Dark Thorns (A Deltarune fanfic)

New Fears

The trash zone felt quieter than usual. Not even the occasional maus was heard.
In his little makeshift store, Spamton was sitting alone on the floor. He couldn't get the image of Pink's injured face out of his mind. It didn't make sense. Why would someone do that to Pink of all people? He was usually a careful person.
Something was telling him that whatever happened, is deeper than what Pink let on.
He hadn't seen an injury like that since Red...
Nope.
Red left him.
Pink left him.
Everyone left him.
Why should he care?

Perhaps going to work would take his mind off of it.
What work?
He could still make a big sale. Just have to wait for the right person.
Been waiting for years. Nothing.
"[Time after time] FOR WORK."
He had to snap himself out of it. Can't dwell on those thoughts otherwise they'll consume him.
They already did.
"ENOUGH ! ENOUGH! ENOUGH! !"
He ran out of the small room. He had to leave.
He..
Had to..

"AH. FINALLY."
He had finally made it to one of the garbage cans he usually occupied. Just to be sure, Spamton opened the can up and peered into it. While there were some bags of trash in the way, he could see the pillow he left. Once he saw it, the small salesman dove right in. He then began to dig through the trash bags.
Probably might be able to find some new stuff to sell. Or find a meal for the day.
As luck would have it, there was a nice CD bagel that only had one bite taken out of it.
"SWEET [music] TO MY [stomach]."
As he sat there eating, a faint conversation could be heard.

"... Yes. We're on our way now."
Hm. It was probably someone going to work.
"Yes. We'll be sure to bring him."
...
"Boss wants us to bring that guy?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"He said we need to cover the loose ends."
"He also needs another Addison. That last one, ha, he's out of commission."

What?
Spamton decided to listen in on the conversation. It sounded as if they had stopped walking.

"That's what happens when you can't meet the boss's demands."
"What should we do if he doesn't cooperate?"
"Drag him, carry him, doesn't matter."
"All the way back to the door? Ugh. Sounds like a hassle."
...
"N-Not that I'm complaining!"
"Good. You can do it then."
"...dammit."
"It shouldn't be too hard. Guy fell over after one hit. Plus, he doesn't look like he's that heavy. You'll be fine."
"Easy for you to say!"
"Shut up."
"Sorry."
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Now let's get moving on. The faster we get this done, the better."
"Right."
...
It sounded like they were walking away.
Spamton felt like he couldn't move.
They were talking about an Addison. Don't tell me...
Pink?
They also talked about another Addison. Could it have been Red? He was always getting into something. It was always really deep stuff too.
Did his luck finally run out after all this time?
But he couldn't think about that right now.
Those guys were going after Pink.
He then got out of the garbage and walked to where he heard the conversation. He could see four figures walking in the distance. Their identities were hidden by their coats and hats.
That attire... they're Dark Web criminals.
This was serious. Spamton began to run as fast as he could. He had to warn Pink. Luckily, he knew his way around the city. He'd get there before them.
Damn it, Red. What the hell did you do?

—

"Agh. Damn this is heavy."
Pink had been cleaning the entire time. He had just finished gathering all the items that unfortunately broke during the incident. Compared to the stuff that stayed intact, it really wasn't a lot that was lost. The only thing that broke that upset him was his old tea pot. The one Red called 'out of style'.
  He then walked out of the store to throw the bag of broken items out. After making his way towards the garbage can, he paused. He stared at the trash almost as if he expected to see Spamton jumping out of it. Pink opened the lid quickly and stepped back.
Nothing.
He sighed and threw the bag into the can. He chuckled as he walked back towards the store.
Great. Now he's getting inside my head.

He then got back into the shop and sighed again. He managed to clean the place up. Now all he had to do was wait and-
"PINK!"
"AAAAAAHH!"
Gripping the door handle, Pink turned to see that damn salesman.
Spamton.
"What- What the hell?! Why are you here?!"
"PINK! NO [time of day] TO EXPLAIN! COME WITH ME!"
He then grabbed Pink by the sleeve and tried to open the door out. Pink immediately pulled back.
"I can't right now. I have something important to do."
Spamton tugged at Pink again.
"NO! YOU NEED TO [get out of town]!"
"What I need is for you to go! You've already caused me enough trouble."
Pink pulled his hand away again. He then turned away from Spamton.
"PLEASE [PINK EYE]. THOSE [$4.99] ARE COMING FOR [U]."
"You mean those guys from the Dark Web?"
"[confirmed]!"
"Yeah. I know. They want that damn ring. The ring that should have been with me. Because if it was then they wouldn't have had to come back and they wouldn't have done THIS to me!" Pink pointed to the bandage on his face.
  "PINK. LISTEN-"
"No. I'm done listening to crooks like you and Red! Ever since I met you both, it's been one thing after another. He fucking gives me rings from the Dark Web. And you? I don't even know where to start!"
  "...Pink-"
"Get out."
Pink then walked back towards the door so that he could kick out the other salesman.
" Red's . Gone."
"He's been gone a long time now. Probably in some other city doing scams or something"
"Because. Of. Them."
Pink stopped.
"He was always getting into stupid shit. That shouldn't be a surprise."
"They. Need A NEW  [advertisement]."
"What?"
"He was. Their. Addison. He's. Gone. Now they. Want. You."

They both went quiet.

Pink felt like he would fall over right then and there. He leaned against the wall.
"W-why? What more do they want from me?"
"You. Know about. Them. And the. Rings. Called you. A loose end."
"Shit." Pink put his hands to his face.
This was all too much.
"What am I going to do?"
"Pink..."
—
The street seemed very quiet. Nobody else was around.

The four individuals came up to the shop and opened the door.
It was dark inside.
"Do you have the ring?"
...
"Hey. Addison. Answer me."
...
"Is he even here?"
"Check the whole place."
Three of them nodded and began searching.
...
"Nothing."
"That coward isn't here."
"Damn it. Let's go. We have to start looking."
—
  The two of them had finally made it back to the trash zone.
"IT AIN'T MUCH BUT ITS SHOULD BE GOOD [home security] FOR YOU."
Pink looked around. Nothing but trash.
What did I do? What did I do?