(CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNING. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.)

You walked alone- despite the warning from the hooded man- to your room later that week, declining Michael's invitation to another game party. He looked almost defeated by your refusal, but what you had planned for the night required meditation.

You had considered it for the last few nights. You're being there only caused trouble, for yourself as well as some of the people living in the building. Though, whenever you brought up leaving, Michael always looked disappointed- perhaps at himself- and told you the same thing: you couldn't. Not yet. You had to stay patient. Maybe have a glass of water? You look thirsty.

Enough drinks, enough games. You looked at Michael before heading on your way.

"Where can I find drawing supplies?" You asked him. "I need something to take my mind off of everything."

"They'd be in the kitchen, in the drawers directly to the right of the door." He replied with an empty smile. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

You didn't respond, but instead turned to the direction of the kitchen.

You walked as quietly as possible to make sure you weren't being followed. You couldn't shake the paranoia, even when the halls were dead silent. Meanwhile, that aching feeling in the back of your mind had returned- though not as severe as it had been.

"No more dreams." You pleaded to the dead space around you.

Though, as you lingered on the thought, the dreams were the only thing that felt real in this dystopia anymore. The strange community of strangers who feared or hated monsters, whose very fear was contagious and poisonous to those around them, coupled with the sinister stranger lurking around the darkness, watching you- these were factors of a nightmare from which you couldn't wake. A nightmare you wanted to end tonight.

The kitchen light was off when you opened the door, and after you flicked the light on and scanned the room carefully you turned to the drawer Michael had described and pulled out a few sheets of paper and one black pen. You turned and walked one of the cabinets, grabbed a glass and filled it with water, then spotted something you hadn't noticed before: the cabinet at the far right end had a small padlock on the handles, and the wood behind where the lock looped around was heavily worn. You almost didn't want to know what was inside, and since you had no way of opening the lock you let it be.

Everyone has secrets...

Some secrets, sure. The building felt like one giant secret. Was its location a secret, also? Michael said it was downtown, but how far in? The more you thought about it, the more questions arose and the more uneasy you became. Your skin itched as you quickly continued your path to your room, taking the cap off of the pen and drawing a line. With every turn you made, the line followed, with a couple squiggles indicating the stairs you took to the next floor. You counted every step, making sure to keep a steady pace.

Twenty-one, twenty-two...

When you reached the door, you drew a circle on your crudely drawn map. You broke the sharp end of the pen cap off and when you opened the door you shoved it into the bolt to keep it unlocked. You smirked as you turned the knob, making sure the door itself still had an illusion of being in working order.

You stepped inside, making sure the cap stayed lodged into the bolt as the door closed, and looked to see a tray with a small glass of water and a note. You took the note and read it:

Kalia.
Please stay hydrated and safe.
Michael

You stared at the glass. Of course you had to be cold to the one person who you didn't mind being somewhat trapped with. Michael was naive, sure. Maybe he wasn't the best protector, either, but he was a friend. Something you had trouble holding onto for a long time.

Friends. What were their names..?

It hit you, right then. Your entire time in this building, you hadn't kept track of the days you were there. How long? How long had you forgotten about the world outside, and stayed so content? What was happening to you?

A chill ran up your spine and as you jolted at the feeling you knocked the tray back and the glass of water tipped onto its side. The sudden splash of water made you jump and you dropped the glass you had taken from the kitchen, adding shattered glass to the mess of water.

"Ugh!" You snarled. As if you wanted to make more of a mess of things than you had already.

You sat down for a minute and looked at the note again. Michael. Even if he was a little off, like everyone else, he was the nicest human being you had ever met. The nicest monster was probably Toriel.

Toriel, Undyne, Papyrus. The names were coming back to you with a fresh breath of relief. Asgore, Alphys, Sa

Your heart sank. Sans. You were sure he was worried sick. Did he still search for you? Did he think you were dead? You needed to call him. You needed a phone, and it occurred to you that you hadn't seen a single cell phone or landline since you arrived.

How did I miss on all of this?! You thought, staring down with your head in your hands.

You looked at the two spills under the fluorescent light of the room. The water you had taken left a light shining outline where it lay, and the water from the tray was almost identical.

You considered the lighting having that effect on the liquid; you were no artist, so anything relating to reflection and refraction on water was foreign territory.

You looked back at your crudely drawn map and stood up, taking it and walking out the door. You were going to stay focused- you swore it to yourself.

