2586

"Old people told us that here, nearby, there's another, different world." She said finally. "Same as ours. When we look into water, we see our reflection, but the rest is just blurry image of that other world." (…) "Sometimes when we stand in the evening on a waterside, we hear distant bells ringing in the churches of that other world." – Andrzej Pilipiuk "Wieczorne Dzwony"

Warning: Violence and its consequences.

Rating: T to M.

Pairings: none.

Disclaimer: Slenderman © Eric Knudsen (as Victor Surge), 2586 Kroków/Wieczorne Dzwony (and everything it contains) © Andrzej Pilipiuk.

Story and all OCs © Archer Black.

Blizzard.

oOo

Holly Cross Mountains. January 4th.

Slenderman woke late again. This time his surroundings were not as unexpected as the day before, in fact they were welcomed. On the previous evening his hostess left him a clock on top of the chest of drawers so he could see the time. The clock was electric and displayed the time in red, glowing numbers. Right now it showed that it was just past noon.

Suddenly he felt the call of nature when the fluids he digested last evening reminded about themselves, forcing him to get out of the comfortable bed. As he sat up his ribs didn't hurt as much and his head didn't spin. His healing factor worked well again even if it kept him unconscious through the night after the attack and made him sleep for most of the previous day, whole night and half of this day already.

Getting out of the bed didn't cause him any unpleasant sensations either which was a good sign. He really was much better than the day before. He certainly was good enough to be able to go to the bathroom on his own. Outside the door he heard some soft clatter, some rustling and other indefinable kitchen sounds; it meant that his hostess was being busy.

When he left the bedroom he was surprised to see the woman wasn't doing any house chores but in fact was unpacking some bags. She looked as if she just returned home and she even smelled of frosty air. Her departure didn't wake him up, neither did her arrival.

Michelle noticed her house guest standing in the door and gave him a once over. He looked the same as before, except for the bruise on his head that was almost entirely gone and the scab that looked as it would fall off soon. The faceless being stepped into the kitchen, the carpet slippers and the bathrobe made him look ridiculous. She grinned.

"I see you feel better today." She said to fill the silence.

Slenderman stepped closer and gave the bags a meaningful look.

"What? I have to go to the grocery shop and pharmacist. I was out for almost two weeks, I need to restock." She gave him a serious glare.

In reply Slenderman reached and pulled an orthopaedic collar from the bag she was now unpacking.

"Yeah, well, like I've said. I've been to a pharmacist too." She shrugged and Slenderman gave it a closer look as if pondering about its purpose. "Actually, you're the one responsible for this one."

Hearing that Slenderman immediately put the collar away as if showing that he didn't want to have anything to do with that abomination.

"Relax I'm not going to put it on you." Michelle sighed. "It's just that when I found you I had only two options. One was to move you and the other was to just let you continue to inhale snow. I didn't know what happened, for all I knew you could have had spine damage but I had to move you to make sure you wouldn't suffocate." She took the collar and lifted it. "I realised that I was caught unprepared and I don't like being caught by surprise like that. It's always better to have something and don't need it than to need something and don't have it. Carrying one of these is not mandatory, but it is not forbidden and I have enough space so I'd rather have it even if with little luck I will never have to use it."

Slenderman nodded in understanding.

"Plus, I have some ointment for that slit of yours, it really looked painful." She pulled a box with some geometric shapes on and a fancy name, all in nice, light blue colour. "The pharmacist said it would reduce swelling and inflammation caused by injury and that it doesn't irritate skin."

He stared at the box for a moment and the pointed at the door.

"Huh?" Michelle looked at the door too and then back to her guest. He pointed at himself and then at the door. "Oh. Sure but if you like to bath, you need your bandages off."

Slenderman looked down at himself and then seemed to consider something for a moment. Finally he sat at the couch and gestured for Michelle to come over.

"Can you wait until I unpack these?" She asked pointing at the two bags, one that she was currently emptying and another waiting to be unpacked.

In response Slenderman shifter slightly but meaningfully.

Michelle looked at him and then at her bags.

"Well, that can wait for few minutes." She shrugged. "Or you could just go, wee-wee and get back."

