He had forgotten. Such was the curse. The coughing had died, and this was good news. Yet he still searched for his friend, unknowingly searching for one who was already lost.

And so it was; the knocks came in rapid secession, sealing his fate tighter with each rasp. His hair stood on end as he reached out, pressing his hand to the door. All around him, the darkness seemed to be closing in, choking him. With a deep breath, he pressed on the knob, twisting it and slowly opening letting the chilled night air in. And so it was.


"Wendy?"

Wendy fell to her back as she gripped her chest. "Ack! Dipper, don't do that!" she said. Her breaths were sporadic, scattered even.

"Oh, sorry," Dipper said as he stared down at her with a shocked expression. "I didn't mean to startle you, but did you find anything yet?"

Wendy rolled over and pushed herself off the floor. Turning around, she placed her fallen cap back onto her head and propped herself back up onto the study podium located in the center of the library where she and he friend were studying. One of the old lights was still flickering on and off, but she wasn't sure how long the light would last. She shook her head and slammed old, dusty tome she was reading closed and looked up and out the window in front of her. Dust had accumulated on it, no doubt from the page after page of grime in the book.

"No," she said, looking back down to the tome. It was old, bound with some sort of cloth and stitched with twine. Cracks ran down its front, where, in faded letters was Of the Forests. She and Dipper had been at the Gravity Falls library for a few hours, looking through various books and articles in hope that they would find something that would help in there current investigation.

Dipper visibly slumped at her response.

"Hey, it's ok Dipper. We may not find anything right away, but I'm not saying something isn't out there about what's going on."

Dipper sighed. "I know, I know. It's just, I'd really like to know what happened. No one just up and disappears. Not in this town."

"I know, Dipper. But we've been at this for hours. You need a break. Look, I'm gonna go ahead and call it quits for the night. And you need to too. You need your sleep."

Dipper look up at the girl and sighed. "Ok," he said.

"Cools. I'm gonna go check out this book and I'll see you tomorrow, okay? This thing was really interesting."

"Ok, Wendy. I'll see you later."

The night seemed to be like any other: the street lamps were dimly shining, the stars were brightly twinkling, the streets were empty and the town was still.

However, a thick, pale fog was just beginning to creep in, splitting down the streets like spiny tendrils, and covering the ground in a soft white glow. It breathed its way in, pulsing and throbbing like it was alive. Lamp after lamp was enveloped in its haze, their lights dimming to but a distant flicker. The town soon seemed much darker than before, and Wendy could hardly see what lay across the street.

She shook her head and walked away. "I wish the news would get these things right, instead of saying it'll be clear all night," she grumbled. Reaching her house a few minutes later, she opened the door and stepped into the empty house. Her father and brothers were out having some "Man Time" so she had the house all to herself. The lights here were significantly darker than in the old library, but when she squinted, she found that she could see. Swerving past the round table in the center of the room, she walked into her kitchen, and cracked open the fridge. Light poured out from inside, making her recoil. Her eyes clenched shut and her face scrunched up as the cold air wrapped around her.

As she opened her eyes, she muttered an inaudible word and began shifting through the various jars, cans, plates and food in the chilly box. "Jelly... bananas... Ah, there we go," she said with a slow nod as she grabbed a ceramic plate. She took it, shut the fridge door, and sat the plate down on the table.

Atop the plate was a small salad, something she had ordered from a local restaurant a day ago. Her stomach gave a low growl as she looked down at the plate of crispy greens and fresh tomatoes. With a bit of croutons, cheese, nuts, and some ham, she was good to go.

It wasn't a long meal - she finished it in almost fifteen minutes. Her stomach gave a satisfied gargle as she reclined in one of the kitchen chairs, exhausted from all the studying. "I think I'll study the effects of a good bath next," she said with a giggle.

Standing up, she took her plate and dropped it in the sink, before turning back to the doorway and sluggishly dragging herself out of the kitchen.

~X~

Wendy reclined in the steaming water, letting loose a long sigh. She sank into the ceramic tub, a smile on her face.

"I'm alone, I had a good dinner, and I'm done studying with Dipper. . ." she told herself, ticking the objects off of an imaginary checklist.

The window beside her - foggy though it was - still gave her a clear view of the fog as it continued to creep onward. She gave the rolling clouds a once-over before ignoring them completely and laying her head back.

She blinked, looking back to the window.

The fog continued to roll in, but that wasn't all. There was something else, something solid in the haze. She squinted and pressed her nose to the glass, but all she could see was a shadow. And as the streetlamps were devoured by the low cloud, she saw even less than that.

So she slowly turned from the window with a shrug. Whatever it was, was lost in the mist. "Not my concern," she muttered as she slipped lower into the water.

~X~

When she had finished with her bath, she made her way back into the main room, a large grin on her face. Her eyelids were barely staying open, but she pushed forward still. Out of the bathroom she went, leaving little prints of water behind her feet. She stepped into the kitchen, and finally, into the living room itself.

