Falling In Love With Slender Man

Chapter 16

 --CHAPTER SIXTEEN--

            Ash’s face had turned into a hard mask of furry. Sage stared up at the sharp planes of his cheeks as they flickered to life with the flames from below them. His expression was murderous.

            “Ash,” Sage whispered, tugging on the cuff of his suit, feeling very much like a frightened little child.

            After a few seconds Ash titled his face down to stare at her. He read the fear clearly reflected in her eyes. His face turned to one of concern.

            “Are you alright?” he asked her quietly.

            She shook her head. No, she was not all right. Something felt completely wrong. Her head was spinning as she took in Ash’s large, white face, back lit by the hellish fire. Something about it seemed so familiar. She imaged his facial features dissolving, turning to nothing more than the clear unblemished skin.

            She shivered, and not just from the cool air. As Ash looked down at her, his eyes seemed to be battling with a hard decision. Finally, they seemed to decide what he was going to do.

            He grabbed her fiercely by the tops of her shoulders, desperation creeping into his expression. “Sage, I have to do something. And you can’t argue with it. And please, please, please don’t be frightened. I’ll explain everything to you as soon as we survive this.” His eyes focused behind her. The fire was quickly racing up to the bell tower. “And, just remember you’re incredibly important to me. I… I might even love you.” And with that, he bent down and crushed her lips with a long, fearful, and slightly sloppy kiss. There was an audible intake of breath from the many people bellow them.

            He released his grip on her, all too soon. He backed slowly away and faced the massive crowd. “I’m sorry, Sage,” he whispered, a certain pain in his voice.

            Sage watched with confused eyes as Ash’s arms started to grow. They grew to an impossible length. They were nearly the size of Sage herself. Then, his legs elongated, making him shoot up from the ground and break through the roof of the bell tower. Plaster and bits of wood fell, some only narrowly missing Sage.

            As he stood several feet tall now, Sage only came up about to his knees. More limbs spouted from his torso, and he turned so thin that he looked malnourished; as though he were a dying prisoner who hoped death would find him soon. He all but blended in with the burning trees.

            Sage ran to the edge of the whole in the ceiling and looked up at the thing that had taken Ash’s place. His face had turned to the vision she had earlier, of him having no features. The flames dancing behind him brought back several memories.

            That tall, beast like thing before her had killed her family. Her brother. The town had been burning, so hot and fast. Her brother’s hands were broken painfully and held high above his head. He was covered in his own blood and dirt.

            Her leg had been broken… she’d stared up at that huge face, challenging him… and his voice, so sweet and delicate had referred to her as a dove, just like Ash always had.

            Dizziness overcame her. She’d kissed this man. She’d thought she’d loved him. She had wanted to have sex with him, not even twenty minutes ago. And he had murdered her family and friends, destroyed her town.

            Not after what I’ve done to you. You don’t know the half of it. The words made sickening sense now. She screamed, an ear splitting sound, as she continued to stare at the monster.

            She noticed out of the corner of her eye, with some odd part of her brain, that the golden skinned boy was looking at her with frightened eyes.

            Something about him seemed so peaceful, as though he were an angel trapped in this hell. She tried to smile weakly at him, as if reassuring that she were okay.

            But then everything became too much. The revelation about Ash, the recollection of her memory, the concerned stranger. The world started to slowly turn black.           

            She noticed Ash turn his head down to her, his hollow face frightening her even more. She tried backing away, only to find that she had no more floor to walk on.

            Then, she was flying. Silently gliding through the chilly air, the fire warming her as she grew closer to the ground. She heard a man gasp in surprise, the gold boy, probably.

            She completely blacked out before she reached the ground though, so she felt no pain at all. Just the raw, tearing feeling in her heart.