The Fifty State Nightmare

11

Think she's dead?" You hear a familiar voice question before you're suddenly prodded in the side.

"Nah, there's no blood," Another says, earning a groan from your lips.

"See? She's fine?" Masky says, your eyes blurry as you push yourself off the ground.

"Hey sleepy head. Fancy meeting you here," Toby snickers from behind his mask, a stick in hand. "The mansion is a few miles that way."

"It's hard to figure things out in the dark," You snap back in annoyance, a sigh leaving your lips.

"Glad that fire is still in you. Slender isn't happy," Hoodie tells you, offering you a hand.

"About which part?" You ask, accepting it and climbing to your feet.

"You possibly being arrested. When your face didn't flash across the news he knew you'd gotten away. He just thought......well, you know," Masky tells you.

"The thought crossed my mind but where am I going to go? To suddenly show up after weeks and be like surprise I'm not dead? I'd be out of business for months!" You point out. "What kind of story could I make up?"

"You're smart. You'd figure it out. Come on, he'll want to know we found you," Masky says.

You follow the three of them back to the mansion, taking a look back at the direction you assumed you had come. In the daylight it was a lot easier to figure out where you were but you still didn't recognize this part of the forest. You pause a moment when a sweet scent reaches your nose, glancing back at the three proxies before you continue to follow them. You'd have to find an excuse to investigate.

"Y/N!" Sally cries before she's wrapped around your legs. "I was so scared!"

"See Slender! Told you she'd be fine!" E.J. laughs, worry still evident in his voice.

"You're okay?" Slender asks in surprise, coming over and lifting your chin in his slender fingers.

You let him look you over as you hold Sally in your arms, a soft sigh finally leaving him. He's relieved and that surprises you. It had only been a few weeks. You hadn't expected all of them to be as panicked as they were. It actually warms your heart and you can't help but smile behind your mask. You were relieved to be back and for the first time you felt like you were actually home.

"We found her near Offender's. We got lucky we found her first," Toby tells Slender.

"Offender?" You ask them.

"My brother. He's a serial rapist," Slender explains. "Hell knows what he'd have done had he found you first. There's a reason I made them avoid it."

"He uses roses to lure in his victims but that doesn't mean he wouldn't have tried something without them," Masky explains.

That......would explain the sweet scent you had picked up. A shudder of displeasure runs through your body at the thought of being found and assaulted by a creature like Slender. He was scary enough as is but another one of him?! That just spelled disaster.

"There's four of us," Slender tells you. "I'll introduce you sometime. Now, I have to get this one to bed."

"No! I don't wanna!" Sally shouts, clinging tighter to you. "Y/N, stay with me!"

"I'll take her," You tell Slender with a smile.

You hold Sally close and carry her to her room where you get her tucked into bed, kicking off your shoes and climbing in beside her.

"Tell me a story?" She yawns, happily nuzzling herself into your chest."

"Alright. Once upon a time there was an ancient princess. She had existed since the beginning of time. Everyone knew her name but she was feared by many and revered by many more," You tell her.