1st POV
Gaster Sans Jr
Looking behind me, the coast looked clear, so I nonchalantly walked up to the door of the condo with the address I was supposed to be delivering to. It looked just like all the others on the block. A blue door, two windows to either side of the door and three stories up, built of gray brick. A few windows had flowers, or decorative curtains inside, but that was all the difference between them all. That and the gold number plates that defined the addresses. I pushed the pearl colored doorbell button and waited for the door to unlock so I could drop my load for this location and move on to the next. Being a drug runner was nerve racking and boring at the same time and often left me in the cold if the people where not where they said they'd be. It was rare that the receiver wasn't home as they wanted the drugs they ordered, but it did happen and was annoying. When after five minutes and ten more rings didn't unlock the door, I figured that was what had happened here, so turned and started my walk across town.
Dad said that driving a car to delivery locations would attract more attention and walking was healthier in any case, so I got stuck walking all over the worst parts of the city at all hours. It paid well at least, so maybe I'd be able to skip town after a few more years and start a new life somewhere else.
Finding out that my father, once a head secretary at a multibillion dollar corporation, was also a gang leader had come as quite a shock. Being forcefully recruited even more so. He had always seemed to be such a caring person, and even now he did seem to care about my well-being on occasion, but as time went, it became more about the money, and less about personal happiness. I had been forced to drop out of high school to keep up with my duties as a grunt in the gang. Dad said that the more I dedicated, the more I would move up and that the gang was family and would take care of us. I had my doubts.
Moving on autopilot, I didn't realize until too late that the alley I had stepped into had some punks on the end I was headed for. Thinking to just turn around and find another route, I was met with another group. This couldn't be coincidence, but I figured I'd just keep my cool and try to walk past the group at the end, but as I approached, they stood and blocked the way.
"What do we have here? Some voiceless freak's brat a little out of his turf, huh?" one of the men taunted.
I gritted my teeth. Dad had forced me to wear certain items that made it impossible to use my magic, so it was just my physical strength against seven human thugs. I was so dust.
"I think he lost his tongue too, Jermy. He can't even respond." Raucous laughter followed from the group at the quip issued from behind me.
"I'm just passing through. I wouldn't be here if people higher up hadn't told me to. I know the lines." I growled out. I knew talking would only aggravate them, but I could only handle so much bashing of my dad.
"Huh, the dead guy speaks." The first guy, Jermy, spoke again. "Well, you see mister dead guy, just like you, we are following higher people, and those people say that we gotta beat you up good and take your goods. It's nothing personal, just business. I know you'll understand." He was grinning, obviously enjoying his task much more than I was about to.
"How about I just give you the goods and we say that you beat me. Your people don't know mine, so it wouldn't make much of a difference, right?" I tried.
"Ha, nice joke. I'm not just doing this cause I was told to. I honestly enjoy beating you freaks to a pulp. This is gonna be fun." He looked to his cronies. "Grab him." He snarled.
Well, at least it looked like I was only going to get beat by one person, that made it slightly better. Maybe I would live through this beating. I normally was more alert and that was why I got the more dangerous and expensive routes as I could dodge groups like this before they could corner me.
Three pairs of gloved hands grabbed me roughly from behind. Naturally I flinched away from the coarse handling. The excruciating pain that blew up behind my head had my knees going out. Through the haze of pain I only just saw the fist with a large ring swinging towards my face. I tried to turn away, but was too slow. It blew another flare of pain, and I couldn't stop the scream that tore from me as the metal slammed into my cheek. I could feel my suppressed magic trying to rise, turning my stomach. Distantly I heard them laugh. Just as I was starting to think that they were going to stop with that since it had been a minute or two since the second hit, and I was starting to black out, I felt the hands holding up my arms tighten and a heavy boot slammed into my lower ribs. The sound of breaking bone rang loudly.
