The Slender Man (14 page)

I rush back to my house with the pain pulsing with every
step. My palms, elbows, knees, and face have all taken blows from my multiple
collisions. I can imagine I'm pretty bruised up too. I reach my house and see
that the door is wide open like I left it. So the dream must have been some
nightmarish trance then. If that's true, then why did no one wake up when I
fell down the stairs? It must have been loud. I don't know the exact time, but
the sky is a purplish hue of impending sunrise, so it must be sometime after
four at the earliest.

I climb upstairs and peek into Adam's room to see that he is
still lying in bed, breathing. I can hear Shana's screams echoing in my mind.
It may not have been the real Shana, but there’s definitely still some of her
in there. She must have fought to tell me to run. Maybe he's using her like a
marionette, or impersonating her. Either way, her screams were terrifying, and
every time it plays through in my mind my body feels heavier, like I'm ready to
collapse. You can imagine how someone would scream if they were being
axe-murdered by a psychopath, but this scream is worse. When someone is about
to be murdered, they’re afraid that they’re going to die painfully, but this
scream was filled with the knowledge that the escape of death isn’t coming.

I don’t want to leave Shana like that, but what can I do? I
go into the bathroom and rinse the blood and sweat from my face. As I do this I
repeat the question in my mind. What can I do? I've always wanted to help
Shana, and I was almost positive that the shadow monster is what has her, and
now it's been confirmed. Now that I hear- now that I am aware of her fear and
pain, I don’t know what I can do, but I do know that I can't just leave her.
There’s got to be something I can at least try. It's the tree he wants me to go
to, but if I go to the tree in this state, in the real world, will he be able
to hurt me? Maybe if I burn the tree? Dad keeps a spare can of gas in the
garage, and I'm sure there are matches around here somewhere for the Shabbat
candles. No, I can't do that. That would cause a forest fire that I probably
wouldn't be able to escape, and even if I do, I'll be jailed for arson.

What would happen if I cut the tree down though? If that's
the fiend's totem, his portal, then if it's destroyed he should go away, or at
least slow him down right? Or maybe a new one will pop up in its place. How
would I cut it down? I can use a chainsaw, but we don't have one. In fact I
don't think there's anything at my disposal I can use to cut down the tree. I
can at least bother to check though. I can go out back into the shed. Chances
are there's something of use there.

I stop in my room and change first. If I'm going to be out
in the cold night air I will need a jacket, and some shoes. I put my hoodie
over my pajama shirt and throw on some athletic pants over my shorts. I put on
some socks and running shoes and then creep downstairs. I hear a stirring
coming from my parents’ room and freeze. I'll be damned if my parents don't
wake up when I fall down the stairs, but do when I creep down them. After I
hear the sound of running water coming from the master bathroom I quickly but
quietly escape the house and shut the front door behind me.

As soon as I'm outside, I look around to make sure the
monster hasn't returned. After doing so, I run around the side of the house and
to the back. In our backyard is a shed, but it's never locked. I don't even
think there's much in here. Come to think of it, I don’t recall ever being in
there at all. I open the shed and wince as it creaks loudly the whole way. I
want to sneak in and shut the door but it's so dark in here, and with no
windows I'll need the moonlight to show me the way. I wish I’d thought to grab
a flashlight, but that would involve scouring the whole house for one and
probably waking everyone up. Inside the shed sits a big lawnmower. It's dirty
and covered with dead grass. Next to the lawnmower are items useless to me like
rakes, a tire iron- a toolbox.

There must be something in there right? I go over to the
toolbox and am surprised at how heavy it is. It’s big and rectangular, and it
takes me a few tries to get the clasps open. After I finally open it a bunch of
lazily piled tools fall out and clang loudly. I put my hands to my ears
reflexively although it's not what
I
hear that what matters.

After a long pause to make sure my parents aren’t rushing
out to catch me I sort through the tools and find nothing but wrenches, and
wrench-like thingies that I don't even know the name for. None of them so much as
have a blade. After a huff and a puff I take one last look around the shed and
then leave. I might not be able to cut down the tree after all.

