The Slender Man (13 page)

“As he appears in his shadow form and generates fear,
getting people to focus their thoughts on him, his connection with this world
becomes stronger, and he’s able to draw people through the veil into the shadow
world. Once he’s drawn a child through, he establishes a solid physical totem
somewhere that allows him easy passage from his own world to his newfound
hunting ground. The totem is a physical representation of him. The more
children he takes, the stronger his foothold in that area. I don’t know if the
totem is always the same, but in Poland, that totem was a tall, strange tree
that appeared overnight.”

“The tree!” I shout. Bubbe looks at me quizzically. “There's
a dark tree in the middle of the woods on that route I jog.  I never saw it
until people started going missing. Would that be it?” I ask.

Bubbe leans back. “How far away is it?”

“It's almost two miles into the woods,” I say. “And Shana
said that Denise needed her help in the woods, and Adam, when we found him the
other day it's like he was heading right for it. It's-”

A look of horror appears on her face.

“I can't have this. Not this close to my grandchildren,” she
says to herself.

“Well, how do we fight him?” I ask.

She shakes her head.

“You don't. You run from him.”

“Won't he follow us?”

“I think he won't stray too far from his tree till he’s
ready to set up another one. That's why none of the kids from the neighboring
cities are gone, but if he’s got this many children, and he’s this close to
us…You children need to stay with your aunt and uncle.” Our Aunt Kendra and
Uncle Dan live in Michigan though.

“I'm gonna go speak with your parents,” she says, getting
up.

“Bubbe wait!” She stops.

“How come you can see him, and Jamie Willow walked right
through him without noticing?” I ask.

“He appears to people who've suffered, and those who are
suffering,” she says quietly.

She reaches into the neck of her white floral blouse and
pulls out a necklace. She unclasps it from behind her neck and hands it to me.
I take it in my hand and my jaw drops open. She just handed me her Star of
David necklace that must be as old as my Mom. Its outer coating has long
degraded into nothing but copper, and it has the weight of a half dollar.

“I know you don't have much faith in talismans, but it would
make me feel a whole lot better if you wore this. You can call it my good luck
charm,” she says.

I'm almost in tears. I've never seen her without this. She'd
chop off her left hand in order to keep this, and now she's handing it over to
me? I look back up and hug her tightly. After the hug she gets up and leaves
the room to go express the urgency of having Adam and me flee the state. I put
the necklace on and feel its weight drop down as I slide it into my shirt. I
wait in my room, pondering the situation.

We're dealing with some sort of static shadow monster that
thrives on pain, and takes children through to his world. What does it do to
the children though? Does it kill or torture the ones it takes? Is it torturing
poor Shana and Lionel right now? I can't ignore the possibility. Is it really
as old as Bubbe says it is, or are there many of them, a whole race even? That
thought terrifies me. I suddenly feel that I don't want to be alone and head
downstairs.

I hear Bubbe discussing the little vacation with my parents.
She's imploring them to take us to Asheville and get us on the next flight
first thing in the morning before some “sick child molester” hurts her babies.
Her persuasion skills even force me to smile. I'm not excited about going to
see my aunt and uncle. They're very dull people, but if it means safety for
both Adam and me, who can argue? I see that dinner has already been served.
It's cornbread, beans, and steak. I sit at the table and am intimidated by the
huge amount of food Mom absentmindedly lumped onto my plate. She's preoccupied
with her argument with Bubbe.

“Dan and my sister both work full time, there's no way I can
expect them to take a sudden afternoon off to pick up my children on a hunch.”

“Then you have them wait outside their house until they get
off work. God knows it's worth waiting for a few hours if it means they won't
get snatched in broad daylight.”

I force as much of the food down as quickly as possible, but
only end up finishing about half of it. I don't like wasting food, but I don't
like vomiting either, so I casually get up and just scrape the food in the
trash. Mom is on the phone with Aunt Kendra now.

“Yes, alright that's great, thank you,” Mom says half-enthusiastically.

“What's the verdict?” I ask.

