Three teens sneak into a cemetery on Friday the Thirteenth to commune with Satan. Things don't go exactly as planned.
Birthday gift for my dear friend, Wishcometrue, many thanks to the years of friendship.
CW: Reference to Self-Harm
Three flashlights cut through the mist as feet crunched through mossy loam. All around the trio was an endless expanse of headstones. Some of them were new, though many were older than the three creatures who ventured forth.
Above them was a full moon though its light only offered so much assistance when the night was as overcast as it was. This meant that three feeble beams of light were their only reliable companions going forward.
It really was an ideal Friday the Thirteenth.
“I can’t believe that I let you two talk me into this,” Noelle said, trying to keep quiet.
It was as if raising her voice would cause the very legions of the dead to start popping up from below the ground.
Susie snorted. “What’s there to worry about? It's not like any of these freaks can actually hurt us.”
“Kind of a little too dead to do something like that,” Kris chided, chuckling darkly. “Though who knows what else might be lurking out there?”
Their gaze was directly on Noelle as they flashed a very sinister smile. The smile must’ve been effective as more colour drained out of their poor girlfriend’s face.
“I don’t like this game,” Noelle grumbled. “And I also don’t like that we’re trespassing.”
“Is it trespassing if no one catches us?” Kris asked.
Noelle looked ready to rebut this point.
Though Susie chuckled and lifted a hand. “Relax, Kris just knows how to push your buttons.” She winked at Noelle. “But if any freaks or zombies did want to mess with us, I’d make sure to protect you.”
Colour returned to Noelle’s cheek. That colour being a very pronounced shade of red.
“Oh yeah?” she whispered.
Susie nodded and flexed an arm, showing off one of her powerful biceps. “Does this look like the arm of a monster who’s going to let her girlfriend get eaten by zombies?”
Noelle grinned. “Can I feel it?”
“As much as you’d like,” Susie said, winking at her.
Noelle took no time in reaching out and giving the bicep a firm squeeze. She let out an impressed little noise as she did so.
Kris rolled their eyes. “God, you two are so gay.”
“You love us,” Noelle teased.
Susie nodded. “Nice of you to come out with us, by the way. Feels like it’s been ages since the three of us got a chance to goof off together.”
Kris shrugged. “Not often that I get a night to myself.”
They gritted their teeth at how literal that statement was. Strange to think that someone could feel comfort when their chest was lacking a heartbeat.
Most people would’ve viewed them as dead but they never felt more alive than moments like this. Moments when they were truly free.
“If you had the place to yourself, you should’ve invited us over,” Noelle teased. “Your brother has all the best video games.”
Susie grinned. “And don’t forget all those bootlegged Japanese horror movies he’s got stashed under his bed. I’m telling you, that guy knows where to get the good stuff.”
“I…” Kris shook their head. “I honestly think I’d prefer to be out tonight. Need to get away from the house.”
Suspicious.
That answer was suspicious.
“Plus, Asriel took most of the good stuff with him to university,” Kris quickly added, lying so easily to fill in the gap. “Didn’t want mom to get her hands on it or something.”
“Is she still like super religious?” Noelle asked.
“Wait, Miss Toriel is one of those churchy freaks?” Susie stuck out her tongue in disgust. “Can’t stand those kinds of people. They always look at me like I’ve got the fucking plague whenever I walk around downtown.”
She reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a battered pack of cigarettes. They were Monster Spirits, the brand with the smallest cancer warning on the packaging.
“Mind if I light up?” Susie asked.
Noelle hummed. “Only if you promise to let me have a drag.”
“Are you going to pass out again?” Susie chided, smirking.
“I didn’t pass out!” Noelle yelped.
Kris chuckled. “You totally passed out, Noelle.”
“Oh, how would you know?” Noelle grumbled, playfully glaring at them. “You were totally out of it last time we were together.”
“Was I?” Kris asked.
Susie nodded. “You’ve been kind of out of it in general the last few months.” She looked up at them. “Is everything alright, dude?”
“I’m fine,” Kris said.
“Are you…” Susie began.
Though she stopped talking, letting the matter drop. They’d had conversations like this before and they never went in a productive direction.
Still, it was hard to ignore the pity in her eyes.
Pity; pity from Susie of all people.
Kris gritted their teeth together and flinched away.
“Kris?” Noelle asked.
Her voice was far more effective at getting under their skin.
Fake it until you make it, right?
Kris flashed a smile and turned to them. “Yeah sorry, guess things have just been pretty rough lately. You know with the whole Dark World thing and being heroes and whatnot.”
