Chapter 7

Jerome had finally decided he'd had enough. He needed real help, and he needed it now. David hadn't been much help, and he wasn't going to find answers on the internet alone. He decided to return to the website of Zephyr Inc. It seemed they were the only ones who knew what they were doing here.

After searching for Zephyr Inc, Jerome was not surprised to find that it was the most visited page on the results list. It was a very popular scientific innovation company, after all. Clicking on the link, Jerome was taken to the website itself, and with a little rooting around, he found a telephone number. I hardly need to tell you, though, that he then proceeded to dial the number immediately.

Jerome whipped out his mobile and dialed in the 11-digit number. The dial tone rang out for a few seconds before somebody picked up.

"Good morning, I'm Helen and you've reached Zephyr Inc. How may I help you today?"

"Hi," Jerome began, "Uh, my name is Jerome Yales. I've had a bit of a problem recently. Well, for quite a while now, actually."

"Ok, Mister Yales. And what exactly is the nature of your… problem?" Helen replied. Then, Jerome began to explain how he'd recently read an internet article on the 'Slenderman'. He told her that he'd read it to find out more about this mysterious figure because… He was following him.

After Jerome had poured out his worries into his telephone, Helen was stunned and silent for a few moments, not sure how to respond to this new information. Then, she replied: "Um… Well… Should I put you through to 'Complaints'?"

"Complaints?" Jerome asked. "No, I don't want to complain, I want help."

"Right, help." Helen repeated. "Will 'Support and Assistance' do?"

"Not really…" Jerome replied through clenched teeth. This woman clearly had no idea what she was doing. "Look, can you just put me through to someone higher up who knows something about this so-called 'Slenderman' that I keep seeing?" His voice slowly rose until he practically shouted the last word. Then, there was silence on the line.

For a few moments, Jerome was unsure whether to put the phone down, or wait for a reply. Just as he was about to cancel the call, he heard another voice on the line. This was not Helen, though. It was a much older-sounding gentleman.

"Hello, Mr. Yales?" He inquired.

"Yes, that's me." Jerome assured the man.

"My name's Matthew Strulmann." The man introduced himself. "Helen tells me you've rang about a certain 'Slenderman'?"

"Yes, that's me, thank you!" Jerome sighed in relief. Finally, someone was listening to him.

"Well, Mr. Yales," Strulmann replied, "We'd like you to come in for an interview as soon as possible." Of course, Jerome immediately agreed, and after the arrangements had been made, Strulmann bid him goodbye.

About an hour later, Jerome was tucking in to his dinner. He was satisfied that he would finally be able to figure out what was going on in his life right now. As he dug his knife into a slice of steak and kidney pie, he sat back in his chair and relaxed. For a brief moment, he felt that everything was going to be fine. He soon snapped out of that, though.

After finishing his pie, Jerome remembered to take one of his tablets, as David had recommended. Then, he sat back down and turned on the TV. He watched for a good few hours, despite the fact that he needed some fresh air. But he daren't leave the house. He knew what would happen if he did. Eventually, though, his boredom got the better of him. He decided to go out for a walk. He'd soon realise that this was a mistake.

A while later, Jerome was walking along in the foothills bordering the town. It was his favourite spot to get peace and quiet from the hustle and bustle of the town. But today, subconsciously, Jerome knew that he'd come here for a completely different reason. Yes, he needed fresh air. Yes, he needed to relieve his boredom. But there was another reason, in the back of his mind, that he had come here. As he reached the steeper slopes, he went into a small valley between two hills. Sure enough, it wasn't long before Jerome had arrived at his destination. The River Malder.

Hesitating before he approached, Jerome went to the surface of the cool, clear water. He looked around, and was certain that this was the exact spot that he'd visited so many times before. The same spot that he'd been taken to by that creature in the woods. He continued to search, for any signs of… well, anything. It wasn't long before he found it.

On the ground beneath a small tree, Jerome noticed something etched into the dirt. He approached it, and crouched down to observe the drawing. As soon as he lay his eyes upon it, his blood ran cold. It was a circle with a cross through the centre. Jerome stood back up, and pulled out another tablet. The bottle said "Take once per hour." After swallowing the grey-ish object, he pulled out his mobile to photograph the sketch on the ground. He needed proof that it existed, that he wasn't just seeing things. However, when he turned on his camera, he found that it would show no picture. As he pointed it around the clearing, his phone screen was filled with interference.

This was beyond a joke. Everywhere Jerome pointed his mobile, the image was purely static. Not only was the image affected, but the sound of static rang out from his phone, as well. It buzzed and fizzed as interference continued to rule the screen. Suddenly, the surface of the phone became incredibly hot. Jerome dropped the device as he felt it burning his hands. The phone crackled and rang with static. Then, it was dead. Jerome was just about to go pick it back up, when it happened. Sure enough, just as he'd expected, he saw somebody at the other side of the river. A tall man, black suit, spindly arms and legs. And I'm assuming that you don't need to be told at this point who it was.