A/N:
So this chapter took longer than expected to get down. But with the amazing help from 'Kisa Sohma Cookie' who practically co-wrote this chapter with me as well as created the great character of Kate, I managed to have something to send out to you guys. Thanks again! And I hope you like it XD
Now this is a Shad and Kate based chapter, but don't worry the others will be back in the next!
"Stay with me, Shadow-man, your girls waiting for ya."
"She's... ugh... She's not my girl..."
Shad leaned heavily on Kate's shoulder, pain burning along his chest and the back of his head. He could see eel the Sickness coursing through him where he had spent too long in Zalgo's clutches and was still recovering. Not to mention the large bump forming on his head where Kate had lobbed a rock at him earlier on. He'd lost track of time, it seemed like they had been wondering for hours even if it may have just been a few minutes. There was a sense, a feeling of some sort that seemed to guide him towards Emily.
She was in danger. Zalgo was playing everyone like a puppet and poor Jack was the biggest pawn of them all right now. If Jack got to Emily, then everyone involved was going to pay the price. Not just their names and lives, but their sense of humanity and who they were. He was aware that both he and Kate were strong, but that was because they were used to such extreme circumstances. As for Emily and Jack, one was already too far gone to help and the other was an innocent in all of this. He had to get to them! But he was in so much pain...
"Hey, hey, don't you pass out on me!" Kate snapped, tapping his cheek roughly, "Which way?"
"Th-There..." He pointed shakily down another set of backstreets, keeping to the dark out of sight.
She nodded and followed orders. She needed to keep him talking and focussed. And considering the mission they found themselves taking on, who else was better to focus his attention on, "Alright, Shadow-man, I've filled you in on the portal and the others waiting on us, now you fill me in a little more on this Emily girl. Go on, I'm listening. What makes her special? Hell there must be something if it you're going through all this."
"I'd rather not get into it right now..." He insisted, grunting when his chest tightens suddenly.
"Well keeping ya talking is the only thing stopping y'all from being a deadweight so just answer the question. What makes this girl special to ya? Where'd y'all first see her?"
He sighed, or wheezed considering the pain he was going through. She had a point, he needed to keep his mind active and distracted from the Sickness inside of him. And if that meant talking about her, then what choice did he have? "I... I first saw her when Toby and I were out working... A couple were on our lists for various crimes and abuse. I was the look out and Toby did the task. But we missed something... We did not know that they had their niece in the house at the time..."
Kate noticed his look of shame and turned her head away not to embarrass him further right now, "Emily I take it?"
"No... Thankfully... It was a different young lady who was unfortunate enough to witness the aftermath of our work. I sent Toby away, and remained behind to make sure that no accidental Sickness had been burdened on the girl. A-And luckily there wasn't. I expected her to call the police, family, any of the usual patterns of behaviour... But she didn't. Instead, she hid away in her room and called someone else to help her. A-And out of my own curiosity, I stayed to discover who. And that... That was when I first saw her."
"You mean instead of getting some real help, this girl called her buddy for a sleepover?" She shook her head and muttered, "Some ain't got the sense they were born with..."
"She needed the only person she could trust at the time and that was Emily. And... I could see why. It was so early in the morning and Emily must have snuck out of her house, she was still in nightclothes and... And she saw all of that brutality and gore that we had left behind and she, well yes she was scared but... But she just carried on and handled everything on her own. She comforted her friend, called the authorities... Not once did she leave her friends side and not once did she allow her own fear to get the better of her."
Kate quirked her eyebrows, actually finding herself mildly impressed. Not many people would walk through a murder scene just to give someone a hug... "Brave girl."
"F-Facinating." Shad corrected, "N-Never before had I seen someone so willing to help another even in the most bloody and dark of environments. It fascinated me and I wanted to know what would become of such a person. And... And I found a wonderful person. Brave, yes. But also so... human."
"Human? Hate to break it to ta, Shadow-man, but there's a lot of humans around."
"I don't mean just human in the literal sense. I-I don't know how to explain it..." He winced again, holding his chest tight as if trying to stop the pain, "I-I just didn't want her to see something like that again. S-So I watched over her... M-Made sure she was safe..."
"You really care about her, huh? Why not just talk to her?"
"Y-You know how our kind work... I-If someone see's us while we're on a job, they'll get i-infected with Sickness... I will not do that to her."
