AN: This is my worst updating speed by far. I thought that over winter break i would be able to post a few chapters, but I failed. HOWEVER! I have this brand new chapter hot out of the oven!

Something new for this chapter: this is an idea from kairi's friend's story Slender Blind, it's like a mini scavenger hunt. There's a phrase in this chapter that's a reference to a topic of my choosing, which is Star Wars. It's easy, but I'm just starting so I'm testing this out. Mention it in a review, even if you're a guest, you're welcome to join!

I don't own Slenderman, there's no telling what would happen if I do... hehehe.

Thank you everyone who reviewed, I would hug every single one of you personally if I could! Thanks to the silent readers as well :)

Chapter 18

I don't know if I should stay in the cave or not. I don't even know if it's safe, so maybe I should just stay here. But that message… 'don't look or it takes you'. Is that a warning or a threat? Don't look at what? What will take me? I shut my eyes and take a deep breath. I'm over thinking. I always ask questions about everything. Opening my eyes, I feel a little daring and want to try something. I extend my arm and run my fingertips along the walls. I can feel the Operator Symbols because they're carved in the rock, but what really interests me is the eerie red glowing effect. If I closed my eyes again, I wouldn't be able to feel a difference. The message smudges a bit when I touch it with my fingers. It almost looks like… coal. I run the ashy substance between my index finger and my thumb.

I wince when I feel a sharp pain coming from my leg. Oh right, I cut myself while crawling through the entrance of the cave. A tiny stream of blood runs off my leg and on the cold stone ground. Wait a minute… my blood. Was it affecting the cave? The symbols continue their scarlet luminance. I use the bottom of my shirt to wipe off the blood. I don't really care, I can wash the stain off my shirt later. Right now, I use my spit to wipe it off my leg. A small amount of the blood pools on the ground and I'm guessing that's what makes the symbols glow.

I freeze when I feel the temperature drops what I feel like is 10 degrees without warning. Chills run down my spine and I shiver instantly. There's that light static in the air too. It's what I felt back there with my father but not as strong. The symbols glow even brighter but then shut off completely. I look around for any sign that shows what could've happened. I'm about to get out of the cave to check or what's going on outside, but I stop. I see a very long shadow from my spot in the cave. A shadow too long to belong to a human. It's Slenderman! But do I want to see him even after what I saw? Not really. I'm hoping for him to go somewhere else, but I have no luck.

I'm considering straying here until morning, but my plans are rendered useless when a jet-black tentacle wiggles its way in. I back away, pressing my back against the opposite wall. The tendril twists and turns around the area of the cave, as if it were searching for something. Or… someone. Is he looking for me? He can just call my name. But how did he know I was here in the first place? I squeeze myself into the end of the cave as much as possible until it hits me. The symbols! Were they calling him or something? I hold my breath as the tentacle approaches my position. I inch away, trying to go to an area it already checked. Surely it wouldn't double check, right? I hope not.

I sighed in relief when the tendril started to wriggle back outside. Looks like I'm safe for now. But out of the blue, the tentacle wrapped around my ankle! I stifled my squeak with my hands and tried to pull away. The tentacle held fast with an iron grip. I have a feeling this'll turn into a bruise later. Does Slenderman even know if it's me? He wouldn't have been treating me this badly. Then again, I saw the way he fed off of my father, so I have no idea what he would do know. I try to crawl away from the entrance but to no avail. The tentacle continued to drag me across the floor. Maybe he really doesn't know it's me. I can try calling out to him.

"Slenderman! It's me, Andrea!"

The tentacle very slightly slows down but it doesn't stop. The cold breeze tousles my hair when I finally get out. Since I'm being held from my ankle, I'm flipped upside down once I'm held up in the air. It's Slenderman alright, but he doesn't seem to recognize me. And to be honest, he doesn't seem like himself. He's tall, as in freaky feeding form tall, not grumpy-but-stable tall. There's still that static in the atmosphere and my ears are ringing again. A deep growl emerges from his throat like if he were some savage beast. Which he is, but he isn't like this all the time. I just stare at him, feeling startled yet that darn curiosity is getting the better of me and I want to know more about the side of him that he always hid from me. I silently observe him while my fate is literally in his hands. Well, tentacle, but that's not the point. I glance over his irregular features, his angular body, and the blood on his suit… okay that's a little creepy.

Déjà vu instantaneously hits me as I hear a ripping sound, jerking away my attention from the examination. Even though I'm hanging upside down, I can see the jagged grin on his white canvas of a head. My stomach twists in a knot when I recall the feeding on my father. I really hope he won't do the same with me! That makes me a tastier snack though, because I'm scared out of my mind. The static increased in volume, and now it's blaring in my ears, besides the ringing as well. I have to find away out of this. I can try yelling at him again.

"Slenderman!"

He tilts his head in a curious manner, yet shows no signs of recognizing me. He still grips my ankle tightly, causing a bruise to form now. He flips me over and puts me upright, and now his tentacle is wrapped around my waist. He takes it another tentacle to hold me better, and my heart skips a beat when he wraps it around my neck. Is he going to strangle me? My question is answered as the tentacle adds pressure to my throat, constricting my breathing passage. I have to shout out again before I lose the chance. I use up all the breath I can muster, risking not having it available to me if he clenches my neck even tighter.

"SLENDERMAN! STOP IT! IT'S ME, ANDREA!"