The light of the stairwell to your left was the only source in the nearly-black hallway, and you glanced over to the right, were the doors to the next section stayed dark, save the glow on the metal handles. You counted your steps again as you quietly made your way down the hall, reaching the dark doors and testing one of them with a light tug. The door gave way to the act and you slowly pulled it open, making sure it didn't creak as you peeked around the corridor toward the other section of bedrooms.

You took a deep breath and pushed through the darkness, counting along in your head to deter fear. There was no sound, save the low humming of a vent ten steps from the doors, and thirty steps from your room. Once the dim light of the other hall was gone, you reached out with your right hand, waiting for the pen to make contact with the next set of doors. You felt the pen hit something with a light 'click' and brought your fingers to the metal plate and pushed the next door open.

You heard some light mumbling in the hallway, and crouched down before leaning your head over to the sound. There were two figures with male voices speaking, and one of the doors to a room was still open.

"... if it isn't too late already."

"That figures."

One of the voices sounded familiar, and after your eyes adjusted to the light from the open door you spotted one of the members from the first party.

"I don't think it matters. A high enough dosage should do the trick, regardless of resistance."

"Maybe, but they don't even know what they are to each other. I think they should just get it done, y'know?"

"Yeah, but Rick's set in his ways. Better just let 'em fuck up again, right?"

"What, like with Sarah? Jesus, I hope not."

You wondered what had happened to Sarah that they were so concerned about. You remembered her acting fairly normal at the party and while watching the movie, but then again you weren't exactly a candidate for normalcy at the time. Still, nothing jumped out at you, so she must have recovered... Right?

You noticed the conversation had quieted and the two men were heading into the open door, and when it clicked shut you made your way to the restricted room. You turned the knob, but the dor didn't budge.

Locked.

"Dammit." You hissed, though you had already suspected it wouldn't be open anymore. You jiggled the knob again before accepting the truth with a heavy, shaky sigh.

Nowhere to go but up...

You thought about just reaching the first floor and picking a window to climb through. The ground couldn't be that far down, right? Not to mention the snowstorm bringing about plenty of cushion for a good sized drop. Hell, you even thought about jumping from the floor you were on, considering Michael's description of the completely-blocked front door. Maybe rear-end first, the snow would break the fall before you hit pavement.

You shook your head. Whoever was in that room above wanted to get out, perhaps more than you did. You doubled back through the past corridor and down the hall to your room, readying yourself for the next plan.

You had forgotten about the spilled water and your shoe splashed in the first spill, chilling your right foot. You looked down, nose wrinkled, then you stared at the puddle as a footprint stuck out red and murky.

A footprint. You reached your hand down and touched the water, and when you lifted your hand back and examined it, there was a white, misty liquid remaining on your fingers. Where you had touched, the white fog lifted to reveal more rusty, metal flooring.

The water was taking the paint off of the floor.

"There's something in the water." You said it to yourself slowly, and as the words sank in you began to hyperventilate.

Something in the water something in the water there's SOME T H I N G I N T H E W A T E R

Something strong. Something to make you happy, forgetful, scared. You couldn't keep track of the days you had spent here, but you knew they gave you plenty of fucking water. Always enforcing hydration like it was the most important thing to focus on in the fucking place. Everyone around you drank the water. How long had they been exposed to its contents? These people hadn't been saved- they had been drugged. You had been drugged.

"Jesus" you held a shaky hand up to your mouth, ready to muffle a scream "f-fucking Christ"

Looking back at the water you had taken from the tap, you saw no change in the floor beneath it. Whatever was in the glass Michael had given you wasn't in the tap. They were mixing either one or a cocktail of drugs into it and readying it in the pitchers you had seen in the fridge or on the counter or at the tables. You had been betrayed by the one seemingly kind soul you had met since you woke up, and it left you bitter and angry. You wanted to find him. You wanted to show him your anger.

Something yanked on you, then, from inside your head. You shrieked and clapped both hands against it, fearing it was going to blow apart from the alien pressure. You fell onto the bed and curled up tight, holding yourself and trying hard not to scream until someone pulled you up from the bed and whispered in your ear.

"Doch, are you dreaming again?"

You opened your eyes to see her, gazing down at you with her fiery eyes and a calm smile. Her sun-kissed hair held in a loose braid with stray locks curling beside her cheeks. You stared at her, in her strange, natural beauty, before something finally clicked on in your mind.

"Kalya?" As you said her name, you struggled to sit up from the old bed in the farmhouse. "Where am I?"

"In the place you slept in, poor tired thing. Do you feel better?"

