From Murder to Dust

ATE -11 - Hurt

I had been held captive by Ink for eight and a half years now, and my hope seemed to be fading faster than before. If there was a way to slow its dripping, I wasn't aware of it; even Error couldn't stop it completely. I knew the routine so well at this point that I could say my lines without Ink having to say a word; I knew I was losing my hope. I estimated that I had died more than fifty times over the years, which was a lot, at least for me. At the moment, I was in my universe; I had just died once more, and the inhabitants of my universe were happy to see me again. They were really beneficial in helping me keep my sanity, and they were even willing to knock some sense into me from time to time; I would have lost it already if it wasn't for them. I had five minutes left when the conversation shifted to my well-being, which wasn't the best at the moment, unfortunately. Although my body may have been in perfect condition, my mind was not. I held my Hope closer as the topic unsettled me more; the others had recognized that action as a sign to stop the current train of thought - I was much more sensitive than I had been in the past. I had two minutes left.

"So, the weather's pretty chilly today." Grillby mentioned. "Almost unlighting me on fire!"

"Really?" I chuckled a bit.

"This is why fur is much better at keeping monsters warm!" The old lady smiled. 

"Probably clogs the sink all the time!" 

"True, but it's warm!"

"You might want to think about final thoughts, Sans." Grillby reminded. "Almost up."

"I guess so.." I sighed, holding my Hope closer. "Are you guys doing okay?"

"Yep, just fine!"

"That's good to hear.."

"You can make it through, Sans!" The old lady encouraged.

"Thanks."

"Goodbye, Sans." Grillby  waved.

"Bye.."

"Time's up!" Ink had arrived to take me back to his room, where I would endure more torture. "I hope you had a great time!"

I sighed.

"Did you have a great time?" Ink questioned. 

"Y-yeah!" I was back to my scared self.

"That's great to hear! Time to go home, now!"

"Okay.." I waved one last time to my friends as Ink pulled me through a portal.

When we arrived in Ink's room, I prepared myself for my first pain since death; Ink started strong with his paint. I was lucky that my Hope wasn't able to be stained by Ink's paint; Error had his strings to protect it from that, and they were able to be summoned - although not as weapons - without magic at hand, which was good for me, since I liked to see my Hope without stains. It was the one pure thing I could have, and I treasured it. No matter how many tears were shed or bones were broken, my Hope would always be pure. About a week passed with our routine, and one of my arms had been immobilized; I could still walk, though, thankfully. Today started just like any other day, with Ink torturing me, as per tradition. I had gotten used to the taste of the paint, but the pain was still agonizing; I couldn't exactly get used to that. I held my Hope tightly in my good arm, hoping the pain would leave me soon; it actually didn't last as long as usual today - I wondered why. When I regained my senses, I found Ink angry at a guard who hadn't knocked before entering; he demanded that everybody should knock before entering his room unless it was important.