Finch POV
"Hey punk," Undyne says seriously.
I look up from the CD back I was reading and she walks through the shop to the corner I sit in.
"Sans just told me, the police messaged him, wanted to know how you got that stab wound."
"W-what?" I stutter.
"They want you to come to the station, they'll interview you." She sighs. "I knew the hospital would finally put two and two together, stab wounds are very easy to identify."
"But if I tell them who it was," I sweat anxiously. "The rest of the gang will find me. There are so many of them and they're all as bloodthirsty as each other."
"And you can't handle them?" She raises an eyebrow.
"Well," I smile. "Not if they come all at once." My smile fades. "Or if they have guns. Damnit... I hate guns."
"Why?" She asks. "I mean, I suppose they're pretty bad 'cus well... they're guns."
"No," I blush. "It's just- my Dad- he..."
"Oh," Undyne's face goes dark. "I'm so sorry."
"Let's just focus on the issue at hand," I breathe.
"Right," she thinks everything through. "So, you agree to go to this meeting, you tell them what happened but not who did it. You explain why you can't tell them and they'll know what to do from there."
"Are you sure?"
"It's the best plan we've got."
My stomach flips over with nerves.
"When do they want me?"
"Four days from now," she looks into my eyes. "And you might need to get your house checked with the nurse place before then, that'll give you an opportunity to figure out what to say."
"I can't do it alone," I shut my eyelids. "Oh crap oh crap oh crap. Urgh, I'm gonna screw everything up."
"If you think like that you will," she puts her hands on her hips. "If you want someone to help you with the anxiety, get Alphys to go with you. She's so smart and she goes through a lot of the problems you have, so I think she's your best bet."
"Thanks," I smile grimly. "I'll find her now."
"I'll tell Sans that you're up for the interview."
"Great."
I leave the store. It's pretty dark out here. I ought to be careful if I don't want another run-in with that gang. I walk quickly to the subway and wait patiently on the bench for the next ride. An uneasy atmosphere fills the room, solitude is something of a treat nowadays, but sitting on my own in the dark here with the sound of occasional footsteps is enough to make me keep a better grip on my belongings. I'll be lucky if I make it to Alphys's lab with all my limbs. I get on the ride and sit down near the door. An old married couple sits diagonally opposite from me, but apart from that, we're alone. I check my phone. The weather is pretty rubbish as of recently, all these Summer Showers. I twiddle my thumbs in mind numbing silence for about an hour before we reach my stop. The married couple stopped off early to go to heaven knows where and I step off. I find myself jogging to Alphys's lab, partly to get out of the cold, partly to get out of the dark. I'm not afraid of the dark, all my parents lectures about the harmlessness of the light's absence would go to waste if I was, but at this kind of night, you can't help but be wary of the dangers lurking around the streets. I get to the lab and knock pathetically on the door. Alphys opens it in her pyjamas and indicates for me to come in. I do and try my best to explain my situation. To my extreme relief, she agrees to come along with me during both the nurse test and the interview.
"Well it's far too late to take the subway back," she looks at her watch. "But you can sleep over if you want! I have spare blankets if you don't mind sleeping on the couch."
"Really?" I ask, too tired to be polite. "Thanks!"
She finds some spare blankets and hoovers the couch with a small, plugin hoover while I wash my face in the bathroom. I look in the mirror. The negative voices in my mind slur insults that I didn't used to believe at my face. 'Disappointment. Failure. Ugly. Undesirable. Unforgivable. Broken.'
I glare at the mirror and walk away. Alphys has set up the couch and I slip my socks and jacket off before climbing in.
"'Night," I mutter.
"Goodnight," she smiles softly.