They ventured deeper into the graveyard, moving closer and closer to the church at the very centre of it. During the day, it’d be a sparkling beacon but at night it looked far eerier and sinister in nature. It was like the kind of place that a group of serial killers would host their afterparties at.
“Never thought I’d be a hero,” Susie murmured. “Got to admit, it has been kind of cool.”
Noelle held out her hand and snapped her fingers together, staring at them. Nothing happened, obviously, but all three of them remembered a time when such a minor gesture could summon forth a bolt of dangerous ice magic.
“If you manage to get magic up here let me know,” Susie teased. “I’ve been slacking on my pranks lately and I need a leg up.”
She placed one of her cigarettes between her teeth and lit the tip. It soon glowed as she drew in an acrid breath, filling her lungs with smoke. The pollution lingered for a moment before she let it out through her nose in twin contrails of bad girl charm.
Once finished, she handed the cigarette to Noelle.
“So, are you sure that you have everything you need for this ritual?” Susie asked.
Kris looked down at the bag in their hand, feeling the weight of it tugging against their arm.
“Everything we’ll need for a summoning ceremony,” they teased.
Noelle started coughing violently and the two of them looked at her. She held the glowing cigarette at her side as she hunched forwards, nearly folding at the waist.
Susie immediately started to pat her on the back. It seemed to help, at least a little bit, as her breathing slowly returned to normal. Once finished, she looked up and offered a shaky smile.
“Told you I wouldn’t pass out,” Noelle rasped.
Kris rolled their eyes while Susie giggled into the back of their hand.
“You’re adorable,” Susie said.
Noelle playfully scowled at her which only seemed to make Susie’s smile grow as she stuck out her tongue. This didn’t seem to please Noelle who managed to stand up tall and offer the cigarette to Kris.
Kris looked at it. “I don’t know. Last time I came home smelling like cigarettes, mom threatened to wash my mouth out with soap.”
“But she didn’t, right?” Susie asked.
“The threat was still scary!” Kris replied. “And I think she might actually do it this time.”
Noelle rolled her eyes. “Kris, do you think I’m really stupid enough to come home smelling like cigarettes. I have a bottle of mouthwash in my backpack and I’m willing to share.”
Kris nodded and took the cigarette, popping it between their lips and taking a hearty drag. The coolness of the nicotine felt nice, calming, washing away some of the petty little anxieties that had been tugging at them.
Hell, it even seemed to keep the larger ones at bay. Maybe Susie was onto something here.
They held their drag for a good long while before letting it out slowly. The nicotine felt like ice coursing through already cold veins. Though it was oddly comforting to feel as cold as the gaping hole in their chest.
Souls were such a funny thing. Can’t live with them but can apparently live without them if fate decided to be a cruel motherfucker.
Kris offered the cigarette to Susie who puffed upon it casually.
They now stood before the church, looking up at the old stained glass windows. They were beautiful, depicting a peaceful union of monsters and humans under the kingdom of some divine being who was the creator of both.
Susie tested the door and it proved to be locked, shuddering as she pushed firmly against it.
“Well should’ve seen that coming,” Susie murmured.
“Relax,” Kris said.
“Relax,” Noelle commented in unison.
The two of them looked at each other. Both seemed equally surprised.
“I was going to crawl through a window,” Kris offered.
Noelle reached into her hair and grabbed a bobby pin, winking at them. “What about lockpicking?”
“You know how to lockpick?” Susie asked, staring in awe.
Noelle nodded and knelt before the door, sticking the pin inside and shuffling it about. “Before the internet went weird, I used to watch this Yeetube channel about a lawyer who picks locks. It’s more of a hobby than anything but…”
The lock clicked.
“It has its uses,” Noelle finished.
Susie swooned. “I think I love you even more now.”
Kris smirked. “Not as much as I love her.”
“It’s not a competition,” Susie huffed, playfully punching their arm.
Kris stuck out their tongue as they rubbed at the spot where Susie’s fist had just landed.
Noelle pulled open the door and the three of them poked their flashlights inside.
The church was in pristine shape though even a spotless church still seemed eerie on an overcast night. Thankfully, there was no meetup of the international serial killer society, so the three of them slipped inside, moving towards the altar.
“Wonder if I could pawn off one of these idols,” Susie chided.
Noelle snorted. “I wouldn’t.”
“That’s because you’re a goody two shoes,” Susie teased. “Imagine how much jerky I could afford to buy with the money from one of these.” Her eyes twinkled. “I might even be able to afford a Switch.”
“This isn’t about being a goody two shoes,” Noelle commented. “I’ve just watched enough crime shows to know that the cops would be able to track you down quickly enough. Not really that many golden idols in town and I doubt you could say it was some sort of priceless family heirloom when the police have a record of one being stolen.”
