Undertale - Corrupted File.exe 96

    Red eyes peered through the darkened halls. A hand swept through white hair as William moved along. There had been a commotion up ahead, and he had gone to investigate it. He reached a door, eyes narrowing, and then he opened it, the room completely gray as he did so.

    The room, while large, was mostly barren, aside from two conveyer belts. Their purpose was not obvious though as he walked along, seemingly on guard. In one corner, Dogamy was frozen in time, in mid launch upon an unsuspecting human while Gerson was stuck in mid swing on another.

    There was a staircase that led to the second floor—the kind where one could see the door as the room had a high ceiling, allowing for catwalks to be held above the room. William looked around, eyes narrowing. “Frisk?” he called, walking around, and checking hiding spots. He stooped down, knowing the fusion tended to hide low.

    He was in a time bubble, so his defenses were down. After all, there was only one other that was immune, and they shouldn’t be able to cause a fuss. “Where are you? Come along, you need to come out before someone gets hurt—”

    William gave a shout as metal met the back of his head and he fell to the floor. He rolled as a crowbar slammed into the ground, just missing him. He clutched his now bleeding head, and looked up, his eyes widening as crimson eyes met his own.

    The human barely had the chance to react as he rolled away from another swing, managing to get back to his feet, breathing heavily as he dodged a third swing, and then caught it on the fourth. William groaned, feeling blood dripping down the back of his neck as he looked at the other human.

    A man, probably in his thirties…but as William inspected him, his blood ran cold. This face was familiar… “Where is the child?” William growled lowly. This shouldn’t be happening, he shouldn’t have to be demanding answers out of a red eye—but he knew not to trust this one.

    The man chuckled darkly. “Oh, you certainly have been wondering, haven’t you?”

    The crowbar slipped free of William’s weakened grasp, and the albino stumbled back. Where had he seen…? Then he remembered where he had seen that face before. It had been a while—but when he figured out where Frisk had lived, William looked into the family.

    Frisk had even let him see some of the photos they had salvaged. This man—they looked like Frisk’s father—except there was something very inherently wrong with what was in front of him. Frisk’s father clearly had blue eyes in the photo—there was no way to hide or change eye colors, and there was no reason to change it for a family picture through editing.

    No, while this man looked like Frisk’s father—the red eyes screamed that there was something very, very wrong. However, William couldn’t concern himself with that. This man was a good twenty years younger than him, and so the albino was at a physical disadvantage—though the fight wasn’t in his favor from the very start.

    William may know how to fight—but that was with his abilities. He never had to worry about them not being useful, because the very idea that he would fight another red eye was just so outlandish due to how the government handled them.

    “You know,” the other purred as he attacked the Leader. “I don’t think you’re going to last through this night. You’re getting on in years, and frankly…some of us are looking forward to a new leader. Because, well, if you die…what’s going to stop me from taking the city? After all, we removed the competition.”

    William had no choice but to continue dodging. He couldn’t fight him head on! The older human’s eyes narrowed, his hands closing into tight fists. “What did you do to the others?” he demanded.

    “Oh, your fellow red-eyes are very much dead.” William cried out as he got hit in the chest, stumbling back, crashing against one of the deactivated conveyer belts. With quick thinking, he tumbled off it backwards, managing to land on his feet.

    “Though that doesn’t quite mean that they’re gone,” he said, casually getting on top of the conveyer belt while William tried to put more distance between them.

    William felt rage boiling within him. “Your group is the reason they’ve been disappearing.”

    “Just until you were the only known one left.”

    “And just what the hell are you then!?” William snapped, as he realized that his close friends had been killed.

    “What’s the matter? You seem riled.”

    “Damn hell, I’m riled,” the albino snarled. “Now what the hell are you?”

    “‘What’ is a little harsh, don’t you think?”

    “You’re not the same person that man had been,” William growled. “He was a blue eye—you are not.”

    “Ah, so you do recognize this man.” William vaulted over the other conveyer belt as the red eye drew closer.

    “The Ambassador’s father,” William growled. “What happened to him?”

    “And yet you don’t care to ask what happened to me,” the other replied, tsking softly.

    “Answer the questions!” William shouted in rage.

    The man hopped onto the next conveyer built, towering over the battered human. “Are you really in a position to be demanding things, Leader?”

    “You said I’m not going to last the night,” William managed, gritting his teeth. “Not going to hurt anything to tell me.”

