Slender to None

Four

The first thing I do is check out every child individually. I don’t really know what I’m doing. I look over Alex’s face and arms.  No bruises or scrapes or cuts. But his stomach is completely empty.  Just like everyone else. Slender man hasn’t fed them anything.

Ruby looks ghastly, like a skeleton. She’s been without food for about two weeks now. She isn’t dead yet though. At least her body isn’t entirely dead. She’s sitting up. Her smile is wicked against her thin cheeks and empty eyes.

The slender man stands in a corner and watches. He seems to enjoy watching me. Or it seems that way. Maybe it’s because I’m the only one not under his spell. It might be paranoia, but I can feel his eyes, as if they held me in a constant grip, constraining me, trapping me, keeping me prisoner.

Maybe I am under his spell. I don’t have any way of knowing. This could all be a dream. I could be slumped over in a corner dead to the world in reality.

I can’t think like that. Not if I want to get through this. Not if I want to stay alive, save everyone else, defeat him. I have to try my best, and not give in.

There are doors at the front of the church. Huge, bulky, wood doors. Edged with bright lines of sunshine showing through.  Right there, at my fingertips. But he is also right there. I can't get the children out if he watches the whole time.

The windows are painted over with the same colors that cover the ceiling. Little angels and saints looking down on us. A lot of help they are. They shine brightly, from the sun on the other side. It dawns on me that I had been asleep for quite some time. Though I couldn't know if it was only for one night or for much longer, possibly a couple days.

My stomach clenches down on itself. I am hungry. Everyone else must be ten times worse off than I am. Without looking at him I speak up. "We need food." I didn't hear him move. "Bread and soup would be best.  And water. They're all dehydrated."

A cold step on the marble. And then another. He is standing behind me. A finger tapped my head, and then it touched the floor. 'Stay here' was the message. I nod my head, not intending to stay at all. He then hands me a bundle of blankets.

Michael. How could I have forgotten that he had also taken Michael. He is asleep. Making quiet baby snores. “And milk. I suppose formula. For Mikey.” Why did I ask him? I’m leaving. As soon as he’s gone. His parents will be able to feed him.

The Slender man brushed my hair over my shoulder and steps away. He makes a point to stop directly in front of Felicity. I hold my breath and pray that he leaves her alone. Not a chance. He lifts her off the ground, and she seems happy to get his attention. But then he leaves with her still in his arms, ducking through the entrance of the cave. And they're gone.

I panic. I can't leave Felicity. She's the reason I came here in the first place. If I leave now, he'll most definitely kill her. 'What about all the other children?' My mind murmurs. I could save them. Right now. What's five compared to one? But she's my sister. How could I live without her?

I can't. But this isn't about my well being. I need to save these children. They're dying down here. They need to get back to their families, to their own mothers.

I wait a few moments before running to the doors. I push hard, anticipating the cool breeze and warm sun. They don't budge. I try again. Harder. It's no use. We're trapped. He's boarded them shut from the outside.

I glance over at the cave entrance, and wonder if that is the way out. It must be, he went down there himself after I asked for food. It must be a system that leads out of the ground somewhere. It's so dark though. I wouldn't know where I was going. What if it had a fork or a turn that lead deeper into the earth. I could get us lost in there forever. We'd die of starvation in the dark. It would be a lot worse than how it was right now.