Chapter 25
JJ: Hey guys! This is gonna be a short chapter-
Josh: WHAT?! I become a zombie hunter for one night, and you decide to make it a short chapter?!
JJ: Okay okay! Long chapter then.
Josh: Harumph!
Me, Knuckles, and Sonic slowly began to back up to the fence. From what we could tell, we were in deep trouble.
"Maybe it was just a corpse someone accidentally dug up..." Knuckles said reassuringly.
"That thing was gripping my ankle." I replied. "That thing was alive."
I bumped into something behind me. A stench arose that made my hair stand up on end. I froze, as did Sonic and Knuckles. Sonic hurriedly checked over his shoulder, then grabbed my arm and dashed off, Knuckles quickly following. I looked over my shoulder.
Zombies.
Hundreds of 'em. Of all types too, cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, everything. I gave out a small yelp.
"How is this possible?" I asked breathlessly, too shocked to be afraid... for now. Sonic didn't respond, continuing to run. I noticed we weren't running towards the fence. I looked around, and noticed that the actors were running away from a large group of zombies that had cropped up. More and more were clawing their way out of the ground. I saw the fear in everyone's eyes as the hoverboarders fled away from the fence, back to the starting line.
"Sonic, we gotta help them!" I yelled to my brother.
"I'm getting you somewhere safe first." He replied. He ran into the beginning of the surrounding forest and ran me up the tallest tree he could find. "I'm not going to risk losing you again."
"C'mon, let me help!" I whined. Amazingly, I felt little fear. A strong desire to help the actors crowded out the other emotions. "I'm not defenseless, I have Chaos Powers!" Sonic smiled a bit.
"I know you can." Sonic mussed up my hair before running back down the tree and into the field.
"Don't touch them!" I called out after him. Sonic turned and gave me a thumbs-up. I leaned back on the tree and sighed. I watched the fight ensue, feeling a bit... bored. Now that I was safe up in a tree, the whole "rising-from-the-dead" thing didn't seem too scary...
How are they doing that anyway?
"Hey guys?" I asked the Spirits. "Is there any Chaos Energy floating around here?"
"...Nope, none as far as I can tell." Ilo said.
"He is right." Viha concluded. "Besides, one of us on our own isn't strong enough to wake the dead. We can rule out anyone using one of our brothers or sister."
"This isn't waking the dead." I said, my focus returning to Sonic and Knuckles. "It's just making them move. If they were actually awake, they wouldn't be eating people." I watched as they improvised weapons out of fence posts Knuckles pulled out of the ground. They were doing very well for first time zombie hunters.
Josh: Hey, I thought I was going to fight zombies!
JJ: Shut up and quit breaking the fourth wall.
I sat up as I realized something.
Making them move...
Could these guys just be puppets? Okay, how do you get something dead to move like a puppet?
"Hey, what about electrical energy?" I asked the Spirits again.
"E...lectrical?" Suru asked.
"What are you getting at?" Pelko asked me.
"Answer my question first, I could be wrong." I replied. Everything was quiet for a moment.
"This is using up a wish by the way, are you sure you're okay with this?" Ilo chimed.
"What, why?" I asked in shock. I stopped Ilo before he could explain. "You know what, don't have time, just do it." One of the Emeralds on my ring briefly shone.
"Yes, there are some electrical currents, right over here." Ilo answered. A little arrow appeared in my vision, right above where the fight was going on. "There's some in a current too, in the air."
"Radio signals?" I asked.
"We don't have those on this world, but it's something like it..." Ilo said. "It's patching over to the zombies."
"Someone's controlling them." I said quietly. I made my way down the tree.
"Where are you going?" Viha asked in alarm.
"To find the source of the signal. Can you show me the waves?" I asked. I reached a foot down to get to the next branch. I had to remind myself to not look down.
"How we see them?" Pelko returned.
"Yeah, sure." I said. I lowered my foot, searching for the next branch.
"That will cost a wish." Suru said quietly.
"Is it really that hard?" I grumbled. "Fine, it's okay, just do it."
I felt a small tingle as another Emerald glowed. My vision blurred briefly before snapping back into focus.
