Chapter Text
Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS.
One day, war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell.
Many years later, a rumor spread about a mountain range known as Mt. Ebott. Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return. However, many believe it to be nothing more than a myth to scare children off. And so, when the fear that the monsters would one day rise up again and take revenge vanished, a man bought the property around the mountain and created a campsite.
At first many people were concerned about sending their children to a camp where monsters once roam, however the man reassured the public it was completely safe. He told them that all the disappearances in the past were just coincidence, a result of a child walking too close towards an edge of a cliff of running into a hungry bear. It was enough to calm most parents and so, they sent their kids to the camp for years. The place thrived, everyone happy and safe. There was just one rule:
No matter what happens, stay on the trail.
It started off as a nice day. At least, if you asked Felix, that’s what he’d say. The buses containing the campers wouldn’t arrive until mid afternoon so for the first few hours, he spent it wandering through the forest. For some of the newer camp counselors, they preferred to stay away from the forest, even refusing to go on the trail that went around the entire camp. However for Felix, who had been at this camp for a while now, he had no problem walking past the oak trees and through the well-walked through pathway. He didn't even need to use a map when he did so. Felix was content with the sound of leaves whistling through the wind, birds chirping in nests and through the air, and the crunch of dirt and fallen leaves against his shoes. He made a mental note to bring his campers hiking once they had sign-ins all sorted out.
For over two years, Felix Hanagami had been a camp counselor At Ebott Camp. He had been a camper when he was younger and enjoyed it so much that he decided to work during the summers. And if he were to say it himself, he was a good counselor to the kids. As a counselor, he was assigned a group up to seven to ten kids to watch over during the day. He was in charge for what they did for the next three weeks while they were at camp and making sure they were safe. At night he was assigned a random cabin to look after the kids inside and make sure they were asleep on time.
"Felix!" a voice called out from beside him.
The man stopped walking and turned around. He was greeted by the sight of a fellow camp counselor-wearing the signature camp colors of brown and green. Her face was a mixture of slight relief and minor annoyance. She stopped a few feet away from him. "You're supposed to be at the mess hall."
"That's not until twelve," He pointed out.
"It is twelve!"
Felix looked down at the watch. Indeed it read 12:15. "Oh," He said, not at all sounding overly embarrassed or remorseful. "Whoops."
The woman in front of him rolled his eyes before gesturing for him to follow her. He complied as the two walked down the path and out of the forest. As they got closer to camp, Felix began to be able to hear the sound of muffled laughter and chatter. The buses came closer into view as they exited the shaded mouth of the forest. Beside them were groups and groups of kids, all from the age of six to thirteen. Some of them Felix had recognized from his past years as a counselor while some seemed to be new to camp. He didn't get to take a longer look as his fellow counselor led him to the mess hall.
The mess hall was a long wooden cabin with picnic benches lining all of the walls. On a bench closest to the entrance, scattered papers covered the entire surface. She reached forward and searched through one of the piles before pulling out seven papers. She handed them to him "These are your kids for this summer."
Felix lifted his hand in honest rejection. "I already got the profiles for the kids-"
"There has been a change," The woman looked up at him. "You know sign language, yeah?"
Felix gave a confident smile before he lifted his hands and effortlessly signed, ‘does this give you an answer?’
The woman sighed heavily, pushing the papers against his chest for him to take. "We got a last minute kid submitted from the FRIENDFIND program. They're mostly nonverbal and uses sign language to communicate. Since you're the only one of us who can speak and understand it, you'll be in charge of them. We also changed the other kids for you that also know sign language to make this easier." Felix took the papers into his hands, taking a small look-over at them. "Is that something you can handle?"
Felix replied with a hum before tucking the papers between his side and his arm. "No problem-o, I'll have it all under control."
The woman nodded and with that, Felix made his way out to the front where the kids were. He saw other camp counselors standing tall in comparison to the children. He could hear them calling out names for kids to gather. Most groups were already formed while some kids straggled around. Taking his place at a less crowded spot in the clearing, he pulled out the papers. Clearing his throat, he called out, "Clementine! Clementine Lyons!"
It took a few calls before a small girl, barely reaching up past his knee, came running up towards him. She stopped a foot away, hands holding tight to the comically large backpack that rested on her back. She had dark skin and black hair that was tied up into two buns with a orange bandana resting above her eyes. "Present!" She shouted, rocking on the heels of her shoes.
"Why hello, sprout," He greeted, patting her head.
The girl's cheeks puffed up and she shook his hand off. "I'm not a sprout. I'm tough!"
