A/N: And here I am from the land of no-freaking-idea-where to bring you another chapter of this story!

In answer to all your lovely comments, yes, that was a Goodfella's reference! IamDeadGhost insisted and who am I to deny him? So sorry if anyone was disappointed with Bean's backstory, hopefully I'll be able to add a new twist to the cliche or at the very least, make her so cliched she ends up being different.

IDG: *Scratches head in confusion* Huh? That makes no sense, to the point where it does. Mind *Boom* Blown!

Q: Exactly, enjoy!

Bean

"I swear Ellie, if you ever touch a hammer again, I'll kill you." The surly tones outside her room were what finally woke Bean up. Groggily sitting up, it took her a moment to remember why she was waking up at noon, still dressed in yesterday's clothes.

Oh that's right, I decided to take a pleasant stroll with an inhuman killer. As more memories filtered through her battered mind, the blond haired girl groaned softly. Not only had she gone on a walk with him, she'd also broken down in front of him. Just peachy.

Rubbing the sleep from her bloodshot eyes, Bean swung herself out of bed and tried to block out the conversation she'd had with Slenderman last night. How the hell had he managed to get so much out of her? Mumbling something even she didn't understand herself, the girl recalled all too clearly how the monster had invaded her mind, digging at her thoughts before leaving her curled up in the forest, pain laid bare for all to see. Absently she ruffled her tangled hair, remembering how Slenderman had done the same when she'd started to cry.

Why did he try to comfort me if he's just going to kill me later? Struggling to her feet, Bean shifted the hoodie she'd thrown back on before going inside and stared at the door, behind which could be heard furious banging and even more irate yelling. Frustrated that the other girls hadn't even had the decency to inform her what the hell was going on, Bean shuffled to the door and threw it open to find Emily and Sophia arguing frustratedly while Ellie waved a hammer around like she was trying to decide who to kill first.

Noticing her, Ellie locked eyes with Bean and smirked. "How you doing, your majesty. Does Sleeping Beauty require more time to rest or does she at last have orders for her subjects?"

"What time is it?" Bean mumbled, still trying to puzzle out what was going on.

"Time for you to get off your ass and help us. I swear, when the next serial killer comes calling, we'll throw you out first." Sophia grouched, pointing a few loose nails and one out of place screw at the confused girl. If it weren't for the fact she probably wasn't even 4'8" and more cute than menacing, Bean would have backed up. As it was, she stood her ground and even leaned over so she could look the shorter girl in the eyes.

"What do you want me to do? I just woke up!" She groused, throwing her arms in the air in mock surrender.

"We've still got the windows in the attic. Make yourself useful and go help Blue." The short girl ordered sharply. "Because trust me, if we needed someone to stand around doing nothing, we could have dug Tay Tay up."

"What are we even doing?" She asked in outrage, standing up straight to look at the other two girls before glaring back down at Sophia. "What part of 'I just woke up' are you failing to understand shorty?"

"What part of 'get off your ass and start barricading the windows upstairs' did you not understand?" Sophia shouted back. "And don't call me short!"

"What can I say Soph," Ellie said with a careless shrug, hammer coming dangerously close to braining Emily. "The girl tells it like it is."

"Watch where you're poking that thing!" Emily snapped, leaning back and looking at Ellie like she was insane.

"I'll poke it wherever I want." Ellie announced, shoving the hammer's head into her Asian friend's chest, no doubt confirming the allusions to insanity.

"She said, while pushing it in harder." Sophia muttered a sly look on her face, deflecting Ellie's slap with her loose screws.

Struggling not to smack her face in exasperation, Bean muttered, "You know what, I'll go find Spectra. You guys… keep doing what you're doing." Quickly backing up, the tired girl shuffled towards the stairs, wondering where exactly the attic was but unwilling to go back and ask the three stooges for help.

It made sense that they were finally getting their act together and doing something to protect themselves, even if Bean knew full well it wouldn't work. The thought only left her feeling sick to her stomach. Even if her friends defended themselves and worked together, that action alone seeming impossible, they couldn't win. The only thing it seemed to accomplish was buy themselves a little more time.

I guess that's our fate, to bury each other until there's no one left. Feeling a headache coming on, Bean closed her eyes for a moment before moving once more, taking the stairs one steps at a time. All she had to focus on was this moment, otherwise, she might just go crazy.

After wandering around, searching for the attic, Bean finally found the dusty ladder leading up to it extended down into the bathroom. Something about the air filtering down to cover her settled a chill over her skin. It wasn't even particularly cold but she knew there was something about it that clung to her and infected her lungs with death and decay.