"Once you're done with this, we'll need to change your eyesight back. You'll go blind if you arrive in a city." Ilo reported. I looked over to the battle to test my new sight. Sure enough, all of the zombies were glowing a dull yellow. A waving line of the same color trailed away from them and meandered into the forest. I turned and followed the line with my gaze. Wherever the controller was, it was pretty deep. My thoughts turned to my experience in Chaos Space, when I was attacked by the Blue Emerald.
"Sonic wouldn't want me wandering off..." I thought to myself. "But... this time it's not like I'm really in danger... not like the last time."
With that sketchy rationalization, I decided to follow the energy. I knew it was a bad idea, but Sonic needed my help. He's done a ton to protect me, the least I can do is return the favor right?
Speaking of!
"I probably should tell Sonic I'm going..." I mused. "He won't be happy with it, but he can't do much to stop me."
"That'll cost you a wish too." Ilo said.
"Really?" I groaned in annoyance. I stepped down on a branch. Before I realized what happened, it snapped beneath my weight, and I fell. I acted in panic and on impulse.
"I wish I wouldn't hit the ground hard!" I quickly shrieked as I fell. The third Emerald popped into my hand and glowed as I slowed to a stop, right before I hit the ground. I stood myself up and looked around. No one noticed... I looked up at the tree and found the broken branch, barely clinging to the trunk by a few fibers. The fall wouldn't have killed me probably, but I would have gotten a major concussion, not to mention broken bones all over. "I'm using a lot of wishes today..." I said quietly.
"Just one left." Pelko warned.
"Do you still wish to contact Sonic?" Viha asked. I shook my head and began walking, following the energy trail above me deeper into the forest. I needed to keep one wish, in case of emergency.
Sorry Sonic. I'll try to get back before you finish fighting.
"Hey, why are you the only one using contractions Ilo?" I asked, trying to take my mind off the dark, spooky forest ahead.
"Contractions are fun!" Ilo happily chirped.
"It sounds so informal..." Suru griped. "We need to keep some formality when speaking."
"Not me!" Ilo gloated a bit.
…...
I glanced around the forest nervously. My eyes had finally decided to adjust to the dark, but it didn't do much to calm my flaring nerves. Every little sound, every snap, every hoot, every howl, set my heart racing. I was ready to break into a run if needs be. (Unfortunately for me, my "Fight or Flight" response is usually just "Flight or Flight.") The only thing keeping me from turning around with my proverbial tail between my legs was the fact that there were a bunch of undead Pinochios tormenting my friend and my brother. I took a quick look up at the only source of light, the glow of the electrical air current. It wasn't really giving off any light, it was just in my head. But it was a nice thought.
"It's coming from up ahead, do you see it?" Ilo asked. I looked forward. Off in the distance was a dim but unmistakeable yellow glow. I couldn't see who or what it was focused around yet, but it was there!
"Wait, there's more, coming from your sides." Ilo corrected. I stopped and looked around me. These yellow glows were coming from all around! Steadily getting brighter too!
"...I don't think this is the source." I said nervously.
"Run!" Viha yelled. I turned, but was stopped by more glows.
"I'm surrounded!" I yelled.
"By what?" Pelko squeaked.
"What do you think?! Zombies!" Suru shouted.
"The energy reading is too strong for them to be one of the walking dead..." Ilo mused.
While it was still too dark to make out any features, I could tell they were definitely living. They walked like normal people. That is, they weren't hobbling, dragging a leg, or anything of the sort. Just walking... They formed a circle around me. The glow seemed to be concentrated on their heads. A headset maybe? I still couldn't quite tell, but something about them was definetaly... Offputting.
"What do you guys want?" I asked the people.
The circle closed in tighter and tighter on me, 'til they were all shoulder to shoulder.
"I'm warning you, I'll... Scream." I tried to threaten. I felt my voice catch in my throat.
"Do you want to defend yourself?" Suru asked urgetly.
"Not yet..." I muttered. I spoke aloud again, "What do you people want?"
One of the people giggled, a girl by the sound of it. No one said anything else. I shifted uncomfortably. This wasn't going anywhere fast...
"My brother's Sonic the Hedgehog!" I shouted again. "When he hears I'm in trouble, he'll come running!"
Silence.