"Of course you are, sprout," The girl huffed, obviously annoyed. "I am Mr. Felix. I'll be your counselor for this summer." He looked down at the papers before flipping to the next one. A small smile came to his lips as he saw a familiar name. He tucked the papers back and cupped his hands over his mouth, “Lily Keng! Anyone know a Lily Keng?”
“That’s me, that’s me, that’s me!” A loud voice replied. Running up to them was a small girl wearing an aqua dress. She stopped too late, bumping into Felix’s leg. He paid it no mind as Lily bounced back, a large smile on her face. Her dark hair reached to her lower back with a giant red bow resting on top of her head. She asked, “When do we get to play? I wanna play!”
“Well first I need to get all the kids together and then we can have fun, silly,” He patted her head like Clementine. Unlike Clementine, she accepted the pat and beamed.
“Seth Lý? Seth?”
“ ‘m here.” Felix turned around to see a kid with messy brown hair and glasses over their eyes. They wore a pack on their back with a book in their hand. They looked down at the ground, disinterest at the nature around them.
“What’s with the frown, wild child?” Felix bemused. “You know what we must do. Turn it upside down.”
The kid cringed at the phrase but they didn’t get the chance to say anything in their defense as Lily jumped up to greet them.
“Hi! I’m Lily. What’s your name? You’re wearing a lot of purple. Is your name Purple? Why are you wearing glasses? Did you hit your head?”
Felix let Seth flounder on their own before turning back to the papers. He called out, “Riley Armarillas? Riley Aramarillas?”
“I’m here, sir!” A taller boy ran up to them. He had blonde hair and a brown cowboy hat resting on his head. He stopped in front of Felix and lifted his hat, tipping it at him. “Howdy.”
Felix hummed, “I think I had your sisters last years. Both were about yea tall and had blonde hair like yours. Sound familiar, partner?”
The boy nodded immediately. “Uh-huh. That must mean you’re the annoying counselor they told me about!”
Felix in mock offense, lifted his hand to his chest as if shot. He gasped, “My feelings, oh no. You’ve wounded them.”
Riley’s face contorted in horror. “Oh no! I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean it, I swear! Don’t die!”
As suddenly as he jerked forward, Felix straighten up, a smile on his face. “Would you look at that? Your kind words have healed me.” He swapped the papers and read the next name, “Indigo Summers?”
“Present,” a soft voice came fork behind him. Felix turned to see a boy with dark skin around Riley’s age. He clutched a black duffer bag in his hands, a small smile on his face. “Hello, Mr. Felix.”
“Hello again, Mr. Summers,” Felix replied as he gave a short bow in greeting. Indigo took a stand beside Riley and Clementine as Felix called out, “Devin Greene? Devin Greene?”
A kid walked up to him, notepad and pencil in hand. They smiled at Felix before quickly writing down on the pad. They turned it over for Felix to read. “Hello! It’s nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too,” Felix nodded. Finally, he flipped to the last page. His eyes drifted down at the kid’s information, pausing when he looked at the emergency contact sheet. Instead of it being a house or personal number of a parent, he recognized it as the number for a Foster Care Center. The camp had made a deal with the Center to pay for a handful of kids' expenses for them to experience camp life two years ago. The FRIENSFIND program, if you will. Felix had worked with a few kids before but had never heard about this kid before. Clearing his throat he read the name,
"Frisk Heart?"
Frisk was a small kid, baseball hat resting on their head while wearing a striped shirt. They stood with an air of calmness and indifference. They had to be no older than nine years old yet, they still seemed less hyper than the average child he’s met before. Frisk looked up to Felix and nodded before signing, ‘Hello.’
Felix gave a short wave before tucking the papers away and speaking out loud, “Alright campers, sorry to keep you all waiting. Now that we’re together, lets make some formal introductions. I am Mr.Felix and I will be your supervisor/counselor for the next three weeks. Feel free to introduce yourselves to your fellow camp mates. For the next three weeks we’re all going to be together like a little family. So everyone play nice.”
The kids began talking amongst themselves or in others case, trying to keep their distance. Felix looked at each of them. The eight year-old Clementine seemed to be sticking towards Devine, who was currently offering Frisk some paper and a pencil to communicate with the others. Frisk declined while staring up at the trees behind them. Lily was still pestering poor Seth who looked gob-smacked at how fast the little girl was talking. Still, they made no moves to walk away and they didn’t seem too upset about the talking. Lastly, both Riley and Indigo were standing together, Riley proudly showing off his cowboy hat while Indigo watched with interest.
