AN: Look what's here! Chapter 20! Okay, so I had exams and all that stuff, but I also had a bad case of writer's block. I was like: Oh no, Andrea's kidnapped... now what. But I got through and I finished this!
By the way, I'm doing something else now. We can't be in Andrea's POV the whole time to know what's up with everyone else, so part of this will be in Heather's POV! (Though minor warning, she cusses a bit. That's just her.)
I was looking at the reviews and I've been wanting to answer the guest's reviews, so why not do it here? I'll answer them here from now on.
FishCustard: Yeah, I totally agree! We need to slap some sense in him. RELEASE THE SEARCH PARTY.
1st Guest: (yeah I know who you are, I messaged you already)
2nd Guest: You're very welcome, thanks for the ideas C:
Alex: Sir, do you know how much you made my day? Or like, these past weeks? Thank you oh so very much for your kind words! You actually notice my author's notes? Um, I better be more careful what I put up here... haha just kidding but it's really appreciated! Again, many thanks :D
Coolman: Woah, you just submitted you review, I had to rush to edit this. Yup, cliffhangers indeed :D Glad to hear you're enjoying this!
Sorry to the rest of the guests who reviewed, but know that I read them and I really like them :) Thanks! Now to the usual stuff...
I own Slenderman. Not.
Please review if you have the time! Even if you have to rage against me or something, I probably deserve it.
Chapter 20
Andrea POV
I wake up with a cough and my heart stops for a second when I have no idea where I am. My head feels dizzy from the lack of oxygen. Memories slowly stream in my brain when I remember where I am. That's right, I've been kidnapped and I'm now in the trunk of a car. I don't believe my own thoughts as I cough once more. I don't know how long the man has been driving, but it's been long enough. He's likely to go somewhere far away so nobody could find me.
No one could save me now, that is, except for that someone who has been on my mind for the past couple weeks. Slenderman, the one who looked after me when I was in the deepest of troubles. Until that one incident, of course. Now I miss him more than ever. If only he would realize that. Instead of feeling guilty, he should've talked to me; we would've worked out things that way. I guess it's too late for that now, though. I mutter a small "ow" when the car goes over a bump and I hit my head. The gruesome amount of dust makes me sneeze.
My heart skips a beat when the car goes to a stop and the engine cuts off. After skipping the beat, it starts to speed up, emphasizing my terror. What does the man want to do with me? Of course I don't want anything bad to happen, but that won't happen. I can only hope he'll just ransom me and not hurt me. He may have some other intentions, but I don't want to think about that. My thoughts are interrupted as I hear those jingling of his keys and him unlocking the trunk. A current of chilly air enters the trunk, ruffling my hair a bit. There's the man standing there, with his khaki pants and his sweatshirt.
"Come on out, sweet cheeks, don't be scared."
"How do I know you won't hurt me?"
"Now, now. As long as you play along with my little game, nobody gets hurt, understand?"
"…what's the game?"
"Simon says. I'm sure you know that game, hm?"
"Y-yeah."
"Let's see… Simon says get out of the trunk."
"What if I don't do what Simon says, then I'm out of the game, right?"
"Trust me dearie, you don't want to lose this one. I won't repeat myself."
Hesitating, I slowly crawl out the trunk. The sun blinds me for a second before I get used to the brightness. There's a creaky old house in front of me, but I suddenly get hopeful when I see that the woods are very close by, behind the house. I can run in there and yell for help so Slenderman can come and save me! I know he hasn't all those other times, but he's sure to come this time, especially since this man is holding me captive.
He seems distracted by something in the car, and I take my chance. I dash to the woods, running as fast as I can. I hear the man's startled shouts and the sound of him chasing after me. With a deep breath, I enter the woods and work on losing him. I zig-zag, going in all directions. I can't believe my luck when I hear his shouts of frustration when he can't find me anymore. Especially since he chose to be in the "secluded" woods, where Slenderman is sure to be in. I yell at the top of my lungs, sure that the man won't get to me in time once Slenderman gets to me.
"Slenderman! It's me, Andrea!"
No answer.
"Slenderman! I'm over here!"
I don't hear anything but the soft wind. Wait, is that the man's footsteps? I have to shout louder.
"SLENDERMAN!"
The man is in sight, and he's getting closer. Fast. I start running myself.
"SLENDERMAN! WHERE ARE YOU? IT'S ME, ANDREA!"
I trip over a rock to my dismay and fall awkwardly, scraping my elbow. Right away I feel the man's hands grab my arm and forcefully yank me up.
"What a disrespectful dame I picked up! Come on, up on your feet!"
"Ow- I did what Simon said, right?"
