The Sound of Death (Chapter One)

       It was a blazing summer day, just past four in the afternoon. The sun was as vibrant as ever - ironic; the monsters below the bright ray of light showed no enthusiasm whatsoever as they worked their asses off to rebuild what was just recently destroyed.

      A group of about a dozen bonies showed up out of nowhere, taking everyone by surprise. Bonies are a type of walker: they’ve been infected for so long their flesh starts to rot and blacken, leaving a thin layer of necrotic skin and exposed bone. They are much faster than the typical walker, being able to run - like runners, a type of zombie who can run - and are very light on their feet. Just like the name implies, they are literally a walking bag of bones and decaying flesh.

        Lady Luck was on the monsters’ side as no one ended up getting bitten or wounded in some way.

        The air between the four was tense and silent, excluding the echoing sound of hammers as Ganz and Gaster pinned boards of wood along holes in the walls with nails. Undyne and Papyrus were in charge of finding loose items and more boards to block everything up.

        The redheaded fish monster hauled two long boards under her arm and sighed loudly. “So much work to do…” she mumbled, letting her heavy eyelids shut for a moment. Being a fish and all, it was hard to do anything with the current circumstances.

        “WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HELP, UNDYNE?” the tall skeleton offered, looking over his shoulder to her and away from the pile of rubble he was looking through. A decent sized black backpack sat on the ground to his right, already containing a couple opened boxes of ammunition for shotguns and pistols and some old, torn rags they could clean later to dress wounds.

        “Nah, I’m fine,” Undyne declined, bouncing the boards up to get a better grip. “C'mon, we should get going.” She wiped the sweat beading down her blue scaly skin. “Could use a break right about now.”

        “Everyone could use a break,” Ganz agreed, scratching the back of his skull as his younger brother and friend brought their attention to him; he wiped some sweat off his mandible. “But with all the crap that’s been goin’ on, we can’t afford one.”

        “BROTHER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Papyrus asked, cocking his head curiously. “I THOUGHT YOU WERE WITH FATHER?”

        “You guys were taking too long,” the older skeleton replied. “So I came to check on you.” He eyed the boards under Undyne’s arm and the bag next to Papyrus.

        “This should be enough, right?” Undyne asked.

        “Yeah.” Ganz nodded. “Let’s head on back.” He sighed with a light growl, mumbling to himself. “We better not be patching up those damn walls for nothing.”

        “I HAVE AN IDEA THAT COULD MAYBE PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN,” Papyrus said, standing up. He pulled his backpack on. “WE COULD BEGIN DOING DAILY PATROLS OF THE AREA TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO WALKERS AROUND.”

        “There aren’t enough of us,” Undyne said. “We could easily be outnumbered, even if the four of us were together.”

        “MAYBE WE COULD MAKE AN ALLIANCE WITH ANOTHER GROUP?”

        “You know that’s not happening,” Ganz uttered, his eye sockets narrowing as he stared at the ground. There weren’t many monsters nearby they could tag along with, and there are certainly no humans who wouldn’t even think about considering it; not many people were fond of monsters returning to the surface. They all had to be careful and avoid human contact when alone or outnumbered. There are many cases of humans beating monsters until they lose unconsciousness or turn to dust, which is why Ganz refuses to side with any human.

        Ganz pulled the sleeves of his jacket, tightening the knot around his hips before walking over to Undyne. He mumbled a “Gimme that” and took one of the boards she was holding. “Come on. Dad’s probably wondering where we are.” Papyrus frowned slightly, but nodded and followed anyway.

        There were plenty of people who always think there is good in everyone, even if it’s not there. Papyrus was one of those people; before the virus came in the picture, he would frequently try to befriend anyone and everyone, no matter how many times he would get jumped by random people. Ganz or Gaster were often there to save the day unless a pedestrian nearby felt pity and attempted to help and/or called the cops.

       Police, of course, had to help. It was their job. But what they give to humans was much more than for monsters. It was unfair. But then again, life is unfair, so most learned to just deal with it. Papyrus, however, never learned to deal with it, having always been out trying to “guide people down the right path.” He may be one stubborn monster, but the good thing about him was his persistence - he never let things get to him. He was so optimistic, no matter what happens. Ganz almost envied how his brother could still hold onto hope in a fucked up world like this.


        “WE’RE BACK!” Papyrus called and the three walked into a small, old apartment room; the damage didn’t look as bad as it did several hours before, but they still had a lot of work to do before the start of winter in a little over a week. A tall skeleton stumbled out of the room to the right, dressed in a dirt-stained dark leather jacket, a forest green T-shirt, and a pair of black pants. His clothing was covered in dust and torn in various places, as was the others.

       Gaster, the leader of the group, wiped off sweat dripping down his forehead, sighing wearily. “You all sure took your time,” he mumbled as he patted down his pants. “What have you found?” He walked over and scanned the items briefly. “This’ll do. Come, Papyrus, give me a hand with this last bit. We can all get some rest afterward.” Of course, it wasn’t as safe as everyone hoped, but someone well rested has a better chance of surviving than someone who is likely to pass out on the battlefield.