Thinking about it isn't gonna make it go away. Rolling her neck, the blue eyed girl firmly gripped the ladder and ascended it, willingly giving herself up to the crypt like air above her. Darkening around her, the light seemed to be sucked out from her surroundings the further she went. Even with her abnormally good night vision, Bean found herself squinting against the dust that swirled around her in swelling clouds.

The moment she reached the top and took her first step into the cobwebbed interior of the attic, Bean realized the chill wasn't from the room per say, rather it seemed to be rolling off of her blue haired friend who crouched before the mosaic of small windows that seemed to be the only source of light. Spectra's movements seemed to be almost trance-like, calling to mind a ghost in the way she flickered in the scant illumination. Bean took a moment to stare at her before shaking her head and walking forward, blaming the odd feelings on the paranoia that had started haunting her.

"Can you believe those three, it's not as if wood would stop the monsters from entering." Bean chuckled loudly, trying to capture the other girl's attention. "It's not as if they're the aliens from Signs."

She'd certainly spoken loud enough, the small space amplifying her voice, but Spectra acted as though she hadn't heard her. Instead she simply raised her hammer to the next nail of the plank she was working on and continued to pound it into place.

"Spectra? Are you alright?"

Spectra stopped banging the hammer against the nail and glared at her. "Where we you last night?" By her tone, she sounded more demanding than asking.

"In my room."

Spectra let out a sigh and pinched her nose. "Bean, it's one thing lying to me, but treating me like an idiot, that's another thing."

"I'm not treating you like an idiot." Bean muttered impatiently, "I was in my room last night. You were there too, right? After you were done wandering around, right?

"Oh, is that so. So you just happened to be sleepwalking and somehow went on a lovely walk outside before sneaking back in through the front door, looking like you'd been hit with a bus." Spectra nodded in false encouragement. "Yeah that makes sense."

"It's not like that." Bean protested hotly, suddenly nervous. Had Spectra seen her tail? She'd done her best to hide it but there was only so much she could do with something that ungainly.

"Then please, enlighten me." Spectra got to her feet and calmly walked towards Bean, purple eyes sparkling as she continued, "I've got nothing better to do other than count the number of times I've stayed up while my best friend having pleasant night walks with a fucking psychopath."

"He came to me." Bean quietly muttered. "It's not like I want to spend time with him."

Instead of scolding at her, Spectra simply threw her hands in air. "Why am I not surprised. Because it's too hard to just admit to your friends that there's a monster on the loose, and it's just too difficult to say 'no' to it since you two are such good friends."

"He's not 'on the loose' alright!" Bean had no idea why she felt the need to defend Slenderman's motives but she was indeed bristling at Spectra's words. "For your information, he's not after you guys! He's just after me."

"May I remind you that I almost got killed, that half of our friends died because of him."

"Yeah well you didn't." Bean muttered offhandedly. "And it wasn't his fault. The incidents are completely unrelated."

"Do you hear yourself, you're defending him!" Spectra yelled incredulously. "Are you seriously putting him before our safety. I can't believe I'm saying this but Ellie was right."

"What exactly was Ellie right about?" Bean hissed, anger bubbling under her skin.

"The deaths, the accidents, They are related." Spectra reached her hands out as though presenting the information before clenching her open palms into fists. "Why would he come to you exactly after Taylor was murdered."

"He came before." Bean started uncertainly. "He never had anything to do with-"

Unable to hold in her disbelief, Spectra disappointedly scolded, "I can't believe you Bean. We are on a verge of being murdered. Our friends were killed and we had to bury them. Doesn't that mean anything t-?"

"At least he's trying to understand what's going on!" Bean finally shouted over her friend's chastisement. "I know he's a murderer but he hasn't killed any of us. And he won't kill anyone but me."

"How can you be so sure?" Spectra's words were even and quiet, emanating the chill of death that seemed to be swirling about her in excess.

How can I? Bean realized, the thought hitting her between the eyes abruptly. What proof do I have? He's evil but I believe him. "I can't be." She at last mumbled, gaze flickering to the floor, unable to look at the disappointment in Spectra's eyes a moment longer.

"See. He's using you for something, trust me, I've had experience in trusting too much and it cost me dearly. Please, just promise that you won't go near him again." There was a plea in her tone that Bean couldn't ignore.

Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes. It's not going to mean anything. Her mind warned her. He's still going to come and want to talk. There's nothing you can do to stop him.

"Yeah, I promise Spec, I won't go near him again." As the lie slipped off her tongue, she instantly felt filthy. A white lie it might be but she cared deeply about Spectra and she couldn't help but be terrified what her friend would think when she realized Bean had no inclination of stopping her midnight conversations with Slenderman.

