Hazel struggled to stay awake, her eyes fixed on the blank gray ceiling of the car as it bounced precariously along the road. Undyne had removed the duct tape that held her to the seats but even then, she couldn't move a muscle. She was definitely sure that most of her open wounds were infected and the extra crumbs in the seat creases weren't making them any better as they pushed their way into her open wounds.
She was hyper-aware of the fact that she was sitting in a car. A human contraption. She had never been in one before. It was almost eerily surreal, watching the surroundings blur into a colorful palette of colors as Toriel sped down the road like a madman. She had seen how fast cars could go and what they could do from a distance. They normally stuck to the tar-paved roads and rarely did they go off of them. She had seen enough splattered roadkill to know that anything humans made was automatically deadly. She had once sworn that she would never be caught in a car.
But here she was. Undyne and Alphys were talking resolutely about how they were going to go on all the hiking trails whether it be river banks, mountains or forests. Papyrus was too busy hoarding all the snacks under his scarf, arguing that the chips were depleting too quickly. Sans was completely toned out with his thing, his eyes seeming to focus on nothing and everything at the same time. As for Frisk and Flowey, they had opted to watch the scenery pass by. Hazel remained in a blank state.
As soon as she had a chance, she'd leave again. This was too strange for her liking. Not to mention that the acceleration was a bit too much as the sudden stops made her feel sick every time. But she looked out the window. The plains had turned into patches of rough forest. But there was no undergrowth. No birds or animals, or even garbage. Nothing but empty trees and forests. Her head began to spin and dip and she felt her fur crawl with apprehension.
"I can see the city!" Toriel declared at last, shoving the map hastily into her purse. Hazel felt as though her stomach had dropped to the floor. The last time she had been in a city was three years ago. And that was enough to trigger the memories. She shuddered uncontrollably and pressed herself into the back of the seat, her torn claws gripping the edges. The others had pressed up against the windows, eager to see the city. She found herself wondering where the two-hour trip had taken her in the first place.
"you alright kid?" Sans had nudged her gently, his eyes fixed on the crusted bullet wound near the base of her ear. She struggled to shrug her shoulders this time, instead fixing her eyes on her lap. Her teeth chattered and her ears were flattened to the base of her skull.
"...I'm fine." She croaked after a while, her voice dying out at the last consonant.
"you sure don't sound like it," Sans grunted out, his eyes catching her extended claws. Undyne had noticed as well, using her free arm to grip her shoulder. Hazel tried to swat away her arm but her body wouldn't move. "are those... uh, injuries getting worse?" Hazel could see the patches disappear into tall metallic buildings, the unnatural glint of sunlight making her breath catch in her throat. Other cars whizzed past, a few blasting music so loud that Hazel had to cover her ears with her paws.
"Well, they're not getting better, that's for certain." She murmured under her breath. Her fur had begun to stand along her skin and she felt herself sweating profusely. Wasn't there a way to get out of this hotbox? But she already knew the answer from spending the first hour scanning every nook and crevice for a means of escape. "Where are we anyway?" She asked nervously.
"Denver, Colorado." Hazel had to snap her jaws shut to keep from screeching at the top of her lungs. Colorado? Wait a second.
"Are you guys on a road trip or something?" She framed the question delicately, not letting the panic find its way through her voice.
"yep." Came Sans's reply, a bit too happy for her liking. "We just came from Utah." She instantly paused. Utah? As in, she had actually overshot her marker?
"Wait. What state did you guys find me in?"
"uh... wyoming? you're sure you're alright?"
"Huh." Hazel felt pissed. Not only did she misjudge the tiny size of Kansas, but she had overshot Nebraska and had made it into Wyoming without even knowing it! And now, she was going backward. Away from her goal. Great.
"something wrong?" Sans had shoved his headphones into his pocket, stifling a yawn as he glanced out the window. He wasn't the one panicking. It was a good thing the others couldn't smell fear.
