Author's Note: I wanted to give a slightly longer note than what I posted on the last chapter. I wrote something similar on my writing website. It hasn't been for lack of motivation or want to write, but through breakup, a roller coaster of health problems and sleeplessness that essentially turned me into a being with the focus and intellectual depth of a potato until getting on meds for it, and a full time job... well let's just say it stacked up. After 2 and a half hours of commuting during the day and an extremely physical job (yes a horror author working as a Christmas elf, laugh it up), there are many days where I am too exhausted to eat or shower until the next morning. It is much easier on my days off to rest my feet and mind by mindlessly playing World of Warcraft than to further tax my mind by writing. I've managed to rest up a bit though enough to slowly grind out one chapter. I don't like it. It's not my best. But it's getting harder and harder to write anything. But gods know I was inspired to write some horrific shit after this election. Nothing will put you in the mood for horror like Nicholai Carpathia getting elected. Anyway. I hope to work more on this, the video series for Sell Your Soul, and my fiction website a little more now that I have some strength back. By the way, did anyone see Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children? That was bloody terrifying. Closest we will get to a mainstream Slenderman movie. Alright, I'll let ye get back to reading. I think I'm going to go inspire myself on the darkest, deepest r/nosleep subreddits.

Chapter 9: The Writing's on the Wall

Melanie took a few minutes to gather up some of her things before being whisked away to the house in the woods by Laughing Jack. She'd hardly put one foot inside before she was startled by a tackle hug from Toby.

"You didn't answer your phone! When-wh-when I heard about Eyeless I thought she got you too! Don't scare me like that... I thought you d-died," he choked, not at all lessening his grip on her. "I thought you weren't coming home, Mel."

A fresh mist of tears trailed from Melanie's eyes. "I came back from the dead once. I'd go through hell and back as many times as it takes for you," she whispered. "And..." she added hesitantly, "if EJ was telling the truth about someone on the other side giving my soul an upgrade, death might not be such an issue in the long run once I figure out how this all works. Hopefully you all won't have to worry about me soon." The room was a mix of confused and unnerved emotions as she let her thoughts spill out.

"It's my fault that Eyeless Jack is gone. I called him to tell him what happened today. I met the Operator who attacked Ben. He knew too much... and she took him for it. She's going to kill him if I don't meet with her tonight." At this Toby drew in a sharp breath. Jeff looked like he would stab the bitch right then and there if she dared show her face. The others showed similar reactions, save for Laughing Jack, who seemed reluctant to share the plan they had quickly drawn up before meeting back at the house.

"Tonight? What the fuck?" Jeff sputtered. "If all of this happened to me in two days I think I would shit bricks. Is she trying to win the Guinness World Record for-"

"Jeff. Kill it. EJ is on death row. It's not the time for one of your rants," Tim said somberly as he scratched at the table with a kitchen knife. "She's not doing this just to be a royal bitch. Although I'm sure she's enjoying herself I would imagine she's got a time crisis on her hands. Whatever is going on with you Mel, who all is looking for you either didn't found out until today... or didn't find you until today."

Melanie paced the room nervously and ran her hands over the frayed console cords crisscrossing the living room. The subtle warm memories were comforting to her. Laughing Jack had left to secure the house even more so than the night before and make one last attempt to contact The Puppeteer.

"He couldn't have meant it... about me essentially being, you know... one of them. Wouldn't I know?" she asked. The group was silent. Everyone shifted uncomfortably as they waited for someone to take the bait. Brian, the next best level headed now that EJ was gone, cleared his throat. "I found something while I was boarding up the place after your texts that I think everyone should know about. But I wanted to wait until everyone was here."

Enough people responded at once that Brian had to shush them. "Just... just follow me. If this isn't another trick, I don't know how much help we're going to have." Brian led them up to the second floor quietly as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Melanie's breath hitched when he rounded the corner and waited for them to catch up at the foot of the third floor staircase.

"Please tell me it's something you can just bring down here where it isn't dark," Ben said quietly. Brian shook his head and steadied himself with the banister. Melanie felt Toby's hand lightly on her shoulder as she stepped up after Brian. She hadn't been up here since Slender had presided over the house. Now that all of the upstairs occupants were gone, there was no reason to visit the attic. It had an unsettling, almost inter-dimensional quality to it that made her head spin if she was up there too long. Each stair creaked in a different tone that rang out in time with various creatures scampering into dark corners of the vast space.

Now that the warm months were over, the light drifting in through the window was gloomy and dim. They had never managed to get the electricity to work in the third floor, nor anything that operated on batteries. Seeing as the whole place was furnished with dry old wood and thick with odd smells, she wasn't too keen on lighting a match either. She turned around to make sure everyone was following. Laughing Jack was leaning against the wall downstairs, keeping a watchful eye on all three hallways. Up ahead, Brian had stopped just outside of a room that Melanie had never been in. It was neither the Woman in White's room nor that of the Split-mouth Woman.

Brian paused and looked over his shoulder. "Just... prepare yourselves. In retrospect we should have known something was wrong. But- well, you'll see when I open the door, I guess."

He opened the door and stepped to the side so the rest of them could follow. Jeff, clearly tired of waiting stepped forward in order to be the first to see whatever Brian had held off telling them. Melanie heard a noise that sounded like a dog whose tail had been stepped on as Jeff stumbled backwards into the wall only to reel away from it into the center of the room again. Melanie shielded her eyes against the bright golden light as she entered the room.

The room was devoid of any furniture or even light fixtures. She could see why it had been chosen. Every inch of the walls had been blasted at once with an inscription woven into the walls with golden light. Sentences and phrases were scrawled at random in no particular order and seemed to swim in the eerie light.

COMINGFORUS the deal backfired SHEWONTGETOUTOFMYHEAD in a chess board of only kings and pawns, kings will fight to the death over a grey queen KILL TO DIE was supposed to protect this house I failed all of you we were doomed from the start only a matter of time before they found her have to leave have to seal myself off so she cant use me dont want to leave feathers? SHELIES KILLME theres always a price to pay i should have known the fates would have taken her he made a deal they picked someone else you can't kill what's dead CANTSEE SHE TOOK MY EYES she cant be killed just like that SHES NOT WHAT YOU THINK SHE IS SHES NOT WHEN YOU THINK SHE IS sacrifice theyve found her they wont stop shes better than all of them shes worse than all of them the light is fading I THOUGHT I COULD FIGHT HER where is everything? Cant see. Everything warped. Seeing through her eyes. Can't stay here. THE DEBT INCREASES EACH TIME I am no guardian betrayed you all didnt know couldnt see my skin? Whats happening to my skin SHESHEREIFYOUSEETHISRUN spiders everywhere cant see cant see cant see

On the floor was a pool of black tar small enough to be the remains of a single feather.