"So don't see her while you're working, simple."
"I-I can't.. She needs to stay ignorant to our life... It keeps her safe and it lets her live her life as she should. Compared to our kind... Well... If every being were a light of some sort, I would be a cinder and she would be a beacon."
Kate took a moment to allow herself a small smile. All things considered that was pretty sweet. But this wasn't exactly the time to go all sappy. She adjusted his weight slightly against her shoulder, "You're going archaic on me, Shadow-man, just how hard did I hit ya back there?"
"I-It's another turning here..."
Kate turned up the corner of her mouth, not making fun of him, but just feeling a moment of respect for him. She understood that a moment of bravery could change the perspective of anyone. Even to this extent. She of course had more questions and lets face it, there was always a moment where she wanted to poke a little fun at him in a playful banter. But considering he had just literally crawled from the darkest of hells, was now fighting off exhaustion as well as pure Sickness in his body, and was now fighting to stay conscious so he could stop one of their own from hurting an innocent... she thought she'd give him a little slack.
There were only a few more streets worth of following directions before there became an unnatural and unfortunately familiar chill into the air. And a dark, shorter figure running ahead of them and stumbling along the way. An almost child sized figure wearing black and covering its head with a hood. It didn't seem to be running as fast as it could have. It looked as though it was fighting with itself, trying to escape the trail it was taking. Which happened to be over a garden fence.
"Ain't that Jack?" Kate asked urgently.
"I-I think so... There's Emily's house!"
"You just rest up here, Shadow-man, I'll-"
"No! No I-I need to do this!" Shad insisted, grabbing Kate's arm tightly.
"This ain't the time to play hero!"
"I'm aware! I'm the one that made the deal with Zalgo. I'm the one that needs to stop Jack!"
"Don't hurt him." She ordered, "It's not his choice remember?"
"I know. I plan to get everyone to safety tonight."
"Points for ambition, Shadow-man. Just don't get yourself killed. I'll be right behind ya."
He didn't wait to answer her, even if he was a touch relieved to have back up in this. Jack was already scaling up the side of the house using the drainpipe leading to one of the upstairs windows. And Shad knew perfectly well that it was Emily's bedroom window. Shad was weak and still in considerable pain, but he couldn't just let that get in the way. He had to stop Jack from getting to Emily, from burying himself more in darkness than he already was. And Emily... He couldn't risk her being dragged into this world. It was not fair on her and she had done nothing to deserve it,
He pushed himself through the shadows of the garden fence, draining what little energy he had saved up. It didn't matter to him, he had other motivation pushing through him. Jack was already reaching out to grab the window ledge. Shad tried to come up with a possible plan that would involve all of their safety while also giving him time to go inside and check on Emily. But the only thing that came to mind was a surge of protectiveness and he leaped upwards. Pain shot through him as he moulded his hands and feet with the shadows, using them as footholds to scale the side of the house until he was able to grab Jack's ankle. Jack didn't seem to notice, taken over by a strength not his own.
Shad glanced downwards to see Kate below, and he acted on pure instinct, pulling on Jack's ankle harshly. Jack's fingers slipped from the additional weight, snarling as he fell through the air. Kate looked up wide eyed, rushing to position and thudding onto her back hard when she broke Jack's fall. Instantly he started to struggle, throwing his fists and kicking his legs. Kate easily overpowered him, being of taller and stronger stature. But the force controlling him was making it more difficult than usual. Shad hesitated, wanting to jump down and help her but he had to check in Emily's room. He had to make sure that she was okay.
Shadows on his side, he leaned up and managed to peek into her room. And he was stunned to find that she was nowhere to be seen. Not in her bed asleep or elsewhere. He was uneasy, but if she wasn't there then that meant that she was somewhere safe away from here. That was his main priority out of the way. Now he had to handle Jack. He dropped to the ground, the shadows rippling at his feet to provide a softer landing. He leaned over the struggling pair and grabbed Jack by the shoulders, lifting him up and glaring at him.
"Jack! You do not need to do this anymore!"
"L-Let go! I-I need- He won't leave me alone! N-Need to get- Ah!"
