Author's Note:

Hi everyone, apologies for not having updated sooner. A little head's up, there's an event that may come across as very frightening. The reason why it occurs here is that due to what he does to Cynthia and Eileen in the first half of Silent Hill 4, the event in this chapter would most likely be something that Walter Sullivan would do to a victim. I will admit, I felt really awful for writing it and I nearly stopped, because what Sullivan does to Megan is really twisted. So, do let me know if you all think the rating should bounce up to M. If the event is too much to handle and if you want to skip this chapter, feel free. :(

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading the final boss battle and ending. After this, it's the epilogue. *is happy and sad at the same time*

Chapter 53: Fractured Emotions

(Some time later...)

S-M

It's going to be okay... Everything's gonna be fine...

Ever since the ambush I went through seconds after escaping from my cell, I did not stop sprinting until I managed to lose the monster who assisted the man in the coat in killing Maria. The sounds of his footsteps and gigantic knife scraping the floor thankfully died down, and were replaced with a machine's loud and steady roaring. I couldn't hear Mum's frightened screams anymore, which lead to my panic increasing even further. Hundreds of questions were running through my head, all at the same time!

Was she okay? Where is she? What happened to Dad, and is he alright too?!

My parents weren't the only ones whom I was worried about because I didn't see Team Sonic and the Herd since I tried to break Ellie and Shira's group out of their prison cells. My friends were probably either in the final otherworld or back in the real world, having escaped to safety. If the latter was true, then I was glad and relieved that they were doing okay. To be honest ... I thought that my friends were already out of the otherworlds, because I attempted to contact them with my communicator a few minutes prior. But unfortunatley, I didn't get a response. Oh well... At least everyone managed to escape, that was good for me.

Now, I need to focus on defeating the man, saving my family and getting out of the nightmare worlds aswell.

Taking in my surroundings, the prison was a little less darker than how it was before. A bright light surrounded a very long staircase in front of me, almost like ... it was beckoning me to ascend it and find out if someone happened to be waiting at the top. That was probably where my parents were being held! My instincts were screaming at me to sprint up straight away, but I held myself back for the time being. I didn't want to charge in unprepared, you know? I noticed that there were two tables lined together on my right, both filled with numerous books and objects belonging to some magical kingdom or cult. Adjusting my ponytail quickly, I walked over to the tables and picked up one of the books, reading every detail to see if I could find some useful information.

"I had that weird dream today. The one with the man with the long hair and coat. He was crying and looking for his mother again. I saw that man with the coat 10 years ago at this apartment. He was going up the stairs, carrying a heavy tool, an old-looking bowl and a bag that was dripping blood."

"Ew..." I muttered quietly in disgust, after reading the last part. However ... I didn't know what to say about the first part of the paragraph. Maybe ... Maybe the man in this guy's dream and the one my friends and I came across are the same?! Damn, I'm gonna have to read more if I want to find out. Pulling myself together, I continued on. "Okay..."

"I never saw him again after that. But a few days later, the neighbours complained that they heard strange noises coming from the supposedly empty Room 302. So, I took a look around and found signs that someone had been in there, but nothing odd other than that. But that's when it all started. I still hear strange noises coming from the window of Room 302 - Sunderland."

Without hesitation, I grabbed the next book I could find and began reading through that, feeling slightly startled by what I read previously. "Alright..." I sighed uncomfortably. "Got any other information you want to tell me?"

"Crimson Tome:

She who is called the "Holy Mother"
be not holy one whit.
The "Descent of the Holy Mother" is
naught but the Descent of the Devil.

There that be called the "21 Sacraments"
be not sacramental one whit.
The "21 Sacraments" be naught but the 21 Heresies.

To give birth to a realm of wickedness
within the blessed realm of our Lord be blasphemy and the work of the Devil.

If thou would stop the Descent of the
Devil, you must bury part of the
Conjurer's mother's flesh within the Conjurer's true body.