"No, wait.. I wasn't here before."

You looked around and saw the old bedroom you had stayed in with her, the little shelf of crafts and dolls shining in the afternoon light from the old glass-pane window. The smell in the air was fresh baked bread, and the must of old pages of books stacked on the bedside table next to the lamp.

"Do you remember, then?" She asked, leaning away slightly.

"You're putting me here for a reason, right? To talk to me? That's what you said at the train station."

The horn sounded as a gust of wind pushed your hair in your face, the train whizzing by before slowing to a stop and allowing the bustling crowd to move in and out of the station. Kalya smiled wider.

"So I did." She sighed, rising from where she knelt to your level and looking out into the crowd. "I was worried, child. You were fading fast, wherever you are."

"How did you get here? Don't you need to have a contact, or something?" You were never educated on the full use of her magic, or the technicalities of using them on another magician. Kalya never bothered to explain them when you lived with her, as she had said you wouldn't be around long enough to fully understand. All you knew was that her magic was strongly based around dreams, time, and their manipulations. That alone helped you realize this world around you wasn't completely real, since now- without the 'community tonic'- you were thinking clearly.

"Remember, I can only see you through the memories we have shared, moy doch." She tugged on your sleeve, and looking down you saw you were in the shirt she had given you- a red fine-knit sweater with intricate embroideries of blue, green, and gold. You thought about the blue sweater you had worn before you woke next to Michael, and Kalya tightened her grip suddenly and glanced at you.

"If you change the memory, you will pull away." She said quietly. "There is other 'mag' here, but you must call to him before he can come to you."

"Who is it?"

She shook her head. "You have faded too far from his memories. If I tell you, the bond will break and you will lose him."

"So, then, where are you taking me?"

"You remember? You are going to city. This is when I send you on train to start your new life. This is when I give you my name."

You did remember, suddenly, and as you remembered small details they began to come to life before your eyes. The child whining about going to grandma's house, holding a stuffed polar bear in his arm, walked past you just as the second horn sounded and a couple glanced at their phones and rose from the bench that stood in front of the pillar of the large building. You stared at these pieces of your own recollection in awe.

"This.... I haven't thought of this day in so long." You whispered. "Yet, I can remember all of this?"

"If you notice, the two lovebirds had phones too advanced for this time. You remember some detail, da, but you 'input' what is missing with what you know right now."

"What about you, then? Why didn't you explain all of this in the first dream? Why wait for me to get to this point?"

"I tried, doch. Something was keeping you from my magic. You were fading from your own memories."

That something was likely whatever was in the water, and when you recalled it your heart sank and your heart felt cold. "The people here are trying to give me something. To make me... I guess, docile." You felt your vision blur for a moment as you said it. "I... I trusted Michael... He's been a liar this whole time-"

"Net, net, child- don't pull away just yet. I do not know this Michael, but you don't linger on the past, da? We learn this."

"Okay." You wiped your eyes and took a deep breath. "So what should I do?"

"There is someone you must remember here. He is waiting for you. If you can remember, he can use this magic to find you, da? Go on, then."

You looked at the ticket you suddenly held in your hand, and the Russian woman chuckled.

"You are going to see and do great things, Kalia." She said.

"Kalia." You repeated with a soft gasp. "That's my name?"

"No, doch. Kalia is a shirt." She tugged on your sweater again. "A name is something you wear, and in time you will outgrow. Friends, new family, they will have names for you too. It does not matter what you are called, for it is not who you are."

"Then... Who are you?"

Kalya blinked, then she laughed loudly, catching the attention of a few dream-people as they maneuvered around you.

"You are too smart for this world, doch. You catch on too quick, da? Look at time, now; your train leaves soon."

She nudged you to a terminal and you ventured down the large tunnel to the train.

"Oh, Kalia."

You turned and saw her face had no more mirth.

"Do not let the boy take you."

You felt yourself move again as she vanished in the herd of humans. The crowd around you started to fade away, and you could hear the echoes of your footsteps all the way to the double doors that pushed open to a large warehouse filled with machines.

"Let's go, folks." A large man called to you and a handful of people. "Grab your tool bags and I'll bring you to your partners. Remember to keep your safety glasses on at all times..."

You looked back as the doors swung in and out, but the tunnel you had come from was now a warehouse of cardboard boxes and pallets. There were people taking plastic molded objects from the machines as they hissed loudly from the hydraulic release. They were scraping away excess and melting brass pieces in with irons, piece after piece emerging from the enormous marvels.