"It's nothing. Forget about it." But Hazel had already made an escape plan. Assuming that Sans and Undyne were apparently her guards, she would wait until the entire group went to sleep to escape. If Sans was put on guard, she would have to distract him before making a clean getaway. If Undyne was on guard, she would just have to be sneaky. Then came the obstacle of getting out of Denver in one piece. She needed more time to think.
Toriel slowed down near the pass of a giant wooden sign, a few cars lined up in front of her in a roundabout. Men in uniform walked around slowly, peering inside of cars with flashlights. "Ooh! This is exciting! A new state!" Toriel squealed. "Do you have the camera Asgore?"
"Yes, the camera is in the glove compartment." He switched open the compartment under the dash and took out a small metal box. "Got it!" He pressed a button on the top and turned it around. He then began to point towards various things with the camera and often pressed another button on the top. Hazel couldn't see what the heck he was doing.
"Toriel, are we still going skiing tomorrow?" Undyne asked. Hazel paused. What was skiing?
"Tomorrow. For today, we'll set up our hotel rooms for the night. It's a good thing I booked three rooms. One for each group." Toriel explained delicately.
"three rooms?" Sans cocked a bone brow, apparently assuming that the eight of them would be sharing one room with one bed the size of a toothpick.
"Three to each!" Toriel declared, pausing to correct herself. "I've already made the arrangements prior before we left Utah! Frisk and Flowey will be staying with Asgore and I. Undyne and Alphys have requested their own room. Sans and Papyrus have their own as well!" Hazel nodded along, hoping that nobody would say anything about the last fact: there was an extra party-goer.
She came up with an extra plan. When everybody splits up to go into their separate rooms, she'll just split away as if she were following somebody and disappear and the others would think that she's sharing a room with somebody else. But only temporarily. That would buy her an hour to escape the building and blend in with the city. But her hopes were quickly dashed.
"I don't mean to put you down Toriel," Undyne began. "But what about Hazel? Whose room is she staying in?" Hazel tried hard not to scowl, giving herself away. She could still plan herself around this.
"How about I just stay outside-" Hazel began but was interrupted by Undyne glaring at her.
"And escape when we're not looking. Nice try, but that's not going to work."
"SHE CAN STAY IN OUR ROOM! RIGHT SANS?" Papyrus piped up from the backseat.
"sure paps."
"And if there's three to a room, there's plenty of beds!" Undyne cheered, practically forcing Hazel to cheer with her. She knew that there were plenty of miscalculations in the last part but she remained silent. Another plan would be needed.
The line of cars went by slowly before Toriel could pass safely, and when they did, Hazel did her best not to look at the tall buildings around her. She could only think about how long it would take to fall from one of them or what it would be like to have one of them fall on her. Too many humans to count shuffled by on concrete trails wrapped in their own minds. She felt cornered like a caged animal, her breathing growing ragged and heavy. But the noise within the car was too loud to hear her through it.
They soon came to a large skyscraper, the parking lot almost filled to the brim. Toriel had parked the minivan near the back of the lot. "I'll unpack the car." Said Asgore. "You all go and open the rooms." Hazel was about to suggest that she help unpack the car too before Toriel caught her fiercely by the arm.
"Let's get you to the room fast. I need to see those wounds myself."
"I can take care of it myself-"
"I don't want to hear it, my child. Come along." As Toriel led on to the front lobby, Sans and Undyne guarded the rear of the group making sure that she couldn't escape. But Toriel left Hazel to her guards, leaving to check in with the front desk. She had left Hazel with them so that the attendants wouldn't ask them why one of their passengers looked as though they had been through a meat grinder."Alright, I've got the keys. Here."
Toriel passed around three golden keys, each having a loud bell and a feather attached to the handle. The tops were labeled with the number they belonged to.
