AN: WOOH! Part 2! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating regularly. But, this is the last chapter I have pre-written so there will probably be longer waits :( I have a vague idea where this story is going, but I want it to be good. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when I write so it could be a while until I'm satisfied and ready to post. We learn a bit more about Slender's family in this chapter and Josie has a little accident D:
PLEASE NOTE: I am from Australia, so hospital procedures are based on what our system does. I don't know how other countries work but I've done my best to make it realistic. I'm not a doctor, so I'm sorry for any inaccuracies! I've also changed the chapter numbering, just to make it a bit more understandable. I was getting confused with all my word documents, so...hehe, sorry about that, hope you don't mind XD
WARNING: Slightly graphic beginning and sad little girls.
OKAY enough chit-chat, on with the story now!
EDIT: I realized I had said some things in here that didn't match up with future chapters! I have a serious continuity problem!
Retreating Shadows: Part 2-Chapter 1
The boy dashed through the undergrowth, stumbling over branches and splashing through puddles. He looked over his shoulder and only saw the empty trees. Relief flitted through his mind for a split second, and then he saw a black and white flash just a few feet away. His heart leapt into his throat and he turned his head around, going into an all-out sprint. His clothes were torn, bloody and completely soaked in adrenaline fuelled sweat.
He screamed as loud as he could, making his throat burn. In amongst the cries for help he shouted in German, "No! Go away! Help somebody! HELP ME!" The air was cold but his skin was on fire. His brain produced adrenaline to make his body endure the running, but he was getting tired. He started to slow down but he heard a sinister laugh from behind him and he sobbed, picking up his speed again. He desperately cried for somebody to save him. He tripped over a root hidden in the leaves and he landed hard. He scrambled to get up again, but something wrapped itself around his ankle and his blood ran cold. The thing dragged and lifted him upside down into the air. All the blood rushed to the boy's head, making him dizzy. He was brought close to the face of his pursuer and the thing smiled. The mouth contained bleeding gums with a row of sharp broken teeth. The boy, bloody and bruised, screamed the loudest he had ever done in his life, yet the thing's leer didn't waver.
It feels good to be up and about again. It thought as it silenced the boy with a sharp finger. It wandered back into the foliage, boy dangling limply from its tendril. It disappeared from view.
Slenderman teleported into his bathroom and lit a candle with a tendril. Strong winds rattled the windows as he turned on the shower. While he waited for the water to warm up, he peeled off his sodden jacket, placing it with great care on the back of a chair. He then carefully folded each article of red stained clothing and positioned it all down on the seat. He stepped into the bath and ducked under the hot water. He felt the muscles in his back and neck loosen and he started washing his skin. Red colours swirled and disappeared down the drain, leaving streak marks on the creamy bath floor. Slenderman turned off the tap when he was clean and stepped out of the shower, drying himself off with a large towel. He then dropped the fabric on the floor and dressed in his now clean clothes.
Slenderman walked down the front steps of his little cabin and started along a track going through his forest. He drew his jacket slightly tighter around himself as the cold air and strong winds battered against him. Slenderman's body had healed from his day out with the little girl, and he now saw how important it was to make sure he was able to endure the travelling again. Every day he had been taking slightly longer walks through his forest, starting at one hour and adding another one each day. Slenderman was now able to walk for just over half the day without getting too sore. As he walked he considered what he would do to occupy himself. He thoroughly enjoyed the German boy in the Black Forest, but he was simply a distraction, albeit a delicious one. He smiled at the smell of metallic blood, forever burnt into his memory.
Slenderman abruptly stopped, the quiet rustling of his movements now silenced. Sounds of wind howling and twittering birds filled the air. Something is wrong. He thought. He calmly considered what it could be. He searched all of the psychic links he had with humans from all around the world. There were many people he had not finished off yet and he checked in on them, poking and prodding at their mind's veils, looking for disturbances. He found nothing out of the ordinary, until he came across the little girl he met a fortnight ago. He saw her sobbing on the ground in Northumberland Park, clutching her wrist. The park looked deserted, the wind blowing the girls hair around her face.
Slenderman cut off his psychic connection and thought about his next move. He did realize this was a good time to interact and learn about her.
Additionally, he thought the best approach for him to learn the most he could from her was to make sure she was happy and welcoming of him. This was the perfect opportunity to go and be 'the good guy' and fix her wrist. He felt something uncomfortable and strange in his chest.
He passed it off as indigestion from the boy earlier. Slenderman teleported back to the cabin and burst through the front doors. He rapidly opened and closed cupboard doors in the kitchen, looking for the medical supplies he had collected recently.
As soon as he opened the right cupboard and saw the bandages and medicines, he realized he had no idea how to fix a human wrist. Slenderman knew how to heal his own kind and himself, but had very little knowledge about how to heal human's as he usually never bothered with it. Unsure of what to bring, he stuffed the entire contents of the cupboard into his large coat and trouser pockets. He checked he hadn't forgotten anything before disappearing.
