FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

All we could do was stare on at the TV screen. It couldn't be. This video game ended up cursing the TV appliance now? HOW!?

The Espio image on the screen simply nodded, showing a rather calm demeanor to him. Annie was the first one to speak up to it.

"Okay. First, who the fuck are you? Secondly, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HAUNTING MY TV?!" ... Really tactful, Annie ...

The figure on the screen only stared back at us for a prolonged time. The static that came up on occasion didn't help the atmosphere otherwise.

"I apologize for the trouble you have gone through," He finally answered, "I also apologize for the current act I have pulled. Do understand, it is not my intention to harm anyone."

Annie tapped her foot for the moment, staring at the TV, and crossed her arms. "I'll believe it when you get off my television. That thing cost me $700!" Considering Annie was lucky enough to have rich parents made me wonder if she'd worry about the TV more than the predicament.

It didn't take long before the screen flickered, the figure vanished, and my game gear flashed to bring our attention to it. Espio's sprite appeared by ours with a calm demeanor, arms crossed, and stern.

"This is not about simple property," He began. "This is about your well-being. I wanted to thank you for saving me from non-existence."

"Wait a minute!" I interjected, "Non-existence? What are you talking about?"

He continued on after, "I apologize. I have to do some explaining before we continue. My name, as I said, is Cole."

"I thought it was Espio," I had to shove Rick on the shoulder for that.

"Rick... I don't think now's a good time to joke," I replied.

"Dude, if we don't have anything to break up the mood here, you're gonna end up more freaked out again."

There he went again - always looking out for me. At least he was trustworthy to depend on.

"Okay Cole," I conversed with the game - as crazy as it sounded, "You mind starting from the beginning?" I was lucky that I was feeling calmer now after taking a breath.

Espio pondered his answer while he stood there. It took a moment before he spoke again. "Alright, I used to be an average person obviously. I actually was part of the police department here in town."

"Wait. You were part of the police?" I felt a little shocked to hear that. I didn't expect a police officer to end up a victim so fast during this year.

"I know it's hard to believe," he continued, "But I was. I was assigned to handling some murders that were going on."

"Sonic.EXE," All three of us muttered at once.

"Bingo." he responded, rather nonchalantly, "The obvious tell-tale signs were a spiritless body, locked jaw, and the number twenty-eight. We also found the CD left behind in the broken computer as usual."

"As usual?" I interrupted again.

"Yeah," he responded, "I ended up sucked into the whole thing when they tore the computer open for the CD. The reason the computers were smashed was most likely the victims trying to actually break the CD."

I shivered at the thought of it. To think, being stuck with playing the game, they would struggle to get the game out before they died.

"I was able to gather evidence based on some evidence around the last victim. Luckily, the culprits overlooked the trash can where a letter or two was crumpled up. The letters we found were made up of newspaper clippings; the letters themselves were written as threats to the victim."

Annie gave a low groan hearing that. "Lemme guess. 'play the game or we'll kill you' right?"

"Seems it wasn't coincidence you three ended up with this game then," Cole nodded, "If you're able to make those guesses, you can obviously tell it also added 'don't go to the police' to it. They had to step up their game with threatening their victims. They couldn't bank on them being stupid enough to let curiosity do their work like the last few times."

"So they ended up being more hands on with threatening victims anonymously." I commented.

"Right again."

"So you tracked the letter back with fingerprints and all that, right?" Rick asked. He had that all too eager look in his eyes that time.

"I couldn't do that. First, the culprits wouldn't be stupid enough to leave fingerprints. I'd wear gloves while delivering the envelope or even handling sticking on the letters. Besides, all evidence pertaining to the involvement of the video game had been confiscated by the Chief of Police.

"It took me a while to try and make my own investigation of the case in private. The chief didn't take kindly to it; he forced me off the case. It didn't feel right when he told me that. So I investigated on my own terms, spying on a group making a cult around the murders. When I did, I ended up biting more than I can chew.

