A/N: Shadow finds himself in an unfamiliar room, with no memory of the day before. This chapter is much more dark and intense than the other chapters so far, which are all a bit fluffy. This is the most serious one yet. Also, my computer crashed in the middle of typing the story, and that version was so much better. Oh, well. Constructive criticism is welcome. ~PierceTheBre
April 17, 2014 update - I rewrote little parts of it here and there. I feel like this has a lot of potential, but it needs to be improved more...~PierceTheBre
Endless Shadow Oneshots, Chapter 10 - Incipient Insanity
Shadow opened his eyes to see patterns dancing over the ceiling. He blinked twice, in an attempt to clear his vision. He reached over to try and grab a glass of water off of his nightstand - yet there was nothing where his nightstand should have been. What in the hell? This isn't my room. What the hell am I doing here? He tried to think of what had happened the night before...
It was no use. The only thing Shadow could conjure up in his head was a nasty headache. The black-and-red hedgehog pulled himself out of his bed and glanced around the room. There was the bed he was sitting on...and that was it. There were no windows. There was no bathroom. It was just a simple white room.
Where am I? Shadow thought as he looked over to his right. Yes! There was a door! Shadow made his way over to it and gently grabbed the doorknob. He began to twist it, to no avail. The door was locked from the outside. This is ridiculous. Where the hell am I? In frustration, he punched the door.
He padded back over to his bed. He hadn't realized it before, but the sheets were the same tint of blue as Maria's dress. Shadow shook his head - he was imagining things.
Rouge was shaking Shadow by his shoulders. Her eyes were puffed-up balloons. She was floating...they were floating.
"Shadow..." He could hear her voice echo in his mind. She started shaking him harder, more dilligently. He wanted to open his mouth and scream at her, "What do you want?!" but no sound escaped him.
Tears sprang to Rouge's eyes. "Shadow!" By that point, she was yelling at him. Suddenly, Shadow found the strength to shove the offensive bat off of him.
He tried to run away...she tried to chase him...
Rouge... he thought. She had something to do with this. Shadow glanced around the room again as he wondered if perhaps he had missed some minute detail. White squares began to roll across the walls in front of him...
He could not think clearly. He was on something, he had to be. Shadow leaped into his bed and quickly pulled the covers up over his face. "What is wrong with me...?" he muttered. The sheets from the bed scratched against his forehead. They were rough but felt like love. Maria was reaching out to him, probing around and kissing the corners of his mind. He stroked the dress. This was all he had left of - no!
He knew she wasn't really here. Dead children don't talk.
"Shadow, Shadow. Shadow. Shadow! Are you even listening?"
Voices? Was she calling his name?
"Shadow, are you listening to me? I need you! I'm trapped in a burning building, love. There's no way out, unless you come and save me. The flames are creeping closer. Shadow...do you even care anymore?"
Something was invading the dark recesses of his brain. Liquid fire was speeding through his body. In that instant, Shadow realized where he was - a mental institution.
"The fire is eating my dress. If I try to run away, it will follow me."
He closed his eyes, and screamed.
