A Killer Life

Chapter 5*

The overall gloomy feeling of this place might be the real cause of its deterioration. I mean, looking at this is going to make me vomit.

In front of me were papers sprawled out across every surface of the room, except for the computer area. The walls were decorated with empty picture frames and motivational posters with little quotes on them.

*Even in the day, the stars are there.

But only when it's dark can you see the stars shine;

As bright as the sun.

*Think about what you might need for your next project,

and throw them all out the window.

You will not be needing them during your vacation.

*From this day onwards (3/6/20xx), crying will lead you nowhere.

Those were the only nice parts about this room. But even then, the room felt oppressing.

Then for a brief moment, I saw a flicker of the same tall figure I saw at the house. I veered my head to the corner of the room where I thought it was, only to see blank walls. I nervously chuckled under my breath.

The darkness was definitely getting to me.

Brushing off the uneasiness I just felt, I stepped through cautiously to the door across the room, trying not to step on anything important and disgusting. Both were bad for my health in a widely different way.

Stepping inside the door, there was another room. Though unlike the one from before, this was kept clean with not a single dust in sight.

Well, it was mostly because it had to be.

Anyway, what I entered was the control room. It held all the power and all the info of the whole underground. If something were to go wrong here, it's going to be a disaster for all the residents living in it in the long run. Neat right?

To think that something like this existed at all. Monsters are seriously the most trusting living beings. No wonder they were pushed under a mountain.

Operating the machines here will need immense knowledge. Probably enough to be the next scientist working in the labs. Head or assistant, both would know the basics of how to use these kinds of things, and lucky for me, Sans seems to have been one once upon a time.

Looks like fan interpretations were useful after all? Or was this canon info?

See, when I entered this body, 'I' was not really 'me' anymore. Excluding the most obvious difference in physical looks, some of Sans habits and likes, to name a few, were transferred to me. It was a good accidental cover up to use when people were getting suspicious of my identity. Especially Papyrus.

Seems like the magic or whatever made up "Sans" as an individual was still active somehow and influenced me a little bit. So, using the knowledge given to me by this body, I was able to get into the main records database of the whole underground.

The taps of a lone keyboard reverberated through the loud silence. The computer lit up bright at my face as I squinted, trying to make sense of what was on the screen.

Huh, that's weird, the underground was working perfectly normally as usual.

In the corner of my vision again, I saw a black figure that looked just like Papyrus, but when I looked, it wasn't there... again.

I stood there terrified.

...Papyrus?

Is my non-existent brain playing tricks on me?

Wow, that's hilarious!

Am I hallucinating? Making up my dead brother's ghost because of my guilt? Well, I knew that I was crazy to a certain degree, but this is my all time low! Am I now turning into... who was it again?

I remember there was a Sans who could see his dead brother's ghost? Or was it actually his hallucination? Umm, something about dead monsters... dust? Yeah, I think it was Dust. Am I turning into him now?

As I spiraled into regret and sorrow, the emotions doubled as each moment passed. What was a second, felt like an eternity to me. An endless cycle of negative feedback that keeps growing my anguish.

I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have accepted the deal with Sans's body. It's not even my own... I'm sorry I did this, I'm sorry Sans, I'm sorry Papyrus, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-

"...'m s-sorr.y.."

My voice came out hoarse and weak from the lack of use. Black tears started streaming down in loads instead of the trickle it was before-

...Until the guilt that plagued my mind subsided, as fast as it came.

For a moment, I sat in my spot, blank. Kneeled down on my knees awkwardly, and  feeling numb. Like an old puppet that had its strings snipped off. Just laying there without guidance from another being. It felt something like when your limbs fall asleep and pain feels muted, in a weird sense. There, but distant; out of reach.

Then, I stood up suddenly, springing back to life, cleaned up whatever mess I made on the floor and continued what I was doing like nothing happened.

Somewhere in the multiverse, two beings perked up from the immense amount of negativity.