Inner turmoil unnoticed by Spectra, a warm smile crossed her lips, as her arms wrapped themselves around Bean. "I'm happy that you finally understand. Please, I just don't want you to make the same mistakes I did in the past."

"Okay, let's just help nailing the windows."

Laughing Jack

The high pitched shrieks of laughter coming from the monochrome clown echoed off the walls of the living room, reverberating back on themselves as they tangled into a cacophonous sound. He was being rude, yes, but honestly, Laughing Jack couldn't help himself. After all the mildly irritated look on the face of the blind boy before him was just too funny to pass up.

"Are you done yet?" EJ asked irritably, tching softly as he did so. Panting, LJ struggled to catch his breath before letting out another snort of muffled laughter, bending at the waist as his stomach cramped with the intensity of his mirth.

"But tootsie, this is just too damn priceless!" He managed between wheezing gasps. "You, a CreepyPasta bested by a scared girl." It's even better the second time! LJ realized as he attempted not to break out in another fit of laughter.

"Shut the hell up!" EJ angrily protested furrowing his eyebrows in ire."It's not like you could've done any better."

"Yeah, sure," LJ rolled his eyes and reached forward to poke the boy's nose. "I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is to take down a little mousy girl who can barely hold her screams." Following that, he let out another series of laughs that sounded choked and raspy. "It's like shooting fish in a barrel… Oh wait, that would be a challenge for you wouldn't it?"

"I'm serious you asshole." Striking a punch on his shoulder, he managed to cut off the clown's laughter. "Don't let the 'No-eyes' thing fool you. When I'm in a fight, I don't miss."

"Then how did you miss this time, hmm?" Leaning forward and rocking to his toes, LJ tilted his head in mock inquisitiveness, sharp toothed grin coating his features.

"I… I can't explain it." EJ replied with a sigh. "One second she was there, the other… Poof. She was gone." LJ waited for a second to see if the blind boy was joking. When it became clear he wasn't, the monochromatic clown let out a howl of laughter.

"Oooh," LJ waved his fingers before the lanky killer in an exaggerated manner. "It's a ghost!" He followed his works with another cackle.

"Shut up you prick. I know a meatbag when I see one. And this one…" Unable to find the words, EJ cut himself off.

"Come on EJ, did she put her hands on you and freeze your soul?" He continued sarcastically. "Did she walk through walls and throw furnitures at you?" LJ practically jumped with delight as he continued to mercilessly taunt EJ.

"She might as well have walked through walls!" EJ yelled furiously.

"Because at least then you'd have an excuse of why a girl managed to escape you."

"I'd like to see you do better." EJ snorted.

"You know, you keep saying that like I won't. When I kill her, I'll bring you her heart as a souvenir." LJ wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I know how much you like the hearts of young girls."

"I eat kidneys asshole." EJ growled in irritation.

"I'll tell you what, When I kill her and bring her heart, you're going to have to admit to me, no to the whole mansion, that you're a wimp that can't even kill one girl." LJ proudly challenged, reaching his hand forward. "C'mon, shake on it?"

"And if you fail?" EJ asked skeptically.

"Which I won't." LJ pointed out.

"But if you do, then we'll kill her together, but I get to deal the last blow." EJ reasonably suggested.

Gritting his teeth at the unfairness of his suggestion, LJ brightly said, "Well, if you dream hard enough, your wish will be granted."

Groaning mildly, EJ reached his hand and shook his. "I'm just warning you, she's stronger than you think. Don't underestimate her.

"Sure, this coming from the guy who can't see-"

Unable to withstand his disrespectful attitude, EJ threw a powerful punch into his face. "Did you see that coming?" He pulled his fist back, dropping the joker to the ground with a now throbbing jaw. "And for your information, if she was a ghost, then why was she solid, idiot."

As he watched the furious killer's retreat, LJ started to laugh once more, wincing as his face protested the action. There were many ways for ghostly things to be solid but for the most part, EJ had proved what LJ had been trying to tell him the entire time.

Doesn't really matter anyway, the clown reasoned as he picked himself up the ground. She'll be dead soon enough if I have any say in it.

Sophia

Grumbling something under her breath about not being fair to short people, Sophia stood on her toes, trying to reach the glasses in the cupboard above her head without breaking anything. She was sure Ellie had rearranged the shelves, specifically so she couldn't get to anything useful. "It's like she wants me to ask her for help." The brunette grumbled, finally fumbling a glass off the shelf and catching the one she knocked over in the process.