She stopped dead in her tracks. A strange marking was carved into the her door, glowing in the dim light. She cocked her head and leaned forward. It was black, oily even, though it did not create a rainbow sheen. It was simply a shiny black.

As she headed towards it, her eyes cleared and she soon found it to be a small circle no larger than her palm. She even pressed her hand against it to check. When she pulled her hand away, she examined dual lines crisscrossing through the center of the circle, their color the same, greasy black as the circle.

She sneered and backed away. Her neck hairs stood on end, and her hand tingled slightly.

Shaking her head and grumbling, she turned to the window and pressed her nose to it. The fog had since taken over the town, clogging her view with a pale smog. Two or three distant lamps flickered occasionally, but other than that there was no movement...

Or was there?

She squinted and bit her lip. Far away, almost completely blurred by the smog, a man was slowly sauntering away. She could make out no details, and just as soon as she had seen it, it was gone in the haze.

Wendy pushed herself away from the window, carefully turning around. Her eyes landed on a wooden table by the window, or more precisely, the book atop it. Drawing in a deep breath of the warm air, she took a few strides towards it, then stopped. One final glance over her shoulder, and she checked the outside again. Nothing but mist.

So she walked to the book, sitting in a chair and flipped open the book. Page after page, dust plume after dust plume, and she landed back where she had started hours before, in the early afternoon. Its ink was dry and fading, and its paper was dusty and jaded, but she made due.

Chapter IX,

Of the one with no name,

Four score, and the village of Sunnyside was at peace. They knew not much of what lay beyond, being but a simple farming town.

Wendy huffed and gritted her teeth. "Yeah, good for them." She flipped a few more pages, their age obvious in the crackling sound they made as they fell.

Her eyes traced the top line of this new page with determination.

...for he was not lame. The forest beyond was dark and thick. Thusly, he and his companion prepared for a long venture.

She skipped to the next page.

And so it was.

"What?" She leaned forward and reread the line. Then, she scowled and slammed the book. "Who in the hell rips out pages of a book?"

Turning away, she stormed back over to the door, getting very close to it and inspecting the symbol. She was just about to tap it with her foot, when there was a slight tickle in her throat. She gave a single cough, then went back to examining the door. But then the tickle came back, and she coughed again.

One cough, then another. Soon, she was hacking, tossing her head down to the floor and wheezing. That tickle festered into a burn, and her coughs grew dry and raspy. Arching her back, she jerked her head down and gave another cough. Her face grew red and strained, and her body began to shake. Her lungs were running out of air, and her head grew light. But then, they stopped.

She let her body relax as she gulped. The sudden relief brought an odd smile to her face. She tilted her head back, letting her throat recover from the spasms.

Her eye cracked open. Something was at the window.

Wendy snapped her head back down.

It was gone.

Chills ran up her spine as she charged back to her chair and leaned towards the glass panel. Whatever had been there was gone in a flash. She closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her temples, rubbing them in slow circles. With a sigh, she told herself, "I ought to get some sleep..."

Eyes open once more, Wendy turned away from the window and book, walking back into the center of the room. She hoisted herself up onto the round decorative table, taking in a long, heavy breath.

A low, long churning sound came from her gut. She wrapped her arm around it and bent forward, giving yet another single cough. Biting her lip and closing her eyes, she moaned. "Day old salad..."

She coughed again, this one quieter than the rest. Sniffling, she sat back up. From the corner of her eye, it she saw something. An indescribable something.

But when she turned to look at it, it vanished. She blinked it away.

Falling from the table, she hobbled back to the front windows and peered out into the fog. It was darker than before; the fog had obviously thickened.

And there it was.

That indescribable something. She leaned forward, slowly, taking in light and shallow breaths. Her nose pressed against the cold window as her eyes focused in on this something.

Shrouded in the mist and darkness of the night, something stood across the street. No... someone. She could see nothing: not its color nor its hair nor even its eyes. But its height stood out. It was tall, lean, almost the size of her father. And yet it was impossibility thin. She could see nothing else about it, though.

Except for where it was staring.

Right at her.

She jerked away from the window, turning around and dashing to the stairs. As she treked her way up them, she shook her head loosely and muttered to herself, "No. No I'm done."

Kicking her door open, she charged into the dark bedroom. The air here was cold, chilled even, and she could see her breath as it plumed from her lips. But there was nothing.

And yet, as she looked, she saw it. Etched into the glass was a small circle, no larger than her palm, with two lines crisscrossing through it. And beyond that, the fog grew thicker still.

The coughing came back, harder than ever. She fell to her rump and hacked - hissed- until her face turned a deep crimson. Tears of strain trickled down her cheeks as she forced out all the air she could.

And then it was gone again. She fell to her side with a thud, breathing heavily. Forcing herself up with a strained face, she stumbled back to her feet. When she was stable, she wiped her eyes with a hand and swallowed dryly.