Thou must also pierce the Conjurer's
flesh with the 8 spears of "Void,"
"Darkness," "Gloom," "Despair,"
"Temptation," "Source,"
"Watchfulness" and "Chaos."
Do so and the Conjurer's unholy flesh
will become that which once it was,
by the grace of our Lord."

At this point, I didn't say anything as I was currently brainstorming on why I was presented with this piece of information. I had a gut feeling that the final section was something I had to do shortly. If this was going to help me stop our attacker's twisted plot and give me the chance to save my family, I'd do it! I was so close now and I wasn't going to let anything stop me! Panting, I frantically searched the tables for weapons and other useful objects; managing to find an already loaded pistol and a small red box with a rather disgusting smell coming from the inside.

The part of the Conjurer's mother's flesh must be in that box then. I better take it with me.

After grabbing the box and any other items I could find, I was ready to face the threat that awaited me. As I ascended the staircase, lots of thoughts and questions began entering my head at once. I was hoping and praying that I would be able to save my parents! If ... If I ended up losing them to this ordeal ... I don't know what I'd do. They'd want me to live life to the fullest in the time I have, and find something to fight for. I would do it for them, definetly but ... I don't know how I'd be able to cope if the worst happened...

I just hope that I'll be able to save my parents in time...

Shaking my thoughts away, I finished ascending the staircase and was instantly greeted with a horrific sight. Sitting in a lake of blood in the centre of the room was a massive and circular medivial-like machine. It consisted of several long rings with sharp spikes criss crossing repeatedly and creating small waves in the lake. On the outside of the platform I stood on were eight tall headstones; four on both sides. And sitting between them was this gigantic monster who was tied up with a large number of cords! I was glad that it was unable to reach me, but ... that and the disturbing machine weren't the only problems I had.

Because, guess who else was in the room?!

Standing about fourteen feet away from me, was the man in the blue coat. Beneath his dirty-blonde locks, his piercing green eyes lit up with amusement when they made contact with my wide fearful ones. Hiding my knife, pistol and the small red box in my jean pockets, I forced a frightened scream back when the monster suddenly decided to let out a thundering roar. Just seconds afterwards, I could hear a child's sobs echoing throughout the arena. It reminded me of one of the passages I read earlier, which lead to a very unsettling realisation...

"Mom, mooom! Let me in! Moooooom!"

"Hey there, little Walter!" The man bellowed in a uncharacteristic comforting tone, opening his arms and raising them up slightly. "Just a little longer now!"

This man was the deceased serial killer, Walter Sullivan.

Looking back on this, I felt really stupid for not realising it sooner. If I found out the reason why he was committing all the murders earlier, I would have attempted to convince him that what he did was wrong. Maybe our situation would have turned out differently, if I learned about his past and the reason why he was doing this rampage sooner! Shaking my thoughts away for the time being, my panic increased further when my eyes landed on a walkway and staircase heading down towards the machine, with two very familiar people standing on it.

Oh no... Nononono! Please don't tell me they're who I think they are! PLEASE!

My mother and father stood on the walkway, a few metres away from the staircase. Judging from how severe their injuries were, they looked like they went through hell. What made things even worse was the fact that their eyes were now a dull and lifeless red, instantly telling me that they had been possessed by Sullivan. I tried calling out to them desperately, but my parents didn't respond. I even considered finding a route past my crazed attacker to reach them, but I knew there was no way he was going to let me save my loved ones that easily! My features twisted into a thunderous glare when I looked at Sullivan. He seemed to be very pleased that he had the upper hand.

Well not for long, you won't! If you want to kill my family and friends so badly, you're gonna have to go through me!

"I see you discovered who I am, Megan." The serial killer addressed me calmly, lowering his arms and drawing a machete from his coat. Whoa, whoa, wait! How in the freaking hell do you know my name?! "I am under the assumption that you are wanting to know why I've led you here, and I will tell you." His sadistic grin widened as he took a couple of steps towards me. "You, your parents and Sonic the Hedgehog are the only ones left. Once the four of you are dead ... I will be able to stay with Mother, away from this cruel world. Where no one can treat me badly."

