Hospitals were always your least favourite place to be. The constant beeping of machines that monitored your vitals drove you up the wall. You would become jittery and agitated, refusing to look people in the eyes. Now, you couldn't care less as you laid in the bed, a pen in your hand as you doodled on your arm's cast. There was a hollowness in your chest that made everything seem less substantial. Nothing was affecting you the way it should have. Your parents had become increasingly worried about you during your stay. You still refused to tell them anything about what had happened. You took the medicine the doctors gave you, but said nothing to them. Compliant but quiet.

"Um. I-I really like your cast. It looks so cool." You looked up, slightly dazed, at the girl in the bed next to yours. She had a sweet face, with curly blonde hair and braces on her happy smile. Her leg was suspended in its own cast, which was covered in purple and black spirals and flowers. If you were being honest, it was a beautiful pattern. She had tried to talk to you shortly after you were admitted, but until now you hadn't paid her any real attention.

You melted a bit inside, sighing as went back to your careful tracing. You could almost hear the disappointment as she slumped back into her pillows. "...Thanks. yours is pretty cool too."

The girl perked back up as you looked back up at her, grinning slightly. The two of you spent the rest of the evening chatting, and you came to know her. Her name was Marjorie, and she had broken her leg during gymnastics practice. She was two years younger than you. She took art classes and was in charge of doing murals for her high school. By the time the call for lights out came, you had managed to make her smile quite a bit more than she had been. But your carefully carved grin quickly slipped from your mouth as she drifted to sleep.

Then, it was just you and the darkness of the room around you. The door and windows were shut tightly, and the lights from the machines barely lit up the area around your bed. It wasn't too long until your eyes had adjusted enough that you could make out the shape of chairs and cabinets in the room. Your eyes focused on the one where you know they kept the medications for you and Marjorie. If your hunch was right, there would be several bottles of painkillers.

Just as you threw back the blankets and managed to get up, a loud scratching filled the silent room, making you jump. You glanced around frantically as it got louder. Then, you felt the breeze ruffle through your hair and relaxed. The window was open. You made a few steps toward it to close it when you stopped still, your blood turning to ice in your veins. The nurse had locked the window.

You very slowly scanned the room before you saw him. He was crouched in the corner, his chest moving fast like he'd been running, although you couldn't hear his breathing at all. His head was down, the hood of his jacket pulled up to hide as much as possible from view. You stayed quiet, simply looking at him. After a moment, he rose, almost eerily silent, his face still turned to the ground. You took a step forward, swallowing around the sudden lump in your throat.

His head whipped up so fast that you let out a slight squeak, jolting back. His face was entirely covered by a blue mask. There were disturbing trails of black dribbling down from the dark eyeholes, the thick liquid dripping down to the floor. The two of you stood there, stock still, examining each other. He was taller than you by a good four or five inches, and you had no doubt he'd be stronger than you, despite the rail thin form he seemed to have. You tensed up slightly, ready to run if you needed to.

You blinked, and suddenly he was right in front of you, leaning down so your eyes were level. You opened your mouth to scream, but he covered your mouth with one hand and cupped your neck with the other to hold you still. He tilted his head to the side and slowly uncovered your mouth. You stayed still and quiet as his fingers traced the outline of your face before you heard a snicker. "Time for you to go to sleep, luv. I'm not here for you.''

He released your face to lift his mask slightly, breathing out around your mouth. As you breathed in, your head got foggy and you smelled something sweet. He caught you as you started to fall, your sight blacking out.

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"You're real?"

Jack scoffed and nudged your side with his boot. "Get up, (Name)."

You pushed angrily at his leg, forcing yourself to your feet. The hem on your dress hung tattered around your knees. Night dew had left your clothes wet in patches, and the snickering serial killer was eyeing them, his black tongue flicking out to lick at his lips. You shivered slightly and looked off to the side. "I thought you were a hallucination."

"Not even close, butterfly. Your boys were worried. They know Slenderman likes to play dirty during these games. And he certainly doesn't like you. You need to hurry, luv. You have three hours." Your blood ran cold for a second before you shut out the panic. Three hours. How long had you been asleep? You felt your anger surge as you met the eye of your waker. He shivered slightly, his razor teeth revealed as he smiled at you and laughed.

"That's what I like to see. Get angry, darling. Get angry and win. I'll be seeing you." He gave you an exaggerated bow before grabbing your arm and pulling you in close. His lips brushed your neck and cheek as he grazed them up before you managed to push him off, annoyance displayed on your face. He chuckled again before winking, "It was worth the try. Your boys are lucky."

He turned and slipped away, disappearing in the dark grove of trees. You closed your eyes, clenching your fists for a moment before opening them, letting the frustration and rage go, leaving just determination. You gazed around you before rushing out of the little clearing and back into the trees.