Jack didn't look conscious let alone stable. He kicked Shad hard in the chest, resulting in him being released and falling to the ground. He rolled over and pulled out a scalpel to hold out warningly. Kate showed her palms in an attempt at peace, not wanting to pull out her gun on someone who wasn't in control of their actions. Not to mention, it was Jack, who needed to be alive if he were to come back to them. Jack slashed his weapon forward, just missing her.
"Easy now, little'un. You don't have to do this. We're here to help you."
"You don't have to do this. Emily is not here, you don't need to listen to Zalgo anymore, it's over, Jack!"
"N-Not over never over around and around it never ends!" Jack cried, black tears slipping down his face as he lunged at them over and over with his scalpel, "Make it stop!"
"Hold still and we will make it stop! Just put the tool down and we'll-"
"No! No I can't! H-He wants me to kill! I d—don't- I have to I- Just make it stop! Don't want death, death makes it stop! I just- You need to go!"
Jack pounced forward, crashing into Shad so they tumbled to the ground. Shad managed to grab a hold of Jack's wrists to stop the scalpel from plunging into his throat. He held Jack at bay for as long as possible. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kate making a run for them to try and help. And she only took a few steps before-
SMACK!
Shad gasped as the weight was suddenly knocked away from him, and he melted into the shadows beneath him, rematerializing a few yards away with his back pressed against the garden fence. He panted heavily as the ache and fatigue rushed at him once again. His eyes widened as he looked around, trying to pinpoint Jack and Kate's position to make the next move. However, he didn't expect to see a third person standing before him. He had first made the natural assumption that Kate had attacked Jack. However, Kate was still standing where she had been, stuck still in shock. And standing over an unconscious Jack, was a young female with dark brown hair, holding a shovel in her trembling hands.
The moment the new person had registered what they just did, the shovel dropped from her hands and she fell to her knees to hover her hands over Jack's body worriedly, "I-Is he alright? I-I didn't mean to hurt him I-I just- He was attacking you and-"
Kate just stood there looking confused as hell, "Where in the name of hell-bent idiocy did you come from, girlie?"
"I live here!" The girl cried out in a panic, "Oh thank god he's breathing! C-Can you call an ambulance?"
"You live here...?" Kate repeated sceptically. She arched an eyebrow and turned her head subtly to look at Shad who remained frozen out of view. Wait a minute... Shad freezing up and a little lady popping up saying she lives here... It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. She blinked and looked back at the girl, "You wouldn't happen to be Emily would ya?"
Emily looked up at the strange woman and felt a moment of fear, "H-How did you know that?"
"Admirer of yours told me." She smirked, enjoying the joke, "Look, girlie, calm down we're not gonna hurt ya."
Shad stared at her in outrage. What was she doing? She was putting Emily at risk by talking to her! They needed to get Jack and get out of here! Yes the job was technically done now that both of them were safe but he still didn't want to risk it. He stayed hidden.
Emily on the other hand, hadn't moved from Jacks side as she stared at Kate cautiously, "We? Wh-Who's we?" Her eyes widened when she noticed Kate's yellow eyes. Was this woman even human? And the boy she hit... Why was his skin blue? "What's going on?"
Kate resisted the urge to roll her eyes, sometimes forgetting that not everyone had heard of their stories let alone expected them to show up like this. She offered a hand to Emily and tried to put on an understanding expression, "Look I know this is all a might scary but you gotta trust me on this. You don't wanna know anything about what's going on. Thanks for the help back there but go inside now okay?"
"N-no! No not until you tell me what's going on!" Emily stood up on her own and took a step back, "I-I called the police, they'll be here and-" That was a lie, she hadn't had time to call anyone.
"Ain't no need for that, we'll be gone soon." She rolled her eyes and held up her hands in a peace offering, "Me and my partner, we're the good guys. Would love to shoot the breeze with ya, darling, but you can bet there'll be more people like us barging in if ya don't get inside and forget all of this, alright?"
"What partner? I don't understand and I'm not going anywhere until I do!"
"Ugh... Shadow-man, help me out here?"
Shad flinched and cloaked himself even more to make himself practically invisible. He couldn't talk to her. Not now, not ever! What was Kate thinking? Jack was unconscious, Emily was safe, why weren't they getting out of here by now?
"Who are you talking to?" Emily asked, starting to get more frustrated than scared at this point.
"Like I said, my partner. He's a little on the shy side..." She smirked.
