Boo!

5

'This was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea...' You frantically thought.

You, Sonic, Sonia, Manic, Amy, Rouge, Knuckles, Jet and Wave were walking to the abandoned house. It took a lot of convincing for Wave and Rouge, as they didn't like each other much. Knuckles and Jet were bored, so they were fine with tagging along. Blaze wanted nothing to do with an abandoned house. Amy just wanted to be near Sonic.

And for reasons you could well imagine, Silver and Shadow weren't answering their phones.

As you walked on, you felt like you were being watched. Nobody else seemed to notice, but every once in a while, you'd hear a very quiet *snap* of a twig. Or a little *rustle* of leaves.

You turned around.

Rocks. Grass. Flowers. Few trees. Pavement. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Of course, there were birds, squirrels and other woodland creatures running around. And you have pretty sharp hearing for your species. There was a chance that you were only hearing animals around you.

But that chance felt pretty small.

"Boo!"

"Ah!" you jump at hearing a voice behind you. You turn around...

...

...

But nobody's there.

"Hey, (insert name), are you okay!?"

You look up at hearing Sonic's voice. "I just heard someone behind me. I know I did."

Everyone looks behind you.

"Uh... (insert name ), there's nobody there." Jet said.

"They must be hiding. I knew this was a bad idea. Why did I agree to this?"

"Okay, if you're so scared, why not go back?" Knuckles suggested.

"Are you insane? I can't walk back by myself! The one that's alone is the easiest to pick off!"

"It's just a few squirrels or something, (insert name), calm down." Sonic said. "Even if it weren't, people hike through here all the time. There's nothing to worry about."

After Sonic said that, he and everyone else continued walking.

You take one more anxious look around before jogging to catch up with everyone.

~Shortly~

"This is it!" Sonic said.

You and everyone else look around. The house looks exactly as you'd expect:

Faded, chipped paint.

Dirty, water-damaged wood and roof.

Grimy-looking windows, some of which were boarded.

In shorter terms, a hot mess.

"Well, let's look around!" Sonic said, walking straight toward the house.

"This place looks creepy,"  Jet said as he followed Sonic.

Amy was firmly stuck to Sonic who badly wanted her to let go. "I'm sure there's nothing here that Sonic can't handle. We'll be fine."

Grumbling, Manic walked to the front door when everyone walked around the house.

You decided to follow Manic. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to pick the lock and open the front door. I'd rather take my chances with the dark rooms inside than watch Amy drool over Sonic."

How intriguing that sounded. "What's the matter with Amy and Sonic?"

Manic turned to you. "I just don't get it, (insert name). Why does she like Sonic so much? What is that great about my brother to where she's always trying to get his attention, when he's clearly not interested? I'm sure that there are plenty of guys out there that like her, but she won't take her eyes off of Sonic long enough to see that. It's so damn annoying."

He gave a sad sigh. "Why does she have to be so blind?"

Being sneaky, though sounding concerned, you ask Manic, "Is it that there are plenty of guys that like Amy,"

You leaned just a bit closer. "Or is it you?"

Manic blushed. "I just... It's just that I've liked her since we were little kids. I've kept in touch with her for years, and she said that she'd be happy to see me when I came back. But when I finally get here, all I hear from her is 'Sonic this,' 'Sonic that,' and it's not so bad that she likes him, but she's been after him since everyone still called her 'Rosy.' Sonic doesn't like her, so why does she only think about him?"

"Have you tried telling her how you feel?"

"What's the point? She's not interested in anything besides Sonic, and him saving the world, being the hero-"

A *clink* sound interrupted Manic's rant.

Then Manic growled and threw down the tools he had been carrying. "And now my favorite lock pick is broken! You know what, f**k it. I'm doing it the old way."

Manic backed up, then kicked the door open.

"Finally." He turned to you. "You coming in... Oh, man..."

Confused, you turn around, and Amy is standing right behind you.

Manic didn't know what to say. "Uh... Hey, Amy.

Amy seemed to also be at a loss for words. "I... Didn't realize..."

"You heard everything?" you ask.

Amy nods.

Sighing, Manic walks inside. "I'm gonna take a look around."

Amy stands, still shocked.

"Come on. We should go after him." You say, following Manic.

Inside, it reeked of mildew. You took out your flashlight, having left your phone at Sonic's house but afraid to leave alone to retrieve it, and turned it on. There wasn't much in the house. A few scattered, dirty sheets and curtains, filthy carpet, and-

A shriek is heard beside you.

Amy is jumping around, screaming, "Get them off! Get them off!"

There must have been bugs as well.

Manic quickly comes in. "What's the matter?"

"There's something on me!" Amy screams.

Manic calmly reaches forward and picks a leaf from Amy's shirt.

Amy looks at the leaf, then to the one holding it.

Manic smiles. "I'm not one to judge on fears, but really? You're afraid of a little leaf?"

"Yeah, well, it felt a lot like a bug in the dark." Then Amy looks up. "Is that a bat?"

Manic squealed and covered his head. "Where!?"

Amy laughed. "Oh, my bad. It was just a shadow."

Manic shook his head, ready to tackle Amy for her trick.

"Manic, listen," Amy started, "we need to talk. Can we go outside? Somewhere private?"

Manic quietly sighed. "Sure." He turned to  you and asked, "You gonna join the others?"

"Nah," you answer. "I'll be fine on my own. You kids go have fun."

Manic snorted and shook his head, and he and Amy left.

Once you were alone, you went off around the house. It was rather cold, and after five minutes had passed and you only found an old, broken, rusty necklace, you decided to head back outside.

Before you stepped out of the doorway, you felt yourself being grabbed as a hand covered your mouth.