The Chronicles of UNDERTALE

HORRORTALE

"This is Snowdin, little one."

Rubbleville, more like.

What might have been a quaint, bustling village was now a ghost town. Each building was crumbling or was crafted with decaying wood. All the windows were cracked and pitch-black. A breeze swept through like it meant business, whipping up into a wordless howl. Towering, obsidian pines casted shadows on the silvery snow. Pinpricks of crimson droplets dotted the gravel path below the human child. The smell of rotten flesh made them cringe, pulling the pistol in their trembling grasp closer to their chest. Their SOUL, deeply embedded inside them, flicked to life weakly; pulsating a flaxen wave of light. The pistol joined in harmony to the radiance.

Toriel squeezed their hand tightly. "Do not worry, I have someone to introduce you too." Her crystallized rubies for eyes surveyed the stark area. "He will protect you." She soothed, raspy and coughing.

The youth relaxed, pressing themself against the comforting presence of their mother, burying their head into her chilly, white fur. Toriel hummed quietly.

In that instant, heavy footfalls resonated across the area.

Stomp. Scrape.

Stomp. Scrape.

A crack of a twig. A deep-throated chuckle.

Stomp. Scrape.

Stomp. Scrape.

Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.

"If it isn't you," greeted the baritone warmly. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. You must be new... lady."

Toriel reached a quivering paw out, her muzzle curled into a crude smile. "I recognize you. Hello, I am Toriel."

The juvenile glanced at the source of the accented monster. Their blood morphed into ice. He was a skeleton, with ruby stains covering him every centimeter. He donned on a equally as unkempt sapphire jacket and worn basketball shorts. Inside one of his eyesockets was a twinkling scarlet flame, producing very little smoke.

Sans arched an eyebrow. "Well, would ya just look at that?" He snickered silently, his one eye latched onto the human now. Toriel shielded them, shirking away from him.

"Remember your promise." She reminded coldly, tense and ready to spring.

Sans cocked his head, a strange thud  reverberating in his skull. "Hm. What promise? I don't remember." He paused, and began to mumble fiercely, his expression contorted into frustration.

The human child yelped, trembling. Sans yelped too, blinking in astonishment at the youth. He got a grip after a few tense moments, and he smirked.

"Sorry. Short-term memory loss." He knocked on the side of his skull. It echoed hollowly. "I remember it crystal clear now..." His eyesocket flashed a strange indigo, dissolving quickly into a pitch-black. It was like someone snuffed out a candlelight; but it was still glowing.

"But..." He cautioned patiently. The air grew as taut as a guitar string. He held up a singular, skeletal finger.

The juvenile brandished their weapon, shoving Toriel out of the way. Unexpectedly, she crumbled to the ground, a bleat of alarm bouncing off the dark trees. Shakily, they squeezed the trigger. The bullet meet it's target.

Straight into his empty eyesocket.

Sans stumbled backwards, wincing in disbelief. He caved in to his knees, his chest folding over with each cumbersome huff. The chubby monster placed his quivering fists onto the snow, bracing weakly as each onslaught of agony penetrated his being. He was going to shatter.

The youth slackened their shoulders, then sped off, into the looming shadows and dangerous debris. Soon, the trees thinned out, and a yawning cave greeted them widely.

The wind whispered in their ears.

"T h i s  i s  y o u r  d o o m."

The bare, pointy branches urged them back:

"T u r n  a r o u n d!" 

Ignoring the frigid drop of fear trickling down their back, they took a huge step forward.

PART TWO COMING SOON.