A/N: Hello dearest readers! Sorry that I took so long with this update. I actually have had half of this chapter written for months, and I was just too lazy to conclude it. Then, I finished writing it, my computer crashed, and I lost my progress, so I took my time rewriting it.

I don't know how I haven't talked about the FC's for this story yet. Alyson's is Lyndsy Fonseca, but with less makeup and he hair a little messy. Danny's FC is Charlie Rowe.


When Alyson woke up the next morning, her father was gone. She hadn't expected him to be gone, but her father did sometimes work on Saturdays, if things were busy. He'd left a note on the counter, saying that he'd be home later for lunch. It made Alyson sick to think about eating, but it'd been about 24 hours, and she needed something in her stomach.

Alyson barely had enough strength to push the bread down into the toaster. Her right arm was still nagging her for her fall the night before. She started thinking back to the park, and the Tall Man, and Danny.

Danny. She'd forgotten to call him and make sure he was okay. Alyson grabbed the landline phone, carefully dialing Danny's cellphone. She pressed the speaker button, unsure if she'd be able to hold the phone up to her ear. The phone continued ringing for a while, and Alyson wasn't sure that Danny was going to pick up, when she finally heard, "Hello?"

She let out a deep breath. "Danny, are you okay? What happened yesterday?" Alyson knelt down closer to the receiver, just to make sure Danny could hear her.

"Aly? Why are you calling me at work?"

Oh right. Danny worked. "Did you go to the park last night?" she asked.

"I didn't find him, Aly. I'm sorry. Look, we can talk about this later, okay?"

With that he hung up, and Alyson sighed. She wasn't annoyed, she was relieved. At least Danny was alive and well. As she spread butter on her pieces of toast, so many thoughts ran through her mind, reminding her how badly things could've gone the night before. Danny didn't know what her assailant had looked like, so what if he just attacked any random, suspicious guy he crossed paths with that night? Things could've been even worse if he had actually encountered the Tall Man.

As the young woman plopped down on the couch with her breakfast, her phone vibrated against the glass of the coffee table. She picked it up, and saw that she had a text from Danny. He apologized for being callous, admitting that he was frustrated with himself for not finding anyone last night. Even so, Danny promised that he would go out again later that night, and that he would find the man that had hurt her.

Alyson groaned. The last thing she needed was for Danny to go running around in the park a second night. She had no choice but to try and convince him not to go. With shaky fingers, Alyson texted Danny back.

You really shouldn't go back out again tonight. Even if you find him, you won't stand a chance against him.

She waited nervously for Danny to text back. He had somewhat of an ego, so she hoped Danny wouldn't read this as a challenge, or a slight against him. Then, her phone vibrated again.

What are you talking about?

Alyson took a deep breath, then replied.

This guy, he isn't human. He'll kill you, Danny.

Danny texted back right away with lol, then went silent for a while. Confidently, he assured Alyson that he could "take this guy," and that she shouldn't worry about him. Alyson groaned in frustration, tossing her phone to the other end of the couch. Now all she could do was wait.

Alyson's father came home around 12:20 pm to find her laying on the couch, watching the news, her toast untouched on the coffee table. He smiled at her, petting her hair. "Hey Aly. How're you feeling?"

She smiled back at him, tiredly. "Better. How was work?"

They chatted for a bit as he made himself something for lunch. Her dad didn't seem happy to think about leaving her again after eating, but she told him that she'd be fine. He kissed her forehead, said he'd be back late, and left. Although she loved her father, Alyson was happy to be alone again. She could get back to thinking about Danny and the Tall Man, whether she wanted to or not. Alyson made her way back to her bedroom, climbing into bed and pulling her iPod out of her nightstand. "Roses" by The Chainsmokers came on, so she turned her eyes to the clock, and waited.


Hours passed, and Alyson could only watch the clock. As soon as darkness fell outside, she got ready, pulling on a jacket, slipping into her boots, and grabbing her keys. Before she could leave, a pang of soreness ran through her arm, reminding her to get a flashlight, to prevent falling again like the night before. She remembered that her dad kept a spare flashlight under the kitchen sink, and was glad to see the batteries were still good.

With that, Alyson made her way to the park. She hoped for one of two things: that she'd find Danny first and be able to convince him to leave, or that she would find the Tall Man first and get some answers from him, if that was even possible. After trudging through the tall grass and mud at the park, nearly losing one of her boots, and being on the verge of shivering to death-

"You shouldn't be here."

