Last Pasta Standing 2: Union and Reunion

Chapter 1: Awakening

I sat there staring up at the creature that was my friend just yesterday. Blind, I thought. Looks like those visions were more true than I thought. Hope Garrick, or what was left of her, was smiling like she hadn't changed a bit from herself.  Her shirt was black, and crossed with two red straps holding strange looking swords.  Her teeth looked sharper than in the dream.  "About time you showed up," she said.

Apparently, she saw the the look of astonishment and horror on my face. Her purple and green eyes were filled with light and confidence. Much unlike the vision of her turning.

"What's the matter, bud?" she said, "You look like you've seen something out of your latest nightmare."  She chuckled, "Oh wait: you have."

"How-" I stammered, "W-w-wha-at?"

She laughed hardily, and said "Oh right! I forgot about the whole memory thing. Heh. Imagine that. Let me start from the basics. Welcome to the Slendermanor, Alex. You're a creepypasta now. Yeah!" She did a sarcastic jazz hands move.

I didn't understand. Creepypasta? Slendermanor? I was still terrified; I didn't even know what a creepypasta was.  "U-uhm...what?" 

She chuckled. She seemed friendly, yet...there was something else about her that I just couldn't put my finger on. It scared me. "Wow," she said, "The big guy really did wipe your memory. Look: I'm your friend, and there's no Zalgo in me anymore. Is that understood?"

Now I was perplexed. "Big man?" I said, tilting my head.  "Friend?"   

"Yeah," she said with a smile, "I hope his name is still familiar to you: the big man is the Slenderman."

My heart jumped. The Slenderman!? He was the evil, faceless thing stalking the woods and taking children all those years ago! He was the subject of my nightmares until last week.

I jumped out of the cot, and started looking for a weapon. I had to find something. Anything to help me fight my way out of here.

"Don't worry about the Slenderman!" Hope said, laughing, "He's the least of your worries.  Besides, it's pointless to find a weapon.  Everything here is bolted to the floor."

She knew what I was thinking. "How did you know I was looking for a weapon?" I said. Then I suddenly realized something. "How can I trust you? The last time I saw you, you had been freshly made into...you, but evil, and...insane! Well...more insane than usual."  She chuckled ,"But like....how do I know you won't kill me?"

She walked over to me as my body suddenly froze in place; it was a paralysis similar to what I had felt when Zalgo tried to kill me. She put her hand to my forehead and said: "Like this."

Suddenly a great flash of light washed over my sight. I could see the Slenderman. He was watching each of us as we were corrupted. He pulled each of my friends away from wherever they were serving Zalgo, and brought them to the manor. Hope was the first one, so she witnessed it all. Strangely, though, I didn't see Jeff or Toby getting cleansed. The memory was partially wiped to get rid of all of the corruption. The physical appearance that each of us had, however was kept. It seemed that that was the way that we were supposed to be after the power Am'Dhaegar had given us was activated.

Then I saw through the "eyes" of the Slenderman; or...where his eyes were supposed to be. He was watching my corruption through a window. I was consumed by the blackness and it got into my eyes. That's where I blacked out, but the Slenderman's sight gave me the rest of the story. My eyes were black and melting. Like ink flowing from the sockets. "He....comes.....He...comes..." I kept saying. Zalgo was laughing histerically with pride and victory

But then something amazing happened. I stopped. My face turned from hypnotized and zombie-like to stern and angry.

"No." I said. This stopped Zalgo's laughter as this was not according to his plan. "He does not come," I said, "He...Stays! He DIES!"

I screamed louder than any living creature, and combusted in an array of electric sparks. I rose from the floor and the shadow fell off of me. My eyes were still black, and my family sword had fused onto my forearm, the serrated side protruding from the outer side. My body was glowing with pure lightning, and some kind of beastly power. Fire began shooting from my right hand where the sword handle had melted into my palm. I kept screaming as my eyes seemed to grow two slits in the darkness like draconic pupils .From my back grew (at a rather grotesque rate, might I add) a pair of dragon-like wings. By this time, the entire apartment building had been burned to the ground and destroyed. Zalgo was nowhere in sight.  All that was left was me in a vortex of energy.  Clouds were gathering above.

Eventually, I stopped expoding and bursting with energy, and fell three stories down, crashing to the ground. Surely I was dead. The Slenderman reverted himself to his normal size, and picked up my broken body. The vision ended there.

I came back into consciousness as Hope removed her hand from my head. I staggered back, reeling in my own mind what I had just seen. "How did you do that?" I asked.

She twirled her fingers in the air making a purple eye symbol in the air. "I got psychic powers from that Am guy." she said, smiling, "It's pretty fun."

I still couldn't believe what I had seen. "Alright," I said, panting, "I understand that you...you're good now, but...How am I alive? I mean-"

"I've learned it's best not to question the powers at play here." she interrupted, "They have been able to bend the very rules of reality itself. So don't question how you're alive. Just appreciate that you are."  I suppose I could live with that.

I noticed a mirror on top of a dresser to my right. I walked over to it to confirm what I had seen from what Hope showed me. It was true. My eyes were all black, except for a slit of light emanating from the middles. They seemed to be acting as pupils. Dragon Pupils, I thought, cooool... I was caught off guard by the next thing that caught my eyes. Protruding from my shoulder blades was a pair of dragon wings as long as my body was tall. I was afraid of myself.  Of what I had become.

I looked back at Hope, tears in my eyes.  "What am I, Hope?" I asked, "What are we?"

"We're heroes now, Alex.  I know you were getting used to that human body of yours, but I think this suits you much better.

I steeled myself.  It's too late to cry over it now, I thought, I just have to take what I'm given and roll with it.  "So," I began, wiping the dark grey tears from my eyes, "Is there anything else I should know about these 'powers at play?'  I really don't want to have to deal with much more of this."

Hope laughed, genuinely entertained by my exasperation.  "This is only the tip of the iceberg, buddy." she said, opening the tall wooden door behind her, "Shall we begin?"