Silence lingered in Slender's office, Masky and the Puppeteer long gone. Slender was now sitting at his desk, one of the ancient coins from the bag flipping between his fingers. I watched from the couch, my lips a solid line. Faster and faster the coin spun, almost like a blur. The old velvety bag was half open, the string lazily laying in front of Slender. He appeared deep in thought, his jaw tight and his faint expression troubled. I, however, was trying my very best at this moment not to worry. What good would that do? I stood from the sleek, black couch, walking to the door of the office.
"Wait," Slender murmured. I heard the sliding of his chair as he scooted it back, standing as well. "I do not want you going anywhere alone, especially after that," he added, his heavy footsteps padding to my side.
I looked up at him, my expression still the same bleak, heavy line. The happiness I possessed earlier had long vanished as my mind continued to race about the current events. The nonexistent chance I had. Zalgo had the Grim Reaper come try to reap my soul for heavens sake. Even though the others saved me, I knew as well as all of them that I wouldn't be safe from Zalgo. My head hung, but I refused to bring it up to Slender again. I wasn't going to put even more stress on him. But was there a way that I could just go to Zalgo and avoid any chance of the others being harmed in any way? Not a chance.
"Alright," I replied, nodding my head as I opened the door. It pulled back, revealing the smiling dog that laid at its opening. He had Smile blocking the doorway? Or was it just Smile who was being the protective one? That I did not know. "Could you take me to the Bloody Painter, Puppeteer and Kagekao? I want to say thank you," I asked, looking up at Slender as we began to walk the halls of the mansion.
"Yes," he nodded, leading the way. He peeked into the library, the drawing room and a couple of their rooms, but they were in none of them. Finally, we found them in the kitchen, having lunch it appeared.
"Good morning," Bloody Painter called, his blue eyes warm as he sat at the table. An empty plate sat in front of him, yet his mask was still firmly in place, blocking his face from view.
"Morning," I replied, offering a small smile. "Thank you all... so much," I breathed, my head dropping, my eyes locking with the ground.
"Of course," the Bloody Painter replied almost instantly, followed by the Puppeteer.
" どういたしまして," Kagekao said as well, the black half of his mask holding a happy smile. I wasn't positive what he said, but I'm pretty sure it was along the lines of you're welcome.
"It was pretty interesting to see the Grim Reaper at work, to be honest," the Puppeteer added, his smooth voice still holding so much charm. His hand was lifted, stroking his chin as his amber eyes watched me. "I, for one, didn't believe he existed."
I saw the Bloody Painter roll his eyes. "You're a mythical being yourself, yet you're doubting the existence of another? That makes a lot of sense," he snorted. "So, Aribella. We are all going to be practicing for the fight again today. Well, it will be Kagekao's first time. Are you going to be training to fight?" he asked, appearing interested as he looked back at me. I pursed my lips, my cheeks heating up as I avoided his gaze.
"Absolutely not!" Slender replied for me, protectively pulling me close to his side. "She has not had half the training as any of us, nor the stamina or power. There is no way she could train to fight off a grown man within a day, let alone Zalgo," he added as I scowled at him.
Bloody Painter held up his hands, his azure eyes still cool and even. "Easy there, Slender. All I'm saying is that it would be better for her to have at least a little bit of training than none at all. But, it is up to you, of course. We better get going before the day is over. See you later, Aribella," Bloody Painter nodded, standing from his chair with the other two.
They exited from the room as I crossed my arms, pursing my lips as I stared up at Slender. "You could have been a little nicer. They did save my life, after all," I chuckled, halfheartedly.
I heard a sigh come from Slender, his face looking slightly drained, in a way. "I know, dear. Just my nerves, is all. They seem so... confident. And too much confidence leads to certain failure."
I rolled my eyes. "If they were scared to death and worried, you'd be lecturing them to be courageous and to have faith."
He shook his head, his cheekbones raising. "How right you are," he murmured, pulling me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him, snuggling into his chest. I was then aware of a few voices as they approached the room we were in.
"Ah, Slender, there you are," Trenderman spoke, entering the room. I pulled back, seeing Offender and Splendor at his side. "We were going out to um... hunt one last time before Zalgo arrives. We were wondering if you would like to join?" he asked, seeming to pick his words wisely due to my presence.
"Just like old times," Offender sneered, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Well... um..." Slender murmured, looking down at me, his expression drawn.
"Go. You haven't since I've been here, I know that. I'll go and play some video games with Ben while you're gone, and meet some of his friends, too," I smiled, reassuringly.
Slender's face lightened almost instantly. "Alright, angel. Have fun," his velvety voice replied. He bent down, kissing me on top of my head after his lips formed on his face.
Slender and his brothers disappeared from sight instantly after, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I did wonder why exactly Slender left me alone so willingly, when he was insistent on walking me to the kitchen. That question was answered right as I started for the doorway, seeing Jeff and Smile standing at its entrance. Wow. He was far more observant than I was, that was for sure.
