A/N:
Hellooooo Readers! How are all of you doing? Here's a brand spanking new chapter for you all XD Here's hoping it's a good one for you! Also, one of you lovely readers asked me about where the other characters had their Proxy brands. And that is a very good question. I'll give a full list at the end of this chapter so I don't waste anymore reading time, lol, enjoy! XD
Also thank you to Kisa Sohma Cookie! Without you're imput and rps permission to let me use Kate, most of this story, let alone the following scene, wouldn't be here. Thank you!
It was unclear just how long Kate had been trying to track down this infamous Rochelle. But considering just how when she started the search, she didn't even have a clue of where she would be in the world, she had done pretty well. After all, in the grand scheme of things, Sickness was pretty easy to track. Specifically, Slender's. Being his proxy, she had a higher ability to sense the Sickness controlled by him, and there were traces of it all over the place. The guy really travelled. But what she was looking for was not travel based residue, it was raw energy. Finally, after painstakingly testing her patience, she had found... well it was something. A building to be exact.
A run down hotel was a polite way of describing what this building looked like. In truth, it looked like it had rotted away from age and decay and then someone had attempted to burn down the remains but failed. Ash and ivy mingled up the side of the front wall and coiled almost possessively around the corner to break into a cracked window to invade the interior. The front door looked as though it had once been a large, grand piece of woodwork with stained glass windows to show the pattern of entwined roses. Now they were shattered and coated in dust, worn and damaged by weather and mould. Kate wondered if this was the kind of place people would have paid through the nose for just to enter let alone stay a night. But now it seemed people would be paying through the nose just to never see again.
Kate pushed her cowboy-like hat further up her head and sighed, "This is a Slendy haunt alright," She muttered to herself, "Tryin' to be dignified but still old as hell."
It was a cheap shot but anything at this point to get a laugh here and there. Especially when the smell and tense air of Sickness energy was pulsating so harshly through the air. She gritted her teeth and focussed her mind, trying not to let it affect her as she stepped forward. The front door was boarded up, completely inaccessible even to a ghost such as herself. She had been branded and therefore physical now, looks like it was going back to the old days and breaking in the old fashioned way. She just prayed that this wasn't yet another dead end and she would have to go back to the drawing board. That had happened three times already and she didn't fancy of a fourth.
Her boot collided harshly with the rusted remains of a ventilation shaft and she scooted herself inside, knocking the cobwebs out of the way and clanging her fist against the metal walls every now and again to scare off any vermin that might get an idea about getting too close. It wasn't long before her eyes adjusted to the dark and she found herself crawling through into the lobby. Or what had once been a lobby. Now it was a wreck. No other way of putting it. She looked around and found the remains of a staircase not far from the main desk. Carpet hung where the woodwork had rotted away. But she ventured up them cautiously, making sure to tred carefully and not risk falling. Who knows where she'd end up in this place. She wasn't afraid of dying, she was already dead, but the idea of being stuck in a Sickness filled structure was not something she liked.
"Hello?" She called up the stairs, tone stern, hand on her gun just in case, "I'm looking for Rochelle. Figured ya might know something about a guy named Slender? Don't be shy."
No answer. Not that she expected one but it was worth a shot. She continued up the stairs with her eyes narrowed but her senses wide open. The steps just seemed to keep going. Floor after destroyed floor, The only signs of life that dared remain in this place were the vermin and the spiders. Kate continued, and was very close to giving up before she got to the top floor. But... something kept pulling her forward towards it. Maybe it was the added Sickness, maybe it was pure instinct, but she wasn't fighting it. And soon she found out why.
The carpet steadily became cleaner, the walls fresher, and above all, the air cleaner. Before long, Kate realized that the entire top floor looked as though it had only just been opened. The damage had seemingly avoided this floor, pristine condition at every corner. That only made Kate more suspicious. Why would an abandoned crumbling wreck of a hotel have an entire floor saved like this? With no other leads and no other place to go, she followed her gut and ventured down the corridor. She knocked on every door as she went, repeating the same thing over and over again.
"I'm looking for Rochelle. Show yourself and there won't be any trouble, understand me?" Finally, on the very last door, she heard the sound of someone gasp in surprise. Her gold eyes narrowed, and she knocked harder, "I heard y'all in there. My name's Kate, I'm looking for Rochelle. I work with Slender." She crouched and peered through the keyhole, but all she saw was scarlet red staring right back at her. That would have been strange enough, but then the red blinked to show off an ivory eyelid and snowy eyelashes. Kate arched an eyebrow, "Rochelle I presume?"
The voice on the other side was muffled, but definitely female and heavy laid with a French accent, "Oui... And you should presume that no disciple of that man is welcome here."
Kate shrugged, "Aint no disciple, it's just a part time employee. One that prefers to talk face to face, so how about y'all open the door? I just want to talk."
A scoff, "Slender is as ill informing to his Proxies as he always has been. I can't open the door, Mademoiselle, and I cannot leave this room."
The reality of the situation sunk in quickly. The Sickness, the preservation, it added up, "You... You're trapped here aren't you?"
The reply was mournful and hesitant, but no less beautiful, "Oui..."