"Don't get smart with me, girlie."
He maintains his tight hold on my arm and proceeds to drag me over to the house. I'm very agitated by this man, who for now I will call Simon. He expects me to act all respectful when he kidnapped me! Sheesh! But what upsets me the most is that Slenderman didn't come. I knew he didn't appear back home, but now that I was in danger, I was sure he'd come. As we approach the rusted back door to the run-down house, I look back at the woods before feeling my hair get yanked. I grunt, and then follow Simon into the house. He sits me down on a dusty couch with several rips on it. I stare down at my feet as I tap them on the creaky stained wooden floor.
"Now little miss, you said your name was Andrea?"
I don't answer. I just twiddle my thumbs. Frustrated, Simon grabs my chin and forces me to look at him, his brows furrowing in annoyance. I shake away his hand and mutter an answer.
"Yeah, does it matter?"
"I need something else to call you instead of all these little nicknames."
"What's so bad with nicknames?"
"I used to call my girlfriend those names. Buttercup, sweetie pie, sunshine… all of those. Until when it happened."
"Until what?" I ask, genuinely interested.
"She was killed."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said, grinning like a maniac, "I killed her."
All my curiosity just dissipated. Interest turned into fear. This man, Simon, he really was crazy!
"W-why?" I ask while stammering.
"Are you sure you want to know, Andrea?"
"Um…"
"I'll tell you anyway," Simon continued, "it was because she disrespected me."
"Oh…"
"She told me she was gonna leave me, can you believe that!"
Yes.
"Anyways, she called me all sorts of names, and they weren't little cutesy nicknames," he recalled, "she even dared to cross the line by slapping me in the face. SLAP!"
"That was rather… rude of her." I say slowly, trying not to provoke him.
"I know, it wasn't her place to do so. So she went in our— my room to pack up and leave. I went in the kitchen to grab a knife, and I'm guessing you'll know where this is going."
"Wouldn't the police look for you then? If you're going to stab someone, there should be a lot of blood."
"Oh silly girl, you don't know anything. If you know about the human anatomy, you'll also know which places to strike."
I opened my mouth to retort, but quickly shut it again. This is a crazed murderer I'm with, not just a weird dude. He smirked at my silence.
"Okay girlie, you're gonna stay with me for a while, alright?"
"Are you going to hold me for ransom?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure, is your family rich?"
Are you kidding me? He didn't even plan what he was going to do with me?
"I'm just your average middle class teen, so there's nothing special about me."
"We'll see about that… Andrea."
He gets up.
"I'm going away to do some business, but don't think that's your chance to escape. There's no phones, no computers, nothing like that. Not to mention we're far away from civilization, so just sit pretty until I get back, you hear me?"
As he walks towards the door, I realize that he knows my name but I don't know his. I try to say something before he leaves.
"U-uh, what's your name?"
"That's for me to know," he says smugly while stepping away, "and for you to find out."
"But I have a right to know!"
He paused. "Do you know how to keep a secret?"
"Yeah."
"Well, so do I."
And with that he exits.
I rush to the window to look at his small car go off into the distance. Once it becomes a small speck, I instantly start scavenging the house for anything useful to me. I recalled that he said he went to the kitchen to get a knife. Maybe I can find one to defend myself. Unfortunately, I find all the cabinets with a lock attached to each handle. I guess he really did think about some things. The fridge isn't locked though, so I check that. There's nothing I can really use, unless if I could defend myself with a milk carton.
An idea began to form in my head. If I were to run into the woods, I can pack some food so I don't starve. Should I run into the woods now? Last time I did that, he caught me and said I had to do what Simon says or whatever. Wait… he didn't say Simon says "sit pretty". Pfft, as if he would let that small detail stop him. I shake my head when I notice I've been standing here for too long, and move on.
There's no stairs here, so I guess the bedrooms are by that hallway next to the living room. All the doors are closed, and by trying to open them I find out they're locked. Is this whole freaking house locked? Again, I could escape to the woods, but I have a gut feeling that I should stay put. Can I really trust it though? Why is this whole kidnapping thing so complicated, why can't I just devise a plan quickly and carry it out efficiently like they do in the movies? I face the window that has a clear view of the woods and have a sudden urge to break down in tears.
Heather POV
I nervously munch on my third granola bar as Mr. Castillo makes another call to so-and-so to ask if they've seen Andrea. The police have already been notified, but 24 freaking hours have to pass before she can be logged as missing. I crinkle up the wrapper one I'm finished and stuff it in the trashcan. I'm about to grab another granola bar when I found out that they're all gone. Stupid Heather! Why do you have to finish them? You should be helping! I know, I tell my conscience, but I don't know how!