    He knew he couldn’t win this fight. And he couldn’t even stall for time. No one could come to his rescue except for Frisk, and he highly doubted that was about to happen. “True,” the other murmured. “Even if you run out of my time bubble, I can set another up. No one can help you.” He chuckled. “Seeing as we’re immune to each other’s powers…how does it feel to be the victim of it?”

    “You can stop gloating and start talking.”

    “Reaper’s Harvest researches souls as you know. We take them upon death when we can. I was…special. A rare red-eye born where they could grab me…but…something went wrong with me. My own body…I was dead in the moment I was born…but they were able to get my soul.”

    He twirled his make-shift weapon. “I don’t know how long I slept—but eventually; they found a body for me. One that wasn’t dead just yet…and so, this became my form.”

    William stepped back. “So your soul overrode the original color.”

    “Precisely…though I was told plenty about this man once I was within this body long enough. After all, everything about my life was built from scratch.”

    “You didn’t even have a childhood,” William growled.

    “Oh, I’m sure I missed out. It’s not like you had one either, let’s be honest. Red eyes are taken from their families after all.”

    “For reasons like this,” William growled. “Because someone like you on the wrong side was just asking for trouble.”

    “You have to admit it is a flawed way of going about things,” the other replied. “Taking red eyes away from a family—not ever knowing their own parents. A simple thing that could have been fixed by allowing the parents to raise you alongside the government. That was all they had to do.”

    William folded his arms. While he raised good points—that was something he couldn’t change. This was how the government dealt with their magic type. “So they saved your life with his body…” Though he doubted this man’s life had much more freedom than his own. William felt Reaper’s Harvest would have kept a careful eye on him.

    “This man was a traitor to our organization,” the red eye purred. “What better punishment than to trap him here—even in death?”

    “His soul is somewhere in this Hell hole?” William growled.

    “Oh, but of course. The mother as well, somewhere, anywhere. It’s hard to say. It’s not like I’m the know it all here.”

    “And just how was he involved with this group?”

    “Oh, rather it was a sibling that was among our ranks. When the couple had their little red-eye child, we knew right away. It was actually the sibling that figured out the eye color before the government did, and with some sweet talked, persuaded the child’s parents to hide the truth—so they wouldn’t lose their little one to your government.”

    “And that’s how Frisk stayed under the radar,” William growled.

    “But they ran into trouble,” the red eye replied. “Once the parents realized what they were getting into…they decoyed us. By the time we realized that we were being played for fools, the child was long gone. The first place we checked was the grandparents’ home, but…the child wasn’t there.”

    William frowned, and remembered what Frisk once mentioned to him. A brief memory of being on a bus in the middle of the night…the parents had somehow managed to have it so that Frisk’s arrival to the grandparents wasn’t immediate so that the child wouldn’t be caught by an initial visit.

    The grandparents might have gathered that something was wrong when Frisk came alone, and then kept the little child hidden, unsure of what to do with the secret red-eye now under their roof…but they couldn’t be there forever.

    William let loose a shaky breath. “So the group trapped their souls, and ever since, you’ve used his body to live.”

    “That’s the short version of that story,” he replied.

    “And now that Frisk resurfaced, you went after them for their magic?”

    “Well, originally, yes, but…” The man chuckled. “Leader, they host a variety of monster souls. The research into the monster magic has been…rather beneficial for us and…making sure monsters can’t take our souls.”

    “What have you been doing to them?” William demanded.

    “Don’t you think that’s a bit vague?” the other asked, as he approached. William started to back up. “Though, I don’t feel obliged to say what has happened to your precious little ambassador.”

    He came forward. “Well, not exactly. Because, while this isn’t the method, it certainly felt like this!”  William tried to widen the gap, but the other sprung forward with great speed, the crowbar slamming into William’s side.

    The leader cried out, stumbling, but the other was relentless, hitting him over and over as he tried to fight back—but his attempts were feeble. “How does it feel!?” It crashed into his shoulder. “To be on the other side of this!?” His leg. “You think you’re untouchable!” He was sent down on hands and knees.

    “But we take away your ability to freeze others—” William cried out as it slammed into his back. “And you’re just like any other human!” William was sent fully to the ground, trying to protect himself—but he couldn’t do much.

    “Every other magic type is rooted in combat from centuries ago—even the healers. But you…aside from your initial gift—if you’re flung into a battlefield; you’re as good as dead.” William bit his lip as the other continued to attack. He was certain that bones had cracked—or broke completely at this point.