She leaned on her bed, falling into the plush surface with a weak moan. Sniffling, she let her eyes close and her head rest down on the mattress. Everything grew still once more. Even time seemed to stall, and for once tonight, she took in a deep breath of relief.

Tap. Her ear twitched.

Tap. Her eyelids parted.

Tap, tap, head shot up. A light tapping was coming from the living room. She stared into the doorway cautiously, biting her lip hard. A light metallic taste filled her mouth, and she soon felt a warm droplet trickle down her chin. She dabbed it with her hand, not wanting to look down.

Pushing herself up, she slowly made her way to the door. Step by step she approached, her breathing hallow. She poked her head out of the door, looking down upon the room. Everything seemed normal: the light was flickering, the room was neatly arranged, the door was shut and the air was warm. She looked to the left. There was nothing in the window above the table. She looked down.

Blank. No mouth. No eyes. Just white and blank. Wendy stumbled back into the room, falling and rolling with her hand pressed to her mouth to suppress a cry. It was there. It was staring. It was waiting.

Its image flashed in her mind again; a white face, no eyes to see or mouth. It's long neck with no hair...

She crawled to the side of the doorway and pressed herself against the wall. Rapidly breathing, she bit her lip harder than ever. More drops of warmth dribbled down her chin, falling to the floor with little thumps.

She peered over the edge with quivering lips and shaky hands. Her eyes were clenched tight, but she forced them open, revealing... nothing. It was gone.

Tears welled in her eyes as she stomped down on the floor. A short, muffled cry came from deep within her throat, though she quickly suppressed any others. Trembling, she stepped out into the open, making her way back down the stairs and into the light.

The thing was gone.

Wendy lunged for the door. Grasping the handle, she jiggled it. It didn't open.

"That's impossible," she whispered. Slowly, she went up to the symbol, staring at it with wide, watery eyes.

Thump!

With huge eyes she snapped to her left. The white thing was pressed against the window, staring at her with no eyes. It was dressed in a suit and tie, and from its back several black tendrils slithered about the mist.

Wendy screamed. She screamed and ran behind an armrest near her, huddling into herself and rocking back and forth. Her eye trained itself back to the window, only to find that it was gone in the mist once more.

Crawl. That's what she did - she crawled to the book laying on the table. She pushed herself up on her wobbling legs and reached out for the book. She managed to grip it just before she fell back to the floor.

From there she scampered to back of the room, as far away from the front door as possible. When she had her back to the wall, she dropped the book in her hands and quickly opened it, flying through the pages.

"No. No. No no no!" She slammed her back to the wall with a scowl. Flipping through more pages, she landed on one with a large picture in its center. Her eyes widened, and she bent down to get a better look.

It was a circle. A circle with an x.

"Barricader seal," she read aloud in a wavering voice. "Prevents any entrance or exit f-from target place... Dangerous..." Then she came upon the final paragraph. Her breathing stopped and her heart pounded harder than ever.

The mark of the Slender One. If seen at anytime, anywhere, it is most advisable for the person to-

She dropped the book and yelped as a loud THUMP! nearly deafed her. She covered her face with her arms and kicked in any direction. Her heart was on the verge of exploding, and she began to hyperventilate.

But when she looked out between her arms, she only noticed two things: that the light had gone from the room, and that there was a small message one the window in front of her. She slowly crossed the room and looked at the single word written on the window.

Run.

She gasped, looking around, frantically searching for an option.

Knock.

Her heart skipped a beat as she snapped up to face the door.

Knock. Another soft knock came from the door.

"G-Go away!" she cried, sinking down into the corner.

Knock.

"I said leave!" She slammed her foot down on the ground for emphasis.

And now, there was silence. There was nothing in the windows, the rune on the door did not light up, and there was no sound but her breathing in the room.

She rolled off the wall, barely standing up. Everything about her trembled, and her body screamed to collapse. But she tightened her muscles and kept herself up.

"Have to... get out..." she said between sobs and pants. With mechanical movements, she made her way to the door, one foot at a time.

Step by step, she inched closer to the door, cutting her way through the darkness with the occasional cry or gasp.

But she had to get out. She had to get help.

So she approached the door, coming to a full stop when she was face to face with the wooden thing. Her hand reached out, shaking hard. It pressed down on the knob, the bite of cold metal stinging her.

With a deep, deep breath, she twisted it, slowly pulling it towards her. The fog rolled in under the crack like a ghost, chilling her feet. She grimaced and bit her lip, letting another tear slowly roll down her cheek.

The door creaked as it swung open, letting the freezing night air in. Wendy closed her eyes, turned away, and hoped.

It was fully open, hitting the wall with a soft crash. Her eyes still closed, she turned her head to face the night breeze, taking in the cool feeling as it went through her clothes and bit into her skin.

Seconds passed. She could hear nothing; the outside seemed quiet, still, lifeless. She gave herself a small nod.

Then, she opened her eyes.

And there was nothing. Nothing but the mist. Nothing but the darkness.