Kate felt a rage she didn't fully understand. Maybe it was the understanding she could feel to a woman being repressed and trapped like a pet, or maybe it was just the disgust at the idea that Zalgo could keep people in prisons like this, was killing them not enough? She shook her head, "Zalgo won't get away with this, you know. It's taking time but we're getting there and-"
"No, no, Mademoiselle, you are mistaken. I am not a prisoner of Zalgo... I am a prisoner of your beloved Lord."
"My what?" Kate peered through the keyhole again, only to find that the red eye had long gone and moved away to the other side of the room. The room itself looked just as pristine as the outside, with a gold and white colour scheme. And a beautiful women sitting on a chair in plain view. Her skin was ivory white, a cascade of flowing white hair hung like silk down her back. Her features here perfection, and her scarlet eyes were half lidded in concentration as she started to return to a painting easel, continuing an artwork Kate couldn't see from there.
"Your Lord. The one who owns you. Who tried to own me... Don't deny yourself, Mademoiselle, I know a proxy of Slender when I sense one."
Kate blinked, "Slender? He trapped you in here?" It suddenly made a lot more sense why Slendy hadn't wanted anyone to know about this, "What the hell did y'all do to piss him off that much? Doesn't seem like his style..."
"No... It doesn't." Rochelle sounded hurt, and so sad, "But I did nothing wrong. I only protected him. But he ignored that little fact and only focussed on the act rather than the intention. This is my punishment... Tell me, si'l vous plait? Are you silent for your master? Are you obedient?"
"What? Well obedience ain't really my thing, hence why I'm here talking to you. And I don't have no master. I belong to no one."
Rochelle sighed, her arms moving slowly and steadily as she continued to paint, barely looking at the door anymore, "He will turn on all of you. He turned on me..."
"But why?" Kate pressed, "You protected him, why? I'm having a little trouble understanding here, Ma'am."
"Everyone does... Proxies hunt me out, flock for the gossip, and then leave me to suffer in my memories. It happened again not too long ago when more of his minions came here looking for portal access. They did not return to thank me. They did not tell him about me... I am better left alone."
"Not likely. And you ain't answering my questions." Her hands grabbed the door handle and tried to bust it open, but it was if the door was fused with cement, it didn't budge.
"Don't tire yourself, Mademoiselle, you are no more eligible to enter here than I am to leave."
"Then who is?"
"The demon who made this prison of course, Slender." There was a long, terrible silence before she sighed, "You mentioned Zalgo... Why? Was he not stopped before?"
Kate shook her head, "Ain't even close..."
There was another hesitation. In which, Rochelle stopped painting and glanced at the door, staring at Kate through the keyhole with a reluctant yet fearful expression, "Is... Is Slender safe?"
That question took Kate by surprise. For someone who was so intent on spewing hatred towards anyone associated with Slender, Rochelle sure did sound almost scared for his life. She lowered her voice to sound gentler, tilting her head. Honesty was the best policy here even if it may hurt, "No. None of us are safe. And Slender's the biggest one at risk out of all of us."
Rochelle made a noise that sounded like she was trying not to sob. She took a deep breath and said with surprising calmness, "Tell me everything."
Kate shook her head, "We'll make a deal. You answer one of my questions and then I'll answer one of yours. Take turns, got it?"
"...Oui."
"Alright... How do you know Slender?"
"I was killed in this room. Murdered by my own faïence. My spirit remained, wondering and cold for revenge until Slender found me... He gave me a home and a purpose, protected me..." She started suddenly, "My turn. Why has Slender never told any of you about me?"
"Hell if I know, Ma'am. Probably is ashamed of himself I'll wager. We hear your name mentioned, sure, but there's a lot of stories and it's hard to know the truth. How do the others know where to find you?"
"I do not know. Likewise how you found me. They can sense their masters power... Why are you here?"
Kate shrugged, "Curiosity I guess. But I'm also here to ask for your help, Slender needs help. But he refuses to take it, was he always that stubborn?"
"So stubborn..." There was a trace of fondness in her tone, but she quickly covered it up with harshness, "That counted as a question. Why has he not come here himself?"
"You just said how stubborn he is. But... Like I said, I think he's ashamed. Speaking of which, what's the full story there? Why did he put you here?"
"I told you, I am being punished for protecting him. You see... I am a Passive Proxy, not designed to kill. But I had to kill to protect him. And I was hurt badly in the process... And the moment I was healed, I was put here as punishment for going against my Passive nature despite saving him. I do not wish to say anymore!"
"Alright, darlin', alright, I won't push no more." Kate kept her voice calm, but on the inside she was furious that Slender would do such a thing!
"My turn..." Rochelle muttered weakly, "If things are that bad with Zalgo, if Slender is in as much danger as you say... Then I must ask." She was hesitating, scared almost, but so hopeful, "Can you bring Slender to me?"
Shad didn't yell or shout when he felt another forceful strike across his face. And another. And another. He didn't fuss when he felt the Sickness being forced into his mind and felt it coursing through his being. When the slicing of his skin made his mind burn in agony, he gritted his teeth and managed to suppress a snarl. Sweat dripped down his face, and if he were given the opportunity to stand up, then he wouldn't have been able to. And yet... this was not the worse torture he had endured at the hands on Zalgo. And he refused to comply. As always.
