Never Expecting This

Chapter 64

 You followed the whimpers down the dark hall. The area was foreign to you, and Sonic definitely take you down here on your tour. The hall made you feel like the main character of a horror movie. You stayed alert for any sign of movement, but every time you thought you say something, it was gone. A dark figure popped in the corner of your eyes, but every time you turned, the shadow was gone. Your breath would hitch with fear, but you continued your journey. A few doors were locked shut, but one was slightly opened. A small robotic dog could fit through the small crack for sure, so you entered the room.

Inside was a long room with several air ducts and pipes connecting to other rooms. Smoke blew from holes in the leaky pipes and a chilling air came from the air conditioners. You hugged your body for warmth as you walked though the room. Your footsteps echoed off the cold floor and through the room. As you walked, you held a sense of fear in your heart; your gut was trying to tell you something. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't think of anything the freedom fighters would try to hid.

THUD!!

The door behind you slammed shut without warning. You jumped out of your socks and turned to the shut door. You began shaking in fear with a heart pumping faster that Sonic on five cups of coffee. You tried calming your mind by breathing in and out, but you still felt unsafe. The door's slamming was supernatural, and you could feel something watching you. You prayed that it was the lost dog that was sending achievers down your spine.

"T-Pup, come on out, buddy," you whispered.

You continued to slowly trudge down the hall. You waited for a jump scare, ghoulish laugh, or something creepy to occur, but nothing happened. Soon, you heard the familiar whines of a certain puppy, and you dashed down the hall. The end of the hall featured a couple brooms, some water puddles on the floor, and an air vent touching the ground. There was also the frightened T-Pup cowering at the air vent in fear. You reached for the dog with shaking hands, and pulled the puppy off the moist floor.

You pet the animal, trying to calm the dog's nerves. "What's wrong, boy?" you asked with a concerned tone of voice.

T-Pup only barked towards the air vent before shaking again in fear. You knelt in front of the air vent, feeling the cold breeze on your skin. You had to admit, something felt off about the vent. You don't know what, but you felt fear as you reached for the cold metal plate. It was definitely old with rusted exterior. You assumed the water and cold air probably formed mold inside the vent, but it was the soft red light that scared you the most. You tried pressing your fingers against the holes, but as you reached for the vent, the light faded away.

Something was wrong, and you decided to face your fear and figure out what was wrong. You slowly reached for the tilted plates. Once you felt the cold metal on your fingers, you tried pulling up to look inside the vent. The rusted hinges made it very hard, and you had to let your canine companion down. He cowered behind you with his tail between his legs. Using two hands, you pulled up on the plates, and they slowly creeked open. You peered inside, but nothing was inside. What was causing the red light?

THUMP........THUMP...THUMP!!!

You followed the air vent's path and heard thumps and blanks echo inside. You ran down the hall while following the ducts. You passed whatever was in the vents and reached another open vent. The red light began glowing from afar, and it was getting closer. You backed away from the open vent and waited to see the source of your fear. The light glowed brighter and the noises became louder. T-Pup quietly ran behind you and his in your shadow's safe haven. As the thumps got closer, you became more and more focused. Your peered at the red light with determination in your bones. You were ready to figure out what was....

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" a certain hedgehog screamed. You pulled your eyes off the vent in surprise. The screams echoed throughout the entire ship, and you swore you felt the Sky Patrol away from his shouts.

Sonic must have fallen for your little prank. You smirked in victory before turning back to the vent. Your mouth agaped when you saw the light was gone. In fact, the thugs ended, too. In the split second you were distracted, the mysterious.....thing disappeared. You rushed ahead to follow the path, but the vents began to break to various rooms and halls. It would be impossible to locate the object.

It was gone......what was it?