The Moon, chapter 46: The Truth

Susie awoke on a comfortable bed, with a couple warm blankets tucked underneath her body, and her head on a fluffy pillow. Soft, light yellow early morning sunlight poured into the window of Toriel's living room. When she realized where she was and how she was, for the moment at least, safe, she buried her face into her pillow as well as she could and tried to mask the torrential amount of tears and wails that escaped her mouth. She was finally home. Out of the ashen terrors of the sea, out of the dead pit of void at the core of the planet. She was home. Where she belonged.

She could do little more than cry into her pillow for minutes on end. That is, until a knock was heard at the door. Susie quickly attempted to dry her tears, but when she saw who walked through the door, this turned out to be a feeble effort. Hazel stood in the doorway, a wave of cold air from outside greeting her as well as her worried, terror stricken face. Tears had begun to fall once again down her violet cheeks. Dressed in new clothing, a pair of black dress pants with a plain white tee shirt, Susie stumbled out of bed and nearly collapsed onto Hazel, the two of them embracing each other tightly.

“Susie... You feel so cold.”
“I know, and I'm sorry-.”
“Shh, please calm down... You don't have to say anything right now. Just breathe.”
Breathing wasn't as easy as she made it sound for her, but she tried. She wasn't sure how long she simply stood there in Hazel's arms, but she didn't care anymore. It had been too long since she had positive physical contact of any sort, and she needed this more than anything. Even if she, for some reason, felt no warmth from her. Good things never last forever however, so Susie eventually broke from her grasp and sat down on the edge of the fold out bed.
“Are you okay?” Susie asked shakily.
“Well, I think so. You're back, at least, so I'm happier now. Just... confused.”
“How long was I gone?”
“Eight days. A little over a week.”

Eight days? And they haven't destroyed the place yet? What could they possibly be waiting for?
“Geez... Toriel still around?”
“She left a few days ago to look for you. She thought you got lost and stumbled into a different town or something. She took Kris, too. I was asked to look after the house for her while you were gone.”
Hazel had a grim look on her face before she said the next sentence.
“I... I think she feels responsible. She hasn't been answering her phone calls since yesterday, but I think she's just so worried sick that she forgot all about us.”
“I thought the road out of town was blocked?”
“Some guys came around on the day Toriel left and said it was good to go. A few people left yesterday too, but whether that was for personal reasons or for the same reasons Toriel left, I'm not sure.”
“How many are left?”
“Dunno. Half the population, maybe? But more left just before you showed up. Just missed them.”
“Damn. I hope they're all okay.”
“I'm sure they are.”

Hazel shifted uncomfortably before sitting down beside Susie.
“So are you ready to talk about why you're... like this?”
“I'm not sure yet. I'm sort of wrapping my head around it myself, but I think I'm dead.”
“Wh-What do you mean?”
“Don't freak out, I just think what's keeping me alive isn't my heart anymore. Something between alive and dead that I don't think I understand fully.”
“... How did this happen?”
“That's kind of a long story, and I don't think you could handle it.”
“What do you mean?! I can handle myself fine, I just saw one of my best friends collapse at my doorstep with most of her torso gone and a missing arm, and you think I can't handle the truth about why?”

Susie put her hand on Hazel's shoulder and looked her in the eyes. Susie saw a mix of confusion and anger in them, but she knew she couldn't let her know. Not yet. Somehow, the chamber that held Hometown and the surrounding area hadn't been destroyed or dropped yet. She wasn't sure how she would react, but she would imagine panic would be her first reaction. Then, a different thought occurred. What if the chamber did end up getting destroyed? What would her reaction be then? Probably, Susie reasoned, much worse. Who knows what terrible things could come knocking on their door any second? Would it really be better to let her know before that happens?

“Okay. I'll tell you, but you have to promise that you won't freak out or panic. This is, uhh... Some heavy stuff.”
“Tell me everything.”

And so she did. From the moment she found the doors south of Hometown, all the way to when she arrived back. Every gruesome detail. Every dream. Every person and creature she found along the way, along with retelling Napstablook's recollection of the extermination of a previous chamber. Susie talked for hours, and Hazel was silent the entire time. Tears fell at a few points, but she kept all the questions surely stirring in her head asleep. Eventually, when Susie thought every last detail was told, she ended on her plans to visit the lake once the moon was visible. She wasn't sure what would happen after, but it was the only plan of action she had. Susie sat in silence, waiting for anything in the form of a response. Before long, she noticed Hazel began to shake.

“S-So this is all a simulation, right?”
“Yeah.”
Then, the crying started. Susie, at first, thought it was just due to her taking everything in for the first time. Then she realized an important revelation that she somehow hadn't thought of before. In all the thinking and explaining, she forgot a critical part of what Hazel said before.
“Toriel and Kris aren't coming back, are they?”
Now it was Susie's turn to tear up.
“Asriel isn't coming back either, is he? N-No one who left this town are coming back, are they?”
Susie wrapped her arm around Hazel and desperately tried to hold back her tears. Something that Hazel didn't bother trying. Tightly embracing her in her arms, she began to wail into Susie's shoulder.
“Wh-Why?! Why did they leave and make me stay?!”
Susie had a vain hope inside her that maybe they would be spared, or at the very least kept in some sort of stasis. But she knew this was little more than wishful thinking.
“I'm sorry. I'm so, s-so sorry Hazel. I'm gonna make things right, don't worry. I'll fix all of this.”
“You're going to die soon, and I'm g-going to be left alone again...”
“No, Hazel, Please don't say that, I-”

Hazel could only reply with more tears. She was inconsolable, and with every wail her hug got just that little bit tighter. As close to that point as she was getting, Susie refused to let herself be that vulnerable ever again. She would be allowed to cry when all of this was over. Even if it meant she would be in the afterlife when she did. If her visions were true, and her death at the end of all of this was certain, then she needed to make sure everything would be okay first. If this was impossible, she would make sure that nothing like this could happen to anywhere, ever again. She was going to make things right again, even if it meant she wouldn't be around to see it happen.

The clock was ticking down for her. She needed to make this count. The moon wouldn't be out for at least another eight hours or so, and that was being generous.

It was time for preparations.