Sorry for the month-long wait! I had gone through and reread all the chapters and edited them a bit (nothing major, just grammatical/spelling errors and such). I hope you've all been well!
Someone commented as a guest and said that it's been since January that I last updated. Nooooooo! No! I promise that's not the case! lol It was May!
I've upped my minimum word count to 4,500. The chapters will be longer, so I'm sure y'all are about about that. hehe
Okay, I'll shut up. Enjoy!
During the dry spell of missions in Slenderman's mansion, you and your fellow Proxies were grew ever more wary of the deadly Creepypastas that shared the home. While things carried on with their usual downtime schedule, there was talk of Jeff and Eyeless Jack considering their options - there was talk of killing Slenderman's supposedly abandoned Proxies. If those two made a decision to carry out such ideas, BEN and Laughing Jack would undoubtedly join in.
By the fourth day of Slenderman's disappearance, even Toby was growing acting far more serious than you had ever seen him. Your team agreed to stick together so they wouldn't be picked off. It was a bit awkward, though, since you were the only female of the group. Bathroom tasks were anything but embarrassing, since at least one of the boys had to be in the room with you - in case BEN attacked. They at least had the decency to turn away, so long as you held a conversation with them to assure that you were still there. They didn't seem to like the situation, either, but it was all for safety's sake.
As for sleeping accommodations, the four of you voted on sleeping in your room; it was the cleanest. There were 'watch' shifts, of course. Everyone fought for going first, just so they wouldn't have to be woken up. How long would this last, though? The only thing that kept your hopes up was that your master's brothers hadn't paid a visit to announce his status. Surely they would come to, essentially, adopt your team; they wouldn't waste experienced Proxies, right?
By the sixth day, nothing had happened. There was the usual routine of training, cleaning, chores, etc. It was this day, however, things began spiraling into a time of true danger - a horror from the 'monsters' point of view.
You had just finished lunch with the boys. The kitchen was cleaned and tidied up - not that there was much to dirty the place with, considering the dwindling supply of food. With a mighty need to use the restroom, you didn't feel comfortable with having to wait for your team to leave with you. Heck, the rumors of the Creepypastas turning on the Proxies seemed only that - a rumor - after two days of no actual threats from them. You felt safe enough to go on your own for a short while.
As you swiftly made your way down the hall to the foyer, things seemed typical as ever. The gradual increase of gaming noise from the living room indicated BEN's usual presence. You smirked in relief that you could use the closer toilet on the first floor. About halfway down the hallway, though, his when all hell broke loose.
He seemed to have phased through the front doors, but you were sure you saw his tall form flicker into existence. Your master stumbled into the foyer, falling to one knee in his exhausted exhausted state. At first, you weren't sure what you were seeing. Your feet had glued themselves to the floor, fighting your urge to run. It took a few moments to process the sight before you, but once it was all registered in your mind, everything came rushing back to normal speed.
"Master!" You called, sprinting straight for the tattered and scathed being that struggled to rise from his knee. The word had slipped off your tongue so cleanly from the repetitive brainwashing you had received. As you closed in, the damages became clearer. There was an air of distortion over the Slenderman, but you couldn't determine exactly what it was. His clothes were dusty and frayed. His usual pristine condition was ruined by unkemptness. Whatever Slenderman had been doing these past several days, it was keeping him too busy for rest.
Grabbing onto one of his shaking arms to support his weak body, you did your best to help your master to wherever his wished. All the while, you examined him with wide, disbelieving eyes, "What happened to you? Where have you been?" The questions escaped your lips without concern for your own well-being. If the Tall Man had any strength to strike you at the moment, he wasn't acting on it.
The sounds of hurried boots drew closer to the foyer from behind you. Expressions of aw and shock sounded from your fellow Proxies as they gathered around. You barely noticed BEN standing by, watching in amazement that Slenderman had returned in such a condition.
My room, came your master's voice, though it sounded inside your head, rather than broadcasted to everyone. The signal was weak, but you acknowledged and did what you could to help the tall being stand and walk.
Hoodie took your place under one of Slenderman's arms, seeing as he and Masky were taller than you, it'd be easier to hold of your master. You and Toby followed close, helping in any way that you could. Not long before, you had discovered and explored the mansion's third floor. While most of the doors there were unlocked, one large door remained firmly locked. The mystery of its contents tickled your curiosity. Now, you were finally realizing what stood behind the tall, rosewood door.