“Any time after six; pack your bags,” she says.

I go upstairs, but don’t immediately pack my bags. I get
changed into some pajamas, chancing quick glances around the room to make sure
the monster isn’t ready to creep up on me, and then I go to grab a suitcase out
of my closet. It’s not very visible in the jumbled mess of my closet, but it
pulls free with a quick yank of the handle. It’s a small purple and black zebra
stripe suitcase from Wal-Mart. I used to think it was the coolest thing, until
I realize just how easy it is to stick the zippers.

I decide I’ll help clean up my room a bit by choosing from
the various clothes I have scattered about- at least the ones that don’t appear
dirty. After finding enough shirts and pants to almost fill the suitcase, I
determine that the remaining clothes in the floor must all be dirty and kick
them into one big pile. I go into my drawers and retrieve socks, underwear, and
a few extra items such as a belt and some hair clips just to be sure. I throw
some toiletries in, and set my purse on top. Mom would kill me if I leave my
schoolbooks so I take my school backpack and set it beside the suitcase. I
don’t feel like going through it to make sure there are no hidden knives or- oh
right, my Mace. I reluctantly remove the canister from my keychain and set it
on my vanity. I won’t be able to bring that.

After I think I have everything. I seal up the suitcase, set
the backpack on top and take a deep breath.

“I’m ready for bed,” I say aloud. The eventful day has made
me sleepy, though truthfully it’s probably the sickness combined with the
exercise. It’s only now that I realize that I have to reopen the suitcase to
get my toothbrush.

After I retrieve my toothbrush, I head to the bathroom and
hear Bubbe in Adam’s room. She must be packing his suitcase too. After a good
rinse of the face and brushing my teeth, I set the toothbrush on top of the
suitcase instead of back in. After all, I’ll need it in the morning won’t I? I
shut the light off and hop in bed.

Great, now I get to be left alone with my thoughts. My
memories are no longer a safe place to retreat, and as worries of Shana,
Lionel, and concerns for my own safety set in, my drift into sleep isn’t so
peaceful either. In fact, I hear that static howling now. I try and frown, but
it’s not happening.

I open my eyes, and this time there’s no mistake. He’s come
for me this time. He’s right here in front of me. He’s standing upright, and
with me lying down I can’t even see his face. I feel tears of fear, anger, and
frustration surging. Why can’t I just be left alone?

I feel the static embrace ready to constrict me again. I
will not just give in and go quietly into the shadow world. I begin pushing out
with my arms and rocking back with my legs. I’m not going to panic this time.
No, now that he’s here I’m going to beat him at his own game. I open my mouth
and try to let out all the vocals I can. I can hear myself exhale over the
already present static wind, but still no moan.
Keep trying,
I tell
myself.

The fiend looms over me. His shape is constantly shifting,
still unable to maintain perfect motionlessness, and yet he’s still able to
convey that impression of something perfectly still, watching you. I feel his
invisible grip tighten, and terror sets in, making my teeth itch. I want to
close my eyes. I want to blink! But I fear if I do he will only get stronger.
Shana’s words echo in my head.
He wants me to sleep. He wants me to go to
sleep.
I feel fluid trickling down my nose. I can tell it’s blood by the
coppery tang that is sliding down the back of my throat. I feel myself getting
weaker under his influence.
It’s going take me! I’m going to be the tenth.

I’m trying to scream at the top of my lungs now, hoping that
someone in my house will come and wake me, but all I can do is let out a heavy
breath. I need help.
Won’t Bubbe have stayed awake to patrol us in our
sleep?
I’m hyperventilating. I can’t let him take me. I feel him back up.
Is
he retreating?
No, he bends down so I can see his face… or I can see where
his face would be, if he was an actual man.

