(A/N: This is a Tintin and Slender crossover, but you can read it without knowing what Slender is. It also contains minor references to Marble Hornets.)
The night sky was as dark as death itself, and Tintin couldn't see anything. He heard trees rustle from a wind that chilled the air, making Tintin shiver. It seemed to seep fear into Tintin's pounding heart. His breathing quickened when he heard someone whisper, "Oh, little one. You'll make a fine addition to my collection..." Suddenly, a horrible scream of terror shattered the silence, making Tintin's blood run cold. The scream belonged to-
"CHANG!" Tintin cried out as his eyes jerked open. He gasped wildly until he realized with relief that it had only been a dream. It seemed so real though. Like that time when I dreamed that Chang had been involved in a plane crash... Tintin's eyes widened and his stomach knotted up. ...and it had been real. What if this one is too? Tintin tried to reassure himself. It's probably not real. Stop jumping to conclusions!
Tintin got out of bed and decided that a hot cup of coffee would calm his nerves. He wondered if a walk would help, but the falling snow outside convinced him that it would not. He coaxed some flames from the fireplace and sat down, bathing in the heat, but he still felt cold and empty inside. Chang's terrified scream echoed in his head. He breathed shakily.
The doorbell rang, and Nestor (whom Tintin hadn't known was awake) opened the door. A telegram boy said, "Telegram for Mr. Tintin at Marlinspike Hall." Tintin thanked the boy and took the telegram.
It read: COME TO SHANGHAI ASAP STOP
CHANG IN DANGER STOP
The paper fell from Tintin's hands and drifted to the floor as Tintin stared at it in shock. His legs trembled and he collapsed to the floor. Chang's scream still sounded in his mind. If his dream really was real... "Captain?" he yelled as he ran to Captain Haddock's room and shook him awake. "Captain, we need to go to Shanghai, NOW!"
"Blistering barnacles, what are we doing in an asylum?" Captain Haddock asked Chang's uncle as they walked down a long, white hallway.
"That's the problem." he replied. "Chang's been acting... strangely of late."
"What do you mean, 'strangely of late'?" Tintin asked, his heart nearly skipping a beat.
Chang's uncle winced. "I guess you'd better see for yourself."
The trio turned a corner and saw Wang Chen-Yee comforting his sobbing wife. "My poor, poor son, oh no!" she cried. Didi was sitting on a chair, looking very lost.
"What happened?" Tintin asked. "What is Chang doing here?"
Mr. Chen-Yee replied in a hollow voice, "I'll get the doctor to show you." as he led his wife away.
When the doctor opened the door, nothing could have prepared Tintin for what was behind it. Chang was lying in a padded cell, wearing a straitjacket. At first there seemed to be nothing wrong, and Tintin was about to point this out when Chang opened his eyes, stared at the group at the door, and screamed in fear. It was the same one from Tintin's dream. "HELP ME! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Chang shrieked, his body jerking wildly as he tried to wriggle out of the straitjacket.
"Chang! It's me, Tintin! Don't you remember me?"
"FOLLOWS! ALWAYS WATCHES, NO EYES! CAN'T RUN!"
"What are you talking about?" Tintin said, starting to panic.
Chang seemed to calm down a little, or at least he stopped yelling at them. "Don't look... or it takes you." he replied ominously.
The doctor closed the door and locked it. "That's all he's been saying. I'm sorry, but there's nothing more we can do."
"Could it be Rajaijah Poison again?" Tintin asked, desperate to find solutions to the millions of questions that ran rampant in his head.
Mr. Chen-Yee shook his head. "They did a blood test. Whatever happened... it's all in his head." His wife broke down again, and he held her closely.
"We found his diary." Didi said. "You... you might want to read it." Tintin fanned through the book until he found the crucial information. He read it aloud.
November 20th
Today I looked out my window and saw something strange. It looked like someone was watching me from the woods. I blinked and it was gone. I must have imagined it; my studies are making me exhausted. I can't wait for winter break so that I can see my family again.