Dimly I heard one of the guys say something. Then the Jermy kid spoke up again. Him I could make out. "You're all a bunch of wimps. If he can't handle a few hits, what good is he anyway." I felt a piece of round metal forced under my chin, likely a pipe or something, but I was losing the battle for consciousness. "Huh, looks like he's already out. Hope his father's happy with this. I ain't chancing being a murderer cause he blacked out and already looks dead. I don't care how much the bastard payed. Grab the drugs, we're getting outta here." I felt my arms ripped back as my bag was ripped off from behind me, probably dislocated a shoulder as I felt a twinge from there and finally passed out.
When I finally came to, I felt a couple different weights on my back and the back of my legs. My head was pounding so bad I could hardly think, and laying prone on the ground as I was, weight was on the rib or ribs that had been broken or cracked. I tried to push myself up, only for a sharp pain to shoot down my left arm and through my ring and pinky fingers. Gritting my teeth, which only increased the pain in my skull, I forced my body up with just my right arm, dragging my legs forward to shift back on them, letting the bags of trash that had been thrown over me fall away. Struggling to look around, I didn't see anybody in the alley, but it had gotten very dark so I likely wouldn't have seen anyone anyway. Forcing myself to my feet unsteadily, I had to wait for the world to stop spinning. Getting home was bound to be interesting if I couldn't get a ride. I just hoped I still had my wallet. Looking down to my shoes, I couldn't believe they were so far away. The thought of trying to check the hidden chamber in the small heel was nauseating, but I had to. I would never make it home in my state. Leaning against one of the brick walls of the alley, I lifted my foot and reached with my good hand, the strain making my ribs flair and in turn, my head even more, but I pushed through. In the end it was worth it. Fifty bucks, that would get me where I was going with a little extra. Keeping it gripped in my hand, which I shoved into my pocket, I started my staggering toward the end of the alley, to a higher traffic street. To my luck, there was a bus stop just beyond it and a bus just happened to be stopping. I waved my hand, hoping to get their attention since there was nobody at the stop. The lights flashed, blinding me and making me stagger back, collapsing. I heard a scream that may have been mine before I passed out again.
When I came to again, sounds were fading in and out fast, too bright lights were flashing all around me, and strange, piercing smells permeated the air. I couldn't feel anything, it was like I was floating and it scared me. The last time I'd been floating, Dad had been about to beat me for spilling ten grams of coke. He'd ended up chipping a lumbar vertebrae and left me to heal on my own. That was two years ago, but I remembered it clearly and started to struggle. Noises suddenly increased around me, making me struggle even more. Something was forced against my face, a searing pain raced through my eye and I was out again.
A faint blipping sound slowly permeated the darkness and brought me back to consciousness. I slowly took in my surroundings, not completely sure where I was or how I got here. I remembered bright lights, lots of pain, panic, and floating. I could only see through my right eye and while the room I was in wasn't lit, I could still see. There must have been a dim source of light somewhere. Trying to raise an arm to my head, I felt resistance. I had to turn my head to look.
Attached to my hand was a plastic doo-hickey with some wires running off the bed. A faint red light could be seen glowing under my finger. Also on that side of the bed was a device with a small red button. On either side of the bed were screens showing all sorts of things that I didn't understand. On my right I could see a couple tubes all connected to a bag, and then another tube running from that to my radius where it was taped pretty securely. It looked wrong, but as I forced myself to think through the fog, I realized that was probably why I wasn't feeling any pain right now. I was probably at a hospital if they were anything like what were showed on tv, which meant that device with the red button was probably to call the nurses.
Even as I reached for the button though, more light came into the room from beyond the small hall that obviously lead to the room's door. The door shut with a thump and a human man walked in while looking at his clipboard closely. He glanced up at me, then back down, only to do a double take. I grinned and waved with the arm that had the tube. It felt weird to move it. The tube pulled strangely.
"You're awake." Was all he said, though he seemed slightly relieved.
"Yep, typically what follows sleeping I hear." I joke. I feel like I should be doing something or going somewhere. Am I forgetting something important? I don't know.
He smiles. "Yes, I suppose it does. Would you mind answering some questions for me son?"
