"Papy! I got the rope like you asked!" Sans closed the front door behind him as he walked into the house, the bundle of gnarled rope held in his hands. He looked around with bright eyes for his older brother, his smile fading slightly as he didn't see him.

"Papyrus?" Sans could see from where he stood at the front door that his brother wasn't in the kitchen, and knew that he wasn't somewhere in the living room if he wasn't on the couch.

Deciding to look for him, Sans made his way to the stairs leading to the balcony in their home, where a small hallway was with their rooms. By process of elimination, Sans figured Papyrus must be in his own room, the door to it closed.

"Papy? Are you in your room?" Just to be sure, the small skeleton checked his own room, his eyes roaming over the clean and organized shelves and bookcases, his desk still had paper and pencils on it from when he had been drawing earlier.

Tilting his head curiously, Sans walked quietly across the carpeted floor, his boots scuffing as he traversed to the other wooden door.

"Papyrus, if your sleeping.." He tightened his hand into a fist and knocked on Papyrus' door, his knuckles rapping against the wood.

"Papyrus!" When he didn't get an answer, his hand drifted to the door knob, his gloved fingers wrapping around it and turning it slowly.

"Papy..?" He peered in with a curious expression, his eyed wide as he caught sight of his brother's bed. He was about to say something when he noticed with a slight chill along his spine that it was empty.

"W- where is he then?" He fixed his scarf out of habit when he's nervous, his fingertips brushing the edge and shifting it over his neck bones.

He stepped forward into the dim lit room, his eyes glowing faintly as they searched the expanse. He stopped and quickly looked at his hand in dismay as he felt it lighten, the rope he had been clinging onto was gone.

"What the- Papyrus! Is this some kinda joke?" He turned around in a circle, looking around to find nothing but the empty feeling of loneliness.

"Papyrus!" No answer to his call. He felt his soul sink in his chest, his shoulders falling and his face softening as he peered around again, starting to feel scared.

He swallowed and sighed, turning to the door and about to step towards it when something pushed into him roughly, barely giving him a chance to yell in surprise as his cheek hit the carpet.

He whimpered in fear as a hand was clamped onto his mouth, feeling it's arm press onto the side of his skull to hold it down, the attacker's body straddling his as he was pinned.

A dark chuckle reached him and he closed his eyes tightly as a face neared his, tears welling in his eyes as the monster above him leaned in closer, a glimmer of orange lighting up where their right eye would be.

Sans flinched as he felt their breath brush against his face, hot and heavy as they came even closer. Their mouth was inches from his skull when a low voice spoke.

"To remove slack rope from your brother's hand, one must be taut."