Something brought her back.
When she opened her eyes again, it was still night, but there was no telling how many days had passed since. Her head was a bit fuzzy... The most recent memory she had was the car crash and carrying Zach out, but after that she just... drew a blank. Her head was hurting, too, but complaining never did her any good, so she just ignored it.
She blinked a couple of times, and looked around a bit. Then she realized that she was upside down.
"Wha...? Wha's goin' on...?" She mumbled, reaching down (or up, if you want to get technical) towards her feet. She felt herself being turned before coming face to face with, well... Slenderman. Or something that looked way too similar to it.
There were indentations where it's eyes were supposed to be, and she could see the curve of where it's nose was supposed to start. No mouth, no ears, no hair. And it was in a black business suit with a red tie. It's long arms hung limp at his side; four tentacle-like limbs that protruded from his back seemed to do all the work for him.
"You're finally awake." It's voice was soft, smooth, and calming. It was the kind of voice that echoed with power, almost like it was talking in an auditorium with a microphone, except it hadn't a microphone- nor were they in an auditorium. Any one, even one stricken with confused as Ashley was, knew that its voice was one of something far more powerful than any could dream of. One would think that such power would demand respect, and ring with authority, but it did not. A brief thought that it's voice sounded a bit like a therapist's, ran through Ashley's head but was quickly forgotten.
It took a few moments of looking at it for it to click, but when it did...
"SLENDERMAN!" Ashley screamed in it's face. She must have startled him. It. She. Whatever gender it was... Because it dropped her. Right on the ground. Head first.
She would have started swinging at it once she hit the ground, but for one, her head was hurting like hell, and for another, the thing had wrapped one of it's limbs around her legs, so... She was kind of stuck. She gaped up at it's featureless face as it cocked its head to side.
"What is this Slenderman you speak of...?"
She gulped nervously. "Uh... Slenderman is... you... Is this the part where you like... Suck out my soul, or make me disappear from all of time and space- or something like that?"
It -he, she decided it was- laughed softly. If she weren't so freaked out, she would have found his laugh really soothing. "No... I do not partake in such activities. My name is-"
"-Slenderman." She finished for him. He cocked his head to the side and picked her up by her legs, bringing her closer. He appeared to be examining her, but she couldn't tell. No facial anything and all that...
"Strange..." He hummed, "Why he chose you, of all humans."
She was still scared of him, but she had to ask, "Uh... Who chose me, exactly? And what did they choose me for, Mr. Slenderman...?" She figured being polite might save her hide for a few more minutes...
"The last one," He answered slowly, like he was contemplating something, "He chose you to replace him, and... I cannot figure out why."
He turned her, and she felt something touch her lower back, and slowly run up it before withdrawing once it reached between her shoulder blades. She visibly shuddered and bit back a grimace.
"You are more physically fit than others at this age, but there are many others that are even more so..."
She tried to intervene. "Um... hey, Slendy...?" He either didn't hear her, or he was ignoring her as he mumbled thoughtfully to himself.
"So young, too," He murmured as he turned her back to face him. "And so... damaged. He could have easily found one without so many injuries..."
Another tentacle ran down the side of her face, and she decided to screw being polite. "Hey!" She told him, pushing the limb away, "I do not appreciate being molested by tentacles! Could you be less... touchy? This isn't a Japanese porno, here, guy, cool it."
The spot where his eyebrows should have been drew up. He was surprised. "I had assumed you were frightened of me..."
"Well, yeah, just a little..." She admitted tentatively, "But I'd like to die with a little of my dignity left."
One of his eyebrows drew down. "You assume I am to kill you?"
"Yeah." She snorted, "That's what Slendermans... Slendermen... Slenderthings... whatever the plural of Slenderman is, do."
Once again, his laugh filled the air, and he cocked his head to the side. "I am not a Slenderman, whatever that may be. I am a-"
"-Look, dude," Ashley told him matter-of-factly, "You are a Slenderman, forever and always to me. I'm calling you Slendy 'till you kill me. If you kill me." At some point in their conversation, Ashley realized that she was no longer scared of him. Maybe it was his voice... Maybe she should have been less calm, but... something about him made her relax. She didn't know what the deal was with the Slenderman, but something inside: a long forgotten memory from an ancestor of her ancestors, told her not to worry.
"Very well, Ashley Edgewood."
Well, there goes the whole 'don't worry' thing... She paused, "Wait... how do you know my full name...? Have you been stalking me?"
"No, young one," He chuckled, "I am an all knowing entity. I have been around for many eons- since the day man was as he is to this day. Thousands of years I have existed, being witness to every war, and every birth-including yours. I have witnessed countless-"
"Uh... Slendy...?" She asked slowly, "I hate to interrupt you during your big speech, but... Can you... turn me right side up? All the blood is rushing to my head."
His seemed to perk up, like he just remembered that. "Oh, yes... You are correct. This is an uncomfortable sensation to humans, I believe." He tossed her up in the air, and caught her around her middle, mid-flip.
Ashley yelped. "Oh-kay! Let's not make that a common thing, please," She gulped, "That's too close to flying. I don't like flying, it's a um... precarious activity that I would not like to partake in, thank you very much."
