Understanding
Seems that Slender doesn't like Charlie very much and vise verse, but I'm sure they'll be fine. I feel pretty good about how this plot is going to sit back and enjoy the chapter. :) Do not own Slender rights.
"So does he like, stalk you and stuff?" "No, it's not like the creepy 'Oh I watch you sleep' kind of thing. He just...protects me I suppose." Charlie looked at me with disbelief and rolled her eyes, "okkkk, if you say so." We had been sitting up since about 5:30 a.m. And neither of us had been able to get back to sleep so we had been talking, it was now 7:00 and it seemed like it was going to be a fairly nice and warm day. "You wanna go on a walk? Seems like it's warmer out this morning." She nodded and we got dressed before grabbing breakfast and our weapons then we headed out, Bongo on our heels. "So I never actually thanked you for letting us stay last night...so thank you." I nodded and kicked a rock ahead of me, "It wasn't a problem, besides, I don't see much company now a days..." She said nothing and threw a stick for Bongo, watching him chase happily after it, tail wagging the whole time. I figured that she felt a sense of pity for me but I didn't want it, people didn't have to be sorry that I chose to be alone...it was my choice. After another few minutes of silence she glanced over to me and smirked a bit, "Alright, enough of this silence. I'm going to tell you about the time I took down a zombie with a can of beans." I raised an eyebrow and looked over to her in curiosity, "why would you use a can of beans? There is so many more things you could have used...a stick?" She shrugged good naturedly and laughed a bit at my disbelief, "It seemed like it was going to be funny...and it was." I chuckled as well and nodded my head to let her continue, "Well I had been visiting this one gas station because it still had some of its canned food, and I also had this giant slingshot I had taken from a toy store my folks and I had passed before we got separated. Unfortunately there was a large zombie in front of the isle that I wanted to get to. Sure using a knife or something would have been more practical but I thought, hey, why not use these expired beans I had with me...don't ask. So I set up the slingshot, took aim, and let it fly. When it hit its mark I kid you not it just took the zombies head right off! And a clean cut too! I laughed so hard I thought I was going to die...it was that great." I stopped walking and looked at her for a minute, both of us with stone serious expressions, but neither of us could stay like that for long and withing seconds I was almost rolling on the ground with laughter. "Why the hell would you just be carrying expired beans around?! That's disgusting!" She snorted as she laughed and she didn't respond as tears fell from her eyes, grabbing at her stomach as the laughter began to cause her pain as I did the same. I don't know how long we stood like that, laughing and snorting at the ridiculousness of the situation and its outcome, but by the time we stopped my heart felt a good bit lighter. A lot lighter than it had in awhile, I glanced over to see Charlie breathing deeply and grinning at me with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Now that...that was the best laugh I have had in a long time." "Agreed." We gathered ourselves once again and continued walking, just now noticing Bongo with the stick in his mouth, he probably thought we were insane. "So where do you think you'll be heading now Charlie? Surely you want to find your parents?" She sobered a bit and glanced over as she replied, "Yeah, I guess. I think I'll head past that town you were talking about and just go from there. Better than nothing." I nodded silently, wishing that she would ask to stay a bit longer but I knew she didn't want to seem needy or weak...so I asked for her. "Do you want to wait a few days until I head that way? I have to make a larger supply run before winter and I found a working care about two days ago, it's not in bad shape either and it would save you some time and trouble." She looked skeptical because I knew that she still didn't trust me 100 percent, but then again, I felt the same about her right now, trust takes time to build. "I-I don't know I mean you've already let me stay once-" "It's because you know he's out there isn't it?" She said nothing but gave a slight nod indicating that what I thought was correct, "I promise he won't do anything to you, he may have a reputation for killing but he'll leave you alone." I saw her eyebrows pull together as she thought out and weighed her options, thinking about what would be best for her and her interests. After another minute of silence she looked to my with a bit of a nervous stare but she nodded none the less, making me smile and assure her that this was the better decision.
Although we may not have been quite to friends I knew that Charlie and I had immediately hit it off, all we did was talk, and talk, and talk. We had somethings in common but we also had things we could debate or discuss since we had different opinions, it made me feel normal. Bongo had also seemed to take a liking to me and would even try and follow me everywhere, when I tried to go to the bathroom or wash clothes he was there, and Charlie could have sworn we were joined at the hip. I laughed and just said it was because I always smelled like the forest, and probably deer. We had just finished lunch when we heard Bongo barking excitedly outside, I looked out the window hurriedly but I didn't see a thing, no dead or living person was anywhere to be seen. "hmmm, what's his problem?" Charlie shrugged and we walked outside to investigate, "What is it boy? What do you see?" He jumped around and barked again before sitting and looking into one spot in the woods, making me take a wild guess at what it was. Without saying anything I asked Slender the obvious question in my head, "Why are you freaking the dog out?" "That beast was following me in the woods, I don't understand how, but he won't leave me alone. So I teleported him out." I chuckled and Charlie looked at me like I had gone a bit crazy but I just waved my hand and motioned for her to follow me back inside, "Yes, but now he just wants to go back...he likes you." "Be quiet Orella." "He's your friend!" "No, he's not." I decided not to push the Tall One any further and I pulled something out from under my mattress, handing it to a surprised Charlie. "Where did you get this?" "A small art store in Winterport, it's where I get my journals." "Oh, how'd you know I like to draw?" "I saw you drawing on yourself with pen earlier so it was just an assumption, I'm glad I was right." She chuckled and opened the sketch pad so she could immerse herself in the world of fiction, meanwhile I began to write a new piece in my journal.