The static stops abruptly, the ringing cuts off; the very tension in the air freezes. It's like time itself just halted. I can hear the sound of my own nervous breaths, panting uneasily. I feel the tentacles get tense, still wrapped firmly around me. Everything stops cold in its tracks. We just stay in our places for a minute, and hour, eternity. But now he starts moving. He simply sets me down, takes a step back, and vanishes. Leaves me there with a new image in mind. I just saw the other side of him, the part he never wanted to show me. My mind blanks out, not knowing what to offer me. I stand there in the cold, numb to it now. My breaths float in the air as quiet huffs and puffs. Silence hangs in the atmosphere.

Everything slowly comes back to life. The crickets continue their chirps with caution. The wind howls with hesitation. I think I can hear an owl hooting softly, but that might just be my imagination. Anything could be my imagination at this point. One big hallucination. Or a prolonged dream. I begin walking stiffly back to my house, one step at a time. My body goes on autopilot while I try to think things over like I always do. I knew Slenderman is really powerful but it never occurred to me that he could act… savage. He hissed and he growled like a beast in the wild. It seems so contrary to his usual sophisticated manner. What about my father, is he alright? Should I go help him? I almost stop my trancelike walking. But he can help himself, right? He's not dead. I think. He was bleeding all over, and he might die from blood loss. I probably should help him then. But it wasn't that much blood… right?

"ANDREA!"

I look up to see Heather running towards me.

"Andrea! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm taking a stroll in the woods, what do you think I was doing?"

"But- that's it? Did you see anything unusual? You know Slendy said not to go there at night."

"You're telling me that? C'mon Heather, if there's anyone who won't follow rules, it's you. Especially since 'Slendy' said it."

"Yeah, but whatever. How was your stroll then?"

"It was quite peaceful."

"…Really?"

"Yup, besides the fact I saw SLENDERMAN FREAKIN' FEEDING ON MY DAD."

"You weren't supposed to see that!"

"Hold on, you knew about that?!"

"Uh… what else did you see?"

"You did! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Never mind that! Tell me what you saw."

"I saw my dad gagging on his own blood, that's what I saw."

"Oh my God Andrea, you really weren't supposed to see that."

"And that's not all! I went and hid in the cave, and Slenderman dragged me out and almost fed on me! But you knew about this all along, Heather."

"I didn't know he would feed on you! That wasn't the plan at all, I swear!"

"Plan? This was planned?!"

"I saw how your dad was and all, and I only told Slendy to give him a scare, okay?"

"But-"

"No, listen to me. Slendy overdid it with the feeding. I thought he was just gonna make you dad paranoid or whatever. Your dad took a cab to your house, and even though you were sleeping, I told him that you went to the woods in anger, so he followed you. I lead him to the woods and we were walking into the part with the pine trees before I told him that I had to go back for whatever lie I said. I forgot. I went to check on you, and I thought you were still sleeping…"

I guess she was fooled after all. But back to what she was saying.

"…in the kitchen I made myself a sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly. Strawberry jelly at that. On whole wheat bread. Am I healthy or what?"

"Heather."

"Right, right. I was watching The Avengers on TV- awesome movie by the way- and then I thought I should check on you. So during this commercial for some super expensive car I went up and turned on the light in your room. I thought that it looked off, so when I yanked off the covers-"

"Wait, you would've yanked the covers off me while I was peacefully sleeping?"

"Yes. So I did that, and surprise surprise, you weren't even there! I started panicking right there! 'Panic! at Andrea's bedroom' would've been my hit single. So I ran straight here, and voila, here you are. You don't even have a sweater!"

"And that's what you're worried about?! Slenderman fed on my dad and was this close to feeding on me! THIS CLOSE!"

I gesture with my thumb and index finger, practically making them touch. Heather is pretty light skinned, but in the moonlight she looks as pale as my father had been. She opens and closes her mouth repeatedly, looking like a fish. She sighs and lets her shoulders relax, seeming to give in. She looks at me with a weary look, worried but tired. She turns around and starts heading to my house, gesturing with her hand to follow her. I follow silently. Almost silently, that is, since I sneezed. And sneezed. And sneezed.

"Andrea, you're gonna get a cold."

"I kno-ah-ACHOO!"

"Do you have medicine in your house?"

"I should."

"You better."

I smile at Heather's concern for me. She's crazy, but she has a really kind heart. We trudge our way home, and once we enter the warm surroundings, I flop down on the couch in the living room. The remote is on the floor by the bottom of the stairs, probably dropped by Heather while she was panicking. I consider getting up to get it, but laziness overcomes me. I reach out for it, hoping that for this once the force will be with me, and it kind of worked since Heather swooped it up while rolling her eyes. She sits next to me and hands me a mug with hot chocolate. When did she make this? No matter, I slurp it up, basking in the delightful richness of the beverage. She turns on the TV, flipping through the channels before landing on the opening to the Titanic.

"Hey Andrea, the Titanic is on, wanna see it? It's a classic!"

"I've never seen it before, so I guess."

"What?! Andrea, you let me down once again. It's the freaking Titanic!"

"Someone told me that there were these characters called Jack and Rose. I know that much."

"Did they tell you anything else?"

"Uh… no."

"Good, you haven't heard of any spoilers. Now pay attention Andrea, I would tell you to take some notes but I'm not too pushy like that."

"Sure, Heather."

I'm beyond exhausted right now, the still warm mug emptied of its chocolate goodness. I lean my head on Heather's shoulder to keep myself from nodding off. Soon I can't understand what's going on, Heather's lively chatter all scrambled up. I look out the window, wondering if Slenderman is peeking in. I mean the normal him, not the creepy him. But neither are there, just the dark streets and the continual line of houses. I don't hear the bass of his voice in my head, or feel the static tingling around me.

It's as if he just…

Disappeared.