Rising Suspicion
Sorry bout the late update, I just kinda forgot about it lol honestly. But I'll try not to do this too often, no Slender rights.
"What do you mean you were 'being watched'?" "I mean that someone was out there watching us, closely." Both Katrina and I sat in the middle of camp salting and canning some of the meat from the deer we had caught and preparing what we planned on eating tonight. "None of our patrols have ever even seen signs of another group or single person, I don't think there was anyone out there." I stopped canning and rinsed my hands off In the pot of water beside me, getting frustrated as no one seemed to believe me, "I know there was, I just had this weird...feeling. It just felt like they...or it...was waiting." "Waiting for what?" "...I don't know." Katrina eyed me warily as she finished cutting up the last bit for tonight and she washed her hands as well before replying, "Ok well, my advice to you would to not go back out there unless Sam, John, or Ryan is with you alright? Promise me." I rolled my eyes at how concerned she was but I nodded none the less and agreed, "Ok ok I won't go alone. Now I have to go check on John and see how his headaches are doing." She gave a small reassuring smile as I began to walk away and then she called out, "If they are borderline migrane just send him to me!" I waved to show that I had heard her and continued to walk, just wanting this day to be over with so I could sleep it off...hopefully nightmare free.
As I walked back to my tent I saw just how many people were left in our small camp, there was Sarah and Sam, Danny, Ryan, and Katrina. Counting John and I there were only 7 of us left, 7 left out of 11 or 12...7 left against unknown numbers of the dead army, how could we stand against all this if we kept losing people to stupid or selfish mistakes? But my train of thought was interrupted as I neared the tent and heard the raised yet hushed voices of John and Sam, they sounded like they were in some kind of debate over something but I couldn't quite hear. I crouched low and moved to stand to the side of Sarah's tent just enough so I was hidden, then I began to listen, "She just said that she thought someone else was out there, but I didn't see anyone. I even checked the perimeter." "I don't care if you didn't see anyone just don't let her out by herself anymore, I don't care what it's for...I won't lose her again." Silence, "...Alright, I'll keep an eye on her." What did they mean keep an eye on me? Had I done something wrong? And why doesn't John want me going back to the forest?
All these questions reeled in my head as I backed away from the tent and stood off slightly away from camp, wanting to get my thoughts together. "Hey there you are, I've been looking for you songbird." I smiled warmly at the nickname John had given since I came back and I took hold of his outstretched hand, "Well, here I am. How are your headaches? Any worse?" "They've lessened a bit and I think I'll be okay by tonight. How was patrol earlier?" I shrugged as we walked back towards the tent, I nodded at Sam as we passed him and he smirked back, "Uh, we were lucky with one of our traps as you saw so it was okay. I think that there are more deer in this area right now. I've seen more around lately." John seemed a bit distant but nodded every now and then as we made casual conversation, I wanted to confront him about what I heard earlier but I knew now wasn't the time and nor was this the place so I let it go...but it would be brought up later.
(At the Cabin) Slender appeared in the kitchen of the cabin, his tentacles waving in slight agitation as he looked around for Charlie. "Charlie! Come quick I have news." He didn't hear a reply so he moved towards the living room, not surprised as he found the woman passed out on the couch and her feet hanging off the side while her mutt slept at the end. He wrapped a tentacle around her ankle and hefted her into the air while slightly shaking her to try and rouse her. She came to slightly and then screamed as she realized that she was dangling in the air, "Shit shit put me down! I swear you creepy freak put me down!" He smirked slightly as he got the response he was looking for and he set he back down on the couch, she frowned and tried to fix her now unkempt hair, "What the hell is your deal man?" He crossed his arms and sat down slowly in the chair across from her as he spoke with a neutral tone, "...I think I have found Orella..." Charlie nearly sprung up from her seat as she grabbed his arm and made him look up to her...or more so down to her seeing as even when he sat he was taller than her, "What do you mean you think you did? And why didn't you get her?" He sighed and rubbed his face stressfully as he tried to explain his self, "I was checking the woods a bit farther out from where I found her piece of clothing and I sensed a group of three humans walking through and checking their animal traps, I investigated further and I saw...it looked so like her I just..."
Charlie's heart sunk and her eyes softened as she watched the feared man struggle with the thoughts of the one he loved, she knew how much this whole thing had damaged him and he had just begun to act like him self again, "Hey hey, it's alright. Just tell me what you saw and we'll figure this out." He barely nodded and stood before he continued, not looking at Charlie, "She was with a younger boy, about your age, and he was trying to make a move on her I could tell. I let my anger get the best of my and I knew they could feel my presence for she told him to gather the deer and they left quickly...her hair looked so beautiful grown out the way it was...it's curlier..." She knew that he was so hopeful now and she wasn't going to let them down, she was going to get her friend back no matter what, "...Well what are we waiting for, lets go get her."