"Hey, Jeff," I smiled, realizing how long it has been since I had seen him, or any of my original family here. I was spending so much time getting to know all of the new members that had come to help.
He merely nodded in reply, appearing bored. His lidless eyes were inspected his kitchen knife that laid in his palm. "You were going to Ben's room with all of the other video game nerds?" he chuckled, Smile barking at his feet.
"Yeah, you want to come?" I offered, ignoring the nerd part. Video games were a part of life.
Jeff snorted, shaking his head. "Nah. I got more um... important things to do," he grinned, his eyes not once leaving the blade of his knife. "Smile and I are gonna go out and kill for a bit. Since you've been here, none of us really got to go during the day; just at night when you wouldn't notice," he laughed, it sounding like a rugged cough. "But, with everyone else here to entertain you..." I stared down at the floor, not really knowing how to reply. Jeff was far too open for his own good at times. "Well, Slender wanted everyone to watch over you when he wasn't around, so I guess I'm going to have to be your 'guardian' while you walk to Ben's room. God, how sad," he cackled, shaking his head. "Come on, I'm aching to go out," he finished, turning and walking out into the hall.
He didn't have to tell me twice before I ran forward, instantly following behind him and Smile. He was silent, and I was just going to follow his lead. Finally, he stopped outside of Ben's room. The volume to Ben's TV seemed to be at its max, loud explosions and gun shots blazing from inside of the room along with the laughter of several boys. I nodded in thanks to Jeff, before knocking on the door. The noises froze, and I guessed one of them had paused the TV.
"What?" Ben hissed, yanking the door open. He then froze, once he saw me. "Oh, hey, Ari," he grinned. I looked over at Jeff and Smile's retreating figures as Ben situated his hat on his head.
"Hey, Ben. You got room for another player?" I asked, offering a small, shy smile.
Ben instantly beamed, nodding his head. "Hell yeah we do! Bros, we gotta female player," he called, walking back into his room. I guess I was supposed to follow after...?
I automatically felt like I didn't belong. Glares were set on me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. I watched as Ben sprung over to his green bean bag chair, plopping down as the beads sounded like rain. Glitchy Red was at his side, popping his knuckles while his controller laid on his lap. His crimson eyes were on me, his mouth set in an unamused frown. Leaning up against Ben's bed was Herobrine, his emotionless white eyes staring in my direction, making my blood freeze in my veins. Sitting next to him was Dark Link, a devilish smirk on his shadowy face. My heart sped up, fear spreading through my body like wild fire. I wanted Slender to come back, or Jeff. Why, oh why did I decide to come here?
I jumped as the door opened behind me, a new form padding to my side. I looked over, meeting the demonic red eyes of Sonic exe. He looked bewildered, yet slightly amused at my expression, I guessed. A soda can laid in his... paw, and I supposed he had just went off to go get it. Great. The silence in the room was beyond unnerving, and I was just about to flee from it until Ben cleared his throat. I looked over right as he threw me a sleek, black controller. No going back now. Like a little mouse, I fled to his bed, jumping up onto the comfortable mattress. Right as I leaned back on the pillows, I noticed a figure at my side, one that I hadn't noticed when I entered the room. Lost Silver was sitting at my side, his sad expression pulling at my heart strings once more. His monochrome appearance was only altered by the red of his eyes. Yet, for whatever reason, they didn't appear frightening.
"Hi," I smiled, shifting awkwardly where I sat. "Do you mind if I sit up here with you?" I asked, hoping to not have angered him. He surprised me by offering a tiny, yet sure smile while shaking his head. I returned the smile, facing the TV once more.
"Alright," Ben began, gripping his controller as if it were life. "Now. No Zelda, Pokemon, Sonic or Minecraft. Makes it fair for all of us. So, Ari. What do you wanna play?" he asked, leaving the choice up to me.
I was frozen where I sat, every last pair of eyes set on me. There was no way I could please them all! Why did he leave this up to me? I was about to yell out Dead Island, but I remembered I had to include six other players... Fuck.
"Um... you wanna play Grand Theft Auto again?" I asked, looking over at Ben with hesitant eyes.
His smile brightened as he nodded his head. "Sound good to you guys?" he asked, looking around at the other killers. Everyone mumbled in reply, some sounding eager, others slightly disappointed. At least no one was angry. I sighed in relief, leaning back onto the squishy green and black pillows while Ben set everything up. I noticed him typing something into his computer that sat to the TV's side, random coding flying across the screen. Not to mention him seeming to reach inside the screen. The giant TV blurred, then split into six sections. "Alright, one of you can't play this round of my version of GTA. Last one standing switches with them," Ben smirked, looking over at us. I heard a sigh emanate from Herobrine as he lifted his boxy arm. "Okay. Lets begin," Ben grinned, evilly.
