Behind Closed Doors: Chapter 17 - Calm Before the Storm
"...Oh fuck, my back... my head.." As you roll over you notice the bright yellow flowers among the water and violently crawl backwards only to realize they're just that.. flowers. Nothing more and nothing else among them. A shaky sigh escapes your lips before you scan your immediate surroundings from the ankle-deep water you find yourself sitting in.. better to stand. It seems you're at the base of a waterfall... there's quite a lot of garbage nearby too, you even recognize some brands! Gold Splice Bodywash, Twizzie Licorice, and other various pieces of garbage break off from the garbage piles and drift off into the abyss further down. As you watch a few pieces break off you realize how lucky you are to not have fallen farther, and then you realize something important; your phone! You slap around your waist abruptly to find your phone, luckily enough, in a completely dry spot. A loud sigh of relief escapes your lips and you look to find no bars at all.. guess you're pretty far down, or you're in a dead spot.
Either way, you steel yourself and notice a star glowing among the path ahead, walking towards it and doing what seems to be coming natural; reaching out. You allow the pains and aches to subside and shake off the past. You have to keep your RESOLVE. Walking forward you pass a cooler and find a nifty snack; Astronaut food! This stuff was your favorite as a kid! You take two and pop them in your bag, cheering up a little bit before walking forward. There's an odd amount of anime-related items in the trash here.. The moment you continue on you hear rustling behind you, and as you look back you notice one thing; That training dummy is gone. Huh, weird.. You turn back to continue walking before you stop, noticing an oddly familiar floating monster. "Wait a sec-... Oh, Napstablook? Hey!" You smile softly and raise a hand to wave, and the shy little ghost looks down subtly. "Oh... Hi there, human... I haven't seen you in a while, and I was just wandering down here... I got in your way... sorry..." You smirk slightly and raise an eyebrow, refuting the ghost's claim. "Oh come on, pal, you haven't done anything like that. If anything I'm happy to see a friendly face down here."
A tiny, familiar smile is seen once you say that, and the ghost seems to have cheered up again, like the last time you two spoke in The Ruins. "Oh... really...? If that's the case... my house is nearby if you want to hang out... no pressure..." After he offers, you glance around at the water and rock, playfully commenting. "You know, a home sounds really, really nice right about now.. I'll totally hang out, dude!" A slightly bigger smile comes from the ghost before they start to fade out. "Oh... okay... I'll try and tidy up beforehand... see you soon..."
After they fades away you realize; "...Shit! I didn't ask his address! NAPSTABLOOK?" You call out abruptly only to expect no response, but the ghost seems to fade back in almost instantly, startling you. "Yes...?" You flinch in shock but smile wide, laughing a little that you got scared. "Woah, didn't expect you to come back so quick! I, uh.. where's your house exactly?" The ghost's eyes widen a little and they jump a bit. "Oh...! It's the path in the middle, just ahead..." The ghost turns around and gestures to the three paths, just ahead another one of those yellow stars.. Instead of disappearing this time, he floats in that direction, going completely through the star and over the small pool of water before floating through the rock. Guess he knows exactly where he'll end up on the other side.. After you shrug it off you peek into the left passage to see a scaly, somehow angry-looking house before continuing down the center path. You spot two houses, knocking on the right first. There doesn't seem to be an answer after forty seconds or so, so you knock on the other, who's door opens on it's own very slowly. "Hell..o?" You peer in without taking a step to see a white ghost with headphones on, looking at a computer. "N-...Napstablook? That you, buddy?" You knock on the wall a little loudly, which causes the ghost's form to jump subtly before they turn a head. "Oh... you actually came..." The first steps into their house show an oddly dilapidated room, with a growing cobweb in the corner. It reminds you of your own apartment though, minus the lack of a bed.. and a sink.. and.. bathroom. "Come on, you think I'd keep you hanging?" You extend your arms in a friendly gesture and the ghost smiles before you walk over to their computer. "So, what'cha doing?" Napstablook goes on for about three or so minutes, explaining how they're an aspiring DJ and make their own music, before showing you their mix CDs. As you get to 'Spookwave', you smile wide and seem really into it, bobbing your head to the rhythm and commenting, "Man, this is sweet! Some bass, a few electronic snares- I really don't know, but it sounds awesome." The two of you bond for a while over the music and how it's made before you realize an hour has gone by, and you seem surprised. "Oh damn! I can't believe time flies like that! I should get a move on, Napstablook. "They seem disappointed, but understanding. "Oh.. that's understandable, and... you can call me 'Blook'... if you want to..." With a nod you head towards the door. "Alright, Blook! I'll see you later, promise!" They smile one last time before you head out.