I ... I didn't know what to say. Judging from the way this guy spoke, he was also mistreated by his peers when he was younger, adults included! Now, I believe that everyone should be treated as equals respectfully. It doesn't matter if someone has a condition such as my one, for example. If someone is nice to me, I'll be nice to them. Sullivan was different, however. Sure, I felt bad for him due to the abuse he went through as a kid, but ... I was angered due to the murders he committed! Killing 24 people to reunite with your mother?! That sounded a bit extreme!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but ... I was torn between two possibilities. I could either convince him that what he did was wrong or kill him right there.

Guess which one I chose?

"Look," I began, cautiously. "I know how you feel, because I've been treated like sh*t by my peers too. But what you did was wrong. Do you really think that your mother will be pleased with you, upon discovering that you killed 24 innocent people?! Just to reunite with her?!" Yep, I decided to try and stop him from continuing his rampage by convincing him. I had a feeling that I wouldn't get a good result, but I had to do it! Maybe if Sullivan realised what he did was terrible, things would have turned out better!

But, nooope! The serial killer crossed the line when he responded to my attempts at talking some sense into him. "Shut the hell up! Nothing can stop me from awakening my mother! Those children at your school were right about you. Everyone you know would feel a lot better if you lost every single thing you loved and your own life."

All the worries I had were gone, and replaced with panic, hurt and anger. Just as he finished his sentence, my parents both took a couple of steps forward. I had limited time to save my family from suffering the same fates as Elise, Maria, Cybil, Eileen, Henry and the other victims did. I wasn't going to let anyone else die! Not after everything my friends and I went through! Sonic, Tails, Manny and the others were back in the real world safe, which meant that Sullivan's crazy plot was going to fail. That was good, but I didn't want to risk losing my kind and caring family to this madness aswell!

Breathing with intense panic surging through me, I turned around and sprinted towards the monster, fishing the small red box out of my jean pockets. Seconds after I opened it and grabbed the umbilical cord, I threw the latter as far as I could! Once it hit the monster, it somehow magically glued itself to the creature, forcing a spear to show up on each of the headstones as the monster let out a horriyfing shriek of agony. Sullivan had also fallen down in pain, seemingly connected to the former.

Okayokayokay! Y-Y-You got this, Megan! You got this! Next: Grab the eight spears and stab the monster with them!

Without hesitation, I began grabbing the first four spears and plunging them into the huge creature, looking back at my parents every so often with my panic rising faster and faster. Thankfully, Sullivan was distracted by the pain he endured which gave me more time to achieve my goal. Upon noticing that my mum and dad had taken another three steps forward, I sprinted over to the monster's right side and repeated the process of stabbing it with the next four spears. Once that was done, the creature gave an agonising howl which made Sullivan become vunerable to damage. Struggling to calm myself down, I fished my gun out of my pocket in case if he tried anything, just as he grabbed his own pistol and aimed it at me.

"Can't you see that you're going to die here?" My opponent demanded, smirking sadistically as he realised how frightened I was. "You and your loved ones?!"

"Maybe," I responded, trying to stop myself from shaking. "But I'm not going to let anyone else die in this crazy rampage of yours! Everyone deserves a chance to live life to the fullest in the time they have and enjoy every second of it! Why can't you see that killing people is wrong?! Please ... Please stop this rampage! You don't have to be alone anymore, and we'd be happy to help you move forward! Please stop this!"

There's gotta be a way to assist him in realising that he did something wrong!

"Not a chance!" Sullivan chuckled darkly, firing bullets nonstop at me. I managed to dodge a few and shoot back, but bad news. I ended up getting struck twice in my left shoulder, screaming in pain once the two bullets met their target. I had enough. I tried everything I could to convince him that what he did was wrong, and he didn't believe me! As much as I didn't want to, I realised that I had no choice but to kill him. If I wanted to survive, save my family and reunite with Team Sonic and the Herd, Sullivan would have to go down. Hissing in pain and breathing heavily, I aimed my pistol at my opponent and fired several bullets back, only just managing to hit him in his left rib, forcing a pained yell out of him.

