Swapped Over

15. Finders keepers pt 2

Chapter summary: You found the horrortale brothers! . . . YOU FAINTED?!

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The strangest thing was that you had no idea where you were venturing. You just saw red and decided to follow it, although right now.. you weren't so sure of your capabilities with directions. Everywhere you looked nearly appeared the same, saved for the few thorn beds underneath the bushes and trees, but everywhere you looked seem the same.

You kept a careful eye on the ground this time for traps, another blow to the head might be the end of things for you — and you weren't sure of the multiverses' terms of dying outside your own universe, you could simply cease to exist.

The thought alone formed a lump in your throat, forcefully swallowing it as you trekked forward, albeit hesitantly, leaving noticeable skid marks on the tree barks to mark the further you left the camp grounds.

The old song of morning birds chirped, greeting the silence with a little bit of life as you continued on. Humming softly underneath your breath. The forest was alive and you knew that with the constant feeling of being observed never left your body.

The birds continued to chirp their morning song, giving you a sense of comfort the further you walked away from the original campsite.

A twig snapped to your right, causing you to freeze mid-step. Heart beating against your chest as you turned—A flash of red came and went in a blink of an eye. Okay, you were being watched.

Swallowing thickly, you followed after despite your better judgement, keeping your footfalls light and avoiding any particularly large twigs. Lifting your hands to cup your mouth to call out but paused shortly.

In a clearing lay a small shack. The windows were broken, the frame hanging by a lone rusty nail, the door was off the hinges and leaned up against the frame. Plastic bags were used to cover up any major damages to the rundown shack.

The strangest thing wasn't the shack, it was the cared soil, the vegetation growing and recently planted flowers of different kinds. Lilies, marigolds, white roses and —

"OH! A HUMAN?" A voice called.

Tensing up, you quickly dived behind a tree, pressing your back up against the bark in feeble attempts to disappear.

"SHE'S GONE!" The voice gasped, then there was a prolonged silence before the voice laughed out. "OF COURSE! NYEHEHE!"

You perked up in interest at the familiar laughter, it gave comfort and you weren't sure why you were still hiding. These were most likely the missing skeletons, meaning the trip was cut relatively short. somehow you felt better knowing that it only lasted two days; at least you'll have time to tease Classic Sans later.

Reluctantly you crept out of your hiding spot. The garden laid untouched and unbothered, the skeletons in question were nowhere in sight. The breath you didn't know you held released, your shoulders dropped in a relaxed manner as you scanned the area. There were no traces of any monster other than the cared for garden.

Pursing your lips in a thin line, you huffed softly.

Large hands placed themselves on your shoulders, an unsuspecting yelp escaped your mouth as you quickly turned around, ready for anything - yet you froze completely. Eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar.

"HELLO!" The Papyrus greeted, his crooked pink teeth spreading into a wide smile.

Craning your neck back, mouth hung open as your eyes trailed from his abnormally large torso to the smallest sockets you've ever seen. His clothes barely covered his bones, you could clearly see the bottoms of his ribcage, the stitching was slowly becoming undone.