It wasn't two minutes into the game before the police were after all of us. Laughter spread throughout the room as nearly everyone was running around, shoving knives into random pedestrians or shooting down an entire group of them. My character was simply standing on the giant, split screen, holding a large gun yet not using it what so ever. I felt a slight tap on my shoulder, looking over to see Lost Silver. He pointed to his controller before tapping in a series of different buttons. I copied the motion, looking to the screen to see I now possessed invincibility.
"Ari, Silver! How the fuck did you get invincibility!" Dark Link growled, hiding behind the side of a building. His character was wearing a skeleton mask, gripping a large, black gun.
Ben laughed, typing a code of his own into the screen. He began shooting his gun at a fleet of police officers, his bullets now covered with fire. I could nearly hear the frustration in Dark Link's button clicking due to Ben and Silver's code memorization. But now that I had invincibility and knew the code for when it ran out... I decided I should have some fun as well. A round of curses spilled from Red's mouth as he crashed a motorcycle into a wall, police officers running and driving up to swarm him. Grinning to myself, I ran up, shooting down a couple of officers before stealing their car out from under them. Speeding up to Red's character, I mowed down some of the officers, and knocked others cars away in the process. The tires squeaked as I stopped in front of Red, giving him the option to jump in if he wished. Just like I thought, he did. I peeked over at Glitchy Red while I drove away in the game, police officers speeding behind us. Red's face looked drawn, and slightly confused. But still, a bit appreciative.
"Hey, Ari," Ben called, his character currently parachuting down from a helicopter.
"Yeah?" I replied, avoiding cars as I fled from the police in the game.
"This is a video game. You're supposed to survive, not help other people. The key is to win," he snorted, beginning to shoot more pedestrians as he landed on the beach.
"I know," I replied, biting on my lip as I pulled a sharp turn.
In an instant, Red's character exited from the car while I was still going, tumbling on the ground as blood flew. His character slowly stood up, before running off in a different direction. Yeah, you're welcome. I decided to do the same, exiting from the car and breaking out into a sprint. The room was now quiet, only the sound of clicking buttons filling the air. Up until a loud explosion bursting onto the screen, followed by a cackle from Sonic.
"I AM GOD!" he yelled, happily, money spilling into his account from his bank explosion.
I heard a low chuckle come from Herobrine, then a round of cursing from Dark Link. He was currently at a stand off with not one, but several different people who held guns. My character was standing just around the corner from the neighborhood, the cops seeming to have forgotten me completely. I ran forward, out into the open. Lifting my gun, I aimed at one of the guys that were shooting at Dark Link, shooting them down in an instant. Dark Link paused, surprised, then helped me plow down the rest. Once they all laid dead on the sidewalk, sirens filled the air once more. His bloody character faced me, and I then wondered if he was going to shoot me, too.
"Thanks, sweetie," Dark Link chuckled, his character running over to a car, busting it's window open before jumping inside. I nodded, sprinting away, past the houses. I could see the beach near me on the map, where Ben had just parachuted down to. Shrugging, I started down to it, trying to find something else to do.
"You're too damn helpful," Ben sighed, shaking his head.
"Leave her be, if that's how she wants to play," Dark Link replied, surprising me.
"Yeah, fuck off, Ben," Red added, causing my eyes to widen. Wow. Glitchy Red was one of the guys out of this group that I feared the most. But I guess we were on slightly good terms now...
I saw Ben and Red's characters in the distance, shooting at each other repeatedly. Ben was using the invincibility code I had possessed, reminding me that my time was long up. I quickly typed in the code, reviving it for another five minutes. Red's character fell to the sand, before disappearing from view.
"Damn it, Ben!" Red hissed, slamming his controller to the floor. Ben's only reply was a clipped laugh. That was enough for me to send my character off, sprinting away from the beach before Ben could see me, too.
My eyes scanned over the other screens, seeing Silver was driving a car with a dead passenger to his side. How lovely. Sonic's was traveling by foot, plowing down everyone in his path with bombs. Ben, however, was appearing to track down the rest of us to speed up the gaming process. He was on Sonic's trail, while Sonic appeared blind to the approach all together. He typed in another code into his controller while I watched, as I instantly jumped into another car. Speeding forward, I reached Ben and Sonic right as Ben preformed a super jump, coming down right on top of Sonic. Both characters were shooting at each other, Ben's of course not even falling over due to invincibility. Sonic's, however... I heard Sonic growl, followed by Ben's laugh, which was cut off in an instant. My car had sped right in between the two of them, blocking the fire. Sonic's character did the smartest thing, by fleeing off into an ally way, away from Ben.
