Behind Closed Doors: Chapter 8 - Cold Snap

As the stone door closes you're left with a sense of regret, having left Toriel on such a distasteful note. You glance at the phone she gave you and save her contact as mom as you walk forwards. You periodically glance up from the phone out of light bashfulness, then jump as you hear a familiar cheery voice. "Wow, mom, huh? You guys must have gotten along nicely!~" Your face paled ever so slightly, and you let out a drawn-out, "Oh for fuck's sake.".

Flowey seemed completely unphased, and let out an impish but nevertheless happy retort. "It's nice to see you again, too, pal!" That disturbing smile came to the flower's face as he finished that statement, quickly following with another. "Just because you spared all those monsters in there, you think you're special? Don't you get that if you stay that weak, those monsters will jus u? What will you do then? Give up? Give in?" Before the flower continues it's mean-streak you interrupt it with a deadpan look and frustrated voice. "Listen you little yellow fuck, I don't know what you mean, but last I checked, you die, you 'die'. Second, you may need to kill to survive, but I'm not some manipulative jackass. People actually like me." As you finish with those quips, your mind wanders down that path again.. Do they? Do they really like you?

While you trail off in thought, you're interrupted by the Flower screaming at you. "Did you even hear 'anything' I just said?! How have you not died... Yet? Some-" Flowey stopped abruptly and thought about what it just said, then got it's grin back, seemingly twice as wide. "I guess I shouldn't keep you. This is much more entertaining to watch. Let's see how far you can get before it happens.~" The flower slinks into the ground like silk, leaving you there alone with your thoughts again, but before they can get the best of you this time you decide to head for the next passage.

The next stone door was easy enough to push, but the moment it closed behind you it slammed harder than the last normally did. As it shut, a blast of cold wind hit you, and the moment you realized the difference in temperature you instinctively went to go back into the warmth. The shock of cold stone caused you to pull your hand back from the door, and when you spin around again, the snowy-forest scene makes itself fully apparent. The wind dies down slightly but is still present, causing you to shudder very slightly. You wrap your arms around your torso and start down the pathway through the woods, glancing through the trees on either side of you.. they were really densely packed, almost no spacing between each tree trunk itself.

As you step over a sturdy branch, you bounce lightly to keep self-morale up, grinning to yourself but freezing once you hear an abrupt and loud *SNAP* behind you. It causes a small jump from you, and when your top-half spins around you gaze at the branch, but walk over after what you see. It's.. completely shattered, like confetti, even. Your pupils narrow and you gaze around quickly in silence, but the fact that you can't find any possible source of sound worries you further. Instead of standing around like a target you decide to press on, walking forward until you reach a bridge with an oddly large set of bars around it.

When you lean to your side to peer past one of the bars the abrupt sound of footsteps in snow behind you cause you to quite literally freeze up. As they get closer and closer your breathing stays frightfully calm, but your heart practically beats out of your chest once it comes to a stop.

"human."
Oh god.
"don't you know how to greet a new pal?"
I'm going to fucking die.

"turn around and shake my hand." That last phrase sent the chills so cold down your spine that the snow felt like a warm spring day. It took about four seconds, but you manage to slowly turn around and extend your arm. Once yours grasps theirs, they squeeze and an abrupt *PfffFFFRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrRRrrrrrrrrrrrRrrrr...tttttttt...ttt..!* sound is heard, completely shattering the fear you once had. A snow-white face with an cheek-to-cheek grin was seen, and as your head clears itself of the immediate fight or flight response you notice that.. this person didn't have cheeks.. or a.. face, even?

"the old whoopee-cushion-in-the-hand trick. it's 'always' funny." You can't help but tilt your head with a smirk, and the moment you smirk your eyes widen a little. "...You're that guy that was behind the door. Door-guy!" Your grip loosens and you take a step back in slight surprise. "heh, well whaddaya know? told you i'd be seeing you soon, buddy. didn't expect you to be so tall, though." You were only 5'8 truth be told, but still this guy seemed shorter than you even expected as well. "S-So, uh.. I'm Manny." After the new monster pockets it's hands, they shrug and smile. "the name's Sans. Sans the skeleton. so you're a human, huh?"