Slendy hummed in acknowledgement. "Very well, young one... Now, tell me, what is it that makes you so special?"
"Pardon?"
"Something made Vergil choose you as his successor," Slendy explained, "He was certain you are the perfect candidate, but cannot see how, or why. I have no choice but to follow Vergil's wishes, but I would like to know why before I pass on such a large responsibility..."
"Well, sorry..." She told him, "I have not the slightest clue why..." She paused. "Actually... I don't even know what this oh-so-large responsibility is. Care to clear that up for me?"
"In due time, you will know all you need to," He assured her gently, "But alas, I digress. You have indulged my desire for conversation... now, we must focus on giving you your powers."
Ashley tried not to freak out, but... she failed. Miserably. "Powers? I'm sorry, but what?! Are you high?! This is a dream." She finally concluded. "This is just a big, messed up dream. I must be in a coma from the car crash, and now I'm stuck in this... this... This! Whatever the hell this is!"
"Ah, so you've retained your memories, then? Excellent. It is not common for humans to do so when brought back from the void, but it seems you are special. Or very, very lucky."
Ashley cocked her head to the side. "Void...? Memories...? Brought back from- Oh shit!" She suddenly yelped, "Zach! Is he okay?! Where is he, what happened?!"
For the first time, Slendy used one of his arms to comfortingly pat her shoulder. "It's alright, young one."
"No it's not!" She protested quickly, "Who knows how long it's been since the crash! I-I gotta find him and show him that I'm okay, and figure out if he is okay and-"
"Calm yourself, young one." There was just the slightest strain of impatience in his voice. That was enough to shut Ashley up. "Now is not the time for such matters. Are you ready?"
"Not really." She squeaked. "Is this gonna hurt...?" Slendy didn't answer.
He shifted his hold on her and the other three limbs came around and surrounded her. The ways they were positioned reminded Ashley of a cage. And she didn't like it.
She disliked it even more when his limbs started to glow white. "Okay, this isn't something I wanna do!" She told him nervously, voice getting louder with every protest. "I didn't sign up for this! I never agreed to it or anything! LET ME OUTTA HERE!"
The light grew so bright that she had to cover eyes, and she heard the crackle of fire. She had no idea what was going on, or how to react. She was confused, scared, and she was pretty sure her skin was starting to burn...?
Wait. Her skin was burning! All over, every inch of skin felt like it was on fire!
"What are you doing?!" She cried out, "This isn't funny, Slendy! It fucking HURTS - STOP!"
The burning continued for a few seconds before it stopped, and she could see that it darkened from behind her eyelids. Slendy dropped her to the ground, and she landed on her hands and knees, out of breath. She still felt a few degrees too hot, but it wasn't intolerable.
"What. The. Hell." She gasped as she took a fist full of snow and rubbed it in her face. "Did you set me on fire or what?!"
"Nonsense, I merely gave you your powers. It-"
"It better make me do some cool shit, Slendy!" She barked, "Because that crap hurt, and I better not have gone through that for nothing! Did I?!"
He leaned down. "You can shift into a bear, now. Is that 'cool' enough?"
Ashley froze and gave Slendy a dubious look. "What have you been smokin'...?"
"Nothing," he answered unsurely, "What do you mean by that? That inquiry came out of thin air..."
She rolled her eyes. This was the stupidest dream her brain had ever thought up. A fuckin' Slenderman that isn't caught up with the times... Just roll with it, she figured. "Forget about it," She sighed before asking disbelievingly, "Any other important details you'd like to tell me? I can shoot lasers out of my eyes...? I can turn into a fish woman...?"
"You do not believe me."
"Not even a little bit," She confirmed bluntly. "This is all a coma-induced dream, I think."
If Slendy could had a mouth to frown with, he would have. "I'm afraid not, young one. You have a very important role to play, now. If you are killed, which is highly unlikely to happen but it is possible, everything will be thrown out of balance. The world will be in chaos for years until another is found to replace you. You are very powerful. You just have to reach your full potential."
Ashley groaned. "Can you stop? This sounds like something out of Star Wars!"
Slendy cocked his head to the side. "What...? What is this 'Star Wars' that you speak of?"
She rolled her eyes. "A very long, very confusing movie series," She sighed and rubbed her neck before asking weakly, "What am I supposed to do that's so important, anyways?"
"You are the spirit of courage!" He exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"But-I'm not even brave, dude!" She protested, "I'm a freakin' coward! When I play Slender, I have to have a mug of hot cocoa and my older-than-hell kangaroo plush! It's gray! With a pink nose!"
Slendy chuckled. "Maybe so, but Vergil was certain that you were the one. You were the only one he's found in almost two hundred years. You are the spirit of courage."
Ashley stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... I am... Because of you!" She stood up and stabbed his chest with her finger, "I didn't have anything to do with you, or this- I just was in a bloody car crash, and... And I... I fell down the hill..." Her voice quieted as she remembered the pain, and the cold. "It was black, and then... then I was in... in a lot of pain... then there was a bunch of white, and I can't remember what happened after..."
