The Friendly Slendy.
CHAPTER ONE
Out of breath. Seeing double. Cold. Roxy was running through the forest as fast as she could, without looking behind her. Hoping to see something move, in the distance, anything at all. A light, a human, or a house. But there was nothing. it was pitch black and even the cloud of her own breath wasn't visible. She kept on running with one hand in front of her face, to prevent herself from bumping into a tree. She was running so fast that the ghostly silhouettes of trees were flashing past her. The only light was coming from the full moon, which was now scarier than ever, while shining through the dark trees. Roxy couldn't make it. She needed to rest, she felt as if her lungs could explode at any moment. She looked back briefly, but there was no one to see or to hear besides her own panting and the snapping of twigs on the ground. Next to a large tree, she stood still for a moment and bent over from exhaustion. Anxiously, she held her breath and kept herself as still as possible. It was dead quiet. There was nothing to see, not even the smallest animal. Fortunatly, it looked as though the two men had given up chasing her. She dropped down on the damp ground and cried from dismay. How could this ever had happened? She was seeing double and blurred, An obnoxious ringing sounded in her ears and blood was violently flowing through her head.
Roxy couldn't help herself, she needed to lie down. Carefully, she placed herself comfortably on the damp ground, Trying not to cut her bare arms and legs on the sharp thorns and twigs which were laying on the ground.
Looking at the full moons and the stars, high up in the sky, she was slowly starting to calm down. She was still very afraid, but the whole situation felt a little more realistic now. She was at least safe here, for a little while. Roxy let out a deep sigh. That stupid party. Those stupid alcoholic drinks. Those stupid men. Torned out, she closed her eyes for a while and thought back of the previous day.
It was Friday, and like every other day she was eating lunch at school with her best friend, Evie. Suddenly Claire, the most popular girl in the whole third class, popped out of nowhere at the table next to them. With her busty, slutty girlfriends she began to discuss a secret party, Held in the large, old barn of her boyfriends parents. There would be booze and cigarettes and lots of chips. Claire suddenly turned around to Evie and Roxy. She looked deeply at her, with a big, smirky grin.'Hey Roxy, ' she said, smiling.'Are you coming too, tomorrow? It starts at eleven.' She raised one eyebrow and blinked a few times, with her big, innocent blue eyes.
Roxy didn't know what to think. Was it a joke? She looked at Claire suspiciously. In the first class, she was always bullied by her, because Roxy was always alone. Claire had, at the age of thirteen, already quite large breasts, and with her blond hair down to her ass, she was quickly the most popular girl. Everyone turned against her, until she met Evie, a year later. At that time she had even larger breasts than Claire, and with her black eyeshadow and dark clothing everybody at school wisely got out of her way. Even Roxy. Until one day Evie bumped into her, while she was carrying a stack of glass for Chemistry. Everything fell on the hard ground and there were thousands of glass shards. They had detention together, but they continued to hang out ever since.
Claire 's face still hadn't changed. She seemed to be sincere about her invitation. But Roxy still didn't trust it.'Sure, ' she said in a cool way.'Can Evie come, too? ' Claire glanced at Evie, and Evie looked back at her, with her dark expression, still chewing on her peanutbutter sandwich. Without any movement, she silently stared at her, showing no fear. It made Claire slightly uncomfortable.'...Sure..., ' She said, smiling friendly at both of them.
The bell rang. Lessons started. Claire stood up, looking down at them.'Well, see you both tomorrow then! Toodels! ' She then ran to her classroom, with her girlfriends following her like her personal golden retrievers.
Evie stuffed her face with the rest of her sandwich and grabbed her schoolback. She glanced at Roxy.'Listen to me, Rox. Listen carefully, ' she said in all seriousness.'You are NOT, I repeat NOT going to that party. They 're going to use drugs and whiskey and lots of other stuff you don't even want to know about yet. And have you ever seen Claire 's boyfriend? He 's like 23 years old! Have you any idea what kind of guys are gonna be there? Seriously.' She rolled her eyes and sighed.
Roxy looked at her like she was crazy.'don't be ridiculous, Evie. That guy can't possibly be that old. She 's only fifteen! And besides, I'm out of there when I see white powder flying around or cute little pills being swallowed. And you're coming, too. We'll stick together. I've never been on a good party before! Come on Evie, don't act so silly.' She grabbed her bag and walked along with Evie.'Please? ' . Evie gave her quick look. Then she let out a deep sigh.'Fine. We'll go. But I'm watching you. And if Claire or someone else tries to do something with you, I'll kill 'em.' At that time, Roxy knew she was serious.
Little did she know all the good intentions would be forgotten the second they both came in to the barn the next evening. Metal and rock blasted out of the speakers, there was steam everywhere and there where dozens of coloured lights, shining everywhere. There seemed to be hundreds of people in there, all dancing and screaming, with bottles of beer in their hands. It took a while for both of them to get used to the festive, drunk atmosphere that hung there. Slowly they walked in, trying not to get deaf.'Let 's go to the bathroom first, Rox! ' Evie yelled.'I'm not sure if my make-up is still looking good.' She grabbed her hand and led her to the other side of the barn. The volume was now cranked up even more, and it was difficult to get through the large, dancing crowd. Something wet hit Roxy in the face and she screamed. They got to the toilets on time, because a huge bucket of beer was thrown into the crowd two seconds later.
The bathroom was filthy, and there was pee everywhere. It stunk incredibly like shit.
'Oh my god, Evie, would you look at this mess. Dear god, I think I'm going to be nauseous.' Roxy looked as if she was about to throw up. Evie laughed at her.'Are you kidding me, Roxy? What else have you expected? This comparing to normal disco 's is like a princess-toilet-paradise. It really isn't that bad. Jesus fucking christ, Roxy, what the hell happened to your clothes? '
'I got beer spilled all over me. Yuck, I stink.' Roxy smelled at her clothes with a disgusted face.'I changed my mind, Evie. Let's get the fuck out of here. I don't even like this kind of music and my father will kill me if he would smell my clothes. They riek at beer already and I'm not even ten minutes here. Please, let's go, ' she pleaded. Evies eyes whidened en patted Roxy on her shoulder.'Dear, sweet, innocent, retarded Roxy. ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS WITH ME RIGHT NOW?! ' Roxy startled.'What? What is it? do YOU even like this? '
'Well excuse me, Missy, but I didn't come all the way here to get spilled with beer and then go home again. The bus only costed like, six euro 's. And then I need to get back, too. And by the way, your dad is fucking wasted all the time, too. Like he would smell the difference in clothes. Oh, and we aren't even going to get home yet, the last bus left already, so we might as well have a good time here. Maybe we'll meet some new cool people.' Evie chuckled, while she put on a new layer of mascara on her eyelashes.'Just imagine the look on Claire 's face when she sees us kissing or dancing with some hotties of twenty years old. I swear to you. It'll be all worth it.' Roxy still wasn't sure.'I don't know, Evie. I could just call a cab, go home and wash all my clothes before my dad even notices I'm gone...'
Evie was starting to get annoyed.'Jesus christ, Roxy, you brought me here, saying you felt like partying, all in the mood of dancing because you have never been to a good party before, now I'm all up in the mood too, and you're bailing on me? Fine.' She placed her hand on the doorknob and looked angry at her.'You go home. I'll stay here. I'll show you what fun I can get without you. And I'll show Claire that she isn't the only hot one in here.' Just as she was about to open the door, Roxy grabbed her hand.'Please, Evie, let 's not fight, ' She said to her.'It 's allright. I'll stay here. But please promise me we'll get the hell out once they start throwing out pills or powder. And promise me you 'll stay by my side the whole night, Ok? '
Evie calmed down.'I told you that allready. I allready said that I'll be watching you.' She smiled.'Come on. Let 's go and find Claire.' She opened the door. Loud music could be heard through the walls.'We'll show her.'
Roxy smiled.'You go ahead, OK? Here 's my bag. My wallet and everything is in it. I need to pee first. I'll meet you at the bar. Buy a coke for me! '
'I'll do that! '
The door closed. Roxy held her breath as she locked the door of the toilet. Carefully, she sat down and started to pee. Then she washed her hands in the cold water, coming from a small tap. She opened the door and started to walk back into the dance floor. People were doing the polonaise, with glasses of alcohol in their hands. They all seemed to be having a great time. Roxy stood there for a moment, waiting for the group to settle down, so she could go to the bar. She tried to look over the group to see where Evie was, but the men were too large. Most of the people in here were about 20 to 30 years old. Finally the polonaise group splitted, laughing. She ran to the bar as fast as she could. She even climbed up a chair, looked from left to right, but she couldn't see her. God damnit, she thought. Where the hell did she go? She would wait here at the bar, right?
