p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"uspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Chapter 4- Snowstorm/span/u/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe moment I ducked from the currents of magic, I felt like I'd left my soul behind. My breathless shriek was drowned in the roaring wind as I flailed frantically. I was falling. Falling fast. Tree tops came into view. In my disoriented haste, I had mistakenly teleported, not into town, but em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"above/em Snowdin em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Forest/em./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"My powerful skillset was balanced by my pathetic defense; I only had 1 measly Hit Point. I would be shredded in the branches. Even if the trees didn't kill me, the impact of hitting the ground surely would. It happened so fast, I didn't even have time to think./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe first tree limb pounded my shoulder, not quite within grabbing range. A tip of a branch struck my face, leaving a sharp stinging across my cheekbone. A hit across my side suddenly flipped me. The branches slapped the back of my legs and jacket, catching and ripping as I plummeted towards my grave. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I only had 0.4 HP now. It was a miracle I'd made it this far. A jumble of panicked thoughts burst through the stupefying fear. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i don't want to die i don't want to be alone i can't leave papyrus alone! /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Flinging my arms out, I frantically tried to break my hurtling fall. Twigs and pine needles lashed past my hands, stinging them terribly. Lightning fast, I latched onto a branch—em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"yes!—/emand it snapped. Mere seconds remained. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i'm sorry, papyrus—/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanPOOF!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"The impact scared me stiff. But I was alive. I was suspended in greyish white, almost weightless, and freezing cold. Thrashing dizzily, I broke free. Gasping to catch my breath, I glanced down. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"oh, /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I realized. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"it's a snow pof./em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"For a moment, I marveled at my incredible luck, then sprang up, scattering the snow mound. It'd all be meaningless if I couldn't get back in time! I bolted. One shoe was missing—possibly hanging by the laces from a tree branch. Stumbling, I kicked the other one away./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"As I raced down the familiar path to town, I glimpsed grey piles dotting the surface of the porcelain-perfect snow. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"dust. /emI ran faster. All that broke the silence was the wind's foreboding dirge as it shook icicles from the pines. Thick flakes began to fall from the sky, masking my path. Still, I blindly raced on./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"By the time I reached town, it was a screaming snowstorm. Flurries pelted the sides of the darkened, padlocked buildings. No lights were on. emeveryone's gone/emem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;". /emMy feet ached terribly, but at this realization, new panic drove me on. I never knew I could run so fast./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"The underground snow tunnels that linked the streets had been collapsed. Windows were shattered. The gifts beneath the central tree were trampled. Through my swirling sight, I made out the welcoming glow of the red and green Christmas lights that strung our home. Skidding to a stop on the front porch, I flung the door open and yelled—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""emPAPYRUS! /emwhere are you?!" Silence./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I sprinted for the kitchen. Empty. Taking a recklessly sharp turn, I twisted an ankle racing for the stairs, and skipped every other one on my way up. I slammed my brother's door open. Empty. I checked mine. Empty. Washroom at the end of the hall. Empty. I called again. No answer. Papyrus wasn't here. Racing haphazardly down the stairs, I paused in the living room and fervently glanced around, thinking hard./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Perhaps Papyrus fled with the others, I reasoned hopefully. He must be safe! Surely /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"someone /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"would have checked to make sure he was among the refugees, right? /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"but, /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I realized, /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"if he went with them, wouldn't he have left—/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"a /spanspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"note. There, pinned to the inside of the front door, was a note. Snatching it down, I quickly scanned it. This is what it read:/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"DEAR SANS,/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I KNOW YOU TOLD ME TO STAY INSIDE, BUT I HAD TO LEAVE. THE HUMAN NEEDS MY HELP! I THINK THEY MUST BE VERY SCARED, BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE SOME VERY TERRIBLE THINGS. BUT I'M SURE THIS IS ALL ONE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. THEY JUST NEED SOMEONE TO SHOW THEM KINDNESS; THEN THEY WILL BE KIND, TOO! I MUST GIVE THIS MY BEST, BECAUSE MY BEST IS ALL I HAVE TO GIVE. SO DON'T WORRY! I SHALL BE BACK FOR DINNER. PERHAPS I WILL EVEN BRING A NEW FRIEND!