He was running. His breath had become rather ragged and expended. He didn't have the energy to go much further into the woods. The wind seemed to static around him and the thunder cracked in the distance. The static grew louder and louder until he had to clutch his hands to his ears.
This boy's name was Karkat Vantas, and he was fighting a massive headache. The static was making it worse. He started slowing down, breathing becoming rapid. Then he saw it. A tall faceless man was standing there in the distance, watching. He began to turn around, but the minute he did, Karkat could see the man again in the distance. Everywhere he turned, the man stood there, and it seemed that the man was getting closer.
The child fell on the ground and hugged himself tightly. The salty tears were streaming down his face, then he was there. The man was towering over him. The man spoke with the mouth he didn't have. It sounded like a thousand echoes booming in his head.
"Well nøw. What have we here? Anøther little øne whø just sø happened tø stumble intø my wøøds. I just løve it when they cøme intø my dømain, nøt knøwing what tø expect. Yøu knøw, they say 'curiøsity killed the cat.' Well, I guess it døubles før human children. Døn't wørry nøw child; This will ønly hurt a løt," he cooed in a surprisingly sympathetic tone.
Karkat shivered and started to sob. The man picked him up with his long, flexible tentacles protruding from his back. The slick tendril threw the limber boy into the darkness that suddenly surrounded them. Then, everything faded.
We switch to another place; we travel to the other side of the country in an instant. Another little boy is sitting at home. His mother comes upstairs to his room with news to tell. They're moving. This boy's name is Jeff.
"Mom, why do we have to move?" Jeff asked.
Liu, his elder brother, looked at him with sympathy.
She sighed audibly. "Jeff, sweety, your father has just gotten a big promotion, so we need to move to accommodate him. We're moving to a new city in Washington where we will be living in a bigger house, and you two will be going to a bigger, better school."
With that the woman turned and left. The suburban home in Florida would be empty by the beginning of next week.
Jeff stomped across his room to pack his things. He heard a pat-pat-pat behind him. Jeff turned and saw his dog, Smile. They had gotten him when Jeff was three, and he had named the husky pup Smile because it looked as if the dog was smiling. Smile nudged his way under Jeff's hand, and Jeff pet the dog lovingly, saying "You're a good boy," to assure the husky everything was okay. He sighed and looked out his window. There were some boys beating up a bunch of little kids. Something hit him, more than anger. But he brushed it off for now, as it was getting late. He'd deal with it in the morning.
We travel back to the first boy, Karkat. He is currently having his unconscious body strapped to a stone wall for preservation. The slick tendrils peeled off the boy's sweat soaked clothing. This boy is covered in cuts. The Slender Man assesses the wounds. These were not simple forest scratches. This boy was beaten by someone, and it wasn't an older human. The bruises were the size of a small fist. This boy was being bullied. The Slender Man concluded that that was why this boy die-bombed into the woods.
Slendy, his pet name, grabbed some bandages from the nearby operating table. His assistant, Sally, must have left them there, with the inclusion of some pain killers. This would work perfectly.
The Slender Man wrapped the boy and cleansed his test subject before taking a final look at the young boy. He looked about ten. His face was slightly angled, but still had a single layer of baby fat. His white hair lay haphazardly across his forehead. It was short and had a semi-style to it. The pile of duck fluff on his head was knotted from the fist fight he appeared to have lost. His skin was an extremely fair white. All angles of the ten-year-old were slightly curved and not very defined.
Karkat coughed and sputtered, his eyes fluttering open. They widened at the sight of the Slender Man, the red eyes worried and scared. The boy tried to scream, but found that he was gagged. Slendy jumped when the boy made a sound.
"Shhh, my child." Slender Man said soothingly. "I am just mødifying yøur hørribly beat-up and bruised bødy. All I am attempting tø dø is heal yøu. Yøu understand, døn't yøu?"
The boy thought for a minute, and hesitantly agreed to let this man help him. He didn't have much of a choice, however, so there wouldn't be any use in protesting. What was he trying to accomplish? Was he going to be a sacrifice? Oh god, he thought. Maybe I'm going to die.
The faceless deity looked like he gave a smile.
"I'm glad yøu have decided tø cøøperate. Nøw, if yøu wøuldn't mind, tell me abøut yøurself. If I am able tø dø with yøu what I want tø, we will be spending quite a bit øf time tøgether. I want tø knøw at least sømething abøut yøu."
Karkat took a deep breathe, unsure about trusting this man, before speaking, "My name is Karkat Vantas." he spoke in an unusually, for him, quiet tone. "I was born here in Washington. I live with my abusive, drunk father, my drug addict mother, my sixteen year old man whore of a brother, my fifteen year old sister who currently resides at Eastern State Hospital, and finally, my autistic little sister. She is obsessed with cats, and I mean she skinned a few and made a stupid little hat."
The Slender Man stood in silence while he cleaned up the remains of the bandages.
He noticed the conversation had stopped, so he urged him on, "Gø øn."
"Well, I'm in the sixth grade, and I have some...bullies."
The Slender Man shot awake at the word. He had grown up with bullies of his own, but his were verbal, not physical. He was suddenly intrigued with in this boy's life, and ceased with his tidying and turned his full attention to the boy.
"Tell me abøut these bullies øf yøurs. I wasn't sure if that was where yøur cuts came frøm, but I want tø knøw abøut them."
"Their names are Randy, Keith, and Troy. They are the biggest bunches of assholes I've ever met! They're all thirteen, and in the seventh grade. They-"
"Wait a minute," the Slender Man interrupted, "Yøu mentiøned priør that yøu were in the sixth grade, and they are thirteen and in the seventh grade, are yøu truly twelve human years øld?"
"What? NO!" feeling more comfortable around his captor, he returned to his normal volume. "THOSE DUMBASSES WEREN'T ABLE TO PASS THE SEVENTH GRADE WITH THEIR GRADUATING CLASS! I JUST SKIPPED INTO THE SIXTH LAST YEAR. ACCORDING TO MY INSTRUCTORS, THE WORK FOR MY GIFTED PROGRAM STILL DIDN'T CHALLENGE ME AS MUCH AS IT SHOULD HAVE. MY SCHOOL DISTRICT FOUND IT NECESSARY TO UPGRADE ME TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL TO INCREASE THE DIFFICULTY OF THE WORK."
"Yøu seem tø carry a higher mindset then the øthers yøur grade level even. Høw øld are yøu?" the faceless man chuckled.
"TEN."
"Sø, my hunch was right."
Their conversation continues to the Slender Man asking a sensitive question to the boy.
"Dø yøu want tø return høme?"
The question hung in the air for a minute. Slender Man was suddenly regretting asking the question.
Karkat spoke, "No."