Standing outside the shed I look around with disappointment
before something catches my eye. You can see the neighbor’s yards all the way
down the street as the fences are chain-link, but a few houses down I see a
pile of chopped wood. They aren’t in plastic packages or with anything to hint
that they were bought, so that must imply that the people- I'm not sure who
they are, we aren't very social with our neighbors- chopped it themselves. I am
about ready to hop the fence into the adjacent yard but then I catch sight of
their doghouse. It’s not particularly big, but I know I’ve heard dogs barking
here before, and they aren’t Chihuahuas.

I go around the front way, hoping no one in this
neighborhood has a five A.M. appointment. When I reach the house with the
woodpile, I sneak around back and am relieved to see no doghouse next to their
wood pile. I'm not a thief, but for the sake of trying to save a life- or
prevent further kidnappings- I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I
borrow-without-asking one of their tools. I try and hop the fence with my
normal dexterity, but my bruises flash with pain and I stumble at the top,
cutting my thigh on the top of the fence. It's not deep, but it stings and will
probably bleed. I don't want to delay though, so I limp over to their shed with
one hand on my thigh.

When I reach the doors, I see that they are padlocked,
great. I sigh and am about to give up when I see just what I need. There is a
large woodcutting axe lazily propped against the pile of wood. I almost laugh
when I remember I'm trying to be discreet. I snatch the axe, toss it over the
fence and- carefully this time- hop back over. I stick as much of the axe as I
can into my jacket. The head is fully concealed, but there are a good six
inches of the handle sticking out from underneath.

I reach the edge of the sidewalk, my usual stretch point.
Well, I was always careful to stretch before running through the woods, so why
not stretch before trying to defeat a monster from another dimension? I do
stretch as best as I can with the pain and trying to conceal the axe. I feel
like I'm finally ready, but when I'm about to battle-charge into the woods, a
little voice inside my head reminds me of what I'm about to do. As I think
about my mission, I suddenly feel like it's
not
such a good idea. I am
about to venture over a mile into the woods alone so early in the morning that
it’s pretty much night. These woods are the playground for a shadow entity
that's been kidnapping people, and I'm going in based on the hunch that if I
cut down an eerie tree everyone will be okay.

I take a step back, but then Shana's screams echo in my
head. I have to try otherwise I'll spend the rest of my life regretting it and
wondering if I could have saved her. She would do the same for me. I look and
see the sun rising. At least I'll have light. I jog off into the woods, doing
the best I can to keep the axe from falling out or disemboweling me, but once I
get about fifty yards in, I lose the urge to run. I can still hardly see, and I
get the feeling that I'm not alone.

I begin walking, slowly but steadily. I listen for any sound
that differs from the sound of leaves and twigs crunching beneath me. I still
have the axe tucked into my jacket, and I contemplate bringing it out so I will
be ready to swing if something jumps out at me. Is the monster even corporeal
enough to be hurt by an axe?

I climb the first slope. By now, the sun is casting an
orange and pink glow. Another twenty minutes must have passed since I first
entered the woods. The forest is still unusually dark though. Maybe it's
because I haven't been in the woods this early before, but I don't like the
idea of not being able to see far ahead of me. I keep feeling like I'm back in
the nightmare, and at times I feel like I've taken a wrong turn. I'm used to
looking far ahead of me to determine my path to the clearing, not from tree to
tree.

I hear leaves rustling in response to a gust of wind. The
wind blows past me and I shudder, not because of any kind of chill, but because
of the static wave that passes through me. I tremble and let out a tiny squeak
in response. He knows I’m here. I keep walking. I can't stop now. I feel like
he’s behind me, but I don't dare turn around. Another gust hits me and I close
my eyes. I don't want to open them for fear of what I might see. I begin taking
very deep and controlled breaths to calm myself. I try and make them as quiet
as possible because I don't want him to hear how scared I am if he can't
already sense it.