Alyson froze. That wasn't Danny's voice. It seemed familiar, though. She turned to see the Tall Man, standing about ten feet behind her. It was dark, but she could just make out his silhouette, those long arms reaching past his knees. Then she saw one of those arms reach out towards her, and she took a step back. The white noise started in, and she clasped her hands over her ears. "No!" she shouted at him. "We aren't doing that." The static faded out, and she dropped her arms. "You're going to answer some questions for me." The young woman was fighting hard not to let on how nervous she was.

"You shouldn't be here."

Alyson shook her head. "I'm not leaving. I want to know why you didn't kill me that night. You were going to, but something stopped you. And the last time we were together, something stopped you then, too." He said nothing, so her hands tightened into fists. "Answer me..." It was a command, but her confidence was wavering.

There was a long moment of silence, before the being spoke. "You weren't afraid of me. That…doesn't happen often." Something had changed in his voice. He sounded...almost like a normal person. Before, his voice was menacing, ghostly almost. Now he sounded like a grown man.

She struggled for a moment to find her voice. "How often?"

He hesitated, too. "...Never."

This entire time, Alyson's flashlight had been pointed at the ground, and she only then realized that the light hadn't gone out. Normally, her flashlight would've darkened by now in the Tall Man's presence. Slowly, she moved the beam up, casting light on the Tall Man's legs. His shoes were shiny, black leather, somehow untarnished by the mud. Black slacks covered his incredibly long legs. She could see his hands, a deathly white. Maybe he was wearing gloves? Alyson calmly scaled the light up to reveal a black blazer, buttoned over a white dress shirt and black, silk tie - or at least, it looked like silk. The young woman paused, almost afraid to see her attacker's face.

At this point, Alyson figured it would be like ripping off a band aid - best to get it over with quickly. She took a deep breath, and flicked the light up. Then, her breath caught in her throat. He...didn't have a face? Could that be right? There were no eyes, no nose, no mouth. He didn't even have ears. It could've been some sort of stocking or mask, but...his face was the same color as his hands, which led Alyson to believe that was actually the Tall Man's skin. There weren't even bumps where a nose or lips should be. He was completely smooth and pale, like polished marble.

Alyson was only able to see the Tall Man's face for a few seconds, then the light of her flashlight when out with a pop. She gasped, though she wasn't surprised that this...creature didn't want her to stare for long. Alyson almost wanted to thank him. She could only guess that not many people had ever been allowed to study him like that.

"Alyson?"

That wasn't the Tall Man's voice. She whipped around to see someone else walking quickly towards them, their flashlight bouncing light on the long grass. The person cast their light into Alyson's face, who tried to block it from her eyes with her hands. "Danny?" she asked.

"What are you doing out here?" he called as he approached.

Alyson's eyes widened. "Danny!" She looked over to where the Tall Man had been standing, except he wasn't there anymore. Alyson hurried over to Danny, grabbing his arms. "Danny, you have to get out of here now."

Danny put his hands on her face, dropping his flashlight to the ground. Even in the dim lighting, Alyson could see how worried he was. "Aly, what's going on?"

"He's here, Danny," she warned with a shudder. She worried now.

The man's shoulders tensed. He paused, then nodded. "Okay." Danny leaned down, picking up his flashlight and handing it to her. "You have to get out of here. I'll take care of him."

Alyson grabbed his face in her free hand. "Danny listen to me! You can't! He isn't human, and he will kill you!"

Then, Danny's face changed. He was looking behind her. "Is that him?" Alyson turned to see the Tall Man, barely visible in the dark. He was closer than before. Her face was enough of an answer to Danny's question. He shoved her aside, down into the mud, and unholstered a gun from his left side. Alyson shrieked as he pointed it at the Tall Man, shouting obscenities into the dark.

The sound of shot rang through the air, and Alyson covered her thrumming eardrums. The Tall Man stood unwavering, and in an instant, he was in front of Danny, lifting him up by his throat. Alyson screamed, seeing Danny kicking in the low light of the flashlight which lay on the ground. Odd limbs sprouted from the Tall Man's back. They looked almost as if they were formed of shadows alone. The tentacles engulfed Danny, and the Tall Man's face split in half to reveal a large, toothy mouth. Angry static rolled through the air; it almost felt as if the sounds were coming from inside Alyson's head. She trembled, watching in silent horror as the Tall Man proceeded to devour Danny. Danny's shrill, terrified voice pierced her hands, making its way into her ears. His screams were cut off when he was decapitated with a sickening crack of his spine.