Again, Shad was outraged. Emily blinked, taken back by the comment, "Shy? After being attacked by... him, I'm not exactly something to be scared of!" She hesitated a moment before looking around quickly, not moving away from Jack but not wanting to look away from Kate for too long either. She wanted answers and she wasn't going anywhere till she got them, "Where is he? I want to see him too."
Kate scratched the back of her neck, "Well I don't have a problem with that, just don't know if he's gonna be up for it. Little on the tired side after... Well you saw what was gonna happen. And we don't exactly look normal do we?"
Emily hesitated a moment, then shrugged somewhat awkwardly, "I-I've seen worse..."
Shad looked away out of shame. Knowing what she meant. After all, it was partly his fault that she had seen such horrific sights so long ago. And how strong she was now just proved that she had hardened from the experience. She truly was a strong, fascinating human. Kate caught Shad's look and didn't want to push the matter on anyone's part. It was a rough night for the girl too let alone Shad. She simply nodded and calmed her voice, walking around Emily to kneel on the ground beside Jack and rest his head on her lap, checking his pulse and breathing a sigh of relief when it was still going strong.
"Y'all helped out more than you think back there. This kid weren't all bad ya know. And I need to get him somewhere safe."
"Y-Yes... I guess but... You still haven't told me anything."
"Name's Kate. And my friend back there's Shadow-man. He'll explain what he can but be gentle with him alright, girlie? Sensitive soul..." She snickered at the cold look Shad gave her from behind Emily.
"Where is he? I don't see-" She followed Kate's gaze behind her. Just in time to see the shadows ripple where a figure apparently just melted into them. She flinched, eyes widening. Not because it scared her, but because it was so... familiar, "O-Oh... Him..."
Kate rolled her eyes, "Shadow-man, I'll be taking Jack back to the others. If ya wouldn't mind escorting the lady home?" She scooped Jack in her arms and walked past Shad's hiding place, "Danger's over, remember? Not get a move on, y'all need to learn to talk to girls at some point, egghead."
For some strange reason. Emily actually found herself holding back a laugh. The friendly banter making her feel a little at ease. Strange considering she had just knocked out a guy but... There was something so familiar about those shadow movements and, she just had this feeling of trust. It didn't make sense but she had always acted on instinct and this was it. She watched Kate carry the boy away and she felt a pang of guilt for knocking him out, but she couldn't just let someone get attacked like that. Come to think of it... The person he had been attacking, the one dressed in black, where was he?
She was left alone apparently in the dark. But she had that familiar sense of being watched. And she swallowed hard, making a small step towards the rippling shadows nervously. She didn't see anyone, but she didn't feel fear either, "U-Um... Are you Shadow-man?"
Shad flinched, panicking and refusing to show himself. His throat became very fry and he didn't know what to do. How could Kate just- They had enough on their plate without this too. Don't get him wrong, the fact that she was talking to him was... Well he didn't have a word but it fell under the terrifying category. He swallowed and tried to back away into the darkness and follow Kate. But he was just too exhausted. All that had happened, along with the new and improved adrenaline rush, he could barely stand let alone travel. It was a miracle he was still staying hidden for this long.
Finally he cleared his throat, voice quiet. Sure he had pictured a moment like this, but never thought it would happen exactly like this... "Sh-Shad... P-People call me Shad..."
"Shad..." Emily nodded slowly, holding her hands tightly to stop them shaking, "I'm Emily. But um... You already knew that, didn't you?"
He nodded, until he remembered that she couldn't see him, "I did, yes... I-I'm sorry that must sound so-"
"Strange, yeah... But it's a strange evening so, I guess that's okay." She attempted a smile for her sake more than his, "Are you alright?"
"Yes. No... I will be in time, thank you. Are you?"
"I am, I'm just confused... I don't understand what's going on or... O-Or what you are or, well," She swallowed, hesitating a moment before chewing her lip nervously, "Or why you watch over me some nights."
He flinched, staring at her. Oh good lord she knew about that? He tried to take a step back but barely had the room before bumping into the fence again, "Oh I-I it's... I can't imagine what you must think of us. But I promise you, Emily, we mean you no harm. I mean you no harm."
She blinked, "I know. I mean, yeah it's strange and sometimes it confuses me but... I know. You don't scare me."
