There hadn't been lava within the small volcano, thankfully, but when you grabbed the rock it was the equivalent of accidentally placing your hand on a hot burner after you've turned it off. Then holding it there.

My hand immediately swelled, leaving my left hand unusable and my right hand hot enough to cook on. I was careful not to fall as I got to the other end of the bridge. A water cooler sat conveniently at the end of the bridge, as if to say, 'Welcome to Earth's equivalent to Hell! Better grab some water before you dive into the flaming pools of judgement! All that we wish for in exchange is your soul!'

I walked over to the cooler and used my less firey-hot hand to fill a cup with water. It was surprisingly cold considering the environment. I dumped it lightly over my hand, a scream ripping my throat as the slight pressure of water falling out, setting my tender nerves in a frenzy. Though after the stinging, the cold water had an affect on my hand.

I repeated the process before opening my pack with one hand and searching for something to use. Toriel had packed me a first aid kit thankfully. I took out a roll of gauze and burn ointment. I applied it gingerly, not without a few tears, however. The ointment was almost gone by the time I had finished. Wrapping the gauze took forever with one hand but I accomplished the task swiftly.

With my left hand bandaged, right hand still cooling and a sweatshirt actually become a sweat shirt, I decided to exchange one layer for another. With my right hand, I carefully peeled the sweatshirt off and fished the sweater from the pack. It was a sweater but I'd stretched the stitches so far over time the sweater was better at venting heat than retaining it. A drink of water later and I was walking again, my eyes set on a building labeled Lab in the distance.

The lab wasn't too far so I didn't have to walk long. My hand didn't take long to start throbbing again. With my good hand I knocked lightly at the door. It opened almost immediately. I almost landed face first in the building.

The lab was sleek and brimming with tech. A cluttered mess of books and notes reminded me of the library back home. Well, more like a 'bring back my book before you die' kinda place that didn't track its stuff.

From an escalator I saw a familiar face descend, her eyes trained on my hand. It was the same person from Undyne's house, the scientist.

"Hello," I said quietly and waved, "sorry to intrude but..."

She scurried up to me and grinned shakily. "H-Hey Cherry. You probably don't remember me, but I-I'm Alphys. I'm Undyne's girlfriend."

I nodded to show her I remembered. She made a 'give me' motion toward my left hand, her eyes worried and nervous. "Oh god Cherry, your hand is bad. Follow me."

Alphys left before I could ask why it was so bad. All I could do was follow. She led me to a room with a large glass tube and wall upon wall of gauges and switches. I set my bag down and headed towards the tube. Alphys pressed a button and it opened to me.

"P-Please step inside. I can use this i-invention to help heal your hand." Alphys explained.

I raised a brow. "What's the catch? Has it been tested?" I asked.

She rubbed a hand against her head and she looked down. "W-Well no, but I'm v-very confident it will work."

I nodded to her and stepped into the tube, ready for whatever. It hadn't been long since I met Alphys. In fact, I've known her a grand total of half an hour now, but I felt like she knew more about me than I, her. She checked several gauges and adjusted a few dials before pressing the magic button. A tingling sensation filled my body.

My left hand felt like it was sizzling and I hissed in discomfort. Pain in the wound increased as the process continued until I couldn't bear the pain and a cry rippled out from me. This machine was making the healing process occur over ten times faster, but the accelerated time put strain on my already damaged nerves. Another cry broke loose. Alphys winced this time.

I could barely hear the second set of feet padding towards us as Alphys increased the power. As it continued, I realized her machine wasn't just fixing my hand. My right hand burned as it went through the phases of sunburn and my side was trying to close itself around stitches that wouldn't come out. The pain was almost too much. The machine was digging into me, finding every issue possible. It hurt to do so much at once.

There was faint yelling over my repeated screams. I didn't care to know who the other person was. The moment the machine turned off was all that mattered. I collapsed on to my knees and sighed in relief. My side was not closed because of my stitches but other than that this had been the healthiest I've ever been. My legs wobbled as I tried to walk from the capsule. My bag sat next to the tube and I swung it over my shoulder merrily.