    The beating ceased, and William coughed harshly, a metallic taste in his mouth as his breathing remained labored. He tried to get up, only for a foot to meet his battered side. William cried out, coughing up blood as he slumped completely down. “My, you don’t seem to be in good condition anymore,” the red eye murmured, keeping his foot on top of the wounded one.

    The albino quivered in pain and the anger still burned within him. His white locks of hair were stained red here and there, and there were cuts and deep bruising along his body. “Now I’d like to stay and chat, but I want to have a little fun with this pathetic rescue attempt. Too bad you’re down. You were basically the only chance they had at victory. After all…”

    He moved away, and then glanced over his shoulder.

    “How do you expect them to stop me when I can freeze them in an instant?” William quivered, fingers twitching, while the other chuckled. “Anyways, I’m going to let time flow again. There’s someone here who’s been wanting to talk to you for quite some time.” With that, he strode out, with time resuming in most areas, but leaving the monsters frozen in combat with the other humans.

    William lay there, breathing heavily, trying to somehow gather energy. The only chance he had, was to crawl to the monsters, and see if he could free them…but he couldn’t even move, much less crawl.

    His vision faded in and out, with everything a messy blur. He had to get up…the child was still here somewhere…he had to…but he couldn’t. Faintly, he heard an upper door open and footsteps on metal as they came downstairs. The owner strode over, their footsteps echoing in the large room.

    Their shadow fell over him…but he didn’t have the energy to look up, at least—not until they decided to speak.

    “You know, Leader, I once told you that one day, you’d have it handed to you…” The human knelt. “And I promised that on that day…” Aqua eyes lit up. “I’d laugh in your face, and say…” A hand grabbed William’s face harshly, forcing him to look up fully as Clarabelle smirked.

    “I told you so.”

    William stared in horror, as his assistant smiled calmly down at him. “Surprised?” she purred. “Oh, you must be so confused. You and Michael—oh, he’s really gullible, but I’m disappointed, Leader. You really didn’t see it coming?”

    She released him, letting his head drop back onto the concrete floor. “Though I must say, the past while has been most enjoyable.”

    “You…” William managed, forcing the word out. “Drugged…”

    “Oh, that was very much real,” Clarabelle replied. “Had to do every part of the poor victim act. The only flaw in my plan was that elemental surviving. Had she not made it, she wouldn’t have been able to spill that it was Reaper’s Harvest. Oh, you would be spinning in circles on my whim.”

    “W…hy…?” Hurt, betrayal…but anger was starting to drown them all.

    “A red soul, William. They’re hard to get. And oh, being around you, I got to learn every little thing about Frisk. Their soul type, the way the fusion worked—that tiara, oh, and due to you, I could get close to the monsters. Planting that little bug in the home…and I have nearly constant alibis since Frisk’s kidnapping due to Michael.”

    William closed his fists tight, despising her in that moment for taking advantage of Michael—everyone for that matter, but his head of security—even if they got out of this alive…

    “And you were very convenient, grabbing the file out of the archives. Oh, missing pages—the monsters were starting to worry about you. Your timing and a little wording on my part made them wary. Maybe that’s half the reason you couldn’t call backup, Leader.”

    “Done…g…loat…ing?” William snarled lowly.

    “After all these years? I think I’m going to have a little fun. Oh, my people, I can’t believe I was working with such a treacherous man, but fret not, there is still a red eye in the city to help us in our time of need.” She giggled. “Maybe I should actually sound heartbroken when I tell the city.”

    William quivered, and looked up, red eyes narrowing. He doubted his chances of surviving, so what did it matter. “Well, dear…your true…co…lors…”

    He gave a bloody grin. “Are as ug…ly as Hell.” He gave a soft grunt as she calmly slapped him.

    “Hope you enjoyed your last comeback, Leader, and that your last day as Leader was enjoyable. Things are going to change…and the monsters will be put in their place. We won’t have to worry about that soul taking ability of theirs either.”

    She raised a pistol. “Not my forte perhaps, but anyone can shoot a down man in the head. Such a shame that it’s a bit of lead that takes you.”

    William kept his gaze up, eyes open. He wasn’t going to shy away, or give her any satisfaction. She smirked, her finger starting to close on the trigger.

    And a shot rang out.

    Clarabelle gave a ragged gasp, a yellow bolt of magic piercing her through the chest. She crumpled to the floor, and William looked up, his vision pulsing—but he made out a figure sitting on the platform by the upstairs door, having shot through the railings. …Jeremiah.