As soon as Slenderman's trembling hand turned the crystal knob and pushed the door ajar, you found yourself gazing with wondering eyes. Hoodie, Toby, and Masky were doing the same, though still trying to get your master to his bed. You were impressed, actually, that Slenderman even had a bed. You didn't think he slept.
The frame and mattress were longer than any human-sized bedding. You weren't surprised, oddly enough, that he adorned the bedding with fine silks and cushions. The burgundy hue of the pillows and comforter emphasized their soft volume. There was barely a sound as Slenderman collapsed onto the bed, sinking into its feathery hold. In all, you saw your master as nearly pathetic. His weakened state left him barely able to adjust himself in the comforts of his own bed. You were almost ashamed to look at him, turning your head away to spy on what else was in the room.
There were numerous forms of human luxuries, most of them scented items, fine arts, bonsai trees, and cases of literature. In one corner stood an old record player that was accompanied by a small collection of record disks. You wondered what music he had, certain that most of it was of the fine classical genre. In another wall was a large, walk-in closet, though the folding doors were pushed shut. The wall across from the room's main door held two large windows, each adorned with beautiful sheer curtains. In a way, you were somewhat disappointed by the room. A sliver of your curiosity hoped that there would be oddities unknown to the human realm - something as mysterious as your master's race.
Leave, came Slenderman's invasive thought, startling you from your prying eyes. You turned your head to look at him for assurance, only to find the Slenderman lying still on his bed, head aimed to the ceiling. Toby gripped your shoulder as he walked by, guiding out into the hall with the rest of your team. They were all far too quiet.
As soon as the door clicked shut, you heard the lock firmly set. Then, the laconism between the Proxies broke into a flurry of concerns and conspiracy.
Toby gripped his hair, stricken with despair, "S-shit! He's n-never come back like t-tt-this before. Whatever happened to him was w-way out of our l-league!"
"Those forum members found something that works," Hoodie pondered aloud. "What if we got ahold of it?"
"This is our chance to be free!" Masky hissed with hushed excitement. "We just have to find a way back into the human world."
"What t-the hell is wrong with-th you two?" Toby gawked in disgust at his colleagues. "We're not g-gonna abandon our m-master!"
"Shut up! You may like it here, but the rest of us have been waiting for this chance."
"You can stay here and be a slave."
"We're not crazy, like you."
"Maybe t-that's why you two n-never fit in."
"Guys!" Your firm tone halted the three men's banter as they whipped their heads in your direction. "Master's powerful - on par with Zalgo, right? And the humans out there found a way to take our one defense against Zalgo from us. If our master gets cut from the picture, then what? We'd be worse off than before!" By now, you had grown used to the Proxy lifestyle. Most of it, you had begun to enjoy. Even with the demeaning and hurtful punishments here and there, you learned that Slenderman wasn't as bad as he seemed. He pushed his Proxies, yes, but you had all grown stronger because of it. You had become a stronger person, both physically and mentally. For that, you respected Slenderman - looked up to him, even. "This isn't the time or place to conspire against him."
Giving a firm nod of approval, Toby offered you a fist-bump, to which you returned. The two of you glanced to Masky and Hoodie, who held their silence for a short while in thought.
Hoodie was the first to speak up, releasing a heavy sigh before giving in. "Fuck! She's right. Even if we did take down our master, what's to stop the his brothers or the other Creepypastas to get revenge?" He cursed again and turned his head away from you, all hope swept away so quickly.
"There's no way we'd be able to go through with it," Masky lifted his mask and ran a hand over his face. "He'd read our minds and find out about the plot before we could carry out step one." The weariness in his eyes showed a slight indifference to the situation. He had been denied chances at freedom many more times before this.
"What do we do now?" You asked, wanting to go back in to care for your master, but knowing you had been locked out for an undetermined amount of time.
"We hurry up and wait," Hoodie replied.
The rest of the day and the entirety of the next went by with no word from Slenderman. You began to worry that he died in his room. This thought had you check his door, only to find it still locked since the time you and your fellow Proxies brought him in there. BEN, Eyeless Jack, Laughing Jack, and Jeff had been high-strung since Slenderman's concerning return. They knew that something terrible had happened, and whatever it was, they wouldn't be able to stop it alone.
During one of your passes by your master's door, you thought you had heard another voice within the room. It wasn't nearly as deep and mature as Slenderman's. This voice sounded innocent and young, full of colorful personality. When you mentioned this to your teammates, they shrugged it off, saying, "It's probably his brother, Splendorman." While you knew that Slenderman had multiple brothers, you had still only met Sexual-Offenderman. This brother sounded far less terrifying or intimidating than the two Slender-beings you had seen so far.
