Forever Alone (Book 1 of the Misguided Killer Series)

Chapter One: Along the Cracks

Sirens cried out into the night air, their light show spilling red and blue across anything they touched. Cops searched everywhere for their target. After all, how far could one teen boy run? And with a gunshot wound at that. They were naive. Fools. Their target was like a shadow, slipping away unseen. His white hood over his face.

Rain poured down around him as he ran, silent footsteps making sure no one could hear him. His eyes burned, but it was a burn he'd grown accustomed to. The burn that accumulated without any eyelids. The teen ran, bloody knife in hand. The same crimson liquid painted his hoodie, dressed the torn flesh of his face. His smile, forever carved into his face, was the thing no one forget. The thing he left as a mark of his victims.

His name, was Jeff the Killer.

He managed to slip away into the Slender Forest, slowing as the dark trees shielded him. His shoulder stung from where the bullet had pierced his skin. He didn't pause to try and remove it, just kept walking through the trees. He yanked his hood down, sighing into the cold air. His breath fogged before him, a white cloud in the gloom. He shook his head, trudging back to the cabin he knew lay in the woods. From the outside it looked small but he knew it was spacious enough. It housed six of them comfortably, Hoodie, Masky, Ben, Eyeless Jack, himself, and the Slenderman, though sometimes Jeff preferred to have no contact with his housemates at all.

He forwent the door, not in the mood to listen to Slenderman scold him for nearly getting caught, and went in his window instead. It was on the second floor but he clambered up the nearby tree as fast as he could manage and slipped inside. He set his knife on his nightstand, shaking his head a bit to get the water out.

'I should go take a shower,' he thought, 'might help me unwind a bit and then I can get the damn bullet out.' Plan made he stripped off his clothes, dumping them onto his bed. He'd wash them later.

The water felt like fire against his chilled skin. He stood with his back to the spray, watching as the water turned red and spilled off into the tub. He stared at it until it turned clean and the shouts of his housemates filled his ears. He hurriedly washed his hair and stepped out of the shower, using the tip of his knife to pry the bullet from his flesh. He wrapped the wound and dressed himself in a fresh t-shirt and jeans before pulling his hoodie over his head. He pulled his hood up before putting his knife in his pocket and exiting the room.

Ben was arguing with Hoodie about something that he didn't bother to hear. Jack and Masky were playing a card game at the kitchen table, and he sat down beside Jack. The boy looked up, staring at him with dark, empty sockets before returning to his game. Jeff watched them for a moment before turning his attention to the other occupant of the room. Slenderman. The man was standing at the stove, cooking apparently. He always cooked for them since no one else could.

"Jeffery," he looked up when Slender said his name. Or rather, his human name.

"Don't call me that," he said darkly. It was well known that he hated being called Jeffery. Yet the large man still called him that at times. Usually only when he was in trouble though. Like always, Slender ignored him.

"You nearly got caught today," Slender said blankly. Jeff ignored him, pulling his knife out and twirling it absently in his fingers. "Jeff your recklessness is getting out of hand."

"So what," Jeff retorted, "like it matters." Slenderman sighed and Ben and Hoodie quieted, listening in.

"Just because we can't die Jeff does not mean you can all but lead them to us," Slender stated.

"Oh please," Jeff said, "like any human could traverse your damn forest. They'd be dead within an hour."

"Jeff your impertinence is getting on my nerves." Jeff shrugged, sticking his knife deep into the wood of the table.