Just to be sure, Roxy waited on that stool, looking shily at her hands. She tried not to look at the bartender, or anyone else. She also didn't notice the guys two places next to her, drinking from their martini and peeking at her.
Twenty minutes later, Evie was still nowhere to be seen. From time to time Roxy climbed on her stool to look over the place to search for her. Evie seemed to have vanished. She also hadn't seen Claire yet. Roxy shrieked as she fell a hand on her shoulder. She turned around. A cute looking man was smiling at her. He had brown, short hair and blue eyes, and he was dressed in a poloshirt. He brought his lips to her ear.
'Are you waiting for someone? ' he asked loudly. Roxy nodded.'I would meet a friend at the bar here. I haven't seen her yet, though.'
The guy observed her, interested.'Well I guess you should be Roxy then. Am I right? ' Roxy was suprised.'Yeah, How did you know? ' The guy laughed.'Claire told me. She 's having some fun with a goth chick, Her name was Eve, of Evie, I don't know. She asked me to tell you that and that you shouldn't worry about her.
So there she was. Having fun with Claire, huh. Pssh.
'Could you take me to her? ' she asked him.
'In a moment, my friend is getting us some drinks. Do you like martini 's? '
'I've never had alcohol before, ' she answered truthfully. The guy almost died from laughter.'Never had alcohol before? What the heck? How old are you, like, 15, right? '
'Almost 16, ' she answered.
'That 's even worse! Jesus, you really got to try this out. We have all night.'
Roxy wasn't sure. She needed to go back to Evie. But she didn't want to be rude, so she followed him to the guys place at the bar. Another man was waving at her as she sat down. He held out his hand.'Hi, there. You're Roxy, right? '
Roxy smiled shily.'That 's right. What is your name? '
Before the guy could even answer, the other one said: 'Just for tonight, just call us Mr. X and Mr. Y.' He winked at her and handed her a drink.
'Here, have this. You gotta drink this in one go.'
She took the drink and smelled it. It had a weird scent.'I'm not sure, though, ' she said. The guys laughed.'Roxy has never had alcohol before, ' said Mr. X. Mr. Y bursted out laughing.'Are you freaking serious? '
Roxy was ashamed and drank the glass of martini. It tasted horrible. She coughed a few times, but she continued to keep a straight face.
'Very good, Roxy! ' Mr. Y said.'Was it good? '
She nodded, not quite honest.'Yeah, wasn't bad.'
Mr. X grinned.'Here, have another one then! ' Before she knew it, there were two other drinks of martini placed in front of her.
'If you can manage to drink them both without coughing, we will lift you up and carry you to Evie, OK? ' Mr. Y laughed.
Roxy thought for a second. She felt as if she became happier all of the sudden. Oh well, she thought. As long as Evie is having fun, I should too. She took both glasses and drank them. But she had to cough.
Both of the men bursted out laughing.
At that moment, Nickelback 's How You Remind Me blasted out the speakers.
Roxy smiled, surpised.'Hey! This is like, my favorite song ever! ' she exclaimed.
'Well let 's dance then! ' Mr. X said.
Both of them took one of her hands and together they walked over to the dance floor. Mr. X lifted her up and swung her around, while Mr. Y danced the weirdest dance she had ever seen.
A while later, Roxy found herself dancing the chickendance. She didn't even know how many drinks she's had. Everything was looking blurry and she was starting to feel a little numb. She had never had so much fun before. Both of the guys kept bringing drinks to her, danced with her and Mr. X even tried to kiss her, but he got bumped over by someone else. Roxy was laughing her ass off.
Mr. Y yelled in her ear.'Roxy, let 's get some fresh air, allright? '
She didn't even care anymore. She was having the time of her life, and even the fact that she had no idea where Evie was, seemed now totally unimportant.
'Sure! '
Both of the men held her as they walked outside. Roxy couldn't stop lauging. The two men couldn't either.
They walked over to two big, grey containers.
Roxy needed to lean against the containers, she rested a little.
Mr. X stroke her cheek.'Finally, we're alone, ' he said. He kissed her on the lips. Roxy wasn't sure she wanted this. X. opened her mouth and started french-kissing her.
Roxy 's mind was clear enough to know she didn't want to. She pushed him away.
Mr. X looked at her and raised an eyebrow.'What the hell? ' he said.'We 've been buying you drinks all night. This is the least thing you can do back for us.'
Mr. X lifted up her T-shirt and started to touch her breasts. Roxy now knew for sure she didn't want this en tried to fight back, but Mr. Y held her against the containers. Roxy tried to scream, and Mr. Y covered her mouth.
'You know you want this...' he said.
At this point, Mr. X was trying to get her bra off. This needed to stop, Right now.
In a blurred haze, Roxy suddenly kicked Mr. Y in the balls. He jumped backwards and grabbed his nuts, Moaning in pain. This resulted in her fighting off Mr X, and after kicking him too, She ran off.
'Get her, asshole! ' Mr. Y. yelled. 'Don't let that bitch escape!
Roxy was seeing blurry and she could barely run, as she ran into the forest that was covered in fog.
Roxy opened her eyes. She was feeling a little bit better now. She was still at the open spot, lying down. Roxy needed this little rest. She sat up, looked around her and listened closely if she could hear anything. But no. It was silent.
Roxy tried to stand up and started to walk slowly, although she had no idea where she was at. She didn't even remember from which side she came from.
Reaching out for her pocket, Roxy tried to grab her cellphone. The batteries were dying. She probaly would be able to call one more time. Roxy typed in Evie 's phone number.
'This number is not at service at this time. Please check your number, or try your call again, ' a female voice said. Roxy gave up. At that moment, she could hear some voices. Mr. X and Mr. Y.
Roxy immediatly started to panick. Fuck, where should she go? The voices were audiable from a near distance. If she 'd started to run, They would hear her. If she stood still, they would see her.
She anxiously looked around her, trying to find an answer.
Roxy had never felt more relieved when she saw a gigantic, climbable tree, only twenty meters away from her. She heard the voices getting closer.
Roxy took her chance and climbed up that tree as fast as she could. She was about seven meters high, and Mr. X and Mr. Y walked past.
'Toby, I swear to you, ' Mr. Y said.'I swear to you I'll fucking kill her. Just, take my word for it, man, That girl is starting from now a dead girl.'
'Absolutely, ' Toby said.'Besides, we need to get revenge on that bitch Claire, too, Jacob. Taking our Coke first, then not being able to pay it back, saying we could have fun with that Roxy-girl who ran off and kicked me in the fucking nuts, and disappearing shortly after. Did you see that goth chick somewhere? '
'Nope, ' Jacob said.'Last time I saw that cunt she was dancing with Martin. Pretty sure he 's getting lucky tonight, too.
Roxy 's heart was beating so fast that she was afraid it was hearable for Toby and Jacob. She held her breath.
Jacob and Toby stood five meters from the tree Roxy was in.
'Let 's go back now, we'll get that bitch later. And Claire, too.'
They turned around and walked away.
Roxy waited ten more minutes before she climbed out of the tree.
She was safe, for now. But she needed to find Evie. If she didn't pick up the phone, that probaly ment something terrible happened. She walked the same way Toby and Jacob did, carefully.
Five minutes later, she was totally desorientated. As if she was walking in circles. All the trees were looking alike.
BZZT
A buzzing sounded came from behind her.
What was that?
She turned around. A tall creature was standing there. it was dark, with long arms, and it looked like it was wearing a black suit with a red tie. It costed Roxy a lot of effort not to scream in fear when she saw its head. It was white, and it was gleaming in the light of the full moon. The creature had no face, no hair, No eyes.
Nothing.
Roxy gasped as what looked like tentacles came out of its back, reaching for her.
She tried to scream, to run away, but she couldn't. Roxy was paralized at its sight. Slowly, its tentacles wrapped around her waist and back and pulled her close to him. Roxy tried to fight him off, but she couldn't move an inch. As she got closer to the body of the creature holding her, she felt different. It was warm, to her suprise. It 's tentacles gave her a nice, warm and comfortable feeling. She began to calm down. Roxy didn't know what was happening, she felt herself getting weaker and weaker in it 's grasp. The creature didn't do anything, he was just standing there, holding her.
No,
Roxy thought, right before she closed her eyes. She felt like she could be sleeping at any moment now. She knew in her heart that this wasn't right, that she needed to get away from him, but she also felt so calm, so peacefull. Like nothing even mattered anymore. Not the two men chasing her, not Evie, who had been missing all night, nor her father who would kill her once she got home, or Claire. Nothing. Roxy couldn't help it anymore, She closed her eyes and fell asleep in the grasp of the creatures tentacles.