Clementine, Frisk, Lily, Seth, Riley, Indigo, and Devin. One eight year-old, two nine year-olds, a ten year-old, and three twelve year-olds. Not a terrible line-up though they seem like they might be a handful. But Felix has had rowdy kids before and everything ended up fine.
How bad can this year possibly be?
After each counselor got their kids, they all gathered into the mess hall for announcements and introductions of the staff. It was basic stuff such as don't go off on your own, don't be mean to other campers, etc etc. After that they served food for the campers and dismissed them into their groups for activates. They weren't allowed to go to the cabins just yet, not until the evening where it was free time period.
Immediately, Felix rounded his kids up, all of them gathering at the edge of the camp. He clapped his hands together before speaking, "Alright campers, do you want to know what the first thing is on the agenda for today?"
"Oh, oh, cannoying?" Riley guessed.
Lily chimed in, "Collecting bugs!"
"Please not that," Seth muttered.
Devin held up a piece of paper. "Arts and Crafts," it read.
"Close. We'll be doing all of that soon. But the first thing we are going to be doing is hiking through the mountain. Yay!" Felix clapped his hands to get them excited.
Lily, Riley, Indigo, and Devin beamed and cheered. Seth frowned and sighed, their shoulders hunched over. Frisk said nothing while Clementine tried her best to seem excited. Felix grabbed out his hiking stick("Where did he pull that from?" Seth whispered to Indigo) and gestured for them to follow him.
They began walking down the trail, the path marked by worn-out dirt and grassless ground. Around them trees stood ten feet tall, leaves and thistle covering each branch. Felix walked in the front, occasionally taking a glance back at the campers to make sure he was following them. Most of the kids were busy looking around but still stayed within a three foot radius.
The forest was quiet besides the occasional sound of leaves crunching between sneakers. Felix looked around for any animals to point out or to stay away from but it was empty. Strange. He swore he saw a couple of birds a few hours ago.
CRACK!
“Eek!” Clementine jumped up nearly two feet before scrambling forward, grabbing Felix by the wrist. The man stopped and looked down, unbothered by the contact. However Clementine went red in the face and jerked back, arms crossed over her chest.
“Are you scared?” He asked, amused. “It’s okay to be scared. You can hold my hand if you’d like.”
“N-No!” She protested, scrambling towards the back where Frisk was. Anywhere that wasn’t near Felix. “I’m not scared! I’m tough.”
Felix chuckled and continued to walk, “Okay, Sprout.”
“Mr. Felix,” Lily began(“I’m not a sprout!” Clementine protested in the background) as she sped up to walk beside him. “My mommy told me that the forest is dangerous. Is that true?”
Felix hummed. “Only if you’re not careful. If we stick to the path we’ll be fine. No animal will bother us if we don’t bother them.”
Lily was quiet for a moment before she added, “Is it true kids go missing here?”
Ah this old question. Good thing he was prepared for this. Felix kept his calm and replied, “Children have gone missing in the past, yes. But the last one was over eighty years ago. I promise all of you, it’s safe. Besides you have me to protect you.”
“Maybe we can find the missing kids!” Riley cheered from the back.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s possible,” Indigo told the cowboy, making the child frown.
“Why don’t we focus back on our hike. Sadly it seems no animal wants to come out. So, we’ll head back in about ten minutes and we’ll do something—“ Felix stopped short as something tugged at his sleeve. He looked down to see Devin holding their notepad up. “Yee, Devin?” He leaned down to see what the child had to say.
The notepad read: “Frisk and Clementine are missing.”
Felix froze, smile stilled plastered on his face. He glanced up to the kids behind him. Riley, Indigo, Seth, and Lily stared back at him. Five kids out of the seven.
Oh, he thought.
Shit.
Frisk was looking forward to two things at camp. And one of them was seeing the birds.
Back at the city where they lived, the only birds they ever got to see were pigeons or crows. Nothing too extraordinary or nice to look at. So, when they were offered the choice to head to camp, they gladly took it.
Frisk would be lying if they said they weren’t disappointed at how empty the forest seemed to be. They did like the hike and the counselor seemed nice, but it wasn’t what they were hoping for. There wasn’t even a snake for them to gawk at. They brought a camera for nothing!
Frisk was walking at a slow pace, unbothered when Clementine joined them in the back. The younger girl was red in the face with her eyes constantly drifting from each side of the forest surrounding them. Frisk paid them no mind until they heard her gasp. Frisk turned and paused. A blue bird was nestled between large trees in the back.
