21. Risk
Cream - April 3, 7:49 A.M.
"Miss Cream! Oh, thank goodness… you're alive." A frantic voice called to me as my opened my worn-out eyes to Dr. Aratov. I looked around and saw a police officer standing beside him, but he was neither Officer Rayn nor Officer Mighty—it was instead a blue-and-white echidna. Not only that, I soon noticed that I was in a different room.
"Wha… what happened?" I asked, my head feeling dizzy. "I remember someone coming into my room and strangling me."
"Well, I don't know what exactly took place here, but you and the officers were indeed attacked by someone last night." The doctor explained. "We moved you to another room as your previous one is currently being investigated by the police. Are you feeling alright?"
"I feel light-headed and groggy, but that's about it," I answered. "Will I have to stay here for an extended amount of time?"
He sighed in relief. "No. If that's all, then you should be fine. It didn't appear that this attack exacerbated your condition, but we needed to be sure, of course."
"Are Officer Rayn and Mighty okay? They're the policemen who were visiting me."
He shook his head in grief. "Unfortunately, they are no longer here. Both were inflicted with fatal blows to their heads and were declared dead when our doctors arrived at the scene."
I was mortified and felt my eyes nearly water. Two more people were killed… why did this have to happen? I may have survived yet again, but that only made me despair for what would come next. How much longer was I going to have to endure this?
Then I realized: Why was I alive? Why didn't she finish me off last night?
"Doctor, may I exchange with the patient?" The officer requested.
"Of course. I'll leave you two for now." Dr. Aratov said before leaving the room.
The officer turned to me and began asking, "Miss, I'm Detective Eris from the state police. I've been informed by the Dutres Police that you were the victim of a murder attempt that took place in their town and your mother was murdered in your hometown of Station Square. Is that correct?"
I sniffed, "Yes, sir."
"Alright. Can you tell me what happened here as much as you can recall?"
I stopped tears from rolling down my face and took a breather. "Well, there wasn't much that happened prior. Officer Rayn left the room for a minute to answer a call, and then we heard him drop his phone on the ground. When Officer Mighty went to see if he was alright, this girl immediately knocked him down with a hammer. Then she came up to me began to choke me until I passed out. That's all I can remember."
"Was this girl the same pink hedgehog that attacked you back there?"
"Yes, it was her! There's no mistaking it!"
"And can you describe the weapon she used here?"
"It was large like a war hammer. Red and yellow. It's a pretty unique design." I had zero doubts that no one else owns a hammer like that, much less wield it. Only she could handle such a weapon properly, after all.
"Is that all the information you can provide us?" Detective Eris inquired, to which I nodded. "Can you move on our own? We're planning to move you to a different building."
"What? Why?" I uttered.
"You aren't safe here anymore. The state department is offering you witness protection, and that will require us to transfer you to a different hospital. It's unlikely the culprit will come here again, but it's better that we move you somewhere else in secrecy just in case." He explained.
"Wait—if I apply for witness protection, does that mean I'll have to change where I live and my identity?"
"That may be necessary to keep you safe, at least until the criminal is apprehended and a trial is set."
I tilted my head down slightly, contemplating the situation over. After a short while, I reluctantly decided, "I…I don't want to enlist."
Detective Eris raised a brow and looked at me like I was out of my mind. "Excuse me? You want to opt out?"
I responded, "Yes. I know it's a stupid and dangerous decision but… I don't think I'll be much safer if I join this witness protection program. This girl has been after me for the past several weeks, and somehow she always seems to know where I am. First, she learned where I lived and killed my mother when she was home. Then she found out I went to Dutres and attacked me there. And now… she learned that I was sent here, slipped through security and tried to finish me off. It's as if she's omnipresent or whatever."
He insisted, "I'll admit that we're still baffled as to how she got through without being noticed or raising suspicion, but being a part of this program will not leave you exposed. You'll receive increased protection and surveillance from our police force to ensure your safety. Even having some security is better than none at all."
"I understand that. Yet, as crazy as it sounds, I feel like if I need to confront this person myself or otherwise she'll never stop. There's something about her that's bothering me, but I can't really explain it to you without making it confusing." I tried telling him.
"Miss, are you absolutely sure? I can't force you into this, but you're putting yourself at a large risk by waiving our offer."
I simply reassured him, "I know what kind of situation I'm putting myself into."
Detective Eris sighed in doubt. "Fine. It's your call, though I'm not sure why you would decline. But if you have any second thoughts—" He handed his business card to me. "You can contact us anytime."
I took it and thanked him for his concern. Normally, any sensible person would take up the offer of witness protection, but this was not normal. I realized that the person we were dealing with was not really a person but someone totally out of this world. No level of physical security was going to protect me from the culprit. While I still found it hard to believe, there was no denying that everything that has happened were real and authentic. My heart was beating furiously in consternation thinking about it.
Amy Rose may be dead, but she was far from gone.
