How to Establish Your Gang and Take Care of the Children in It

Rule 16: Make Sure to Keep an Eye on Your Murderer's Mental State

Killer backed away from the door as the voices inside stopped talking, muttering quietly to himself, "Shit!" What the hell had he just gotten himself into? Something sentimental and filled with emotions- two things he specifically didn't want.

And yet he'd accidentally jumped into them both in one fell swoop.

Damn it!

Was there time to just run? Just... leave? He knew the route back to Killertale, didn't he? He could just leave and spend the rest of his life alone. Like he deserved.

Or he could find the tallest tower in this castle and jump.

No. He wasn't allowed to have thoughts like that. He'd promised Color he'd stop thinking like that.

...But Color never cared, did he? Color never really existed enough to actually care. So there was nothing stopping him from taking a knife to the SOUL and fading into nothingness.

One more attempt. That's what he'd promised. He had one more attempt, and after that he wasn't allowed to try again. If he survived, he had to stay alive from then on.

Would it be worth it to use his one attempt now?

No. That skeleton who had brought him here (wasn't his name Nightmare or something?) would catch him, or at least someone would. At the moment, there were too many variables. Too many chances he'd be stopped.

Maybe it would be best if he just left. Even some random AU might be better to end up in than being stuck here, with so many people and so many ways to die but he couldn't use them and he couldn't kill himself and he couldn't get rid of his guilt and he couldn't-

The door in front of him opened. It was too late to do anything now. Unless he wanted to attack these two and hope they were strong enough to kill him.

No. Better to wait. One more minute. One more hour. One more day. One more week. And then it would all end. The repeating promise stuck on loop in his head. Just a little longer, then he could die. Just one more visit from Color, then he would end it all. Just one more chance. Just one more attempt.

Just one more. Then everything will be over.

"Who are you?" One of the skeleton's asked, tilting his head. He had one red eye and a sickeningly large hole over his left eye.

"Killer," The other one answered for him. He was pretty much completely monochrome, with one red scar under his right eye.

Killer backed up completely until he hit the wall and couldn't go any further. His breath hitched slightly, almost imperceptibly, and he put his arms behind his back, digging his fingers into his other arm until it broke the outer layer of bone and he could feel DT and blood dripping onto his hand. The pain distracted him, but not enough.

These people knew him. That was dangerous. Anyone who knew him wanted something from him. Even Color had wanted to make a deal with him originally. Anyone who knew him was dangerous

"Just one more, Sans. One more run. Make this one interesting for me, and I'll stop with the RESETs. One more, and you'll be free."

Killer gritted his teeth, digging his fingers into his arm so hard he could almost feel the bone snap. Certainly it was splintering, the outer layer breaking and leaving blood-soaked shards behind to soak his sleeve into a disgusting brown-black color. It was disgusting, how much he depended on pain to keep him from insanity. He was disgusting. A dirty promise-breaker, every time he hurt himself. Everytime he thought about dying, he was breaking his promise to Color.

A promise that no longer meant anything, because it was made to someone who didn't exist.

Just one more cut. Just one more bruise. Just one more broken arm. Then he would stop. Then he would start to be better. Then he would let himself find help.