Frisk scrambled for their camera but by the time they brought it out, the bird had flown away.
Frisk frowned. They did not want to miss this opportunity.
“Fr-Frisk? Hey, where you going?” Clementine called after them. However Frisk shuffled through the bushes, pulling their backpack forward when it got stuck on the thorns. They kept moving, following the blue bird as it soared through crooked limbs that sprouted through the bodies of trees.
Frisk quickened their pace as the bird got further and further away. The trees got thicker in size and volume but they kept their gaze set on the bird. They didn’t realize it but Clementine had followed them, too afraid to be on her own.
Soon the bird came to rest on the dirt ground beside a tree. Frisk slowed down and crouched. They angled the camera like they’d seen in movies, sticking their tongue out in concentration before clicking the button. A small flash came from the camera, startling the bird. It flew off the ground, taking off into the sky. Frisk hummed, satisfied. They stood up and turned around, jumping back when they saw Clementine beside them.
Frisk signed, ‘Why’d you follow?’
Clementine didn’t reply, mouth wide open as she stared at something behind Frisk. The child turned around and their eyes widened.
In front of them was the dark mouth of a cave, wide open. The entrance was pitch black, making them unable to see more than the first few feet in front of them. Vines and greenery intertwined between the rocks and structure of the cave.
Something tugged at Frisk the longer they stared at the cave. Something that wanted them to go inside. Something that beckoned them forward.
“Frisk? Frisk! Don’t leave me alone!” Clementine cried as Frisk walked forward.
Darkness soon enveloped their vision and Frisk reached into their bag for the flashlight they packed. They flicked it on but it didn’t do much to help. Still, Frisk kept walking forward. For a cave, it was strangely quiet and empty.
An arm grasped at their sleeve. Frisk looked down, flashing the flashlight down to see Clementine holding onto them tightly.
“We should head back to the others. For-for your safety, of course!” Clementine exclaimed, pulling at their shirt. She swore she saw a spider somewhere in this cave.
Frisk nodded but kept moving forward despite Clementine’s words. The girl was small and Frisk had no problem walking. They kept moving forward, the light from the entrance disappearing the further they went. Eventually, the only light came from the flashlight in Frisk’s hand.
And then, Frisk saw it.
Light peering in front of them.
They quickened their pace, pulling Clementine off to hold her hand and drag her forward. The girl squirmed but kept moving.
At the very back of the cave, a hole laid before them. The light came from the ceiling, a small opening that allowed the sun to peek through. On the ground, surrounded by vines and moss was a hole. Frisk crept forward, pointing the flashlight down at the hole. It did nothing. They leaned down to get a closer look but the ground beneath them shook and they jerked back.
“Frisk! Clementine! Where are you?”
Clementine shrieked, her legs getting tangled in the vines. Frisk turned around. Felix was running towards them, flashlight in hand. When he saw them, his shoulders visible relaxed as he stepped in front of them. His hands came down to rest on their heads as he let out a sigh of relief.
“I know cave exploring might seem fun, but you have to stick with the group. I can’t let any of you out of my sight,” Felix told them. “Now let’s head back to the—“
“Hi everybody!”
“Lily! Get back here!”
The three of them turned to see the tree of the group running towards them. Lily was at the front, a smile on her face. Behind her was a frustrated Seth with the other three at the back.
Felix frowned. “I told you guys to stay at the entrance of the cave.”
“I—“ Seth huffed, clearly out of breath. “She—she was too fast.”
Felix sighed, shaking his head.
The rest of them caught up to the group, all of them standing in front of the hole. Riley perked up, pointing at Clementine. “What a cute friend you have there!”
Clementine looked down. Her heart stopped. Resting on her shoulder was a giant, hairy spider.
Her scream echoed through the cave as she scrambled around. She jerked her legs and flailed her arms. Her feet continued to get more tangled and tangled in the vines on the ground, pulling the green rope taut. Felix and the others reached towards her, trying to help her still and get the spider off of her. Suddenly, Clementine swung her arm to the side, knocking into Frisk. The child stumbled back, foot tripping against the vine.
Frisk shrieked. Their heel at the edge between the hole and ground. Their body jerked, flailing for something to stabilize themselves with. Felix noticed. He changed directions, reaching for Frisk. He took a step forward and the ground shook. In one moment, nothing happened. In the next, the ground crumbled beneath them. Screams echoed through the cave as the edge collapsed, causing all of them to fall forward. All the way down.