Don't download this rom com of Sonic mania

I went on this fanmade Sonic subreddit looking for a free version of Sonic Mania.

I know, I know — it was stupid. But I’m not gonna pay money for a game that’s gonna be out of fashion in a month. I found one post that claimed it had more characters and extra save slot options. It all seemed too right, in all the wrong ways.

I waited for it to download. It took longer than it should’ve — like, way longer. It’s not a big game, right? I figured it was just my internet. I booted it up once it finished and noticed something odd right away.

There was already a save slot made.

I assumed it was a reused upload or someone copied their data into the files before posting. Whatever. I picked the second slot.

At the character selection screen, I saw something that made my stomach twist.

Sonic was crossed out. Big red text covered his sprite:

 “He’s been taken.”

I tried selecting him anyway — the game just restarted. No error. No crash. Just a hard reset. After a few tries, I gave up and picked Knuckles. He was always my favorite, even if he’s not the best for speedruns.

It loaded Green Hill Zone Act 1. Looked normal, at first. But then I noticed something…

Two glowing eyes. Watching from the shadows behind the trees. I thought maybe the devs added the Tails Doll for lore flavor — you know, as a spy for Eggman or something. I thought it was a cool detail at the time.

Then the glitches started.

Subtle things. Between acts, the music would distort just slightly. Knuckles’ sprite would twitch or flicker for half a frame. Background tiles shifted where they shouldn’t. But hey — nothing’s perfect, right?

I kept going. I made it all the way to the second-last act.

That’s when everything broke.

A dark blue flash hit the screen. For a second, everything was white noise — then my eyes adjusted and I saw it:

Knuckles’ lower half, standing still. No torso. No head. Just... knees dropping. Then the legs collapsed.

Text glitched across the screen in red and gray, flashing so fast it made me feel sick.

 “He’s been put to rest. Now you’ll take his place.”

I tried relaunching the game — and my PC just shut down. Completely. No power. No fans. Dead.

Great. I figured the game had a virus.

I decided to deal with it tomorrow and went to bed.

That night was hell.

I didn’t just have nightmares — it felt like I was dying. Over and over. My heart would pound so fast it felt like it stopped. My skin was cold. I could feel something crawling inside me.

I woke up in a cold sweat...

But not in my bed.

My hands were covered in gloves. Red gloves. With spikes on the knuckles.

I scoffed. Figured I was dreaming.

Then I saw them — Tails and Amy. Not sprites. Not cartoon characters. They looked real. Scared.

I ran to them. But when I got close, they both whispered, in perfect sync:

 “He’s here.”

Then the flash hit again. Both of them were torn in half — their upper bodies gone, just legs dropping to their knees before collapsing. Exactly like Knuckles.

And then I felt it happen to me.

A horrible weight stabbed into my spine. I felt myself drop. Then I saw myself...

Knuckles.

But not the Knuckles I picked. His limbs were thin and decayed, his mouth frozen in terror, eyes wide and broken.

Still.Sonic stood behind him. Behind me.

Not corrupted. Not glitched. Not growling or laughing.

He was just… still. Watching. Waiting. Like this was just another step in a long, quiet loop.

Then he grabbed me.

And I woke up again…

In this line.

Endless. Stretching beyond the horizon. Souls waiting. Some screaming. Some whispering. Some just... staring blankly forward.

That’s where I am now. And I’m telling you this — you, whoever’s behind me.

You probably don’t care. I wouldn’t, either.

But if you ever download a Sonic Mania ROM and see a save file already made…

Don’t open it.

If you hear someone whisper, “He’s here,” Run.

Or better yet… don’t sleep at all.

(If you want more or think it's good say in comments)