Distance||Eyeless Jack

Four

The masked man's gaze swept across the field. The body of the teen had been recovered, and he had been recognized as the killer. It was a messy kill, and he blamed himself for the teen's death. He wasn't upset about it though.

But his anger usually didn't manage to get the best of him. Especially over something as simple as a punch. Maybe it was the recent events that had built up an anger and it had been straining for release. The punch must have broken the seal.

Jack opened his eyes, and was met with clean, white gauze covering one of his eyes. He tried to move his arms, but they felt like they weighed a ton.

After a moment, he remembered where he was, and all of the sluggishness that had been there previously vanished. He started to pull the gauze off, and noticed that at least half of it was covered in dried blood.

There was something that felt off here. There were no sounds in the background. No voices. No doors slamming or the smell of food burning.

What had happened to this place? He pushed himself up to a sitting position, and glanced around. This was the infirmary, but it looked like it hadn't been used in years. Everything had collected a thick layer of dust, and the lights flickered weakly.

"Hello?" Jack called out, hoping for a response. Luckily, one came. "Glad you woke up. You hit your head pretty hard on the porch when you fell asleep."

"Where are the others?" There was a sigh, and Slenderman spoke again. "They left. After you decided to go, the family toppled. You, Jack, were the foundation of the family."

"That's right, I was the first you brought here." Jack said, remembering his first day here. "I still can't believe you managed to get me to come. What you said sounded pretty sketchy at the time."

The Slenderman nodded. "Yes. I'm sure it did. But I've improved my little speech." Jack smiled, amused. "So, is it more or less sketchy?"

"Well, you'll be the judge of that." There was a pause, and he spoke again. "Jack. I invite you to come live in my mansion. I can assure your safety as long as you are within the walls. Do you accept?" He held out a grey-ish white hand.

Jack chuckled, and took the Slenderman's hand. "Still sounds a bit sketchy, but yes. No please help me stand up. My body feels heavy again."