Chapter Text
A few minutes had passed in the classroom, though it felt like hours to Kris.
Susie sat right behind them, and human teenager tried their best to keep quiet. Just now, Miss Alphys had already decided them both as partners for the group project, much to the dismay of the two.
All Susie can do at the moment was to throw crumbled papers at them, giggling while doing so. "Don't have a say? Freak. You better NOT be a burden to our work..."
Kris just sighed as they slowly fell asleep on their desk. Wishing it was all over.
As Kris began drifting away into dreams, Miss Alphys was just then writing into the blackboard, but then, her last chalk began to crumble into her hand. Suddenly, she called unto the class, shooking Kris up slightly from their nap.
"Uh... Class. It seems we're running out of chalk h-here. We can't continue to discuss the assignment of the group project like this, hah... A-anyone want to volunteer getting one from the supply closet?"
"I pass." Susie muttered under her breath, seemingly only audible to Kris.
No one else raises their hand.
There was an awkward silence, but then
One finally raised their hand.
"I'll do it, Miss!" Noelle stood up, waiting for Miss Alphys' approval of her act of altruism.
"Go ah-ahead Noelle! Just make sure you'll be back in t-time!"
"Don't worry about it miss! Fa ha..."
The antlered girl then walked out of the class as instructed by Miss Alphys. Sounds of footsteps -- or rather, hoofsteps, drifting away.
There was another silence, until the shyish teacher managed to fill it with her small lecture on the project itself and how it'll affect the grades of the students. The usual. This was Kris' least favorite part of her class. Indeed, for the past few weeks their grades has been failing off.
Her words became a blur, and they tried their best to keep their ears shut -- yet again waiting for it all to be over.
"I don't like this" Kris thought to themselves.
...
Nearly seven minutes had passed, and Noelle hadn't returned yet with the package of chalk Miss Alphys had ordered her to bring over.
"Th-that's strange, eh? The supply closet is just a few turns away. Noelle should be back for now with the chalk..."
She looked towards Kris, and the girl behind them.
"Kris... Su-Susie.. Would you mind checking up on Noelle? She should be here by now..!"
Susie slightly banged on her desk with her sturdy arms.
"Why us?" She raised her voice at her teacher, looking like she's about to start a fight. Miss Alphys was slightly stunned by this behavior of hers. Although a bit used by now.
"W-Well... Your grades has been quite... low lately. I figured out if you two helped your friend once, maybe I can consider adding that score to the missing--
"I don't care." The troublemaker responded harshly. "Got nothing to worry about, honestly, and it's over some goddamn grades--
"I really should have expelled you when I had the chance, Susie Faye."
And thus, the entire room was filled with cold silence once more. This time's sharper than the last.
"....What did you say?"
Miss Alphys realized she had sparked a fire in the room.
"N-Nothing! It's... Nothing. Well, just like I said... Look up for Noelle, you two, alright? This will look bad on my resume that I'd let a student go missing, heh..."
...
"Tsk. Whatever."
Susie bursted out of her chair and into the door. Kris followed, not trying to cause any further trouble, although -- they hated being commanded over and to be stuck in a situation with someone they are afraid of.
Into the northern side of the school, Kris walked slowly behind Susie. But the latter did not like how slow they were.
"Damn it, can you speed up? You are slower than a snail." She turned around with contempt.
Kris, for a second, looked at her funny. But they didn't meant to. Noticing this, she walked up to them. Menacingly.
"Listen. Freak. You are a burden to our class, don't you know that? Always thinking that you are superior than me in everything."
Susie almost howled, her voice full of pent-up resentment. Her face was that of a feral animal, looking like she was ready to bite their face off.
Kris could feel their heart beat faster. They never seen her this mad before. Two steps back were taken.
"I knew what her plan was, to EXPELL me. Right? She thought I didn't overheard that just then... What a coward. But this IS on you, Kris. You dragged me into this situation. You never helped me with my assignments, and now look at our low grades."
Her hand reached to grab Kris by the collar, and proceeded to pin them towards the wall. Kris stayed silent, not choosing to escalate the situation.
"... Can't even say anything, huh? Heh... Y'know, quiet people PISS me off."
For a moment, she grabbed their head closer, to her mouth. Seemingly ready to take a bite.
But then, something hits her.
She dropped them to the cold floors below.
"Nah... Can't do that now. You've got a nice mom, Kris... Would it be a shame if she had to bury her child all by herself?"
Susie merely chuckled, continuing their walk to the supply closet, which was a few inches away.
"Let's go find Noelle, before Alphys got suspicious of us too."
Kris stood up, slowly, trying not to look at their bully in the face. They surely learned something today.
As they both approached the door leading to the supply closet, they noticed something quite off about it. The gap between the doors... They emitted... darkness? It was like light in nature, but it's obviously not the case.
Kris and Susie looked at each other with confusion at the apparent abnormality.
"Huhh... Noelle? Are you there...?"
No response.
"Listen. Ms. Alphys is looking for you. Come out now, or we'll barge in."
Still no response.
"Maybe, she's not here?"
Kris suggested, their voice low.
"Where ELSE could she be?"
Susie replied, frustration spilling out.
"You know what, I will just barge in. Then. If she's not here... I swear I will shove Alphys in a locker for making me walk all the way here, with YOU."
Susie decided to force open the supply doors, and to her suprise... The hallways around them suddenly darkened. She gazes into the room, and she've never seen something darker.
It was so dark, it swallowed her mind whole.
"Hey, Kris... Do you think supply closets are supposed to be.... that dark?"
Kris just stood silently.
"You know what? Screw it! It's gonna be a shot in the dark, then."
Susie slowly walked closer to the door, her body hesitant.
"Noelle! Are you there? Come out now, don't make me go in..." Susie called unto the darkness, and it replied with silence.
"Geez, I'm going in, then. Where could the light switch be?"
Susie walked into the room, and Kris followed her.
"I'm starting to think Noelle isn't here, but while I'm at it, I'm gonna grab an opportunity to... bring those chalk for myself. Would you stay for a bit, Kris? Just don't tell anyone, or I swear I'm gonna..."
The room seemed to be larger on the inside as the two navigated through it, looking for a light switch.
And it was getting larger.
"Uhh... Kris, are supply closets supposed to be this... spacious? I can't find any walls here..."
And suddenly, the door shuts behind them by itself.
"H-Hey!? Who's out there? Noelle, is that you? Damn it. Open up! This isn't funny!"
Susie ran to the door and tries to open it, and finds out it was hard locked from the outside. She began banging at it out of desperation. Kris just stared at her coldly.
"Geez, get us out of here! Stop pulling this prank on us." Susie screamed at the potential perpetrator outside, but the door remained closed. At this point, it was better to accept the bitter situation.
"Wait... Didn't you bring your phone with you? Use it, dumbass. Call anyone for help, I'm not gonna be stuck here with you for eternity!"
Kris just silently complied to their bully's request, although hesitant. They took their trusty ol' phone out of their pocket, and dialed their mother's number. The result wasn't her voice on the other end.
It was
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The screeching, distorted noise filled the room, shaking it so intensely that it felt worse than a simple earthquake. Susie instinctly covered her ears. Kris... they stood still.
"W-What the...?!"
The two present in the room loses their balance altogether, and fell down.
Not to the floors below obscured by darkness, but to the abyss that wasn't there before.