Josie was sitting on the dewy grass, holding her wrist limply in her hand. Sobs wracked her body and the cold breeze made her shiver. She didn't move because her arm hurt so much. Her Mum and Dad had gone out to dinner and left her with a babysitter earlier that evening. When Josie saw that the babysitter had fallen asleep on the couch, she took her chance and ran out to Northumberland Park, hoping to see her Slendy. Josie had been running around, ducking in and out of the forest when she tripped.
She looked around her, hoping to see someone. The strong wind blew her hair into her face and made it hard to see clearly. She was trying to pull it away while still holding her wrist when she saw a tall man. She recognized him immediately and called out against the strong gale.
"SLENDER! Slendy, you're here! Over here!" She stood up gingerly and walked towards him, grimacing as her steps jolted her wrist. Slenderman was fiercely happy that he had arrived before anyone else could get to her. He ignored this emotion however. He teleported close to her and walked the rest of the way. She stopped moving, mixed between crying out in pain and laughing manically because her Slendy was here to save her. Once he was close enough, he scooped her up in his long arms swiftly, wrapping his arms and tendrils around her tightly. She gasped and new tears slid down her face. Slenderman felt a pang in his chest again as he realized he had hurt her. He pushed this feeling down and reassured her, whispering sweet nothings and words of comfort into her ear as he walked out of the park, the little girl still held firmly in his grip. He walked quickly into the forest, out of sight of anyone.
"Slender, I need to go to home. I'm not meant to be out here!" Josie said desperately. She knew she was in trouble and her Mummy and Daddy would be mad. Slenderman now understood why she was all alone out here so late- she had run away. According to the moon in the sky it was approximately nine o'clock. He knelt down on one knee and gently lowered her to the ground. He set her down carefully and said,
"Little one, I cannot carry you, but I will walk you to the hospital." The girl looked up at him and asked,
"Why can't you carry me? My wrist hurts so much." She sniffledand Slenderman felt even worse. He ignored this feeling once again and explained,
"I can make myself invisible, but I can't make you invisible. So if I carried you in town, it would appear as if you were floating." He tried to make the situation seem funny to cheer her up. She gave a watery smile and nodded her head.
"Okay…well, will you walk with me to the hospital now? I'm really cold." She drew her arms closer to herself and trembled. Slenderman shook his head, chastising himself. He should be hurrying her along. While he might be feeling pleasantly cool in this stormy weather, she must be freezing.
"I'm sorry; I've been taking too long. Let's get you out of here." He walked out of the forest, now invisible to everyone but Josie and strode briskly along a road. He lengthened his arm and looped his long hand through her arm, which was grasping her wrist still.
Slenderman's hand felt very warm on her arm and she squeezed it to her side tightly. He squeezed back gently while walking along the road, looking down at her. He saw his chance and seized it.
"So little one, do you have a name that I can call you by?"
Josie looked up at him, incredulous. "Of course I have a name! Who doesn't? My name is Josephine Annabelle Periali," She puffed out her chest proudly, "but everyone calls me Josie." She paused, thinking about something. Slenderman repeated the name in his head. It sounded nice, it suited her. She then said slowly,
"Do you have a full name? I only know you as Slenderman and that's only one word. Weren't there other names as well? Do other angels like you normally have more than one name?"
Slenderman stopped walking and looked down at her, shocked. He had been called many colourful things, some of the most spiteful by his own family, but he had only ever been called an angel once. But that was a long, long time ago, back in 1702. He thought about her question very carefully, silent and still. Josie just stood by him, clutching his hand to her side, desperate to soak up is warmth. He eventually answered:
"No. Other angels like me don't have multiple names, only I do." He continued walking once more, his shoes clacking against the tarmac. Josie questioned why quietly and he replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, "Well, uh…I guess, I, just…umm….have met more people than you, and… they're usually the ones who give me the extra names."
"Didn't your parents name you? Mummy says that Daddy chose my name." The wind picked up and Josie sniffed; her fingers and nose now numb.
"Yes, my Mother did name me. She called me Slenderman. The other names came later. She was the one who named all of us." He said, though the last sentence more to himself than Josie. He had not thought about his Mother in decades. He hadn't seen her in even longer. While he relived memories of his early childhood, Josie was trying to ask him a question. She poked his hand hard and he looked down at her. She sighed deeply and repeated her question.
"I said: Who is 'us'?" Slender replied,
"My brothers and me. There are three of us," He took his arm away from Josie and ticked of his fingers as he spoke, "There's Trenderman, who's the oldest, me: Slenderman and then Splendorman, whose the youngest. Mother named all three of us; Father told me that Mother was the best when it came to names. She was well known in our world for it. She was always able to tell what our personality would be like, and therefore; what our name should be. Personality is a big part in what our names are; some of us changed our names to suit what we were like when we were older."
