Anne appeared on a mountain ledge with a gasp, fresh burns on her face and arms, clutching a slightly blackened Alice tight to her chest. She watched helplessly as the flames consumed the hotel below her and covered her mouth, tears brimming her eyes. She could hear the cries of the humans inside and those that escaped the hotel were chased down by Jeff, Slenderman or the Rake. The system looked so perfect, burn everything to get rid of the evidence and if there were any survivors, well, no survivors allowed. Anne couldn't tear her eyes away from the flaming wreckage. All this, he's putting in so much effort just to find her? She placed a hand on her stomach, still feeling the expected pregnancy sickness as well as how nauseated she felt about the whole situation. How could this have happened? Anne thought monsters like Slenderman wouldn't have that need to reproduce. But imagine creatures like Slenderman appearing everywhere, the human population wouldn't stand a chance!
Anne closed her eyes and finally found the will to teleport further up the mountain. She felt drained, probably because the child inside her was sucking up her energy to live. She growled and aimed several tendrils at her stomach, prepared to tear out the creature that was the reason Slenderman was after her. She shouldn't feel guilt, she was only five weeks along so it probably didn't even know it was alive and it wouldn't even be human. But the tendrils quivered, refusing to move. Anne thought it was because she didn't want to risk the immense pain and/or death but no matter how much she braced herself, the tendrils just simply wouldn't obey her. They absolutely refused to dive, tear open her stomach and rip the foetus out.
But then again, maybe it was because of her purpose that her tendrils wouldn't do anything. Slenderman did take her and change her to be the vessel of his spawn after all, who's to say he didn't alter her nature so it was guaranteed that she'd keep herself healthy and alive to keep the child safe?
"Damn you," Anne hissed and her tendrils fell to her side "Damn you to Hell, Slenderman!"
"Anne."
Anne gasped as a searing pain entered her mind and she closed her eyes tight.
It was simply a telepathic communication. Anne relaxed when she realised that. He just wanted to talk, he wasn't trying to invade her memories to try and find out where she was. Inside her mind, Anne opened her eyes to see Slenderman's figment connected to her. He stared down at her with that expressionless visage that he was so well known for.
"Why?" she whispered as tears trailed down her cheeks "Why would you do such a thing to me?"
"You think of it as a curse but it's really a blessing," Slenderman replied in contempt "You have been chosen to become my unblemished proxy and bear my children."
"I never wanted any of this," Anne whimpered "I just wanted a normal life. I should be dead now. I should have died of old age long ago. I know my parents are dead. Jack is most probably dead now. And I definitely know that Margret's dead. It's been so long, the world of humans has changed so much now. I don't belong there anymore."
"You don't need to go back to the human world, Anne. You belong with us. Come back and we can take care of our child and our future children."
"Haven't you thought about it at all?" Anne asked and looked up at him "Your kind thrive and survive on humans. If more creatures like you appear then…"
"It isn't…entirely necessary to feed on humans to survive," Slenderman said.
"Then why do you kill and take so many…?"
Slenderman laughed coldly which made Anne shiver uneasily.
"Because, my dear Anne," he said "It is delightfully fun."
Anne's eyes widened as he continued to laugh.
"Humans are so pitiful, so easy to corrupt and so entertaining when they become paranoid and obsessive."
"You…you…" Anne squeaked "You take pleasure in such a horrible thing?"
"They are only humans. Granted, you were one before and still are partially but you cannot deny that feeling you got when your popular elder sister suddenly turned into a person that should be sent to the mental asylum."
"No…no, I never took any pleasure in seeing her like that," Anne argued "I wanted to help but she wouldn't ever let me and you had already broken into my mind so I couldn't do anything but watch."
"And what about Jeremy? Didn't you enjoy manipulating him?"
"You murdered him in cold blood!" Anne shrieked at him.
"He took you and ruined you!" Slenderman roared and Anne winced "You would be perfect if he hadn't interfered!"
"I'm fine just the way I am!" Anne argued "I'm only perfect to you if I'm under your control! But I can't just stand by and help and watch you kill so many lives that have so much potential in their world!"
"You can't possibly take their side after killing so many," Slenderman snarled.
"I can!" Anne cried "Even if I unwillingly killed so many, I still wish for humans to be safe from monsters like you!"
"Don't forget that you're one of us! You're a 'monster' too!"
"Only partially," Anne shook her head "I'm still part human! And even if humans are corrupted easily and they commit horrible deeds they still…they're still such wonderful creatures."
"You dare…?"
"They could be much better than you could ever be!"
Anne shot one tendril forward and cut the telepathic communication.
Anne's eyes shot open and she willed with all her might to teleport onto the other side of the mountain. She slipped a bit but slid down the rocky slope, her eyes landing on a small village. She gasped as a shadowed hooded figure came past her and waited for her at the bottom of the slope. Anne snatched the proxy's wrists before it could grab her and narrowed her eyes.
"You're…you're Kate, aren't you?" she said as Kate struggled against her "Listen to me, Kate, I need to have you give a message to Slenderman."
Kate paused and stared at her warily. Anne sighed and closed her eyes.
"I will give birth to the child and give it to Slenderman," she said "But only if he leaves me be and gives me peace and quiet for me to relax. I don't want anyone to come and disturb me. No-one at all."
Kate stared at her blankly and Anne let go of her wrists.
"Now leave, or else I shall kill you," she threatened "Don't test me."
Kate ran off, apparently taking heed of her warning. Anne placed a hand on her belly and sighed, turning and disappearing into the forest.