"My old workplace." You breathed, taking in the homely smell of burning nylon and hot metal. The man was pointing the new crew toward their respective leaders, and finally he gestured to you, then behind you, with his pen.

"Kalia, you're gonna be in the back with Talbo and Ricky."

You looked to see two men, one chubby and smiling, while the other nodded passively with his eyes on his clipboard. You walked toward them, then something stopped you. The chubby one looked a little confused and the other man smirked.

get away from him

The thought was loud and firm, and you froze and stared at the two men. Who was the threat? you could see the chubby man start to crumble away as the memory lost its form. The other man's smile began to widen as he slowly brought his eyes up to glare deep into yours.

"What's the matter, Kali-bear? Afraid of ghosts?" His voice was different, but still very familiar. There was the sound of crumbling gravel as a small crack gave way in the center of his face.

No! You backed away and he stepped a little closer. You ran, and you could hear him laughing right behind you. No matter how fast you ran, his laughter seemed to get closer and closer.

Finally, you tripped, and something cold blew a soft breeze into your ear.

"Don't worry, fresh meat. I'm very much alive."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" You spun around with your arm out, backhanding the man and knocking him back. He staggered, holding his face as pieces fell to the ground like porcelain. When he lowered his hand, a chunk of his face holding his right eye and a part of his nose fell to the ground and shattered. A glowing red light emitted where his eye was missing, and he snarled- the sound more beast than man.

"Look at my face!" He roared, crouching and crawling toward your body like an angry predator. "Look at the ugly creature you've made!"

"No!" You pushed back with your hands and kicked him away, but he continued to pursue. "Get away! I didn't do this!"

"Come back here! Come back here and LOVE me!" His body started to crumble and a shadowy beast lunged from the remains.

"No!" You sat up suddenly and whipped your head around. Darkness. Darkness and silence. You felt the familiar white sheets and quickly threw your legs over the side of the bed and onto the floor, only to lift them back up with a sharp yelp.

You had forgotten about the glass that had broken and scattered on the floor. Whining, you carefully pulled on the piece stuck in your foot and threw it across the room. Gathering your thoughts, you scooted to the far end of the bed and jumped off at the foot of it, feeling along the wall for the door and finding the knob. If no one cleaned up in your room, then you figured the pen cap would still-

wait

Right as you paused there was a knock that made you nearly jump out of your skin. You pulled your hand back and the door swung open, and Michael stood there holding a plate and a glass of water.

"Oh, Kalia." He said with his usual smile. "You're awake. I wasn't sure if you wanted to attend the sermon today, since almost all of the chores have been done this week. Did you drink the water I sent for you? Here, take this glass and I'll trade for the empty one."

You silently did as you were told, handing him the in-tact glass while taking the one in his hands. He had a puzzled look as he waited for your answer.

"Michael, I was wondering if I could use today to rest." You took a pretend-sip of the water, then set it on the tray. "I had some trouble sleeping last night. If you could just come by later, after the sermon, and wake me up then? I'll be fine in my room, right?"

He looked a little taken aback by your request, and looked away in thought before slowly nodding and looking back at you with a strange expression. "That should be alright. Are you ill? I could bring up some soup before the sermon starts."

"No, I just need better sleep." You smiled as sweetly as you could despite your growing desire to punch him. He seemed to be falling for it. "Thank you for inviting me, Michael. I'll definitely go to the next one, to see what I've been missing."

He chuckled a little and turned slightly toward the hall. "If you're sure, I'll let you sleep. There won't be anyone to let you out while the sermon is going on, but it's only two hours. Will you be alright til then?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright." Another fake sip, and he shut the door softly behind him. You curtly dumped the drink onto the bed and set the glass on the tray before standing by the door, opening it barely a crack to listen for the bustling of the people on the other side.

When it went quiet, you peeked out of an inch of space, and saw no one around. This time, unlike last night, you had lights to guide you to the stairs.

"Guess I didn't need the map after all." You muttered, moving to the set of stairs the trailed up into the unknown.

The door was unlocked, and as you carefully crept up the metal steps you reached a door that had no window seeing into the other side. You tested the knob and found it was also unlocked. You bitterly assumed it was because they weren't expecting anyone to be creeping around if they were drugged into obedience.

You checked to make sure the halls were empty before stepping out and seeing new colors aside from white. You weren't sure if the red and gray decorum were what you were after, but something new meant something exciting. Or horrible. You weren't quite sure.