"This went from freaky to awkward in no time flat..." Ilo joked. I didn't see the humor in it...
I jumped as the circle began to get tighter, and the people began circling. I counted at least 5, but I couldn't see who or what they were.
"How about a gun?" Viha pressed.
"I'm not going to kill them!" I hissed back. "I'm not a murderer!"
"It is not murder if you are defending yourself!" Suru assured, a slight panic in his voice. "Do something!"
"I'm not going to kill them!" I snapped back, silencing the Spirits. One of the mob member suddenly lunged forward and grabbed my arm. I struggled before ripping my arm away. I held my hand over my ring and pulled out the last Emerald.
"What do you want to do then?" Pelko asked. Another person grabbed my arm again, and another grabbed my other arm. I struggled, panic rising in me, but to no avail.
"Call Sonic!" I yelled. "I wish you would call Sonic!"
The Emerald glowed and vanished. My throat began to tingle, before something swelled and rose inside of me. It rose into my throat, bubbling up to my head. Before I realized what I was doing, my mouth flew open into an ear piercing scream.
"SONIC!"
The mob recoiled briefly, covering their ears. They recovered and my two captors tightened their grip on me. Another scream rose and rang out of my mouth, but it didn't phase anyone this time. My voice felt no strain as a third shriek sounded, echoing around the forest. The group started to drag me off, roughly pulling me with them. My feet furiously dug into the ground, desperately trying to stop our progress.
"Let him go."
The mob turned.
I smiled.
"I told you guys to stop." I chuckled.
Sonic looked just about ready to tear someone apart. His eyes spat fire and brimstone on everyone he looked at, his fists were clenched tightly, and his feet were firmly planted, indicating he wasn't going anywhere.
"I said let him go." Sonic repeated quietly, ice coming off of every word. His steely gaze slowly scanned each person, including me. I shivered a bit.
Man, I'm glad I'm on his side... Right?
I watched as his gaze focused on me again. It wasn't the same anger, but he was angry...
I was in trouble...
I looked at him questioningly, but he just shook his head. He addressed the mob again.
"Look, if you don't let him go, you'll wish you'd had. So for the last time-"
Sonic never finished his sentence, as one of the mob members dashed up to him and attempted to kick him. Sonic calmly raised a hand stopped it. He grabbed the guy's foot (I thought it was a guy) and threw him back at the mob with surprising strength. Everyone scattered, including the two that were holding me. Sonic began to attack all of them, focusing everyone's attention on the blue fury.
Now was my chance!
I looked back up and found the electricity trail. I sprinted off.
"Josh!" Sonic called out angrily from behind me.
"I'll be right back! I promise!" I called back.
"Get back here right now!" Sonic's voice was slowly fading.
He'll forgive once he realizes what I'm doing I told myself. I could still hear Sonic's angry shouts, but they were muffled.
Then I saw it. Up in the distance, a strong, glowing orb. I got close enough to see the person attached to it. (Well, kinda.) A screen to a large tablet dimly illuminated its owner's face, a bird of some kind. Without saying a word, he pressed a button on his tablet, shutting it off. I heard it fall to the ground as he started to walk off.
"Hey, wait!" I started to chase after him.
Until someone grabbed the back collar of my shirt.
"What did I tell you?!" Sonic yelled angrily.
"Let me go, he's getting away!" I struggled to get out, pointing into the forest.
"Who?" Sonic demanded.
"That guy!" I pointed again. Sonic looked out.
"I don't see anyone." Sonic said sharply. I looked out too. He was gone! But...
"Look, he left his tablet!" I pointed to the ground. It was dark, but not unnoticeable. Sonic walked over and picked it up. He brought it back over. Now that I could see it, it looked like a panel of glass! Sonic tapped it a few times. A dull glow flickered from it briefly, but it went dark again.
"Busted..." Sonic muttered. He turned back to look at me. "I told you to stay put!" Sonic yelled again, waving the tablet at me.
"Hey, that thing was controlling he zombies!" I snapped back, pointing at the the tablet. "You'd still be fighting them if it weren't for me!"
"And now Knuckles has to fight them on his own!" Sonic shot at me.
"You didn't have to come save me!" I shouted angrily. "I could have fought them off!"