Finally, after a full day of rest, Slenderman made an appearance to the mansion residents. He broadcasted an announcement for everyone to gather in the briefing room. By this point, you had become fully attuned to your master's telepathic frequencies. The only downfall was that he seemed to talk a lot more; maybe he had tried numerous times before, but they hadn't gone through? You weren't too fond of his snarky comments on the thoughts that floated in your mind. Slenderman was like a mosquito, buzzing around and making you paranoid of his perpetual presence.
When you entered the briefing room, Slenderman was in his usual place at the table. Upon the table was a set of blueprints spread over it. The prints had red ink markings, accompanied by notes, in strategic places. No doubt, you would hear about it during the meeting. On either side of him were two new people you had yet to meet. BEN stood aside, as well, looking reserved like a whipped dog. The door clicked shut when the rest of the Proxies entered. The meeting began.
"Most of you are familiar with my accomplice, The Gentleman," Slenderman began introducing the strange new people. The first one was a young man; tall, pale, and decorated with tribalesque markings crawling up his neck. This 'Gentleman' had short brown hair, and icy blue eyes. His attire was simple: blue-jeans, a red shirt, and a long, black coat. You wondered what was so special about him, or if he was even as human as he looked.
Before you could fuel your curiosity further, Slenderman moved on, "This young lady is Hailey, also known as The Closet Monster," Slenderman's long hand gestured to the small girl at his other side. She was a small, prepubescent girl, possibly able to reach your chest. Her skin was disturbing, to say the least, with its gray tone patched with bruises and rotting flesh. The mess of rusty hair covered her eyes, though you guessed they would be as dreadful as the rest of the girl's appearance. As for her clothes, she seemed to be clad in a sort of Victorian-era style, though the sleeves of her dress hung well past her hands. The tense air around this strange child had you guessing that she was incredibly shy, possibly regretting to be in her current situation. "Hailey has agreed to ally with the Slender Family. I urge everyone to welcome her to the faction," Slenderman instructed. He seemed extra kind to Hailey, as though she might run off at the glance of danger.
All Proxies gave the girl warm greetings. Fake or not, you weren't quite sure. She, on the other hand, shyly nodded in thanks as she tried not to make eye contact. Slenderman continued, "These two have been aiding me for the duration of my disappearance. This brings me to my next subject: I was hunting the humans that could be located from the forum website BEN had discovered.
"Hailey and The Gentleman have been scouting most locations, while I went behind to eradicated them. We were able to make a significant dent in their efforts; however, my last infiltration proved that I had become complacent." Your master turned his blank head down to Hailey, signaling for her to continue the report.
Inhaling a shaky breath, Hailey gathered herself and spoke just loud enough for everyone to hear, "The humans have created a powerful device against Slenderman. It combines the effects of the disruptor with the influence of red light used to cure Polaroid prints. This not only nullifies Slenderman's abilities, but also scrambles them, causing potent damage to him. While The Gentleman and I aren't affected by the device, we're unable to get to it with just the two of us. The houses equipped with the device are also littered with traps." Hailey sighed, seeming relieved that she had made it through her portion of the report.
Slenderman turned to BEN, "I understand you have new information to share about the humans."
With a firm nod, BEN kept his eyes lowered to the table and began, "Four days after the website was taken down, there were several attempts to create new, encrypted servers. I was able to remove all of them." He paused for a moment, possibly to sort out his thoughts. "Not long after that, I noticed emails between the forum members trying to inform each other that they were being 'aggressively hunted by the Slenderman'. I deleted any unread emails that I could so the humans couldn't prepare. The emails also came attached with instructions on building the mentioned devices to use against Slenderman; I removed all evidence of these emails from the internet."
"Good work, BEN," Slenderman flatly stated. "Continue to intercept the emails and shut down any new servers they attempt to create. Your efforts are helping us tremendously. Now then," the tall being leaned forward and spread his hands over the blueprints in front of him, "there are still several locations to snuff out; two of which are the most dangerous. I was able to acquire the building prints so that we may plot our infiltrations."
