Chapter 25: Slender (And now about half of you are fist pumping)

Lea is using an immense amount of willpower just to stay upright. The fact that she manages to walk without falling over is testament to her mental strength.

I don't say anything, knowing full-well if I make any comment, her concentration will break and send her staggering into a wall. Or worse: over the guardrail.

Instead, I turn to stare at my victims. They scurry through life, jumping at shadows, trying to hold it together.

A woman swoons in the grocery store, fainting in the middle of the cereal aisle. A high school student pinches his nose closed, trying to stem the flow of blood. A round man throws up, retching into a toilet.

Now that I think on it, I've seen these same effects over and over again throughout the years. They seem to get progressively worse over time. Maybe, somehow, I'm to blame?

I know I must be responsible, that my presence causes these things to happen. Those who encounter me develop them; it's the only explanation.

I freeze for a moment.

Then why doesn't Lea have them?

She's been in closer proximity to me than anyone else, so why isn't she sick? It makes no sense. She is human; she should react like a human. And yet she isn't bleeding, throwing up, having hallucinations, fainting, or having any of the other symptoms I've observed over the years.

No, she's different. Not just because she isn't throwing up.

She's one of a kind. I feel a glow of pride that she's my Proxy.

Still, I can't shake the feeling something isn't right. I'm just going to mention it to Lea, who's back in her dorm, when I notice something.

The thing immediately grabs all my attention, and I decide this is more important than an uncertain feeling.

I can see something, or rather, I can't see something. One of my victims, her light, it's… flickering. Parts of it go out, then come to life again, what is this?

I look closer, but I can't seem to make out anything. I'll have to investigate, right now.

Then Lea throws up.

Now what? I want to make sure she's okay, but I can't be in two places at once, and I need to see what the heck this thing is.

Wait… Lea's throwing up. What if she's developing the same condition as the others?

I shake at the uneasy thought, trying to discard it, but it won't budge.

It's because she had the memory transfer. That man, Dylan, said she would have side-effects.

I attempt to shove the thought away again, but it remains.

I need to talk to Lea. Right now.

Maybe we can get this whole "Proxy" business straightened out as well. If a Proxy is what it's supposed to be, then Lea gets to run around and kill people I don't have the time for.

Which might work well, there being a multitude of people I desire to deal with, but never have time to.

She could also deal with those who manage to slip away from me.

They do appear every now and them.

That would be beneficial; I'll ask her.

"Hey, Lea,"

No reply.

"Lea?"

Nothing.

"LEA!"

It's no good. Something's blocking the communication. This is bad. How am I supposed to help when I can't talk to her. I can't rightly speak with my mouth after all. I'm stuck.

I can't do anything until this thing comes down.

I'm starting to get frustrated. I can't believe this. What's going on?! Is this part of the memory transfer too? Will it go away?

I hope so.

I wince as a bright light flares to life. It's one of the brightest I've seen, and it's painful beyond belief.

As if I didn't have enough to worry about already. I need to deal with this.

I'll have to talk to Lea later. That strange anomaly will have to wait too. I need to put this light out if I want to think straight.

I flicker out of existence.

AN: I usually don't update every day, but these next few chapters are pretty short, so I'm going to. One every day for the next three days or so. After that, school starts for me again, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update. Hopefully every few days, but it might drop to once a week. Sorry guys. I'll see you tomorrow!