Chapter 18: Healing

M-S

(Flashback - Late January, 2007)

It was another tough day at work for me, due to my boss screaming furiously at people who he thought did something wrong. I luckily wasn't one of these people, which was a huge relief. But hey, there's always going home to look forward to.

I suspected that my husband was still at his workplace, just finishing up as well. He wasn't particularly a fan of his job and neither was I with my one. As I exited the building into the streets, I instantly took my phone out of my bag and dialled for a method of transport.

"Hi there, can I have a taxi please?" I asked the woman on the other end, smiling as one of my loved ones entered my thoughts. "It's going to North Ashfield Primary."

The woman then asked for my name which I told her, and she eventually said that it was on its' way. I quickly thanked her and hung up, still thinking of my loved one. It took about...five or ten minutes for my vehicle to arrive and soon we were moving. The driver seemed really nice; blond and slightly pale with sapphire blue eyes. He was in his mid-twenties and just like me, he was also looking forward to going home.

"So, do you have any plans for the week?"

"Yes, I do. My daughter's birthday's coming up, so my husband and I are getting everything ready for it." I answered, positively.

"That's cool, how old is your kid?"

"She'll be turning eight next month."

"Seems nice, I bet you're looking forward to seeing her then."

"I am, definitely." I replied, smiling at the thought.

Eventually, we reached the school and already kids were pilling out, excited to see their families. I got out of the car, thanking the driver as I did so. "Thanks a lot, hope you have a great day."

"No problem!"

My eyes scanned along the crowds of happy children and spotted one that I really wanted to see; She looked so adorable in her white shirt, jeans and trainers, along with her short light brown hair. Whenever she's with me or my husband, she's so happy and cheerful all the time, it's only if she's with other children or by herself that she becomes a shadow of her former self; frustrated, isolated and put down. Once I heard what was happening at her school, I swore that I would do everything in my power that make sure that she's okay.

And this little girl is my daughter, Megan.

Her emerald green eyes landed on mine and a huge grin creased her cheeks. "Hi mommy!"

"Hey you!" I shouted back enthusiastically, crouching down to her level as she ran up to me. "How are you?"

Megan took her time to respond as I could see from the look on her face, she was really pleased to see me. "I'm feeling a lot better now that you're here."

Hearing this, my smile faded slightly. "Oh, did something happen sweetheart?"

"It was just the same things that happen all the time really; I get ignored and spend most of my time alone." My daughter answered, sadly. Her tone suggested that her desire to be noticed by someone different was slowly growing, and I couldn't argue against her. I gripped her shoulders tightly and looked her in the eye, wanting nothing more than to make Megan happy.

"Someone will notice you one day, I'm sure of it. But now, we gotta keep trying and get the kids to understand you. But when the time comes, the right person walk up to you, tap you on the shoulder and say Hello. It will happen soon, just be patient."

I was expecting a negative response, but instead my daughter's infectious smile creased her cheeks as she nodded. "Okay, I'll try."

There was a moment of comfortable silence, before a brilliant idea came into my mind. "Now what do you say we head home and play a little bit of your favourite game franchise?"

As soon as those words left my mouth, Megan's face lit up with an excited grin due to the mention of a certain blue hedgehog. "I'd like that a lot!"

S-M

(Reality - Mid June 2015)

My guilt was now even more painful; I failed to save three victims whom I witnessed die at the hands of some insane monster. My trip through the town of Silent Hill was a memory that I desperately wanted to forget. As I pulled myself up, a scream of agony overtook me as I realised that my leg was still severely wounded, so bad that it needed stitching.

If there wasn't anyone else around to help, then I had to bite the bullet and do it myself. My mother used to train in first-aid classes at college and taught me how to stitch a injury when I was 13. So at least, I had some experience.

But not to stitch up my own wounds...

I quickly grabbed some tissues, a small jug of water and set of needles and thread, sitting down on the floor. I shuddered at the idea of doing this, but it had to be done. Lifting up my bloodied jean leg, I grimaced and struggled to hold back any incoming vomit as I gazed at my wound. Due to the dark scarlet multiple bite marks on my pale skin, I could tell that the sniffer dog's teeth had sunk deep thus leaving me in this horrific state.

"Okay," I whispered to myself. "The sooner you do it, the better..."