CHAPTER 2
Roxy awakened by the sound of the birds, chirping their early-morning song. She slowly opened her eyes, hardly remembering what had happened. She sat up, looking around her. The forest looked a lot nicer now. It wasn't as spooky as it was a few hours ago. It was still dark, but the fog had gone, and so had the full moon. The sky was dark blue, and only now she noticed the beautifull place she was at. She was at an open spot, where grass was waving in the wind and small, unknown yellow flowers were growing around her. A strong scent of beer suddenly filled up her nose. At that moment, all the horrible memories of that night came back to the surface of her mind, all at once. She rubbed her eyes and sighed deeply. What a night. She needed to go back home, she needed to call Evie, where the fuck she 's at. She also needed to apologize to her dad. But the priority was to get the hell out of here. Roxy thought back of what happened with Toby and Jacob. She got goosebumps at the thought of what happened.
But there's something more... Something that she's still forgetting, something important. Really important. Roxy dug into her mind, trying to grasp the last pieces of her lost mind.
Wait a minute... She remembered something. Got it.
Wasn't she standing besides a big tree? How did she got here? She stood up, and only now she noticed where she had been sleeping on. A big pile of moss, with her bodyprint still in it, lied before her.
What happened? How did she got here? She kneeled down and stroke the pile of moss. Then, as a flash, she remembered it.
The creature. The tall creature, faceless. Holding her. She didn't remember anything besides from that. Did he bring her here?
She looked around her, trying to see him. She still knew how she felt, scared, terrified. Oh, fuck.
Is he watching her now?
Shit, she needed to get away from here. Roxy immediatly got the cold chills all over her body. She got up quickly and tried to walk, ignoring her pounding head. It hurt. Hangover. She had no idea where she was and she didn't even know if she was walking in the right direction. But the trees seemed to be a lot more friendly now, compared to before. And if she listened closely, she could hear the sound of crickets. Roxy still didn't feel at ease in the forest. She was still very anxious, but her adrenaline had subsided. Her stomach turned and she was about to throw up. But she needed to get away from here, quickly.
Where the fuck did Evie go? That thought only sent a cold shiver down her spine. Maybe she got kidnapped. Headache or not, she needed to find her. Roxy was just as responsible for Evie as vice versa. She rubbed her forehead and sighed deeply. Unbelievable that she ended up here. Which way was she going, anyway? Her head hurted way to much and she was too tired to run. It was getting lighter. The air was dark-grey. She felt as though it was going to be another cold day.
For her sense hours later she saw a car racing by in the distance. Roxy was immediately re-energized. She knew she was walking the right way. She tried to run, but she was so tired it was even too difficult to stumble. With uneven, winding passes she made her way to the speeding cars. She had no idea what time it was, but certainly not too early to ask for a ride.
At last, Roxy fell down on her bed. Finally. A nice, warm and cozy bed. She felt like she had a fever. She grabbed her phone and placed it on the charger. Roxy tried calling again, but no one answered. Her phone was turned off. Roxy was exhausted and didn't even bother to take off her clothes. She just crawled under the sheets and fell asleep.
Roxy woke up the next morning by the sound of the bell. She had nightmares, about that creature, Toby, and Jacob. Still sleepy, she walked downstairs and opened the door.
Evie.
Roxy looked whide-eyed to her. She looked fairly happy to see her. She was all dressed up, clean, and looked cheerfull.
'Jesus freaking christ, Roxy, ' Evie said, with a smile on her face.'Where the fuck did you go last night? Having some fun with some boys without me, huh? HA! but don't worry, I got lucky, too. Glad to see that you're home OK, though.' She fistbumped her on her shoulder.
Roxy looked astonished. After all she had been through last night, after all the panicking, chasing, fleeing and constantly being trembled with fear, Evie got LUCKY?
Roxy looked at her, not yet able to say anything. But she was really, really pissed off. Tears started running down her face.
'Have you any idea what I've been through?! ' she screamed at her. Evie frightened.'What? '
Roxy started to cry. She pushed Evie over the doorstep, and she fell down on the ground.'OUCH! What the hell was that for? ' She yelled back.
Roxy was furious.'You left me all alone! I waited at that bar for half an hour and you weren't there, even though we 'd meet there. And two guys bought drinks for me, and took me outside to get some fresh air when I became drunk and then tried to sexually harass me.'
Evie was shocked.'WHAT?'
'I kicked them both in the balls and ran into that creepy fucking forest and got lost! I tried to call you but your phone was off. I thought you got killed.'
'Roxy... What the hell? ' Evie got up and tried to hug her.'I had no idea...'
'Get away from me! ' Roxy yelled. She pushed her again. This time she hit her arm painfully to the doorknob. Evie screamed in pain, as she grope her arm.
'This is all your fault! ' Roxy cried.'If you hadn't brought me there, if you 'd just pick up your phone, If you 'd just stood at the bar like you said you would, none of this ever happened! I hate you! '
'What?! ' Evie yelled at her.'MY fault? Excuse me, but I went to the bar right away and waited, but I didn't see you there. I searched for you, but found Claire. She told me that you were having some fun with two of her friends, and before I knew it I was drinking alcohol with some guys. My phone was empty, or else I would have called you, obviously. It isn't my fault what happened. But just keep on blaming me, if you wanna, but I'm not going to deal with this shit right now.' Evie turned around and took her bicycle. She stepped on and left.
'Yeah, go ahead! ' Roxy shouted.'Go away! I never want to see you again, you horrible bitch! '
Evie pulled out her middlefinger as she took a left turn. Gone.
At that moment Roxy's dad appeared behind her. He grabbed her hair and pulled her inside the house.'Where the fuck have you been? ' he asked loudly.'Well? '
Her dad hit her in the face, unexpectedly, and Roxy began to see stars.'I've searched for you all night, you stupid cunt! Where were you? ' Roxy was in pain, but she didn't care anymore. It was all way too much to handle in 24 hours. She knew that it wasn't true that he searched for her. He placed her drunk-as-fuck dad in his own bed, for fucks sake.
'Liar! ' she yelled. That was a mistake. Her dad became furious.'LIAR? ' he shouted.'LIAR? I'll show you who's a fucking liar. He hit her, kicked her, punched her until she stopped moving. Roxy wasn't even able to cry anymore when he was done. She felt like dying, right now, to end the pain.
'You're the one who's a goddamned liar, Roxy. Get out of my face before I'll kill you.
She remained lying on the ground. Roxy knew nothing was broken. Her dad got into the kitchen to get a bottle of beer. It took Roxy a lot of effort to climb the stairs.
The door of the livingroom slammed so hard that it sounded half the wall was about to fall down.
She lied down on her bed, still exhausted, scared, and in pain. She didn't cry.
Roxy didn't know why, but she wasn't able to.
Roxy stared at the ceiling with whide eyes, hardly being able to move. Because off all the pain, She wasn't able to sleep either. Roxy thought of the tall creature that hold her the other night. Roxy had never seen anything like that before. Should I search him up? she wondered. Well, trying couldn't hurt.
She started her computer and she went to Google.' 'Tall man, ' ' she typed. Roxy didn't get much results. It was mostly about basketball.
"No face, black suit" She added later, and hit enter.
There it was.
Slenderman.
Roxy clicked on it. There were dozens and dozens of stories. People being chased by him, how he uses his tentacles to grasp and kill and eat little children and anyone who got in his way.
Roxy stared hypnotized at the stories. She couldn't stop reading it.
Later, she found a link: Slenderman Sightings.
This was even worse than a story.
These were pictures. You could see him clearly standing there, besides a group of children, who were missing right after the picture was taken.
After she saw a photo of the Slenderman devouring a child, Roxy couldn't take it anymore. She shut off her computer and went to bed. She was glad it was sunday.
She was worned out, so she pressed her pillow on top of her head and sank into a deep sleep shortly after. She dreamt of the Slenderman of his pale face. His tall form. Not trying to attack her, just standing.
In her dream, Roxy started to wonder something. And she knew that she wouldn't ever get a good night sleep if she didn't figure out the answer.
CHAPTER 3
The next day.
He was standing right there, in the distance. Roxy had no idea what the hell she was doing. The only thing she knew was that she couldn't possibly move on with her life if she'd had to live with this uncertainty.
Why didn't he attack her?
Did something about her stop him?
After all she knew about him already, all the horrible stories she had read about Slenderman, how he rapes en murders young children as soon as they come close to him, in nearby woods or playgrounds, it is impossible in accordance with how safe, relaxed and calm she felt the other night, as he firmly took her. He saved her somehow, dropped her into a toxicating sleep and carried her to a safe place. It simply wasn't right, and it didn't matter anymore what happened now, she was ready. She wasn't afraid of him from this distance. Roxy zipped up her coat some more and tied her scarf tighter around her neck. Slenderman could've murdered her right then, if he 'd wanted to, just like he had always done, but instead he protected her and took care of her. Something really strange happened that night, and she was not planning on going away before she knew what it was.