Toriel and her group were in room seventy-two, a room on the eleventh floor. Undyne and Alphys took room twenty-five, a room on the fifth floor. Sans's group had taken the last key of all, room two-o-seven on the thirtieth floor. Hazel felt sick around so many humans, a few bumping into her without saying much but when she had glimpsed the key she reclined against the wall. She followed Sans and Papyrus slowly as they led her through the strange building, coming towards a small room with metal doors.
"What is this?" Hazel muttered under her breath, Sans pulling her in. Almost suddenly, the metal doors closed tightly behind her and the floor lurched underneath her paws. Hot fear lanced up her spine as she pressed up against the walls, her breathing spiking quickly into hyperventilating.
"relax kid. it's just an elevator."
"Don't tell me to relax!" She snapped, her eyes darting wildly around the small cramped room. "This is nowhere near normal!"
"we had elevators in the Underground and you didn't seem all that surprised then." Sans pointed out.
"That was the Underground, where dog boats exist, trampoline steam vents can lift people over boiling magma, and magical flowers that can repeat full sentences existed. That's acceptable there. Not here where the makers of a fifty-four-floor building above the ground share the same makers of bombs, mustard gas, and nuclear warfare. There's a difference!" Hazel protested, but Sans was hearing none of this. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Hazel tore out of the doors, her fur fluffed up with nausea and fear. "Never again." She cursed wildly under her breath.
The two brothers took her by the hands and led her down a few decorated hallways, each door embroidered with their individual number.
"HERE WE ARE! ROOM TWO HUNDRED AND SEVEN! AND THE KEY FITS!" Papyrus opened the door with the key, leaving Hazel to shuffle in first. It wasn't anything special. Four walls, two beds, a tv in the corner and a passageway to a bathroom. A small window was built into the other side of the room letting little light in. And the bloody sunset light that filtered in was startlingly eerie.
"there's only two beds. i thought there was supposed to be three…?" Even as Sans spoke, Hazel knew that she was taking the floor. She hadn't slept in a bed since… well… forever. And the beds looked as though they could only fit one person. She was more used to sleeping on the hard ground anyway, with or without a cover.
"That's cool. I'll just take the floor." Hazel flopped down against the empty wall near the window, breathing a sigh of relief. If anything, the muted wind outside was enough comfort for her. Everything ached, her ears hurt, and she just wanted to eat and go to sleep.
"SANS AND I COULD SHARE A BED." But Hazel waved him away.
"It's fine." Papyrus closed and locked the hotel door behind him, disappearing into the bathroom with a loud clatter. She could still hear him yelling excitedly.
"IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE A SLEEPOVER!" Hazel could barely agree, stopping herself from scratching her arms. Sans had flopped onto the bed nearest the door, a tired expression etched onto his face. "OH! I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND BUT TORIEL HAS INFORMED ME THAT SHE HAS ONE OF OUR BAGS WITH HER." Hazel almost jumped to reply but Papyrus grinned and made his way to the door. "DO NOT THINK THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING, MONSTER CHILD. YOU MUST STAY HERE. I WILL GO AND FETCH OUR STUFF!" And with that, he was as good as gone.
"trying to escape, huh kid?" Sans had turned onto his side, facing Hazel directly. They were both in terrible states. Sans had dark bags under his eyes. His clothes were laced with crumbs and a few tears in some places; clearly gained on the trip here. Only then did she notice that he looked a lot more different than how he had back in the underground.
"You look different. You got a new outfit?" She teased nonchalantly. He still had a blue hoodie, just not the same one as before. It had silver and gray fur around the edges and the blue color was darker. The familiar striped shorts had been switched to simple black sweatpants, but of course, he still had those damn slippers.
"the old jacket shrunk." Sans replied loftily, not giving anything away. "so where have you been?"
"Everywhere." Sans grunted, his smile tight and imposing. So much for making a joke, thought Hazel, bringing her chewed tail to her chest.
"can you be any more specific? two years off the grid and the first thing you bring up is my new outfit?"