        “RIGHT.” Papyrus and Gaster took the boards from Ganz and Undyne and headed back into the room. Undyne followed Ganz into the kitchen, where he dug through the banged-up refrigerator for some bottled water. He swung the door shut and tossed her one.

        “Thanks.” Undyne’s voice was dry and raspy; she sighed in relief as the cold water gradually cooled her off and gave her some energy back. It was a miracle they had any water at all, and that was thanks to some stores that had been busted open by a few walkers who fortunately left most foods alone. Of course, walkers don’t need the kinds of nutrients humans find in meats, vegetables, fruits, et cetera.

        Ganz scowled as he looked through the broken cabinets and practically empty boxes. “ ‘Bout time we grub around for some food,” he grumbled, slamming a cabinet door. Access to food was limited, even more so now that there are quarantine zones scattered around the country. Because of the hate going against monsters, they were never given food, so they were forced to scavenge for it like animals.

        Instead of keeping the infected in quarantine zones, it was quite the opposite - everyone lived in those areas so they were isolated from them. Humans ran most of these zones, only giving monsters less than a quarter of what they had, including shelter. This forced monsters to separate into groups; Ganz, Undyne, Papyrus, and Gaster ended up being one of them. Of course, they would be outnumbered in some circumstances, but the smaller the group, the easier it is to handle and keep track of everyone.

        “There’s nothing in there?” Undyne groaned softly. Her ears twitched at the sound of loud banging of a hammer. “But we went out just last week…”

       Ganz leaned back against a counter and took a big gulp of water. “Hopefully this time we can get enough to last us a couple weeks.” Lately, everything they’ve collected is only enough to feed everyone for a little less than a week, even if they try to take smaller portions. But, the four learned the hard way that eating less means less energy; it was a miracle they even got away from those runners a few weeks prior.

        “Out already?” Gaster questioned -referring to the low food supply - as he walked over, Papyrus following close behind.

        Irritated, Ganz grunted. “Bad time, too.”

        “After you all take your long awaited break, I will go out and search the stores nearby,” Gaster stated. Instantly, the three monsters stared at him in utter shock. Though, Ganz, on the other hand, had a look in his eyes - well, sockets - that told everyone he was much more pissed than concerned.

        “Are you being serious right now?” he snapped. Papyrus looked back and forth from his father to his brother. “Don’t you remember how many times you’ve nearly gotten killed because you decide to do something stupid like that?”

         Gaster remained silent but stern as his son continued his attempt to scold him.

         "You know how dangerous is it to go out on your own!“

         "We’re in danger regardless,” Gaster retorted calmly. “Now, if you’re done with your tantrum…”

         "T-T-Tantrum-?!“

         ”… I will be heading out now.“

         Ganz grumbled in frustration as he, Papyrus, and Undyne watched Gaster head into a room and out a few seconds later, handling a 12-gauge Benelli SuperNova pump shotgun.

         ” 'Ey!“ Ganz shouted as his father walked off. "Wai-” Undyne placed a hand on his shoulder.

         "Just let it go, Ganz,“ she told him with a heavy sigh. "He’s not changing his mind anytime soon.”

         Ganz clenched his teeth, resisting the strong urge to keep at it; he knew she was right. Whenever Gaster made a decision, he sticks with it. That’s why he’s leader, after all.

         The skeleton crossed his arms as Papyrus and Undyne watched quietly as Gaster exited the building.

         "DO YOU THINK HE’LL BE ALL RIGHT THIS TIME?“ Papyrus asked, his voice laced with concern as he fiddled his fingers. Ganz gave no reply as he searched for something on the ground to keep himself occupied, even for a few short seconds, to avoid thinking; remembering what happened in the past whenever Gaster would go off on his own. Most times, he would end up with nothing. And most times, he would be chased by walkers, occasionally giving one a bullet between their dead, white eyes.

       "Well… he might be…” Undyne trailed off, trying to search for words to say what she thought without getting Papyrus anxious and in a panic. “It, ah, might be better than before.” She spoke up, attempting an assuring tone. “Haven’t seen any of those sickos around for the past few hours. Right, Ganz?” The redhead turned to him, nudging his arm lightly to get his attention.

       "… Right.“ He turned to the side and headed down the hall, his brother’s sad gaze following behind.

       "BROTHER…” Papyrus murmured.

       "He’ll be fine, Pap,“ Undyne said, patting his shoulder comfortingly. "There’s a, uh, field nearby. Hunt for rabbits?”

       Papyrus gave a short nod, still staring in the direction Ganz went.

       "I’ll go talk to him. Can you get everything ready? I’ll be back in a sec.“

       "ALL RIGHT.”

       Undyne nodded and headed after Ganz, up to where he always goes for privacy.

       Ganz leaned against the rusted metal railing surrounding the perimeter of the roof. Gaster was like a dot in the distance before he ran around the block; the skeleton’s head drooped as he released a sigh that was dying to be let out.

