Chapter 10: Slender

I'm aware Lea is going to base herself inside a Proxy house, and I know she has no intention of spending more time there than absolutely necessary. She let me know both of these things before leaving that morning.

She hasn't been communicating a lot since then, only the occasional blip of consciousness. The connection is still intact, just not being used for more than location. I used the time to hunt, the universal pass-time for my kind, and actually killed one woman.

I admire her courage. It was brave, if stupid, to come at me with a carving knife. It's not often any of them fight back, so I enjoyed the change of pace. She died quickly, as they all do. That's one thing I don't do; draw out their deaths. I don't make them suffer or cause only superficial damage. I strike once, quickly, and kill them in an instant.

And, unlike some, I don't have a great love for fire. It's one of the things that is never to be joked about.

I focus on Lea again, bringing her end of things into sharp focus. Even through the dimmed connection I feel her twitch. Then she opens her mind to let me see through her.

"Hello," She says with her thoughts, being careful not to vocalize by mistake.

I send her a wordless greeting in reply, my mind startled for a moment by color and sound. I'm so used to my limited senses that hers sometimes shock me.

I hear her footsteps, the sounds of a city, of people. I can also hear another set of footsteps, heavier than Lea's light steps, doggedly keeping place.

She's got someone else with her. I send a questioning feeling, still not using words.

Lea has no such problem, "It's the Proxy they sent to brief me. He followed me."

"And you let him?" Lea usually flicks off followers quickly.

"If he wants to hang around he can. He knows what he's getting into."

I take a breath, but don't voice any of my doubts or concerns. I can tell why she's letting the Proxy follow her. She's trying to make someone, anyone, understand. I understand her, but she wants the Proxies to know what it's like. Maybe this one can.

The first time he tries anything I'll kill him. Lea doesn't need yet another scar.

Lea reaches the door to the Proxy house, she opens it slowly, body tense. As soon as she steps inside her hand comes up and knocks away an incoming blow. She twists and hits the person hard in the gut, making them gasp in pain.

"Sometimes I wonder if you even try," She says, stepping farther inside.

The person straightens up, wincing, "I try. Nice punch."

"Thanks. Nice ambush."

"You always see it coming."

"Someday I won't come in first and then you'll kill someone."

"I long for the day." He smiles a bit.

Lea grins back, "How are you?"

"Not bad."

"Jack and BEN around too?"

He shrugs, "I think so. I only just got here."

"Okay," Lea reaches back out the door, grabbing the frozen Proxy by the wrist and pulling him inside. She closes the door behind him.

"Sally and Lacy?" She continues without missing a beat, "Clockwork?"

"Nope,"

Lea sighs, "Sometimes I wish there were more girls around."

"Come on Proxy-girl, you think that would end well?" He gives a slight chuckle.

"No. The only reason my head is on my shoulders is your relative sanity."

I like to listen to this banter. Lea's second layer is this shell. Also; it's something I will never experience. The inhumanity of my appearance, voice, and presence has assured that.

Lea frowns slightly at the thoughts pattern. She turns back to the man, "Hey, Jeff, did any boxes come in before I got here?"

Jeff shrugs, watching the second Proxy attentively, "Nope. Were you expecting something?"

"I was hoping the Proxies might actually be fast for once," She scowls.

He glances from her to the other man, then back, "Who's your friend?"

"He followed me,"

"Because you let him,"

"I can't teleport right now unless I want a fever of 120."

"You can Slender-walk?" The second Proxy cuts in.

Lea and Jeff both turn to stare at him. Jeff's face is lit eerily from the side by the light, throwing his scars into sharp contrast.

The man shifts uncomfortably beneath their gaze. Finally, Lea sighs, "Of all the rumors that didn't spread. Yes I can Slender-walk. You have no idea how much I hate that term."

"Why is he here?" Jeffery asks.

"Jeffery, Mitch. Mitch, Jeffery. There; now you know each other's names." She leaves the room, throwing her backpack onto the table and pacing up the stairs. "Come get me when the stuff gets here. I don't feel good."

Jeffery and Mitch exchange a glance. Even for my limited knowledge of human communication I can clearly see the mutual uncertainly there. Jeff appears a little more worried than confused.

Lea's just about to go into a room when one of the doors opens into the hallway. A blue-masked face appears, a good six feet above the ground.

She smiles again, "Hey Jack."

"You okay?"

"I'm late a dose," It's the first time she voiced the problem to anyone else.

"Oh…" He trails off, "try to take it easy." Jack is the only one who knows about the medicine besides the two of us. Even he doesn't know what it's for.