"I'm glad. Really." He looked at her genuinely, even if she couldn't see him, "And I will explain."
"Please do."
"R-Right... You see, Kate was telling the truth, the less you know the safer you'll be. But... that's not really an adequate answer..." He shifted uneasily, "I suppose the short of it is that, oh dear..."
"I'm not that scary right?" She asked lightly, attempting humour. This was awkward and she didn't want to drag it out.
"No of course not! I just... You seem to be taking this rather well if I must say."
Emily exhaled with a shrug, "Oh I'm internally shaking, don't worry. I'm just... waiting for an explanation before I figure out how to react."
"Much appreciated. Thank you." He breathed.
"C-Can I ask why you're the nervous one here?"
"It's been a trying night..." He sighed. He had to explain to her at least some of what was going on or it just couldn't be fair. Of course he wasn't completely happy with her being here since she could be risked with Sickness. But so far, things seemed to be safe. She wasn't showing any of the usual reactions to it. He thought it best to start small, "O-Okay... I think it's obvious to say that we're not human. But we're not here to hurt you. And I'm..."
When he trailed off again, Emily actually felt guilty. She didn't know why, it didn't make sense to her, "And you watch over me? Why?" She wasn't accusative, just curious.
"You have to understand that there are bad things out there. And that boy you stopped from hurting us, he was not one of them. He is just being controlled by them. And I was trying to make sure that it didn't happen to you."
"Oh..." She swallowed hard, holding her arms around herself, "I-I think a thank you is in order? Maybe... I'm sorry I'm just still trying to process all this."
"I understand. And no thanks are necessary. M-Maybe I should just go..."
She stopped him by stepping forward as if going to touch his shoulder, but that was kind of hard when she couldn't see him and she was left standing there, "Sometimes the most observant of eyes cannot be gazed upon." She muttered, looking in his direction, "Y-You wrote that right?"
He froze. Damn it, he had written that not too long ago, when he had seen her writing in her diary. He should have known better! "Y-Yes..."
Emily chewed her lip, trying to think of what to say. She knew something was watching her all this time, and although it was a shock that it was something like... well like whatever he was but kind of a relief at the same time, "At first I used to think it was something cheesy like a passed relative or something watching over me... It's uh... strange but good to know that it's someone, um, real. But why me? What exactly happened tonight?"
He pinched his forehead and tried to think of an explanation that wouldn't be terrifying or disturbing for her. Yes she could handle a lot but he wasn't willing to risk it. He avoided looking at her out of embarrassment, it was an awkward situation to say the least. And although it was a miracle in his eyes to be talking to her in the first place, it was something he wished was saved for a better time, "I watch over you to protect you, because there are bad things out there. Like me, yes, but cruel and with the intention to hurt and control. I was told that if I didn't obey one of those creatures, then they would hurt people I cared about. And I had to get to you... To make sure that you were safe. I know it's strange and scary but I mean you no harm and I was just checking your safety. I... I won't bother you again."
This time, she didn't stop him from leaving. She just silently nodded and hold her arms tight around her s she tried to process everything. It was unnerving to say the least but if he had wanted to hurt her wouldn't he ahve done it by now? He'd been looking after her for a long time now, he'd have gone after her at anytime and yet he just... looked after her. She shouldn't be okay with this and yet she was completely okay with this. She wished she could at least get to see what he looks like. But it didn't seem that he was ready for that. To her, it seemed that he was just as scared as she had been. Ashamed almost. And she felt sympathy of all things for him. Whatever he was.
"Thank you."
Shad stopped in his tracks, about to blend away to track Kate down but, then that. He swallowed, "Thank you?"
"For... making sure I'm okay."
"Y-You're... not scared or angry?"
"I'm furious that there are people out there trying to take away others free will. And little scared but not of you. And not angry... But, look if you insist on coming back here, then you need to show yourself." She said gently, but with a look in her eye that left no room for arguments.
"I can't. I'm sorry I really am but... seeing me could be-"
"Dangerous, I know. But you can't expect me to just carry on like normal now." She looked down, feeling guilty for being so pushy, but it had to be done, "When you get those... bad things, off your back, I want to talk properly."
Talk... Okay he could do that. Of course that involved winning against Zalgo and making it out alive but... to talk to her again? He'd go against Zalgo again and again, "I can't promise I'll make it back."
