Putting back the Pieces

Alrighty, here's the next chapter folks. I know the story has been pretty depressing so far but it will be getting a bit more diverse. I don't own Slenda.

Later on after my breakdown in the rain, I wiped myself off, grabbed my machete, and headed back inside without a word. I honestly had nothing to say or think about what I had just done, I felt like I was tearing apart at the seams and it was all because of him. I clenched my fists as I stared at the wall angrily, because I knew deep down that it wasn't really his fault...it was mine. I just wanted someone else to blame and he had been acting like an ass lately, but I was the one that could have prevented this. I thought that the key to my survival was watching out for myself but in truth I now think that the company of another is what helps people get through life...especially the way life is now. I looked up a bit as my thoughts drifted back to him, the Slender man. He haunted me almost everywhere yet I felt more secure around him than I have anywhere else...I felt safe.

He may seem like he holds a strong dislike for me and I him but in truth it seemed like we held a growing type of companionship. I gripped the sheets in my hand so hard that it had started to hurt, obviously trusting him was a mistake...to him I was broken. But what he said at the cabin always seemed to be going through my mind, 'I know I should kill you but it doesn't feel...right.' maybe he wasn't as horrible as he said he was or how he was trying to make me see him...I still had trust in him even though he had scared me...made me grieve. I laid back on my bed with a sigh and closed my eyes, not wanting to think about anything right now, I was beginning to get a headache.

(Early next morning) "Noooo!" I sat up again gasping and my bed was completely in disarray after another intense and gruesome nightmare, it's been like this for the past week. I couldn't get more than 3 hours of sleep at a time and it was taking a tole on my body. I rubbed my face wearily and took a wash cloth and dipped it in a small bucket of water I kept beside my bed in case it got too warm, getting the sweat off of my face made me cool off easier and calmed my nerves. "This had to stop, I'm falling apart." I talked myself down and saw it was still the dead of night, probably about 1:00 a.m., unfortunately I probably wouldn't be going back to sleep. I tossed the wash cloth back in the bucket and was about to lay back down but all of a sudden a familiar tall figure appeared in my room, making me startle a bit but I didn't say anything in response. "Hello young one...how are you?"

I looked down at my sheets and almost didn't respond but I knew it would just make him angry, "I've had better days..." He nodded and said nothing as I slowly brought my eyes up and looked at him full on,a bit of sadness lingering in my stare. "Why are you here?" he seemed to be searching for words to my question and even though he himself did not have eyes he seemed to be avoiding my stare, "I...wanted to...apologize. I was not...understanding enough of how you may have felt about the situation. And showing you those memories didn't help either." "Yes but I thought the way I felt didn't concern you, and you couldn't care less about my 'petty emotions'." He turned his head to 'look' at me and his voice held a surprising seriousness to it, "Yes I know but in these past few days I have been...slightly concerned. I saw what happened with that young girl in the rain...did you know her?" I smiled a bit and looked over to the wall, remembering the few days we had spent together, "Yeah, she was so sweet. She just wanted to find her family and see if they were still alive...maybe they're together now."

I closed my eyes as the tears threatened to spill over but I held them back and continued to speak, "I had a moment of weakness and it won't happen again." "It's what makes you human, young hunter. And if you were to brush off death so easily I would think that your something akin to myself." That made me smile a bit more and I looked over to him to a wolfish grin on his face, feeling the tense air disperse. "So does this mean that I am forgiven?" I nodded slowly and asked another question, "But why do you care about my opinion so much? Aren't you going to be my doom?" "...No. I don't think that I can kill you at this point...it would feel wrong. I know how ridiculous that sounds seeing as I'm a killer but I feel as if if I lost your presence, your companionship...I just can't." I felt my eyes widen in surprise at his statement but I didn't let it show to much, I didn't want him to get defensive again and retreat behind his emotional wall. "Well then...what now?" He shrugged almost carelessly as he shrunk in size a bit seeing as his head was touching the ceiling, "I don't know, but don't expect a hug or anything. I don't do any of that cuddly human stuff."

I giggled and felt my spirits rise a bit as I just realized I got my only friend back, yes, I considered Slender my friend, whether I was his friend or not. I was about to tell him to leave so that I could get dressed for the day but he beat me with another question, "Why are you awake so early? From what I've...observed, you usually awaken at 7:00 a.m." I shook off the weirded out feeling that gave me and I looked around the room for some bull answer so I didn't have to tell him the truth. "Um, well...I uh, just wanted to get a late night snack..." "Then why did you scream when you awoke?" "...I don't know..." He seemed to get frustrated and threw his hands up in slight anger, "Very well." I watched as he disappeared and I let out the breath I had been holding, we may have come to an understanding but that didn't mean we would stop arguing, it was in our nature apparently. Deciding that it'd be best if I tried to get a bit more sleep I lay back down and closed my eyes, willing the sleep to come but it was still another hour or so before it did, and even then it was a restless sleep.

"So would you say we're friends?" "No." "...acquaintances?" "Possibly." I shrugged and continued walking, making sure to keep quiet and alert so that I would see any deer that were around, I really needed some meat. Later this morning I had decided to hunt and Slender said he would keep contact through my mind, I was a bit confused but then he explained the whole mind link thing. I had shot questions about him all morning and I knew he was beginning to get irritated but I knew he secretly enjoyed the company. I was about to question him again through my mind when all of a sudden I heard a few leaves rustle and I froze where I stood, I looked over to my left to see a smallish looking buck, but it looked like it would be good food none the less. I pulled out my rifle quietly and took aim, making sure to crouch and slow my breathing so I wouldn't be spotted, and I put my finger on the trigger. It was nibbling delicately on a small patch of grass and it seemed so peaceful, so serene, but I needed the food and I wasn't going to spare the creature just because it was considered a beauty of nature. It was survival. I let out a steady breath and slowly pulled the trigger, letting the resounding crack of the rifle echo around me, I cursed as I saw it hit the deer in the shoulder but it scampered off, leaving a heavy blood trail. "Shit, now I have to follow it."

