Sorry it's been so long! I guess this just kinda slipped away from me for a while. Lol oops. Anyways, enjoy! :D


"Whoa, calm down Tweek," Kenny said. He waved him down to come inside, which the scared boy did after a minute of protesting (and realizing there was no saying 'no'). He dumped himself on the couch, pulling at his hair and looking as if he were about to cry, and whimpered, "H-He hasn't a-acted like this b-before! What if – augh! – what if he's b-been k-kidnapped? Or k-killed! OH JESUS I-I COULDN'T LIVE WITH MYSELF IF HE'S D-DEAD!"

The brunette dropped down next to the panicking boy and grabbed his hands. "Stop that," he said sternly when he tried to tug on his hair again. He managed to get the shaking boy's hands to rest in his lap, and smiled a little to try and relax him as not to have him have a heart attack. "We'll help you find him, Tweek. Okay?"

"B-But what about t-the incident in gym t-today? I-I don't want y-you to get k-killed too!"

Parker sighed and smiled again, reminding himself that Tweek can't help freaking out. "Honestly, it's not a problem. Kenny will be with us to make sure nothing happens, just in case," he reasoned kindly. "Now come on; let's go find your psycho!"

"H-He's not my psycho," Tweek mumbled. The brunette grinned when he saw the boy's cheeks stain pink. "But o-okay, let's g-go."


"Craig? Craig!"

"C-Craig! Nngh!"

Parker jogged down the street ahead of the blondes, looking through windows and poking into different shops. No Craig so far. He grumbled and shook his back at the blondes, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't think he's in the stores," he said once the other two caught up. "Tweek, did he have any specific places he liked to hang out?"

The shaky blonde shook his head quickly, left eye twitching. "N-No, I don't – gah! – think s-so…he did like to g-go down to Stark's Pond s-sometimes, though. M-Maybe – ergh! – he's t-there?"

"He could be," Kenny agreed, nodding. "We've checked just about everywhere else already. I say we go look."

The brunette looked off into the distance of where the pond was, and frowned a little; it was getting dark fast. There was no way they'd be able to get there and leave before the sun set. He fidgeted and bit his lip, and whimpered, "I-I dunno, guys…it's getting pretty dark out already…"

Tweek's head jerked to the right (damn that had to hurt!) and he let out a short scream. "We h-have to find him!" he shouted, reaching up for his hair again. "W-What if he's h-hurt! Or worse! Gah!" He looked ready to break down and start crying. "P-PLEASE, WE HAVE TO F-FIND HIM!"

Parker's heart hurt seeing the caffeine-addict like this. Looking back to the setting sun, he sighed and looked at Tweek, smiling a little. "Alright, we'll find him. Don't you worry." He held his arms out to give the nervous-wreck a hug, which he gladly took; Parker could just barely see a hint of jealousy cross Kenny's features before the three took off running for the pond.

The three ran as fast as they could, mostly out of fear (Parker and Kenny of running into the faceless tall man, and Tweek of finding Craig too late) until they were close to the pond. Kenny ran up ahead to scout the area, making sure it was safe; once he deemed it alright, he motioned for the other boys to follow him. They looked around the exposed area, but saw no Craig. Tweek was nearly hyperventilating, so Parker pulled him close and rubbed his back in an attempt to keep him calm. Again, he caught Kenny looking over his shoulder with that jealous look in his eyes. The three heard a rustling sound coming from the trees just behind the water, and slowly stalked over to the woods. Parker and Kenny looked around, trying to find Tall, Pale, and Faceless before he found them. Luckily he was nowhere to be found. The duo let out a relieved sigh and kept their eyes closer to the ground. Another rustling made Tweek jump and nearly scream; if it weren't for Kenny clamping his hand over the other blonde's mouth, they might have been found out by whatever was making the noise. Parker braced himself and entered into the shadows with his guard on high alert.

"Found…you…"

Parker whipped around and saw something charge at him. He screamed as he was knocked backwards by the thing's weight, and struggled to get away. His arms were held in place high above his head by the wrists with one hand, and saw a gleam over his head. He tried to focus, and gasped when he finally saw what the thing was: it was Craig! He was grinning like a madman and had an insane look in his eyes similar to the one in the locker room. He was laughing while the brunette thrashed about under him; laughing something so spine-chilling that Parker swore it must have been the Grim Reaper's own laugh. Parker looked up at him, panic-stricken and trying not to show signs of (further) fear, and glared from behind his glasses. In an act of idiocy, he spit on Craig's face, hoping to God that it would give him a second or two to get away. Craig merely laughed harder and used his free hand to wipe it away. His eyes, Parker noticed, weren't his own; were they turning red? He finally lost it when the raven-haired boy flexed his fingers and swiftly wrapped them around the brunette's throat. He screamed as loud and as long as he could before his vision started fading. The last thing he remembered seeing was the two blondes running up to him, before slipping into unconsciousness.