After pouring a small amount of water on my injury, I grabbed the needle and thread. Breathing heavily, I clenched my eyes shut tight and began the dreadful process. I screamed in pain and agony, as I fought hard not to slam my head into the living room table. "Just keep going, just keep going!"

Soon, I managed to stitch my leg back together. The fortunate thing was that it was over, but that meant that my living room floor was now mildly stained in dark red. I gasped in relief and applied pressure to my wound with a tissue. "Thank god..."

Hopefully I won't have to do that again...

I spent the next couple of minutes trying to calm my breathing and to keep my mind of the horrors that the Herd and I have been through. I attempted to clean up the blood stains and managed to make some progress, but unfortunately they were still there, but slowly fading away. "Alright..."

Looking around, I remembered that there were two other things I needed to do. I quickly put the items back and ran over to the kitchen to wash my hands. Afterwards, I ran into my bedroom to get changed. My new outfit consisted of a simple white t-shirt with a striped jacket with different shades of blue. I then stripped out of my jeans to put on a lighter pair, discarding my favourite outfit into the wash basket I kept in my own bathroom.

"Okay, well that's sorted out." I murmured to myself. "Now let's go and see what's up with Sonic."

Re-entering the living room, I walked over to the small hole and knelt down to look inside. The sight I was greeted with was rather pleasant and cheerful, one that brought a huge smile to my mouth.

"Aaaaaah! I'm so excited, guys!"

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Shadow were all dressed in their party outfits and I gotta say, damn! They looked smart! Amy was dressed in a floral pink dress coming down to the knees, whilst the boys were dressed in suits draped in their signature colours.

Team Heroes sat on the bed, laughing in amusement at Amy's excitement and Shadow was smiling too, crossing his arms deep in thought. I couldn't help but let out a giggle at what was happening. "This is so cool..."

Seems everyone's looking forward to their celebration, good for them. "Calm down Amy," Sonic said, grinning at Amy jumping up and down with enthusiasm. "We're excited too."

"Well of course I am. It's time for us to party!" Amy chirped, smiling at her friends.

"Oh," Knuckles spoke up. "I think we're almost set. You ready to go Shadow?"

"Indeed." The ultimate life-form replied.

"We'll see you down in the lobby, Sonic. You gonna be okay up here?" Tails asked, pulling himself up with Knuckles, Amy and Shadow in tow.

Sonic just simply threw a wide grin and his signature thumbs-up. "Yeah, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

I'm sure you will...

The four then exited the room, leaving Sonic to have some last minute thoughts. Just as I was about to leave, an unexpected event occurred. My idol was now looking in my direction and leaning forward slightly.

Whaaaaat?! No, no, this is not happening.

Shaking my head a couple of times, I kept my eyes locked onto his. Maybe...this can be my chance...

I can finally strike up a conversation with someone I hold close to my heart...

Unaware that I was now trembling in excitement and nervousness, I balled my hands into fists as Sonic slowly got up and took a step forward. "Hello?"

Don't waste this, Megan. This is the only chance you're going to get!

"Um, um,..." I stammered. "H-Hi, um..., I'm Megan and I'm ... one of your fans..."

Panting, I braced myself for the moment that I waited so long for. But unfortunately, the blue hedgehog stopped and shook his head in disbelief. "No, there's no one there."

"W-What?! I'm right here!" I cried out, waving both my arms hysterically. "See me?!"

No answer. Sonic sighed and decided to leave the room in preparation for his party. I smacked my forehead in annoyance, having blown yet another chance to talk to my idol.

"Alright..." I muttered, trying to calm myself down. "We can try again."

Pulling myself up to my feet, I grabbed my pistol and some extra bullets for it. Walking into the bedroom, I gazed at the hole with hesitation. This time, it looked different strangely. It was now round with a clear halo of the sun pattern and four placards labelled with different words; Temptation, Source, Watchfulness and Chaos. I frowned in thought, snapping out of my dream-like state. Taking a deep breath, I lifted myself up and crawled my way in.

Where will the hole lead to this time?

Truth be told, I have a horrible feeling that I know who the next victim is...

Regardless of where I end up, I'm going to do everything in my power to prevent the next murder...

And hopefully, I'll manage to get a good result.