Chapter 23: Sonic the Hedgehog

Oh, my- Just ... WHAT?! Elise, the Herd and I went all over the hospital searching for this guy, and now he's standing front of me with a pleasantly surprised expression written on his face, like he wasn't expecting us to show up.

What the hell...?!

As pleased as I was to see him, I couldn't help but notice Sonic's injuries. Thankfully, he looked a lot better but still, there were a few bruises and cuts here and there. Other than that, Sonic remained the kind, cheerful and friendly hedgehog as always; like he was never attacked by the man in the coat.

"I'm kinda surprised to see you here..." He said, smiling gently at me.

Hearing this, I snapped back to reality and returned the gesture shyly. "Are you kidding me? We've been looking everywhere for you."

"We?" Sonic pondered, frowning in thought.

My shy smile widened as I gestured for my idol to look behind me. Elise calmly walked up to us, wearing her bright and excited grin. "Hi, Sonic. It's great to see you again."

"E-Elise...? I ... Aren't you ... Aren't you—?"

"Yes, I am. But I will get round to explaining that later." She replied, folding her arms behind her back in an elegant way. "How are you feeling?"

Sonic sighed. "I've been worse. If it wasn't for that kid and those animals, I'd still be lying there."

Well, we didn't want you to die...

"I never caught your name, did I?" He asked, turning to face me.

"No." I responded, offering my hand for him to shake. "Megan Ellis. From Room 302."

My idol grinned as he shook it. "You already know who I am, so I don't have to tell you..."

I couldn't help but giggle, hearing that. But however, I was thinking about what was going to happen to us next; if we have to go through more otherworlds or I could lead everyone to the hole and get out. I sure as hell wasn't going to think about the second option, because my mother was still in danger and I needed to rescue her. I supposed I could make a quick trip back to my apartment to pick up some things, but I wasn't going to leave the nightmare without my loved ones. I wasn't that type of person who only looked out for herself and I didn't want to be.

Because, my family and friends always come first. And it's going to stay that way.

"Hey, do you two know if my friends are alright?" Sonic asked, with concern lacing his tone. "Tails? Knuckles? Amy? Shadow?"

"Unfortunately, not." Elise answered sadly. "I imagine they're here too, but safe and sound from ... All of this."

Looks like we're going to be stuck in the otherworlds for a REALLY long time...

"I knew it. This is a different reality." My idol muttered, after a moment of silence. "Kid, you know very well that I hate hospitals, but this nightmare version is freaky! Even those nurses who happen to make funny noises as I attack them."

I agreed with him 100%. The version we were stuck in was freaky, with all of those weird sights and everything. But that didn't stop me from brightening the mood by coming up with a humourous phrase which shocked me completely. "Welcome to St. Belch's Hospital."

Wow.., I've never done that before! I guess, stepping out of your comfort zone can sometimes be a good thing...

To be honest, I was expecting a confused response from both Sonic and Elise, but the one I got sent relief flooding through my chest. Huge grins spread across their faces, seconds before the latter burst out laughing.

"Yeah, very funny." Sonic scoffed, shaking his head with amusement.

"I try to be." I replied, smirking cheekily.

M-S

Already, I was beginning to develop a liking for this kid.

I mean, c'mon! She sounds friendly, has a sense of humour, is able to hold her own against dangerous enemies and saved my life!

Even so, I was quite worried about her safety. When I first saw her, I didn't know who she was and why she burst into my apartment with her friends. But as I watched them take down the man, I managed to get some idea and I wanted to help, despite being on the brink of death. As soon as the knife fell near me, I knew that it was my chance and I wasted no time in grabbing it.

It was the least I could do...

Once I laid my eyes on Elise, I was shocked. I remembered meeting up with her in my own adventure before the attack and she looked perfectly alright. But seeing her here, deceased, sent confusion running in my head.

Why was she here? Shouldn't she be in the afterlife?

I decided not to ask, due to hearing the kid's reply after I told her that I was surprised to see her.

"Hey, there he is!"

The three of us quickly spun round to see the prehistoric group of animals exit the door at the far end. Some of them looked relieved, whilst the others wore tired grins which told me that they spent a rather long time looking for me.

Man, I feel bad for them. But still, I hate hospitals!

"Hey kid, name's Diego." The male smilodon said, nodding with a small smile. "And this is my wife, Shira."

The female smilodon also nodded in acknowledgement. "Hi there."

One by one, the animals began introducing themselves and I greeted them with my usual cheery smile and thumbs-up. They seemed quite nice, just a little scared about the nightmare they were trapped in. Speaking of, I couldn't help but notice that Elise's young friend seemed frightened of the freaky worlds too.

There has to be something I can do to make her feel better...

"Hey," She began, after tapping me on the shoulder. "We're going to continue on in finding a way out. Would you ... like to come? We're happy to help you out, it's not a problem."

I didn't hesitate in answering. If Elise, her friend and the animals could assist me in escaping from these worlds, then definitely. Besides, I love making new friends and they all seemed pretty nice! "Yep, I'm in!"

Hearing this, the brunette teen grinned at me, which prompted me to return the gesture. "Alright, then. Cool."

And so, we began making our way down to the first floor. I knew that I was about to go on another journey with a group of new friends; a young girl, a princess (whom I already knew) and a large team of animals.

Let's do this. Adventure, here I come!