Book 1: The First Fallen Human

Anticipation

The skeleton lifted his head from the table as he felt something. Nothing in the room had touched him. There wasn't even anyone else home. He had been tracing the button Ink had given him. He blinked and sat up. It hadn't been a physical feeling. Definitely more of a gut feeling. Scooter was here. He didn't know if she really was, nor did he see her, but she was HERE. In the AU. The skeleton grunted and retrieved his fedora from the table. A gun was hooked on his side. His bony hand loomed over it.

He tapped the pistol quietly, his skeletal fingers making a small array of clinking noises over it. He furrowed his brow, staying frozen in the middle of the room. He blinked as he realized he didn't have the button and turned back.

"How troublesome."

Immediately, the skeleton whipped out his pistol at the stranger, who'd picked up the button. Based on Ink's description, this decrepit-looking human was Scooter. His eyes focused on the ribbon tied around her neck and he nodded firmly. Though he had a weapon drawn on her, she paid no mind to it as she picked up the button. She turned a cold, empty grey gaze on him. The skeleton felt a little shiver go down his spine. She had the same eyes as the taxidermy animals he'd see in people's houses sometimes. Dead, feigning life.

"Is it wise to pull your weapon on me, Mob? Knowing full well I cannot die?"

Her voice was soft and emotionless. The way she put it sounded scoldingly and that pissed Mob off. He scowled. "Yeah? Well, you showed up in MY house unannounced. Explain to me why I wouldn't pull a gun on ya." He stated flatly. Scooter blinked at him before nodding slowly, her face unchanging.

"That is understandable."

She fell silent for a moment as she almost seemed to study the button. She took in another rattling breath.

"Normally, I'd feel it unfair that Ink told you everything about me, but I know nothing about you."

She sounded dismissive in a way and Mob furrowed his brow. "Not anything HELPFUL." He snorted, rolling his eyes. Scooter blinked and lifted her gaze to look at him.

"Is that so...?"

"Hey. Calm it. You're in MY house. And we have rules in my house. You're already making me break one of 'em, and I don't want to have to break another because Paps will be upset." Mob warned, keeping his gun trained on her. Scooter blinked and raised both of her hands, nodding slowly.

"Understood."

Her voice was almost robotic and it didn't fool Mob for a second. "You May be a shell, but I know you ain't giving up so easy. Put the button down." Scooter paused and Mob moved closer. "On the table. Now."

He genstured with his gun and Scooter blinked before nodding. Slowly, her hand moved down, placing the button gently on the table. She pulled her hand back up and Mob inched over to it. "Alright... you're gonna stay her while I call Ink-"

"I'm not ready yet."

Mob blinked at Scooter's voice. Scooter stared ahead. "What?"

"I don't think I'm ready to see him yet. I still have to take his idea into consideration."

"Well, you can do that while he's SCOOTing on over here." Mob made the pun unintentionally, but continued to reach to the button, his gun on Scooter.

"No."

Immediately, Mob froze, sensing danger in the statement. He turned to look, noticing her eyes had lit up bright red. She hadn't moved, but another figure seemed to be extending from her, smiling psychotically at him. A red, glowing silhouette. Mob was momentarily frozen. DETERMINATION.

"You only have 1 HP."

Scooter stated this calmly. Mob stared at her.

"How would it feel, knowing your brother and human will come home to a pile of dust?"

Mob immediately scowled, shoving the gun closer to her. "Shut up! Don't bring them into this!" He growled. Scooter blinked and turned to look at him, eyes wide and glowing.

"Then turn around and reconsider what you are doing."

Mob blinked before slowly turning. He froze. A single, glowing red bullet was floating in the air behind him. Only one, made of glowing red magic. It looked to be a simple handgun bullet. But that would be enough. All she needed was one.

It rotated slowly and calmly in place and Mob glanced at Scooter out of the corner of his eye. "You have magic." He stated flatly. Scooter nodded quietly. Ink had failed to tell him that. He scowled and pulled his hand away from the button. "So what? We're just gonna be at a goddamn stalemate the entire time?" He growled. Scooter was silent before a slow grin made its way across her face, splitting her lips apart.

Mob jerked back. He hated that. Scooter blinked. When she spoke, she spoke with passionate emotion.

"You seem to think that you are even worthy of being at a stalemate with me."

Mob gulped as she turned to him. Scooter looked practically insane with a wide grin and glowing red eyes. The most disturbing thing was the clear fact that her dead eyes were right underneath the glow. Like she was being possessed.

"You seem to have forgotten that I can't die. And you may shoot me, but I will recover. YOU, on the other hand, will NOT. YOU will DUST. You seemed to have come in with the assumption that you had control of the situation!!"

Scooter fixed that glowing gaze on him and when she spoke, red mist billowed out of her mouth. She seemed to be joyfully repeating something that she'd heard multiple times.

"Since when were you the one in control?"

Mob stared at her with wide eyes. Scooter leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Now! I believe you have something that may threaten me!"

Mob stared at her, trembling. This was ridiculous. She was right. Anything he could do to her, she wouldn't die from. It'd be useless fighting her. He sighed and shakily lowered his weapon. Scooter blinked and nodded. He jumped as the glow suddenly dispersed and the silhouette shadowing Scooter vanished.

She stared at him with those dull grey eyes once again, the bullet she'd formed gone. She reached out to the button and scooped it up. Mob felt himself swear internally as she looked at him. Her gaze seemed to actually fix on him, instead of looking through him as she pressed the black button.

The entire button dissipated into ink and Scooter's gaze unfocused once more. Mob stared at her. She turned away and blinked, a photo on the wall seeming to catch her attention. She moved over to it, studying it quietly as she reached up a hand. "Don't touch that." Mob growled, even though he was well-aware Scooter could do whatever she liked.

Scooter blinked and seemed to listen, lowering her hand back to her side. Finally, after a moment, she spoke.

"Is having a family nice?"

The question held a tone behind it. Something painful. Mob was slightly taken back. He sighed and sat down at the table. "It's... nice. To have people you can always go back to. Who rely on you and you rely on them." Scooter was silent as she stared at the picture.

Mob blinked in shock as he saw tears run down her face, though her face made no change. She looked down, the tears glitching out of existence as they fell. She closed her eyes and sighed. Mob snorted. "Don't tell me you want a family." Scooter blinked and turned to look at him, though her eyes never truly focused on him.

"It was one of the few things I wanted."

Mob stared at her. Something struck him. He had no idea who Scooter had been before she fell. It seemed not even Ink knew that. He knew it was bizarre to be sympathizing with his home invader but... "What DO you want?" He asked, flinching as she ripped a hole seemingly into the air itself. Scooter blinked and urned back to look at him.

"There is nothing more I want... than death itself."