-Why are you so quiet?-
-Enjoy-
When I awoke, I was somewhere else. I was still in Waterfall, but the save point and the sentry station were nowhere to be seen. A lonely Echo Flower stood nearby, and I could hear the trickling of water nearby. There were walls surrounding me on three sides, with only a narrow entrance leading in. It was a snug little place, kind of like a cave…within a much larger cave. There was no roof above my mini-cave; I could still see the light of the crystals above.
I lay on the ground, Sans's coat wrapped around me, and tried not to think about what it felt like to have a giant hole in my chest.
Why couldn't I have remembered something happy?
Who had been that armored monster anyway? I didn't recognize them, but I could still feel the hatred they had for me. It had been raw and unbridled. They weren't like Papyrus who had been reluctant to fight from the get go. I had never felt an urge to kill from Papyrus, even as he declared his intentions. But the armored monster was terrifying, even without saying a word.
After spending enough time pondering my past death, I sat up. I wasn't feeling dizzy anymore, but the dried, sticky feeling of having cried my eyes out remained. I was hungry, and even though I had just woken, I was tired. Crying did that to you. I would know.
I couldn't see Sans, and Flowey wasn't in sight either. It didn't mean much with the flower, even if I couldn't see him, there was still a chance he was around, but I was worried I couldn't see Sans. Where had he gone?
I tried not to tremble. I couldn't rely on Sans too much; I didn't think he actually liked me? He had stood up for me, but sometimes he gave me this look, as if…as if he didn't recognize me. Like he was looking at someone else. If worst came to worst, I might have to get on without him, and in that case, I had to be strong. I had to be able to get through things on my own.
But that didn't mean I didn't miss him.
There was an Echo Flower nearby, and remembering what the monster near the entrance to Waterfall had said, I stood up and walked over to it. Maybe someone had left behind a message in the flower. I hoped so, it would be something, anything, to distract myself. I leaned my head over and stuck my ear close. The petals ticked my face, and a glimmer of blue magic rose from the flower.
"I'm heading to Grillby's," the flower said. It was a little indistinct, like a bad recording, but it was clearly Sans. "I'm taking a shortcut I know, so I'll be back faster than you can say 'knock knock."
I giggled, he really liked his jokes.
"Who's there?" I asked the flower.
I smiled. There wouldn't be an answer, but maybe when Sans came back I'd have him listen to the flower and play along. That would probably be something he would like.
A cold feeling shot up my back and I spun around. There was nothing behind me, just the empty cavern. Flowey was still nowhere to be seen, and there was nowhere for someone to hide, but I could have sworn I had heard something.
I took a deep breath and put my ear to the flower once more to make sure it had captured my voice. I wasn't sure how sensitive the flowers were to picking up sounds.
"I-AM." The Flower said in a voice I didn't know.
I let out a shout of surprise and then covered my mouth. That wasn't my voice, and it wasn't Flowey's, and it wasn't Sans's either. I looked around again. There wasn't anyone here.
"Hello?" I called out. "Who's…who's there?"
But no one came.
I watched the Echo Flower, my shoulders trembling. I could feel myself tearing up, but I wouldn't cry. What would Sans say if he came back and I was crying all over his jacket? He probably wouldn't ever let me wear it again.
The cavern began to grow cold, as if some kind of pressure was filling the room. It wasn't just my imagination either, I could see my breath on the air as the temperature dropped. The feeling of anticipation oozed from the very walls; someone, or something, was waiting. I tried to ignore it, taking deep breaths, but the pressure just grew until I could almost feel someone standing behind me, breathing down my neck.
There's no one there. There can't be anyone there. I'm alone, I'm alone, so don't look. No need to turn around. No…no need. No looking. No looking. Don't turn around, don't. Don't Don't Don't. No, not looking. Won't look. Can't make me look. No no no no no nonnononononononononono.
I held my trembling hands to my head. My breath came in rattling gasps, the little puffs of white in the air came in smaller, more frequent bursts. The cold intensified and I felt the presence's chill breath against my neck. I almost cried out again, but like a child hiding from a monster in the closet, I held my breath and covered my eyes. If I couldn't see it, maybe it wouldn't hurt me. But my heart was pounding so hard, wouldn't it hear that?
I couldn't see it, and I couldn't hear it. But I knew it was there all the same, sharing a space with me. The cold shivers down my spine felt like long, careless fingers tracing their way down my back. What did it want? If it was going to kill me, couldn't it just get it over with?
"I-AM." The Echo Flower said.
The Echo Flower? But, hadn't it been overwritten by my scream? Had…the thing behind me repeated its words? Was it…trying to continue the joke? That was bad taste, even Sans's worst puns weren't this terrible. I didn't want to play along, but I couldn't stand this anymore. If the presence wanted to finish the joke, if that would make it go away, then…
"I-I-am…w-who?" I asked in a voice so quiet it could barely be heard.
The presence vanished so suddenly I could hardly breath in the void it left behind. My shoulders shook as I felt a weight lift from them. The cave felt vast and empty, but it wasn't any larger than it had been before. I was still alone. I had always been alone.
I stared at the Echo Flower.
I took a step forward, close enough to touch the flower. I took a deep, deep breath and held it for just a moment before releasing it in one slow motion. I leaned my head over, feeling its petals on my skin. There was nothing fun about this anymore. I heard the sound of hoarse breathing, echoed and distorted like I was listening through a tube, and then, in a voice full of static and pain.
"MURDERER."