“Oh yeah, then what would you recommend that I steal?” Susie asked, flashing a playful smile.
Noelle hummed and tapped a finger against her chin. “Second hand bikes have a pretty decent market since not many people get them licensed.”
“Don’t enable her,” Kris shot back. “You know that she’ll actually do it.”
They placed their bag on the floor in front of a pew and reached inside, pulling out a box of chalk. Upon seeing it, Susie salivated. So, they tossed a stick to her before pulling out another. With this one, they started to draw a circle upon the floor.
“Thanks,” Susie said, taking a chomp from it. “Been wanting a stick for awhile now.”
Kris smirked. “I had a feeling.”
“Where did you learn about all this occult stuff?” Noelle asked.
She settled upon the ground and peered into the bag, wincing as she pulled out an animal skull. It looked like it belonged to a fox.
“You know Catti from the diner?” Kris asked.
Noelle nodded.
“When she and Asriel were dating, she’d sometimes teach me some of the weird Wicca stuff that she’s into,” Kris said. “Some silly summoning rituals and protection spells and what not.”
Susie settled upon the floor cross-legged. “So, you actually know real magic?”
Kris shrugged. “Depends what you mean by real magic. Have I been taught how to perform ‘magic’? Yes.” They snorted. “Is it actually magic? Debatable.”
They drew a circle that was just big enough to contain the three of them before moving inside to create some more intricate designs and symbols within. They looked like hieroglyphs from some ancient language, using figures and shapes instead of letters and numbers.
As Kris worked, Susie and Noelle emptied their bag, pulling out the skull, a small vial of something red, a knife, and a ratty old tome.
“Why do you have blood?” Noelle asked.
Kris smirked. “Do you really want to know the answer to that?”
“K-kinda?” Noelle replied, rubbing at their arm.
Susie snorted. “Probably just got it from a local butcher shop or something.”
“Yeah, something like that,” Kris replied.
Susie flicked away her cigarette butt and grabbed her pack again. Though she thought better of it and allowed it to slip back into her pocket.
“Wish I’d brought some weed with me,” she grumbled.
Kris shook their head. “You’re going to want a clear head for this.”
“I can think perfectly clear on weed,” Susie shot back, sticking out their tongue. “You’re the one who becomes a zombie on that stuff.”
“You once took five minutes to open a bag of chips while stoned,” Noelle teased as she playfully jabbed her girlfriend in the ribs.
Susie rolled her eyes. “It was a very difficult bag to open. I swear, that skeleton at the corner store is doing something to them. This only happens when I come in stoned.”
Noelle scoffed. “Sure thing, babe.”
Kris finished with the last symbol and looked at the piece of chalk. They slid it back into the box before tossing all the contents onto a nearby pew.
“Skull,” Kris instructed, holding out their hand.
Susie handed them the skull and they placed it in the middle of the circle.
“My blood,” Kris then ordered.
“Your blood?” Noelle whispered.
Kris winced. “I…”
“They’re obviously messing with us,” Susie chided before flashing Kris a look. “Don’t go all My Chemical Romance on us now, okay?”
She tossed the blood over and Kris caught it, popping open the cap and drizzling the contents upon the skull. It rolled along the bleached calcium and dripped onto the floor.
“Now what?” Susie asked. “Do we form a circle and chant for a little while?”
Kris smirked and didn’t reply, simply offering their hand. Susie looked at it and gently took it before offering one to Noelle who offered hers to Kris in turn. They formed a nearly perfect circle around the edge of the white chalk.
“So how do we do this?” Susie asked.
Kris snorted. “Just follow my lead.” They cleared their throat and directed their gaze down to the symbols. “Hey Satan, you out there, buddy?”
“Buddy?” Noelle asked.
Kris ignored her. “Just wanted to commune with you and the dead and I was wondering if you could do a fellow asshole a solid for all the years of service I’ve provided.”
“You aren’t taking this seriously,” Noelle hissed.
Kris snorted. “I’m being very serious.”
Susie nodded. “Just because we’re trying to talk to Satan doesn’t mean we need to be all formal and shit. Dude is probably pretty chill, considering who has to deal with.”
“Come on Satan!” Kris chanted. “I’m trying to impress some girls here.”
They then started to chuckle.
As if that would actually…
Suddenly, all the candles in the church caught flame at the same time. They glowed an artificial blue, like the flames that would’ve come off of a gas stovetop.
Noelle tensed and Kris could feel Susie’s grip tighten.