"Yeah? Before or after you finished calling for help?" Sonic crossed his arms and snickered cruelly. "You'd be dead if it weren't for me!"
I moved in to punch him, but he caught my fist. I tried to get him to let go, but he held it tighter, squeezing my knuckles a bit, causing some pain. I grit my teeth and looked at him in rage.
"I don't need you!" I screamed.
"Then go!" Sonic screamed back, shoving me. "Go get the Emeralds on your own!"
"Guys?"
Me and Sonic turned and glared. Knuckles stood, watching us with concern. In that moment, all tension between us went away, as the words that were just said sunk in. Sonic looked guilty as he struggled to say something. I was on the verge of tears. I looked angrily at Sonic. He looked back at me, wide-eyed, his mouth open a bit, no sound coming out. I slowly pulled my adoption certificate out of my pocket and threw it to the ground in front of Sonic. I spit on it.
"I will..." I said quietly.
I ran off before Sonic could say anything.
...
We crossed the finish line in second, but the team in first gave us their spot in the finals as thanks for saving them from the real zombies.
Me and Sonic walked in silence, me in far in front of him. Amy, Tails, and Knuckles walked awkwardly off to the side, while Sonic walked guiltily, unsure of what to say. I heard Amy or Tails occasionally whisper to Knuckles, who would whisper back before the three went silent. I struggled to keep my tears in.
I heard Sonic's pace quicken as he tried to catch up to me. I sped up to stay away. I wasn't ready to forgive him yet...
A mob of paparazzi started to surround us, squeezing our group together. We all covered our eyes as flash after flash blinded us.
I felt a gloved hand grab mine. I turned to see who had ahold of it.
Sonic looked at me apologetically.
I scowled and tore my hand away. What he said went too far. No way I would forgive him. Not yet.
I began to push my way out of the crowd, but all I succeeded in doing was to have the paparazzi single me out, giving them two points of focus, me, and the rest of the group. I tried to struggle and push my way out, but they pushed me right back in.
"I wish-"
"You're out of wishes." Ilo shouted a bit over the noise of the crowd that was beginning to echo in my head.
I was about to respond when a security guard, a bear, grabbed my arm and pulled me out. They quickly dismissed the crowd, much to the paparazzi's disappointment. A voice rang out from behind us, obviously trying to get on our good.
"Paparazzi these days huh?"
I turned to see a weasel in a tuxedo walk towards us. He smiled charmingly.
"Mortalo T. Watch." He offered out a hand, which Knuckles ended up shaking. "I own Music Park, the little theme park just outside of town."
"You moved it over here?" Amy asked. "I remember it used to be a lot farther away!"
"I move where the money is!" Mortalo replied smartly, grinning. "It wasn't easy, but well worth it!"
"Well, thank you for saving us from the paparazzi." Tails said. "Now what do you want?"
"I can't just help you from the bottom of my heart?" He laughed before we responded, maybe a bit too hard. When he noticed none of us were in a laughing mood, he cleared his throat and continued. "Celebrity endorsement for a new roller coaster we plan on unveiling next month. Sonic, would you mind?" Sonic shifted uncomfortably.
"Now's not really-"
"We'll make it worth your while!" Mortalo cut in.
"Could one of us do it?" Amy asked, pointing to her, Knuckles, Tails.
"My boss wants Sonic. He was very specific." The overly optimistic weasel replied.
Sonic looked over at me. "Can I at least take my little br-"
"I'm not going to go with you." I replied coldly, turning away. All was quiet for a moment. Knuckles quietly moved over to Sonic and started whispering something. I overheard "Cooling down," and knew he was talking about me. Sonic quietly agreed with Knuckles before nodding to our kindly spokesperson. He flashed us the biggest smile I had ever seen, bigger than I thought possible. His teeth gleamed under the streetlights. It was a bit... Unsettling.
"Follow me Sonic!" Mortalo said cheerfully. He started walking, Sonic walking close behind. He turned to look back at me. I turned for the hotel and started walking.
...
I walked into the room and quietly closed the door. Tears began to well up in my eyes. Sonic's voice echoed back in my memories.
"Go get the Emeralds on your own!"
