Chapter 1: Weirdness Magnet
Hit and run. Such simple words, simple and ugly, like the blood staining the pavement and bones tearing through the skin. Ugly, like the drunk driver speeding away with no remorse, like the life leaving the broken body in shuddering gasps and a river of red.
What is one life among billions, living, dying every second? Others (concerned pedestrians, ambulance crew, hospital staff) fighting to save (why did they even care?) this one life (just one among billions, why should it matter?) through blood loss and faltering heartbeat (was it luck or fate) until death stepped away (that this life was saved?).
Alex Parker was one of those people you wouldn't glance a second time at, so painfully average was his life (aside from that one brush with death), his looks (but who could look and simply guess), his name (that one could have so many names), and behavior (what normal was in world insane?).
Who could have guessed that things would change, his life becoming very strange?
'Life is good,' Alex decided, tilting his head to grin at the clear blue sky. Summer break in the lazy suburbs that could be spent having fun with friends (or the Internet, that was an option too) without care for anything in the world was just what he needed, especially after the hospital nightmare he was subjected to.
The teenager hid his hands in the pockets, feeling the wind ruffle his dark hair, and stepped under the green canopy of the old park. The warm day and bright sun called many families outside, and Alex laughed as he was nearly bowled over by a group of children chasing each other. Still grinning slightly, he stepped off the sidewalk and onto the trail half-hidden in the long grass.
As he went further into the woods, the sounds of nature replacing human voices, Alex let his mind wander, going over his half-formed plans for the summer. So absorbed he was in his thoughts, the teen had only stopped when the trail ended, leading to a small clearing. He blinked in confusion, looking around without recognition, slightly surprised when the glance upwards showed the sky covered in grey clouds. Lowering his head, Alex let out a startled yelp. Thick mist was creeping between the trees, the mist he could swear wasn't there a second ago.
Feeling anxious, he turned around, searching for the way back yet finding nothing, noting at the back of his mind that the wind had stilled completely and all the sounds sans his own breathing had disappeared. The uncomfortable feeling of someone – something? – watching him caused the hair at the back of his neck to stand up. The chill creeping up his spine intensified tenfold as the presence he could detect by some sixth sense moved closer until…
Until his fear blinked out of existence even though the strange presence remained.
Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Alex shook his head trying to understand just what the hell happened. Fear out of nowhere, calm out of nowhere, the presence out of nowhere… And he could feel it still, that something behind his back. Something that should have been strange but seemed normal and – dare he say it – comfortable.
Curious but unafraid (why wasn't he afraid?) Alex turned around.
He should have been scared (he wasn't).
He should have been surprised (he wasn't).
He should have been disbelieving (he wasn't).
He should have run away (why was he stepping closer?).
The impossibly tall and thin creature (who could ever mistake it for a man?) with branching arms and blank empty face (always watches, no eyes) stood at the edge of the clearing, almost hiding between the trees (watching, waiting, what does it want?).
Oh, Alex knew what it was, that familiar shape from blogs and forums and YouTube channels (how many times had he seen it?), that shouldn't be real but was (how many times had it seen him?), it had no place in the real world (he was just a human, a speck of dust in the infinite universe, what could he possibly know about reality?).
He stepped closer without fear, disregarding any concerns, familiarity and quiet confidence filling him. Was it reality or dream, or had he simply gone insane? What did it matter in the end, it was real enough for him.
The creature (Slender Man they called it, Thin Man, Tall Man, oh what a joke, this was no man!) stood silent, unmoving (what did it want, why was it here?). Who could guess what it was thinking about (could it even think, was it a blind force of nature)? Closer and closer he came with each step, and didn't even know what to expect (why wasn't he leaving, this thing was not meant for human eyes – run away, little boy, while you are still alive).