Glaring daggers at me, he charged forward and just seconds after I managed to dodge, I found myself unfortunatley getting tackled to the ground. We were both wrestling, attempting to gain the upper hand. Looking back every so often at my parents worriedly, I managed to fish my switchblade knife out and plunge it into his left shoulder, struggling to break free. My hopes were soon dashed when his fist connected with my left eye. Hard. After a pained scream escaped my mouth, I managed to stab him with my switchblade knife three more times, before he tightly wrapped his hands around my neck and started choking me. I began twisting, turning and thrashing to break free from his grasp, violently gasping for breath. But once I looked back at the machine ... my fears became even worse!

Oh ... F*ck! F*ck! Nonononononono! They're getting closer to their deaths! I can't lose them! Not my parents! Please don't ... Please... I don't know what I'd do if I lost my family! Pleasedon'tmakemylovedonesdie! PLEAAASE!

I fought as hard as I could to pull myself up to my feet and stay awake, but due to Sullivan wrestling me down and the darkness surrounding my vision, it was impossible! Eventually, I was forced to give up ... and slowly drifted into unconsciousness, overwhelmed from everything I went through. I was still going to try and suceed in saving those I loved! But ... But, I didn't know if I had enough strength to continue...

I was so close to saving my parents' lives! I can't give up now! NOOO!

...

Looking back on this, I hoped that I wasn't out for too long as I knew I didn't have a lot of time left to accomplish my goal. As I slowly came to, I felt a heavy weight on my stomach which instantly told me that I was trapped. That wasn't the only thing that bothered me, as my parents were still in danger and black dots were dancing in my vision. Judging by how hard I collided to the ground, I probably had a concussion. Twisting, turning and struggling to break free, I opened my eyes and found myself staring up at an enraged Sullivan who was holding a burning hot needle in his left hand and grabbing my throat with the other, glancing at my exposed stomach with a menacing smile.

Nononono! I know what you're going to do! Please don't do it! Please...!

Right there and then, I knew what he planned to do. He was going to do the sickest and most horrible thing ever. It was something that would leave me heavily traumatised and frightened for a long period of time. Grunting and wheezing in pain, I thrashed around and fought to break free of the serial killer's grasp, noticing his machete lying a few metres away. He must have dropped his weapon at some point, whilst I was stabbing the monster with the spears. My opponent didn't see it as he was heavily focused on torturing me. What made things even worse was the fact that my parents had reached the half-way point of the staircase during the time I was unconscious! If I didn't finish Sullivan off soon, I'd end up losing my family! I threw my left arm up towards the machete and blindly attempted to grab it, with desperation surging through me.

Argh...! Don't give up now, Megan! Don't give up now!

"This will all be over soon." My opponent whispered in my ear calmly, grinning in a creepy manner as he slowly lowered the needle towards my stomach. I knew what was coming. The next couple of seconds were absolute torture! I'm not going to describe exactly what happened, but I can tell you this. As he carved a message, I tried so hard to escape! The pain I endured was unbearable, which lead to me letting out an agonising bloodcurdling scream until my throat became raw! I felt sick, and I wanted the torture to end. Throughout the entire thing, Sullivan was staring down at me with a twisted and satisfied grin. Almost like ... It was almost like he was enjoying this. My pained screams were like music to his ears ... and he wanted to listen further. Team Sonic and the Herd weren't around to help and my parents had been possessed, so I had to get out of the situation myself. And I did, by managing to grab the machete and without hesitation, plunging it into Sullivan's right arm. He screamed painfully, rolling off me. I immediately took my chance by straddling him and raising the machete above me. My opponent only got the opportunity to scream once. I plunged the now bloodied machete into him, over, and over, and over, and over again! Rage and fear surged through me as I kept going! I couldn't stop! My ears were ringing, my vision was blurry and my face was now heavily caked with blood. I couldn't stop!

"MEGAN!"

