was able to attack a third time. Blood flowers bloomed in its ripped chest, but that didn't stop its fourth attack completely. It spun around, just nearly hitting the fox's scalp, and accidentally slashed into the torso of the second Pyramid Head lightly. A few strings of clingy cloth, along with grayed flesh escaped its atmosphere, only increasing the anger it breathed.

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink!

Miles broke into a sprint; zooming to the back of the lobby and out of both his antagonists reach. Right before reaching the wall, the fox spun around so his back smacked against it painfully. Completely ignoring the never-ending ache in his body, Miles raised the shotgun to his eyelevel again, pointing it at the first Pyramid Head that—along with his cousin—was charging at him at a deadly speed.

-Click!

With a grunt, the fox dropped the empty boomstick and pulled out the hunting rifle from behind him. In the labyrinth it didn't work, but he had no other choice but to use it now. Shouldering the powerful weapon, he took aim and fired at the stomach of the nearest incoming monster.

The gun roared in sync with its target. A "pleasantly" large amount of blood splotched out of its chest. While the unfortunate Pyramid Head was forced to stop for a moment to recuperate, the second one kept on charging. Miles jumped a few feet into the air, put his feet against the wall, and pushed hard, the result sending him practically flying forward and past his so-called killer's attack. Pyramid Head stabbed its knife right into the wall he stood before a moment earlier, sending cracks through the brown wood. Miles was already far past it, rapidly spinning his double-jointed tails and actually floating through the air for a short period of time before landing back on his feet.

He did not let the surprise instinctive move stop him though; he reached the solid flooring again and charged at the still stunned Pyramid Head in front of him, raising the rifle and smashing the butt of the weapon into its facial shield full force. The overwhelming oomph combined with the surprise in one heavy push that sent Pyramid Head stumbling backwards, almost falling over completely. Rapid footsteps were heard, and Miles spun around just in time to smash the other Pyramid Head—who had been charging at him—in the face too. Had its helmet not been there, he may have just possible broken its neck if not smashed its face in, but it still lived on. Its blade flung itself across the floor as it passed by him, coming dangerously close to his ankles before he hopped over it.

When gravity pulled him back onto the surface of the earth, he zoomed back across the lobby, repeating the same technique as before. He spun around when he reached the wall, put his back to it, and fired a fresh rifle shell at the nearest Pyramid Head's body.

-BANG!

The shell zipped across the room, implanting itself painfully into the monster's mangled chest. It recoiled for a moment before beginning to run at him again. The second one was right behind it; still creating that intense beat with its knife.

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink!

Miles spun the rifle around repeatedly like a propeller and smacked it across the monster's face when it reached him, then moved his gun to his upper left, blocking the vertical swing from the nightmare's twin just in time. With a third spin, he threw the weapon upwards and hit it upside the head again. He ended his combination attack with a fourth spin, which stopped with the rifle firmly in his hands and the barrel pointed directly at Pyramid Head, and squeezed the trigger at point blank range.

Its body twitched and another loud roar echoed throughout the hotel, followed by a splatter of blood onto the dirt-coated floor. While this made the wounded monster back off, the other one was finally regaining its senses from the last attack. Quickly, the fox turned and fired another slice of pain into the other Pyramid Head's torso. The monster swung its knife horizontally, scrapping it across the wall towards the fox, but Miles reacted fast enough to sprint past the monster. He literally felt the tip of the blade touch his back before he broke clear of its range, which scared him enough to continue running ahead until he reached the back of the lobby again. Rifle still in hand, he spun around and aimed at the duo Pyramid Heads as they staggered closer towards him again.

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink!

'Eleven shells left…'

Taking the time to reload his rifle, Miles shouldered it again and took aim—

"gggggrrrrIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!"

Shivers climbed up and down the fox's spine, and he instinctively covered his ears for a moment to block out the abrupt cry. Both Pyramid Heads let out an intense roar from within their metal helmets, still banging their knifes against the floor. Their 'eyes' left the two-tailed kitsune, traveling the short distance from where he stood to the center of the room. Together, they walked into the middle of the lobby where the strange symbol lie, intriguing the fox enough to cease firing at their cadaverous bodies.

Taptaptap, clink, tap tap, clink…

The intensity of their song decreased hugely, until it stopped entirely. What happened next confused and surprised the fox beyond belief.

Flipping their knives into the air suddenly and simultaneously, the duo Pyramid Heads grabbed its tip with their withered gray hands before it crashed back down to the floor. With the tip of their weapons in hand, they spun it around and slammed the handle into the ground—on the triangle within the circle carved on the floor—with such force that it actually dug into the cement. Both sharp parts of the knife stuck out awkwardly in such a way that they formed an X.

Standing before their twin's blade, the Pyramid Heads raised their arms into the air and let out another horrifying battle cry, this one weaker than before. Then, they let themselves fall forward and let gravity do the rest, impaling themselves on one-another's weapon. The tip of both blades—now stained in even more blood than ever before—poked out of their backs, becoming the obvious cause of the convulsions their bodies proceeded to go into next. Less than a second later, they stopped, and their thin arms fell to their sides.

And all was silent.

Miles blinked, then blinked again, trying to take in what the hell had just happened. The duo Pyramid Heads limp bodies showed no signs of ever moving again, and he knew they never would. By some strange twist of

(luck?)

they'd changed their minds about murdering him – instead committing suicide brutally before his very eyes with no sign of reason or foreshadowing.

The silence of the lobby was already carving disturbed feelings into him – now that its musicians were gone, the tapping and clinking had stopped, and so had the other various random noises. The water dripping from the ceiling only seemed to be within the corridors, not the lobby itself, and the rocking and creaking noise had died out too. Miles was left alone with his own confused thoughts for the moment, and he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be like this, how much longer he could be like this. His body was about ready to self-destruct already, overcome by the roller coaster of emotions he'd been strapped to for so long.

'Now where do I go…?'

Sonic wasn't here, and everyone else was dead, except for Amy, and he wasn't sure if she'd ever want to see him again anyway.

'Only one way…'

His red-rimmed eyes tore themselves away from the impaled corpses of both Pyramid Heads, moving across the walls towards the two sets of double doors that lead into the T-shaped back corridor. It was strange; he was basically going the opposite way he came. That flicker of hope had dissipated, but he knew it wasn't over. Not just yet.

Pyramid Head was no more. But his mission was not complete, he had to keep going. Past the point of no return, no backwards glances, just forward into what lie ahead. There was no light at the end of the tunnel; he knew that behind those doors lie his fate. Or perhaps fate was not the right word for it, he wasn't sure. What he was sure of though was that he'd find out soon. Very soon.

'Now it all ends…'

His dirty-gloved fingers wrapped around the large rusty door handles of the left set of double doors. Turning them ever so slowly, he pulled them open and peered into the darkness beyond. It was time.

(my fate)

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A/N: It's almost over – this fic is finally coming to a close. Unlike most though, I'm trying a different approach with this, similar to the multiple endings you get in the game Silent Hill 2. While it might seem way unorthodox, six different outcomes lie ahead for our weary protagonist, along with a closing epilogue. I know this is very weird, but it worked the first time around. You can choose whichever one you want to believe, all of them are intended as alternatives to one another. Keep in mind though that this is does not make this fanfic an Interactive. Nothing you do physically changes the outcome, it's just your choice what you wanna believe, or whatever.

Thank you all so much for reading this far, I really appreciate it! And I hope you will enjoy the finales!! )

Sonic19902