       "Yo.“

       He nearly jumped out of his skin - well, bone? - when he heard the all-too-familiar voice of Undyne. Blue-faced, he turned one hundred eighty degrees and glared at her. "Don’t sneak up on me like that,” he practically growled. “You know how much I hate it when you do.”

       Deciding to ignore him, Undyne placed a hand on her hip. “Just wanted to let you know that Pap and I are gonna go out hunting.”

       Ganz groaned in annoyance. “You guys too?”

       "Suck it up, bonehead,“ the redhead retorted with a scowl. "I haven’t seen you get your ass outta here in over a week. At least we’re doing something.”

       Ganz rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He rested his chin against his gloved metacarpals, staring off into space again.

       "Y'know…“ Undyne started.

       Ganz, just wanting to be left to himself, grumbled, "What?”

       "You should stop isolating yourself all the time.“

       "Huh?” Ganz turned to face her. Her expression was stern as was her tone.

       "Don’t think I haven’t noticed.“

       "Noticed what?”

       "The stress is getting to you,“ Undyne said. "Just take a breather.”

       "You know I can’t,“ Ganz said. "We can’t, now that shit’s hit the fan.”

       "I don’t care. Take a break; talk to someone; otherwise, you’re going to break down when you least expect it.“

       ”… I don’t need to hear any more of this crap.“ Ganz hastily turned away and eyed the old, disgusting, empty convenience store down the road, trying to bring his attention away from the fish monster.

       "Guess we’ll be goin’ now,” Undyne sighed. “See ya later. We’ll be back before sundown.”

       "Right…“

       "And get off your lazy ass and do something.”

       "Shut up already!“

       "Hahaha, later!” Undyne spun on her heel and made her way downstairs.

       With a single wave of his hand, he bid her adieu. “Later.” As her footsteps became faint, Ganz’s attention was brought back to the road below. A few minutes of just standing there as if in a daze felt longer than it actually was; Ganz looked up at the clear blue sky before sauntering through a small door and downstairs.

       "Yo!“ Undyne called. "We’re back!”

       "HELLO, BROTHER!“ Papyrus greeted.

       "Hey.” Ganz waved from the other room, trying to sort out their weapons as a sort of pastime. “What’d you catch?”

       "THERE WERE MANY MORE STRAY ANIMALS WANDERING AROUND THAN LAST TIME.“ Papyrus slid off a black backpack and set it down on one of the counters; Undyne did the same. "WE MANAGED TO CATCH A FEW RABBITS.”

       "And a dog and some squirrels and birds!“ Undyne fished out a woodpecker from the bag and held it out proudly. Unfortunately, what they caught looked fairly little; it clearly wasn’t going to last them long.

       Ganz’s mouth curling into a frown. "Uhh, birds…? I don’t think that’s the best thing to eat.”

       "THEY CARRY DISEASES,“ Papyrus added dully. "I TRIED TO TELL HER, BUT SHE WOULDN’T LISTEN.”

       "It’s better than nothin’, am I right?“ the fish monster said. "Right?”

       "I think I’ll pass on bird tonight,“ the shorter skeleton announced, suddenly becoming silent; his eyes narrowed slightly.

       "IS SOMETHING THE MATTER?”

       "Have you two seen Dad at all?“

       "G?” Undyne questioned. “You mean he didn’t come back?”

       Ganz shook it’s head and glanced outside. “I suppose we can make it back before nightfall.” The sun was just above the horizon; they had at least a few hours before things really got perilous.

       "Wait, you’re going to try and find him?“ Undyne’s black eyes widened as she gritted her teeth. The skeleton dug through one of the bags full of ammunition.

       "We,” Ganz corrected, pulling out a small box of bullets. He reached to his right, grabbing hold of a Sturmgewehr 44 - StG 44. “He could be in trouble.”

       "Moron!“ The blue anthropomorphic fish stormed over and seized the gun’s barrel. "I get you’re worried, but this is the worst time to be headin’ out!”

       "BUT, UNDYNE…“ Papyrus said. "FATHER’S OUT THERE ON HIS OWN.”

       "Better we find him than have him get bitten or ripped apart.“ Ganz snatched back his rifle. "I’m going whether or not anyone tags along, so what’ll it be?” He glanced back and forth between the two.

       "I’M GOING WITH BROTHER.“

       Undyne grumbled with a sigh of defeat. "Fine. Whatever.” She walked past Ganz and grabbed a Benelli M4 shotgun, which she tossed to Papyrus.

       "What about you?“ Ganz asked.

       "I got this revolver.” Undyne flipped out her pistol and spun it on her finger a few times. “This’ll be fine.” She looked over to the skeleton brothers. “Everything loaded?” The two nodded, and she nodded back. “All right, then. Let’s get going; the sooner we leave, the sooner we get back.” The monsters ran out the door and into the blazing heat.

       "Follow me,“ Ganz said. "I think I have an idea as to where he might be.”

       "Lead the way, bonehead."