"My plan was to infiltrate as a false member. I learned about their meetings, heard their stupid sermons about the game, and even met with their current head. Her name was Shannon Goldman."

"Wait a minute. You sneaked your way into a cult group, by yourself, without them looking up your background?" Annie spoke up there.

"Actually, they did," he responded, "I didn't realize they just didn't say anything about it. They were keeping quiet about knowing my background. The reason was to see how much I knew, if I knew too much, and if I needed to be dealt with."

"So far, I only knew they were doing big speeches and handing out pamphlets. I had to look deeper over time. When I did, I discovered a few things that I can't tell you yet."

Annie yanked the game from me, shaking it violently.

"You BETTER start talking before I-!"

"That won't work" I wearily stopped her, "You already forget that car incident?"

Annie glared back at me, making me and Rick rear back, and she shoved the game back in my hands before turning away.

Of course, Coles' Sprite didn't look affected. He continued on. "As I was saying, I managed to sneak into Ms.Goldman's room after some time, only to find it was a trap. She left her computer running, playing that damn game, and the screen showed me on there."

"X knew I was coming."

X? The one talked about by those cultists? He was there?

"When I was facing the game, I had to get out. The door shut behind me, locked, and Shannon was behind the other side keeping it locked. Apparently I was just an amusement. I was also cheating by investigating where I shouldn't have."

"Cheating?" I asked.

"Like I said, they knew my background. They knew that I was trying to gather dirt on them. I just didn't know they were playing me like a fool. I shouldn't have let my guard down, thinking they were just ignorant about me."

"Damn. I bet it was just a week before your retirement too," THAT got Rick a smack in the head from Annie for that remark.

Although, that did get the Espio sprite to pause, shuffle in place, before it cleared its throat. "Anyway, you can tell that I never got out of there alive. I did, however, have knowledge of where all the evidence I gathered was."

"Wait a minute," I interjected, glaring at the game, "You're not suggesting -"

"I am. I need your help breaking into the police office to claim my findings."

I threw the Game gear at the pillows on the couch, pulled myself up, and stomped away while holding my forehead.

"No! No, no, no, NO, NO, NO! We are NOT breaking into a police department! We'd get arrested!"

Rick pulled the game back up again with a shrug. "Not like we've dealt with weirder."

"That's not the point!" I yelled. "How did he end up here if he was captured by them?! Why do we have to go to the police department for that evidence?! WHY WAS I EVEN STUCK WITH THIS GAME TO BEGIN WITH?!"

Cole shook his head in the game, turned away, and held his arms crossed. "If you want any of those questions solved, you'll have to take the chance. I won't say anymore otherwise."

"Please, I'm begging you! I can't keep going on like this unless I get answers! How do you expect me to even believe anything you said?!" I was frantic. I wanted to just stop before I got myself into worse trouble than ever. I even felt like being killed right now would've been a mercy for me!

Annie just shot right up from her position on the couch, came up to me, and slapped me on the face. I reeled back a bit, holding my aching cheek, and looked back over at Annie in befuddlement. At least I wasn't panicking like a mad man.

"Calmed down yet?" She asked. Obviously I had to say yes. If I said no, it'd just be another slap in the face again.

I knew that, if I wanted answers, I would have to find them.

"Yeah... I think I'm calm," I responded. My cheek still burned from the slap earlier. I took a look back at Rick for a moment.

"You know we gotta do this right?" He asked.

I didn't like it, I never liked it, but we didn't have any other options. I would say I didn't have any other options actually. I wanted to keep away, I wanted to just stop this, but I couldn't stop this nagging feeling in my stomach from what was happening.

Deep down, I was actually as crazy as these two on going through with the idea.

"Yeah I know. I just don't think we're going to get out of this without a serious backlash," I finally said. All I could do now was steel myself for the eventual break in we had to stage. Hopefully, this wouldn't get us killed doing it.

Rick smirked as he turned the game gear around to face it our way. Obviously, the screen was flashing again in a given direction.

We all knew where we were going next.