Spectral Velocity

I. Sonic the Hedgehog

"Get out of here!" I yelled to Tails, keeping my eyes on the weirdo vampire in front of me. His hair stuck into the air, and his skin was as white as a ghost. His teeth were white and sharp. "I'll take care of this freak!"

"Sonic-" Tails said, taking a step back.

"Do it!" I ordered.

The thing watched Tails run away behind me with a smile on his face. "Okay, what's your deal?" I asked. I folded my arms, not daring to look away. He had suddenly appeared in front of me and Tails while we were hanging out, and he had taken us through a portal of some sort. Next thing we knew, we were in this giant, elaborately decorated house. A house that could only belong to someone who thought he had enough money, but not enough power. This wasn't someone I could underestimate.

The figure laughed, the sound booming through the hall. "I've been watching you for weeks, Sonic," he said.

I wrinkled my nose. "That's creepy."

"That may be," the vampire thing said, "but it doesn't matter. My name is Vlad Plasmius. You're going to help me rule the world."

"You know who I am, and you still think that?" I asked with a chuckle.

The guy, Vlad, suddenly disappeared before my eyes. I frowned and looked around in a circle, but I didn't see him anywhere. He had simply vanished, but I knew something was up.

"Did you really think I would have brought you here if I wasn't sure I could win?" Vlad asked, his voice seeming to come from every direction. "You've already lost!"

I fell forward as a beam of some sort hit my back. I got to my feet and started running, but I had no idea where I was going. I spindashed through a door, finding myself in a room high above the ground. I started to turn around, but Vlad grabbed my arm and threw me against a wall.

"Nothing to say?" he laughed. "You always have something to say, don't you?"

"I'm just getting started," I smiled, running back the other way. If I could just find my way out, I could find Tails and get out of this place.

"Ah, that's right," Vlad said, his voice seeming to be everywhere at once again. "All you do is run. Run away from me, because you know you can't win."

"Sorry, I'm not that dumb," I chuckled. "Mind games like that won't work on me."

"Then how about this?" he asked. I skidded to a halt as a giant pink wall appeared in front of me. I tried to punch my fist through it, but it was tough as steel. I shook my cramped hand.

"That's nice," I grunted, turning the other way. But a pink laser shot me into another wall, which cracked from the pressure. I looked out the window of the room, trying to convince myself it wasn't as high as I worried.

I took a step back and rammed through the glass, falling toward the ground. But I never hit it. Vlad pushed me back inside with his arm, throwing me to the ground.

"You aren't getting away that easily," he said. I was getting tired. With some difficulty, I got up, hoping that Tails had managed to get far, far away. If anything, I needed to stall and give him as much time as possible. "Give up?"

Instead of replying, I ran away, turning corner after corner and feeling like I was going in circles. I didn't know what was going on, but I felt confident that I would be able to get away. After all, my speed had kept me alive this long.

Unfortunately, Vlad appeared in front of me. But I was ready for him, my entire body ready for anything. I spindashed into him and hit him, but he disappeared through the wall he would have smashed into. Gritting my teeth, I ran again, wishing for an exit. I was so lost.