"Loose lips sink ships. Ever heard of it? And if you didn't know, I've always been off the grid." She chided, pausing to adjust a stray piece of hair in her eyes. But she knew that Sans would just keep not subtly asking her personal questions. "So what do you want to know?" She uttered out after a while.
"like i said before. where were you for the last two years?"
"Like I said before, everywhere. Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa. You name it, I probably went there. I was simply traveling around like I used to do."
"and you didn't think of calling us or at least visiting?"
"I didn't know where you lived and I mostly stayed away from human cities." She concluded. "Simply to put it, I went back to doing what I was doing before I fell."
"is that why you're bleeding everywhere?" Sans retorted.
"That was the work of traveling and being shot at." Hazel retorted angrily, glaring at her ripped claws.
"shot at?" Sans spoke with a hint of fear and worry in his voice.
"It was nothing but a farmer with a loaded gun. Didn't you guys say you found me in Wyoming? There's a lot of rural land out there, right?" Hazel smiled in satisfaction as Sans agreed under his breath.
"stats?"
"Not much has changed. A few exceptions but what it there to expect in the sticks?" This time, Hazel let a cocky grin flash across her muzzle, raising her paws as if protecting herself from harm.
"you killed somebody?" Sans questioned roughly.
"Maybe it was self-defense? Or perhaps because there are sickos out there who do inhumane things to other humans? You tell me, Sans. What do you think?" Hazel drawled.
"i don't think anything, and you're not answering my question." Sans now sat upright, his hands clasped in his lap. There was no air for joking in the room anymore. No more sarcasm. No more shrugging. Nothing. "when the barrier broke, you just disappeared without a single word. no warning. you didn't tell us where you were going. you didn't tell us if you were ever coming back. you just disappeared into thin air. so, explain to me the full messy details of what kept you so busy that you couldn't even bother to look us up on a computer."
"Wow. You sure get right to business, don't you?" Hazel sighed running a paw through her messy fur. "Alright, now I get to talk your head off. Still just as nosy as before. I suppose you're going to tell everybody, aren't you? Nevermind, i already know the answer."
"i do have a right to worry about you."
"Can't you just worry about Papyrus?" Hazel snapped, losing her patience. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you guys! I have always been able to take care of myself. I don't need other people breathing down my neck and," She gestured angrily to the small hotel room around her. "Keeping me locked up in some human city that I want to leave with every fiber of my being! Don't tell me you don't remember what I told you." She glared at him with menace. "Me and humans, we don't mix. Ever. I want nothing to do with them and I avoid anywhere that includes being near them. My point is clear enough."
"so you're including frisk?"
"Don't be a smartass. Frisk is okay. I have nothing against them. Being around them is fine! I can handle that. But being surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of them at once in a small room so tiny that I can spread my arms out and feel the walls feels like I'm being shoved into a cage against my will. Trust me, if I could escape I would've done so in a heartbeat. But seeing as how I'm thirty floors above solid rock and concrete, my bones would shatter should I try to jump out of the window. I can't get out. There's no way for me to escape. So go ahead and kill the messenger!" Hazel stood up, her fur bushed up and her eyes burning.
"And besides that, I didn't want to visit you because I was sure that you had forgotten about me. I wanted you all to forget that I existed so that I could go and live my life and you all could go and live yours. No problems, no worries! As far as I know, that plan has been working out just fine! Everybody is doing great, humans accept monsters, and everything is peaceful and happy. So yeah, I didn't bother looking for you because I chose not to. I had my own solid lifestyle to get back to. And living with you all… among humans? That was not it."
"and how's that lifestyle treating you? traveling by yourself with nothing but the clothes on your back? how do you even do it? you look awful kid. you're covered in mud, blood, and grass. that's better than being healthy and not covered in infected wounds?"