Zalgo gripped his throat tightly, his blackened claws digging into his skin, "There is no sense in asking why you are not cooperating with me... I'm sick of asking to be honest with you Shadow Lurker. And so, I'll stop."
"Y-You never stop..." Shad rasped, eyes cold and hateful, "Why... Why are you doing this? Why do you want my name?"
"Oh it's quite simple really." His grip tightened, snarling closer so that the smell of decay and flesh misted in the air, "I want my property back!"
"I am not your property!"
"You were designed to me my Proxy before Slender started this foolish mission to try and determine the differences between humans... And you trailed after him like a lost mutt. Shame on you, Shadow Lurker. Now it's time to return to me."
"I can't return if I was never on your side... And I never will be." Shad stated coldly, "Do what you like to me, but it will gain you nothing."
"So loyal, so pathetic, like the mutt you are. And don't try to be so valiant, Shadow Lurker, I learned long ago that hurting you physically does nothing. I am simply doing this to pass the time while we wait for Slender."
Shad stared at him. He should have known, "Is that why you didn't kill the others right away?"
"Ah you see there's how I can get to you. Right there. By using others. Just like Slender... Funny really how that passes on. Isn't it? The weakness you present when you try and show, oh what's the word? Concern. When you show concern for others."
A chill struck the air with more force than any physical attack, "What have you done?"
"Oh, nothing yet. But thinking about it, I suppose it would be a shame if Slender were to arrive and find all of his Proxies, ones that should be mine I might add, were to be so deep into their own Sickness that not even the other force can bring them back."
"Slender is aware of what you're doing and he would never allow the others to get here; you are losing your touch."
"And you are losing time." The demon answered passively, flames under his skin burning almost with anticipation, "But who said anything about your fellow Proxies? Like I said before, you're running out of time. They will be here soon enough with Slender."
"Then... Then who are you talking about?"
"I'm so glad you asked." Zalgo laughed, cruel and icy, "I have a proposition for you, Shadow Lurker. A wager, a gamble or just a game, whatever you like."
"I'm not interested."
"Oh I think you will be, if you want to keep this human, this Emily safe."
The smart thing to do would have been to stay completely neutral, act like the name meant nothing to him. Feigning ignorance would have been the best idea. But what happened instead was something of the complete opposite. A spark of rage ignited in the depths of Shad's chest in a way that he didn't even know was possible. His eyes turned hard and he tried desperately to break his ties and lunge at Zalgo, but to no avail. He struggled and tried to level is breathing, "Leave her alone!"
"I knew you'd be interested." He sneered, "As laughable as it is for someone in your position and being so besotted with such a scrawny excuse for a meal. Why not just feast from her straight away while she's young? Don't let her soul age and decay."
"No! Her soul is not food for anyone to consume!"
"That's up to you, Shadow Lurker. You see, her life means nothing to me. What's another soul to feed on here and there? But we're getting off track... You want this human to be safe for whatever purpose you have in mind, and I want you to willingly hand over your name willingly."
"You stay away from her or I swear-"
Zalgo silenced him by striking him across the face, teeth bared warningly, "My wager is this; if you can reach your precious Emily before my Sickness reaches her, then it seems that you have a chance to escape the fate of your fellow Proxies. But if you don't make it in time... well, I get her soul and I get your name."
"No!"
"Oh yes, Shadow Lurker. I would hurry if I were you. I don't deny that by the rise of the sun, I'll own you all."
Shad struggled violently. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be! Zalgo couldn't do this to her! His mind felt like it was going to implode as Zalgo started laughing. Darkness and ash clogged the air and poured down his throat. It sink into it eyes, blinding him. For a moment, everything was deathly silent, as if someone had hit the mute button in the middle of a night club. And it was still. Shad gasped for air, rubbing the grit from his eyes. Wait.. he could move his arms? He wasn't restrained anymore? When did... Moonlight? He was outside?
He struggled to his feet, only to fall to his knees once more. Zalgo was testing him. And... And Emily... She was... His head hurt too much to try and form regular thoughts. Everything was jumbled around grotesquely. Toby, Hoody, Masky and Jack still with Zalgo, Slender and the others were still searching and most likely walking into a trap by now. It was all too much to take in. He didn't know what to do. But... He knew where to go.
"Emily..." he gasped, fingernails clawing at the ground in an effort to stand up and move, "I-I'm coming, Emily..."
A/N:
So... Will Shad get to Emily in time? Will Kate be able to make Slender talk to Rochelle? And what's going on with the others? Have to wait for the next chapter to find out XD Sorry!
Now, that brand list I promised:
Trixie has it on her left shoulder, Ben has it on the inside of his right elbow (ghosts can be branded since demon energy is stronger than most), Jeff on the back of his neck, Alice on her right ankle, Jack on his collarbone. That's all I'm giving away so far! Because some of the others I either haven't thought out fully yet or are linked to the plot XD I hope that helped!