"I see," Mr. Castillo finishes, "Well let me know if you find out something. Thank you, bye."
"What happened?"
"Nothing. How could she disappear without a trace?"
"Doesn't Walmart have any cameras or something? The police can check the tapes, right?"
"Unfortunately, Walmart deleted all of the footage before they could."
"Damn it, stores and their stupid regulations!"
"This is all my fault. I should have told her to stay with us. How could I have been so irresponsible? She's my only child!"
"Uh, Mr. Castillo, it's not your fault. I should've gone with her, so she wouldn't have been alone."
"I've become so empty-headed. I leave my wife and my daughter, and when I come back, my wife is pregnant and got in a serious accident while my daughter hates me. And now she's kidnapped!"
The poor man looked like he was going to crumble in pieces. His eyes are bloodshot from all the stress, and I guess mine are too. I want to comfort him, but I really don't know how. I look down at the floor, biting my lip anxiously. I softly hum a random tune, though it's shaky because of my labored breaths. I think back to the scene one more time, when Mr. Castillo made the purchases and we were going to meet up with Andrea. We called for her and started to panic when we couldn't find her. I went to the bathrooms to check if she was there and he went around the store, but she wasn't anywhere.
After checking the parking lot, we called the police, and I couldn't even remember what he said because my mind was buzzing with what could happen to her. Did she get kidnapped? Did she run off? Did she simply go to the next store over? I really hope she wasn't stupid enough to run to the woods. She wouldn't be that desperate… right? I should tell Mr. Castillo, but I don't want to worry him. Heck, we're all worried already, so why not tell him? Yeah, I argue with my conscience, but he's worried sick so any more stress would be too much. A hand on my shoulder shakes me out of my mind and I look up towards him, wondering what he's going to say.
"Heather, you should go outside and take a break. Get some fresh air."
"But I need to help too!"
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of things."
"Is there anyway I can help? I don't want to take a stroll outside while my friend is missing!"
"If you really want to help, maybe you can ask the neighbors."
"Didn't you already call them?"
He sighs. "Yes, that's true. Maybe…" he hesitates before continuing, "You can check the woods?"
Did he just read my mind?
"That's a good idea, Mr. Castillo! I'll go there right away!"
I make headway to the forest, adrenaline pushing me forward. My mind is focused on one thing, and that's finding Andrea. My legs go on autopilot as I remember all the times I've ran to the woods. And yet again I find myself doing the same thing. Andrea did this a lot too, but lately it was because of someone else. I've been trying to get him out of my mind, but it's been nagging me especially since Andrea was frantically looking for him. Slenderman, the man of the woods himself. He knew that Andrea looked up to him, why would he ever just get up and leave like that? He's acting like… well, Andrea's dad when he left her. The roles have been switched.
The adrenaline wears off and the pang of pain hits me. I'm in the forest, but I can't go any farther as I fall to the ground. I only ate those granola bars today since I skipped breakfast. There's no more energy left in me now. I cling to the nearest tree for support. I bet Andrea did this herself while on her mission to find stupid ol' Slendy. Another thought appears in my mind as I crouch pathetically. Maybe it's my turn to look for him. Andrea is in real danger and I need to go get him to save her. My evil little conscience pops another thought: If Andrea couldn't find him, how in earth would you be able to? Well, shit. How would I? I need to try anyway.
"Yo, Slendy, where are ya!?"
Nope, let's try again.
"Slendy-senpai~! Are you here?"
That's not working.
"Der Großmann!"
Is my attempt at a German accent really that bad? Maybe I should get serious. He's probably just ignoring me because I'm acting like a dummy.
"In all seriousness, Andrea is in danger! She's missing, and…" I trail off but I continue anyway, "she, no, we need your help!"
Nothing at all! Wait… there really is nothing. As in, there's no birds chirping or trees rustling or anything. Complete silence. Is he here and he's listening? In that case, I take the opportunity.
"Please, you need to help. Don't leave us."
The silence continues. I suddenly get enraged at his childish behavior and now that my strength is regained, I get up. I turn to leave but not without saying anything.
"You're being such a jerk! Isn't this against Andrea's 'The Rules Of The Universe'? You are acting just like her dad when he left her, Slenderman."
I growl the last part as I finally go on my way out. I shut my eyes closed when I feel tears running down my face. Great, now I'm crying too?! Pathetic. I have a mini heart attack when I bump into something. Or… someone. I keep my eyes closed, not wanting to get too hopeful, but the low hum of static in the back of my mind tells me otherwise. When I slowly do open them, I look up to see the very jerk I was yelling at.
I have been acting like that man, haven't I?