A Killer Life

Chapter 10*

A long silence passed, until Papyrus started talking.

"So, you are.. not Sans?"

I nodded, eyes still averted to the floor.

"And you accepted a deal with the human– that supposedly fell down into the underground– during one of your RESETs... and now your soul is crippled?"

I winced at how he described 'my' soul, but nodded again at what he said. I felt Papyrus's heavy gaze on me.

Another thick silence washed over the room.

"Well, at least I know why you were acting weird after you woke up now."

I looked at him in surprise at his last reply, eye sockets widening. It seemed too unreal of an answer. Too easy going. Too light of a reaction. Too forgiving.

"I've always thought you were acting funny ever since you woke up, but didn't know how to bring it up."

Papyrus started fidgeting and lowered his floating body down to my height.

"I thought it was because you had fallen down before and memory loss was a side effect from it. I thought you recovered completely, even restoring some of the HOPE you lost... but I guess that wasn't it."

I opened my mouth to apologize, but remembered that I couldn't talk; no sound came out of my mouth. I looked at him apologetically. I could only pretend to pat him in reassurance.

Translucent tears started trailing down Papyrus's cheekbones as he let out his sadness.

His brother had died without him knowing, and he didn't get to say goodbye. He had thought that everything would be okay once Sans woke up, but it's not even him in the body anymore. A different person in the body, both mind and soul.

I feel my soul break at the sight of Papyrus crying. The cheery brother of Sans was crying because of me.

Was my choice correct? Should I have just accepted the necklace without telling him about what happened to Sans?

Questions flooded my mind as I berated myself for my choice.

I was being selfish. I wanted someone to know to ease my own burdens. I was wrong. Don't cry anymore, I'm sorry. I'm sorr-

"Sans!"

I snapped out of my thoughts.

"...Or are you even Sans now? I've been calling you by the wrong name and I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Papyrus looks like he's on the verge of crying again. Right then and there, I started to question myself.

Is Papyrus really my hallucination? He feels so real..

Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized that I should answer back.

I wrote down on a new piece of paper that it was ok, and that most of the problems I have right now were made by me anyway (I should be the one that's sorry). Names were the least of my worries. (I've been using that name for longer than I should have though).

Papyrus blinked.

"Oh, well since you're not Sans.. should I use your old name?"

I immediately shook my head.

I'm not Sans, but I'm not really the 'me' from before either. I died already. No need to start using both of the dead names that I know.

"Alright then, let's make you a new name! Nyeh!"

I smiled at Papyrus's enthusiasm then nodded.

Back at Grillby's, the pie in the oven was screaming; asking for mercy.