Day Seven, Prompt: Can You Hear Me?

Sonic thinks they've lost the battle but he's not sure. His eyes are blurry and his ears are ringing. He may be concussed but he's not too sure about that either. Sonic's trying hard to concentrate on what the individual in front of him is trying to say. The world around him is leaving him feeling dizzy.


The battlefield was littered with metal debris and fallen structures. Some were engulfed in flames and developed a heavy heat throughout causing everyone on the field to feel sticky and sweaty.

The occasional miniature dust storm formed from the explosions riling up the ground. Every corner was surrounded by clouds of dust and fog intertwined in each other that prevented any eyes from seeing afar than just a few feet ahead.

The sun was dusking, night overlooming the sky. The ombre of colors shined through the dust like a filter of the land. Yells and screams are heard all over, robots and badniks attacking civilians as they attempt to flee before metal hands can latch around them, separating them from their friends and families.

The robots for a lack of any sense were toppling over injured individuals, children even. Some cried out and howled which made everyone cringe. Bones were broken and some crushed to a pulp. Other robots were shooting laser bullets at others causing severe burns to remain. The dust didn't help ease their coughing either.

Mothers held their limp children as they sobbed because any indication of life was swept away. The field was the scene of an uintentional massacre. Whether Eggman intended for this, no one knows but the doctor himself.

Then there was Sonic, he lay amid the field. Half of his face is against the ground and his injuries majorly consist of hits to his head and burns throughout his torso. His head was pulsing and it hurt like hell. Closing his eyes didn't help, they hurt when they were closed.

His ears were ringing like sirens, getting louder and never-ending. He tries to pick up his head but the movement makes him instantly regret it and puts it back down. Coughs ring out one after the other and his eyes are filled with dust particles that are making him tear up. He's having a hard time making out anything, the ringing in his ears is the only thing he can focus on right now.

Sonic bites his tongue, he needs to get up. Laying here is helping no one and he's only putting himself at risk of being crushed by an Egg Robot.

He picks up his head again, this time enduring the pain the best he can. He picks himself up to the point where he's making a plank. His eyes look around but he can't see anything. Standing up with an arm clasping around his waist he tries to walk. His limp in one leg isn't helping and he's trying so hard to listen for just about anything that is not the sirens that still chime at his ears that are now folded back against his head.

Sonic trips over a series of debris in his way and he's right back down to the ground. It took so much effort to get up that he's not sure if he has it in him to do it again.

His eyes attempt to focus on the particles that float in the air. It smelled like death and the fumes of the flames he knew were happening somewhere around him. His ears might've cleared up some because he hears a yell that is coming closer and closer to him until he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"Sonic, come on get up we can't stay here," a voice ensues.

His eyes are washed with a haze, he can't make out who is in front of him or whose voice it may belong to. There's only a dim color that he manages to make out, Red.

"Come on, we need to go Sonic. Are you listening to me?"

No, no he's not. He can't make out what he's saying and somehow he thinks squinting will help.

Knuckles is shaking him, "Hey, can you hear me? Sonic?"

Sonic thinks the red one is asking him a question by the pitch of his voice but still no words register in his head. He only shakes his head.

Knuckles sighs, "Okay, okay come on. I'll help you."

An arm wraps around his own helping him to his feet. He feels unstable but the figure is keeping him upright ensuring that he won't find himself on the ground again.

Then they move, where he doesn't know but he's taking him someplace.

Another explosion nearby knocks them both over but neither has any time to think before they're up again and this time running.

Sonic could only assume that he was in safe hands. He hoped.

He wakes up with a start.

Sonic finds himself in a cot, he's not sure where yet but he's alone and slightly alarmed by his unknown scenery. His headache still thrives but at least his vision and hearing have cleared up. He can't remember for the life of him when he got here or when he fell asleep.

The room is a bit sparse, nothing much besides a bathroom and a nightstand with a lamp on it. There are no windows so he can't tell if he should be sleeping or wide awake. The door opens and it's Knuckles who appears from it.

"Good, you're awake. How's the head?" Knuckles questions.

"Ugh, not great. What happened?"

Knuckles swallows, "We lost."

Sonic's head turns like a dog questioning a new word, "W-what? What are you talking about? Where are we?"

Knuckles blinks, "You don't remember? Eggman practically destroyed the city, there's hardly anything left. All his robots destroyed the place. It's over. We lost."

Sonic shakes his head in denial.

"We're in a comp for the displaced. I managed to pull some strings to get you your own room just so that the public won't come in and try anything," the Guardian answered.

They sit in silence, no words exchanged between them. He feels guilty and angry at the same time.

Hands gently take hold at the sides of his head lightly pressing against his temples, "Does this hurt?"

Sonic moves away, flinching from Knuckles who pressed against his sore spots. "I'll take that as a yes. I think you might be concussed given the way that your eyes are also having a hard time focusing on me."

Knuckles is no doctor so he can't be for sure. He can go ask for one but taking the very limited amount of available doctors away from the citizens that do need the medical attention would make him feel like a fool.

A gloved hand rises to his head, trying to ease his headache. "So now what? What's next?"

Knuckles shrugs, "Honestly, we wait. We don't know the causality count and right now you need to get your head back in the game, literally. It's been a long day. We can talk about what we're going to do next after we've had some rest."

"How can I sleep in peace, knowing that people are dying Knuckles? Knowing that there are people that are already dead?! I- I can't."

"You need to try or else you risk sharing their fate. You can only do so much Sonic and right now the best thing you can do for all of us is to try to get some rest. You look awful, Sonic."

"What about Tails and Amy? Where are they?" Sonic realizes.

"They're fine. Nothing to worry about. They're back at Metropolis. We can talk to them later after YOU have rested Sonic so get yourself under the covers before I smother you beneath them myself."

He has more questions but he hates to admit that Knuckles is right. Since he's woken up all his body has wanted to do is just go right back to sleep. Will he be able to, probably not, but the least he can do for Knuckles and himself right now is at least try.

When he doesn't move, Knuckles pushes him back against the bed and Sonic's head hits the pillow. It's almost magic how the second his head hits the comfort of that sweet cloud an instant dose of exhaustion washes over him. The guardian pulls the purple comforter over his blue friend and walks away satisfied his directions have been followed. He closes the door behind him leaving Sonic to himself.

The hero is so tired yet so worried. The world outside these walls has gone to hell and he feels responsible. No one saw this coming no matter how much he wanted to believe otherwise. They can only try to rebuild at this point. Families and friends have been ripped from each other's grasp and they need to find a way to heal.

He ponders what Knuckles had told him. He's here so that the public won't try to do anything to him? What does that mean? Do they hate him? Surely they do after allowing this to happen and not stopping Eggman.

He takes the pillow and places it over his face like he could scream. He needs to stop thinking. This was no good to him.

Sonic's thinking about something else. Something that isn't about what happened in the last few hours. It takes place in a green land lined with flowers and trees on a hot summer's day as he runs through them joyfully. That is what keeps his thoughts at ease.

Thank Chaos.


One week of Tropetober has been cleared! I'm trying to keep my word count between 1,500 - 2,500 words for each chapter so depending on the prompt and how much I feel like writing it should fall in between that ballpark. There's a lot of discipline involved in trying to post these every day and not miss a day. This honestly helps me get back in writing again so I'm glad this is sort of a kill-one-bird-with-two-stones kind of thing. Anyway, Thank you for reading!