It was explained that The Gentleman and Hailey would take care of the locations inhabited by singular or just a small few of people. Those locations were also lightly trapped. The two most dangerous houses were in separate countries. The first, and easiest, of them was located in England. It was a two-story building of fair size, considering the typical housing in that country. There were six known humans gathered there, all of which were forum members who met up to protect each other. The place was heavily rigged with traps; however, due to restricting gun laws, they were less deadly. Slenderman did make note that the humans made up for their lack of weaponry with the use of electricity and home-cooked acids. Neither sounded all too exciting for you.
The second, and most dangerous, of the houses was located in the United States; Texas, to be more specific. It was another two-story, but larger than the one in England. Your master explained that the majority of the building was protected by gun traps of various sorts. The humans also had their own firearms on hand. There were plenty of other traps to worry about, too, such as nets and hinged floors. "The most difficult obstacle, however, will be their attack dogs," Slenderman noted. "There are two; both of the Pitt Bull breed. Do your best not to get between their jaws." He went on to state that the dogs remained in the house with the humans. While Slenderman wasn't afraid of dogs, he knew that his Proxies were much more vulnerable. As for the number of humans, ten were counted.
"We will attack the house in England first," Slenderman instructed. "While it will push your limits, this is only a warm-up." He then handed the prints for the first house to your team. Everyone was given the remainder of the day to prepare and go over the prints of the house. The Gentleman and Hailey were offered to rest at the mansion, since they had been so busy for the past week. To this, they accepted, though Hailey hid herself in one of the closets the whole time.
After the dismissal, you approached Slenderman with concern on your face. This was the first time you were able to see him since helping the Tall One to his room in a crippling state. Now, here he was, perfectly healthy. His wake didn't seem oddly distorted anymore, making you wonder if you were only seeing things at that time. Still, you worried; without your master, what would you do? Where would you go? How would you survive?
Slenderman watched you inch closer to him, seeming curious of your intentions. You know he could easily read your thoughts, though. The room emptied by this point, and you wanted to blurt out all of your questions at once, but your trained mentality held down your tongue. Instead, you repeated a phrase over and over in your head, "May I speak? May I speak?"
"Go on," your master encouraged. "Speak, though you should already know the answers."
Hesitating at your master's words, you eventually began, "You're okay? The damage wasn't permanent?"
Slenderman shook his head, "I wasn't foolish enough to stay near the device long enough for mortal injuries."
"You looked so weak," your lip quivered. "I was scared. I was scared that," you choked on the painful lump growing in your throat, "that we'd be killed by the other Creepypastas." You couldn't stop the cracking in your voice, nor the tears that welled up and dripped from your eyes. "It might be rough for me - for Proxies - to be like slaves, but in a way, we're treated well." During the days that Slenderman had disappeared, and the time he spent in his room, your mind had wandered to places you had yet to discover until then. It became apparent to you that Proxies were somewhat catered to. The food was stocked by Slenderman and the other residents, you were given a home and great bed to sleep in, you were allowed to rest when you became injured, your clothes were provided, and you were even protected from the other Creepypastas. In all honesty, a Proxy was more like a pet. Even though you had chores and dangerous missions, the rewards were worth it.
"Such an obedient Proxy," Slenderman hooked a finger under your chin, lifting it to raise your head. "I've trained you well, if you fear my absence." The snide tone in his voice switched off your tearful lament.
Offended, you moved your chin from the pale being's fingertip and stepped back. "Is that all you can say?" You knew you were stepping over a fine line, but Slenderman's response didn't satisfy what you had hoped to hear. "You disappear for a few days, then return looking like a wreck and lock yourself in your room without an explanation. Couldn't you-"
"What, _, could I say?" Your master's voice growled with irritation. He closed the small distance between the two of you, hunching to keep his lacking face within your eyesight. "Or rather, did you want me to do something? Should I have taken you into my arms? Embraced you tightly?" He was pressuring you for an answer, all the while embarrassing you. "Should I have assured you that everything was as it should be? That I would never leave you?" Slenderman's head hovered inches from your face, his hands had somehow claimed their perch on your shoulders, though you hadn't noticed until this point. "Think of a Proxy as you wish, but you are still a Proxy. My concern for your feelings is minimal."
At that, he was gone. You were left alone in the briefing room, trying to hold back the powerful mixture of emotions building within. "You ass," your lips formed, though barely a sound escaped.
In truth, you were developing feelings for your master. What sort of feelings, you were still confused over. Perhaps it was love, but evidence pointed to other things. Maybe it was just hopeful wishing that you were in love. Slenderman was most likely right: you were a Proxy trained to depend on your master. The feelings you thought you had were probably just that. Still, you held on to some sick form of hope that it would change.