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"WITH MUCH LOVE,/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"PAPYRUS./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"An avalanche of panic numbed my every nerve. Papyrus thought he could reason with the human. Horrid scenes from my nightmares flashed before my eyes. Oh, why hadn't I attacked that brat when I found them in the forest?! They wouldn't spare Paps—they'd kill him! The note fell from my shaking hands and I bolted. I was gone before the page fluttered to the ground./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Outside, the storm had intensified. The howling wind sent the fringes of my tattered jacket thrashing, as if trying to push me back. I fought onward. If this day continued to follow my nightmares, I knew I'd find Papyrus on the pathway to the Waterfall district—if he was still alive./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I reached the end of the Snowdin paths. Beside, the swollen river roared, ice chunks crashing loudly in the rapids. With my arm raised against the whirlwinds of snow, I squinted through the thick white. I couldn't see anything. Maybe he wasn't here. Maybe the human decided to stay indoors until the storm stopped. Though unlikely, maybe they talked it out! Maybe—! /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I saw a flash of orange. Hope surged through my soul. Struggling forward, I rubbed the sting from my eyes. There, fluttering from a tiny heap of grey powder and brightly colored clothes… was Papyrus's scarf./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Everything stopped. The storm sounded distant. My frozen socks didn't even feel cold anymore. This couldn't be real. This couldn't actually be happening. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"okay… okay, wake me up, now, papyrus. come on. pound on my door. yell my name. please… it's all just a dream. /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I fell to my knees, disconnected. emit's just a dream. /emWith shaking, numb hands, as if in a trance, I slowly reached out. My fingers touched the scarf. Soft, woolen, frosty fabric. I lifted it free, staring at it with shrinking pupils as it swayed in the wind. Finally, the truth sank in. This wasn't a dream; it was real. Papyrus was gone./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Devastating sorrow splintered my soul. Grief, deeper than I'd ever known. I clutched the scarf close, crumpled, and wept. The bright teal tears fizzled as they hit the snow, sending glittering blue photons swirling into the storm. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I held the soft orange scarf tighter, praying for some sort of miracle, begging time to reverse and bring my brother back to me. There was nothing but the bitter wind. There was no one to hear me. I was alone. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i never should have left him alone. no, please… don't leave me here alone…!/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I lost track of time. Nothing mattered, anymore. All I wanted was for the snow piling around to hurry up and bury me. I ran out of tears, but still, I cried and cried. Eventually, my sobbing was reduced to numb trembling. The ice was starting to take over. Every bone felt positively brittle. It was so, so cold. My soul's sluggish, labored pulses continued to slow. It wouldn't be long, now. It would freeze. I'd fall asleep, never to face grief again. So I stayed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Distantly, I sensed someone approaching. With any luck, it would be the kid; they'd kill me far faster than the cold could. They came closer. It had to be the human. No one else was crazy enough to venture out in this screaming storm. Closer still. Accepting my fate, I closed my eyes and simply waited. They were right behind me, now. There was a horrible pause. I squeezed my eyes tighter and held my breath, bracing for the strike./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Then, to my surprise, I heard the snow softly crunch as someone knelt beside me. Suddenly I found myself in a warm embrace. A very warm, toasty embrace. My eyes snapped open. The harsh white all around was tinted a glowing orange. emfirelight. /emAfter a shocked pause, hardly daring to believe, I hoarsely whispered—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""g…grillby?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""I'm here," the kind, familiar voice replied. There was a heavy-hearted pause. "I'm so sorry, Sans. I am so, so sorry."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAnd just like that, I was crying again. I hated myself for it, but I couldn't stop the tears, now. Warring feelings of relief and frustration flooded my head. Why did Grillby, my closest friend, have to see me like this? Weeping pathetically, hopeless, despairing of life? span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"It would have been better if he hadn't found me. I just wanted to stay here till I froze to death!/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""He's alive," /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"a soft, unfamiliar voice in my mind whispered. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""You still have a friend in this world." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I shook the thought away, sobbing. How could I go on? How could I face tomorrow without my beloved brother? There was no reason to wake up. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""There is still hope," /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"the whisper assured. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""You're not alone." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"If Grillby was here in Snowdin, did that mean he'd been left behind? Were we /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"both/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;" going to die here? /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""Perhaps he came back for you."/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I shouldn't even be alive. It should have been me, not Papyrus, who confronted the human. Why couldn't the kid have found me first?! Then, there was a new, unwelcome thought—my own, this time—/spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"maybe i still have a purpose to play./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""Sans, we need to go," Grillby prompted softly. He stood and gently tried to pull me up with him. Miserable, I wrenched away, stubbornly refusing to leave. "We need to get out of here," he insisted urgently. "It's not safe."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Apart from my hiccupping sobs, I didn't move. He'd leave, eventually. He couldn't risk his life endlessly for mine. He still had a daughter to look after. I had nobody./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAfter a minute of silence, I began to wonder if Grillby had already left. Then, I heard a sigh and was once more enveloped in a hug. Warmth seeped into my numb bones. Despite everything, I found it slightly comforting. A little warmer. Slowly, my chin fell to my chest. Warmer. My stiff limbs began to relax. By the time I realized what Grillby was doing, it was too late. He was lulling me to sleep./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I jerked desperately, but it was futile; the next wave of magical energy overpowered my frayed mind. The last of my strength drained away. My body went limp and melted straight into my friend's arms. My sight was quickly fading to black as Grillby fumbled to scoop me up and stand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Briefly, I forced my eyelights to refocus. Papyrus's scarf was still clenched in my fist, fluttering sadly in the bitter wind. Turning towards the river, Grillby fled the pitiful little dust heap that was once my brother, and I gave into the beckoning darkness./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe moment I ducked from the currents of magic, I felt like I'd left my soul behind. My breathless shriek was drowned in the roaring wind as I flailed frantically. I was falling. Falling fast. Tree tops came into view. In my disoriented haste, I had mistakenly teleported, not into town, but em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"above/em Snowdin em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Forest/em./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"My powerful skillset was balanced by my pathetic defense; I only had 1 measly Hit Point. I would be shredded in the branches. Even if the trees didn't kill me, the impact of hitting the ground surely would. It happened so fast, I didn't even have time to think./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe first tree limb pounded my shoulder, not quite within grabbing range. A tip of a branch struck my face, leaving a sharp stinging across my cheekbone. A hit across my side suddenly flipped me. The branches slapped the back of my legs and jacket, catching and ripping as I plummeted towards my grave. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I only had 0.4 HP now. It was a miracle I'd made it this far. A jumble of panicked thoughts burst through the stupefying fear. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i don't want to die i don't want to be alone i can't leave papyrus alone! /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Flinging my arms out, I frantically tried to break my hurtling fall. Twigs and pine needles lashed past my hands, stinging them terribly. Lightning fast, I latched onto a branch—em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"yes!—/emand it snapped. Mere seconds remained. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i'm sorry, papyrus—/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanPOOF!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"The impact scared me stiff. But I was alive. I was suspended in greyish white, almost weightless, and freezing cold. Thrashing dizzily, I broke free. Gasping to catch my breath, I glanced down. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"oh, /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I realized. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"it's a snow pof./em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"For a moment, I marveled at my incredible luck, then sprang up, scattering the snow mound. It'd all be meaningless if I couldn't get back in time! I bolted. One shoe was missing—possibly hanging by the laces from a tree branch. Stumbling, I kicked the other one away./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"As I raced down the familiar path to town, I glimpsed grey piles dotting the surface of the porcelain-perfect snow. