FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

You would think that something this simple would be easy.

You'd think wrong.

Rick and I approached the door of room 101. I reached for the cold doorknob, unlocking the door.

Opening the door, I peered inside; Rick kept behind me at all times just in case. The interior of the room felt like it was freshly refurbished. The bed was recently made; wallpaper showed only a little wear and tear, and the carpeting was rather shaggy.

What was out of place was the sight of a broken computer next to the bed. The model of the computer was obviously a desktop. The design had a 1990's feel to it with a plain eggshell yellow monitor and a bulky computer screen.

... Here we go again ...

My Game Gear flashed once again, prompting me to lift it up towards the computer. Rick was staying outside to be on the lookout.

My Game Gear showed the same ruin interior and some white etchings on the walls. However, the etchings seemed eligible now. The last time I did this, the etchings felt like they were just symbolic. These ones had a much clearer message.

'Collect'

That I couldn't even begin to explain. So far this game proved to be more than a game. But now it felt like it was actually trying to communicate. Sure enough, I was dumb enough to listen. I slowly made my way to the broken computer, Game Gear held up high, and aimed at the computer again.

Charmy was about to reach for the gem again as before. The screen suddenly flashed red and white. A screech echoed from within before I could hold my ears. Rick rushed in after me through the noise, grabbing me tight, and holding me up.

The moment the screeching ended, my senses returned. My eyes tried to adjust again from having shut them so tight. However, I saw that the computer in front of me wasn't broken anymore.

The screen that was shattered looked as if it repaired itself again. I wasn't even paying attention! I had to grab my game gear before looking at it.

So far, it was still working.

However, Charmy and Ray ended up looking towards what appears to be an effigy of...

Wait... was that Sonic?

It couldn't be. I never saw anyone else in the room but us and the computer. I looked again, and that strange Sonic sprite inched closer to us. I took pause at that, looking back at the computer.

The screen on the computer turned itself on with a low whine. When the screen came on, it showed the beginning title of the Sonic the Hedgehog game playing in front of it.

There was no way a computer could play itself if it wasn't plugged in.

What really irked me was that the screen showed something different for a split second. It was a split second, but I thought I saw Sonic's eyes suddenly turn black with red dots. That was all I could catch a glimpse of, though.

What played on the screen was a menu with a red coloration design of the water backdrop; three save files were present, each save file looking like it had a video screen atop the characters available.

The three on there were all too recognizable.

Ray, Amy and Charmy.

I looked back at my Game Gear, noticing me and Rick there with Ray and Charmy already clinging to each other.

"What do we have here ... new toys?"

Again, the voice came from the Game Gear. It sounded twisted, mangled. Yet it had Sonic's vocalization quite clearly. Yet the entire thing felt 'wrong' somehow.

I took a look down to realize he was looking right at us. A terrible thought entered my mind; somebody had to have set this up! There was no way that all this could be happening!'

But this thing kept me alive so far... I prayed to God that it keep us alive right now...

"Who might you two be? I don't sense myself anywhere nearby ..."

I really didn't want to answer... I was thinking that, if I did, then it would be the last thing I ever do. But what did it mean by 'he doesn't sense himself anywhere nearby'?

Maybe this thing was like the last computer back at Kyle's house. Maybe this really wasn't where the game was anymore. This might explain the unusual style of the Sonic sprite. But was this really the real Sonic.EXE game I kept hearing about? I didn't even run into the damn CD of it yet! Perhaps we were lucky that this might not actually be the real game. At least, I hoped.

"...I'd rather not say," I hoarsely spoke up. I manage to clear my throat. "I'm ju-just passing through. W-we weren't doing anything out of the ordinary."

Oh yeah, sure, have a conversation with a possibly Demonic Killer Computer! But right now, I was rather too freaked out to think rationally.

All I could see was the curve of a pixelated smile on the effigy's face, right before it turned away from us in the Game Gear screen.

"I suppose it doesn't matter then. This just means I get to enjoy a little game with you two."

"Oh, no thanks!" I called out in panic. "We're already playing your game!" I figured lying my ass off might help us live.

Obviously, it wasn't amused.

"That ISN'T my game. I would know MY game when I feel it. Right now, you're not even sitting at the computer. That, and what the hell is that ancient garbage in your hand?"

I took a moment to look on at the computer, and then at the Game Gear.

"Dude...I think we should just get the fuck out," Rick suggested.

I wanted to run. I had to run. I needed to run. But ...

"...It's a Sega Game Gear. It has your game in it," I replied with a slight tremble in my voice.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Rick hoarsely whispered back at me in tension. Obviously, this was finally getting to him. But what I felt right now wasn't panic. My body trembled, hands clinging wetly to the Game Gear, and my brow was sweating bullets. My mind raced a mile a second to get the fuck out. But what I was actually feeling was...

... Calm ...

"... Suddenly I'm not liking you, kid. Something's off about you and I plan to fix that."

I held up the Game Gear again at the computer. Charmy suddenly stood straight and tall. It was as if this game knew what I was going to pull. In that moment, I rushed at the computer and jammed my Game Gear at the screen.

When I did, Charmy bull-rushed that fake Sonic like a bullet, slamming him against the pedestal behind him. I heard a heavy grunt from Sonic as the Desktop shook from something getting jarred out of place. When it did, the gem behind the Sonic Effigy flew over its head and into Charmy's hands.

The screen flashed brightly before I could finally see what happened before me. I saw the computer suddenly vanishing slowly, fading out, and sinking into nothingness. However, the Effigy still stood.

He stared back at our Game Gear counterparts before uttering a broken cackle. The static from the game covered his voice, considering the laugh sounded alien in nature.

"So, that's what was bothering me."

He started to fade out of view on the screen. God how I wish he faded out faster than that.

"You know what? I changed my mind. I think I'm going to have a lot of fun playing with you now."

His last words faded away with him on the screen. I barely caught my breath as I fell on bended knee.

I had to recap.

I just saw a computer that was there vanish. I saw my Game Gear go crazy and a demonic Sonic just appear out of nowhere. I slammed my Game Gear against a... ghost computer or WHATEVER that was... and was rewarded with another emerald.

This was beyond comprehension. Computers couldn't vanish into thin air. I had to check the space where it was again. There was nothing. I couldn't feel anything on the surface of the wooden desk it rested on. I couldn't even find a socket for the plug.

Rick suddenly grabbed my shoulder, yanking me back. "Are you nuts?! You could've gotten us killed!"

I push him back a bit and groaned. "Relax! We got out of it alive so far. I'm not sure how a game could actually kill someone, but we're not sticking around in this room to find out."

"Amen to that," he replied. The two of us had to hurry up out of the room after that.

My Game Gear suddenly blinked and let out a strange echo of warning music. The music sounded like the drowning music for Sonic in his underwater levels.

My stomach turned when I looked at my Game Gear.

Right in front of us stood two figures of Sonic with those black eyes... While up ahead were the same guys who were at my house staring right at us.

Son of a bitch; why now?!