Slenderman featureless face was still looking her way. Less than sixty meters away he stood before her, silently. His tentacels weren't visible, which seemed to have implanted in his back. Roxy couldn't see much of his form, because under his waist was a thick, misty fog. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and the Slenderman looked spooky, with the gray background,
'I'm not afraid of you! ' Roxy screamed at him, without quite realizing what she was doing.'I know what you are, I know who you are and I know what you have done! '
Slenderman responded. He moved his head slightly, but remained where he was.
'Are you coming, or what?! ' She yelled.'I want you to explain to me why you didn't kill me, when you had the chance! ' God damn it, she thought to herself. Why did he just stand there? Why did he do that? He should 've been grabbing her by now, abducting, murdering, anything!
Suddenly, from one moment to another, Slenderman disappeared. It startled Roxy a bit and she looked around her, but he seemed to be vanished
No freaking way, she thought angrily. Where the hell did he go this time?
The fog was splitting rapidly, and was blown away moments later. The forest again looked normal and peacefull.
Roxy felt relieved on one hand. At least she had the certainty she would live on if he was gone. She would be able to retell others all the strange things that had happened to her, even though it was going to sound crazy to everyone. Probaly no one would believe her, they would say it is a cry for attention.
Bzzt.
The same short, static sound came from behind her. Roxy jumped with fright and quickly turned around.
Slenderman.
Less than five meters away.
He was even taller than in her memory, and from this close he looked about four meters long. But he looked the same as before. Same long limbs, which could be hardly called arms or legs and the same suit with the red tie and the same white, featureless face.
Slenderman 's arms moved twitchy back and forth, but he made no sound. Roxy held her breath, trying not to show how scared she was. But she didn't only feel fear and terror towards him. Roxy was also pissed off. This was most certainly not the way that it was supposed to go. She shouldn't be here, questioning this horrible, dangerous monster why he hadn't killed her. She shouldn't have come here especially to see him for such a ridiculous thing.
She should 've been happy and relieved to be alive. And with no one ever believing her, she would be going to therapy, and after dozens and dozens of sessions she should be telling even herself that none of this ever happened.
But instead of all that, she was here. In these woods, in front of this creature. This monster, called Slenderman. She should be terrified of him. She should ran away and try to get the fuck out of there, But she wouldn't had a chance of survival if she did. Roxy didn't want to acknowledge it, but somewhere, deep down in her terrified heart, she had a weird, particular interest in him.
For several minutes they were standing there, facing each other, both unable to say anything or even make a sound. All of a sudden, without warning, Slenderman moved a bit closer.
Roxy did a step backwards. Her heart beated like crazy while she looked up to him.
'I know what you are, ' she repeated calmer, with a raspy voice.'I know what others call you. I know what you're doing to children. I've seen pictures.' She looked mad at him.'I want to know why you haven't done the same thing to me.'
The Slenderman kept his head tilted. A long, thin arm with a large, bony hand, moved her way. Roxy had the greatest effort not to cry out of fear and the nerves. Here it comes, she thought. Now she was going to get killed anyway. She closed her eyes, waiting for whatever happens.
Her wrist got covered by a warm, firm, bony hand. Roxy freezes. A sickening feeling suddenly dashed through her entire body. She felt dizzy. Her head was pounding.
The tentacle that was holding her hand, weakened. She was released. Roxy opened her eyes. Slenderman was now in front of her nose. He didn't do anything, he was just looking down upon her. Then he moved slightly away from her. Only now Roxy noticed that they'd ended up in a different place. Where did he bring her? Did he kidnap her to his own space? For a quick moment she peeked around her.
To her surprise, they were on the open spot in the same forest, where she woke up yesterday. The earth was damp, sandy, and a few feet away there was still the pile of moss where she was laid down.
The Slenderman moved his hand and all of the sudden, the big tree next to them fell down with a loud crash. Roxy yelped and jumped to the side. Slenderman turned to the tree, and sat down on it. Roxy didn't know what to do. She hadn't been kidnapped, that was obvious. It also didn't seem like he wanted to detain her, or eat her, or to do anything else to her. It looked like she could just run away if she 'd wanted to. She knew the way from here, at least to highway. But instead of being wisely and to do so, she walked up to Slenderman, and sat down next to him on the tree. Slenderman kept his head bowed and his claws folded around each other. He seemed to be lost in thought.
Roxy glanced in his direction. Then she sighed deeply. 'I don't understand, ' she said quietly. Slenderman looked her way. He had no eyes, but Roxy felt he saw her, and listened to her. He remained silent.
'You're called Slenderman. You're hiding in forests and playgrounds. You kidnap and kill anyone who comes in your way, especially small children. I don't know why. I don't think I even want to know. The only thing I'm interested in, is why you haven't done the same to me, and why you still do not do so.' Roxy held her breath out of tension. Slenderman gave no response.'I'm not afraid of you, ' Roxy continued.'It is only just a matter of time, before you jam me into your tentacles and take me to wherever, To kill me in whatever horrible way. I have already accepted that. I've read about it. You wouldn't leave me alone until you do anyway, So I don't care.' Roxy folded her hands together and sighed.'You're a monster and my days are finished. You're going to murder me, but I do have the right to know why you didn't do so immediately! '
Slenderman shook his head. He slowly moved his hand to the ground, and started writing.
'What are you do-...'
Slenderman pulled his arm back and placed it on his lap.
NOT ME
Was written in the ground in large letters. Roxy was perplexed.'Not you? What do you mean, not you? Obviously yes you! I've seen the pictures. You're always standing there with children. Children who subsequently are lost or killed horribly shortly after. You're the one who did that, And still does that.'
Slenderman pointed at his red tie. With his other hand he wiped the text from the ground.
NOT BLACK
NOT ME
He gazed at her. Roxy didn't get it.'What do you mean? Are you not the one who abducts children, and afflicts them in forests and playgrounds? ' Slenderman moved his clawy hand back to the damp earth.'NOT ME 'he wrote again. Roxy looked at him suspiciously. She hardly dared to ask what she wanted to ask.'But then... who does it? ' she whispered softly.
Slenderman moved his hand back to the ground and started writing again.
BLACK TIE
REAL SLENDERMAN
KIDNAPS CHILDREN-KILLS THEM
DANGEROUS
NOT ME
Roxy couldn't believe it. Was the being what she was speaking to now, not the real Slenderman what she had read about? have the intentions of them both something to do with the color of the tie they wear? But ... If so, who or what is this then?
'You're not Slenderman? ' she asked, carefully.
Slenderman shook his head. NOT ME, He wrote for the fifth time, in the earth. He kept looking at her. Roxy was a bit too afraid look back.'But ... Who are you then? ' she asked lightly, while facing toward the ground. Roxy was still struggling to look at him. Something about his featureless face made her slightly uncomfortable.
Slenderman was writing.
SLENDY
NOT DANGEROUS
PROTECTS CHILDREN
RAPIST-KILLERS-SLENDERMAN
TO BE TRUSTED
Roxy couldn't believe her eyes as she read the message. She jumped from the log and stared speechless at what Slendy wrote. This can't possibly be. Trust? Protects against Slenderman? That makes no sense at all!
Slendy stood up and looked down at her, silently. Roxy was confused and shook her head. Then she looked at Slendy 's pale face. There was nothing to look at, but she felt that they were looking at each other. 'Slendy ...' she started her sentence. She could hardly believe that she was actually calling him so as well. Slendy reacted with a flick of his head. Roxy took a deep breath. 'Slendy ... I don't really get it. You look like Slenderman, but you protect children? Of rapists and murderers and whatever? That doesn't make sense! I just can't believe it.'
Slendy turned around, slowly. A tentacel crawled along his back to the ground, and started writing.
YOU WILL DREAM
YOU WILL BELIEVE
I MUST GO
GO HOME
Slendy turned back to her. He placed his large, bony hand briefly on her head and suddenly, he vanished.
Roxy was left behind on the open spot. She stared dumbfounded at Slendy 's last message, that was slowly being blown away by the wind. Only the word DREAM was still vague to read.
Where did Slendy go? And what did he mean by Dream? Roxy got slightly frustrated.'What do you mean, dream? do you ever finish your story, Slendy?! ' she shouted, to no one in particular. A few crows flew away, loudly cackling, and after that, the forest went totally silent again.
Roxy felt insulted. Go home, he says! She came here to interrogate him and now he 's saying she must go home! Roxy slowly started to go back to the barn. The longer she walked, the more it became clear to her what she actually had done.
She went to the slenderman, all by herself. Slenderman, who could 've murdered or abduct her! Roxy holds her step and covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes whidened as she stares into the distance. Had she become out of her god-damned mind? Has she really gone to the forest by herself, looked him up, and even challenged him? Roxy squeezed her arm, hoping that she 'd wake up in her bed to discover that this has all been just a dream. But nothing happened. She is indeed awake.