'Having Charlie around, even if it's only been a day so far, has made me realize how much I missed the company of another woman. It feels nice to have someone that understands, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy Slenders company. Speaking of which he doesn't seem to like or trust Charlie at all, in fact, he is practically breathing down my neck 24/7 when she's with me. I enjoy how much he cares about me but at the same time I wish he would try and understand how important having Charlie around is to me. But on a lighter note Bongo has also taken a liking to my dark friend, one that he doesn't like either but he deals with it, I'm going to make him hang around for dinner later on so I can try and clear the air.'
I was about to question Charlie on what she would like to eat tonight but she seemed to be engrossed in her drawing that I figured I'd better leave her alone, so I decided to go out and see if I could get something small like a few squirrels or a rabbit or two. I picked up my rifle and grabbed my hunting knife, I decided my machete was not needed for hunting, and I quietly opened the door and headed out, making sure Bongo went in so he didn't follow me out. As I walked past the beginning tree line of the woods I called out to Slender but to my surprise I didn't get a reply back, fine, I didn't need to talk to him any how. I walked along quietly, making sure to avoid stepping on twigs and making rustling noises, and began to hum. Like I've said before, I'm not the best singer, but my voice wasn't like the scrapping of nails on a chalkboard either, and no one was around to care anyway. As I hummed I noticed that the sound of birds chirping was decreased from a week or two ago, must be because they're flying south or hibernating or doing whatever birds do, none the less it was nice to hear their chirps in time with my humming. I didn't notice however that my humming had escalated to quiet singing and it was of my favorite song off of you tube, "...and I just need you too wake up, I'm gonna need you too save us...and take me hoooommeee...feel the madness taking over, while you lay in frozen sleep, and though my lifes now fading. Your still the promise I will keep...you'll always be...my sword my shield..." I let the last word resonate a bit before cutting it off as I felt a presence behind me and I whipped out my knife before turning around,
"Who the hell is-" I almost turned bright red as I saw the Tall One standing behind me with no expression, "Uhh when did you get here?" He smirked a bit as he answered, making me believe that my fears had come true, "Well I would have thought you would have noticed but I have been near you for about 5 minutes now..." "Oh..."
I rubbed my neck in embarrassment and turned back around, continuing on without a word for I knew he had heard me singing...and I really wish he hadn't. I heard nothing as he followed behind but I knew he was curious as to my reaction and my silence, "I heard you singing-" "Yes I know it probably sounded like nails on a chalkboard...I know." I tried to walk a bit faster but all of a sudden I felt a tentacle gently wrap around my midsection and pull me back a bit, but I still refused to look at him, "I was going to say that it was quite unlike you...I've never heard you say words with as much emotion." I blushed and tried to close my eyes but the way his voice sounded made me look up in surprise, it was the same deep as always, not too deep but just right, and soft. He sounded as if he was consoling a child...which would be amazing to see. "It sounded beautiful." I looked him straight where his eyes would be and smiled a bit, all the while my cheeks felt aflame, "T-thank you." He nodded, but then his demeanor changed and he hid his emotions back behind his wall and he placed me down, "Well, I will not hinder your hunting any longer. Stay safe young hunter." I blinked and he disappeared before I could figure out what had just happened, why did I feel so weird? I tried no to think about the feelings the rest of the time I was hunting and I managed to bag a rabbit and two squirrels...better than nothing I suppose. I began the walk back to the shack and by the time I got there I saw Charlie was already starting to make a fire where the pit area was, smart kid, and she was stacking some firewood.
"Hey, I was wondering whether or not you had become chow for the zombies." I heard a growling noise in my head but I ignored it as I walked over towards the brown haired girl, holding my catch in the air like a trophy, "Na, but I caught a few unlucky creatures for some well deserved food." She cheered a but and I threw a squirrel to Bongo before preparing the other two animals for cooking, all the while Charlie made disgusted faces and gagging noises as I skinned them. "Hey do you wanna eat or sit there and complain?" She held her hands up and I laughed, telling her to get my makeshift grill top from around the side of the shack, and I placed the skinned and ready meat onto it as she laid it on the fire. I sighed and sat back down, closing my eyes as the smell of burning wood and ash wafted into the air and gave the night a sort of homey feel to it. "I think I made the right choice." I opened my eyes and looked over to the other woman with a question in my eyes, "I meant about trusting you, I know now that you aren't going to hurt me." I nodded and placed my hunting knife on the ground beside me as I leaned back, "Yea, I'm glad you showed up. I was beginning to question my own sanity when it came to seeing people to be honest...it's been awhile since I've actually talked to another woman. It feels nice." She chuckled and nodded, understanding how I felt, and we laid back to enjoy the silence of the night before us.
(Later that night in a dream) I looked over as I saw Charlie standing in a field of grass, looking straight at me for no reason with a blank emotionless stare. One that made my skin crawl. I tried to move towards her but every time I did she seemed to move away, so I started to run but it had the same effect. Eventually she was so far away that now all she looked like was a small speck on the horizon, but suddenly the scene changed and I went zooming towards Charlies form, stopping only about 6 feet away from her. I was about to call out to her but then Slender appeared and advanced on the shorter girl, showing his razor sharp teeth and I cried out as I saw they were covered in blood. His tentacles shot out and constricted around her form and he hefted her into the air, grinning darkly at the look of utter fear in her eyes, and before I knew what was happening he took her head in his hands and twisted. "Stoppp!" I closed my eyes so tight that I thought they would burst and when I opened them again I was sitting up in my bed, the horrific scene gone from my vision but it still lingered in my thoughts.
I was shaking from the fear I had just endured and I was relieved to see that Charlie was still sleeping, Bongo beside her, and I placed my shoes on and tiptoed out of the house. I needed to find Slender.
What will happen when Orella seeks out her dark protector in the dead of night? Lets find out when the next chapter is written! ;)