In The Woods Somewhere... (A creepypasta researcher story)

Chapter 2- A Woman's Voice

Two weeks had passed since my most recent encounter with Slenderman. The sickness became so much worse after that but I felt as though I was starting to get used to dealing with it. I had no clue how I got back to my motel room that night. I started to lose greater gaps of time in my memory but I was expecting those symptoms.

I managed to get in contact with a new, vital source by the name of Ophelia Windsor. During my investigations I stumbled across a few Reddit users who knew a girl by the name of Jessica Atkins. She was supposedly being stalked by Slenderman and had been admitted to Mayhill Mental Hospital on August 6, 2017. Dr. Ophelia Windsor was treating her to get to bottom of her alleged 'delusions'. I was able to get in contact with Dr. Windsor through her professional email. Surprisingly, she agreed to meet with me to discuss the string of the same strange 'hallucinations' that many patients had described.

I knew they weren't hallucinations at all. Those patients weren't crazy. They were being stalked by Slenderman. I didn't express much detail of that theory in any of my emails with Dr. Windsor though. She would've written me off as crazy myself. I approached her expressing an interest in psychology and in particular her experiences with patients who claimed to be stalked by the Tall Man. I never expected her to reply. I especially didn't expect her to offer to meet over lunch to discuss it. There's no doubt discussing something confidential like that with a total stranger could put her career as a clinical psychologist at risk. Yet there I was, driving to Texas to meet her.

The trip from Washington to Texas was a grueling one but at this point I was used to the long drives and sleepless nights. I'd drive to the ends of the earth if it meant getting to the bottom of things. I could hardly enjoy the scenery that flew by through the windshield. There was only one thing on my mind and that was the need to find more information, to dig deeper. I had to continue my research on Slenderman at any cost. I couldn't stop. And I didn't want to.

It took about 32 hours to drive all the way from Olympic State Forest, Washington to Denton, Texas but it was worth it. As I drove through the semi-rural town I let my GPS guide the way to the cafe Ophelia picked out for our meetup site. I pulled into a small parking lot and parked my car, shutting off the engine. When I stepped out onto the pavement I took a moment to scan my surroundings. Denton, Texas appeared to be a cute little town with plenty of old buildings and friendly people. But there was something off about the whole place. It felt like something dark was lurking just below the surface. Maybe it was due to all the paranormal activity that goes on in that town but I wasn't certain.

I gazed up at the sign above the doors of the cafe. It read 'West Oak Coffee Bar' in bold, black letters. I took a deep breath and went inside. The interior of the coffee shop was a calming environment with about 20 other people there chatting with friends or typing away on their laptops. The environment put me at ease enough to order a caramel macchiato and sit at a table in the back of the room. I shot Dr. Windsor a new email and waited for her to arrive, idly tapping my foot and observing all the normal people around living out their normal lives. I only had to wait for about 15 minutes.

A woman of average height with honey-brown hair walked through the doors. I recognized her as Dr. Ophelia Windsor from the photograph on her professional website. I half expected her to be wearing some kind of dress or business suit but instead she was dressed in casual attire. I stood up and beckoned for her from my table to get her attention. The woman waved at me and smiled before waking to the counter to order herself a cup of coffee. Ophelia briskly walked over and sat down across the table from me. She laid a black portfolio down on the table in front of her.

"Ash? Ash Prow?" Ophelia confirmed and I nodded.

"So... Where do we start?" I asked, attempting to break the awkward air.