That means Slenderman is real.
That means none of it had been a dream.
She could've been dead by now.
Roxy went on with her walk, but she still couldn't believe that she did what she did.
She had also thrown herself as bait, for a dangerous figure! Even though she now knows that Slenderman, no, Slendy is supposedly not dangerous. He almost looked like he had a problem with her calling him a monster.
She shook her head. Nonsense. All this makes no sense. It 's just too ... Bizarre. A mystical creature in front of her. Helps her and meets her. Calls himself Slendy. Slendy, for fucks sake.
Roxy looked around. The forest now looked more like a normal park and the sun had finally broken through. Bright sunrays penetrated through the remaining leaves on the trees. She heared birds chirping loudly and crows screaming at her. Strange enough, she didn't feel as if she just barely escaped death. She knew it could've been that way, but she didn't really feel it that way.
Maybe that 's because there has never even been a death threat to begin with. Slendy didn't murder her, and he wasn't even intended to do that, either.
Whatever he was, he was certainly not the dangerous creature she was so worried about this past weekend. He looked alot like it, but he wasn't.
Roxy looked at her watch: 9:05. School had already started. She should call and tell them that she's sick, before they'd call her dad. Another beating was the last thing she needed.
She grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and flipped it open. She typed her password and waited for the beep of the signal, but it never came.
Roxy stared at the screen. NO SIGNAL, it said, in big letters.
'No, of course no signal, huh, you stupid old thing! ' Roxy grumbled. Jesus christ. Just her luck. She sighed irritated and started to run. Maybe she'll get service once she 's out of the forest.
After ten minutes, she got out of breath and ran slower. She was almost at the large containers.
Roxy shudders at the memories. Toby 's smelly, dirty hand to her mouth, while Jacob tried to pull her pants off... Roxy shakes her head. She shouldn't think about it. Without looking at the containers began to run again, straight to the bus stop.
Once Roxy got there safely, she felt more safe. She looked at the times of departure. There go three buses from this stop, one to her house, to a Ewinbury- where her grandparents lived - and one to Shearings, the largest city in the region. About ten minutes.
She took her cellphone out again. To her relief it started beeping. Yes! A signal!
She choosed the number of her school and took her cellphone to her ear.
The phone rang five times.
'Good morning, Zeuscollege, Pittens location, this is Joanne. Who is this? '
Roxy cleared her throat and coughed excessively hard.
'Hello ...' she said softly, with a fake hoarse voice.'This is ...' She coughed even harder.'...Roxy Jones... From 3C.'
'Well hello Roxy Jones from 3C! ' Joanne exclaimed happily in the telephone.
'Are you okay? '
Roxy tried to restrain a giggle but sneezed extra hard in the phone instead. She made a nasty, snotty, snorting sound.
'Nah...' she said weakly.'I'm very sick ... I can't go to school today.'
'I'm hearing it to you, girl! I'll sign you off for today. Take a note when you're feeling better, OK? ' Joanne asked friendly.
'Yeah ... I will! thank you! '
Joanne hang up the phone. Well, Roxy thought. That 's taken care of.
A few minutes later she saw her bus coming from the distance. She went to shearings, bought Ice cream and a pair of socks, and reluctantly returned home.
That night, she dreamt again. She was standing in the forest, at daytime. The sun was shining and she saw a little girl playing in the grass. Then suddenly, a man came up to her, and asked if she wanted candy. The little girl said yes and took his hand.
Slendy appeared next to her. WATCH, he wrote in the dirt.
Not knowing what else to do, Roxy followed him. The little girl suddenly screamed.
She ran to the little girl, but it was too late. She had been murdered. The man was trying to undress her, but suddenly Slendy grabbed him and killed him; slitting his throath, breaking his neck like a twig. He then threw him away. Slendy took the body of the girl in his arms and Roxy watched as he suddenly disappeared. She now was alone with the dead men's body, except for Slendy 's message on the ground, that read:
MY JOB IS DONE WHEN SOMEONE IS MURDERED.
SLENDERMAN WILL TAKE OVER THE FOREST.
CHAPTER 4
Slendy stood in front of her. He grabbed her hand tightly, that was so much smaller than his, and led her back to the open space where they met for the third time. This was the first time that Roxy saw him without him being scary looking. Oddly enough Roxy felt as if she was there with a friend this time. His appearance didn't matter anymore nor how tall and obscure he looked. Now she was sure Slendy was nothing to be afraid of.
Together they sat down on the trunk again. Slendy didn't do much. He just remained motionless and stared into the distance. Roxy grabbed a muesli bar from her backpack and tore it open with her teeth. She stared at it for a while, thinking. Then she turned to Slendy.
'Slendy? '
Slendy looked at her. He cocked his head.
Roxy held the muesli bar in front of his face.'Do you eat this? '
Slendy shook his head.
'Then what do you eat? '
NOTHING,
He wrote on the ground. Roxy looked astonished at him.'Nothing? '
SLENDY DOES NOT NEED FOOD
GETS HIS POWERS FROM SOMETHING ELSE
Roxy looked doubtful. Something else, huh...
Then she remembered a story she had read about Slenderman. He skins children alive, in order to devour and regenerate. Yuck.
'Hey, but if the Slenderman needs to eat children to regain power, how do you get power if you don't eat anything? '
Slendy looked like he was thinking. Then he began to write slowly.
SLENDY IS DIFFERENT
DOES NOT NEED THAT KIND OF POWER
DOES NOT NEED THAT KIND OF FOOD
DOES NOT WANT IT
Roxy understood and nodded. Maybe Slendy himself didn't know how he came to strengths either. She began to eat her muesli bar and it remained silent between them.
Suddenly Slendy sat up and focused. His arms moved nervously.
'What is it? '
Slendy didn't respond, but stood up. A shadow fell suddenly all over the afternoon. It became darker.
'Are you okay? What is happening? '
He leaned toward her and grabbed her hand. The next moment they were back where they just saw each other. He let her hand go.
Roxy already got used to the nauseating feeling that she was getting, every time they teleported.
She stood still for a moment to come around, when she noticed that Slendy was writing something. Then again he put his big boney hand on her head. And gone was he.
GIRL- DANGER
SORRY
TOMORROW
Roxy giggled. What mythical 'bad ' figure says 'sorry ' if he has to rush off to go to protect someone. She turned around and whistled while she walked to the edge of the forest. She already saw her bus coming in the distance, so she started to run.
At home she went straight to her room. She wanted to go right back to her drawing of Slendy. On each drawing she has seen on the Internet, he was portrayed badly. Or creepy. But she knew better now. Slendy was far from bad. He was not an angel, he had to kill people, but only those that doesn't deserve to live. Rapists or murderers, who were about to take an innocent child's life or maim them mentally for the rest of their lives.
With a dissatisfied face Roxy looked at her drawing. Slendy, sitting on a tree trunk at full moon, with his head leaning on his hand, as if thinking deeply.
If only she could know what he was thinking of. If only he could talk to her, or to communicate directly, enter a real conversation. Leaving behind the writing in the sand and earth, and instead having a real conversation with him. Maybe even hear his laughter.
Roxy hadn't noticed whether Slendy had a sense of humor on not. She needed to ask it, or test out soon.
Just when Roxy wanted to proceed with her drawing, She heard the door beating. Her father. She jumped off her bed, laid the drawing upside down on her desk and hurried downstairs.
Too late.
Her father was drunk. He leaned back against the front door, Snorring loudly. He smelled terribly of alcohol and cigarettes. Roxy shook him awake, cautiously.
That was quick.
With a shock, her father woke up of his daze. He looked at her, pissed off.
'Goddammit Judith, you woke me up. Let me sleep. You do the baby.' He closed his eyes again and tried to motion Roxy 's arm away, that tried to help him.
'Fuck you! ' he muttered vaguely.'Take care of that fucking kid yourself. I'm not doing it.'
Roxy sighed. This happened before, while he was drunk. On those times, he always thought she was her mother. 'Dad, come on, there 's no baby and there is also no Judith. It's me, Roxy. '
Her father's mind got slightly clearer. 'Roxy? Oh damn, that is that brat that went to a goddamn party in the middle of the night and left her father. But she came back, crying. ' He snorted and tried to get up. 'Help me up, you stupid cunt, and do something useful. ' Roxy pulled at his arm. After much toil and him falling over on purpose he was finally up. She supported him and installed him on the couch. Then she placed a blanket over him, Which her father motioned away from him. 'Fuck off with that blanket, I'm not four. Make some food. And don't you dare to let it burn. '
Without saying anything, Roxy went to the kitchen and put on a pot of water on. It was Friday, so that would be... Rice with vegetables.
