June 24th, 2016. 12:00 am

Chara had left at twilight.

When she left her backpack was full. She had quietly assembled all the essential things; snacks, phone, clothes, and money. There were also a few not so essential things; DS, makeup, wigs, and her trusty knife.

Her footsteps were quiet and measured as she exited the house. Weary of particularly squeaky spots. The last thing she needed was for someone to wake up. Especially if that someone was Toriel. God, would that be a nightmare.

Once outside, it took a while her to get her bike. Garage doors were never known to be quiet. But as soon as she got it, Chara took her bike and rode out of Ebott City.

Every so often a car would speed by. Lighting up the road if only for a few moments. Chara wondered if they gave a shit that she was out here. Probably not. She could just be a short adult. At least that's what she was banking on. She biked along the Oregon Coast Highway for about a half an hour before entering a quaint, little, town called Tillamook. It was so quaint and little that there was a single Inn. One. Red Apple Inn. Only the best for a runaway.

When Chara had finally pulled into the Inn's parking lot, she was out of breath. Her heavy pants filled the eerie silence of the small town. She wheeled her bike towards the main building, before leaning it against the off blue wood panels.

The whole room felt off. Chara slightly flinched. The door had closed behind her. Maybe it was the stack of newspapers on the main desk. Maybe it was the stopped clock. Maybe… The tiled floor didn't help either. The clicks of her combat shoes, they didn't fill her with confidence they usually did. They just…

Once reaching the front desk, Chara slid her fingers across the smooth surface…. Odd. Not only was her finger now coated in dust but, so was everything else in the room. The chairs, the tables, the room keys. Chara leaned back to look out the windows. There were cars in the lot. She quickly returned upright and began to speak before stopping. She shouldn't call should she. The keys to the rooms were right in front of her. She could just…

.

With a click, room 2B opened.

The first night was hard. Sleeping in a strange bed, in a strange room, in a strange town. Okay, maybe the town wasn't strange. But it seemed like it was one of those "Small Towns". The ones nobody got out of. It was one night. A couple of hours till she'd leave on the bus to Portland. She just had to fall asleep.

Morning broke 3 hours later. With lethargic movements, she went to go place her room key back where it belonged. But as she heavily went down the stairs, the room key was gone from her pocket. She had just put it there. Chara slung off her backpack and began to rummage through it. Nothing. Grabbing her bag, she bolted down the stairs and into the main building. Her blood ran cold.

"Good mornin', dear! What brings ya here?"

A middle-aged lady stood behind the main desk. With a bob haircut and a perky smile, she waved Chara over. There was a moment of hesitation before she moved. She slid her hands against the counter again. No dust. She looked to her right. A single newspaper. The clock? Moving again. There was one more thing she had to check.

"Dear, are you doin' okay? You look a little frazzled." The lady said before sliding over a plate of croissants. "Here, honey, take one. You'll feel better."

Chara's hand shakily took one, raised it to her mouth and began nibbling. The lady smiled before putting the plate on the waiting corner table. And as soon as she moved Chara's heart skipped a beat. Hanging from the labelled hook was the key to room 2B. Right, where she had first snatched them. They were in pristine condition. How?

Chara swallowed before asking "Umm, Miss? Where's the bus station from here?"

"Just up the street on the corner of 2nd and Laurel. Leavin' so soon?"

"Yeah."