18. Punishment
Sonic - April 2, 2036, 6:30 A.M.
My phone went off, waking me up from my slumber. Rolling over my bed, I picked it up and tiredly answered, "Hello?"
"Sonic? Are you available right now?" It was Tails.
Still drowsy but attentive, I checked the time before responding, "Yeah, I am. Geez, it's half past 6 in the morning. You're up pretty early on a Sunday."
"I finished a prototype of that device you wanted me to make. I need you to check it out." He explained.
"Already? You didn't kill yourself staying up all night working on it, did you?" I got out of bed and put on my usual shoes. "Whatever. If you need me right now, then I'll be right there."
"Good! Get here as quick as you can."
"Tails, you know I'm faster than quick," I chuckled. "I'll be there in less than a minute. See you then."
I hung up and dashed out of my home, arriving at Tails' place in no time. I knocked on the door and waited for him to answer. When he didn't open up after four minutes had passed, I knocked again and called, "Tails, I'm here!" But after standing around for several more minutes, I didn't even hear him coming to his door.
Puzzled, I called his number and again waited for him to answer. He didn't and the call went into voicemail, but then I received a text from him:
Go round the back n come in thru the wrkshop. kinda stuck r.n.
"Um, okay. Must be working on something big, I guess." I went around his backyard and let myself in the workshop. There was no one inside, however.
"Tails? Are you here?" When I didn't get an answer, I started walking through his house, going from room to room looking for him. I kept calling his name and asking him where he was, but he wouldn't respond. I got to his bedroom but didn't find him there, either.
An uneasy feeling began to manifest inside me. I texted Tails back, asking if he actually was in his house. Immediately afterwards, I heard a "ping" sound nearby. I turned my head to my right and noticed Tail's phone on his desk. It had received my message.
Something isn't right… if Tails said he was stuck, how could he have texted me when his phone is right here and not on him? I wondered if he was simply joking, but that couldn't be it—Tails wouldn't mess around with me when he knows how serious my situation is. He was absolutely not that kind of person.
"Sonic? You here?" A faint, barely audible voice came from above. "I'm in the attic!"
I shook my worries away. "I guess I was just overthinking things," I said to himself before replying, "Okay, Tails! I'll be right up there!"
I found the door to the attic and trotted up the stairs. "So what have you got for me this—"
I stopped dead in my tracks upon arriving at the top step and almost fell back in horror. In front of me was indeed Tails, but he was lying completely still on the floor with a large, bloody wound on his head.
"Oh my god… Tails!" I cried, kneeling down. "Wake up! Tails, wake up!"
Panicking, I shook him repeatedly, but it did nothing to awaken him. I put my fingers to his wrist and, thankfully, felt the beating of his pulse. Though it relieved me to know that he was still alive, he was unconscious and needed immediate help. I hastily dialed 9-1-1 and waited for the operator pick up. Then the line went went dead after half a minute, and the ringing was replaced by a long, monotonous beep.
"What the hell?" I hung up and redialed 9-1-1, only to get the same result. "Why can't I reach the police? What's going on?"
"You won't be able to save him…" An eerie voice croaked from behind. Before I could turn around, a powerful force hit me in the back and sent me flying to the other side of the attic. I yelped in great agony and hit the wall hard before crashing onto the floor. Intense pain lingered throughout my entire body, and my head became hazy from the impact. I struggled to stand up with my body aching, but then something invisible and heavy pushed me down and kept me pinned to the floor. A pair of red boots appeared in front of me.
"Who… who are you?" I stammered.
"Look at me and see for yourself, Sonic," My attacker taunted softly. I peered up and saw a girl in a tattered red dress, her fur dull pink and her skin pale gray. My sight was blurry so I couldn't make out her face very well but it soon cleared up, and I was staring into a pair of blank, white eyes.
It was her.
….
Laying on floor aching, I tried to convince myself, No… this is only another nightmare… just like the one I had before! Nothing but a stupid nightmare!
But it was her. I didn't want to believe it was her, but it was goddamn her. It didn't make sense at all, but it fucking was her.
"Good…" She uttered before walking back to Tails.
"What? No… leave him alone!" I stammered. She grabbed Tails by his head and positioned him so that he was kneeling.
"Please, don't hurt him anymore! I'm begging you, please!" I tried desperately to get up, but I still couldn't move a muscle.
"I warned you not to get anyone else involved… you should have listened…" She jabbed her finger into Tail's neck, cutting into him as if it were a knife.
My eyes widened in terror. "NO! DON'T DO IT!"
But she proceeded to slash his throat. I screamed and screamed as he bled until I fainted.