She already got used to the way her father dealt with her, he did so since the death of her mother. But if he was sober, it was usually ten times worse. He couldn't even stand on his legs now and that reduced the chances of a beating up.
Roxy was just stirring in the vegetables when her cell phone went off. An unknown number. She looked undecided for a moment, whether she should take it or not. But she clicked YES and brought the phone to her ear.
'Roxy Jones speaking, who is this? '
It remained silent.
'Good ... afternoon... ' It sounded uncertain on the other side of the line. 'This is Eve McAdams, Claire 's mom. Are you Roxy from her class? '
Upon hearing that name she got the chills.
'Yes... That 's me. How can I help you? '
Eve sighed and cleared her throat. 'Well, you see ... My daughter hasn't come home since the day before yesterday. She left a note that she was staying over at a friends house...Rachel. She doesn't answer her phone and this morning we looked through her agenda, for Rachels number to call her, But Rachel said that she hasn't seen her the entire week... '
Roxy heard her sobbing supressively. Eve took a deep breath.
'Oh Jesus, ma 'am, ' Roxy said shocked. She put the gas a little lower and leaned against the counter.
'I've seached trough her agenda, but there was no clue on where she went. Only the name Roxy kept coming back. Your phone number was there, too, so... '
'I haven't seen her all week, ma 'am. I don't know why my name came back repeatedly. But I will look for her and call everyone I know. '
'That 's very kind of you, girl. She 's so young ... Where can she be? Her boyfriend doesn't know anything either, ' she said, with a tears-choked voice. 'But I'm going to call every person I find in her contactlist. I already called the police. Thanks for your help. '
'I'll keep you informed, madam, ' Roxy said. 'Claire'll be back in no time.'
Shit, she thought when she hung up the phone. She was pretty sure Toby and Jacob had something to do with this. They would take revenge on her, and also on Claire.
Roxy felt a bit restless. It was only a matter of time before she would be kidnapped herself. Slendy wouldn't be there for her. He had to stay in his own forest, which was his territory. The nerves made Roxy put the gas from high to low, and she kept on stirring firmly in the rice. Every fiber in her body was tensed with the thought of what could happen to her.
She was no longer safe.
She was no longer safe, anywhere.
She still had a fight with Evie. Whenever they met at school, Evie turned her head away. So now also at school, which was a safe haven first, she was naked now, unprotected and unsafe. Even at home, where her father was often drunk, felt even more as a punishment to go back to.
But instead of going to school or home, she was now welcome in Slendy 's forest. When she was there for the first time, she had never felt so anxious and at risk. But now she knew Slendy, and Roxy smiled every time when she thought of the forest. She couldn't stay here. She needed to get away, as soon as possible.
Roxy brought her father a bowl of rice and vegetables.
'Yuck, ' was the only thing he said.
She knew from that moment on that she never wanted to go back here again.
Roxy made a decision.
CHAPTER 5
A loud creaking and crackling. Roxy jumped. She stood in the forest, Slendy 's forest. It was foggy, windy, and withered leaves whiffled across her face. It was light, but there were stars in the sky. She had to think. How did she get here? She couldn't remember anything.
Through the mist she barely noticed the tall figure of Slendy. Roxy smiled and wanted to walk towards him, but her legs didn't cooperate. Slendy stood motionless beside the trees. He seemed as long and slender as the tree itself. Roxy looked at the ground. The wind rose up from the ground and in the earth, letters were formed slowly. It was the handwriting of Slendy.
COMMUNICATE
DO NOT KNOW IF WORKS
DRAW CIRCLE, LARGE CROSS
STAND IN IT
DO NOT BE AFRAID
As soon as the last letter was written, it suddenly became pitch black around her. She felt scared. She tried to scream, But no sound came out of her throat.
Roxy was startled by the two warm arms wrapping around her. She recognized that feeling immediatly.
She looked up. His face was still vaguely distinguishable from the darkness. His pale, expressionless face.
Slendy firmly closed Roxy against him. She felt suddenly more peacefull, calmer, more relaxed. She closed her eyes.
A voice that sounded like a whisper, insisted in her ears.
'DO NOT BE AFRAID, ' it said. The sound of the voice filled Roxy up with confidence. It was soft, it was comforting. It was Slendy.
'YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR, ROXY. ' Slendy echoed a bit. It was completely dark around them, but it was windy. She was held securely.
'WE WILL TALK TOMORROW. IF IT WORKS. '
Roxy smiled and nodded. 'Yes. We 're going to talk. '
Slendy let her go.
'SLEEP. '
The next morning Roxy awoke, startled. Slendy was the first thing she thought of. Roxy sat up and rubbed her eyes. She did her best to remember her dream. A circle with a cross, standing in it. Roxy thought back for a moment to the point where she was in his arms. The warmth and security.
With both legs at the same time she swept out of her bed. As quietly as possible, she crept by her father 's room and turned on the shower. Last night, with a lot of trouble she brought her father to his room and let him sleep. He passed out as soon as he touched the covers, so Roxy hadn't bothered to pull off his clothes. Just let him sleep out his daze.
She packed lunch and cleaned the kitchen. She would stay away for as long as she could, so she grabbed much. Four sandwiches with cheese and strawberry jam, six packs of orange juice and two apples.
She snatched her wallet out of her pocket and put it in there. Then she tied the bag shut and went to the toilet. All of a sudden she heard noise coming down the stairs, and she froze. Shit, how could he already be awake? It was only half past nine in the morning! Usually, he rolls out of bed around two 'o clock in the afternoon and goes to the pub.
Her father pounded loudly on the door., 'ROXY! ' he bellowed. 'Get your fucking ass of that toilet, immediatly! ' Roxy began to tremble. She recognized that tone, that was definitely going to be a beating. She pulled her pants and flushed. Slowly she opened the door, who was pulled from her hands and swung open. Her father glared.
'You dirty, filthy, lousy, backstabbing cunt! ' he swore. 'Wanting to go outside and leave me alone in this mess, huh? I know what day it is today. It 's not a school day, I can tell you! You have no reason to get out of the house this early! ' He pulled her hair and dragged her away from the toilet.
Roxy screamed. Her father shook her and hit her in the face. 'WELL? ' He shouted. 'Where were you planning on going? ' She was thrown to the ground. She felt her father kicking her in her stomach, her legs, pulling her up by her hair and throwing her down again. Roxy laid as still as possible. She screamed in pain, pain from all over her body.
She was drawn up again, and her father punched her so hard in her face that she fell to the ground.
This was enough for her father. He gave her the last kick and walked into the living room.
'You're staying home today, filthy bitch! ' He shouted. 'You can make yourself useful here! ' He slammed the door.
For her feeling hours Roxy remained in the corridor. Like always, she checked if she was still able to move. She could, but breathing hurted and she felt sick.
With great difficulty, she got up and looked in the mirror. There was a large red spot under her left eye. That 'll soon be blue. And she had a nosebleed.
Roxy stumbled upstairs to the bathroom, where she washed her face. Her nose wasn't vissibly injured but the red spot under her eye was clearly visible.
She couldn't stay here. She had to leave. She had something to do today.
There was only one thing to do. Roxy went to her room and looked out the window. The drainpipe was still quite skewed from the last time she had been climbing there. She could not walk or breathe well, so this was going to be difficult. But the sooner she was gone, the better.
She slipped down to catch her backpack. She looked through the window of the kitchendoor to her father. He sat on the couch watching TV with a bottle of beer in his hand, laughing his ass off. With a little luck (and especially with all certainty) that her father drank two or three sixpacks and would be sleeping all day. Roxy went back upstairs and tied the backpack around her shoulders. She slammed her window wide open as quietly as she could. It was windy and it made a lot of noise, so she had to be quick. Carefully she placed her right foot on the windowsill. A stab of pain shot through her leg and she bit her lip to keep herself from screaming. But she had to continue. Roxy jumped up, what hurted even more, and wrapped her legs around the drainpipe. It made a terrible noise. Roxy slid herself down, foot by foot. Finally she felt the ground and let go. Relieved, she took a breath and ran as fast as her body allowed through the gate and to the bus stop.
It took longer than usual before Slendy appeared. Roxy stumbled a few laps and waited impatiently. She stood in the same place as always. She was not to be missed!
Suddenly he appeared beside her. Instead of deterring, Roxy smiled and gave him a hug. Slendy did a surprised movement. He grabbed her shoulder and brought his face close to hers.
Roxy looked down, was biting her lip and didn't say anything. Slendy took her hand and the next moment they were back in the open spot in the middle of the forest.
She didn't sit down right away, but picked up a long branch from the ground and made a circle. Slendy looked at what she did. Then she drew a cross in the middle and sat down.
'You sent me that dream, right Slendy? ' she asked him.
Slendy nodded.
'I've done what you said. Should we be able to talk now? ' She shrugged and nodded to the circle.