Her arms fell limply at her sides and she looked up at the half-full moon as the realization struck her. "I was done... I was dead, wasn't I?"
"Yes, young one. You had passed. But you're back, now."
Ashley studied him for a moment before turning sharply and pacing.
This was crazy. She was in the middle of a forest talking to Slenderman for goodness sake! He told her that she could turn into a bear, and that she was really important, and she's the spirit of courage or whatever - she's not even a brave person! What has she done in her life that was courageous?! NOTHING. Everything made no sense, and her stupid head was throbbing like a bitch- she really needed a Tylenol or something. Everything was going too fast, and she wasn't sure if she could keep up...
"How."
Slendy cocked his head to the side. "How what?"
"How am I alive, if I died?" She asked, finally collapsing into the snow and crossing her legs.
"You have Vergil to thank for that."
Ashley sighed and rested her head in her palm. "Who's Vergil?"
"A great man," Slendy said wistfully, "He had died in the Coliseum, as one of the most popular and skilled gladiators of his time. He's the one who chose you. He is also responsible for your wardrobe change."
She jumped and looked down, only to curse loudly. How had she missed that?! "You changed my clothes!" She cried indignantly, "Dude, 'the fuck?!"
Her long sleeved shirt was gone-replaced with a leather cuirass. Her left arm was wrapped in thick cloth and straps of leather, and her shoulder was covered with a shoulder guard unlike any she had seen before. It went up fairly high, protecting her neck and her lower face, and she could just barely see symbols and figures in the metal. She was pretty sure it was made of bronze. A small wooden shield with metal studs was strapped to her forearm. Her other arm was bare, save for a simple leather guard. She had cloth wrapped around her middle, and a thick leather belt over the cloth. She was wearing a completely different pair of jeans, that were tucked into combat boots (that she had never seen before in her life, by the way) that stopped halfway up her shins. She had metal leg guards that started just above her knees and ended just above the combat boots. And it all fit her perfectly...
"You have been stalking me!" She screeched, "Dude, you liar!"
"Be at peace, young one," He told her gently, "I did nothing of the sort. You were merged with Vergil's spirit. Your clothes were soaked in dried blood and torn, anyhow... I'm quite sure you would not have appreciated being in the state you were."
She was still narrowing her eyes at him in suspicion, but grunted in response. "Fine... So what do I do, being the spirit of whatever?"
"Just exist," He answered contentedly, "And change the course of fate as you see fit."
She scoffed. "That's it? You could have picked anyone for the job!"
"No, Ashley. Not everyone would be able to handle what you will. You, and only you can do this." He reached behind his back with his two tentacles and pulled out-get this-a bronze trident, and a net. He dropped the net on the ground in front of her, and stuck the trident in the ground besides her. "You will need these."
It was starting to feel like things were wrapping up to an end, to Ashley. "What am I supposed to do with these?!" She asked exasperatedly. "And the net- Am I supposed to just drag it around for the rest of eternity?!"
Slendy sighed. "It seems I was wrong to assume that you were starting to understand things... It's magic," He explained slowly, "You will see how it changes... When you need to use it, take it off and just throw it. It will change back into a net."
"Things don't work that way, though!" She protested, "And you still haven't really told me anything! I don't understand, how do I use the 'supposed' powers? You never told me- does this come with an instruction manual or something?!"
"You will figure it out," He promised, "And when it has been done once, you should be able to do it again. You will learn."
"But I don't like learning things on the job," she groaned, "And I have no idea where I am. What if I can't get out of this damn forest?"
"You will," He said with a tone of finality. "Call for me when you need me most. I will know, and I will help you."
Ashley started to protest, but she blinked, and Slendy was gone before she could utter a syllable.
She stared at the spot where her slender friend once was as frustration bubbled in her stomach. "THANKS!" She yelled at the sky, "YOU DIDN"T HELP ME AT ALL!"
Silence answered her, and she jerked the trident out of the dirt, grumbling obscenities under her breath. Did she really ask for a whole lot? She wanted to know what she was supposed to do and how to do that. Is that really such a crime?!
She roughly picked up the silver-colored net, only to gasp and nearly drop it as the edges seemed to melt and shift until there was nothing left but a silver ring that had black celtic designs on it. She wanted to ask what that was, and how it happened, but there was no one around to answer her.
Ashley huffed and put the ring on her right thumb. She looked up at the sky. "What did I do?!" She asked, hoping for some entity to tell her why she was being punished like this.
Receiving no answer, she sighed and started walking in a random direction. She quickly found that she no longer hurt at all, save for a small migraine. Despite that, she felt better than she had in quite a long time. Her spirits were still low, though, because she was just so damn confused...
She had a feeling that tonight was going to be a long night...
Author's note~
Gonna keep this short and sweet, yo.
So, THANK YOU for taking the time to read my goofy little story. That's the main one. Also, thanks for following, favoriting, and reviewing. ILU GUIZ. Fo. Shizzle.
Tell me if I made any errors any where in the story, please. And I hope reading my little tale made you smile :) That's the goal, right there. Making people happy with what makes me happy. And YES, I know that was cheesy. DON'T FLIPPN' REMIND ME I SAID THIS EVER.
, Blue