He has no face. It’s all blackness, and I can only look for
a second before my eyes burn. I guess it is not possible for the human eye and
brain to process the visual input of this being from another dimension It’s
just so…wrong…that trying to look directly at it results in a disconcerting
vision like a combined effect of a strobe light flashing on static. I
instinctively close my eyes to dull the stinging pain, but immediately realize
my mistake. Now I can’t open my eyes anymore. Its static grip grows stronger
and now it’s becoming painful. I can sense his face get even closer to me and
the closer his head gets to mine, the louder the static ringing gets. I feel my
head vibrating as if hearing something this unnatural is going to burst my
eardrums. It’s resonating throughout my mind, as if it’s trying to say
something to me. I can make out syllables. It’s saying something. It’s saying,
“Alyssa!”

“Alyssa! Alyssa, wake up! I need your help,” I hear. I open
my eyes. I can still feel the static immobilizing me, but it's receding. I look
and see the monster still looming above me, but I recognize that voice.
“Alyssa!” I hear again and the monster leans in, this time touching me with
hands, Shana's hands.
Shana
!

I jump up, but immediately stumble forward and fall forward
off the bed at Shana's feet. My body is numb. I can still hear the howling
wind.  I try to move, and can see my body responding, but I can't feel what I'm
doing. I can't gauge the amount of strength I'm putting into pushing myself off
the floor, and I certainly can't feel enough to balance. I stumble over again.
Shana bends down and puts a hand on my arm. I feel a jolt. It's not exactly
electricity, but the shock courses through my veins and I can feel a bit of
control return. It's only a bit, but it's enough for me to let Shana help lift
me up.

I rise to my feet and look at her. She looks... dark and
scared. I feel the impulse to lean forward and hug her, but I know something is
wrong. I look around and see how dark the place has gotten, yet I can see. “Am
I dreaming?” I ask Shana. Shana shakes her head.

“I don't know, but he's had me here for a while,” she
answers. I take a few steps, trying to get used to the lack of coordination
this... dimension, gives me. “I need your help Lyss. I can't stay here,” she
says. As I move around I notice a field of illumination follows, as if I'm
holding a flashlight or something. I look around for the source of light, but
everything more than ten feet away from me is immersed in almost total
blackness. I look at myself and realize that the light is emanating from me! I
am still in the pajamas I was wearing, but my body is distorted and shifting,
like, like
him
. It's almost like I'm not solid. I look at Shana and
notice that her body is doing the exact same thing, except she is dark. Most of
her form is utter blackness.

“Where are we?” I ask. Shana bows her head and moves toward the
door. She opens it, and I can see part of the hallway, but everything else is
dark.  With great effort, I walk through the doorway and look around at my
house. It looks almost the same as it usually does, but it has the same eerily
dark quality, kind of like it’s lit with a black light, but without the
illumination. And, it feels empty. I feel a surge of fear as I realize that the
monster must have sucked me into his realm-into the shadow world Bubbe told me
about. What if I’ve just disappeared from my bed?

“Alyssa!” Shana cries.

 “I need you to help me. I need to get out of here,” she
continues. I feel the longing I've had to see her well up. Has Shana been
watching me from here the whole time? I have to use the wall for balance as I
move through the hall. I have to check on Adam, but as I push on his door, I
think.
What do I want to see
? Do I want to see Adam lying in bed or not?
If he's here that could mean the fiend has sucked him in as well, but if he's
not then it could mean the same thing. I push his door, but it won't open. As I
push I feel surges of static pushing back against me, through my already numb
body. I can't get through.

“Alyssa, come here,” Shana pleads.

“I can't! I need to get in here!” I shout with frustration.

“It won't work,” she says. I look back at her long enough to
see her face distort a bit and wince in response. Shana waits at the top of the
stairs and I move over to her, not quite ready to descend. Why can't I get into
Adam's room? I turn and look back at it when I feel a wave of the howling
static hit me. I can hardly keep my eyes open as I tumble down the stairs. I
feel like I'm probably injured, but the pain is dulled by the strange numbness.
I can't say that's good, because it's hard to tell if my injuries are serious.

I'm a little dizzy from the fall, but as my vision returns I
see the shadowy Shana atop the stairs. She's not even rushing to help me. I
close my eyes, taking a breath before I pull myself up on my own. I open my
eyes and am shocked to see Shana already at the bottom of the stairs. She's
standing over me with the same posture she was at the top of the stairs. It's
the same stance she's had since she woke me up. Something tells me she didn't
just jump down the steps, and I didn’t hear any footsteps.