Slenderman crossed his legs, shifted again and slid the bathrobe from his shoulders.

"Fine." She said in resignation. "You do know that if you feel good enough you may try to take it off yourself?" She asked pointing at the clip that held the end of the bandage in place.

Slenderman looked down at his bandaged ribcage, at the woman, at the bandages and at the woman again. He didn't say anything nor did he wrinkle his featureless face in grimace but the sense of disbelief on his side was palpable.

Michelle looked at the bandages and wondered briefly what he could mean but then she realised that for her the spice bandage was perfectly obvious, she still remembered the defence class1) back at school and various first aid techniques they've been forced to practice on each other; but to him the herringbone-like pattern of the bandage must've been closer to a Gordian Knot than to actual dressing.

"Okay, I get it; you don't know how to unwrap it." She reached and began undoing the elastic bandage. "It's all right; at least I'll have a chance to give your tentacle slit a close look again."

Michelle was done with unwrapping quickly leaving the bandage in a mess; she would roll it properly later. What she was interested with were her guest's ribs and back. Slenderman's chest looked much better, the bruises were faded to the point where she had trouble spotting where they were, even the worst of them.

"And how are your ribs? Do they hurt?" She asked and saw Slenderman slowly shaking his head 'no'. "Maybe we can try not to wrap them anymore? See what will happen? If they'll start to ache again I can always bandage them again."

Slenderman didn't waste a beat in nodding in agreement.

"Great. Now show me your back."

Slenderman turned slowly and without much enthusiasm. Michelle noticed it and rolled her eyes but didn't comment.

"Better but still puffy." She focused on the wounded area. "Looks like this part of you heal a lot slower than the rest. Perhaps because you sleep on your back?" She reached and gently touched the swollen skin. Slenderman jerked at the sudden touch. "Sorry if it hurt. Maybe if your ribs will allow, sleep tonight on your side? And after you're done in the bathroom I'd like to apply that ointment, maybe it will help."

Slenderman nodded again and slid the bathrobe back to his shoulders.

"I must say that I am impressed by your healing ability." She admitted as he was re-arranging the robe to cover him properly again. "You're almost as good as new and it's merely a second day of your recovery. I'd say that if you feel up to it, tomorrow you can be on your merry way to wherever you need to go."

That caught his attention; he immediately brought his face to her level.

"Today."

Michelle blinked. She didn't expect him to talk again. The voice was almost the same as before but there was more persistence in it now.

"Not a chance." She shook her head.

Slenderman didn't move.

"Look, I realise that you feel a lot better but your back is lagging a bit. It looks like it needs a boost to catch up with the rest of you. So I want to try that ointment and see how well it will work with your own healing factor." She stayed firm. "And if tomorrow morning you feel good enough, you'll be released back into the wild."

Slenderman straightened himself and winced – his ribs were much better but reminded him that they were not fully healed yet.

"See? That's what I'm talking about." The grimace didn't go unnoticed by Michelle.

Slenderman sighed and went to the door. He was perfectly aware that his recuperation was the result of his healing powers working in decent conditions. Another night in warm bed could only work in his favour. Especially if it would help with his tentacle slit.

"Besides, your suit is not ready yet. It's still crumpled after washing." He heard the woman say behind him. He turned to her and nodded once acknowledging what she just said.

oOo

This time he didn't take him an hour to bath and Michelle was surprised to see him out so quickly. Before she could ask him if he was ready to get the ointment applied he took the box, sat down, pulled out the package leaflet and began to read it. The scene was so abstract that she almost laughed.

He was done pretty quickly and it seemed that he didn't have any objections to the medicine because he took the tube out of the box and held it for Michelle to take. When she did, he turned his back to her and slipped the bathrobe off his shoulders again.

She sat behind him and gave the swollen tentacle orifice a close look. It wasn't leaking anything this time, but it wasn't as swollen as the day before either. Still it was raised and looked different from other slits. It wasn't red – there were no red parts on Slenderman except for his maw and tongue which were crimson, but these appeared only when he ate or drank. The slit was as white as the rest of him, but unlike the healthy ones its edges wouldn't close in completely.

