14. Fruitless
Julie-Su - March 27, 2036, 4:05 P.M.
As I went down Day Hill Road, I spotted a peculiar object sitting on the grass to my right. At first, I thought it was a rock but later saw that it was a steel-colored backpack. Curious, I pulled my motorcycle over and went to inspect it. Given that there weren't any buildings around for another two miles, it seemed out-of-place to me that someone would lose their belongings in an wide-open place like this.
I picked it off the ground and noticed that it had the letters "M-A" stitched onto the front in blue. I turned it around and saw a name tag attached to the back. The name, however, was scribbled out, and I could only make out the word "hog" which was written at the bottom of the tag.
Manik Acorn the Hedgehog. That's the the letters mean and what the name tag is suppose to say.
It was all too obvious. I immediately got out my transceiver and told my investigation unit to come to my location as soon as possible. If Sonic's missing family was previously here, then we needed to search around the area for anything that might help us find them.
I also decided that, just in case, Sonic should come as well so he could confirm that this really belonged to his son. I got out my personal cell phone and dialed his number, and he picked up almost instantly. I could tell how enlivened he was in his voice when I told him that I found a backpack that might belong to Manik.
"I'm on Day Hill Road, less than half a mile from the elementary school where Manik goes to. It's a pretty remote section, so you should be able to spot my vehicle and me easily." I directed him.
"I'm on my way! See you there in an instant." Sonic hung up. Knowing him, he'll be here in matter of minutes, maybe even faster.
Shortly after the conversation, my phone went off, signalling that someone was calling me. I checked the caller ID to see who it was:
Julie-Su - XXXXXXXXXX
Confused, I wondered, Why is my name appearing, and what's with the number being blocked out? I pressed the button to answer and held my phone to my ear.
"Hello? Who is this?" I asked.
"Julie? Julie-Su?" A female voice uttered from the other end of the line.
"Yes, this is Julie-Su," I said. "Who is this speaking?"
Ignoring my question, the girl inquired, "Are you one of Sonic's friend?"
I answered, "If you mean Sonic the Hedgehog, then yes, I'm a friend of his. Who is this?"
There was a moment of silence before girl said, "Give up now." and subsequently hung up.
What was that all about? I mused briefly, but decided to forget about it and concluded that it was only some stupid joke and put my phone away, though I still pondered about why she mentioned Sonic's name.
I went to my vehicle and propped the backpack on the seat for the time being and decided to further investigate the place until Sonic and my team arrived. Once I turned and walked back to the site, my phone went off again. I checked the caller ID and saw that it was displaying the same identification as before: Julie-Su - XXXXXXXXXX. I answered the call again and greeted, "Hello?"
It was the same girl. She demanded, "Stop. There is no point in continuing." before hanging up again.
At first I was getting annoyed by the girl's lack of clarity in what she was saying to me. But I soon realized a possibility: could she be watching me at this time? The way she spoke sounded as if she was aware of where I currently was and what I was doing, making me feel nervous. Suspicious and nervous, I glanced around my surroundings but didn't see anyone in my sight. As far as I knew, I was alone. However, if that was so, why was she talking to me as if she was watching me from somewhere? I took my transceiver out, reported to my team that a stalker was possibly nearby watching my every move and instructed them to watch out for anyone suspicious when they arrive.
"We're coming to you as fast as we can. Until then, stay safe and alert," One of my workmates told me.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." I assured him. "Just get here ASAP. Out."
I heard a "thud" behind me. I quickly turned around and saw that the backpack had fallen off the motorcycle.
How did that fall off? I made sure to set it down properly so that it wouldn't slip off… I raised a brow. There was no wind blowing, and even if there was, it would not have been able to blow the backpack off the seat that easily.
However, I quickly noticed an even stranger aspect - its main compartment was now wide open, not closed like it was when I first found it in this area. The zipper had moved from one end to the other seemingly on its own. I was becoming quite uneasy. I went to go lift the it up, telling myself, I didn't place it down properly. I didn't place it on the seat like I should have, and that's why it fell off.
Then why was I so nervous? Why was I making a big deal over this? It was merely a simple mistake I made. I told myself, Just pick the darn thing back up and put it back on the seat.
Then it twitched.
I backed away slightly and stared at the the backpack. I gazed it for a few seconds, wondering if it really did moved on its own. I'm losing my mind, I tried convincing myself. It did not move on its own. It did not.
But mere seconds later it began quivering rapidly and violently as if something was inside it trying to get out. I was stunned by what I was seeing in front of me. It continued to wriggle for a minute before it came to an abrupt stop.
Things only got more disturbing from here.
A hand slowly emerged from the bag. It wore a tattered white glove, ripped and stained with what appeared to specks of dried blood, and a gold bracelet on the wrist, tarnished and chipped. Its arm began to show, revealing pale and grey skin that seemed to be rotting. A second hand followed immediately afterward. The hands and arms twisted and turned before straightening themselves out and clawing onto the ground. When the arms tried to grab for me, I lost my balance and fell backwards.