He came so close he could touch it (he wanted to touch it, to make sure it was real and not a dream – would it be better if it was?) but hesitated, studying it instead. It looked like a tree that decided to become human but didn't know how to go about it, choosing darkest nightmares of humankind as guidelines. Its body (trunk) was so smooth and black like deepest night (not the color but the absence of light), its arms (branches) were raised to the sky ready to trap, entangle, snap, and strangle whoever came close (like him, foolish boy, don't poke your nose, things like this are not a toy). Against his better judgment (his mind and feelings in such disarray, screaming "No!" and "Yes!" at the same time, but he knew he'd be okay) he reached with one hand, fingers touching neither hot nor cold, smooth and hard, and almost soft, like mist and night that came alive, body (trunk) of the creature (neither tree nor man but something better and worse).
The branches moved (if you try to get the cheese, the trap will break your neck with ease, silly, silly little mouse should have never left the house) with fluid grace reaching for him. He stood still and unafraid as branches (arms) wound around his neck (humans were so fragile, so easy to break) slithering over his shoulders and chest (it wouldn't let him go), ensnaring like serpents (but why wasn't he afraid?). The face (so blank and white, could it be even called a face?) turned to him, its burning gaze (how could it look with no eyes?) settling like a heavy weight on his shoulders.
"…Hello?" Alex finally said after minutes (hours, days, how long was he standing here?) his voice not breaking the silence but muffled by it (this was not a place for human words). "Who- what are you?"
The faceless head tilted to the side in- question? Curiosity? Could a creature like that even have emotions?
Talking seemed wrong (he was content to stay there, silent, unmoving, without care) but the eerie calm was slowly giving way to curiosity. "Can you talk? …Can you understand me?"
The creature didn't move, gave no indication it even heard the question (couldn't hear, couldn't understand, or simply didn't care?), and Alex let out a shuddering breath. Would the great mystery remain unsolved? (Before chasing the unknown, ask what the cost of knowledge is and decide if you are willing to pay).
The creature shifted, its branches sliding off and away, twining and fusing together until only two remained, hanging loosely down. The trunk shortened, its lower half splitting in two, and Alex watched mesmerized as the creature changed into a form that could be easily mistaken for human (Granny, why are your teeth so big?). The arm (no longer a branch) moved bonelessly, the pale hand (not human, never human) coming to rest on his shoulder. Curiously he touched the black suit (not cloth but close enough), the texture feeling the same as before (you can't change what you truly are), but such a perfect imitation (you wouldn't notice until it's too late, no lumberjack will save you now, Little Red Riding Hood) for a creature so alien.
"I have no idea what you want from me," Alex said glancing upwards at the featureless face. "Hell, I have no idea why I'm not running away screaming. Did you do something to me?"
No answer, not that he expected one (what was the point of talking to a star or a shadow? could they understand your words, could you comprehend their response?).
Glancing around he noticed that the mist became so thick, he couldn't see anything even a couple of feet away (don't look too close; what's hiding doesn't want to be seen), he was lost in the world of grey. Is that how people disappeared never to be seen again, lost amidst unearthly plains (was it better to pretend he had gone insane than admit his life was lost in vain)? No point now in getting afraid or trying to escape his fate (no one would come to his aid, he shouldn't have stayed but it was already too late). The mist crept closer, thick and white; no sound from it could be heard. It wasn't something one could fight, and it would swallow entire world.
The mist blocked his sight and dulled his senses like a blanket of static, until all was white, quiet, and dull, so when it cleared, and the creature before him was gone, he felt like waking from a dream that quickly disappeared, chased away by the sun.
Startled he looked around seeing the same sunny clearing and the trail half-covered in grass, clear sky and no trace of mist. The strange tranquility dissolved and the world seemed so much larger and stranger than before.
Shoving his hands in the pockets Alex hunched over slightly and walked quickly away from the clearing, thousands of questions whirling through his mind. Soon he was back in the crowd of unsuspecting people, though if he glanced behind every now and then, he would have noticed a creature, neither human nor tree, looking at him with its eyeless face.
Watching.
Waiting.