"Wait, what? How did you know that-" Before you could even ask the question fully his smile relaxes and he lets out a single chuckle while glancing to the side. "that's hilarious. you know, i'm supposed to be on the lookout for humans but, uh... i don't really care about that." Even having just met this person, you have the feeling they're telling the truth from their demeanor. "now, my brother, Papyrus, he's a human-hunting FANATIC. actually, i think that's him over there." he gestures to a much-taller looking skeleton with his hand over his eye-sockets, scanning the woods in a quite vigilant manner. "i have an idea. go through this gate-thingy."

Before you even consider it, you raise a brow and the short skeleton nods. "yeah, go right through, honest. my brother made the bars too wide to stop anyone." "..Alright, I guess?" You honestly didn't have much to say. You take a glance back to the far-away door to the ruins and sigh, walking across the bridge and into the next area. Before you can even look back, you can see the taller skeleton energetically marching over to the area and you dart your head slightly. "U-Uh, UH...-" "quick, behind that inconveniently-shaped lamp." You gaze over to a lamp the size of a small child, and you glare at Sans with a completely puzzled expression. "You're joking right?! How can-" The other skeleton soon comes into the view, but not before you dive behind the small lamp and curl up. This is absolutely ridiculous. There's no way he won't see you!

"sup, bro?" The other skeleton seemed much, much louder. "YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP', BROTHER! IT'S BEEN A WHOLE WEEK AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T. RE-CALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND HERE EVERY DAY! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!" As you listen to the two of them, you get an odd feeling about the short one. "just staring at this really cool lamp. wanna look-" As he says that, your eyes narrow in shock and you glare at the short skeleton, mouthing 'Are you fucking crazy?!' Your head was clearly above the top of the shade, but after you mouth that the tall skeleton completely ignores you, stamping his foot in frustration. "YOU KNOW I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE-"

As the skeleton continues stomping, he glances over at the lamp and stares directly at you. "WAIT, WHAT IS THAT?" He stops stomping for a second, one eye-socket seeming to raise a brow, or.. that's what it 'looked' like. You froze like a deer, staring back at him with a blank face. "it's a lamp, bro, doesn't it look cool?" Almost like clockwork he folds his arms and glares back down to his brother. "THAT'S NOT THE POINT! WHAT IF A 'HUMAN' COMES THROUGH HERE?!" ..You're joking, right?! He.. he looked right at you! While the large skeleton continues reprimanding and shouting at his brother Sans stares at you for a moment, and winks before resuming looking at his brother, who seems to be going on about popularity. After a few more loud statements he storms off with bounce in his step!

"alright, he's gone, you can come out, now." Sans was facing the opposite direction, and the moment he said that you speed-walked towards him. "Were you trying to get me caught?! My heart literally almost jumped out of my mouth!" He turned around and looked surprised. "whoa, humans can do that? cool." You had forgotten that monsters didn't really know much about humans other than what Toriel had said about our 'power' or whatever. "N-No, it was a figure of speech- Look! Just.. bear with me, alright? I have no idea where I'm going, I.. I just want to get home. I don't want to cause any type of trouble, because as far as I've seen monsters are really sweet folk." Sans had turned around fully, hands still in his pockets as he replied with a grin. "i don't know about that, some monsters can be real grizzly individuals." The moment he made the pun you couldn't not. An ear-to-ear grin came on your face and you glared the other way, mumbling. "Jesus Christ.."

Chapter 8 took me quite some time to think up! I didn't want to write too much, but looking at it, I think that it's just the right amount for the beginning of Snowdin! If there's any feedback or you find a typo or something, let me know! I'm trying hard to keep it correct in every way.

-RampantMemory