Turning back to the island, Sophia opened the bottle of whiskey and sniffed it before pouring some for herself. As she took a sip that, while not nearly as bad as the cigarette Ellie had convinced her to try, burned going down, she marveled at how normal the evening seemed. With the sun setting through the high window above the front door, one of the only ones they hadn't blocked up, she could almost convince herself that she was at home.

Heavy footsteps coming down the stairs broke Sophia's train of thought. Looking up she saw Emily, face drawn and exhausted, dragging herself down the stairs. Smirking at the sight of her Asian friend, she waited till the girl reached the bottom before calling out, "Rough day?"

Flicking her gaze over towards the kitchen and looking momentarily confused, Emily at last spotted the short girl and nodded. "Well, I guess that's a fair statement."

"Can I get you something?" She wiggled the bottle. "Whiskey?"

"I don't think you're legally allowed to drink." Emily started nervously.

"Eh, fuck it, we're all gonna die anyway." Looking through the rest of their alcohol supply, Sophia pulled out some wine and held it up. "This look good to you?"

Emily stared at her for a moment before sighing and sitting down heavily on a stool at the island. "Sure, anything to take the edge off of this shitty week."

Quickly pouring some of the dull red liquid into the second glass, Sophia attempted to reach over the counter to hand it to her, only to find her arms weren't long enough. Muttering threats of anarchy, the short girl walked around the counter and handed the glass to her friend. "Drink up." Taking the seat across from her, Sophia tipped her own glass forward in a mock toast before asking, "Something on your mind?"

"This whole thing is unbelievable." Emily sighed, voice pitched in a sombering tone. "One moment we're enjoying a nice, relaxing vacation, and the next thing you know, we're barricading the cabin and burying our friends."

"You make it sound like you don't know how it happened." Sophia observed, taking another sip of her whiskey and frowning at the taste. "It's not all that unbelievable if you think about it."

"The most bizarre part for me is, how can you and Ellie act so casual in the middle of all this?" Emily asked, waving her glass around wildly, looking miserable.

"You might as well ask why the sky is blue or the grass is green." Sophia muttered, the hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. "There's a reason, it's just not as exciting as the one you're hoping for."

"Well then enlighten me." Emily suggested, eyes tired. "Because I sure as hell haven't been able to figure it out."

"We just simply don't care about death." Snorting softly in laughter, Sophia amended, "Actually, we don't care about a lot of things. The world is a very fucked up place Em, it's easier when you just let it all roll off of you like water."

"That's it?" Emily asked, incredulous. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said it wasn't interesting."

"Well, I guess there's more to it than that." Sophia admitted, looking out at the almost totally set sun and tilting her head, miffed. "Huh, you know, it's only six and the sun's almost gone. Different from back at college."

"Really? That's your biggest concern?" Emily burst out angrily.

"I wouldn't say it's my biggest concern." Sophia objected smoothly. "But I would say that it's about equal with 98 percent of my other ones." Laughing, she added, "If I had to come up with the most pressing concern of mine currently, it would be hearing Ellie while she playing Witcher 3. God she so into him, to the point where I believe she considers him her husband."

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" Emily muttered, taking another draught of her drink before gesturing for Sophia to pour her more.

Smirking, Sophia did as she was bid. "After that, I suppose I'm most worried about running out of chips. That would suck." Craftily meeting Emily's eyes, Sophia asked, "So what about you miss leader, what is your biggest concern?"

"Other than getting the hell out of here in one piece?" Emily asked with her eyebrows raised, mouth turning down in a confused frown.

"Obvious answer is obvious." Sophia drawled, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I think... " Emily paused briefly as if unable to pinpoint one specific concern. Tapping her fingers to indicate she was growing tired of waiting, Sophia finished her drink and stared at the bottom as if it had personally wronged her.

"How about asking for forgiveness?" Sophia suggested, a devilish grin on her lips. Reaching for the bottle of whiskey, she poured herself a generous amount before taking a sip and sighing as the now familiar fire coursed through her veins.

She watched in amusement as Emily shivered, clearly uncomfortable. "W-what do you mean?" She stuttered, trying to steady her now shaky grip on the glass.

Sighing, Sophia gestured with her own. "As a leader, you haven't done very well. Letting Catherine die like that," She shook her head. "Deplorable."

"That wasn't my fault." Emily insisted, voice like chilled venom. Somehow, the tones were like a calming tune to the short brunette, a kind of song she could understand.

"They all say that. The guilty are all the same." Clicking her tongue regretfully, Sophia added, "But in the end, they all sing the same music at the gates of hell."

"I think you're drunk." Emily tried, scowl deepening. Such beautiful denial, Sophia marveled, biting the inside of her cheek in admiration.