"Parker…Parker…hey, you awake?"

"Oh Jesus! What if he's…d-dead? Nngh! Craig did c-choke him pretty hard!"

"I know…shit, those bruises look bad. How are we supposed to explain this to his dad?"

The brunette's eyes twitched slightly before opening, finding himself in a totally new and unfamiliar place. He took a moment to register what all happened and looked over to see Kenny and Tweek looking down at him; they looked horrible and pale, especially Tweek. Parker sat up quickly, but fell back down hard, groaning.

"Whoa!" Kenny sat him up much more slowly, keeping his arms around the hurt brunette for support. "You okay, dude?"

"My throat hurts like fuck," Parker whispered hoarsely, clutching at his throat. He felt around gingerly, wincing when his fingers passed over the front of his neck. "Christ, did Craig try to crush it or something?"

Tweek jerked violently and nodded. "I-It looked like it…" He rushed out of sight, leaving the brunette and the orange-clad blonde alone. Parker took a moment to look around, and realized he was in a coffee shop. It certainly wasn't Harbucks, but it was a small family-friendly shop. The brunette liked it here. After a few minutes, he returned, carrying a tall steaming cup and handed it to Parker with a nervous smile. "Here, d-drink this. It's n-nothing fancy, but it might - gah! - help…"

Parker looked down at the cup and smiled: coffee. He gratefully took a sip, letting the hot liquid flood his mouth and soothe his aching throat. A contented sigh escaped his tingling lips and he thanked the twitching blonde, and looked around for a clock.

Kenny, sensing his friend's unease, pulled out his phone and took a look at the time. "It's almost nine," he informed the brunette, and slipped his phone back into his pocket. When Parker whipped his head up to look at him, eyes wide and mouth agape, he smiled and said, "Don't worry; I called your dad a while ago and told him you were with me. He told me to tell you that he'd be working really late tonight and might not be back 'til eleven-thirty or so."

The brunette heaved a great relieved sigh and slumped back into Kenny's arms. He was glad his friend remembered to tell his dad where he was, just in case. He glanced up at the windows and saw a shadow rush past. Chills ran up and down his spine, but he tried to shrug it off as not to scare his friends. Surely the Slender Man wouldn't just waltz into a shop with three kids on the floor and go nuts, right? Or what if it was Craig again, back to finish the job?

Kenny looked up at where Parker was staring, as did Tweek. They saw nothing, however, for the shadow had already passed. The two exchanged a worried look before both surrounding him in a comforting hug. "Want us to walk you home?"

"N-No," Parker stuttered, looking up at them with panic. He feigned calm and sent a smile at them, hoping they didn't catch his stumble. "I'll be fine. I just need a bat or something."

Tweek screamed and pulled at his hair again. "We're n-not –ah! – letting you go alone! I-It's too d-dangerous!"

"He's right you know," Kenny agreed, nodding. "With Craig still out there the way he is, and that other thing still on the loose, we can't risk you getting any more hurt than you already are." He ran his hand through his hair, frowning. "I mean, with Bebe beating the shit out of you in science class, and then Craig nearly stabbing you in gym class…it's just not safe to be out in the dark by yourself."

Parker, feeling as though he were being treated like a child, frowned and staggered to his feet. "I'm not a child, Kenny," he snapped, glaring at the surprised blonde. He turned on his heel and made for the door, ignoring the knot of dread tightening in his stomach. "I can handle this myself."

"Parker - "

The brunette flung the door open and slammed it shut behind him, and began walking down the street, hoping he was going in the right direction. He sighed and scanned the area, fearing what hid in the shadows. 'Stupid Kenny,' he found himself thinking. His eyes stung with the tears that welled up, but he refused to let them fall; instead he angrily wiped his eyes dry under his glasses. 'I don't need to be treated like a six-year-old anymore…I can handle whatever gets thrown at me. I don't need his help!' Echoing footsteps made his blood turn to ice and he froze up, too scared to move. They were getting closer, coming up from behind him. The brunette screamed inside his head 'RUN YOU FUCKING IDIOT!' but his feet refused to budge; it was as if he were super glued to the sidewalk. Closer and closer the footsteps got: only a few feet away now. He was a deer in the headlights. As good as dead. A cold hand grasped his shoulder, but he couldn't scream. He glanced sideways and saw pale white fingers curl into his shirt. It wasn't until the static grew and flooded his ears that he finally managed to emit a strangled scream, and blacked out again.


Looks like the Slender Man's got Parker...what's gonna happen to him now? Find out next chapter!