I had never seen him so angry before. He had no right! What was I, an animal to him?! I laughed bitterly. Of course he did. Everyone else sure thought so, it was only a matter of time before he matched the consensus. He had an image to upkeep after all, he was the most popular. Heaven forbid he go against the grain and do something good for once!
I saw through all his acts of heroism in a second. He wasn't really being nice, he was just doing it for the cameras! If Knuckles hadn't come and interrupted, Sonic would have ditched me and made up some excuse for why I wasn't there with him. Only reason he stopped was so he would keep the goody two-shoes look up for Knuckles.
I angrily punched a wall.
"Stupid sonofa*****!" I screamed to Sonic. I only got madder when I only got madder when I realized he couldn't hear me insult him.
"Stupid Sonic..." I mumbled. I looked out to the balcony. "You hear what you just made me do you hypocrite?" I said coldly. "I'm religious, I don't swear, but you just made me so-" I never finished my sentence as I turned and began punching the bed next to me.
Something flopped off of the pillow from all the shaking. I stopped my ranting for a bit and looked.
A white envelope had been stuffed pretty full, to the point where it bulged in the middle. Written in tight, neat cursive was my name. I reached for the envelope and took it. It wasn't too heavy, but it definitely had a bit of weight to it. I flipped it over, broke the seal, and opened the flap. I held my hand out and let the object in the envelope slide out. I smiled.
My iPod!
How did it get here? I pressed the circular "home" button as the screen lit up. I checked the battery.
Fully charged?
I looked back at the envelope. There was more in it... A letter. I pulled it out and opened it up. It was handwritten, the letters all neat and tight together, much like the cursive on the envelope. My heart sank as I read it.
Dear Little Bro-
Amy found your music player a little while ago with some of your burnt clothes. Once Tails did a little tinkering with it and told us that it played music (Amy thought it was some kind of timer, I thought you were packing heat! ;) ), he did a little engineering to make it compatible with our technology here. I hope you don't mind, but, once I figured out how to work it (Wasn't too hard...), I listened to some of your songs. You have tood taste! :) I took the liberty of adding some of my favorite songs to your playlist, and some of my DJ mixes as well! (Did you know I DJ? I'd like to use your voice for a track sometime, again, if you don't mind. :D )
I love you buddy. These past few days have been the best of my life. Nothing makes me happier than being around you, and I can only hope you feel the same about me. When I adopted you, I felt something I rarely ever feel: A connection. You complete me, a half to my whole. Now that I've met you, I can't imagine my life without you! I don't know if I could go on if you'd ever leave me, and I can't say that for a lot of people. I hope you're happy being with me Josh. I know I am when I'm with you. And I'm looking forward to the great times we'll have in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. I feel so honored to be your big brother. I'll say it again: I love you Josh. Never, ever forget that!
-Sonic the Hedgehog
A spot on the covers was now soaked with my tears, as I reread the second paragraph of the letter trembling in my hands. He was only worried about me, and in the heat of it all, he expressed it as anger. It wasn't really his fault. I could have told him about the whole electricity thing, and he probably would have taken care of it faster than I would have. Sure, he said some things that shouldn't have been said, but I did too. If I would have been more understanding, things probably wouldn't have exploded the way they did.
"I'm so horrible..." I quietly sobbed to myself.
"Well, he could have handled it better too." Knuckles said from the door. I jumped a bit and wiped my eyes.
"I didn't hear you come in." I said, my voice wavering. I sniffed, trying to clear my nose. Knuckles smiled and kneeled next to me, resting an arm on the bed.
"He loves you. You know that, right?" Knuckles said soothingly. I nodded. "When we heard you scream for help, he looked so scared. He was really worried about you."
"I figured..." I said quietly. "My dad was the same way sometimes. Whenever I did something that worried him, he got angry. It's how he coped." I laughed a bit. "I coped with that by bawling all over the place." Knuckles chuckled warmly.
"Come on, you're tired, I'm tired, it's late." Knuckles stood up, and helped me up in the process. "Let's get some rest."
"I want to wait for Sonic though, I need to apologize!" I tried to convince Knuckles to let me stay up, but he shook his head.
"We don't know how late he's going to be. You're stressed, you need to sleep it off. You can apologize when you wake up and he's right next to you." Knuckles said, walking over to the bathroom. "I'm hopping in the shower, don't come in until I'm behind the curtain!"