Alyson nearly fainted, watching in panic as Danny disappeared into the Tall Man, his blood coating both the creature and the ground. When Danny was...gone, the static left with him. She lay motionless, unable to think or do anything. The Tall Man wiped his face on his sleeve, the mouth and appendages now gone. He turned to her, and began walking. His strides were long and graceful, like royalty.

Upon reaching her, the Tall Man stooped down to pick Alyson up off the ground. She felt limp in his arms, like a corpse, yet she stared at him with wide eyes. Where her body touched his, Danny's blood transferred onto her clothes. For a long time, she could only stare at him. Then she inquired, "Are you going to kill me now?"

The Tall Man said nothing, and though he had no eyes, Alyson could feel him watching her. He then pulled her into an embrace, covering her in her former boyfriend's remains. She exclaimed first, trying to push herself away. "N-no," she stammered. "No! Why won't you kill me?" Alyson thrust her fists against his chest as best she could, but she was mostly confined in his arms.

Finally, Aly could fight no longer, she cried, resting her face against the Tall Man's chest and letting her tears mix with Danny's blood. He ran his long fingers through her hair. At first, it made Alyson sick, to think that he was trying to console her. Then, she sighed, and relaxed. She began to enjoy feeling the Tall Man's warmth, his gentle hands, even disregarding the now-cold blood staining her face.


When Alyson awoke the next morning, she was laying on the couch. Her head hurt slightly, but she quickly thought of other things, like Danny and the Tall Man. She sat up, and noticed her father standing in the kitchen, leaned against the counter. He looked over at her, swallowed, and half smiled. "Good morning. I...would've put you in bed, but I didn't want to wake you." When she continued to stare at him, his smile faded. "Sweetie, we need to talk about something."

That was when she knew that she hadn't been dreaming. Alyson sprinted out the front door, not even bothering to put on shoes, or a jacket. She could hear her father yell behind her, but she didn't listen. Her feet carried her faster than they ever had before, thudding hard against the concrete. Alyson cut through some yards, and wound up at the park. There were five police cars, all with flashing blue lights. She continued running, past the cars, past the few police that tried to stop her. Every now and again, Alyson's bare feet slipped in the mud, but she kept going.

She could see police standing around, some of them taking pictures of something on the ground. One of the officers saw her coming, and two rushed up to her, grabbing her by the arms. She screamed, kicking her legs as hard as she could as they had to wrestle her to the ground. Alyson tasted dirt as the men holding her urged her to calm down. They didn't understand why she kept insisting.

Alyson's father's truck drove through the mud and grass, stopping a few feet short of the scuffle. He climbed out, shouting at the police to get off of his daughter. As he ushered her into the pickup, she continued to scream. "No! Don't keep me away from him!" When she was secure inside the car, Alyson broke down in tears, sobbing heavily into her hands.

The police found a lot of blood at the scene, but were only able to recover one of Danny's boots (with a partial foot still inside), a few of his fingers, which would later help to identify his body, some skin, scraps of his uniform shirt, and a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver. There wasn't much to work with, but it was still a gruesome scene. Daniel Addams' death had been ruled as an animal attack, though examiners couldn't think of anything capable of nearly eating an entire human being.

Everyone felt sorry for Alyson. Having been driven to the brink of madness from her assault earlier that winter, Danny's death appeared to push her over the edge. Alyson's father told police he'd never been able to tell her about Danny, that it was as if she somehow already knew. Detectives tried questioning her, seeing if she had been present during Danny's attack, but the teenager never said a word. She could only stare distantly.

Eventually, her father decided that the only way for Alyson to get better was to move away. The media had tormented her for a while. Every now and again, Alyson would have a mental breakdown and try to run away to the park. It wasn't healthy to keep her cooped up in the house all day, but any time they went out, Alyson would obsess with the park where Danny had been killed.

Alyson's father packed up everything they owned, and moved them to a two bedroom apartment in the city. He had to pick up another job to cover expenses, since Alyson was in no condition to work, and he hadn't sold the house. Her father kept hoping that someday, his daughter would be better, and maybe she would be ready to go back home. Therapy seemed to help a little, but it was hard to tell when Alyson never talked about anything other than Danny - not that she talked much, anyway.


A/N: Two new reviews on the second chapter. Welcome to the wall of fame, lovelies! I didn't even realize that it's been so long since I updated! Holy cow!

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