I don't hear any footsteps to signal him following me, but
every few seconds another wave of static passes through me, reminding me that
he's watching me. I look at the ground, guiding myself forward by memory. I
don't know where he is, or how close he is, but he's stalking me. Why isn't it
attacking me? Maybe he's having fun toying with me. Maybe he’s confused as to
why I would come here of my own will and is waiting to find out. If that's the
case then it's best I keep the axe hidden under my jacket. Or maybe he needs to
wear me down before he can strike.

Whatever it is, I can't show any signs of fear or panic. I
can't run. I have to ignore him. I have to pretend he's not there. If I run,
scream, or stop, he will know I'm scared. It's harder than it sounds, and with
every step I take, with every static wave that pulses through me, I find it
harder to keep my wits. Panicky thoughts flood my mind.
What have I gotten
myself into? Why didn't I call the police department and have them cut the tree
down. Or why didn't I have some other adult come out and do it. Why didn't I at
least bring an escort?

I've set myself up here. I've made the fiend’s job easier.
As these thoughts set in, I find it harder to draw steady breaths. I take one
slow deep breath, but force it all out in an uncontrollable burst, accompanied
by an audible squeak or moan that I know he hears. It's harder to walk, and it
doesn’t help that the more the sun rises, the darker the forest seems to get.
Why didn't I bring a flashlight? I didn't come as prepared as I should have.

I feel as if my rib cage is about to crack behind my heart’s
heavy thuds. I reach another incline.
I'm finally here!
It's only a few
more yards and then I can hack away, but he's watching me. Will he let me cut
the tree down? Can he stop me? Every time he’s been able to immobilize me I was
in that state between waking and sleeping. I figure I should be pretty safe since
I’m wide awake, but then again I doubt Lionel was asleep when the fiend claimed
him.

I pause just past the base of the incline. I'm unsure of how
I want to proceed. I could draw the axe and run in with a Rebel yell, or maybe
I could creep up and take it by surprise. I can still sense him, awaiting my
next step. Maybe he's waiting for me to come within arm's reach of the tree to
grab me. Another wave of static comes, and this time I can almost hear a breath
as it passes through me. It's as if he's right behind me, ushering me forward.
As the wave passes through me, I feel a mixture of fluid running down my face:
sweat, tears, and now blood from my nose. My body is weakening.

Is he attacking me now? No, I can't let him. I move up the
hill as quickly as my willpower pushes me, but it's still slower than the
average walking pace. My brain is screaming at me.
No! No! No!
What else
can I do though? I can't run, I can't just stay here, and if I can't go forward
he wins without a fight. When I reach the top of the hill, I see the tree,
barely visible in the dark forest. It's hard to count exactly how many, but
there are now more than nine branches on this tree. It looks closer to a dozen
give or take. That’s only more proof that this tree isn't just a normal tree.

I approach the tree and I’m only a few feet away from it
when I hear Shana's cries coming from it. I close my eyes and jerk the axe out
of my jacket. I take one more step, and then feel another static wave. This one
is more intense though, and now it's accompanied by a loud monotonous
screeching sound. It matches the static pulse but it’s shrill and loud, and I
half expect my ears to burst from the noise. The screeching becomes one nonstop
note. I feel my body going numb, like it was in the nightmare and then I
realize what’s happening. It
is
attacking me! It's trying to stop me!
Then that means- I rush forward with the axe and take a swing. I feel it
collide against the tree and yank it back. I feel pain.

The static is pulsing, trying to silence me. I strike the
tree again, but this time I think the axe hits one of the branches instead of
the trunk.
No!
I can't hit random places I have to knock the tree down.
I am about to swing again when I feel another pulse and my arms are almost
completely numb. Unfeeling, I still manage to swing the axe again, and again,
and again. I don't know what I'm swinging at. My eyes are closed and I am
swinging at everything. I'm swinging at the monster. I'm swinging at branches.
I'm swinging at the tree. I'm growing weaker. I'm falling to my knees. I- I
can't feel anything except for numbing static. I can't hear anything except for
the continuous shriek. Has he won? I feel myself weakening, and hear the sound
of a branch falling to the ground beside me before I succumb.