Sonic Pizza

One thing we can all agree on is hating these advertisements. They are often just a waste of time that can even try to sell you something you don't need, but in many cases, an advertisement can appear at the most opportune moment and offer a pleasant experience, or not.
I had a Facebook account that I used frequently to chat with my friends and play various games available on the platform. One day, I came back tired from university and wanted to relax a bit, so I started chatting with my friends and playing games until several hours had passed. They stayed there until around 9 pm. I had lost track of time.

More hours would have passed if I hadn't gotten hungry.

I remembered that my mother and father would be busy all day and wouldn't be back until around eleven due to a work meeting. I thought about ordering takeout, but just at the worst moment, the power went out. What bad luck...

I had no way of finding a place online to order something, and I didn't have any useful numbers written down on paper. I thought I would starve that night. Fortunately, my phone had battery, and I remembered that I had left Facebook open. I grabbed it with the idea that there might be some saved advertisement or post about places to order food. It wasn't so far-fetched, as things like that often appear on Facebook.

After checking a few posts that wouldn't load, I came across something that caught my eye out of curiosity.
It was an advertisement for a pizza branch, but what stood out the most was that Sonic was featured as the main image. I was surprised by how well-edited the image was; it had all the markings of something official.

Sonic was wearing a classic pizza maker outfit with a mustache under his nose, spinning dough. The image had the name of the restaurant and a short description: "Sonic Pizza, the fastest pizzas in town. Order your food here, and we'll deliver it as quickly as possible." Below the image was the phone number to call. I thought it was a pretty good idea to mix video games with food. Any child would be thrilled to think of ordering something related to their favorite game. However, I paused for a moment because there was only one phone number.

If it was an official branch, there should be multiple numbers, right? I mean, a restaurant serves many people especially if it features a well-known character, which would mean several phone calls. I ruled out the possibility of the pizzeria being official and realized it was just a branch that uses a character without permission from the owning company to attract more customers. It's quite common around here. I didn't think much of it and took a screenshot to have it handy.

I went to get a glass of water to ease my hunger, but at that moment, the power came back on, along with the internet. My phone automatically updated the news section, losing the advertisement for the pizzeria. Luckily, I had saved the screenshot, so I already had the number noted down. A few minutes later, the power went out again, and my news section got stuck on empty ads that wouldn't load. But the Sonic Pizza ad appeared again. With nothing else to do, I finally decided to order the pizza. I dialed the restaurant's number, but after several minutes, no one answered. How unfortunate! I was really craving pizza.

With nothing else to do and starving, I concluded it was better to simply go outand buy something. As I was changing my clothes to go out, my phone rang. It was the restaurant's number. I answered to see what they would say. On the other end was an employee who greeted me and apologized for not answering earlier. They asked if I wanted to order one of their pizza specials. I was already dressed to go out, so I thought about simply hanging up.

But there wouldn't be a problem in going out to buy something light and then returning to eat the pizza with my parents when they got home. So I replied with a "yes" and ordered a special. The employee thanked me for choosing Sonic Pizza and assured me that my food would arrive quickly. I thanked them for the service, but just as I was about to hang up, something strange happened. Well, more like I heard something strange.

There were sounds as if a couple of metals had fallen to the ground and were rattling on the floor. The worker quickly apologized for the sudden loud noise and explained that there had been a small accident in the kitchen. I must admit that having the phone next to my ear made the noise startle me a bit. I hung up without saying anything since they already had my order.

I left my home to search for any place to eat peacefully. Most of the area had no power, about three houses down from mine. They also didn't have electricity. Since it was Friday, many places were offering their food services, so I had options to choose from. I thought the pizza would go well with a couple of chicken sandwiches, so I walked several blocks away from my house to find a place that sold them.

I managed to reach a restaurant that sold the sandwiches along with fries. I was happy because I would sleep very content that night after eating well. I entered the restaurant and ordered three sandwiches with fries. I planned to bring the other two sandwiches to my parents so they could also enjoy them with the pizza. I sat at a table to wait for my order.

A few minutes later, a friend called me. I answered and spent time chatting with him about life. My order arrived, and I paid, but I wanted to stay a little longer to continue talking with my friend since the conversation was going well.
A long while after receiving my order, the power went out in the restaurant. I said to myself, "Not again." I told my friend that the restaurant was completely dark. He mentioned that the power had also gone out in his house, so it was probably an outage throughout the city. I didn't want to risk going back home when everything was in darkness; it was too dangerous.

Many minutes passed until the power came back on. An employee of the restaurant turned on the television that was mounted on a wall, and what appeared on the screen was an advertisement for Sonic Pizza. It was the same ad I had seen on Facebook, with Sonic wearing the outfit, kneading the dough, but this time it was animated, with Sonic spinning the dough and putting it in the oven. When I saw that, I immediately realized that I had forgotten the pizza. But I felt relieved when I saw that it had been over an hour, my parents should already be home. It would be a surprise for them.

I stayed a few more minutes before deciding to head back home. Fortunately, the power had been restored everywhere, so I could walk calmly while eating some fries. When I was just a couple of houses away from my home, I saw something that left me puzzled and very scared.

There was a police car parked in front of my house. I ran as fast as I could and entered my home. My father was sitting in a chair in the living room, holding his stomach, with a police officer assisting him, and my mother was anxiously talking to another officer. When my mother saw me, she quickly came over with a reproachful tone. "Son, did you order that pizza?" I replied yes, that it was a surprise for them when they came back, and that I had also brought sandwiches to go with the pizza. I asked why my father was holding his stomach. My mother explained,

"When we came back, someone rang the doorbell. Your father went to answer it, but when he opened the door, he was punched in the stomach, leaving him breathless, and they dropped a box on the floor. After that, the person who hit your father ran away."

I was very confused. I knew the box was the pizza, but why would someone hit a customer? I let my mother continue,

"We helped your father with the blow and brought the box to the living room table to see what was inside, but it's better for you to see for yourself what it contained."
My mother pointed to the half-opened box. I approached to see, and when I opened it, I almost vomited. Among the cheese, I could see raw organs, small legs, and what seemed to be brown hair and spines. In the middle of the pizza, there was a small head—a head belonging to a Hedgehog.