"Eh, sure." I agree. "Don't see why not."
"Can you tell me your full name please?"
"Gaster Sans Jr."
"And what's your birthday?"
"July ninth, nineteen ninety-one."
At that he looked up surprised. I was tall for my age at almost five foot eight. Being a skeleton, it was hard to tell age much once we stopped growing, and even as kids, it could be hard. He looked back down to his board and filled out the information.
"Who are your parents kiddo?"
"I live with my dad, Gaster Sans Sr. I've never met my mother."
He hummed absently as he scribbled. Divorce wasn't uncommon among monsters or humans.
"And what about your address?"
"Um, I'm not really sure. We live above a pizza place next to central park, but it doesn't really have an address. All the mail just goes to Freddie's Pizza Emporium." I shrug, but instantly curl over, gasping, holding my side.
The doctor was up and by my side instantly, pushing me to lay back. "Try to stay still son. You had quite a rough time of it out there. We can't give you any more medicine though."
"Yeah, sure. Okay. Man this hurts though. Shit." I swore, earning a sharp glance from the doc. Apparently he doesn't like language. "How long was I out by the way?"
"It's December twenty-eighth. I don't know how long you were on the streets, but you've been here for nine days." He told me, checking the machines and tubes.
"Oh man. Dad's gonna dust me for sure." I groaned.
He gathered a few other bits of information for the medical record then headed out to file it all.
Left on my own, I could feel the drugs trying to lure me back to sleep but fought it. I didn't want to sleep. I had been out for almost ten days. Those punks in the alley had really done a number on me apparently. What had been their leader's name? I couldn't really remember, but then his last words flashed through my head clear as if they'd only just been spoken.
"Huh, looks like he's already out. Hope his father's happy with this. I ain't chancing being a murderer cause he blacked out and already looks dead. I don't care how much the bastard payed. Grab the drugs, we're getting outta here."
My father had arranged the attack. Why would my dad set me up with thugs from a rival gang. I had been doing everything he had asked to the letter. It couldn't be true. I clenched my fists, I couldn't strain my jaw without shooting pains through my uncovered eye, but I could feel the rise of magic in me. Looking to my hands, I saw black and blue flames surrounding my hand. Huh, so my magic was multi-colored. Who woulda known.
One of the monitors started beeping excessively and my doc came back in fast. "Please calm down. Using your magic can have a negative effect on your recovery and will affect the machines on you and other patients." He didn't approach beyond the hallway.
Scowling, I forced myself to breath, like in the meditation dad had forced me to do as a kid. The thought of dad and what he'd done came up and made it flare, but I forced it from my mind and closed my eye, breathing deep and thinking only of my breath. I was finally able to force the magic back down into my bones. I opened my eye and looked at my hand, fascinated still by the flames that were no longer there. I couldn't remember the last time I had summoned my magic. It had been so easy to do. I looked up to the doctor still in the doorway. "Sorry, I didn't know it messed with the machines. Uh, can I have the bracelets and necklace I was wearing when I came in? They sort of keep it off."
He lifted his brows. They were very linked to his expressions I was realizing. "You can't control it on your own?" he asked.
"Nope. I'm not allowed to use it and always have to wear the amulets. Dad says I'm too strong to be left to use it on my own." I explained.
He nodded and walked over to the nightstand next to my bed. Opening the top drawer, he pulled out my two bracelets and heavy necklace.
I pulled the plastic thing with the red light off my hand and offered him my hand.
"You can put them on yourself kid. I'm not your maid." He seemed a bit offended.
"Actually I can't. I can't put them on or take them off. It's part of the enchantment on them. It's too keep monsters from accidentally putting them on without knowing the effects. We have to have someone else put them on for us." That gained me another sharp look. "I'm serious. Here, let me show you." I turned my hand so I could take the bracelet from him. He handed it over and I tried to push the piece over my hand. Whenever my fingers tried to pass through though, it was as if there was a piece of material or glass in the center, moving it away so I couldn't push my hand through. I looked back up to him, "See, it's magic and it ain't a trick." and handed the piece back to him.