Once you close Napstablook's you continue out the pathway, curiously leaning in and noticing a sign that seems to tell you that it's 'Blook Acres'. Making a note to explore there later you come across a doorway with runes overhead appears on your left, reading [Gerson's Shop]. Instinctually, you enter and find a small pocket-cave with a large black winged symbol inscribed on the cave wall, and as you squint at it you hear an old croaky voice from your right. "Well, now! Didn't think I'd see another human down here in my lifetime! Wahaha..!" After you hear a curious-sounding laugh you notice a small, green and clearly old-looking tortoise monster leaning on a box with his left arm. In his right hand he holds a magnifying glass, and he seems to be sporting odd archeologist-type clothes and a helmet. With a smile you raise your hand and wave. "Hey, there. You're not, uh.. going to attack me or anything, right?" The tortoise squints it's only-open eye and it's bushy eyebrows furrow. "What? No, why on earth would ya expect 'that'?" Your own brow furrows and you gesture with open hands gently. "Really? Monsters? My soul? The barrier?" The tortoise lets out a gentle raspberry before retorting. "Pfffhhh.. Barrier, Shmarrier! I'm too old to worry about capturing humans and shattering barriers. Back when I was younger though, ooh boy! They used to call me Gerson, The Hammer of Justice! ...The name's Gerson, by the way." He offers a smile with whatever teeth he seems to have and you can't help but smirk in response. "Mine's Manny. Good to meet you Gerson. So, this is a shop?" He gestures at the few open wooden crates he has arranged next to one another. "Of a sort.. it's mostly neat junk that I've found from the falls!" You peer into most of them and see notebooks, sunglasses and shirts with familiar pop-culture. "Oh hey, I recognize some of these brands!" A nostalgic tone escapes you and Gerson waddles over with his squinted eye, peering into the box. "Really? Do any of them have any significance?" You make a 'hmm' noise and sift through some of the shirts idly, noting some activist ones about human rights or animal rights and explaining them. The old turtle scratches his chin-scruff and nods, and you admittedly spend another ten minutes or so there before you realize once-again.
"Oh Jesus, I'm getting side-tracked too often.. I need to head to the castle and talk to the king. The tortoise's head turns to you with a concerned look after you say that. "Careful, kid." The turtle picks up a walking stick and waggles it at your midsection, poking your chest once. "Asgore may be a big softie, but he may not let you just walk out.. especially considering you being human. Being down here, I'm sure you already know what he plans to do if he or Undyne get a hold of your SOUL." It feels like you're being lectured by a grandfather and you nod quietly. "I know, I know.. I promise I'll be safe, sir." Gerson stands straight up and pokes your chest again with his little walking stick. "Darn right, sir! I didn't get this old by chance, ya gotta be smart! Tough! Quick on your feet!" The turtle puts up his dukes and bounces from foot to foot slowly, waving them in the air like a fighter. A laugh escapes your mouth and you nod happily with a playful comment. "I'm sure I couldn't stand toe-to-toe with The Hammer." He offers a cranky scowl and a 'Hmph!' before shooing you off with a subtle smirk of his own. One last smile comes to your face before you're gently pushed out of the shop and you again continue on the way, only half-reading the plaques after realizing they're again about the sad story of monsters. After reading so much it's only painful. Monsters don't deserve this fate, not one bit. It angers you to even think of what would've happen if they had gone unnoticed forever.. Your stomach twists into knots just thinking about it, and you physically grasp your stomach as the horrible thought churns in your head. Once you muster up the mental strength, you wave off the metaphorical brain-fog and march forward.
Another odd maze stands before you, and as you blindly wander a stone path, you bump a mushroom that emits light and seems to flow through various patches of grass, showing other paths you can take! As you navigate the corners and turns with every mushroom tap you notice an odd barely-lit pathway that seems to lead to another area but instead of doing the exploring this time, you venture onward to the next area. It seems to be getting progressively more difficult to see, but when you read the sign it becomes near obvious. With a tap of a nearby lantern you realize the rest of them shine brighter in turn, allowing you to hurriedly navigate to the next and so-on. Not before long, you manage to escape the puzzle into a pitch black room, and an abrupt splash into knee-deep water causes you to groan. "UuuUUUGH.." As you wade, you notice one thing; It's completely silent.. nothing but your wading seems to be making any noise and you find it entirely unsettling. However, you notice a very dim echo-flower in front of you. Finally, you manage to find solid ground and climb up from the dark muddy waters and approach the flower. When you poke it, it says only one thing, and by the time you realize it your eyes narrow with dread.
"Behind You."
*Oh no.
Things are certainly getting spicy, now! I really think you're all going to like the coming chapters.. I have much planned. Please let me know how you're enjoying them by leaving an inbox or review! I love feedback and it's been helping me grow creatively.
-RampantMemory