“Wait…” Susie started. “You actually…”
Kris drew in a sharp breath. “This has never happened before. What the …”
Suddenly the skull started to glow and the blood upon it shifted, covering the whole thing in a red shroud. The skull slowly lifted away from the floor and came level with the three of them. It studied each of them in turn before finally settling on Kris.
Kris felt a pang in their chest where their heart ought to have been. It hurt being reminded of the sheer emptiness that now existed there.
The skull was then engulfed in flames and Kris’ eyes widened as a Soul hovered before them. It was purple and damaged, frayed around the edges with cracks coursing through it. It was obviously a Soul that was in very rough shape.
“No,” they whispered.
They let go of Noelle’s hand and reached out, feeling the Soul against their fingertips. It was warm, familiar, enough to bring tears to Kris’ eyes. They gritted their teeth and flinched away, feeling an angry rush forth to fill the gap.
“You left me!” they roared.
Noelle yelped and skirted backwards, away from them.
“You left me!” Kris yelled again. “And left me with that psychopathic fucking…”
Tears now stung at their eyes and they sobbed, unable to finish their sentence.
Susie’s hand soon fell away.
Kris closed their eyes and the world suddenly felt so very small.
“What did I ever do wrong?” they whispered.
They forced their eyes open and glared at the little purple heart.
“What did I…” Kris swallowed a lump in their throat. “Why did you leave me?”
The heart didn’t respond though there was likely no way for it to respond. It was just a heart after all, not something with a mouth or lungs. Though an energy did waft off of it, tendrils of emotions toying with Kris’ mind.
They felt guilt and remorse and it was not their own; though it kind of was, in a way. They felt understanding and a purpose that seemed beyond comprehension.
Though these emotions were soon buried by an angst that they knew all too well, an anger that was all they understood nowadays.
They felt sadness and empathy wash over them, flowing from outside of their body.
It was a conversation that took place with feelings and emotions. They were difficult to decipher but they seemed to get something across, something calming, if only a little.
Slowly, Kris felt the anger bleed away as they continued to sob. Now they just felt the familiar sense of emptiness in their hollow chest.
“I don’t want to do this anymore,” they whimpered.
A hand rested upon their shoulder and they saw that Noelle was right there. She looked concerned. Though why shouldn’t she? Her partner was currently having a full-fledged mental breakdown during a very real séance.
“Kris?” Susie asked.
Another hand now rested on their other shoulder. It was big and meaty, though extremely comforting as well.
“I just miss being me…” Kris whispered, wiping at their eyes and looking at the heart. “I miss having you… I miss being you… I miss…” They shook their head and let out a hollow note of laughter. “I don’t know, I just wish that you’d come back and I could leave all of this bullshit behind.”
The heart hovered there for a moment, the emotions coming off it were so hard to understand. It felt like nostalgia but it was difficult to tell at this point.
Kris smiled. “Just… just be there for me on the other side, okay? Give me some reason not to give up and slit my fucking wrists open.”
“Jesus,” Noelle whispered.
Susie shushed her.
Happiness, kindness, warmth.
Not a verbal promise but the best that this damaged Soul could provide.
Then the heart faded and returned to a skull. It crashed to the floor and shattered, sending fragments of bone splintering in every direction.
Kris sighed as the flames died away.
“So, uh…” Susie began, rubbing at the back of her head. “What the fuck just happened?”
Kris was silent for a moment, looking down at their hands. Their fingers were covered with a few little bandaids, matching the many band aids that were all along their forearms.
“You only have to tell us if you want to,” Noelle offered.
Susie grunted. “Though we’d really prefer if you did. That was kind of really spooky, dude.”
She shut up as Noelle jabbed her firmly in the ribs.
Kris rippled with a cold and dark laughter. It hurt their chest to laugh like this, hurt the absent beat of a heart that was no longer there. It reminded them of how empty they felt, how abandoned they had become.
“Where do you want me to start?” they asked.
Noelle shifted so that she was in front of Kris. She reached out and clutched their hands within herself, giving them a comforting squeeze.
“From whatever point you feel comfortable,” she whispered.
Kris nodded and looked at Susie. “Could you find my pulse?”
“Weird request but if you want to get kinky…” Susie reached out and placed two bulky fingers against Kris’ carotid artery. “Huh, can’t seem to find it.”
“That’s because it isn’t there,” Kris explained, allowing themselves a thin smile.
The two of them gave them a look.
“I’m not messing with you,” Kris said before sighing. “A couple months ago, I lost my Soul and had another transplanted into my body.”
“How is that even possible?” Noelle asked.