"This type of stuff was outlawed over a decade ago kid. I don't know what your father's trying to pull, but it definitely isn't safe to just keep blocking your magic like this. I can't give these to you." He said, even as he took my bracelet from me.
"Wait, you mean it's illegal? Why, it's just to keep other's safe since my magic's too strong to be controlled." I asked. "I'm not gonna get in trouble for having it, am I?" I asked. Magic contraband had an even higher price on the market and a much longer sentence from the law if you were caught with it in comparison to drugs.
"Because you didn't know, you probably won't get in trouble, but your dad might. I'm going to have to confiscate these. I'm sorry." He started to walk out of the room.
I started to panic, I was never without my amulets, how would I control my magic without them. "Wait, what am I supposed to do then!" I called, then felt the pull I'd felt earlier and noticed my hand glowing pure sapphire and the monitors went nuts again. He turned pretty quickly at the sound of the monitor.
"Jeez kid, calm down. You were fine before I came back in. Just breathe. Try to calm down."
"Right." I said, still worried. I tried to breathe, like I had before, calming myself down, but the pulling sensation only got stronger. I heard him choke and opened my eye to see my whole arm lit up in yellow and sapphire flames. "Oh shit! That worked last time. What is going on!" I yelled, trying to wave my arm, but the tube attached kept me from moving too much.
The doc grabbed the radio at his hip and called something through it. Seconds later a spider monster came rushing in and over to me. "Calm down darling. Listen to me and everything will be okay." She had a soothing voice that immediately had me relaxing. As I relaxed, the blue faded from the flames, and they started to shrink back to just around my hand, turning completely yellow. She put her hand over the flames and then pushed them back into my hand. I thought it would just go through my palm hole, but it melted back into the bone and the pulling sensation disappeared. From the corner of my eye I noticed a few of her other hands putting something into my line and I was asleep within seconds.
"Did you have to give him so much?" a familiar scratchy voiced asked. Cracking my eye open, I saw my dad standing a few feet away. I wasn't in the hospital anymore. That much was clear from the concrete under me instead of a bed.
"Gaster, his magic was going haywire. You said you had it under control! Do you know how much I had to pay that nurse to get him to keep quiet? We have lost more on your brat in this week alone than we have in the past two years. He's done." A soothing and irritated voice said from down near my feet.
"Muffet, please. He can make it back up. Please, just give him a chance!"
"No, he had his chance. He's on his own. You'll find someone to take him if you're smart and cut ties. I'm sorry." Two sets of lavender hands came into my view to set on my dad's shoulder.
Dad's head held steady for a few seconds, before dropping. "Very well. I'll get things settled then."
"Good. I expect to see you at headquarters at seven sharp." The hands disappeared and stiletto heels could be heard clicking down the concrete tunnel.
Once the sound had faded completely, dad grabbed my arm forcefully. 'Get up. I know you're awake.' He signed.
Opening my eye completely, I pushed myself into a sitting position. My head was pounding something fierce and my chest was burning. "So what's gonna happen now?" I asked him. I had seen kids disappear before and knew to never ask about it. I never thought I'd be the next one.
'If you were smart, you'd jump in front of a train and save yourself the trouble of rebuilding. I never should have dragged you into all this. You'll have to make your own way from now on. I'm sorry. Good luck.'
He went to turn and walk away, just leaving me there, but I had one last question before he abandoned me. "Is it true? Did you set up that attack Dad?" My questioned echoed, bouncing back over and over in the tunnel. His silence was answer enough. "So this is it. You're just gonna leave me in some random tunnel under the city and walk away. You're not even gonna say sorry for all this! What the fuck!" I yelled.
Faster than I could track, he turned and cracked me backhand across the blind side of my head sending white pain through my skull and effectively dropping me. He may have signed something, but I couldn't see, fighting through the pain as I was. All I know is when my vision cleared, he was gone and I was alone.