You were bored out of your mind. Ever since your older brother left for college after summer break, the days had been noticeably less exciting. You were left home alone most of the day. Your summer internship had ended a week ago and your college semester wouldn't start for another month.
You decided to search your brother's room for something to do. You knew how he was into game development and liked hacking into video game software. You weren't a big gamer, but you had fond memories of playing the NES with your brother when you guys were kids. At least that part of your childhood stayed with you in your adulthood.
You pushed open the door to your brother's bedroom. The curtains on his windows were drawn closed, enveloping the room in an eerie darkness. Scanning the dark space, you took notice of how lifeless and empty the room felt since his departure.
Walking over to his computer desk, you flicked on the desk lamp and then started rummaging through his desk drawers. After shoving aside discarded office supplies, loose papers and a few various CD cases that you assumed were games, your eyes fell onto a lone disk at the bottom of the drawer. It wasn't in a CD case like all his other PC games were. You knew your brother took meticulous care of his computer supplies. So why wasn't this disk in a protective case?
Carefully, you lifted the CD and set it on the desk. The title of the game was written in sharpie on the top. UnderTale. That name triggered your memory. You recalled that about a month ago, your best friend mentioned something about a game called 'UnderTale.' She wasn't much of a gamer either, but lately she'd been gushing about this particular game. She'd go on and on about how charming the game was and how funny the humor was and how she loved the characters so, so much. She'd been trying to convince you to play it too, but you hadn't had much interest. Maybe, you realized, you were just a little too old and had grown out of video games.
Still. You were at least curious. If what your best friend had said was true, then surely it had to be a good game. You booted up the computer and placed the CD in the drive. You were surprised when it started up right away. Normally, you would have to sit through an installation process. Your brother must have played it once before.
You read through the beginning cutscene, getting invested in the story being set up. Upon getting to the title screen, you pressed enter, then the next screen prompts you to name your character. You typed in your name and pressed enter. You felt a change. In yourself.
From that point on, you became engrossed in the game. Completely absorbed. Almost unnervingly so. You liked the puzzle aspect of the game. Figuring out how to solve the puzzles gave you a sense of accomplishment. Then, when Toriel left you to your own devices, you discovered the fight system. Following Toriel's earlier advice, you took the time to figure out how to win the fights without violence. You were beginning to really enjoy this game. It really did have a cute kind of charm to it.
You lost track of time. You couldn't tell how many hours had passed since you started the game. You hadn't noticed the missed calls from various family members on your cell phone. Still. You continued playing.
It took longer than you would have liked, but eventually, you managed to convince Toriel to let you leave her house. Then you met the skeleton brothers, Sans and Papyrus. You had a soft fondness for Papyrus in particular; he reminded you of your own brother when he was younger. You followed them around; through various puzzles and then through a snowy town.
...
You woke up. You must have fallen asleep at some point without realizing. You were still sitting at your brother's computer desk and the game was still on. The last thing you remember was having trouble trying to figure out Undyne's fight sequence. Why was your character standing in front of the Snowed Inn?
Suddenly, you felt a wave of unease come over you. Something was different. You felt a shiver run up your arms. You tried your best to ignore the feeling and continued forward. As you were changing screens between Snowdin and Waterfall, you could have sworn, that for just half a frame, you saw a black figure follow behind you. You went back to make sure you didn't miss anything.
Time continued to pass and you were still deeply obsessed with the game. It was after you finished exploring around the True Lab when you began to feel something. Some kind of presence. You felt a figure standing behind you. You couldn't turn your head away from the screen. You didn't want to. You feared what you would see.
...
You woke up. Again, you must have dozed off some time before. Still at the computer desk. Still playing UnderTale. You noticed that again, your character wasn't in the place you last left them. This time, you were in some kind of messy bedroom; with an unmade mattress against a side wall, a tremil in the corner and a small tornado in the opposite corner, blowing a few stray papers along its current. You were alone. Looking around, you determined that you couldn't leave through the door, as it was locked from the outside.
You were confused. Was this supposed to happen? Was your game bugged? You considered reloading your last save, when suddenly, the door opened. Sans walked in, smiling like he always did.
"hey, kid. i see that you've been up to some things lately." The dialogue box disappeared and for a long few seconds, nothing happened. "do you ever wonder where you might be today, if you had just made a different choice in the past?" His question caught you off guard. Another box popped up. "just think. if only you had chosen not to go to college. you would actually be happy. you'd have a family and someone who loved you for who you are. you'd be happy for once." He closed his eyes, still smiling widely. "but now i realize that choice doesn't matter in the long run." He opened his eyes and his eye sockets were pitch black. "you dirty brother killer."
You didn't have time to mull over his words. You watched as the heart that represented your soul came out of your character. The skeleton pulled his left hand out of his jacket pocket. He was holding a knife. The knife flew across the room, straight into your heart.
...
You were jolted awake. Were you dreaming? Why did it feel so real? Glancing up at the computer screen, you saw your character standing in the True Lab. They were facing away from the screen, so you couldn't see their face.
There was something wrong. You felt unsettlingly cold. A crawling sense of dread along your spine. And guilt in the pit of your stomach. As if you had done something. Something terrible and unforgivable.
There was a presence behind you again. This time it felt close. A tall, dark figure standing right behind you. Looming over your shoulder. Neck craned down until you could almost hear him breathing. Right in your ear.
...
You wake up, feeling even more exhausted than before, despite just waking up. He's here again. You can feel his presence. Always with you.
You can't remember when, but at some point, you killed every monster in the Underground. You knew you should have felt remorse. But you couldn't care less. It was only a stupid video game. Right? But still. You felt a chill creep along your neck.
...
You wake up. Another boring day. Another pointless life. You decide on toast for breakfast. You look at the knife that cuts through the loaf of bread. The knife feels good in your grip. You grip it a little too hard.
He's still here. You can hear him. Muttering incohesively into your ear. You don't understand a word he's saying, but you know its important. It only makes sense.
...
You wake up. This time you turn on the TV. You feel the need to watch the news. The broadcast is on every news station. There was a brutal murder just days ago. The victim had been stabbed to death. Nearly two-hundred times. He was almost decapitated. They suspect someone close to the victim committed the murder. There were no signs of a struggle at all. Then a picture of the victim was shown.
Your brother. Brutally murdered. You should have felt horrified. Hurt. Sick. Sad. Horrible despair that your brother is dead. Instead, your heart skips a beat. You feel nothing. Only the eerie presence looming over your shoulder.
...
You wake up. Today is the funeral. You watch your brother as he is buried six feet underground. A prayer is given to him, to give him safe passage to the next world. Your family takes turns saying something in his honor. You don't say anything when it's your turn.
The shadow follows you home. Whispers nonsensically into your mind. The dread continues to grow.
You look into your bathroom mirror. Despite everything, it's still you. For just a second, you could have sworn your eyes flashed red.
End