One of the voices I thought I'd never hear again, snapped me back to reality for a split second. But I didn't know who it was as I kept plunging my weapon into the now dead serial killer to make sure that he was never going to get back up and haunt me and my loved ones ever again. Things got even worse when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me off, influencing me to violently lash out with terror, screaming as I kicked, punched and attempted to twist my way out of the individual's grip desperately. But he was just too strong! "NOOOO! Don't f*cking touch me! NO!"

"Stop, stop! Ssh, Sshh, Look! It's me, it's me, it's me! Look, look!"

I eventually had to give up trying to escape, because the individual's hands had now cupped my face. My vision began clearing, which gave me the chance to get a good look at who this person was. Green eyes which matched my own... Cobalt blue...

"Sonic?!"

"It's me, Megan..."

The fastest thing alive was right in front of me sporting injuries which looked similar to my own and wearing my backpack! Just where did he manage to find it?! He wasn't the only one who arrived because our other friends were here too. Tails, Elise, Amy, Manny, Diego, everyone! Gasping for breath with tears beginning to brim, my eyes quickly scanned the staircase, desperatley wanting to see if my parents were okay. To my great relief, they were as they sprinted over to where we were, as fast as their legs could carry them.

Oh thank god...!

"MEGAN!" Mum screamed, reaching us and pulling me into her arms, hugging me tightly. "Are you alright?!"

"What the hell happened to you?!" Dad yelled, with worry lacing his tone.

"H-H-He ... He tried to ... He tried to—!" I attempted to answer, but failed to finish as I broke down sobbing, finally allowing the pain and sorrow I kept bottled up to fly free. I felt so relieved that my parents were alive, I felt guilty about the deaths of Elise, Maria and Cybil and I felt terrified about what could have been if I didn't manage to grab the machete moments ago. Sensing this, Mum didn't hesitate to tighten her grip on me and tried to calm me down by whispering into my ear: "It's okay, it's okay..."

"Mum!" I tearfully squealed, feeling traumatised by all of the negative events that happened since I came home from school that day. "It's okay now..." My mother reassured me, becoming aware that I was now violently shaking. Flashbacks of the ordeal entered my head. Failing to save nearly four friends from death. Fighting tooth and nail to survive. Making sure that my friends managed to escape the otherworlds unscathed. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Team Sonic and the Herd had stayed longer to find me, but ... I guess we've all become a family. I would have done the same thing if they were in danger, staying behind to save them. I mean ... it's what you do when you're with your family and friends, you look out for them, make sure that they're doing well and that they're happy... Mum soon pulled away to allow Sonic, Tails and Elise to latch themselves onto me as my cries slowly died down.

"We're all so sorry that we didn't arrive sooner!" The latter revealed, allowing her voice to crack slightly with emotion. I nodded to tell Elise that she didn't need to apologise. Sullivan most likely threw tons of obstacles in my friends' directions, attempting to prevent them from reaching me earlier. If that was the case, then I understood. "I-I ... I thought you guys ... I thought you guys were—"

"Back in the real world?" Sonic interrupted, scoffing slightly and wearing his trademark grin to cheer me up. "We don't leave our friends behind!"

"Sonic's right, kiddo." Diego butted in, placing a paw on my shoulder. "It's what you do in a herd, after all."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but let a tiny smile crease my cheeks. Mum and Dad both took the chance to thank my friends for helping me out during the ordeal and they were immediately greeted with a series of "You're welcome" and "We'd happily do it again!". Afterwards, we all began the trek out of Sullivan's nightmare worlds, not looking back once at the horrors we went through. I was able to move for a good bit but unfortunately had to stop, thanks to how bad my injuries were. Sonic noticed this and took my left arm, wrapping it around his shoulder and took hold of me with his right hand, letting me lean against him. Wincing in pain, I gave him a weak grin to say "Thanks" and he smiled back in response. During our walk out, I kept looking at my parents with relief and they returned the gesture, feeling just as happy as I was. Manny and Diego were both right. It is what you do on a herd, looking out for each other.

I think that's happened with us... We've come together as a family...

M-S

I have never witnessed such a violent and brutal event before in my life!