What the hell is that? Now I was scared. Panicking, I backed away from the hands as they reached for me and quickly pulled my gun, aimed at the them and then…
Bang!
I fired a bullet into one the arms, causing both of them to immediately retract inside. The backpack laid still after that. I waited for about ten seconds for something crazy to occur, but nothing happened. I got back on my feet, keeping myself alert. Still holding onto my gun, I slowly approached and stared at it in consternation. I didn't dare touch it, however, as I wasn't sure what to expect next.
There's no way that what I experienced was real. I told myself. There is no possible way that an actual person could fit into that. It didn't feel heavy when I picked it up.
Eventually, I built up the courage to take a peek inside, and I saw that was completely empty. I put my own hand inside to make sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, and sure enough it was truly empty.
After holstering my gun, I picked the backpack up and put it on the seat, making damn sure that it wouldn't fall off this time. "Just as I thought. It was all in my head."
Still, why did I see such nightmarish visions? This wasn't a case of seeing ordinary illusions - they were lifelike hallucinations. I decided that I should schedule an appointment with a doctor after my shift is over. Perhaps I'll get a clear answer to what I was experiencing.
My phone went off yet again. Stressed, I whipped it out for the third time.
The voice on the other end whispered, "You should have listened."
Before I could even guess as to what that meant, a heavy object struck me in the directly in the head, knocking me down on the grass. My vision became blurry and my hearing became fuzzy. Immense dizziness followed, and I started feeling nauseous and extremely confused. I struggled to get back up, but my body felt virtually paralyzed. My muscles tensed every time I tried to move. So I just laid there, barely moving an inch.
My vision began to clear up a little, and I saw a pair of red boots in front of me. Using what little strength I had left, I turned my head so I could take a glimpse at whoever was standing in front of me. There was a girl in red with pink fur and deathly pale skin, staring down at me with a blank face. In her hand was a large red and yellow hammer, one that looked like a toy rather than one that was used for construction.
She's holding a hammer. I thought. She hit me with that hammer. She's carrying a weapon and she hit me with it right square in my fuckin' head.
The girl slowly lifted up her hammer up in the air, aimed for my head again and swung it down. The last I asked myself before the final impact was, Where is my team right now?
Sonic - March 27, 2036, 4:12 P.M.
When I arrived at the where Julie-Su had told me to go, I saw multiple police officers moving around in the area. Some of them were setting up barricades while others were looking around the place. Julie-su was present as well… but instead of working alongside them, she was lying on the grass, unconscious and severely wounded while another officer was inspecting her body..
I didn't realize how close I was to the crime scene until one of the officers walked up to me and called out, "Hello, Sonic. Are you here for a reason?"
I turned and saw that it was Mighty the Armadillo, Julie-Su's partner. "What? Oh, hey Mighty. I, um… I was requested to come here by Julie-Su. She said she found a lost backpack that might belong to my son."
Mighty looked at my keenly. "I see. That's what she told us as well. Julie-Su is currently incapable of working, so I'll be taking her place as lead investigator until further notice."
"What happened to her? Is she gonna be fine?" I questioned.
"She was attacked by an unknown assailant. Unfortunately, we were still on our way to her when it occurred. She isn't dead, thankfully, but she took one hell of beating. Got a couple fractures in her skull from what we can observe. I called an ambulance the minute I saw her on the ground." Mighty explained. "There's nothing we can do for her here. Anyways, what's even more odd is that the backpack she told us about…"
"Where is it? I don't see anyone holding onto it." I blurted. "Sorry for interrupting… I just want to see it for myself and make sure that it really is my son's."
Mighty sighed anxiously. "That's the issue - we can't find it anywhere."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" I questioned puzzledly.
"I mean just that - there is no backpack. Now, I don't believe Julie-Su was lying when she told us about finding what could have been your son's belongings, yet we've been searching this area and so far none of us have found anything of the sort." He explained. "Granted, we haven't been around for very long, but if she really found evidence, surely she would put it in a secure spot where we can easily see it."
"So does that mean you guys don't have anything at all?"
"That's right. I'm sorry."
I was greatly disappointed. I ran as fast as could to meet up with Julie-Su and the her team because they found potentially useful evidence that could help find Sally and Manik, only to see that whatever they found is no longer with them. I really hoped that we were finally getting somewhere, but it doesn't seem like we've moved forward.
I glanced back at Julie-Su's unconscious body, and a surge of anger flowed through my mind. I clenched my hand tightly in vexation, though I tried not to show this in front of Mighty. It was exasperating enough that we were robbed of an opportunity to find Sally and Manik, but the fact that it was because someone deliberately hurt Julie-Su really maddened me. Whoever attacked her didn't just beat her - they put her whole life at risk.
"Why would anyone do this to Julie-Su? Who'd do such a thing?" I sulked.
