A Horrific Tale || Reader Insert

Chapter 4 || A Burning Pile

The silence acted as a protective barrier over your rampaging mind. You had many questions, but no answers. You needed answers, a sense of satisfaction, anything to quieten your mind.

You needed reassurance.

You puff your breath on to your hands, rubbing them together. Time was passing painfully slowly, and you had no idea where you were headed. Flowey hadn't told you anything.

You glanced at him in front, perhaps he had forgotten. 'Who forgets things like that?', You scratch your neck before speaking up,

".Ahem, so".

"..."

'Was I not loud enough?' , You scratch the other side of your neck. Flowey hadn't even glanced back.

You sigh, "Where exactly are we headed?".

Awaiting his response, You glance at him, 'Doesn't he get tired?'. You watch as Flowey slithers from dirt patch to dirt patch using his torn rotting roots. It was a sight which you winced at. For a second, you thought to ask, but dismissed the idea immediately. There were some things that were better left unasked.

It wasn't until after several seconds Flowey decided to respond.

"Well–" he mutters,"wouldn't you like to know?", he grumbles something to himself before he slows his pace, "There's only one entrance to the underground, which is located in the ruins".

Keeping his voice low he continues, "From the hole you fell through".

You hum for him to continue.

"There also is only one way out of the ruins. Past a single-double door". Flowey glances back at me, "But to get there, we'll have to pass her".

A shiver is sent down your spine, you didn't like where the conversation was headed.

After a prolonged pause he continues,"The one and only".

"You're joking. There's no way you mean–"

"–The keeper of the ruins, Toriel", he finishes.

Well, shit. Any chance of survival I thought I had had crushed down to less than zero-point-one-percent.

You bite the inside of your mouth,

"Can't I just– I don't know, go back up through the hole?".

Flowey squints his eye at me before turning back in front, "Well, Aren't you just clever?", he says in a mocking tone. You inwardly cringe at his response and let him continue.

"Of course you can't go back up. The hole is a one way barrier, there's no chance of leaving".

You attempt once more, "Are you sure–".

Flowey cuts you off with a chuckle "Let's say you could go back up, how would you? You're weak, You're frail, You're powerless. The chances of you climbing out of here alive..."

"..are dead-zero", he finishes off with a killer blow.

You frowned, even though you knew the answer. That zero-point-one-percent of survival was crushed down to a negative one-hundred, if that were even possible.

'Powerless?'

Your eyes wander the room you were passing. In the corner, there was a busted dummy, shredded of its fabric. You stare at it until you turn out of the room. Funny, it looked as if it were shredded of its own life.

Flowey's gaze briefly lingers back on you before turning away in front.

"It wasn't always like this".

You look up at him, a little taken back. 'Is he trying to comfort me?'.

You open your mouth to reply only for him to stop and turn to you, "Golly, would you look at that, we're here".

The sudden halt causes you to almost trample on him. "HEY! Are you trying to kill me?" he hisses, still maintaining his whisper.

You mumble a half-hearted apology before looking at the path in front. Your eyes squint into the darkness, unable to make anything of it. You turn around in the hallway and see a torch within the wall and make your way to it.

You grab it and walk back to Flowey, Fine if I take this?". He ignores you before muttering softly, "Watch your step".

You extend your arm for the fire to lighten the path. There were many busted metal plates that bridged over to the next room. Some of the plates were tainted dark red, some had sharp spikes pointing out. Beneath the bridge was black goopy water.

You swallow hard, in the metallic smell.

"One wrong move and that blood will be yours", your ears perk to Flowey's voice under you and you raise a brow to see him twisting up around your left leg.

"What exactly are you doing?", you say, holding in a wince as he crawls further up your calf.

"There aren't exactly any dirt patches up ahead", he replies and continues to twirl around, "..so I'll be on here for a while". You furrow your brows, "Is this necessary?". Flowey stops and looks up at you, "Not at all, I can stay here and let you adventure to the chamber of secrets–".

" –Alright, I get the point", I cut him off, huffing. 'Didn't think Harry Totter was a thing down here?'.

"Where'd you get that from?", I ask.

"Just something I read '', he mutters, and before you could further question him, his roots tighten around your leg. Hearing a soft hiss beneath you, you see Flowey staring at one of his roots. It was filthy and torn up.

'His roots haven't been watered', you look at him with a hint of sympathy.

Flowey looks up at me his eyes widening momentarily, before turning away, "Stick hard right for the first four plates, then walk across the left with the remaining plates then–"

" –What–Slow down Flowey! I'm going to piss myself", you cut him off with a whisper-shout.

With that, you hold the torch harder with both your hands before taking the first step onto the bridge.

"I said to the RIGHT, you idiot!" Flowey screeches, instinctively tightening around your leg, almost causing you to trip on your own feet.

                                                                                            *      *      *

You walk off the bridge, helplessly leaning against the wall. "I can't...", you say in between your pants, "..go on ''. A soft throbbing begins in your legs and you look down to see Flowey staring up at you. "Now walk straight from here", he instructs as he tries to dodge one of your falling sweat drops.

"Let me... k–catch my breath", You say, cringing at your voice-crack in the midst of panting.

"You won't have a breath to catch, if you're dead", he gruffs.

You tense up, and stare down at him. He holds the gaze briefly before turning away.

'He isn't wrong'.

Flowey's words ring in your mind as the two of you depart down the winding hallways in silence.