You looked at all of the doors, and aside from their markings they all looked like the ones on the other floors. Wondering if they were similarly locked from the inside, you turned one of the handles and it easily gave way. You didn't open the door, but instead looked out to the double doors to your left.

Maybe I can find his room. You thought. Judging by how the downstairs was arranged, and how the mystery stranger's room was on the men's side, you would have to go around the building to find him- if he wasn't also at the sermon.

After knowing the coast was clear, you traveled down the next corridor and took the turn into the next hall. This one, however, had doors with actual writing:

BETRAYAL

SLOTH

PRIDE

You took in the ominous aura in the room, feeling strangely violated by the silence, while calculating where his room would be until you stopped at what you guessed was the right door. LUST.

Oh no.

You turned the handle and pushed the door open, and something inside the dark room shifted quickly away from the light. You thought you saw something. A scarf?

"Hello?" You said softly, taking a small step into the room. "I didn't catch your name, but I'm-"

"Kah.... ya...?" Something gargled in the corner with what almost sounded like your name. The sound of it sent fear shooting straight through your chest.

"Who... Are you-"

Something suddenly grabbed you and pulled you into the darkness and you cried out in surprise, whipping your eyes back to the door with dread as it shut you into the black.

You realized that what had grabbed you were large, desperate arms, wrapping you in a weeping embrace.

"Ah... messhhhh... ooooh." The strange thing blubbered through sobs. You reached a hand to his thick sweater sleeve, and when you felt you could run your fingers deep into the knitting it became clear that it wasn't a sweater at all.

It was fur.

"You're a monster?" You squeaked, and he let go and shifted his body over to expose a small bit of light from the room below. You looked at him and sucked in air, horror hidden behind your hand as it shot up to your mouth.

"Hoooh... mahh." He whispered, looking at you with fearful eyes and starting to back away into the darkness.

He was evidence of pure hatred in the hearts of the people living there. His apricot fur was matted and manged with what looked like a strange form of blood spattered in various places. What was left of his tail was nearly skinned to the bone, and his mouth was dripping with red drool. Claws and teeth were missing from his paws and hopeful yet broken smile, and he wore no clothes as he shamefully covered himself with his feet and legs. Regardless of his condition, he seemed happy to finally meet you.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." You said, reaching for him.

He hesitated, then slowly returned to the light and averted his eyes in shame of his mangled form.

"I can't believe this happened to you. I can't believe someone would do this." You felt your face and eyes burn with despair. "I didn't even get to know your name."

"Alsshfruuu..klckl... prrrrhhhggh." He pronounced his gibberish slowly before hanging his head in defeat.

"That's okay. Names aren't that important-"

"Buhh....guhhh....paahhhhhttts."

"I... Um.. Try again?"

"Buhrrrghhhhuuurrr."

"B-.... Burger?"

"Paaaahhhtshhs."

"Your name is... Your name is Burgerpants? It's probably a nickname, then?" He nodded with a sad shrug, but you smiled. "I'm really happy to meet you, Burgerpants. I just..."

You reached for his face, and instead of recoiling from you he leaned in to your touch.

"I'm just so sorry I didn't find you sooner. This is probably my fault. If I hadn't gone into that room..."

The stranger wouldn't have seen you. He wouldn't have locked that door. He wouldn't have known you had spoken to this poor beast.

"mm-mnnh." He embraced you again, and you felt his body was much colder than yours- likely from the loss of blood. Likely from the loss of hope. As he pulled away, he patted your shoulder with care, and you looked up at him. Hot tears fell from your face and a furry hand swept it away. He looked at you, laughably, with pity, and shook his head at your remark. His body shook with what you suspected was pain, fear, and maybe joy that someone was offering kindness. A light in the empty man-made void. You looked at his toothless- ah, and tongueless- mouth and ached for its repair.

- and just as you prayed for it, you saw the skin on your fingers vibrate and glow and tear.

"Oh my god." You breathed, catching his attention as his eyes started to close. "I'm such an idiot."

Before he could see what you were doing, you focused all of your energy on your one hand and touched his lips. He jumped a little at the sensation, and stared at you with fear while you stared at his bleeding mouth with determination.

Finally, the hand sparked with the nostalgic blaze and the fuchsia flame made its way into his mouth with a surprised gag from Burgerpants. Before he could choke on the warm fire any longer, a new set of fangs and a lopping tongue formed in his mouth and he touched them gingerly before noticing your hand, which was torn to pieces.

"I can't believe I forgot I had powers." You said to yourself with a soft laugh. "Oh, hell, I'm gonna kill that kid."