To see a little girl finishing off a crazed serial killer with a machete and end up cupping her bloodied tear-stained face in my hands, really hit me. Words cannot describe how bad I felt for Megan. I mean, c'mon! The poor kid was forced to watch her first three friends die at the hands of Sullivan, failing to rescue them! Before she unfortunately went missing with Ellie, Shira and the others back in Building World, Elise and I noticed a couple of signs indicating that Megan was suffering from survivors' guilt. I know for a fact that it would have been even worse if her parents got killed. Losing your family would be really bad and if our younger human friend didn't have anyone to go to ... what would she do?

Honestly ... I'd like to think that Megan would continue living life to the fullest in the time she has, and enjoy every second of it. I mean, if the worst came to the worst she'll still have me, Tails, Amy, Manny, everyone!

As I was on my way to the arena earlier, I ended up coming across Megan's backpack (which I took with me) and was soon pleasantly surprised to discover that Manny, Tails and their group had managed to find a hole in South Ashfield Heights and join us! There was another one, but it was rather difficult to find. Heh, heh! I guess you get to learn new things every day! My friends and I were really relieved to find Megan and her parents still alive and kicking. After I was rescued from being attacked much earlier on, I was more than willing to return the favor and save my younger human friend's life if she ended up in danger, aswell as Manny and the Herd. Thanks chaos I did!

"Hey guys, wait."

A voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I turned my head to look at Megan. We were now walking down a really dark hallway with a tiny white light at the end, which was presumably the exit. As much as I was looking forward to escaping, I wanted to see what was bothering our younger friend. Megan's parents, Manny's group and my team had also heard the young girl speak, as they too stopped to talk to her.

"What's wrong?" Ellie asked with concern lacing her tone.

"Is everything okay?" Tails butted in, also concerned for our friend.

"Yeah, I just need to say something." Megan took a deep breath, pacing to and fro for a second before answering. "First of all, I want to say Thank you for helping me find my family. I appreciate everything you guys have done to help, I really do. And I'm more than happy to return the favor and help you all, if you ever need it."

Hearing this, smiles painted mine and our friends' faces. "You're welcome," I replied happily, sliding her backpack off and handing it back to her. "Thanks Megan,"

The young girl responded with a nod to show her appreciation as she took her backpack and weakly managed to slide her arms through the straps. "But ... back when we got captured by Sullivan, back when you guys managed to escape, he threw me back into my cell and did some horrible things to me. You can probably guess what he did by the state I'm in. But ..." Due to her eyes beginning to well up with tears, Megan fought back an incoming wave of emotion. "As I fought him to save my Mum and Dad, he ... he-"

"What did he do to you?" Megan's father interrupted, with anger directed at Sullivan surging through him.

"H-H-He branded me!" The brunette teen answered, her voice cracking with emotion as she struggled to fight back memories of the horrific encounter she had with Sullivan.

WHAT THE HECK?! That ... THAT MONSTER!

Some of the girls gasped in horror, whilst the guys and I were fuming! Judging by the thunderous looks of rage and sympathy on our friends' faces, I could tell that some of them, including Knuckles and Shadow, wanted to kill Sullivan themselves for what he did to Megan! I wanted to attack the serial killer too! But at the same time, I knew Megan beat us to it which was really brave!

"We are all sorry that this happened!" Megan's mother tearfully said, placing a hand of her daughter's shoulder. "Your Dad and I, we're sorry that we didn't snap out of the possession force sooner too!"

"Your Mum's right," Megan's father butted in. "But ... that was a really brave thing you did, standing up to Sullivan back there. We understand that it was traumatising and it was something you had to do, though. Where did he ... Where did he brand you?"

"My stomach." The brunette teen replied sadly. "I think ... I think he branded a message there..."

"Do you mind if we see it?" Manny asked, with visible concern surging through him. "We gotta know if it's something bad."

Good point there, Manny.

The young girl nodded to show that she didn't mind and clenching her eyes shut with tears surfacing, she cautiously lifted up her shirt to reveal a horrifying message, with the text coloured a deep red:

"I am not done with you all."