She had thought that Slender would be more than agreeing but for some reason her shook his head no, making her raise a brow in question, "What do you mean no?" "She seems...different." "What do you mean different?" He paused for a moment in thought as he tried to find the right words, "She didn't recognize my presence what so ever and even though she could not see me I looked directly into her eyes...she does not remember us...she does not remember me..." Charlie didn't understand how that could have happened nor why Orella would be hanging out with people so close to camp if she had intended to run away, it just didn't make sense. But Charlie wasn't going to give up that easily and she wasn't going to let him give up either, "So your just going to let her go?" "What else could I-" "You could at least try and get her to remember, and I'm going to help. But first I need you to pick up a few things for me..."
(Next Afternoon) "Are you sure you can do this?" "As sure as I'll ever be, and I'm not going to let her go that easily." Slender nodded as he studied the now black haired and green eyes Charlie, and he must say that if he hadn't already known that it was her then he would have never put the two together, "How are you going to keep that wig on, it's quite odd." "I need to be undercover to keep my real identity safe, like a super hero!" He merely rolled his eyes and took a hold of her hoodie before he teleported them to where he last saw Orella, "Alright, they headed north east from here so that's where their camp should be. If they accept you then meet me here tonight for an update. I will be watching from afar if anything goes wrong." The short girl nodded and hefted her bag up as she began to walk but she was stopped by his voice once more, "Charlie...thank you..." A small smile graced her face and she nodded with understanding in her eyes, "Just don't let Artimus and Bongo destroy the house 'kay?" He nodded and before she could blink he was gone, she turned back and continued to trekk on to find her friend and fix this disaster.
(Camp, Orella PoV) "John I'm going on watch with Sam okay?" I looked over to him as he paused in his conversation with Katrina and he gave a stressed sigh before nodding, watching my back as I turned and jogged towards Sam before we headed to the post. "Why has he been so weird today? He wouldn't let me go on patrol and I couldn't check the traps. Do you know why?" Sam surprisingly kept a straight face as he lied to me, "Not a clue, maybe he just wants to keep you safe since we lost three of our people." "But why wouldn't he just tell me instead if being an ass about it?" He shrugged and continued to look ahead so he couldn't be moved by my analyzing stare, we both knew that he would cave if he looked into my eyes and tried to lie, "K, just let me know if you figure something out." We walked in silence once more until we came up to the post station we had set up and both of us took a seat facing away from each other so as to keep a better watch.
I waited for him to say something seeing as Sam wasn't the quietest person but surprisingly he still didn't utter a word even after a good ten minutes, so I decided to pry him a bit, "Sam." "Hm?" "What's up with you? You won't look me in the eye, won't talk to me...did I upset you with something I did?" I heard him let out a sigh and he shuffled his feet a bit as he spoke to me, "No no it wasn't anything you did, I just...I don't know I've been thinking about the attack and I'm just wondering what the hell gods plan is right now. Are we supposed to try and fight this thing?" I felt my eye narrow and I turned to look at his back, he never talked like this and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him start, "Samuel look at me." I took ahold of his shoulder and turned him in my direction so he had to look at me directly, his eyes were clouded with grief, "Why are you talking like this? Of course we're supposed to fight this, and I'm not going to sit by while my brother turns into some depressed husk and you just give up, it's not you Sam."
I saw his eyes soften and clear a bit as I called him 'brother' and now he was placing his hand on my neck caringly, pulling me forward into a surprisingly crushing hug. I felt his sadness and hope through the hug and he buried his head in my hair as he inhaled to get himself together, I gave him another few moments before he pulled back and patted my shoulder. "Your right Red, I just...sometimes its hard to hold back memories...But I'm glad that your hear to keep me straight, thank you." I nodded with a smirk and turned back to my watching, taking a bite of jerky and drinking some water while I tried to wrangle my thoughts together.
(Time Skip) It was getting later in the day and the setting sun was casting long shadows across the green grass, Sam and I were about to wrap up our watch and let the next pair go. "Hey don't forget your gun this time-" But I was interrupted by Sam pushing me behind him as he held up his weapon defensively, "What the hell are you doing?" He glanced at me before looking ahead again, "Someone's found us..." I moved his arm to the side and saw a shorter woman with tied up black hair walking casually towards us, unarmed it seemed and had a small backpack with her. "She does't look like she's going to attack us, let me talk to her ok?" He seemed reluctant as I walked around him and towards the woman but let me go, I pulled out my own weapon and set my expression to neutral, I wasn't going to be totally unfriendly but nor was I going to be inviting. "What's your name?" She smirked and raised a brow as she stopped about two feet away, "What, no dinner first?" I didn't twitch at her failed attempt at humor and she shrugged as she answered, "My name is Loren, yours?" I hesitated for a moment but didn't see any harm in telling her, "Wren. What do you want?"
"My camp was just over run by the dead and I was the only one left...then again there was only three of us so there wasn't alot of others." I hadn't noticed Sam move up behind me so I jumped slightly as his voice sounded out behind me, "Not something we don't know about...maybe we should take her to John. He can decided whether she is a threat or not." "Fair enough." I looked to Loren and motioned for her to follow my friend, "Let's go."
Ooooo Charlie is trying to infiltrate but will John recognize her and try to take her out? We will see in the next chapter! Stay tuned and review!