Kris shrugged. “Probably like how our séance was possible. Or the Dark World. Some strange voodoo witchcraft that doesn’t make any sense in a rational world.” They drew in a shaky breath. “The point is, whenever that other Soul is in my body, I lose complete control over myself. It’s like I’m a puppet.”
“Jesus,” Susie mumbled.
Kris smirked. “You two must’ve noticed how I’m not always… there.”
“In the Dark World,” Susie whispered.
Kris nodded. “In the Dark World. In this world.” They flashed a tight smile and waved their hand. “I have a feeling that Ralsei knows more than he’s letting on but…” They shrugged. “I think they’re just a pawn too. Or maybe they’re not, who even knows anymore.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Noelle asked.
Susie nodded. “Could we help you bury this body snatcher?”
“I don’t think that would work,” Kris murmured before letting out a heavy sigh. “I can only go so long without a Soul before I start to…” They snorted. “Die.”
“So, running away isn’t a solution,” Susie grumbled.
Noelle hummed. “But now that we’re aware of this thing’s presence, maybe we can help wrangle some control back for you. After all, if we know what’s going on now, then we can call this fucker out whenever they decide to take a joyride in your body.”
Susie smirked. “You know Noelle has a good point when she starts swearing.”
Noelle scrunched up her face and glared hotly at Susie.
“Don’t get mad at me for spitting hot facts,” Susie shot back.
Kris chuckled. “Maybe that’d work. I… I…” They sniffled, feeling a fresh bout of warm tears drain down their icy cheeks. “I guess I just missed having a night like this. A night where I’m the one in control.”
There was a moment of silence that settled between them.
“Wait…” Susie sounded faint all of a sudden. “This has been going on for months now, right?”
Kris nodded.
“We’ve only been friends for like two months now and we’ve only started dating about a month ago,” Susie whispered.
This fact seemed to dawn on Noelle as well.
“Shit,” she whispered.
Kris knew this moment would come but that didn’t mean they had to like it.
They snorted. “What do you want me to say?” They looked up at them. “I still care about you two and… I guess… not everything that happened to me, because of them, has been bad. But… they were the ones to get the ball rolling.”
“Do you love…” Susie began.
Noelle shot her a look. “Maybe not the best time for that, Susie.”
Kris shook their head. “It’s fine, you two deserve to know something like that. Especially with everything else that came out tonight.” They frowned. “I… I like you two immensely and I’m happy for these brief bits of time that we get to spend together where I’m more than just some captive observer. Would I have asked you two out without the body snatcher doing it for me?” They sighed. “Probably not. I’ve always been a coward but… now that we are going out I…” They closed their eyes and smirked. “Well, I’d say I love you two but Susie would make fun of me for that.”
Susie snorted. “Dick.”
“Love you too,” Noelle said.
She reached out and stroked Kris’ arm.
“Why didn’t you try and tell us about this sooner?” Susie asked.
Kris shrugged. “It sounded insane.”
Susie actually chuckled at that, shaking her head. “Dude, we’ve been repeatedly teleported to an alternative reality where we kick ass and save lives. Honestly, I’m just happy that I finally know why you’ve had this whole like… multi-personality thing going on lately.”
“Multi-personality thing,” Kris repeated, flashing a smile. “Be careful when throwing those words around or I might have to cancel you.”
“Do it, I dare you,” Susie teased, flashing all of her razor-sharp teeth.
Noelle smirked. “No one’s brave enough to cancel you, babe.”
Before their conversation could continue there was the sound of a car pulling up towards the church.
Kris cracked open an eye and saw a strobe of blue and red bleed in through the partially opened door.
“Fuck me,” Susie hissed.
Noelle went pale.
“Well shit…” Kris grumbled.
Noelle launched herself at Susie and grabbed her by the vest. “Promise me that you’ll protect me in prison. I’m soft, Susie. They’ll eat me up and make me their bitch if you don’t.”
Susie cocked a brow. “They’re not going to send us to prison, Noelle. We’re minors and you’re the mayor’s daughter.”
“I know how to make a shiv,” Kris offered.
“Excellent, I’ll need a whole lot of those,” Noelle said, her eyes wide with panic. “Teach me! Teach me right this second, Kris!”
“Just calm down,” Susie grumbled.
The door creaked open and a blue face peered inside.
Undyne drew in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
“Are you fucking…” She ran a hand down her tired complexion. “Alright kids, get out of the church and come outside. Apparently, I have to give my tenth lecture on trespassing tonight.” She growled. “I freaking hate Friday the Thirteenth.”
“We’re not going to prison,” Noelle whispered.
Kris shrugged. “I guess not.” They then flashed a smile. “Though I can still teach you how to make a shiv, if you’d like.”
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