After a few minutes of calming yourself, you left the briefing room to catch up with your team. Luckily, you had your mask to hide any bit of redness on your face.
Most likely, the other Proxies were in the weapons room, deciding on what all to bring on the mission. There would be plenty of gear to wear, which had you grimacing at the weight it would add up to. Thank goodness for the workout routines.
You soon entered the weapons room, indeed finding Hoodie, Masky, and Toby making a checklist of the required gear for tomorrow. What you weren't expecting was The Gentleman to be with them. He was giving pointers of what he remembered about the house and its many traps. The way he broke down how the traps worked sounded obnoxious, though. Still, you were caught off guard that he was here at all. It was a strange sight to see a Creepypasta helping a Proxy. Perhaps that's why he had such a namesake.
Shrugging it off, you joined in with the men and caught up to speed. Toby showed you that, so far, they wanted to wear insulated boots and gloves, have a pair of chemical-resistant gloves on stand-by, wire-cutters, and bullet-proof vests.
"I thought there weren't any guns allowed there," you queried, recalling England's law.
"It'll still protect against knives," Hoodie advised. "Everyone's got a kitchen knife handy."
"Does anyone know if we're supposed to kill all these people or what?" Masky chimed in.
"Kill them," The Gentleman plainly stated and rolled his eyes. "Slenderman doesn't have a need for their information. Everything was on the forum and their emails. He's just tying up loose ends before Zalgo gets dirt on him." He acted as though it was understood the targets were to be killed.
"Well, that makes things easy," Toby quipped as he scribbled down 'knives' and 'guns' to the list.
The five of you spent most of the day studying the blueprint and discussing with The Gentleman about where the humans would gather when feeling threatened. You estimated how much of each piece of gear you would need, depending on the known traps marked on the blueprints. It was best to carry as little as possible, but you didn't want to be caught without a necessary tool. The bullets would weigh you down the most, so everyone agreed to only take a maximum of twelves rounds - two for each target.
This mission would focus heavily on each Proxy's assigned role. Masky would scout the outside of the house before the team moved. Afterward, you, Toby, and Hoodie would enter the building wherever Masky deemed it best. Hoodie would then focus on finding and disabling the device used against Slenderman. You and Toby would disable any traps along the way of finding the targets. Masky would remain outside of the house, if possible, and snipe from a vantage point.
Your team went over the plans several times, hypothesizing various scenarios involving the human targets. Most of them went well, but no one would be completely sure until the real mission was over.
By dinner, Slenderman broadcasted that his team would head out for the mission by 1 AM., to which you headed straight for bed as soon as the kitchen was cleaned. Even if you could only get a couple of hours in, it would be better than trying to carry out the upcoming mission on a weary mind.
For a time, you had trouble getting your whirring brain to slow down. All that you had gone over for the mission was echoing back with paranoid 'what if' scenarios. So many things could go wrong, but you were going on this mission, no matter the risk.
You weren't sure when, but eventually your vision blacked out to the realm of sleep and dreams. While you understood the darkness surrounding your mind, it was unclear if you had actually dreamed at all. It wasn't long before you were woken be a feeling of dread in your gut. Your eyes lazily cracked open to the view of your veiled window glowing with moonlight. Though you heard nothing threatening nearby, you couldn't shake off the obscure fear within; that is, until you scanned over the room for further confirmation that you were just being silly.
At the foot of your bed stood Slenderman. He stared at you intently, though didn't budge at all. If it wasn't for his ghostly pale skin and shirt, you would have never seen his looming figure in the dark. At first, you considered simply going back to sleep, since your master's visits in your room was a common occurrence, but the continued feeling of trepidation gave second thought. Something wasn't right; Slenderman was acting different. Usually, he would have said something or begun to crawl over you and taste your skin. This time, however, he only stared, for lack of a better word, with his nonexistent eyes.
"M-master?" You dared to break the silence, anticipating an attack at any moment.
A piercing ring began in one ear, catching your attention. Shortly after, your other ear followed suit. You rubbed both ears, expecting the ringing to end soon, but it only grew louder. With desperate eyes, you looked back up to Slenderman. Was he doing this? Why? Was he still angry about what happened in the briefing room?
The ringing was deafening now, and your vision grew cloudy. You tried to keep sight on your master, but just as you began to beg him for mercy, your body and mind gave out. As far you could tell, sleep had captured you once again.