"But... You're already naked..." I mused quietly. "What difference does it make?" Knuckles smiled a bit, shaking his head.
"I'm glad you get the joke." Knuckles replied as he closed the door behind him. I chuckled, giving myself a face palm for my blonde moment.
Like I said, fun times, right? Hoverboarding, zombie fighting, I got my iPod back, and I'm eagerly awaiting Sonic's return! Sure, me and Sonic had a fight, but... We're brothers. I guess we're going to every now and then.
All that's very touching! Now get to bed dork!
Knuckles!
Hehe! ;)
Geez, ruin my freakin' journal!
Ah well, he's right... Good night whoever's listening... If anyone...
...
Something's wrong! Okay, I woke up this morning, and Sonic wasn't here! No one's seen him since last night, we've asked everyone, the night manager of the hotel, random passers by, the paparazzi, no one's seen him! I'm scared, something might have-
Josh, he's on TV!
What?!
Author's note: At this point, It sounds like Josh runs over to a television. The quality is a bit lacking, but I managed to find the original news cast online. I won't type the whole thing, but what you need to know is that Sonic is on some kind of talk show or some kind of 60 Minutes thing. It was being broadcast live at the time.
"So, Sonic," The young, charismatic hedgehog host asked, casually fixing a strand of hair that fell in front if her face, "Everyone wants to know what that strange animal was that you took under your wing."
"Actually, it may have started to grow those!" Sonic chuckled, the audience laughing along with him. "Ah, it's a rare species, and it's a "he" by the way-"
"Really!" The host exclaimed. "How do you tell?"
"Well, his species is a little odd, they have a little extra bit below their stomachs." Sonic said, pointing to his pelvic region. The host looked interested.
"And is it just for show, or does it have a purpose?" The host asked. Sonic nervously chuckled and cleared his throat.
"Yes and yes, ah..." Sonic leaned over and whispered in the hosts ear. Her mouth fell open before she started to laugh.
"That's disgusting!" She said between laughs. Sonic shrugged.
"That's what humans do." He said matter-of-factly.
"Okay, say what they're called one more time?"
"Humans."
"Humans, okay." The host looked at the teleprompter for her next question from fans. "Okay, here's a fun one, did you give him a name?"
"Oh yeah, totally!" Sonic smiled again. "I called him Josh for a long time, at least, when he wasn't in trouble I'd call him Josh."
"Was he a handful?" The host asked playfully.
"You have kids Charice?" Sonic asked the host. "Young kids?"
"Yep, a two and five year old, hubbys at home watching with them." Charice turmed to the camera and blew her family a kiss.
"Are they a handful sometimes?" Sonic continued.
"All the time!" Charice said loudly, gaining some laughter and applause from the audience, Sonic laughing with them.
"Well, it's like that, but he wouldn't learn like kids do! Whenever I told him to stay, he would wander off somewhere, always get into trouble that I would have to fix." Sonic explained.
"Sounds rough..." Charice replied. "Good thing we have patient people like you taking care of our endangered species!" More applause. Charice looked at the teleprompter for her final question before commercial break. "So, where is he now?"
"I let him go. I could only do so much, but now he needs to learn to do things on his own so he cam survive in the wild.
"It was what he wanted after all."
Josh: Sonic just GAVE ME UP?!
JJ: Easy!
Josh: Don't you "easy" me! My older brother just threw me away!
JJ: Come on Josh, think! Use that brain I wrote for you! Have you done the research on SW7 yet?
Josh: No...
JJ: You probably should. I think all of you readers should do the same if you haven't already. You know that something's afoot. SW7 may be at the center of all of it...
Josh: And Sonic?
JJ: All is not as it seems... Something is going on, wouldn't you agree?
Josh: I don't know... Give me a bit... I need to sit down... This whole thing is making me dizzy...
JJ: While Josh takes a long break, maybe you should go and re-read some chapters my dearest readers! It's always good to remember what's happened! :) Finally, please, read and review, let me know how good or (more likely) bad I'm doing! ;P Stay tuned readers, the answers, and the premier of a certain dark and moody hedgehog, are all included in the next chapter! ;)
