The Devil In Me - Sonic AU

Prologue - 1/2

"Experiment 666 escaped containment! Call security!"

In South Island, there was a secret lab located in the forest. The alarms shone brightly as a young hedgehog with shimmering blue fur and piercing green eyes sped through the lab with quick feet. The guards chasing him closed in, their footsteps echoing in the hallway. With every passing second, the tension mounted as the hedgehog's long, demonic tail whipped behind him. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, his breaths coming in short gasps. Quickly, he dashed away at an inhumane speed.

The guards would shout, "Get back here, 666!" "Don't let him get away! Secure all the gates!"

As the guards got further, the hedgehog couldn't help but grin. Without a second thought, he curled up into a spiky ball and barreled through the towering gates, sending them crashing down. As he did so, the tips of his quills glowed a red, mysterious energy. Once out, he darted through the lush greenery, reveling in the sun's warmth on his fur and the vibrant colors of the forest around him. He slowed down once the guard's yells were getting quieter.

"This is how the outside is?" the hedgehog mumbled, standing still for a moment. Those moments of silence he had lasted for only a minute, as he heard people shout.

The hedgehog even noticed one guard point at him. "Over there! 666 is over there!" they would shout. Hearing this, the hedgehog dashed off once more.

The little hedgehog scampered as fast as he could through the forest, his heart racing with fear. The sounds of chaos surrounded him, from the honking of car horns to the rustling of trees and the crunching of twigs underfoot. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the forest, causing him to dart even faster. He searched for a place to hide, his heart pounding in his chest. 

After a few moments, he spotted a small cave nestled beneath a cluster of leaves. He darted inside and curled up into a tight ball, his quills bristling with tension. Outside, the sounds of shouting and stomping grew louder and louder.

After a while, all the hedgehog could hear was his breathing. He waited silently for a few minutes before slowly standing up and picking up a long piece of wood. He cautiously walked out of the cave and looked around. Everything was still and silent. It was too quiet.

The hedgehog strolled through the green forest full of wild creatures and the shade of the trees. His feet brushed against the soft grass as the flickies watched the strange creature pass by. He held up his stick defensively, his eyes darting around as he remained alert to every noise. He sighed in relief once he got to the middle of the forest.

"No more experiments for me..!" he would mumble to himself, looking up into the sky. "I wish that I could have saved the others.." 

The weight of the past hung heavily on his shoulders, and he couldn't shake off the feeling of loneliness that enveloped him. Nonetheless, he continued his solitary journey through the wilderness, hoping for a glimmer of hope to guide him out of the dark.

He gazed around the forest, still adjusting to the brightness as he hadn't seen the sunlight since he was three. After seven years in the dark, the warmth of the sun was a new sensation. Though, it was beautiful. The forest flowers were all on the ground, bright and colorful. The detail of the forest and its soothing breeze brought the young hedgehog to ease.

As he stood there, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, feeling the crisp air fill his lungs and the refreshing aroma of the forest invigorating his senses. As the hedgehog emerged from the lab, he felt a sense of disorientation. It had been so long since he had set foot outside. The bright sunlight and the fresh air were almost overwhelming after spending so much time in the sterile lab environment. The dense forest stretched out before him, with tall trees reaching up to the sky and a thick carpet of undergrowth covering the forest floor.