The Moon, chapter 19: Anomoly

These sins were incredibly persistent. Not even the hot water streaming down Susie's body could cleanse her of the memory that had burned into her mind. Though she was sure it would be burned into the back of her brain for about the remainder of her lifespan, she tried her best to take it out of her mind for a bit, and focus on other things. For instance, how amazing the shower was. She felt half a pound lighter as all the filth from who knows how long ago was washed away. Susie ruffled through her hair with her fingers, pulling the knots and such out while she shampooed her hair and rubbed her body with body wash. Feeling clean enough to last another lifetime, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry herself with.

The mirror had, obviously, fogged up while she was in there, so using the towel she had used to already dry herself, she folded it up and wiped the mirror clean. At least she could see out of it now. Wrapping the towel around the lower half of her body, she looked underneath the sink to find an absurd amount of clothing, some grouped into sets, and some that were simply folded, but unorganized. She looked to the left, seeing a pair of jet black pants and a shirt, with black socks on top. Susie decided she may as well go from left to right, as it seemed to only be natural. She took these dark clothes out of the sink, and began to try them on.

The first set she tried on was a very dark suit, with an undershirt of white and a tie of red. The pants were rather unremarkable, as were the socks. Susie felt restricted in these clothes, and they seemed a bit too... formal, for her tastes. She folded them back up, and placed them in their original place. Next was the shirt and pants to the right of the suit. There was a green shirt with a yellow stripe on it, along with a black pair of jeans. They were far too small for her, she could tell by just looking at them. Next to that, there was a plain, white shirt with black pants that looked a little big, but she tried them on anyway.

The pants were made of a stretchy, soft fabric, while the shirt was made of cotton. Both fit perfectly, but underneath both of these was long, black coat. It was a bit thin, but it was sure to keep her warm when she needed it to. Out of all of them, this was the outfit she liked the most, and that fit the best. Besides, she kind of liked how mature looking it made her. As if she was a completely different person. Hell, maybe that fit her more than she thought. Looking at the rest of the clothes, she didn't find anything she liked. Everything else was either obnoxiously colorful or boring and bland. Maybe once she finds a place that sells clothes, she could find more to suit her. Though, clothes were the least of her worries at the moment. She still needed to visit Hazel, then after that...

Susie thought. She didn't have a job since no one could afford to hire her with the road closed, and she didn't have school due to obvious reasons. She couldn't go doing anything physically taxing, since she needed to rest and heal a bit first. Hazel would probably be at the diner, so... maybe she could just hang out there for a while. It's not like she had anywhere better to go, and she's sure Hazel wouldn't mind. As much as she felt like a free loader, she sure as hell wasn't going back to “her” house. It seemed that anywhere she went, she would feel like she was taking advantage of someone. But, as long as they're offering, and she doesn't make a mess or anything, it should be fine, right?

Susie stepped out of the bathroom feeling reborn. Fed, clean, and ready for whatever stood in her way. Toriel was still in the kitchen, and she looked genuinely impressed when she looked Susie's way. Kris must've gone back up to his room or something, because he was no longer at the table. Hopefully she wouldn't bring that thing that just happened up.
“Well, well. You are looking quite spiffy, aren't you?”
“Am I? I dunno, I like how this looks.”
“You look nice. I'm glad you liked some of my clothes. Yours should be done drying, soon, too.”
“Alright. Not sure where I'll put them, though.”
“Is that not your duffle bag by the door?”
Susie looked closer to the door, and saw the bag.
“It sure is. I was wondering where that went. Anyway, where's Kris?”
“Upstairs, in his bedroom.”
“Alright. I'll leave him alone for now. In fact, I think I might just head over to the diner.”
“Would you like me to drive you there?”
“No thanks, I'm fine with walking.”
“Are you sure? Your injuries...”
“I'll be fine. Trust me.”
“If you're sure... Please do come back, though. And don't stay out too late, you never know what could happen at night! Especially these days...”
“I'll try to be back before sundown.”
“Alright... stay out of trouble, and have a good day.”
“I will.”
Susie made it to the door, and slipped her shoes on. She was about to walk out the door, until...

“Hold on, wait!”
Toriel walked over to her with a long, purple scarf, and held it out to her. Susie looked at it with a confused expression, but smiled shortly after.
“Aww, Toriel this is sweet, but-”
Then, the scarf triggered something in her memory. Ralsei. It only hit her now how much she missed that little dork. She tried her best to not get choked up in front of Toriel. Susie took the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. It fit perfectly, and only a little bit trailed off the back. Toriel looked down at her, looking... proud, almost.
“Thank you, Toriel. For everything.”
“Of course, dear. Now, be safe!”

Susie nodded, and walked out the door, into the cold winds once again. The snow that had started last night hadn't stopped, but it was quite the inconsequential amount of snow, so Susie barely worried. Besides, the light snow looked nice as it fell against the late morning sun, sparkling in the air as she walked to the diner. On the way there, though, she noticed something she swore was new. Far to the north, she saw a break in the treeline. It seemed to be a small, narrow path that lead far to the north, to what looked to be a small hill. She wasn't sure how she never noticed this path before, but something about it drew her into it.

...Maybe the diner could wait.

Susie sprinted towards the treeline, and once meeting it, went even further down the path. A few branches brushed against her coat, leaving little bits of snow and ice on her shoulders as she ran. She didn't know why exactly she was running, but the urge to walk was outweighed by the curiosity. Soon, the sunlight flickering in her eyes gave way as she came to a small clearing, it's centerpiece being a small hill. Walking around the hill, she found that it wasn't simply a hill at all, but the entrance to a bunker. Two red, steel doors blocked the entrance to whatever rested behind them.

She feels a familiarity from these doors, but can't pinpoint from where it originated from. Susie grabs a hold of one of the door's handles, and attempts to open it. The door, though giving some resistance at first, opens slowly as the metal hinges whine. Susie looks into the door and sees concrete stairs leading into a dark, abyssal blackness below. She would need a reliable light source to even think of coming in here. As much as her curiosity was killing her, she had to wait until she had a light source.

Closing the mysterious metal door, she headed back down the path from which she came.
First, the diner. Then, a light source. Maybe resting in that bunker were the answers to the questions she so dearly needed.