A smile was plastered on my face happily but my vision was dodgy. An arm snaked around my shoulders, becoming the main thing holding me up. It didn't take long before I fell unconscious.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I woke up in a bed under three feet of blankets and curled into a ball so small I looked like a human roley-poley. My bag was sitting on the floor next to the bed and my head swam with dodgy memories.

After kicking away most of the blankets, I sat up and looked around. The room was dark and dimly lit. In the corner there was a chair where someone sat, snoring.

Not wanting to wake whoever was in the room with me, I got up slowly, the bed softly creaking under me, and then grabbed my bag. I tiptoed/ran to the door, remaining as quiet as possible.

I closed the door gingerly and turned to look at where I was. The space was quiet and lit so bright it felt like I was on the surface again, basking in the sun. My feet were bare and I'd been stripped down to a tank top. I walked slowly, examining my surrounding with care.

I was probably still at Alphys's house. As I walked, seeing a sudden movement startled me. I whipped my head around to find the stealthy follower and came nose to nose with my exact copy. Nothing feels more ridiculous than being scared by your own reflection.

A small laugh shook my weary body. Stepping back to see my body better,
I realized how crappy I looked. My hair was knotted and filled with a variety of debris from my odd resting places. My face made me think I was a vampire. Hallowed eyes and a sagging grin made me feel old. My arms were almost unscathed, no damage other than the ink on my skin. I admired the art on my left arm, then my eyes glided to the sharpie painting my other arm.

My breath hitched. I couldn't draw on my right arm, I wasn't ambidextrous. I raised my arm and looked at it. The writing was backwards and very messily written. Looking in the mirror again, the words came out. Curiosity filled my mind as I read the words.

Acts of Evil cut deeper than that of an accident.

My brow furrowed as I examined the text. "What's that supposed to mean?"

A child's laughter filled my ears and I turned. Behind me, the image of a child, no older than Frisk, sat staring back at me. Recognition brought back images from the withering house in the Ruins. "Chara?" I said cautiously.

The child giggled, a devious and disturbing grin hanging from ear to ear. They winked at me sending my hairs on end. It's eyes were the color of blood. This child, if even that, was dangerous.

"Hello Cherry!" It said in a singsong voice. "I'm glad you remember me."

"So you are Chara.... What do you want?" I asked.

Chara giggled. "I just came here to warn you. The flower, you know.... 'Flowey,' you shouldn't trust him."

I raised an impatient brow. "Why not?"

Chara grinned at me. "He's just trying to draw your soul out. Once you absorb a monster soul, your soul will show itself. Even if it really is nonexistent, giving you a monster soul will strengthen the soul until it really is a human soul. Flowey just wants your soul because it will become stronger than others."

I scoffed. "And I should trust you because?"

Chara cocked its head to the side. "You took my knife. Did you think you really just found it? No No! I gave it to you. I knew Flowey would try to trick you."

I snorted. "Thanks but no thanks. I'll go by my instincts, and Flowey seems a hella lot more trustworthy than you."

Chara shrugged. "Oh well, can't be helped." It winked. "Keep the knife anyway, as a gift."

I rolled my eyes and within a blink, the child was gone. "What the hell?! Where'd the little shit go?"

"C-Cherry? You're up?" A soft voice said.

I turned to see Alphys standing farther down the hall. She was wearing a nightgown and a sleeping cap, like in 'A Christmas Carol.' "Who were you t-talking to?" She asked.

A chilling sense told me it was better not to share. "I, uh, saw a mouse. Wanted to get it out before it caused any trouble."

Alphys grinned. "That's nice, b-but try not to kick the mice out. They're part of an experiment."

I nodded like I knew what she was talking about. "Okay, won't kick out the mice."

After an awkward moment of silence, Alphys spoke. "Are you hungry?" She asked.