"Walter."

My anger at Sullivan had increased even more, now! How could he do such a sick and twisted thing to a little girl?! Megan didn't deserve to go through that at all, especially due to the fact that she had to live with that for the rest of her life! Without realising it, dark energy began to surge through me. Warning bells instantly went off in my head, leading me to calm my anger down and fight my dark form. I didn't want to turn into Dark Sonic and make things even worse, but ... argh! I just wasn't fast enough! If we arrived sooner, Megan wouldn't have been branded! I don't normally have moments like this, believe me. But back in South Ashfield Heights, I realized that Megan meant a lot to me, just like Tails, Chip, Amy and the other members of my gang did. I remembered telling Elise that I begun to see the brunette teen as a little sister and that point, I was more than willing to save Megan's life. If she ended up in danger in the future, I'd happily rescue her again!

I even considered her to be a member of my gang.

"I ... I can't believe this happened to you, Megan!" Tails revealed, walking up to the young girl and hugging her. "None of this wouldn't have happened if we arrived sooner!"

The brunette teen sadly returned my little bro's hug before he pulled away. "Guys, what happened isn't your fault. It's me who should be apologizing."

"What do you mean by that?!" Amy wanted to know. "You didn't do anything wrong at all!"

"I'm not talking about the branding, Amy." Megan answered, feeling traumatized by everything that occurred in the ordeal we endured. "I, um, at the start of this ... I met three friends and... Sullivan killed them, right in front of me. Elise was the first to die." Upon being mentioned, guilt became visible in Elise's tear-filled eyes. I remembered her telling me back in St. Jerome's Hospital that she left Megan behind for a short while in Crisis City, only to meet her downfall at Sullivan's hands. At first ... I didn't know what to say about it.

But the good thing was that Elise was able to come back and continue helping us find Megan's parents!

"And then it was Maria, and then Cybil..." Megan continued, shaking slightly as she fought back a wave of emotion.

"Cybil Bennett, the police officer I called?!" Her father asked with horror and anger. "What happened to her?!"

"Sullivan cornered her on the carousel at the Amusement Park in Silent Hill," Megan answered tearfully. "I could have done something to save her and the others! If I acted faster, I could have saved them and they'd still be alive!"

"Hey, none of that is on you." Buck butted in, with Flynn nodding his head in agreement. "If it helps any, there was nothing you could have done."

Oooooh, bad move!

Hearing this, Megan sadly shook her head, allowing tears to escape her emerald green eyes. "Buck, Flynn. I know you two mean well, I really do. But no, that doesn't help."

Being the friendly and cheerful hedgehog I always was, I racked my brains for something I could do to see Megan brighten up and be in a positive mood. I remembered an adventure I had nine years prior, when I first met Elise. The two of us were just about to blow Solaris and the latter was reluctant at first, because that meant our friendship never happened and we'd end up forgetting each other. I was upset about it too, but it had to be done. To this day, I still remember the very last thing I said to her before she blew out the tiny flame.

"Just smile."

It worked with Elise multiple times before, maybe it could work with Megan too! I really liked seeing the latter's smile and hearing her laugh. Not just her, Tails, Amy and everyone else too! It always brightened my day to see my loved ones happy!

So, I decided to give it a try...

"Hey, Megan." I whispered, catching my friend's attention. "We're all going to get through this, okay? We're going to stick together as a group and help each other out." As the words left my mouth, murmurs of agreement came from my little bro, Amy, Elise, Manny and everyone else.

I then pointed to the cheerful grin on my face. "Just smile!"

The brunette teen gave me a confused look and locked eyes with her parents and Elise who sent grins in her direction, knowing exactly what I meant. After a moment, she realized what I was implying and slowly, allowed the corners of her lips to turn up into a small tearful smile. "Okay,"

Heeeeeey, it worked! Don't worry kiddo, we're all gonna help each other and soon we'll be living life to the fullest in the time we have, going on new adventures and meeting new friends! Just keep smiling and be yourself!