UnderEdge : An Undertale AU

Chapter 6 : The Ambush

"Home ?"

"Yes. That's its name."

We'd been in here since an hour. I kept noticing how Hapstablook seemed worried. When I asked him what was wrong, he simply answered "Well... I'm afraid my cousin comes here while searching for me."

"You know, you can go. There's food and bedrooms here. I should be able to handle myself for a couple hours."

"Really ? Oh, thanks Dreemur, I don't know what I would have done otherwise. So, I'll be back in the morning, try getting some sleep !" he said, crossing the doorway.

"Oh, don't worry about that !"

Home seemed to be some kind of old refuge, composed of a kitchen, a living room, an entry with a staircase that was probably leading to some basement, and three other rooms, two of which were bedrooms, with the last one being locked. The first one seemed to be made for children, with two beds on each side of the room, multiple damaged toys and ripped drawings. Creepy. The second was cleaner, except for the huge bed in the corner that was really dusty, but... it felt like I wasn't welcomed here. Some kind of aura. There was already books, furnitures and other stuff here. Maybe someone would come back to pick them up. I decided to leave them as they were.

After a while, I decided to simply search for something to eat. The entire house was in a pretty bad state, but not useless for the least. Surprisingly, the food in the kitchen seemed more recent than the rest. I ate some badly-microwaved meat, with instant noodles. I then read in the living room. Most of the books were about bug-hunting, especially snails. It was interesting, in some way.

I don't recall falling asleep.  When I woke up, I was in one of the beds of the children bedroom. Although it was a bit small for me, I have to admit I hadn't slept as good as I did this night in a very long time.

I got up, and heard something move next to me. I looked, but there was nothing, only some dirt on the ground. Weird.

I started searching for Hapsta when I heard his voice while I was in the kitchen. Following it, I ran across the living room, but stopped when something on the table in the center of the room caught my eye. It was a small black box. It wasn't here yesterday. I opened it. Inside was a slice of what looked like a pie with some blackberries on it. It looked yummy. Eager to find my friend, I quickly closed the box and put it in my bag. 

I arrived in the entrance, but the voice seemed to come from... lower. The basement. I took the staircase and went through the long corridor it led to. I could now hear what Hapsta said : "No, of course that's not how it works. It's just... I can't. She isn't ready yet. Please leave us alone for now. She doesn't even how to dodge ! No, that's not an opportunity !"

"Hapsta ?"

He heard me, and turned around, revealing the door he was standing in front of, and between the two... 

"Howdy !"

Flowey. The bad one, with the black face.

I screamed and fell on the floor.

"WHAT IS HE DOING HERE ?!"

Hapstablook looked away in shame while Flowey laughed.

"Well you see, your deeaar friend has just made a deal with me."

At first, I didn't see what he was talking about, but I then understood.

"No..."

"Yes ! He needed someone to 'lure' the monsters away from you. And who would do the job better than the local psychopath ? Of course, I had to set my conditions, that's how deals work."

"But what would you-"

"Isn't that obvious ?!" screamed Hapstablook, "He is the only person in the Ruins that all the monsters fear, but he forced me to accept to let both of you fight."

" Wait. So I have to fight him in exchange of my safety ?!"

Flowey sprinted towards me as the vine that composed his body extended, his dark face stopping only a few inches from mine.

"Glad to see you understand things quick. It's simple. He cannot help you. If you kill me, well, you can pass. However, if I win, you can guess what will happen.

"Wow, kill you ?! I don't want to-"

He got even closer. His face flashed a cruel smile, and it looked like it was melting.

"You don't have the opportunity to choose. It's 'kill or be killed' down here."

"And what if I refuse ?"

He looked at me dead in the eyes.

"...Yeah, I accept." I eventually sighed.

"Perfect ! Now, we will start 'outside'." he said, pointing towards the door next to us with a leaf.

We opened the door and entered, but when Hapstablook tried to follow us, Flowey stopped him.

"Don't. Even. Think. About it. I haven't asked for a fair fight for you to strike me in the back... again."

The room we were in was very similar to the one where I had first met Flowey, filled with darkness, with only a bit of light in the center

"Alright. Ready ?"

"I have a question before that."

He sighed.

"Alright, I haven't got time to lose. Go on."

"What is wrong with you ? You know, the 'Black Flowey bad, White Flowey good' thing ?

"I was born like this."

"And-"

"AAAND that's your one question answered. And your last one."

Out of the dark, I saw something glow. Many things in fact. Hidden by the darkness, we were surrounded by pellets... I had been trapped.

"Sorry for this." Said Flowey. "I have to know."

He moved a leaf, and they all sprinted in my direction. They felt like razor blades. My skin was getting peeled off my body, the pain was unbearable, I heard Flowey's mad laugh as I was dying...

I woke up in the bed in the kiddie room. Safe. I heard Hapsta's voice, took the pie, all of this very mechanically. I knew what to do. Once again, I had like, traveled back in time. Hapstablook was still downstairs, still talking to Flowey. What even was this madness ? When Flowey offered to go in the next room to fight, I prepared to refuse, to scream for help, to run away, but he grabbed my arm with a vine and pulled me through the door. He hadn't done that before. How come he had changed his behavior ? I was going to ask him. "Can I ask a question ?"

"Didn't you already ask a question before ? I said I was born like this."

I froze.

"W-What ?"

He burst out laughing. 

"AHAHAHAH !!! Oh my GOD, it's so FUNNY ! I knew it wasn't a feeling of deja-vu, earlier ! So you really got IT, huh ?"

"What do you mean ?"

"You know what I'm talking about. That inability to feel the sweet release of death. Because you're DETERMINED to go home, right ? Heheheh..."

His face paled and he took a sad look.

"Dying would have been a less cruel fate. You can pass."

All of this was incomprehensible.

"B-But why ?"

"Do not question our... my objective. You can go ahead. You'll find a door and your ghost friend behind it. Good luck."

And with that, he plunged into the ground.

Speechless, I understood I wouldn't get any more answers, and walked away. As expected, I found a decorated purple door, and opened it. As I was about to cross it, I heard something. A feminine voice.

"...You'll need it."