A long growl answered her question, as if cued by her words. I snickered. "Yeah, maybe a little..."

Alphys motioned for me to follow her and she led me to a small kitchen. After opening a few cabinets, she returned with a box of something and a cup of uncooked ramen. "I-I'm sorry about my lack of choices. I usually eat at Undyne's house."

I shrugged and smiled. "It's no big deal. I mean, I am just a guest."

She laughed nervously. After pressing the boxes into my palms, she led me over to a table and sat me down. Lights flickered on over the table and I winced. The sudden light left my eyes sore.

"O-Oh my god, are you okay?" Alphys asked quickly.

I waved my hand submissively and shook my head. "Don't worry, probably just a side effect."

Alphys's eyes widened and she ran from the room. With a shrug, I looked down at the food in my hands. Pushing the Ramen cup away, I opened the unlabeled box. As I opened it, my heart lifted immediately. I picked out a long biscuit stick covered in a green chocolate. I couldn't remember what it was called, but I knew I liked it.

As I finished one stick and shoved another between my teeth, Alphys scurried back in with a packet of papers and a pen. "Cherry, I need you to fill these papers." She said quietly.

I took them and scanned over the questions briefly. "What is it?" I asked.

"I-It's an evaluation. The machine I used to heal you was u-untested. I want to know more about how it affected you."

I nodded and took the pen in hand. As she turned to leave, I called to her. "Hey Alphys. Can you tell me what this stuff is called?" I asked, motioning to the box of treats.

She grinned and walked over to me.
"T-That's Pocky. It's a Japanese snack and it's really good, isn't it?"

I nodded and offered a piece to her. She took one happily and sat in the chair next to mine. As I filled papers, we chatted and ate. Mostly over my suggestion of FairyTail when I first met her. Even after the papers were filled completely, she sat for a solid hour talking.

"So, what happened with the Sharpie?" Alphys asked.

Excitement took me as I showed her my arm. "It's a nasty habit of mine actually. Up top I have a twenty pack that has resulted in a lot of different Sharpie tattoos over time."

"You should take pictures! So you remember them, I mean." Alphys suggested.

A warm smile painted my face at her enthusiasm. My sketchbook was full of my sharpie tattoos drawn out, among other, more odd, drawings. Without warning, Alphys left and placed several sheets of paper in front of me, along with two other pens, in blue and red. "Draw s-something, please? I wanna see how you do it." She said.

I took the pens gratefully and placed it on the paper. Fifteen minutes later, a very rough drawing of a manga style cat girl occupied the paper. Alphys squealed and snatched the paper, examining the drawing. "Oh wow Cherry! This is really good!" She mused.

I blushed lightly, and took the blue pen in hand. The next drawing came out without my attention. Alphys looked at a clock and gasped. "Oh! I need to start preparing for Undyne's visit!"

The thought made me grin deviously. "You two are seriously the cutest couple I've ever seen. Undyne really is so protective over you. And you're really smart and timid. You guys are complete opposites and it's so adorable!"

A deep red painted Alphys. "Oh, y-you really t-think so?" She stuttered.

I nodded. "I wish I had that."

"Y-you'll find the r-right person. I-I promise."

I put my blue pen down and moved the finished piece to the side, vaguely aware of what it was, but moving on to the last sheet none the less.

"I'm not really looking for love. It's not important to me really."

Alphys gasped, "You don't care about love? You have to love someone! Your family, a friend.... Someone!"

I giggled. A feeling deep inside told me she was just looking to put me in a ship, but I really didn't mind. With a shake of the head, I responded, "Parents died when I was young and I haven't had anything close to a friend since I fell into the Underground. My grand total of friends actually falls below ten."

Alphys made a face and looked at me. "Why haven't you had any friends until now?" She asked.

My face fell and I didn't answer. It wasn't a question I really knew the answer to. "I kinda just don't. I repel people more than I've ever attracted them. It's that or I irritate the living fuck outta them. Sorta why I'm down here."

