Last One Standing (Slenderman fanfic)

Chapter nineteen

•Sable's P.O.V.•

"...and the fire is raging, Matt. From the sounds of it the blaze was erected to burn the home down and hide the body of a male, possibly the homeowner. No one was seen fleeing the scene, but it's not possible that this was an accident, due to the amount of gasoline spread through the home..."

I felt sick as I watched Toby's house being eaten by fire. Tim and Brian were here as well, sitting on the couch beside me. The police had let us return home after they discerned that Lenore's death was a suicide caused by severe mental instability. She killed herself because she lost her mind.

And now, looks like I've lost another friend as well.

"You don't think that...?" Tim trailed off, staring at the screen. "His dad was abusive after all."

"Toby must have killed his dad and burnt the house down to hide the evidence." I stated, hugging my knees to my chest. "I...I just..."

"I know." Brian wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I couldn't cry anymore, not after this morning. It was almost midnight and already my friends were dropping like flies.

"I don't want you guys walking home by yourselves tonight." I stated. "I don't think anyone expects us to be going to school either."

"What do we do?" Tim asked harshly. "Hide out in our rooms like Lenore?"

"Don't even fucking start." I snapped. "I'm going outside for a little bit."

"Do you really think that's safe?" Tim mumbled. I grabbed my tea off of the table, watching the steam rise around it.

I slammed the door as I walked into my backyard, taking a seat in my swing again. I couldn't see the stars through the clouds above me, but I could see the pale disk of a moon behind them.

"Hello?" I called out, speaking only loud enough to to penetrate the tree line and not the house. "Are you there?"

I heard the leaves rustle as a figure stepped forward. It was The Rake, with wide eyes and a frantic look. It approached me quickly, and I handed it the mug. It almost seemed to smile and took it graciously.

"Do you know what happened to Lenore and Toby?" I asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer. After it finished gulping down my tea it quickly began tracing shapes in the mud. Pain pricked my heart as I saw a girl hanging from a noose, the words 'TOO LATE TO SAVE' written beneath her. But when he drew a boy in the flames, the words were 'JUST IN TIME'.

"Just in time?" I tilted my head, feeling my breath quicken. "Does that mean he's alive?"

The Rake nodded quickly, writing more words in the mud. It was getting more articulate the more we communicated. 'MADE HIM LIKE ME' was spelled out.

"Like you, as in...a proxy?"

'ONLY WAY TO SAVE' it nodded. A sad look was in its empty eyes though.

"Being a proxy isn't a good thing, is it?"

It shook it's head, handing me back the mug. It wrote one last message before waving goodbye and wandering back in the trees.

'DO NOT TRUST ANYONE'

~time skips~

My mother and I were in town the next day, placing flowers at a joint memorial for both Toby and Lenore. I placed a picture down of our whole group, smiling and enjoying ourselves at the beach. My tattoo was still fresh that day, but the ink shimmered like liquid. He wasn't a protector anymore. Lenore's brother and father were there, heads hung and going through the process of grieving. I heard that Toby's mother managed to survive the blaze, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey mom," I said. "I'm going to go into town, Tim and Brian should be there soon."

"Alright honey, just be careful, okay?"

"Okay." I smiled weakly before turning and walking off. In all reality, I just couldn't stand to be there anymore. I wanted to reach for Lenore's waiting hand or lean into one of Toby's comforting hugs. I would be missing pieces of me without them here. And to think, this is all because of one stupid trip into the woods at the wrong time on the wrong day. Maybe if I hadn't been wearing contacts that day, maybe if I'd made it clear who I was, none of this would have happened.

As I moped, I noticed the sky beginning to darken. The blue skies would be gone for a long while. At first it was just a few minute drops of rain here and there, then it began to drizzle in the most relaxing way. Steam rose from the sidewalk, and everyone was holding umbrellas and wearing hoods. I couldn't do either of those, so I just kept my head down and walked on.

"Hey, Sable!"

I stopped, hearing a girls voice calling my name. A girl my age with blond hair was running towards me, her dark brown eyes familiar to me. She had a sad expression on her face, and sympathy in her gaze.

"Oh. Uh, hi, Jenny." I looked away, clinching my teeth. Why was she talking to me?

"Look, I know I've done some nasty shit in the past," she stated blatantly. "But I want to apologize. I saw the memorial, and I just felt so awful. Losing two friends in one night is something I can't ever imagine."

"One. One friend." I corrected. "Toby's not dead. He's missing."

"Didn't Lenore...?"

"She hung herself from the ceiling fan." I said. Sugar coating things that Jenny already knew would do nothing. "The last words she said to me were 'I love you dust bunny. I'm sorry.' And I regret not going there sooner. I regret not barging into her room and holding her until she cried. Lenore was my best friend and I counted her as my sister."

"When my mother killed herself, I was the one who found the body."

I looked up. She was biting her bottom lip nervously, like she hadn't discussed this in a while.

"I was only eight when it happened, so I didn't really know what was going on. She had taken all of her pills and was laying in bed. I'd had a nightmare and crawled in beside her cold body. My dad had to drag me off of her when the police came to take her body."

"I was the same age when I lost my father." I sighed. "He was abusive. I'd show up to school with a new bruise every week. Then one day he just up and left, and I haven't seen him since. I know he's dead though."

"How do you know?"

"A gut feeling, I guess." I smiled a little. "I'm sorry for, whatever happened a few weeks ago in the bathroom. I haven't been myself in a long time, none of my friends had been. I hate to say it, but this was bound to happen eventually."

"I'll keep an eye out for Toby, if you'd like." She smiled back. "I want to make up for being such a bitch to you all these years."

"That would be helpful." I pulled out my phone. "Can I get your number? I'll text you so you'll have mine."

She listed off the digits as I put them in. And after a short text she had my number as well. She was just about to leave when I stopped her.

"If you see Toby, don't approach him, text or call me immediately." I warned. "And if he approaches you. Run."