A/N: 500+ views? That's... quite a lot, actually. But thank you guys nonetheless :'D
And good news! I'm not running into this blindly anymore! I finally got the entire plot down with all the key details and whatnot, and believe me, it's gonna be one hell of a ride. Prepare yourself :]

The teenager gave a yelp and jumped out of bed, eyes focused on the disgusting pool of black blood he'd just been laying on. How had he not noticed it? He checked his pajamas to see if they, too, were stained - and they were. The odor was rancid; simply smelling it made him feel woozy. What he needed most at the moment was a major clean-up. Thank God he didn't have to go to college that day.

Tyler began the much-needed cleaning with the bed sheets. He stripped them off the mattress (it wasn't stained, thankfully) and tossed them into a pile on the floor. Just how would he get them washed without people accusing him of a murder?

A thought struck him - he could use the tub in his bathroom! Tyler was just lucky enough that his school was extremely rich, so each dorm had its own bathroom; his privacy wouldn't be ruined. With some effort, he heaved the revolting pile of bloody sheets to the tub and let the faucet run hot water. That should do it, he thought to himself. I'll let it soak for a while. Just then he remembered about his stained pajamas, so he hurriedly dressed down and tossed them into the tub, of which the water now had a dirty reddish-brown tint to it.

After wearing another set of clothes, Tyler strolled to the small kitchen where he decided he would have a decent breakfast. But living 17 years as a pampered child in a mansion where everybody did the cooking for you molded him into a dependent and somewhat needy college student. He didn't know how to cook anything; most of the things he ate were usually to-go meals from shops. What food did he have in the pantry, anyway? As he went through the cupboards, he found a newly-bought loaf of bread with a note attached to it, saying-

To Ty,

Figured you'd need to eat someday. There's butter in the fridge, too - go ahead and check.
Eat well :]

-Jake

"Jake Springer," muttered Tyler as he folded the note neatly. Jake Springer, an African-American with the same enthusiastic personality as Craig, had a dorm right next to Tyler's. He was a math and science genius, but his true passion was in music. Not loud music, luckily. Mostly jazz and blues. How he got into Tyler's dorm was a mystery.

Nonetheless the bassist was thankful for the free food. It took no genius to guess that Jake wanted him to eat toast, the simplest form of a proper breakfast. The note was very thoughtful of his friend, so Tyler decided to pin it on the fridge, just in case he forgot to eat.

Now came the real challenge. How was one to make toast?

It began with bread, that much he knew. He opened the bag of bread and took a slice out. Now what?

"I believe..." He took a glance around the kitchen and found a toaster. "That is what comes next."

He walked towards the appliance and stared at it for a few seconds before admitting, "I don't know how that works." Then he remembered Jake's note; maybe it had instructions of some sort? Was he aware of how independently inept Tyler was? The bassist checked the fridge, where the note was pinned on, and sure enough, there were instructions.

How to Make Toast - I knew you'd check this note C:

1. Place slice of bread inside the toaster
2. Push the timer down
3. Await the toasty goodness
4. Profit!
Bonus: Add butter. I spent good money on that!

"Jake, you devil," said Tyler, smiling. He did as the instructions said, placing just one slice of bread inside the toaster and pushing the timer down. All he had to do now was wait, right?

There was some time to kill, so he went to the bathroom to check on the bloody sheets. Inside, the air was humid and heavy with the scent of iron. Tyler coughed and waved the mist off as he trudged towards the tub. The hot water, once clear, was now a disgusting shade of brown, with red hues here and there. He bent down and stuck his arm in the water to pull the drain plug out. It took a while, but the murky water finally drained away. He refilled the tub with hot water to soak the sheets a second time. Such a dirty job, he thought to himself. I'm surprised I can still tolerate the sight of it.

A sharp ding rang in the kitchen. The toast was done!

After he'd finished his last bite of buttered toast, Tyler sighed contentedly and decided to check his social networking accounts. Nothing interesting as usual, except the posts of a supposed "Slenderman" on his blog grew more and more in number. His fans and fellow bloggers were begging him to do research on the creature and figure out whether or not it was real. Seeing as there was nothing else better to do, he went through the more striking pictures of the unconfirmed entity, observing little details here and there. Once the teen had his fill of the photos, he sat in solemn silence, pondering on the matter of a creature similar to Slenderman. Why were people so interested in such a topic anyway? It didn't even look like Slenderman! Sure, it was lanky and black, but it seemed to lack tentacles and the ability to distort electric devices.

Then, he noticed it. In one of the photographs, the one people seemed to favor the most, showed the creature with eyes that glowed a faint shade of purple.

Purple? What an unusual choice of color. Oddly enough, it was the only picture that had such a strange detail. Of all things, why purple eyes? Just the work of Photoshop, he thought to himself. Nothing can prove its existence as of yet.

Tyler was now left with nothing to do (except maybe hand-wash his sheets) so, feeling a little lonely, he decided to send a text to Desmond, just to see how he was doing. His text said-

Just wanted to say hi. How are things where you are?

He didn't actually expect a reply, but he got one.

oh hai
my team is, y'know, playin games and shit
it's a bunch of tourney biz, yo
and we're winning!

Tyler felt happy for his friend's victory.

Congratulations! When are you coming back?

soon maybe
i dunno

Is that so? Well, we should meet up again. I have to catch up with you.

ok bby
i have a bunch of stories to tell too
now i gtg
see ya

Goodbye, then. Congrats again.

The bassist sighed and sat in comfortable silence before his gaze fell on his laptop. Feelings of frustration and disappointment welled up inside, further fueling his hatred towards the PC. Ever since the damned thing started having battery problems, his life had been a total mess. Nightmares, disasters in the city, even the still-visible strangulation marks on his neck were all because of the laptop. He wanted so badly to toss it out the window, to finally have it out of his life, but that would be a waste of money. He got the feeling that if he got rid of the laptop, it would erase his problems. But where was the logic to that? Why would a portable computer, of all things, be the root of his problems?

Now Tyler felt embarrassed for arriving at such a silly conclusion. It just didn't make sense. But he needed something to blame for his problems, something to vent his anger out on. The laptop just so happened to be that outlet.

As he thought more and more about the subject, there was a rapping at his door. Who in the world would visit him, especially in the morning? He stood up, worn out by his thoughts, and headed for the door. When he opened it, he saw the face of the friend who was kind enough to give him free food.

"Jake?" said Tyler. "What... brings you here?"

The other male looked tired and disheveled, as if something had come and whipped his hair and clothes in a mess. "Hey man, can I use your bathroom?"

"E-Excuse me?"

"Your bathroom. Can I use it? Or may I use it? Whatever floats your boat." Jake wobbled in his stance, then steadied himself using the door frame. "I was out last night, drinking and shit, and I accidentally locked myself out of my dorm, and I'm real hungover and please can I use your bathroom?"

In return for his kindness for buying him food, Tyler nodded quickly and let him inside. Jake smiled gratefully and made a beeline for the bathroom. Closing the door, the bassist sat on his bed and waited patiently for his friend to be done with... whatever business he may or may not have with the toilet. Suddenly a loud cry rang out from the bathroom, and Tyler immediately jumped to his feet. "What? What's wrong?"

Then he remembered.

The blood-stained sheets.

"Oh, shit."

A/N: Oh, Ty. Why are you so awkward with everyday things?
Also tell me what you guys think I should improve on. Actually, tell me everything you love/hate about this story in your reviews. I love when people express their thoughts and opinions.

Reviews of all sorts are appreciated!