Alphys frowned. "You were being bullied?" She implied.

I nodded mutely and glanced at my artwork. In the picture, I was beginning to draw a person. I'm not sure who yet, but it was a person. Alphys hurried to patch the silence. "O-Oh no, Did I make you uncomfortable? I'm sorry." She said.

I waved it off and plastered a grin on my face. "No big deal, it's not like it's news to me. Let's change the subject, how about, where is my stuff?"

Alphys smiled weakly, acknowledging my wish, and left to grab my pack and my clothes. With a sigh, I put my head back and closed my eyes. The topic didn't bother me, but it often made the atmosphere be put off. That's the reason I avoid it. Alphys came back with a rolling table, the table covered in the contents of my pack. Even my blade was there, though it was now bundled heavily in layers of cloth.

"I have everything here, plus a few things to add."

She held up a small phone and started pointing out features of it. It was like a smartphone, but ten times better. On the surface phones like this were worth thousands of dollars. It even had access to human apps like music apps and such. She helped me pack the pack to the brim, then pointed me to a bathroom.

"I-It's gonna be a w-while before you get another chance to cleaned up. I'd get a s-shower before you left."

Slinging the pack over my shoulder and grabbing a change of clothes, I thanked Alphys and left. As I wash the grime from my skin, I came across the writing on my arm. A chill passed through me and I scrubbed at it aggressively, as if it was acid bubbling on my skin. It took 15 minutes to erase the traces of marker from my skin, but once it was gone all I felt was relief. Debris fell from my body in clumps and the instance I stepped out I felt more than ready to face my path as I traveled back to the surface. My clothes felt lighter and smelled like a field of flowers. My sweater looked untouched by my journey. My hair was dangling in wet strings at my back. I had a feeling it wouldn't be so dry when I continued my journey through the Hotlands.

Alphys greeted me as I left the bathroom and hugged me. "B-Be carful on y-your way. I-I'll keep an eye out from here."

Heavy footsteps broke our happy send off and a voice cut the air. "What journey? How long was I asleep?"

My groan was almost involuntary. "Goodbye Alphys. Don't bother passing the message to Blue Bones."

I glanced behind me and saw Sans rubbing a skeletal hand over his hollow sockets. It almost felt like it wasn't me running to the exit. My legs felt like they were working on their own.
_________________________________________________________________________________
P.o.V. Sans
I woke up just as Alphys had said something about a journey. That was enough to get me out of my sleep. I looked at the bed and found it void of Cherry's presence.

I left the room quickly, trying to act like I didn't know who it was leaving. "What journey? How long was I asleep?"

A few mutters later and I saw a swish of red hair flutter out the exit to the labs. Anger swelled in my chest.

"Dammit..." I cursed under my breath.

"Good m-morning Sans. Breakfast?"

Alphys offered me a box of Pocky but I waved it off. Pulling a bottle of ketchup from my jacket, I sat at the table. I looked at the drawings on the table.

"Alphys, did you draw these?" I asked.

She shook her head and explained her two hours of quality time with Cherry. So these were hers. The first didn't seem to bad. It was a cat-girl posing, drawn like it was going to be in an anime. As I shuffled to the next one, I felt irritation rock my soul. In only blue pen, was a drawing of me. It wasn't just me though, my left eye was glowing dangerously and Gaster Blasters surrounded me.

The drawing made me looked deadly.

The last is what got me scared. I shuffled to the last one and looked in terror at the image. On the paper I saw Cherry, her form drawn in a black pen. Her red hair haloed her head in a red crown and she looked ready to fight. In the image she was screaming, not like a scream of fear but more of a battle cry and her features were sharpened. Her fingers seemed like claws and her teeth like fangs. Black flames engulfed her left eye and most of her outstretched arm. But the most haunting part was the one blue tear trailing down her cheek.

She knew more than she thought she knew.