Chapter One
A full moon hangs idly in the center of the stark black sky. No stars shine on this frosty autumn night. The trees reach upward, as if trying to grasp the moon and bury it beneath the dirt, so the light will be diminished. A slight breeze ruffles the dead leaves that litter the forest floor. I am not alone here. I have never been alone. The darkness makes the trees swarm closer together, but a shadow separates itself from the scenery behind it. Oh God, it's him. It's him and he's coming to get me. I cannot move from where I stand. I try to scream for help, but my mouth refuses to open. The shadow elongates, becoming taller than all the trees that surround us. His arms shoot out from where they had been limply dangling at his sides, and all at once we are one. I feel thin fingers scraping into me, colliding with my bones. My eyes widen to see the faceless thing as it pulls me into itself.
The alarm blared, declaring the start of another Monday. Nadya's eyes opened slowly, her lashes sticking together from a restless sleep. She felt uneasy, but could not pinpoint the cause of it. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she realized she must have been having one hell of a nightmare. Although, she could not remember a thing about it. She reached out and switched the alarm off before prying herself out of bed. The best part about college was that classes weren't so damn early.
"With the new semester upon us, it's time to open those minds again," Professor Wayland told the group of students. Nadya sat in the second row. The entire class could fit into the first three, but a few students lazed around at the very back. GENED 121, the infamous Mythology and Folklore course at the University, was one of the less popular classes. The course itself was interesting, but Patricia Wayland, a woman of 47 who made a habit of sharing a bit too much of her personal life, was the deciding factor for many students. It was great to see teachers enjoying their subjects, but to some, Mrs. Wayland seemed to preach all sorts of bizarre stories as if it were her very duty to God himself.
"Last time we met, I asked you all to bring back some kind of tale that you thought I had never before seen. I'm very excited to hear the results." She said, walking to her desk and taking a seat. Nadya blushed and looked down quickly, she had completely forgotten about the assignment. Evan, a short and chubby boy who looked all of fourteen and still had acne to spare, approached her and took a seat.
"Don't worry, I found something," he said with a smile. He pulled a stack of printed papers from his backpack and layed them neatly on the table. The other two group members, a girl with kinky black curls and an obsessive gum-chewing habit, and another who prided herself on the neat tricks she could do with her split tongue, joined them at the table.
"So what is it? "gum chewer asked between smacks.
"Slender Man," he said," some crap I found on the internet." Nadya's brow furrowed at the sound of the name, but she couldn't quite remember why it felt so familiar. Perhaps she had stumbled across it on her many late-night internet adventures. Snake tongue smiled with excitement and leaned over into the group.
"It's not crap! He's real, I've seen him." Seen sounded more like "theen" because of her lisp. Nadya pushed her black-framed glasses up the bridge of her nose nervously. The class could not be over fast enough. Her hazel eyes peered up at the clock on the wall behind the Professor's desk. Thirty minutes was dragging on into hours it seemed.
"Okay, enough group chat. Let's hear about what you all have to say," Prof. Wayland said cheerily. Evan popped up from his seat and headed to the front of the room. He sure had confidence for a kid that was probably picked on all through grade school. Nadya and the other girls gathered behind him, waiting for him to speak.
"Slender Man, the tall and menacing creature without a face!" he said excitedly, holding up a picture and showing it to the rather unenthused crowd of students. "He is eight-foot tall, to be exact, but can grow even taller. He has long, dangly arms and tentacles poking through his back. He wears a black suit and a red tie, pretty classy for a monster. He's been seen worldwide, and is known to steal children. In adults, he causes paranoia, insomnia, and memory loss."
"Hm... Slender Man. All right, you've got me. I have not heard of this guy. Reminds me of my ex-husband. Except he had two faces instead of none." Prof. Wayland trailed off into yet another rant.
Nadya tossed her belongings onto her unmade bed and sighed. Her roommate, Tiffany, had classes all day. That was all right since the two never spoke. Nadya ruffled a hand through her auburn pixie-style hair and slumped onto the bed. She felt exhausted, but she had done nearly nothing all day. She supposed it was from sleeping so restlessly, and decided to take a nap.
I am nothing. I am everything. I am. I am. I am. I found you.
Nadya opened her eyes wide and looked around, shaking.
"That voice…" she spoke aloud to the empty room. It was like static, like a strange electrical screech, but she had still made out the words as it echoed inside her head. What the hell was it? Why did it sound so familiar?