Michelle took the tube and opened it; the ointment was transparent and runny. The instruction stated that she had to rub small amount into the skin.

"Could you close it?" She gave the tube and the cap to Slenderman.

She glared at the slit trying to figure how to best administer the thin goo without it getting inside of the opening. Finally she decided how to proceed and gently touched the Slenderman's skin with her ointment covered fingers. The moment she made contact Slenderman jolted, it was hard to tell if it was pain, the cold ointment or both.

"Sorry." Michelle winced. She tried to be as delicate as possible with delivering the medicine. "There's no way around it, I'll go as easy as I can."

Slenderman nodded and steadied himself again.

"Here it goes." This time she gave him a warning.

He jolted again but not as much as before. On her part Michelle did her best not to cause him too much discomfort but she also had to rub the salve into his skin. She didn't know just how sensitive these slits were. She was certain that Slenderman was stronger, sturdier, more powerful than any human being, but everyone had some sort of weak points.

"Okay, this is as good as I can do right now." She stood up from the couch. "I don't want to cause you any pain so it will have to absorb on its own."

He turned and proceeded with putting the bathrobe back on his shoulders.

"I want to apply it again in the evening and tomorrow morning." She stated and went to wash her hands in the kitchen sink.

Slenderman snapped his head toward her upon hearing her declaration. He didn't look happy with such a prospect.

"I don't know why yours back slit is not healing as fast as the rest of you, but if this ointment will help you shouldn't complain." She dried her hands and sniffed her fingers; they still smelled like the ointment. "If it works as it should, your back should improve so it would be less unpleasant."

He shifted but it didn't look as if he was convinced. Michelle understood his reservations, it was only natural, no living being liked to hurt.

"Tell you what; if it won't look any better than it did now, we'll just leave it be." She proposed.

Slenderman titled his head slightly giving Michelle a clear signal that he knew that she was treating him like a small kid.

"I still have the leftover chicken soup from yesterday and I plan to use it for tomato soup." She instantly and deliberately changed the subject. "What say you go to bed, keep your back warm and wait for the soup?"

Slenderman didn't move for a moment.

"I'm not a child."

He finally said, got up and vanished behind the door. Michelle stared at the door for a moment; she didn't think he would speak to her twice in one day. Then she just smirked and shook her head, that looked like slightly wounded man pride.

She sighed and followed the faceless being, knocked on the door and poked her head in.

"Okay, my recognisably adult guest, if you're bored there are books on the shelf if you feel like reading." She said trying to sound deadly serious. "I'd give you my computer but I need it to work and I'm not sure how well it would work for you."

oOo

The rest of the day was uneventful. Slenderman chose himself "20 000 Leagues Under the Sea" and spent the rest of the day with the book with short breaks for meals. Michelle busied herself with her work and house chores.

It was evening when she went to see Slenderman's back and bring him his clothes. The creature was sitting in the bed reading the book and Michelle was surprised to see that he was almost done with it. He surely could read fast.

The inspection of his back showed that the tentacle slit didn't improve as much as Michelle hoped for but when he didn't jerk at her touch it was clear that it didn't hurt as much as before proving that something did work. Michelle wasn't sure if it was Slenderman's own natural healing powers alone or were they backed with the ointment's properties. Either way it was progress so she applied larger dose in hope that it would work better that way. Slenderman didn't oppose.

When she was done she took the tube, wished him good night and left him so he could finish his reading in peace.

oOo

The next morning.

It was the first time when Slenderman didn't woke on his own but was awaken. He would actually sleep longer if it was up to him, but his hostess decided that he needed waking. Last evening he stayed up a bit longer just to finish the book so he wasn't thrilled about prospect of getting up, yet he also wanted to return to his own dwelling and that meant that he would have to wake up and leave the nice, warm bed.

Before he could properly sit up she produced the tube of that dreadful substance that she treated his tentacle slit.

"I'd like to apply this before you'll get dressed." She said.

Slenderman sighed, rubbed his featureless face and went through all the trouble of unrobing. The woman sat at the edge of the bed and examined his back.