"Nuh, nuh, nuh." You glanced up at Burgerpants with an amused stare as he tested out his new organ. "Holy crap, you did.. did.. Did it." He reached for you hand. "So w-when.... do you heal that?"

"I can't heal myself. I've tried. I don't even know if what I just did will last." You replied, wishing you had your gloves. Your vial. His journal. "If I can find some bandages somewhere without being seen... I can come back and teleport us out of here. Maybe Toriel can heal you if mine doesn't set completely..."

The blood started to fall from your fingers, and Burgerpants looked on with new fear.

"Are you... gonna b-be okay with that.... much blood-loss?"

"I've had worse."

"So, you've done this before?"

"Healing, not so much. I'm better at moving things around."

"I've never... heard of a h-human with magic these days."

"I've only met one aside from myself. It's a lonely life. Heh."

"Hm.."

He stared for a little while longer, then he huffed a small laugh and looked up at you. "Y'know, when I first came up f-from underground, I was so... so sure I was gonna be a s-star." He leaned back against the wall and looked at himself in his mangy glory. "I thought to myself: 'This is it, man! Y-you're gonna be one of... the beautiful people! No more flippin' burgers! No more c-crappy nickname!' ... Hah. I was so sure I had a part... in saving everyone, too. Not sure w-why. I never really amounted t-to... anything. I was such an ass... B- being tortured really.... Humbles a guy...

"When my girlfriend brought... m-me here, she told me it w-was both... our chances of fortune. She said... we were g-gonna be 'saved'. Then s-she cut my tongue out and... and...." He wiped his eyes and sniffled. "Dammit. I was an... an idiot. I th-thought, ha ha, I had it b-bad in Hotland.. I used to have a friend th-there. He was a n-nice guy... A real friend..."

"You'll make more friends, Burgerpants. Once we're out of this place, I'll introduce you to some great people."

"Yeah? You're a r-real friend, too... Kalia. Maybe a little soon to s-say, and sure, this was.. a crappy place to m-meet a crappy... loser like me, but we're here, right?"

"Right."

"So can you promise me something?" His voice was clear now, and it caught you off guard. He took your mangled hand in his own. "Before... Before I g-go?"

You didn't like his tone of voice. "You can ask me favors when we're-"

His face scrunched and his eyes shut tight, and a white glow surrounded your hand and he held tightly on it as you struggled to pull it away.

"Stop-" You shouted and gasped protests as the skin started to reform and magically stitch back together. When he finally released it, you saw it had completely healed, and his fur started to dull near his feet and began to work its way up slowly to his face.

"He's probably st-.... hah.. Still selling nice cream down there. In Hotland...." He took a deep, raspy breath. "Sprinkle them... on a nice cream bar... can you do that for me?"

"Burgerpants, please-"

"Can you do that," his eyes watered again as he kept your hands in his shaky paws, "for a loser like me?"

You let one sob escape you and you nodded with a trembling smile. "Yeah. I can do that."

"Thank" just as the word reached his lips his body fell away into a pile of light powder. Your breath hitched as the hands that once held yours disintegrated and you held a small pile of dust that felt as soft as ashes.

Never in your life had you seen a monster fall down, so his completely passing on was so sudden that it shook you all the way through. What you would have given to feel anything else, other than this sorrow for almost a stranger. You looked around frantically for a container, but found nothing around you aside from the ashy mass.

"Oh..." You wept as you gathered him in your hands and poured as much as you could into your pocket, wishing you had some other way to carry the remains. The only true being you had met was gone so quickly, and there was no saving him. You smeared dust on your face as you wiped your eyes and breathed deeply, readying yourself for the long journey back to your room.

You stood up, feeling sore from being on your knees for such a long time, and went to the door to unlock it with your magic. The lock burned away and you vacated the hall to get to the stairs. You wanted to scream, you wanted to take a knife to everyone in this awful place-

You stopped and looked at the other doors in the hall. It occurred to you that it was more than likely that there were more monsters being tortured, and they would meet the same, cruel fate as Burgerpants. A short life, alone, being hurt by those whom they thought loved them. You couldn't place it, but there was a strange amount of sympathy bubbling in your chest based on that reason alone. As much as you wanted to go home, you settled the thought in your mind and decided on the new plan:

Free the monsters, and destroy this place.

You nodded to yourself in reassurance as you quietly escaped the hellish floor back to your room, gently putting your hand on your pocket and holding it there against the soft mound.

burn