Right as I was about to speed forward, the car burst into fire due to Ben's bullets, pieces of the car exploding into the air, along with my characters body. I would have most certainly been dead if it wasn't for my invincibility, which only had a little over two minutes left. Ben growled, turning over to me as my cheeks heated up.
"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed, looking beyond angry. I shrugged, a shy, scared expression pulling across my face.
"Playing the game..."
"You're too nice for your own good! Even in video games," he growled.
"Heh, it's pretty convenient," Sonic chuckled, beginning to blow up more buildings, the police hot on his trail.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, looking over at Silver once more. He pointed up at his part of the screen, and I saw his character was close to mine. Yet he was on top of a building, nearly hidden from view. I nodded, running away from Ben, taking a different route so he wouldn't be able to follow easily. Eventually, I reached the building, having to have Silver show me the code for super jump to finally reach the top. I stood next to Silver's character, looking off the side. Perhaps Ben was right, and I was being too nice. Staying up here with Silver would probably be my best bet if I wanted to stay on everyone's good side. I had already saved them all. I simply stood by and watched, as Ben tracked down Dark Link, lighting him on fire within a second. Dark Link growled, throwing his controller to the ground, much like Red had, as his character died.
I watched as Ben typed in the code for invincibility again, beginning his truck for Sonic exe. Money seemed to be Sonic's main concern as his character began stabbing random pedestrians, collecting their money as he went. It wasn't long before Ben found him, killing him before the police had the chance. Now, it was just me, Silver and Ben in the game. Everyone else was watching, seemingly entertained just by that. Ben sat his controller down, popping his knuckles as he smiled.
"Now, since everyone left knows the invincibility code, why don't we agree to not use it for the rest of the game? Otherwise, there just wont be a winner," he chuckled, nodding to himself.
I turned to Silver, who just shrugged. I did the same, pursing my lips. Ben nodded, picking his controller back up once more. Silver and I just sat and waited on top of the building. He didn't move, and neither did I. What would be the point? Ben was hunting for us, one way or another. It wasn't long before he was at the bottom, super jumping to the top like both of us had before. I began to get antsy, aiming my gun for the area Ben was jumping for. Finally, his character stood at the edge, the silly monkey mask he was wearing causing me to giggle. That is, until he began shooting at Silver, plowing him down in an instant.
"No!" I growled, running forward until I realized, Silver's character was gone.
Silver tapped my shoulder, a small smile on his face. His expression screamed for me to win. I gulped, turning back right as Ben started towards me. I did the first thing I thought to do, and probably the stupidest. I jumped off the building, which was seemingly certain death. That is, until I fell upon the top of a smaller building, just at its side. My character rolled and grunted, before getting to its feet. I aimed the gun, seeing Ben was still on top of the building. I shot, hitting him twice before he back away. Ben growled, running the opposite way to avoid being shot once more. Police sirens sounded from below, giving me one more idea. I jumped from the small building, landing at its side. Peeking around, I saw the police cars in the distance, quickly mowing down the officers before jumping into one of their cars. I started forward, hearing the sirens of the cars following behind me.
I watched the map, following Ben who was currently sorting through his weaponry. By the time he was done picking his gun, I was in front of his character, running over him without a second thought. A round of curses spilled through Ben's lips as his character shakily tried to stand as mine exited from the car. I began shooting, not exactly targeting... but I finally realized Ben's character no longer laid there... and I was out of ammo. Ben's side of the screen was blank...
"Holy shit..." Herobrines' voice breathed, his blank eyes looking over at me.
Ben's face was blood red, embarrassed and angry. Laughter filled the room, a wide grin splitting across my face. I just beat Ben Drowned in a video game. I turned to look at Silver, a proud, happy smile on his face, brighter than all of the others. I noticed his arms then begin to fade, his controller eventually dropping onto his lap as they disappeared completely. If he wasn't a creepypasta, I'd be slightly worried.
"Hell yeah, girlie! You are sure one badass player!" Dark Link cheered, throwing me a sideways grin that some might say was charming.
"I'll say. Not to mention she saved nearly all of our asses," Red chuckled. "You won my respect."
"Mine as well. You should come play with us more often... after this Zalgo thing is over," Sonic coughed, before flashing a sharp-toothed smile.
I grinned, nodding my head. "Believe me, I will. But I think I'll let Ben pick the next game we all play," I chuckled, looking over at Ben who appeared to of calmed down.
He shrugged, like nothing happened at all. "Oh, believe me, I will. But didn't I tell you guys? She's a pro! You all need to listen to me more often," he sneered, causing me to roll my eyes. Ben was always a winner, one way or another.
Another day gone by, and one left. I was content, though. I had befriended five more creepypastas who had seemed to of wanted me dead. But personally, I didn't know whether that was a good, or bad thing. After all, how was I going to feel, looking over at new faces I cared about while we faced Zalgo?
My stomach churned at the thought, as a new game started on the TV.
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