Hello again! I'm so happy that you all liked the first chapter so much! So here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it! :)
~Chapter Two~
Sonic and Manic woke at dawn to get ready. Sonic slowly made his way into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Aleena looked up from the table, and smiled weakly at Sonic.
"I made breakfast," she said, gesturing over to the counter where the three plates of eggs, bacon, and pancakes were resting.
Sonic shook his head. "I'm not that hungry."
Sonia walked into the kitchen. She looked at her brother, a worried expression on her face. "What happened to you?" she asked. "You look horrible."
"Thanks," Sonic mumbled sarcastically. "I couldn't sleep well last night. Being picked really messes with your mind."
"I'm sure it doesn't mess with your mind as much as the actual game," Sonia said, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.
Manic yawned as he entered the room, looking as tired as his brother. His quills were messy, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"When do we have to leave?" Manic mumbled, still half asleep.
"I don't know," Sonic replied. "Apparently there's some truck that goes around picking up the players."
Manic nodded. "I'll go get ready then. Tell me when the truck gets here." He started to walk away.
Sonic's ears twitched when he heard a rumbling noise and the sound of brakes squeaking to a halt. "It's here!"
Manic sighed, waving a hand through his quills as he walked out the door, in an attempt to fix the matted mess. He stopped and looked at Sonic.
"Is this okay, bro?" he asked.
Sonic looked at his brother and laughed. Manic had somehow managed to rearrange his quills into a Mohawk hairstyle.
"It's okay," Sonic said. "But I prefer your old hairstyle more."
Manic shrugged in response. Outside, a black military truck was waiting. A black cat holding a gun stood beside the truck, his blazing orange eyes locked on Sonic and Manic.
Sonic looked back at his house as he walked towards the truck, and immediately wished he didn't. Aleena and Sonia were sobbing, holding each other in an gesture of comfort.
It took all of Sonic's strength to turn his attention back towards the truck; to not turn around and make a mad dash back towards his home… his family…
Sonic followed Manic onto the truck. The cat slammed the truck doors behind them, then sprinted to the front of the truck, and got in. There was no windows on the truck's doors. The only light source came from a single light bulb hanging from the roof.
The truck started to move, and both Sonic and Manic could feel the lives they once knew and lived were no longer reality.
~Dream Games~
Sonic and Manic hopped out of the truck.
"Wow," Manic whispered.
A huge building stood before them. It kind of looked like a science facility. The two brothers walked through the front doors. The first room was small, and all white with a few expensive-looking paintings hung on the walls. There was a coffee table cluttered with small, gold and silver trinkets. Manic quickly made his way over to the table and examined the items.
"You coming, Manic?" Sonic called over his shoulder.
Manic whirled around. "What?"
Sonic turned, and gave Manic a look. "Put it back."
Manic groaned. "Fine," he muttered, dumping the items he stole back on the coffee table before following Sonic through the door. He whistled at what he saw. "This is nice…"
The room had metal flooring and walls. Strange, hospital-like beds were set against all of the walls, and in the middle of the room, there was a huge control panel.
Before Sonic could say anything, someone jumped on him, knocking him to the floor, a chill running through him from contact with the cool metal.
"Sonic!" Amy yelled, squeezing Sonic tighter. "I've missed you so much!"
"Amy…you're… choking me…" Sonic managed to say between gasps.
Amy gasped and quickly got off of Sonic. "How's my wonderful boyfriend!" she cooed, grinning at Sonic.
"Amy, I'm not your boyfriend," Sonic said, glaring at Manic when he started laughing.
"Sonic!"
Sonic turned to see a golden kitsune with two tails.
"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed, running up to the fox and hugging him. "We're going to stay together in this thing," he said. He released Tails and looked at Amy and Manic. "We're all going to stay together."
More players entered the room. Sonic recognized a few of them, but the rest were unfamiliar. A chocolate dog wearing a white lab coat walked into the room, followed by a pink fox.
The dog bowed. "Greetings," he said, smiling. "My name is Dr. Julian, and this is my assistant, Katie. The game will start in a few minutes. Please make your way to the beds."
Sonic followed Manic, his eyes set on the bed next to his brother's. He was so intent on getting to the bed first, he didn't notice an emerald green hedgehog walking towards the same bed until they bumped into each other.
"Watch where you're going!" the green hedgehog snapped, roughly shoving Sonic.
Sonic glared at the hedgehog as he walked away. "A simple I'm sorry would've sufficed..." he mumbled, before lying down on the bed next to Manic.
The bed was cold to the touch. Sonic turned his head. A black hedgehog with red stripes a few beds away was staring at him. Sonic met and held his gaze for a second, before turning away.
Dr. Julian pressed some buttons on the control panel. Metal restraints sprung from the beds, tying everyone down by the wrists, waist, and ankles. Dr. Julian nodded at Katie.
Katie walked to the center of the room and cleared her throat. "Welcome to the Dream Games! Your goal is simple: be the first player to reach the end of the game and you're the winner." She suddenly became serious. "Put forth your best effort in this game because, if you die in the game, you die in real life as well."
There were several screams and gasps.
"What do you mean we die in real life?" Amy exclaimed.
Katie shook her head as Dr. Julian walked around from bed to bed. "It doesn't matter. You just have to try your hardest and avoid dying."
Amy huffed in response. Katie's answer wasn't the one she was looking for. Dr. Julian reached Sonic's bed. Sonic winced as the dog stuck a needle in his arm. Dr. Julian attached the other end of the needle to a IV bag on the side of the bed.
Sonic's eyelids started to feel heavy, and his vision became blurry.
"...Good luck..." Dr. Julian's voice was distant.
That was the last thing Sonic heard before everything faded to black...
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and we finally start the game next chapter! :) See you all next time!