"Quite the contrary Em, I'm perfectly sober. It's you who are suffering from clouded vision." The grove her words fell into, their well versed trail, slid off her tongue so easily it was like smoke. "You're hiding right now, aren't' you?"

"Shut up! I didn't do jackshit!" Her firm grip tightened around the glass.

"Oh if only that were true." Sophia sighed in a show of sympathy. "You had no way of knowing what would happen but," She sharply rapped the knuckles of her free hand against the counter. "Catherine still died."

Emily's rage finally broke as she flung her glass against the wall in a show of ire. There was a smirk on her face as Sophia straightened, having dodged the projectile smoothly. "I didn't kill her! I was protecting my friends from someone who I thought was a killer!" She got to her feet, anger in every motion.

"Take it easy Em, I'm not blaming you. I'm only here to state the facts." Reflectively sipping her whiskey, Sophia admitted, "It could have been any one of us who ordered that poor girl to sleep apart from safety."

"Thank you." The Asian girl visibly relaxed, taking her seat once more. As Emily looked down at her hands, Sophia could see the guilt in her eyes.

"But in the end, it was you." Her words sounded like the final nails in the coffin. "At some point, you're going to have to pay the piper Emily." Before her eyes, her friend fell apart, anger, guilt and fear all spilling out before her like she'd been cut open. The sight brought a smile to Sophia's face.

"It w-was an accident." Emily mumbled, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"But you ended up doing it, and more." Sophia sinisterly added on, ticking off the instances on her fingers. "When you blamed her, when you made fun of her, when you made her sleep out here, need I go on?"

"Stop it. You're guilty as much as I am." With gritted teeth, Emily looked up and hissed at Sophia's smirk. "You agreed with me."

"Is that so?" Sophia wondered curiously. "As far as I know, I'm a cruel, slightly sadistic bitch, but not a killer. You on the other hand ordered her to her demise." The way her friend's face twisted in terror was just too addicting to leave be.

Seemingly unable to find something to counter the cold brunette across the counter from her, Emily helplessly sobbed.

"Who knows, Maybe in the end, two wrongs can make a right." Sophia pointed out, voice tinged with pity rather than sympathy. "Have you ever thought of asking for forgiveness?"

"What good would that do?" Emily spat, residual anger flaring up.

"Heck if I know. I don't usually feel much remorse for my actions." Sophia admitted with a laugh.

"Shut up, just shut up you bitch."

"Hear me out." the short girl insisted, no longer smiling. "Let's just say that Catherine could hear you right now. What would you say to her?" Leaning forward dramatically, she suggested, "Maybe saying it to her now would help."

"Why do you even care! You shove the guilt down my throat then you offer me ways to deal with my grief, after you sinisterly demolish me you cold hearted bitch." More tears rolled her cheeks and she appeared to be be unable to proceed any further.

Taking another sip of her drink, Sophia shrugged, "I'm not making you do anything. I might be a bitch, but at least I don't gloss over the facts."

Getting to her feet, Emily weakly asked, "Why do you keep manipulating me like this."

"Because acceptance is the first step towards healing." Sophia suggested sarcastically. "Em, if you're going to be fit to lead, don't you think you should make peace with your demons before pointing out ours? Remove the plank from thine own eye before pointing out the spec in your brother's"

"Please, enough. Just… Leave me alone." Moving away from the bar, Emily tentatively walked towards the front door and paused as if unsure whether to continue.

"Remember, I'm just trying to break you and rebuild you stronger." Sophia called, satisfied when her friend put her hand on the doorknob and turned, soundlessly walking out onto the porch.

As the door closed behind Emily, Sophia waited a full ten seconds before letting laughter bubble out of her. "Ah who am I kidding?" She asked to no one in particular. "I just love fucking with you people."

Besides, we're all going to die anyway.

A/N: I'm so sorry about the long hiatus. I've had exams and papers and craziness these last two weeks but that's all over so I promise I'll be posting more stuff.

IDG: Now, onto real matters. Guys, help us out here, miss Q here thinks that Tetris is so lame and redundant. What do you think?

Q: You weren't being sarcastic… But seriously, Ellie wouldn't be upstairs playing Tetris, I'm sorry but no.

IDG: YOU…! Actually no, guys you be the judge. Team Tetris, or whatever she represents.

Q: Modern games or oldies, you guys be the judge.

IDG: Hey, whoa! Nobody said anything about hating the modern games. I love play Call Of Duty but at the same time I'd enjoy playing classic Contra. I'm just saying, retro games deserve a look back.

Q: Just let the readers decide. Solve our argument for us! Anyway, we'll post more later. Until then, Bye!