"I can't guess as to who the culprit is, but I don't think she was assaulted by chance." Mighty suggested. "I think her assailant is behind your family's disappearance."
My ears perked up and I asked, "What makes you say that?"
"While my unit and I were on our way to her, Julie-Su informed us that shortly after she supposedly discovered the backpack someone anonymous started giving her cryptic and vague messages through her personal cell phone," He revealed. "While we don't know what this anonymous caller exactly said to her, Julie-Su did say that they specifically mentioned your name in the first call and wanted to know if she was your friend. Because of that, I have no doubt that this person is involved in your family's disappearance. He or she must have attacked her and taken the backpack to possibly cover up their tracks. In addition, Julie-Su's call history on her phone was empty when we checked it, so they must have cleared it before running off."
"That sounds very plausible. Do you really think that?"
"Well, it's only speculation since I don't have any concrete evidence, but I do believe that to be the case given the circumstances of the situation." Mighty nodded firmly. Next, he questioned, "Speaking of which, didn't you tell the police department that someone was also giving you strange phone calls? Whatever happened to that person? Have you received any further phone calls since you told us about them?"
I had eventually notified the police and the investigation team about the mystery caller and the flyer that I found on my doorstep the other day some time after leaving the festival. In retrospect, I should have done so beforehand, but I hesitated - I was afraid of what the girl would have done if she knew if I was bringing the authorities along. "No, I haven't. I don't know when she'll ever call again. She sounded like she was done talking with me in the last conversation we had." I answered.
"Well, if they ever contact you - or if anything else concerning occurs again - you let us know as soon as possible. Don't be afraid and hold up like last time. Clear?"
"Clear."
A siren wailed in the distance as an ambulance approached the scene. "Alright… we'll continue investigating this area and get Julie-Su to the hospital. Thanks for your cooperation, Sonic." Mighty said. "I don't think you're needed here any longer. We'll notify you if we find anything major."
I nodded with assurance. "I got it, Mighty."
…
I pondered about Mighty's theory about what happened to Sally and Manik as I sped towards home. It intrigued me and, as such, made me feel even more scared than before. Mighty did say that it was only speculation, but it made a lot of sense to me as it did to him.
Whoever called Julie-Su must be the girl who taunted me about Sally and Manik's whereabouts had said to me that day after I left the spring festival. I remembered exactly she said to me that day. She said she was going to make me suffer… to make everyone suffer. Now that I saw what happened to Julie-Su today, I realized just how serious she was when she made that threat to me. She really was going after my friends and anyone I was close to. And that infuriated me even more. Why did she have to hurt others? It was me she wanted to hurt, and targeting people I love was unacceptable.
Still the question remained: Who is behind all this? I couldn't think up of anyone who would have an intense grudge on me. I've been on good terms with pretty much everyone I know in my personal life. If this was eleven years ago, Cream would have been the only one with a grudge on me for Amy's death, but even then someone like her wouldn't go as far as to commit a crime just to get back at me.
I guess I'll have to keep an eye out on some of my friends and associates, I told myself. Who knows if someone I consider to be my friend secretly hates me.
I arrived home and went inside, welcomed only by silence. However, when upon closing the door behind me, I heard loud footsteps coming from the second floor.
Oh no, is there a burglar in the house? I vigilantly made my way up the stairs and saw that Manik's bedroom door was ajar and swaying a little as if someone had just entered or exited the room. I cautiously pushed the door open all the way and was met with a surprise - in the center of the room, Manik's backpack was sitting upright on the floor. Pinned on the front of it was a small piece of paper.
"What the heck?" I looked around and realized that no one was in the room, which was weird because I didn't see anyone pass by me and the windows were closed and had no signs of being opened. But I was way more curious about the backpack and hastily moved on. I took the paper off and unfolded it. It contained a written message:
I will give you another chance to see Sally and Manik.
You will get to see me eventually.
Don't tell anyone else about this or else.
No one will be able to help you.
They will only end up like Julie-Su.
"It's the bastard who hospitalized Julie-Su that sent this to me. Pretty much confirms Mighty's theory," I scorned. "If this girl still wants to meet up with me, then she better show up properly this time."
I was fully determined to find out who this person was and what her motives were for kidnapping my family. After the incident about the festival, there was absolutely no way I was gonna let this opportunity slip.
But there was one part that concerned me - the part where the note instructed me not to tell anyone else about our future meet-up. Mighty told me to call the police without hesitation if something significant happens, and I had planned to do as he instructed. But I felt very reluctant after reading this note. Last time, the girl didn't specify if she wanted to me to come to festival alone. But now, she definitely wants to see me alone.
I wasn't sure of what I should do. Should I inform the police about what I found here (at least about the backpack) and risk the chance that this girl will do something bad to Sally and Manik? Or do I keep my mouth shut, go along with what the note tells me to do and hope for the best?
Damn it, what should I do?