She bends over and helps me stand up, but before I'm even in
a full standing position to make sure I'm still okay to walk, I feel her push
me toward the door. The front door? Where does she want me to go? The door is
ajar and I pull it open. I'm surprised that when I open the door I can see more
than ten feet ahead of me. I can see the shapes of houses, mailboxes, hedges
and everything in my neighborhood. There's no moon or apparent source of light,
but I can see them. It's such a weird sensation to see without light that it
only adds to the confusion I'm already feeling.

Shana pushes me again, but when I turn angrily to look at
her she's already in front of me. It's like she tackled me in a rush to get ten
feet in front of me, but that doesn't make any sense. I want to help her, I
really do, but it doesn't seem like she's as scared or upset as I would be if
I’d been stuck in a place like this. I know she's been here for days, so maybe
she's gotten used to it, but still I can't see her behaving this way the first
opportunity she has to get my help. I follow her down the street, but as I do,
I look around. I notice some of the areas, particularly other streets, don't
illuminate as I pass by. It's as if I'm not supposed to venture down there,
like my path has already been predetermined.

I get the eerie feeling that something is watching me, and
I’m starting to be afraid of the way Shana is leading me. She doesn't appear
scared at all. She doesn't seem like she's desperately trying to attain my
help, and even if she really is, what does she want me to do? I stop walking.
What
does
she want me to do? It's only now that I actually stop and
think about it. I'm a fifteen year old unarmed girl who is barely capable of
walking normally.  All I can do is run. I remember Jason and Shana- at least
normal Shana in the normal world. Both of them claimed that their siblings
appeared to them pleading for their help and then both of them disappeared.

Shana was even afraid to fall to sleep. She must have
realized that it wasn't Denise speaking to her. Does that mean that this figure
in front of me isn't Shana?

“Alyssa, we have to hurry,” she beckons impatiently. I shake
my head. No, this isn't Shana. It's
him
. I turn and run, or at least try
to run. It's nearly impossible to get a good stride going in this environment.
I hear a scream. It's a loud bloodcurdling shriek coming from Shana.

 I turn and look at her and see the
he
is upon her.
He’s not just beside her though. He
has
her. Terror consumes me and I am
frozen in place, unsure how to act. So, was I wrong? Can I still separate Shana
from this thing's grasp? I try and run to where they are, but with each step
closer, the more my eyes hurt. It hurts to look at him, but maybe if I can just
pull Shana away from him… He didn't come near when I was with her until now.
Maybe that's it then. Shana finally found a way to sneak away from it and then
came to get me. Maybe I- or the light around me is some kind of home base where
he can't get to her, or maybe he can only get to people if they’re alone, and
by running away I’ve just condemned her.

Every step closer I get the howling static gets louder and
more intense, and by the time I'm within about ten feet of them I can hardly
hear her cries over his static. I get closer and open my eyes just in time to
see him disappear. Shana is standing there, hugging herself. She appears
shaken. Relief surges through me, and this time I hug her impulsively.

“I'm sorry. I didn't know that he would come.”

“Where were you going?” she asks.

“I don't know. I thought you were-”

“I need you to help me,” she repeats. She sounds like a
broken record, but she's communicating more than she was able to right before
she disappeared, so maybe she is recovering. I'm surprised she has recovered
even this small amount of her personality in this realm. She forces me off of
her. Apparently hug time is over, and the sudden loss of her support causes me
to nearly fall over. She resumes walking and I follow.

“Shana. Shana you need to talk to me. I don't know how I can
help you. I don't know what to do,” I say.

“You have to follow me,” she says without so much as turning
her gaze toward me.

“Where are we going?” I ask. She stops and looks at me, her
body still distorting in places. She points, and I follow her finger up to the
ever so familiar entrance to the forest.

