Chapter 49

CREEEEEEEAK

"Wow, roomy ..." Sonic said, sarcastically. He walked in from the storm. It was now pouring down rain. "Well, better than nothing. Let's see what we've got."

"Are you sure this is safe, Sonic?" Sonja asked, entering the door as Sonic walked further in. This must have been some sort of emergency exit, it had no welcoming or even palatable entrance. No table, no fireplace, nothing. Just a hallway with doors sprinkled in here and there. The wood was rotten and moist. The whole place looked like it could fall in at any moment. It smelled watery, like a lake.

"Perfectly safe!" Sonic replied. Why wouldn't it be?

"I have a feeling ... someone else is here ..." Sonja shuddered.

"No such thing, Sonja. It's just your mind playing tricks on you," Sonic assured Sonja. Tails walked in from the storm, wringing out his tails. Followed by the deer. He seemed to be staying away from Sonic and the others. Maybe he was just a little shy.

"This place looks like nobody's been in it for ages," Tails stated. His tails drooped to the ground. "I'm sure it's fine!" Tails shuddered, shutting the door behind him.

Paintings lined the walls. Paintings that didn't look particularly appealing to Sonic. They were boring, bland, and only used a few dull colors. They depicted either barren landscapes, or equally barren people. Some both. There was none of the flair of modern-day paintings. Sonja seemed interested in them, however. She inspected each one, and even let Pico reach out and touch a few.

Everyone found separate rooms to stay in, except Sonja and Pico. Sonja felt she should look after Pico so he doesn't toddle off and hurt himself, or get scared of the dark, OR get hurt by a monster. They needed to replenish their energy before they continued their journey. A good thing, too. Sonic hadn't really slept in days. And Sonic gets pretty ticked off when he doesn't have a nap. Maybe this would help to stop the horrible thoughts going around in Sonic's head.

Every time someone said something to him, he felt the need to do something stupid or mean back. But the thing is, he'd never willingly hurt his friends. He'd rather die than so much as hit one of them. He couldn't get that urge to go away, however. Maybe he was just stressed from this whole ordeal. He couldn't wait to get some good night's rest.