"Looks better." Her fingers touched the still slightly swollen skin. "The improvement is small but it's there. Do you want me to apply the ointment again?" She asked.

Slenderman looked back at her and nodded once.

It wasn't pleasant. The goo was cold and slimy but his hostess was doing her best not to cause him any pain.

"Okay. All done here." She finally stood up. "Come for the breakfast when you're ready, I'll make you some scrambled eggs."

He nodded to her again and she left.

It took him a moment to muster will to leave the bed. It was way too comfortable for his good. When he finally managed to leave it, he moved to inspect his suit. At first glance it looked pristine. It was well washed and ironed. On the other hanger was his shirt, also ironed but he could see that it wasn't impeccable, there were some marks that he could see and he instantly knew it was where the blood stains were – his blood stains.

He stood there glaring at the not entirely removed blood stains, contemplating them and what happened to him. The woman certainly did a lot for him and despite being what he was he could appreciate efforts of other beings. Especially if said efforts saved his hide from certain end in an icy grave as he had no doubts that his attackers would return for him should she not take him away.

Finally he undid the bathrobe that served as his temporary raiment and reached for the shirt. His hostess did what she could with it, it was still better than what he could ever manage on his own. It would have to do for now and later on he'd just have to get himself another one.

As he was donning the shirt he felt something strange, a gentle whiff of delicate aroma. A strange feeling came to him. He reached for the suit and brought it close to his face to sniff it. He was right! His clothes were treated with fabric softener! One with delicate, womanly floral aroma! Outrageous! How dared she! His manly, his SlenderMANLY business suit smelling like some spring flowers! That was beneath his dignity! Although, despite everything, the smell wasn't all that bad… and he had little choice but to put it on.

oOo

Michelle was breaking the eggs when Slenderman entered the living room and moved to the dining table where he sat. He looked a bit stiff but she attributed it to newly washed clothes.

The creature waited patiently for her to finish preparing the food but when the plate was in front of him, he wolfed the scrambled eggs with appetite. Slenderman was many things but picky eater was not one of them.

As soon as the food was gone from his plate his got up, marched to the stove where his shoes waited for him and put them on. He was now ready to leave. Unfortunately one glance outside the window revealed that the weather has changed. To say that it was snowing would be an understatement, the snowfall outside was closer to a blizzard.

Slenderman wasn't pleased. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

"Calm down, it won't be snowing all day." Michelle said and took another bite of her food. "When I was out yesterday I checked the weather cast, it said that snow storms were possible this morning but that it would past before noon." She added after swallowing.

Slenderman didn't move, instead he pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"I know what I have promised you. To be honest I didn't think it would last this long, I thought it would end by now." She admitted. "If I could, I'd check the weathercast for you right now, but your presence disrupts radio connectivity. Just give it some time, it will end soon."

Slenderman sighed. He would wait. What else could he do? Last time he travelled in snow storm it ended badly for him. He was painfully aware of his own vulnerability in conditions like these. And he couldn't really blame it on his hostess, she didn't control the weather.

TBC

1) Defence Class was an actual class back when I was in high school. It was mandatory class (as all classes in Polish school system, except for one) with the scope of teaching being focused on widely defined Civil Defence issues (yes, THAT Civil Defence, the one with the yellow/orange circle with blue triangle inside), methods of defence from various threats and preparation for proceeding during various catastrophic events, first aid techniques, and various military issues such as types of alerts, weaponry (including shooting lessons), general information about types of weapons and their deployment, information about military service and some topics in the international law.

In practice we were taught about the types of weaponry, trained some first air, were taught how to aim and shoot (and not shoot ourselves in the process) and to throw a hand grenade. Oh, and one of our class mates was dressed up in complete rubber protection suit with full head gas mask that makes any human being looking like midget, olive elephant with amputated ears.

Today in high schools the Defence Class is replaced by "Education for Security" which is the same minus shooting lessons.

But it doesn't matter because most people don't remember anything from these lessons (because they're too busy laughing at their class mates dressed in complete rubber protection suits with full head gas masks – I swear, we were all rolling in laughter).