November 27th
Today I was walking in the woods when I came across a gypsy caravan. An old lady grabbed my hand and started shrieking that I had the mark of 'the one with no eyes'. When I asked what she meant, they all looked uncomfortable and refused to answer me. Whatever the lady said must have been a lie, because I feel fine. I wonder what bothered them so much...
December 3rd
Today I felt dizzy as I walked to class, but it went away again. It came back as I tried reading what the teacher had written on the blackboard. Later when I looked out my window, I saw the man from the woods, but he didn't go away this time. He was very tall and slender, I think he was about 2 meters, and he was wearing a black suit, black pants, and brown shoes. He had extremely long arms and 8 tentacles flowing from his back. But the strangest thing about him was his face, or lack thereof. It was just a blank white space; no eyes, no nose, no mouth, nothing. I freaked out and closed the curtains, but when I looked again, he was gone. I think I'm seeing things. Maybe I need glasses.
December 4th
I passed my eye exam, so there's nothing wrong with my eyesight. I felt really nauseous but I managed to get through my classes. I feel really tired, in fact, I think I'll go to bed for a while...
I feel a bit better now, but I'm running a fever. I can't afford to rest anymore, though, because my midterm exam is next week.
December 6th
During class, I felt really sick and I threw up. They sent me to the nurse's office. She said that it was due to the stress of the upcoming exam, but I don't think so. I feel pretty confident about it. I should get some rest, though.
December 7th
I woke up and threw up again, but this time blood came up too. The nurse said it was stress again and that I should skip classes for the day, but I declined. I can't afford to miss anything for the midterm.
December 8th
I kept coughing in all my classes until finally I coughed up blood. As I walked to the nurse's office, I turned a corner and saw the man a few feet in front of me. I would have screamed if it weren't for the fact that all my strange symptoms came at once, and I fainted. I told them about the man, but they think that my fever is making me delirious. I know I saw that man. They're sending me back home to rest. Who is that man, and what is he trying to do to me?
December 10th
Mother and Father welcomed me back warmly. Mother made me rest the whole day, which was nice. I haven't felt strange at all since I returned.
December 11th
I must have spoken too soon. Today I felt feverish, and when I looked out my window, the man was there again, staring at me from the willow trees (at least I think so, it's hard to tell when he doesn't have any eyes). The man had followed me all the way from London to China. I started screaming at him to go away and leave me alone. Then Didi came into my room and asked who I was talking to. When I pointed out the window, I realized that the man had disappeared again. Didi realized that I was running a fever, so now I'm confined to bed again. Why is the man doing this to me?
December 12th
I see the man, and it won't leave. It whispers to me, saying that I'll make a fine addition to his "collection". I'm too scared to yell. Mother and Father hired a doctor to check up on me, but he doesn't know what's wrong. I know the man has everything to do with this, but no one would believe me. It won't leave, it's still staring at me even now...
It was the last sane entry. The next few pages were ripped and teared and covered in meaningless scrawls. Finally, Tintin found 8 notes. The first one was a simple sketch of a stick figure (Tintin guessed it was the man Chang had been talking about) in the middle of a group of trees. The second one had the stick figure standing next to a tree and the word "FOLLOWS" scrawled next to it. The third message simply said, "HELP ME". The fourth message said, "CAN'T RUN". The fifth one had a slightly more detailed sketch of the man and the words "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO" around it. The sixth one had a tree and the words "LEAVE ME ALONE". The seventh one had a circle with two X's on it and the words "ALWAYS WATCHES NO EYES". The last one had the man and the words "DON'T LOOK... OR IT TAKES YOU".
The whole room was silent save for Chang's mother's incessant weeping. Tintin shivered and put down the diary on the table. What terrible things had run through Chang's head through this whole time? Who was that man, and why was he doing this to Chang, of all people? He ran his fingers through his ginger quiff and sighed as he sat down wearily on a chair. Captain Haddock sat next to him and patted Tintin's back, not knowing what to say. In fact, none of them knew what to say; it wouldn't help Chang at all.
Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream of agony came from the padded cell, followed by an extremely disturbing squelching sound. "CHANG!" Tintin yelled as he grabbed the key from the doctor and unlocked the door. Chang was still sitting on the floor, but a long stick had been cruelly stabbed through his midsection. Blood spewed from the wound and dripped from Chang's mouth, staining his pale face and the alabaster-white walls and floor a dark, dark red. Chang's eyes were wide in fear, his mouth still open in a silent scream.
Mrs. Chen-Yee shrieked in absolute horror and everyone else gasped in disgust, but it was all just a muted roar to Tintin's ears. He stumbled as he backed away from the door and whirled around to see the doctor trying to resuscitate Mr. Chen-Yee, who had just fainted. Mrs. Chen-Yee was sobbing in Didi's arms, who was staring at the body of his adopted brother in terrible shock. The last thing Tintin saw was Captain Haddock rushing over to catch him as his legs collapsed and his eyes slid shut.
boy drowning river orphan laughter family crying rainbow heart
nightmare letter plane crash mountains wreck blizzard cold stone name scarf yeti human soul
insane yelling screaming bleeding dead Dead DEAD
Tintin woke up in the backseat of a car. He looked up to see that Captain Haddock was driving and wondered why he wasn't driving the car as usual. And then it all came crashing back to him. Nothing was normal anymore. There would be no more letters from Chang. Chang would never get the degree he had worked so hard for. They would never make any new memories together. It was all over, and the thought tore Tintin's heart apart.
Captain Haddock looked in the rear-view mirror with concern and saw Tintin staring blankly in front of him while hugging Snowy tightly. Captain Haddock shivered when he remembered that bloody, broken body. Why did Chang have to die in such a brutal way? The boy had a heart of gold. They had braved the Himalayas just to save him, only for the boy to snap. Literally.
When they got to the hotel, Captain Haddock had to drag Tintin out of the car. Tintin seemed like a zombie as he slowly followed the Captain to their room. When they got there, Tintin dropped his suitcase and collapsed on the bed.
"Tintin..." Captain Haddock began. Tintin clinged to the Captain's arm as if he would suddenly disappear.
"I promised I'd protect him! I promised! And now he's dead, and I couldn't do anything! I let the doctor leave him alone! I let Chang die!" Tintin shrieked, his eyes looking up at Captain Haddock in agony. He burst into tears as he sobbed in Captain Haddock's shoulder. "Why did it have to be Chang?" Tintin asked. "Why?"
"I don't know, Tintin, I don't know." Captain Haddock said as he rubbed Tintin's back.
After crying for a few minutes, Tintin wiped his eyes. "Whoever did this should pay, and I will make sure of this." Tintin said in a low voice, his ice-blue eyes narrowed in anger. "Mark my words, whoever did this will be very, very sorry. I will make him suffer, until he begs for death. I will avenge Chang."
In the woods near the hotel, the man heard the threat and laughed.
Chang's body was taken for examination. The stick had been jammed with such force that it had pinned the body to the wall. However, the doctors had found nothing wrong with Chang's immune system, so they could not explain Chang's strange behavior. The murder should have been an impossible feat, but it had still happened, and Tintin needed answers if revenge could be exacted. Tintin read the diary again, but the last 8 drawings had been ripped out. No one knew what had happened to them.
The next day, someone called their hotel room. Tintin answered the phone. "Hello?"
It was Chang's uncle. "I have bad news."
"What happened?"
"Chang's body is missing."
"WHAT?" Tintin asked loudly, waking up Captain Haddock and Snowy. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'CHANG'S BODY IS MISSING?'"
"Come to the police station, I'll explain more there."
As Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Snowy walked down the street, they saw a gypsy caravan. An old woman said, "Wait!", making the group stop. She grabbed Tintin's hand and gasped. "Oh no, this is very bad..."
"What? What is?"
The old lady still clasped Tintin's hand as she said, "You don't have much longer." Blue met silver as she looked up at him with wispy eyes that seemed to stare straight into Tintin's soul, unnerving him. "You have been marked."
Tintin felt a great feeling of dread seep into him as he slowly asked, "By who?" The lady didn't answer. "Who, ma'am? Who?"
Finally, she opened her mouth and replied, "The one with no eyes."
To be continued...