Lea nods, entering another of the rooms. I notice she chose the room with two beds again. There's one in every Proxy-house for whatever reason, and Lea always stays in it. She locks the door behind her and sits against the left-hand bed. She doesn't turn the light on, leaving the room lit only by the gloomy half-light filtering through the window blinds. She sighs, leaving her head back against the mattress.

"Does it hurt?" I ask, well aware that she keeps physical pain to herself, containing the sensation entirely.

"A little," She admits, then adds, "It feels like my insides are rearranging themselves slowly."

I can't do a lot in this situation. Lea's pain is hers, after all; I can't take it away. She just has to wait.

I appear beside her, on the floor. For anyone else it would have been shocking to see me do this, but Lea only opens one eye to see me, then close it again.

"That's new," She comments, "it's the first time I've seen you sit down here."

I don't respond, just remaining perfectly motionless. The days when Lea expected a reply are over.

"How long do you think it will take?" She asks, mental voice portraying slight distress.

"Not long," It's the only answer I can come up with, and I hope they do, for once, make this a priority.

She nods once, quickly. I press one hand against her forehead, feeling her unnatural heat. It's definitely higher now, and more noticeable. I can't tell exactly how high, but I feel a seed of apprehension. I will it to fall, as if that will do anything.

Lea holds her breath for a long time, trying not to move her chest too much. I think she was under-exaggerating the pain. In fact I'm fairly sure she feels like there's a fire burning her organs.

"Do you want painkillers?"

Lea nods again. "I can get them," She says. I watch her push herself to her feet, steady despite the pain. She closes her eyes for a moment, then opens the door to the hall.

She taps on Jack's door. He opens it after a moment, "What is it?"

"Do you have any pain medication I can use?"

Jack stares at her for a moment his expression impossible to read behind the mask. His head turns slightly towards her door, which she left slightly ajar. Then he turns away, rummaging through an unseen satchel.

He turns back, placing three small red pills in Lea's hand. She looks at the items, then looks up at Jack. "Advil?" She asks, slightly disbelieving.

"I can't give you anything stronger in case the effect carries over," He explains.

Lea sighs, "Okay." He raises her hand and swallows the pills without hesitation. "Thanks Jack."

"You're welcome."

"Hey, Lea!" A shout comes from downstairs.

Lea looks to see Jeff, leaning over Mitch who has his hand over his mouth and the other pressed to his stomach.

"Your follower isn't looking too good," Jeff calls.

Lea scowls, watching the man groan in pain. "Mitch," She calls down.

He looks up at her, eyes watery from pain.

"Take another pill you moron!"

The man's eyes widen, and he fumbles in his pockets, pulling out a pharmacy bottle half-filled with pills.

Lea winces, pressing one hand to her side. She turns away, coming back into the room with me. She locks the door behind her, leaning against the wood a moment.

She coughs once, in response to the pain. I see her pause, caught in uncertainty for a moment. Then her shoulders slump slightly and crosses to sit beside me again. She hugs her knees, resting her chin on them.

She leans towards me slightly, closing her eyes, and hums quietly, picking out a melody. I think I remember it from somewhere, in the past. Maybe from her past, maybe from mine. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.

Lea stops humming, "I give it ten minutes before he figures it out,"

"Do you think The Killer will explain things?"

"If he doesn't Jack will. I can't right now."

"You should sleep," I say, hoping that it might slow the reaction.

Lea nods, "You're right. Will you wake me up when it gets here?"

I send confirmation without words, and Lea allows her forehead to rest on her knees. I sense her mind being forced into the trance state and detach myself partly so she won't be woken by my thoughts.

In her last moment before she falls asleep Lea moves across the space between us and presses against me.

I don't move at all until I'm sure she's asleep, then I wrap one arm around her. I'm fully prepared to stay that way until she wakes up.

…

Mitch

The man hurriedly swallows the small pill, praying it will work fast. Slowly the nausea fades, and he can breathe again without feeling his lungs spasm in protest. The black around the edges of his vision recedes.

Mitch straightens up, breathing heavily. He brushes brown hair out of his eyes, and gives the man beside him a sheepish grin.

Mitch is still processing the person's appearance. Of course he had heard rumors, all different, about him. Still, standing in the man's presence is shocking to say the least. His skin is almost white, the hair black and hanging loose, There are black circles framing black eyes, which blink despite the popular "lack of eyelids" theory. The thing that clinches it are the scars. They form a ropey raised grin, stretching on after the mouth, almost ear to ear.