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"dust. /emI ran faster. All that broke the silence was the wind's foreboding dirge as it shook icicles from the pines. Thick flakes began to fall from the sky, masking my path. Still, I blindly raced on./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"By the time I reached town, it was a screaming snowstorm. Flurries pelted the sides of the darkened, padlocked buildings. No lights were on. emeveryone's gone/emem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;". /emMy feet ached terribly, but at this realization, new panic drove me on. I never knew I could run so fast./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"The underground snow tunnels that linked the streets had been collapsed. Windows were shattered. The gifts beneath the central tree were trampled. Through my swirling sight, I made out the welcoming glow of the red and green Christmas lights that strung our home. Skidding to a stop on the front porch, I flung the door open and yelled—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""emPAPYRUS! /emwhere are you?!" Silence./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I sprinted for the kitchen. Empty. Taking a recklessly sharp turn, I twisted an ankle racing for the stairs, and skipped every other one on my way up. I slammed my brother's door open. Empty. I checked mine. Empty. Washroom at the end of the hall. Empty. I called again. No answer. Papyrus wasn't here. Racing haphazardly down the stairs, I paused in the living room and fervently glanced around, thinking hard./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Perhaps Papyrus fled with the others, I reasoned hopefully. He must be safe! Surely /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"someone /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"would have checked to make sure he was among the refugees, right? /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"but, /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I realized, /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"if he went with them, wouldn't he have left—/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"a /spanspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"note. There, pinned to the inside of the front door, was a note. Snatching it down, I quickly scanned it. This is what it read:/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"DEAR SANS,/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I KNOW YOU TOLD ME TO STAY INSIDE, BUT I HAD TO LEAVE. THE HUMAN NEEDS MY HELP! I THINK THEY MUST BE VERY SCARED, BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE SOME VERY TERRIBLE THINGS. BUT I'M SURE THIS IS ALL ONE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. THEY JUST NEED SOMEONE TO SHOW THEM KINDNESS; THEN THEY WILL BE KIND, TOO! I MUST GIVE THIS MY BEST, BECAUSE MY BEST IS ALL I HAVE TO GIVE. SO DON'T WORRY! I SHALL BE BACK FOR DINNER. PERHAPS I WILL EVEN BRING A NEW FRIEND!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"WITH MUCH LOVE,/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"PAPYRUS./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"An avalanche of panic numbed my every nerve. Papyrus thought he could reason with the human. Horrid scenes from my nightmares flashed before my eyes. Oh, why hadn't I attacked that brat when I found them in the forest?! They wouldn't spare Paps—they'd kill him! The note fell from my shaking hands and I bolted. I was gone before the page fluttered to the ground./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Outside, the storm had intensified. The howling wind sent the fringes of my tattered jacket thrashing, as if trying to push me back. I fought onward. If this day continued to follow my nightmares, I knew I'd find Papyrus on the pathway to the Waterfall district—if he was still alive./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I reached the end of the Snowdin paths. Beside, the swollen river roared, ice chunks crashing loudly in the rapids. With my arm raised against the whirlwinds of snow, I squinted through the thick white. I couldn't see anything. Maybe he wasn't here. Maybe the human decided to stay indoors until the storm stopped. Though unlikely, maybe they talked it out! Maybe—! /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I saw a flash of orange. Hope surged through my soul. Struggling forward, I rubbed the sting from my eyes. There, fluttering from a tiny heap of grey powder and brightly colored clothes… was Papyrus's scarf./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Everything stopped. The storm sounded distant. My frozen socks didn't even feel cold anymore. This couldn't be real. This couldn't actually be happening. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"okay… okay, wake me up, now, papyrus. come on. pound on my door. yell my name. please… it's all just a dream. /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I fell to my knees, disconnected. emit's just a dream. /emWith shaking, numb hands, as if in a trance, I slowly reached out. My fingers touched the scarf. Soft, woolen, frosty fabric. I lifted it free, staring at it with shrinking pupils as it swayed in the wind. Finally, the truth sank in. This wasn't a dream; it was real. Papyrus was gone./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Devastating sorrow splintered my soul. Grief, deeper than I'd ever known. I clutched the scarf close, crumpled, and wept. The bright teal tears fizzled as they hit the snow, sending glittering blue photons swirling into the storm. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I held the soft orange scarf tighter, praying for some sort of miracle, begging time to reverse and bring my brother back to me. There was nothing but the bitter wind. There was no one to hear me. I was alone. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i never should have left him alone. no, please… don't leave me here alone…!/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I lost track of time. Nothing mattered, anymore. All I wanted was for the snow piling around to hurry up and bury me. I ran out of tears, but still, I cried and cried. Eventually, my sobbing was reduced to numb trembling. The ice was starting to take over. Every bone felt positively brittle. It was so, so cold. My soul's sluggish, labored pulses continued to slow. It wouldn't be long, now. It would freeze. I'd fall asleep, never to face grief again. So I stayed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Distantly, I sensed someone approaching. With any luck, it would be the kid; they'd kill me far faster than the cold could. They came closer. It had to be the human. No one else was crazy enough to venture out in this screaming storm. Closer still. Accepting my fate, I closed my eyes and simply waited. They were right behind me, now. There was a horrible pause. I squeezed my eyes tighter and held my breath, bracing for the strike./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Then, to my surprise, I heard the snow softly crunch as someone knelt beside me. Suddenly I found myself in a warm embrace. A very warm, toasty embrace. My eyes snapped open. The harsh white all around was tinted a glowing orange. emfirelight. /emAfter a shocked pause, hardly daring to believe, I hoarsely whispered—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""g…grillby?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""I'm here," the kind, familiar voice replied. There was a heavy-hearted pause. "I'm so sorry, Sans. I am so, so sorry."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAnd just like that, I was crying again. I hated myself for it, but I couldn't stop the tears, now. Warring feelings of relief and frustration flooded my head. Why did Grillby, my closest friend, have to see me like this? Weeping pathetically, hopeless, despairing of life? span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"It would have been better if he hadn't found me. I just wanted to stay here till I froze to death!/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""He's alive," /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"a soft, unfamiliar voice in my mind whispered. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""You still have a friend in this world." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I shook the thought away, sobbing. How could I go on? How could I face tomorrow without my beloved brother? There was no reason to wake up. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""There is still hope," /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"the whisper assured. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""You're not alone." /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"If Grillby was here in Snowdin, did that mean he'd been left behind? Were we /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"both/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;" going to die here? /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""Perhaps he came back for you."/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I shouldn't even be alive. It should have been me, not Papyrus, who confronted the human. Why couldn't the kid have found me first?! Then, there was a new, unwelcome thought—my own, this time—/spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"maybe i still have a purpose to play./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""Sans, we need to go," Grillby prompted softly. He stood and gently tried to pull me up with him. Miserable, I wrenched away, stubbornly refusing to leave. "We need to get out of here," he insisted urgently. "It's not safe."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Apart from my hiccupping sobs, I didn't move. He'd leave, eventually. He couldn't risk his life endlessly for mine. He still had a daughter to look after. I had nobody./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAfter a minute of silence, I began to wonder if Grillby had already left. Then, I heard a sigh and was once more enveloped in a hug. Warmth seeped into my numb bones. Despite everything, I found it slightly comforting. A little warmer. Slowly, my chin fell to my chest. Warmer. My stiff limbs began to relax. By the time I realized what Grillby was doing, it was too late. He was lulling me to sleep./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I jerked desperately, but it was futile; the next wave of magical energy overpowered my frayed mind. The last of my strength drained away. My body went limp and melted straight into my friend's arms. My sight was quickly fading to black as Grillby fumbled to scoop me up and stand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Briefly, I forced my eyelights to refocus. Papyrus's scarf was still clenched in my fist, fluttering sadly in the bitter wind. Turning towards the river, Grillby fled the pitiful little dust heap that was once my brother, and I gave into the beckoning darkness./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;" /p