"It's called basic survival skills to blend in and I'll take this over living in modern society any day. Maybe you should go camping sometime. Oh, wait. Nevermind, you don't want to do that." Hazel purposefully smiled but it was more malignant than friendly. "Last time somebody I knew went camping, I found them dead with half of their organs missing. Humans have always been dangerous. If you want to live among them and deal with their trifles, you do that but keep me out of it." She growled.
"sure, kid. Sure, says the person that is clean and healthy."
"That's definitely not what the bags under your eyes suggest." The two sat in total silence, Hazel turning her ears to face the street below. But she turned back to the room as unfamiliar honking noises exploded upwards.
"so if i left open the door, would you disappear again?" Hazel sighed and crossed her arms.
"To be honest, probably not. If I were to leave now, the others would probably go on a manhunt from what you told me. Just like how you all spent years hunting me down. Second, it would be nearly impossible to find my way out of this metal hell cage you call a city. The sun is blocked, there's too much smog to see anything, and I'd get lost before sundown. Either that or abducted in an alleyway." Hazel joked darkly.
"that's not funny." Sans said at last, his eyes narrowed.
"Maybe to you. But yeah, all matters apart, I'm fine except for the fact that everything is bleeding." She brought up her injured forepaw to inspect it, finding the claw that was just barely hanging on by a sinew. "I'm gonna have to rip that off before I do any more traveling. I'm fairly sure that a few of them are infected but then again, it's been like that for a few days."
"i'll text papyrus to bring tori."
"Don't. I can take care of it. You'd think I haven't snagged a claw before!" Hazel laughed, all of her seriousness gone. "It'll grow back in a few months. As for the other wounds, a bit of marigold wouldn't hurt."
"a bit of what?"
"Nevermind. It just takes time to heal." Papyrus had come back with a large bag in his arms. Hazel only then noticed that he wore a gray sweater with brown pants. Where did his old battle body go? She didn't want to bother him, so she opted to quietly chew the rest of her damaged claw off. With a quiet crunch, she had broken through and the dead nail hit the floor with a soft thump.
She cradled her paw against her chest, at least thankful that with company she could try to catch up on her sleep and snooze the pain away. After a few minutes of listening to the brothers talk, she opted to at least get some sleep. She leaned against the wall and shut her eyes, disrupted immediately by a gentle knock at the door.
"I'LL GET IT!" So much for sleeping. Papyrus raced to the door, almost tearing it off of the hinges.
"Papyrus," Came Toriel's motherly voice. "Is Hazel in here?"
"I'm halfway over the windowsill! I think I'll make it to the bottom" Hazel yelled jokingly. Papyrus let Toriel in with a bag in the crease of her elbow.
"Are you alright, child?" Toriel had set the bag down beside her, opening it up to take out a long capped tube. Sans and Papyrus peered eagerly over her shoulder.
"I'm just peachy. What is that?" Hazel pointed a bloody claw at the capped tube.
"I went out and got you some medicine to help you feel better." Dear lord. Hazel remembered just how motherly Toriel could get over something as small as a cut. Or worse, remembering the time that she had had a bit more catnip than she could handle. "I also have some pain medication and some bandages. Now, tell me where the pain is the worst."
"Toriel, I can take care of my wounds myself." Hazel joked, wincing harshly as Toriel reached for her bleeding paw. Hot pain lynched up her hand. She yelped and instantly snatched it away. "Too sensitive!" Toriel let a tiny smile spread across her muzzle.
"Still as stubborn as before, I see. I suppose you can apply it yourself. But, you will take a shower first! Don't worry, I brought you a change of clothes and a few towels."
"How-"
"Don't worry about that dear. They're all in the bag. I also brought you a pair of pajamas and I just happened to notice that your feet were badly injured. I hope you don't mind!"
"Uh, sure…?" Hazel croaked. It had been such a long time since she had been present for Toriel's intense coddling. She wasn't sure how Frisk put up with it. Toriel stood up slowly, before dragging Sans and Papyrus with her out the door.