Mitch is willing to bet he has scars from old battles everywhere, not just self-inflicted. Without those scars he might have doubted the man's identity.

Jeff the Killer. Who would have thought.

The Proxy-girl did associate with them after all. He thought it was just a rumor. Mitch shakes his head, trying to dislodge a strange buzzing hum in his mind. The pills; he should have thought of that. It's been so long since he actually had need of the medication. HE's just an observer, and doesn't often come into contact with-

Wait a moment.

Mitch freezes in place, sensing the low humming. They can't be serious. No way this is true. He takes a deep breath, looking to the Killer.

Jeff has turned away, leaving Mitch on his own. The man follows him after a moment, thinking it's better to stay with him than be on his own. If his suspicion is correct then anything is better than being on his own.

Jeff enters the kitchen space of the floor. He opens the fridge and searches through the contents.

"There's one here, isn't there?" Mitch ventures.

"One what?" The man doesn't even look up.

"A Slenderman."

Jeff stands up, holding two bottles. He offers one to Mitch who takes it without thinking.

The Killer nods after a moment in response to the question. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was."

Mitch blinks in surprise.

Jeff grins widely, stretching the scars. It's clear he's going to enjoy this. "He's here quite often, thought I doubt you'll see him. They're very reclusive, and more than a little paranoid about new people."

"He?" Mitch says slowly. The word sets in his brain. Not "it," "He." It's a familiar word. This Slenderman is always around, and Jeff's met him. Several times.

"He," Jeff nods in confirmation, "He's Lea's boss."

Mitch nods, still processing the information.

Jeff twists the cap on his bottle, tossing the lid into a trashcan. He takes a swig from it. Mitch starts to follow suit, but he's suddenly reminded he's still underage and needs his wits about him. He sets the bottle down unopened.

He remembers what Lea said before, but he didn't take it seriously. He assumed she was exaggerating.

Mitch turns towards the stairs, walking towards them. Jeff doesn't try to stop him, watching with a smile that seems a little concerned.

Mitch finds the door based on the vibration in his head, which increases to an almost unbearable frequency when he reaches it. He raises a hand to knock, rapping fairly hard. There's no answer. He knocks again, louder, and gets the same response. The man bites the inside of his lip, twisting the doorknob. Locked.

Mitch takes a step back, running a hand through his hair. He can't believe this is happening. Okay, okay, here we go. He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a lock-pick.

He feels a prick on his back, in the place his kidneys could be bruised by a punch. He used to box, before all this happens.

"Do you want to die?" A voice, mellow and deep, asks.

Mitch shakes his head slowly.

"Then be smart and leave that door closed. He'll kill you."

"But-"

"Do you want to be disemboweled by a Slenderman?"

Mitch drops the lock pick, stepping away from the door.

"Come on," He's grabbed by the arm and hauled backwards towards the stairs. Mitch half-protests all the way down, continually being silenced by the person pulling him.

They reach yet another room, where Mitch is almost bodily thrown onto a couch, and the person turns away.

"Jeffery," They say disapprovingly.

"Hey Jack, want a drink?"

Mitch rolls over, sitting up. He freezes when he sees the person who hauled him all the way here is wearing a blue mask with dark circles for eyes and black fluid stains beneath them. The man slowly lays back down, unable to make sense of what just happened. Eyeless Jack. Eyeless-freaking-Jack had just dragged him away from that room.

Being a Proxy is one thing; this is quite another. Next thing you know-

Mitch hears breathing. Despite himself he opens his eyes. A boy no older than 10 dressed in green with a stoking-like hat is looking back at him.

Mitch closes his eyes.

"I think I triggered him," Says a childish voice.

Someone sighs, "Proxy-girl needs to think before she does things."

Then Jeff's unmistakable raspy tone, "Is she alright? She didn't look too good earlier."

"I don't think so. She came to get pain meds from me earlier."

"That's not good-"

Mitch presses his hands over his ears. Yup; insane. Totally and completely insane. You're losing it Mitchell Mcjonas, you're going insane. Congratulations.

Someone taps his shoulder, and he opens his eyes slowly. Eyeless Jack is looking back at him, head cocked slightly to one side.

"Get up," The being says.

Mitch sits up, forcing himself to look around.

"Let's get this over with," Jack sighs. The being stares at Mitch for a long time, as if considering his personality.

"Let me explain," Jack starts.

AN: This guy… he annoys me so much. Mitch is making a point of hanging around. I'm learning to put up with him. Anyway, please review. And it's nice to be back. Update next week. See you all then!