I heard no reply from Slender but I did sense a bit of smugness through my mind, he thought he was the best hunter around but I would show him. I silently followed the deers trail and managed to find it in a small grove, still alert but having to stop from the blood loss. I decided that instead of taking it out with my rifle I would do something that would show Slender just how good of a hunter I could be, so I slung my rifle onto my back and climbed into a lower hanging tree. Making sure that my footing was secure I made my way through the trees and climbed onto a branch that hung above the wounded deer, watching it intently as I pulled my hunting knife from its sheath. It seemed to startle as a few twigs cracked because of me moving but before it could try and bolt again I jumped down from the branch and tackled the poor animal to the ground, swiftly plunging my knife into the animals heart to end its pain. I may have been hunting the beast but I wasn't cruel. Sitting up slowly I wiped the sweat from my forehead and sighed when I saw I had blood on my hand, which meant I now probably had blood on my face.

"Nicely done young hunter...but still not as good as me." I rolled my eyes as I started to remove the guts and unnecessary parts so it would be lighter when I carried it back, "Oh whatever, you know that that was a skilled catch." "Yes but you missed the mark the first time, so it was a bit less skilled than you think. Anyone can jump from a tree and tackle an animal." "Then why don't you do it?" He didn't answer back and I smirked in triumph. But my smirk turned to a look of disgust as the guts emptied out and I pushed them aside with my knife, just wanting to finish this and take it back so I could preserve the meat. I hefted the deer up onto my shoulders and began to walk quickly back to the shack, wanting to get out of the area before the smell of blood attracted to many dead, speaking of which I should probably wash it off of my hands. I looked around for a source of water as I walked and I felt a surge of accomplishment as I spotted a small runoff a few yards over, I trotted over as quietly as I could and placed the deer down beside me as I washed up a bit. Making sure to look around so I wasn't caught by surprise, and I grabbed the deer back up and continued walking. Besides the random comments from Slender it was surprisingly quiet today, no dead in the forest, no birds, and no storms seemed to be brewing...odd if you ask me.

I continued my walk for about another 20 minutes before I saw the back of my house come into view, making me sigh in relief at having made it through the woods without being attacked for once, and with a fresh kill at that. I set the kill down near the back door and I began to skin it so I could make jerky and store the meat in seal tight jars, I knew I would have to start stocking up for the winter soon, it was already the beginning of fall. I blinked as I realized how much time had gone by since I had first went down that gravel path, just about a month, a month since I had run in fear from the Slender man and now I talked to him on a daily basis. I laughed at the thought and hung the deer skin up before canning the rest of the meat and setting some out for dinner tonight, hopefully I can cook this right and not char it like I did to the rabbit last time I cooked.

(Later that evening) The fire crackled as I put some more wood onto it and I sighed as the coolness of the night was balanced out by the warmth of the fire, better than most nights I've been having. I flipped the meat I had cooking on the fake grill top I made over the fire, my mouth practically watering at the smell and sight of it. "Don't turn into a wild animal now young one." I jumped a bit and glared at the source of the smooth and dangerous voice, "What is wrong with you? I almost fell into the fire!" "Nonsense, I wouldn't have let you burn...much." I snorted and turned back towards the food to take it off the flame before it burned and I placed it on a paper plate, I managed to scavenge quite a few from a general store, seeming satisfied with how it was cooked. I took out some plastic ware, also from the store, and cut off a piece before scarfing it down. Wincing as the hot piece of food scorched a path down my throat. I looked over to see Slender smirking at me and I noticed that he was standing, "Why don't you sit? Are you not allowed or something?"

"Of course I'm allowed! I just prefer to stand, I'm more alert this way." "Sureeee." He grumbled something and to my surprise he actually sat, albeit it looked a bit awkward because of his long legs and arms but I held back my laughter so that he didn't feel insecure. I continued to eat in silence as he looked towards the fire, seeming to be lost in thought, but all of a sudden he questioned me, "Why did you ask if we were...friends?" I almost choked a bit on my last piece of food but I forced it down so I could answer, "I don't know...I just thought that maybe we could be considered friends. I know it's stupid-" "No...I do not think it is stupid. I was just surprised. Why would you want to call me a friend when I threatened to kill you?" I didn't have an answer for him so I too stared into the fire, willing my thoughts to help me but that got me nowhere. So I just spoke what I felt was right, "Even though we may have different outlooks on life, it doesn't mean we can't get along. And yes you threatened me, several times I might add, but you didn't actually kill me. In fact, you saved me. I would do that for a friend and vise versa...but we don't have to be friends." He said nothing as he listened to my answer and after a few more moments he stood and walked towards the woods a bit, but then he turned back before he left. "I've never had a friend before." And then he vanished without another word, leaving me to stare out at the space he used to occupy.

There we go, a nice, more uplifting chapter for the story. Yay Slender has a friend now, how will things turn out from here? We shall see in the next chapter, but for now Echo out! :) (Leave your reviews and responses to this chapter please)