ClockTale an Undertale AU

Timer Part 18

Ron grabs my hand, pulling me into the ambulance with him after the paramedics are done getting the stretcher in.

"Why-?" I ask but think better of it, sitting next to Ron on the little seat while the paramedics do whatever they can to do- well I'm actually not sure what happened to Al, and what's wrong with him but I keep my mouth shut.

The ride is short and Al is immediately rushed to the ER for a better look at what's wrong. Ron excuses himself to the bathroom which leaves me standing awkwardly in the white waiting room.

While I have nothing to do, maybe I could.. I take a seat in a corner away from the other people before taking my familiar watch off with the scrambled numbers and many hands. Is my soul still in here? I wonder flipping it over in my palm, I pry the back open to see my green soul pulsing behind the gears.

There are a few more cracks in it than there were last time I realize. Was it from when I first came here or was it from when I was stuck in the 'Sans Prison'?

I spend a good ten minutes inspecting my pulsing green soul, trying to figure out if I could take it out and still live since I seem to be painfully human -no offense-

I grab a screwdriver from my pocket, gingerly poking my soul. "Ugh!" I grunt quietly, "Guess it's still attached to me," I mumble looking up to see someone staring directly at me. Uh okay? I look down again at my watch. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this here in the open.. I put the back back on my watch, clasping it onto my wrist before leaning back, falling asleep almost instantly.

When I wake up I'm still in the waiting room with no sign of Ron. I look around to see the person still staring at me. Well that's not weird at all. I think It look like they haven't moved even an inch. I sigh, I need to get out of here, the smell of cleaning chemicals is really irritating me. I stand up, walking out of the almost empty waiting room and into the dark night air.

I take a deep breath coughing. I go around to the parking lot, looking for someone or somewhere I could call a taxi from to get back home. Wow. I've already started calling that place home.. I wonder how Papyrus is doing... "UGH!" I slap myself "Great now I'm thinking about Pap again. Frustrated, I head for the streets, walking in a random direction.

Despite myself I can't stop thinking about my brother and the rest of my AU. I even started thinking about all the AUs. Damn I'm getting desperate, stop by a traffic light looking for a street sign. "878," I read on a black and white sign, sounds promising. I cross the street to a bunch of houses, "I'll just follow this street for a bit." I tell myself, walking down the narrow empty street.

I'm not sure how long I was following the streets but I soon find myself in a weird place. "It looks like a snow mountain." I smile to myself "I wonder what it is." I climb over a railing and I drop down and the weird substance floats up in a small cloud before settling down again.

Doesn't seem to have the same properties as snow. I note leaning down to pick some up but it just slides off my hands, leaving my hands feeling grainy. I notice the sound of something slapping against something else and I wipe my hands on my pants, following the noise into a clearing of the odd non snow stuff. What is this..? I wonder, still following the sound downhill until I see the reflection on the moon on something in front of me. "The ocean?" I say quietly "Whoa..." I breathe.

It's been years since I'd last seen the ocean, and it's even nicer at night when you're alone and you don't have any monsters asking you questions about everything they see.

"Nice ain't it?" A gravelly voice asks me, making me jump.

"Uh-"

"No need to be scared, I mean no harm." The voice asks. "I come to the beach every night to enjoy the breeze and think. What's a young lad like you doing at the beach all alone at night?"

The voice reminds me of an old friend in Snowdin. Why can't I remember their name?! I growl slapping myself

"Whoa there!" A hand comes out of the dark, resting itself on my shoulder, "No need to hurt yourself sonny," I sigh "You don't seem very talkative," The voice says. "Do you mind if we talk for a little?" I shrug. "Great, come here then I have beer."

I follow the man a little way to the right where a fire is set up, illuminating a towel on the ground with a cooler and an open can on it. "Come sit son." The voice says and I look over to see an older man sitting himself down on the towel. "Have a beer." I sit down and he hands me a can from the cooler but I don't open it.

"So," The man says, "What are you doin out here young man?"

I sigh looking at the ocean. "Just thinking." I am surprised by how alike our voices sound. Both aged with pain and hardship, sounding like we both swallowed wet cement in our early ages and it dried in our throats.

The old man takes a big drink from his can, downing the whole thing before letting out a huge burp that could split the tide. "Well, what's your name son?" He asks, taking another can from the cooler and popping it opened, "You can call me Papa Tom if you'd like."

"The names Sans." I say.

"Hmm, Sans." Papa Tom says, "Quite an interesting name. You're not from around here are ya, Sans?"

"No," I say quietly

"Where ya from then?"

"A place very far away." I say, " A place nothing like this."

"Wow." Papa Tom says. "Very vague."

"Sorry sir," I sigh. "I'm not very good at explaining things."

"It's quite alright." He says "How old are you, Sans?"

"Oh, eh.." I pause to think "I actually have no clue I can't remember," I laugh nervously Stop it! I tell myself If you act nervous he'll think you're lying.

"Well, don't ask me what my age is." Papa Tom says "Because I wont answer you, in all my seventy eight years of living I've never told anyone my age but my wife."

"I wouldn't dare." I say stifling a laugh

"Oh you find that funny dontcha?" He asks almost accusingly

"No sir." I say taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "Actually, I have a question though sir."

"Mm? Alright lets hear." He takes a swig from his drink

"Its not any personal questions. Just wanna know where we are."

"We're at the beach son, isn't that obvious?"

"That's not what I meant, I meant what place is this beach in."

"Oh well we're by the Far Rockaway beach right by the bridge to Long Island."

"Thank you sir." I say. "That's all I needed to know." I hand the can back to him. "But I need to go home."

"Didn't you say your home is far away?" He asks. "You still haven't told me about where you're from and what the place is called."

"Oh yeah, Sorry sir. Where I'm from there's more snow then ocean. There's never been a day when it hasn't snowed."

"Doesn't sound like somewhere I've been." He says, "Tell me more."

"Well, the place is called Snowdin for obvious reasons, and..."

I end up telling him all about Snowdin, minus the monsters obviously.

"Wow," Papa Tom is quiet for a long time after I finish explaining, staring at nothing in particular taking sips from his beer in a can. "Snowdin sounds like a magical place, nothing like the hell the world is nowadays."

"Yep," I nod. "A magical home away from home." I follow his gaze watching the sun rise over the horizon in the silence, at the moment not worrying about the pain the coming day will cause. 

Word Count: 1369