Chapter Three
Tick. Tick. Tick.
His eye began to twitch in sync with the ticking of the clock. Before long, that very same clock may mysteriously find its way smashed outside against a tree if it kept up its infernal ticking. But he couldn't do that. He wouldn't. Afterall, there would be no point; he'd just have to replace it again anyway after being yelled at by Tails for twenty solid minutes. No, better to leave it where it was. He shook his head, trying to ignore the infuriating noise.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
His hand gripped the settee beside him so hard he was surprised it wasn't ripped up yet. He couldn't sit here in complete silence, it wasn't his style. He debated the risk of getting drenched on that run he'd wanted earlier, but hastily shoved the thought aside.
'Not worth it.'He'd told himself.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
He hadn't even realised it, but his leg had started to tap on the hardwood floors. Wait, hardwood? Oh yeah, that's right, they hadn't re-carpeted the front room yet. He knew there was something they'd forgotten in here…
Tick. Tick. Tick.
His ears flicked back in annoyance. He really wished Tails would just wake up already, he couldn't sit here by himself like this. He never could. He remembered trying time after time, but he could, on no occasion, sit still for long – drove him up the wall it did, sitting still.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
"That's it!"
He was up off the settee in an instant, jumping up like a popped popcorn kernel. Glaring up at the analogue clock of the left wall, he spun around and marched for the door.
"Screw it! I'll take my chances with the damn rain." He growled, hand already on the rickety doorknob.
He swung the door open, his resentment for the ticking clock overriding all sense of logic. A curtain of rain smacked him in the face the second the door was open, but he was too irked to care anymore. Sprinting into, instead of away from, the storm for what may have been the first time ever, he ignored the way the rain made his fur awkwardly cling to his thin frame. The rain was getting into his eyes too, making it difficult to see. He was past the point of caring.
Until…
Slip. Slide. Crash.
He groaned in agony. He'd skidded in the mud and collided with a tree, full force. It was honestly a miracle he hadn't broken anything.
"A-ah!"
Scratch that, he hadn't broken much. Just maybe his arm… and his pride.
He hissed. He wouldn't've slipped at all if the rain hadn't have blinded him… no, he wouldn't've slipped if he'd have just stayed inside to begin with. Why had he left? Why couldn't he just deal with hanging around the house until his brother woke up? What was his problem?
He was actually a tad bit appreciative of the tree as it helped to shield him from the brunt of the downpour. Pushing himself up against the trunk, one arm pressed protectively against chest, he attempted to get himself into a comfortable sitting position. He failed in his effort to make himself comfortable, but at least he was sitting up now. He squinted through the haze of rain, struggling to identify exactly where he was.
For a while he just sat there, motionless. Any movement could agitate his freshly broken arm. He sighed. He had too much energy all the time that he just couldn't wait. Maybe that's why he wasn't getting any sleep recently – he wasn't burning off the excess energy flowing through his system.
But then, if that was the case… where'd the extra boost of energy come from…?
Him.
It had to be him, there was no other explanation. He truly was the one messing with him. But, how? Why? He thought that he was rid of him ages ago. Unless… unless he never left in the first place.
His blood suddenly ran cold through his veins, his face paling and an involuntary shiver shooting up his spine and not because of the cold from the rain. He was almost numb to the rain at this point, his brain more focused on the horrifying realisation that he had been with him the entire time. He was merely lying dormant this whole time, making him and his friends believe that he was gone.
But he wasn't. He wasn't gone. He wasn't going anywhere. He was ready to play. Sonic immediately decided that he wasn't a fan of this game.
Fleetway was back. And he wasn't going anywhere.
(This isn't a particularly long chapter, but I had some inspiration and decided to role with it... also helped that I was doodling and came up with the perfect cover too!
~Fortune)