“Into the forest?” I ask. She nods and keeps walking. This
doesn't feel right. Shana would give me more information- that is, if she
could. Her screaming drew me back, but now that I'm following her again I recall
the reason I tried to run in the first place. This may not be the fiend per se,
but this just doesn't seem like Shana. Maybe he has some sort of mind control
over her.

Whatever it is, I can't just go into the woods, because if
Bubbe is right, then that tree is the monster’s physical totem and entrance to
our world, and the closer I get to it, the less likely it will be that I get
back. When we get to the edge of the woods I stop again. I can already tell
something is awry. The forest has the same black-light pall cast over it, and
just being this close to it makes my body vibrate with fright. It feels like a
different, darker place. If what I am in now is some nightmarish dream-world,
then whatever is in the forest must be the full-fledged shadow world.

My heart begins racing and I feel the howling static swell
into an angry crescendo. Shana turns to me and gestures for me to come on.

“I can't. If I do I won't be able to help you,” I reason.
Shana's mouth begins wobbling, and I can almost see what looks like a tear
falling down her face, but the distortion makes it nearly impossible to
discern.

“Please Alyssa, we don't have to go far-”

“...just close enough to him,” I finish for her.

“I can't do it. I won't. There's got to be some other way, I
can come when we're in the real world and I,” but I stop. Would I come if I
wasn't in some nightmarish realm? I see the darkness from the woods creeping
closer and then the black static figure emerges. Shana looks at me with sorrow
as he rises up behind her. He looms over her, coming on like a giant black
wave. As it approaches my eyes burn and I avert my gaze, but I look up just in
time to see her hand lash out and forcibly grab my arm. She pulls hard, and
with my already low level of control over my own body I come forward easily. I
do my best to resist, but she seems stronger than she normally is. She has
merged with the shadowy darkness from the woods, as if it is sucking her in,
and as it absorbs her, I get pulled closer into it.
He's attacking
! I
look Shana in the eye and I see her look of sadness distort into a glare. She
pulls me closer, and now I'm terror stricken. This is not
my
Shana.

I'm almost past the tree line, which I am convinced that in
this dream-world is the point of no return. If I allow myself to be pulled into
the forest, he will have me. Her face distorts again and this time it's as if
she has no face, just a head. Her features are gone. I feel blood pouring from
my nose in a steady flow. Her grip is weakening me! I dig my feet into the ground
and pull back. She distorts one more time, and I can clearly see her for the
first time, as terror stricken as I am. She's disappearing into the darkness,
but she's mouthing something. It's inaudible, but just as she releases her grip
from my arm, I catch it. She's saying, “…now! You have to wake up, run!” and
then she disappears into the woods.

I see a spectral hand form, identical to the one that
touched me in my sleep the night Shana disappeared. I'm ten feet away from it before
it grabs me. I take off. I have no idea where to run, but I don't stop to
think. I just move. I can't tell if he's following me, but if he is then he has
the advantage as long as we’re in this realm. I keep stumbling, tripping, and
falling. Sometimes I catch myself, and sometimes I fall flat on my face, but I
keep getting back up and running. I pass my house and enter the section of the
neighborhood that isn't illuminated for me.

I can hear Shana's scream again, and I close my eyes to keep
tears from flying out. I'm losing Shana again. There's no way this is some
illusion. He has her. He's making her scream as a punishment. I pass another
house and turn onto the next street, and then suddenly the environment begins
blacking out. It's not the dark shadowy blackness of the monster though. It's
freedom, its escape, it's a fence. I collide with the fence, but being so
experienced in falls and collisions lately I catch myself before I fall all the
way.

I am about to resume my flight when I notice something. I
see the moon. It’s illuminating the street, and I hear crickets. Their chirping
wasn’t present five seconds ago. This means that I escaped. I'm awake, and I'm
free, but I'm on the same street I fled to in the dream world. On top of that,
the numb feeling slowly fades from my body, leaving me full of a feeling of
pins and needles so intense that it is painful. Due to all the falls in the
other world, I ache with pain in so many places. Whatever just happened, it was
no dream.