She blinked, "You're life is at risk... isn't it?"
"Everyone's is..."
Emily winced. It didn't make anymore sense to her than it did five minutes ago. But at least she had some answers. Very vague and scary answers but they were still answers nevertheless. She shifted awkwardly and looked in his direction worriedly, "Then be careful. Because... I would like to talk to you again."
That, strangely enough, was all he needed. That and the sad look in her eyes. Was she actually worried about him? It was such an alien concept to him. But great motivation. He nodded, "I-I would like to talk to you again also."
"Then you'll come back? Even if... bad things are still there?"
He shouldn't have said this. It went against everything he believed would happen in the future and everything he felt right now but he couldn't refuse her. After all this time, and with the sudden knowledge that she was aware of him most of the time, he just didn't want to let her down all the more, "I promise. I will come back as soon as I can."
Emily found that a smile was starting to form, a grateful smile, "Thank you. A-And good luck..."
Kate lay Jack down in a side street just on the other side of the garden fence to Emily's house. She wanted to get him to safety and give Shad some space with his girl, but like hell was she going to miss out on eves-dropping on a train wreck like this. It was amusing to her to hear Shad so flustered, but she wouldn't be too cruel about it. This was a big deal for him. And an awkward as hell one...
When he finally showed up, she arched an eyebrow, "How'd it go, slick?"
He looked paler than usual and knelt down beside them, seemingly stuck in a stupor, "She wants to talk to me again."
"Well there's a sign..." She rolled her eyes, half smiling, "You hid didn't ya?"
"I didn't want to risk it."
"Good grief..."
"H-How is Jack?" He asked hurriedly, wanting to change the subject.
"He'll be fine. He'll just have a headache when he wakes up. Your girl's got one hell of an arm on her."
"She's not my girl..."
"Uh huh." She smirked, "She seemed pretty eager to chit-chat. Got a good head on her shoulders that one."
"But... she's not infected. H-How...?" Shad looked down at himself as if he was expecting something to have changed, "I was under orders by a demon, I'm still carrying Sickness. Why is she immune to this?"
Kate snorted and thumped his shoulder, "She ain't immune to it, ya good. You're Slender's Proxy being forced to do something by someone else. I doubt Sickness counts. Just a theory."
"No... No that actually-"
He was suddenly cut off by Jack sitting up with a start, grasping for Shad's cloak and panting heavily, black eyes wide and terrified, "Why? WH-Why didn't you listen to him?!"
They jumped back in alarm, staring at the frantic boy a moment from shock before trying to hold him down again. "Calm down, little'un, you're alright now." Kate hushed, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"No! No no no no no not safe, not right, not here!" He cried, looking around frantically and flinching away, "Y-You didn't listen! He's mad! Y-You cheated! Y-You weren't supposed to make it! I-I... I don't want to do this anymore! Don't let him make me hurt people! H-Help h-he's.."
"Calm down, little'un, you're safe with us, we ain't gonna let him hurt you, aright?" Kate insisted.
"What do you mean by cheat?" Shad asked seriously, a chill shooting up his spine.
Jack sobbed, black pouring down his cheeks, "He's calling us... Y-You weren't supposed to stop me... H-He's angry!"
Shad gasped as someone jumped up behind him and wrapped their arms around his shoulders, hugging him to their chest. He turned his head to see a terrifyingly beautiful face with blackened eyes glinting at him over a wicked smile.
Jane cackled and kissed his cheek, the contact scorching his skin painfully, "Oh Daddy's very angry. You know there's no playing hero allowed here! He's waiting for you!"
The ground shook, making Jack yell out in panic and cling to Kate. Kate tried to oblige him and put an arm around him but she was too focussed on whipping out her gun and aiming it at Jane. They all barely had the time to react. Wisps of smoke at their feet turned into a flood of shadows swarming around them. Shad tried to shake her off but she was powered by manic excitement. Kate held Jack tight and barely had time to click the safety off her gun before they felt a drop in their stomachs as if they were falling. And just like that, the darkness overtook them...
A/N:
Shad does not have away with the ladies... So, like I said this was a very Shad and Kate based chapter, with Jack too finally! But now it looks like all of the gang is now under Zalgo's roof... This can not end well! Or maybe it might. Who knows? You'll have to wait until next time to see! XD