Slendy came up to her. He placed his hand on her head.
The same, loud crackling as in her dream was suddenly heard. And his voice.
'WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? ' Slendy asked. He leaned over her and with his index finger he tapped her cheek.
'WHO DID THIS? '
Roxy moved his hand away and looked at her shoes.
'No one, ' she whispered, hardly understandable.
It sounded like Slendy sighed. 'SLENDY KNOWS WHEN YOU ARE LYING, ROXY. TELL SLENDY WHO DID THAT. '
'No! ' Roxy pushed him away and looked angry at him. Were they finally able to talk, he began to nag about a small red spot. 'Slendy, I didn't come here to talk about me. I want to know things about you, OK? '
Slendy made a fist of his hand and brought it to his head. His pale face looked at her, silently. Roxy couldn't look at him, so she sat down on the trunk. She grabbed her backpack and took out a cheese sandwich.
Slendy eventually sat down too. He didn't say anything, he didn't do anything, like always.
Roxy was also lost in thought. She couldn't possibly go back home. There were guys who were after her. Only here in the forest, She was safe, as long as Slendy was here. She would have to tell him what happened. Roxy stood up, sighed, went up to Slendy and drew another circle with a cross through it on the ground. She sat down on it, across from him.
Slendy looked up and placed his hand on her head.
'YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TELL SLENDY IF YOU DO NOT WISH SO, ' he said.
Roxy smiled. 'I didn't know you knew so much about human emotions, Slendy,' she said. She heard Slendy making a snorting sound.
'SLENDY NEEDS TO KNOW A LOT HUMAN EMOTIONS. TO COMFORT LITTLE CHILDREN. ERASE MEMORIES. BRING THEM TO BETTER PLACE. '
This was new to Roxy. Slendy always looked very silently about his tasks, and now he was telling her about it.
'What do you mean? ' She asked.
It took a while before Slendy answered.
'CHILDREN MURDERED. CONFUSED. SCARED. NEED TO GET TO THEM BEFORE SLENDERMAN DOES. NEED TO SAVE THEM. NEED TO BE SOMEONE THEY WILL TRUST. '
'What do you mean, someone they'll trust? don't they think you look scary? '
Slendy looked straight at her. With his free hand he pointed at his pale face. 'REASON SLENDY HAS NO FACE LIKE YOU. PROJECTING THE FACE OF THE ONE THEY LOVED THE MOST. USUALLY PARENT. MOM. DAD. '
Ze thought of her own parents. Mom who died early in her life, whom she never had to chance to love, and her dad, who 's always beating her up. Who she loved the most, huh. Yeah, sure.
'Where do you take them? ' She asked, while taking a bite of her sandwich.
Slendy looked doubtful with his answer. He carefully removed his hand from her head and brought it to his lap. There he sat again, lost in thought, without giving an answer.
Roxy didn't care, She had enough of her own thoughts. She thought about the new information she 's just gotten, and swallowed her food.
She liked this about Slendy. He let her forget all her worries and fears for a while. Roxy did not know where that was related to; The fact that she knew she was safe with him or because Slendy had such a relaxing aura around him.
Slendy looked at her, how she ate her sandwich. He felt that there were many things what bothered her, but who she didn't dare to think about. He couldn't figure out what, unfortunatly, his powers didn't go that far. Roxy noticed she was being watched. She looked up at him and smiled. 'You do not have to tell me if you do not wish so, ' she said with a smirky grin. Slendy moved his head a little and placed his hand back on her hair. Through the cracking she head him laughing.
'YOU ARE SOMETHING. '
'You know, ' Roxy said. 'I 'd like to think of that better place as a beautiful forest. With flowers and big trees and the most amazing animals. Am I about right? '
Slendy shruggered. No answer.
'Ok, I won't ask you anymore if you don't want to, but can I ask you something else though? ' Roxy asked.
'YOU CAN ASK ANYTHING. NOT ALWAYS ANSWER. ' It sounded significant.
Roxy shifted herself in the circle and rested her head on her hands.
'Slendy, Do you have friends? '
He tapped with one finger on her head.
'SLENDY HAS ONE FRIEND. ROXY. '
Roxy seemed surprised. She, a friend of Slendy?
'When did you decide that? ' she asked teasingly.
'ROXY, 'he said. Slendy suddenly sounded very seriously.
'YOU DID NOT SCREAM WHEN YOU SAW SLENDY. YOU DID NOT FLEE OUT OF THE FOREST, SCARED TO MEET SLENDY AGAIN. YOU THOUGHT YOU READ STORIES ABOUT SLENDY, YET YOU CAME HERE AGAIN AND ASKED WHY YOU WERE AN EXCEPTION. YOU WERE NOT SCARED. YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS TO GET TO KNOW SLENDY. SLENDY WANTS TO GET TO KNOW YOU AS WELL.
ROXY IS NOT AFRAID, ROXY IS MY FRIEND. '
His voice was soft, wistful and sincere. Roxy was speachless. No one had ever talked to her that way. She looked at him, her eyes suddenly started to itch. She wanted to cry so badly, over the pain in her body, the pain in herself, but also to the sweet things Slendy says about her, to her. Slendy got up and reached his bony hand to her. Roxy looked at him with tears in her eyes and took it. They were alone together, without saying anything. Slendy 's other hand was still placed on her head, there was nothing to hear only the creaking and crackling from Slendy 's thoughts. Roxy took a deep and trembling breath. She tried hard not to burst into tears. She rubbed her eyes, but it was already too late. All the tears she hadn't shed that morning, all the tears she had held in all week, all the tears she should have shed came out now.
Slendy immediately put his warm, comforting arms around her. Also his tentacels wrapped around her and pushed her against his warm body.
'IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT HAPPENED. SLENDY WILL PROTECT YOU FROM THE PEOPLE YOU RAN FROM. SLENDY WILL PROTECT YOU FROM THE ONE WHO DID THAT TO YOUR FACE.
DO NOT BE AFRAID.
DO NOT BE AFRAID."
Slowly Roxy calmed down. She was lifted by Slendy 's tentacels and he gently wiped her tears away. Roxy began to feel drowsy.
'Slendy ... ' she whispered softly. Her eyes were closed. 'I want to tell you what happened. But I'm about to sleep... '
Roxy could almost feel that he smiled.
'YOU CAN SLEEP. YOU NEED REST. YOU CAN STAY. SLENDY WILL NOT LEAVE YOUR SIDE.'
Roxy could say no more. She felt numb in Slendy 's embrace and the creaking and crackling slowly faded away. Roxy carried away in a deep, dreamless sleep.
A group of crows flew up. Roxy was slowly waking up. It was already getting dark. She felt faint. She was yet again lying on a big pile of moss, and she was alone. Roxy sat up and rubbed her eyes. She yawned and stretched herself. The fog around her had gone, and the evening sun was shining through the trees. In less than half an hour it would be dark again. Roxy got up, but she was way too weak . Maybe it 's better just to sit. She had no more strength. But then she noticed her backpack laying on the ground.
Food.
She walked to the trunk, grabbed her sandwiches and drinks and sat down. After her third sandwich she began to feel way better.
Then she noticed the message in the ground.
SORRY
LOST CHILDREN BEING CHASED
WILL TAKE A WHILE
STAY HERE
SLENDY WILL BE BACK
Roxy smiled, She knew Slendy was going to take care of her.
Suddenly her phone rang. A weak signal beeped when she picked up her phone.
'Roxy speaking? '
'Roxy? It 's Evie. '
Roxy stiffened. She cleared her troath.
'Oh. '
Evie sounded like she was outside her house. She took a deep breath.
'Hey... Listen. I don't want us to fight. I'm sorry, OK? about everything. '
Roxy swallowd laboriously.
'I'm sorry too. ' she said. 'I don't want to fight either. I shouldn't have yelled at you. '
'Of course you yelled. You panicked. '
'Yeah... How 's your arm? '
'Way better. '
'Oh, OK. '
It remained silent. She could only hear the rustle on the telephone.
'Are you at home? ' Evie asked.
Roxy doubted. Should she tell her? She wouldn't believe her.
'I... I won't go home for a while. '
'Your dad? '
'Yeah... But don't worry about me. I have a place I can stay. I'm safe. '
'Are you sure? You can always come here, you know. My mom said the same thing.'
Roxy started to feel warm inside. Evie is really sweet. Like her mother. She would love to go, but she wasn't safe. When she goes, she'd also bring Evie at risk.
'Thanks for your offer, ' She said eventually. 'But I'll be allright. I need to take care of some things. '
'Oh... Ok, ' Evie said. 'Shall we hang out tomorrow? We need to catch up. '
Roxy knew she wouldn't be able to come.
'How about monday afternoon? I need to do something tomorrow. '
'Allright. '
It remained silent again.