"WE CANNOT LEAVE-"
"Nonsense! Hazel is just going to take a shower and clean herself up! Isn't that right, Hazel?" She shot a sickly sweet glare over her shoulder as if daring her to make a run for it. Hazel nodded along and let a false smile split her muzzle.
"Yeah, sure, totally, that is most definitely correct. Wow, how'd you know?" Hazel waited until all of them had gone before locking the door behind her. She was totally alone now with nothing but the sounds of the air conditioning and the rustle of wind behind the windows. Wow. Nobody else but her and her thoughts.
"I really could use a shower, huh?" Hazel dumped the items from the bag onto the bed and sorted through them. Neosporin, bandages, a small orange sweater with a pair of gray sweatpants. Wow. A big pair of… footie pajamas? Dinosaur pajamas? Really, Toriel? They were her size too... Hazel put the clothes back into the bag before placing them near the empty corner of the room. She took the medicine and pajamas into the bathroom before shutting and locking the door behind her.
"So, I have to take a shower." She muttered, eyeing the mysterious handle with distaste. "How do I work this thing?" She inched the knob to the left, her ears twitching as the plumbing rumbled underneath her feet. Cold water sprayed out into the stall, causing Hazel to scrunch her nose. "Nah. How do I make the water hot?" She moved the knob a few more inches to the left, waiting patiently. The water went from lukewarm, to warm, to hot, to hellfire. Perfect.
Sans and Papyrus had entertained themselves for over an hour, playing a game of makeshift poker with potato chisps. Of course, Frisk had joined in before long and was now hoarding them on the other end of the table. Flowey pretended to play but he was watching the sun sink over his shoulder. After Papyrus had lost his second stack to the snack monster, Sans finally decided that it was time to check up on Hazel.
"tori. i think it's about time me and paps got back to our room." Sans spoke up from his spot on the hard floor. His tailbone ached slightly; he wouldn't mind bailing on the mountain trek the next morning. Frisk pouted signing a plea to stay.
"sorry kiddo. come on paps." Papyrus waved goodbye to everybody, the two brothers slowly but surely leaving the room behind. Once they were safely in the elevator alone, Papyrus began to speak softly.
"DO YOU THINK SHE'S STILL THERE SANS?"
"not likely bro. and if she is?"
"WE WON'T TELL HER OUR SUSPICIONS." Papyrus resolved just as the elevator came to a lurching stop. The brothers walked down the hall towards their door, but no noise came from the other side. Papyrus retrieved the room key and unlocked the door, letting it open slowly without a sound.
The whole room was almost pitch black; the curtains had been drawn and the bathroom door was completely closed. It was eerily silent. "SANS, TURN ON THE LIGHT." Papyrus whispered, locking the door behind him. Sans moved to the side table, switching on the tiny lamp. The light that came from it was dim but it was enough to make out a huddled figure in the empty corner of the room near the window.
"kid?" Hazel lay against the wall facing the window, the only part of her visible being her tail draped haphazardly across the floor. The beds lay undisturbed. "uh. paps?" Sans moved closer, just barely hearing her as she slept silently. "she's out cold."
"I'LL MOVE THE BEDS TOGETHER. WAIT." He moved the nightstand, pushing the two small beds together with ease. It was still small but better than nothing. They could make a plan as to how to sleep. "ALRIGHT. GIVE HER HERE."
"what are you thinkin'?"
"SHE'LL SLEEP IN THE MIDDLE. WE'LL TAKE THE SIDES. THE BLANKETS AND PILLOWS CAN BE DISTRIBUTED SOMEWHAT EVENLY. THIS WILL HAVE TO DO, SANS." With that, Papyrus set her in the middle and the two brothers fit themselves on the edges. Papyrus turned the lights out and everything was quiet again. Even then, Sans couldn't quite sleep. Something was bound to go wrong here. Anything. But the only thing that broke the silence was Hazel turning over in her sleep.