Cage Of Bones

Chapter 44: Still More Stars To See

"-Wait...Sans? PAPA?! IS PAPA OKAY?! IS HE STILL THERE?! WHERE IS HE?! I CAN'T SEE HIM! CAN WE ZOOM IN OR SOMETHING?! PAPA-!"

"-HE GOT HIT! WE'RE DOWN TO 0-!"

"-Shit shit SHIT-!"

"-This isn't good...his HP is leaving fast...it won't be long now.-"

"-How much time does he have?! Could this still work-?!"

"-I-I DON'T KNOW! That was a blow right to the chest! Without something for his soul to be held in, he's too exposed and barely has the strength to sustain himself to begin with! I don't KNOW how much time he has-!"

"-Well we'd better FIGURE IT THE FUCK OUT! It's ready isn't it-?!"

"-BARELY! I JUST inserted the needle into Sans' soul and it's ALREADY starting to deteriorate! Even if we hooked him up right now there's no TELLING what'll happen-!"

"-No...please...there has to be SOMETHING we can do! We came so far...we can't just let him go-!"

"-I know I KNOW! Uhhh uhhh...wh-what about Grillbz?! How's he holding up?! IS HIS SOUL OKAY-?!"

"-HE DEFINITELY LOST ANOTHER HP! Oh shit his soul...oh no Grillbz...-"

"-There weren't these many cracks before, were there?! How the hell is it still intact-?!"

"-He's been unresponsive since he collapsed...if he felt that gunshot...I don't even know if he can HEAR US right now. Even if he COULD...that kind of pain...this isn't like before! He's experiencing two dying monsters' worth of pain right now! That kind of overstimulation...with the state his soul is in...I don't think he COULD respond right now even if he wanted to! It's WAY too much to process all at once-!"

"-Wait...wait wait WAIT! Why can't I read his stats anymore?! GUYS! HIS SOUL WON'T COME BACK OUT! WE DON'T GOT A READ ON HIS CONDITION-!"

"-WHAT CAN WE DO-?!"

"-I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO-!"

"-YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE A SCIENTIST, AREN'T YOU-?!"

"-I CAN'T MAKE THIS KIND OF CALL IF THE DONOR IN QUESTION IS UNRESPONSIVE! HIS SOUL COULD BREAK ON SIGHT IF HE ISN'T AT LEAST MENTALLY PRESENT TO MAINTAIN IT DURING THE PROCEDURE! HE CAN'T DO THIS IF HE'S DISASSOCIATING THIS BAD! HE'S NOT IN STABLE CONDITION-!"

"-NEITHER OF THEM ARE IN STABLE CONDITION ALPHYS-!"

"-DAD PLEASE! WAKE UP-!"

"-Grillby, please, you NEED to talk to us! PLEASE! I know it's hard! I know it's WAY too much right now! I understand that honey! But PLEASE! We can't help either of you if you don't tell us what's going on! You don't have to speak if it's too much right now, it's okay! Just PLEASE! Give us a sign that you can hear us! That you're okay! GRILLBY-!"

He could hear voices...swimming in and out of his brain...

Beeepbeeepbeeep...

It was like someone was messing with the volume knob in his head...turning it up and down with reckless abandon...

Beeepbeeepbeeep...

There was so much...it was all so much...

Beeepbeeepbeeep...

He could hear arguing...and fighting...

Beeepbeeepbeeep...

He could hear sobbing...and shouting...

Beeepbeeepbeeep...

So loud...it was all...so goddamn loud...so...fucking much...so many voices in his head...none of them shutting up for even a moment...