Slenderman

Chapter 10

I sighed as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I spent the past hour telling Leo all I know about this guy, showing him the articles and everything. I don't know if he believed any of it, but I did.
The young man in the mirror stared back at me. I'd been told so many times that I looked like my father: straight black hair, his tanned complexion, even a hint of the sideburns he had. The only thing that set me apart were those strange golden brown eyes.
I splashed my face with water, hoping that the heaviness under my eyes would wash away along with all this insanity. I couldn't keep doing this.
I looked back up at my face and I let out a yell. It was like one of those classic horror movie jumpscares- character looks down, then looks back up and sees the killer behind him in the reflection. It was like that, except it was my reflection that was replaced by someone in a black mask. The mask was plastic and had these glowing red lights for eyes. I jumped back, hitting the wall and falling down in the corner.
My heart was racing. Oh my God- was that real? I scrambled up in a panic, looking at my reflection. It was normal again. I looked around, but the door had been closed. There was nobody in here except for me.
I glanced at my reflection again before hurrying out.

*********

The next day was Sunday. I slept in fairly late- until ten. Yes, that's late for me. When I did wake up, I heard the TV playing in the living room. I walked out and saw Hazel and Pepper curled up together under a blanket on the couch.
"Hey, Hazelnut," I said, sitting beside them. "Where's everyone else?"
"Mommy and James went to the store and Leo went out with his friends," she told me in a miserable voice.
I looked at her. "Hey- what's wrong?"
Hazel almost burst into tears. "I-I had a bad dream last night that you hurt everyone here really really bad. You wore this scary mask with these red eyes and you hurt Mommy and Leo and-and even Pepper! I told you to stop but that tall man took me away. He was the one who told you to hurt them! He's a bad man!"
"What?" I said in disbelief. I felt like throwing up. "No, no- Hazel, I would never hurt anyone. I couldn't. Not you or Mom or even Pepper."
She looked at me, her lip quivering. "You promise?" she said in a small voice.
I wrapped her in a big hug. "Hazel, I promise with all my heart that I will never- never, ever, ever hurt anyone. I promise."
She nodded and shuddered a sigh. "I believe you," she whispers.

********

I spent the morning in relative peace, which felt strange especially after all the shit that's been happening.
I pulled the blanket over me and decided maybe a nap couldn't hurt. I was in desperate need of one, anyways.
But the dream I had was something I don't think I'll ever live down or forget again.
I was on top of a tall building and I looked over and saw Leo on the edge. He looked at me and I remember running to him, screaming.
But nothing I did stopped him. He fell backwards and I remember reaching out for him. Our fingers brushed but they didn't do more than that.
He closed his eyes and I leapt right off the building after him like I was Spider-Man trying to save Gwen Stacy. The sensation of falling terrified me but I twisted in the air and tried to help. I tried- oh my God, I felt the pain in my back when we landed.
But it made no difference. Leo was dead. I scrambled up and looked down at him, trying to understand how to fix this.
I looked over and saw a window. I walked over to it and for a moment I saw my reflection- it was me wearing that mask once again.
But then I looked past my reflection to Hazel by herself in the forest. She looked scared and hurt.
"Mommy!" she cried out. "Mommy!"
"Hazel, I'm right here!" I yelled to her but it was like she couldn't hear me. She couldn't see me either because she looked right me for a second but she didn't say anything. "Hazel!" I yelled.
The tall man suddenly appeared behind her. I started freaking out. The window dissapeared and I ran over to my sister.
She turned slowly to look at me, fear in her eyes. It hurt me to see her so afraid, and I knew that she was afraid of me. "Hazel, it's me!" I said, trying to take the mask off.
She crumpled in a ball on the ground, weeping. "Don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me," she said in a small voice.
"No, no Hazel, I'm not going to hurt you," I said, kneeling beside her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Please just listen to me!"
"Go away!" she wailed, flinching at my touch.
" Hazel, please!" I looked down at my hand and I saw a knife resting in it. "Wh-what?" I whispered, horrified.
I looked back at Hazel and I see her laying on the ground. She's covered in blood and when I hold up the knife, blood drips off it. "No." I scrambled up and threw the knife. "No, no- I-I didn't do that! I didn't do that!" I dropped back down and hugged Hazel. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry," I sobbed. "I'm so sorry." I wanted to take it back so bad- why did I do this? I made a promise, didn't I? That I would never hurt anyone? "I promised you," I whispered. I looked up at the tall man who now stood over us. For the first time, I heard him speak.
"You never could've saved them."
"What did you do?" I cried. "Why? Why can't I save them! I made a fucking promise that I would never hurt them!!"
"Castor."
I looked up at him in disgust.
"Leave us alone! Leave me alone! Look what I've become! Because of you!"
"Castor!"
I blinked my eyes open and saw my mother standing over me, not that tall man. Her face was filled with concern.
"Y-yeah?" I mumbled. My face felt wet.
"You were crying- are you okay?"
I nodded, breathing in and out as calmly as I could. "Yeah. I just had a bad dream, that's all."
She sat beside me on the couch and hugged me. I returned it gratefully. The dream wasn't real- I didn't kill my sister. It wasn't real.
It wasn't real.