Josie took all of this information in and said excitedly, "They sound nice! I want to meet your brothers!" Slenderman laughed dryly and replied sternly.
"Oh, no you don't. We are not going to see them." He looked down at her, looping his hand with her arm again. He sighed when he saw her face. She looked absolutely distraught. She was still holding her broken wrist limply and was looking up at him with big sad eyes. He took one look at her miserable face and melted, saying stiffly.
"Fine, we'll go see them. But not soon…maybe in a month or two." Josie grinned broadly; glad that she would meet is brothers. Meanwhile, Slenderman was scolding himself harshly. I can't believe what I'm doing! I'm making plans with a human girl about meeting my family! What is wrong with me!? What will my parents say? I could pretend she's my proxy. I probably should make her my proxy, Slender recognized. Oh God, what will I do about Splendorman?
They arrived at the hospital and Slenderman stopped and knelt down. A light drizzle had started, and while it wasn't heavy; it was icy cold and Slenderman could feel his body temperature dropping. He said hastily,
"Alright, I need you to go through the doors, and tell them you broke your wrist. They should help you and when you come back out, I'll be waiting here for you here. Alright?"
Josie nodded, teeth chattering, her face and hands completely numb,
"If they ask how you got here, just say that you walked. Okay?" Josie nodded again and rushed inside, her legs stiff from the cold.
She sighed gratefully as a warm blast of air hit her when she pushed the front doors open. She walked inside; happy that she wasn't in the rain anymore and approached the front desk. There were several nurses all bustling around. Some were wearing different coloured scrubs, flicking through papers and others whom Josie assumed were the administrate women, were talking on phones and writing on note pads. Josie saw a sign above the desk saying 'Triage'. She looked around and saw all of the chairs in the waiting area were filled. They were mostly young people who had gotten drunk. Some were passed out or groaning as they held their heads in their hands or nursed bleeding knuckles.
As she neared the desk, she saw an overweight middle aged woman. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun. She put down her phone and saw Josie walking nervously towards her. The woman sighed, tired from her long day and walked around the desk. She hitched up her pant legs and crouched down. She said sweetly,
"Hello there, sweet heart. I' looks as if you've hurt yer wrist, do you want me to help you wi' that?" Josie nodded and said politely,
"Yes, Miss." She offered the woman her hand, and she took it gently, examining it. Josie winced in pain as she bent the wrist back and forth. The woman apologized and said,
"Well honey, I' looks broken and tha' makes it a Ca'egory 3 Tier. You're gonna need a cast for tha' wrist. Where are yer parents?" Josie remembered what Slendy had said and she said rushed out in one breathe,
"I walked here, I broke my wrist in the park and I walked here." The woman glanced at her skeptically,
"Oh, really? You were all alone?"
"Yes, Miss."
The woman stood up again and sighed with a sympathetic look on her face. She hated having to say this,
"I'm sorry love, but yer too young to come in here alone. Even if you did have an adul' to sign for you, you'd be wai'ing here for hours. We've had a very busy nigh'. Too many young people out partying and such. You'd do better to go to a General Practitioner." Josie looked back at all the people in the chairs. Most had passed out and were slouched in their seats, drooling. There were buckets everywhere. Josie guessed from the smell what they were for.
She wasn't sure what to do next. Did Slender want her to stay here and wait? Or should she go back outside and tell him what the lady said? The woman hurried back behind the desk and wrote something down on a note pad before answering another phone call, no longer taking notice of Josie.
After gathering the courage, Josie walked back outside into the frigid cold. She whimpered as the icy wind whipped across her face. She walked as fast as she could to Slender, who was leaning slightly on a light pole, if anything, looking bored.
He spotted her and rushed forward, whipping off his coat. He crouched down and wrapped the jacket around her. As soon as the fabric touched her, Josie felt much warmer, but she was still shaking.
"Why are you out here again? I told you to go get help." He said sternly. Josie whimpered, she did not like the tone he used.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry! T-the lady said th-they were t-too busy, and I sh-should go to a G-general P-practition-ner!" Josie was so cold, despite the coat that her teeth chattered uncontrollably. Slenderman stood up and tilted his head, thinking hard. Josie stood still, shaking and teeth chattering. She was still holding her wrist and struggled to keep the coat from sliding off her tiny shoulders. Eventually, Slenderman came to a decision. He stood and picked her up again, wrapping the thin coat around her tightly. Josie sniveled into her arms as her wrist was compressed uncomfortably against her chest.
He turned around and started walking in the opposite direction briskly.
"W-where are we g-going?" Josie moaned, still trembling in his arms. He held her tighter to his chest, desperate to give her some of his remaining heat, though he could feel his core body temperature slowly dropping. The rain became heavier and his shirt clung to him.
"I'm taking you to see my brother. Now, hush. You need rest."
AN: Oooohhh, where we gonna go?! Who's house it gonna be?! *dramatic music*
Please review! It makes me so happy to know that people are reading and enjoying! Constructive criticism welcome too!