'Roxy? '
'Yeah? '
'Dinner 's ready. I'll call you tomorrow, OK? '
Roxy smiled. 'Ok. Say Hi to your mom for me. '
'I'll do that. Take care, Roxy. '
'I will. '
She hung up the phone, smiling. That Evie. On monday she would tell her everything, except about Slendy. That was her secret and hers alone.
Her phone started to ring again. What a coincidence.
Claire, It said on the screen.
Claire?
CLAIRE?
Confused, she took the telephone to her ears.
'Claire? '
A voice whispered. 'Roxy, is that you? Oh Roxy. '
Claire sounded as if she was about to cry.
'Claire, where are you? What happened? '
'Roxy, I need your help. I'm in danger. Please, get here. '
Roxy looked at her phone, suprised.
'What? '
'I made a mess. I need your help. You're the only one. Come here, quickly, ' She said, almost crying. 'Please? '
'Roxy knew the answer. 'I will. Where are you? '
Claire paused. I'm at the barn of my boyfriends' parents. Where we had that party... Remember? '
That meant... She was not that far away from here? She should act quick.
'I'm close. I'll be there in a moment. Stay there.' She hung up the phone.
CHAPTER 6
She knew it was a stupid thing that she did, especially because Slendy told her to stay here. Outside the forest he wasn't able to protect her. But the call of a classmate, even though it was Claire, was now far more important than her own safety. She had been missing for days, and was probably deep, deep in trouble. She had left a message for Slendy, saying that she 'd be right back, but now she thought about it, He would be able to sense her prescense, right?
There was definitely something strange going on. Roxy hardly realized what she was doing as she shuffled slowly to the edge of the forest. She just needed to help Claire, at all costs.
The wind began to blow harder, it sounded almost like a warning, but Roxy ignored it. She couldn't hide anyways. Someone needed her help. Even though she wasn't able to do much, she felt obligated to help.
Eventually she got the edge of the forest. As always, this place brought the chills down her spine. The large, gray containers were still in exactly the same place, and even the empty bottle of beer laid there, blown away a bit, though. Roxy decided to take it as a weapon. She sincerly hoped that she didn't have to use it. She put it in her backpack. For the last time looked at the forest and bit her lip.
She could 've gone back and stay safe. But she knows how she is, she could never have a good night 's sleep with the thought that she could 've helped, but didn't. Roxy clenched her fists and took a deep breath. Here it comes.
She gets down past the containers.
Suddenly, Claire appeared in front of her. Roxy was shocked seeing her all of the sudden.
'Claire! ' She hissed loudly.'Here you are! Where the fuck have you been? Everyone is looking their asses off for you! '
Claire looked at her, with her deep blue eyes. She looked battered out. Her hair was messy and cut short, she was dirty and her clothes were torn.
'Oh, Roxy ...' she said softly. She closed her eyes. Big tears rolled down her cheeks. Claire sobbed softly and hugged her.'Roxy ... I'm so sorry ...'
With a worried smile, Roxy rubbed her back.'Shh ... Calm down, Claire. It 's OK. We have to go home.' Claire shook her head wildly and held her at arm 's length.
'I'm so sorry, Roxy ... Forgive me...' She looked sad.
Claire took a few steps backward. Roxy didn't understand.'Claire, what are you doing? What is- '
At that moment two hands closed around her mouth and dragged her along. Roxy screamed, but her voice was muffled by the hands, strangled around her neck. She was brutally dragged to the containers. She tried to call Claire for help, but she shook her head, full of tears, and walked away quickly.
Roxy tried to fight her attackers with all her strength, but they were stronger. In a flash she saw a face, she would recognize at once. Toby.
This was her nightmare, she relived. Toby trew her forcefully against the tip of a container. Roxy saw stars and almost fell unconscious on the ground. The two men dove immediately on top of her. Toby tried to cover her mouth and eyes, Someone else fiddled with the button of her jeans. Jacob.
She tried to scream, to Slendy, help but no more than a muffled sound could come out of her throat. Roxy fought with all her might, but it didn't help. Jacob her pants and tried to pull it down. The tears ran down Roxy 's cheeks while she swung around, panicked, trying to reach for something to defend himself.
The bottle.
Toby was touching her breasts, Jacob was still tugging on her jeans.
With a huge blow, she smacked the bottle on Toby 's head. The glass broke and his grip slackened. Jacob lost his concentration and looked visibly shocked at the limp body of Toby. Blood was gushing from his head.
Right after that, Jacob got an huge smack of the broken bottle too. Jacob screamed from pain and grasped his head. As fast as she could, Roxy pushed them away and ran for her life.
In panic and in tears she ran back into the woods.
'Slendy! ' She yelled, as loudly as she could. There was no response.
Roxy heard footsteps behind her. It was Jacob, running after her.
'Stay where the fuck you are, Bitch! ' He yelled, furiously. The sound of a gunshot then penetrated through her ears. He missed.
Now she was truly running as fast as she could. Her fear gave her feet wings. Roxy was terrified and cried. Where is he? 'Slendy! ' she screamed again, as loud as she could.
Before she knew, she was lying on the ground. She tripped over. A nasty pain shot through her leg.
She couldn't get up fast enough. Something hit Roxy in the head and she became dizzy. Jacob had caught up to her.
He ran his hands through his hair, they were covered in blood. Roxy laid moaning on the ground, and Jacob looked scornfully at her.
'So, here we are again, Little Roxanne. Did you really think you could escape from us a second time? Well, you could of that weak fucker Toby, but I'm tougher than he is.' He threw his gun in the air and catched it. It gleamed in the light of the moon.
Jacob took the gun in his hand and loaded it. He then knelt beside her and pointed it at her head.
'We are going to have some fun with you. And you're going to do exactly what I tell you to, or else I let my big friend here say something you might not like.'
Tears were running down her cheeks. She shook her head.'don't do this to me, ' she pleaded.
Jacob laughed mockingly.'Oh, I WILL do this to you. And if you do not cooperate now, I'll do it in a different order. Because then I just smash a bullet through your head and then I do what I want with you.'
He tapped his gun against her forehead.
'So, What about it? '
Roxy now knew for sure that her days were numbered.
Not last week at the party.
Not when she got lost
Not when she came home.
Not when she came back for Slendy.
Not yesterday morning, when her father hit her rotten.
But now.
Roxy suddenly felt calmer. She had known all along.
She will die here.
With her last strenghts, she tried to move.
'I'll never stop fighting, ' Roxy uttered. 'I'll never let you do to me what you want. I will fight until I die.'
Jacob sighed and smiled evil at her. He pushed the gun against her forehead. Roxy stared back at him, unflinchingly.
'Well babe, congratulations. That's what you just did.'
He pulled the trigger. Everything immediatly went white.
As in a dream she saw Slendy emerge. Furious tentacels shooted at Jacob and grabbed him. Sharp, bony fingers slit his throath. Jacob cried out in pain, that changed in the gurgling of his own blood. Slendy threw the mutilated body of 27-year-old Jacob Mallows away and now focused on Roxy 's body.
'I came too late, Roxy. I came too late.' Slendy took her dead body in his long, thin arms and pressed it against him. Blood dripped on the floor. Slendy leaned his head and pressed it against hers.
'I came too late, ' he repeated.
'You came too late, Slendy.'
He seemed to scare a little. Slendy turned around, unable to utter a word. Roxy smiled at him. Then she looked at her own dead body in his arms. Roxy walked over and whiped her eyes closed. She took her own body over from Slendy and put it down on the ground.
Slendy came to her and wrapped his arms around her.
She feels warmer, freer, calmer and more peacefull than ever.
'Sorry I came too late, ' Slendy said, while he pressed his head against hers.
'You came. That 's the main thing.' She hit her arms tightly around him.
They stood there like that, for minutes.
'Hm. I don't have to draw circles anymore to understand you, ' Roxy remarked suddenly.
Slendy laughed.
'That's because you're a creature of the same energy as me now, ' he replied.
'That was also the reason you heard cracking through my voice. Unequal energy. That symbol you had to draw was a gate between your mind and mine.'
Roxy had an idea. She looked up at him with innocent eyes.
'Does this mean I'm allowed into your world now? ' she asked, smiling.
His warm tentacels already started to wrap around her. Immediately she felt sleepier than ever.
'Only if you really want to,' Slendy replied.
Roxy almost lost herself in his embrace.'Nothing would be better than that, ' she whispered.
Slendy lifted his only friend in his arms and tentacels. He could now finally return to his world, leaving nothing but Roxy's body and Slendy 's revenge on Jacob. They both looked back for the last time as they saw the Slenderman appeared to take over the forest.
Slendy held Roxy closely to him and walked into the thick mist of the forest, and into his own, mysterious world.
THE END.