The Slender Man (a Hetalia fanfiction - Book 2)

Chapter 23 - No Nightmare Can Relate

I have no clue how long we walked, but I guess it was worth it, because soon we did find something odd not too far from us.
"What is that?" I heard Japan murmur, his voice sounded curious,
"Let's go check it out!" Prussia said, now running towards it.
"Hey, wait for us!" America called so he began running too, and so everyone else followed.
I'm not sure how much longer I can keep running like this. My head throbs harder than before and the whispers are louder, like vicious voices, lashing out with incomprehensible words, but now I know I don't actually hear them, they're inside my head.
Slender Man is getting inside my mind, making me see flashes of images I don't want to see, making me hear things I don't want to listen to.
Do the others feel this way, too?
I managed to glimpse at them, taking in their appearance.
They do look exhausted, pale, and stressed. They could be keeping in more than what I can see.
I slowed to a walk and no one seemed to notice, for they continued running ahead.
I looked into the trees, knowing that he's in there, watching every move we make.
The thudding of my heartbeat is in rhythm with the throbbing in my head and the pain made me wince.
I've been feeling more lightheaded than usual and the headache, the voices, the pictures in my head...they've only gotten worse.
"It's a shed!" I heard England pant and so I decided to catch up.
"Holy hell yeah!" I heard my brother shout. "Another note!"
I gasped and walked faster. Now I'm standing beside my brother as we all stared at the note which is attached to the back of this small shed-like thing.
NEVER SAFE
"So...once we pick this up, we need to run?" Prussia asked.
Germany nodded. "Ja. We need to run."
"Two more notes, aru..." China whispered and I nodded.
"Yeah. Two more..."
But can I even keep myself stable long enough to find the last note?
America reached out and pulled the paper off of the old wood.
The breeze blew strongly this time, blowing past us and making our hair fly wildly.
"You are never safe."
"You're foolish to think he's not watching."
"He will get you."
"Never trust the trees."
"Yyyyeeeah, let's run now," America said and then we all broke into another sprint, rushing through the trees again.
"Wh...Where do you guys...think the...airport is?" I heard America huff as we ran.
"Keep going forward!" I heard Russia call. "We'll find it soon."
Will we really find it soon? And when we do find it, how would we be able to find a tiny note in an airport, known to be full of documents and papers that the note could be hidden among?
These voices are louder, the images are more clear, taking up my vision. No matter how much I blink them away, they just don't fade.
I can't stand this for much longer.
Soon, I realized I'm questioning all of us. I'm even questioning myself, and my strength.
Stop it, Rosalie! I scolded myself. We are all going to find the last two notes before sunrise. It's only two notes! You have to be strong!
We're almost done. It's almost over...
"It won't be over as soon as you hope for. We all know you'll fail, like you always do."
I blinked when I heard that voice in my head again.
What do you want now? Who are you?
"You don't know who I am, yet? How pathetic. We've talked so many times before...oh, I guess you don't remember."
I furrowed my eyebrows at that. What? Who are you!?
We had slowed to a stop when we realized the breeze and the whispers had faded, but the whispers didn't completely go away...
"It doesn't matter who I am."
Well, I'm curious, at least.
"Whew!" America said, wiping his forehead and catching his breath along with that rest of us.
"Alright, now we just need to find that bloody airport," England muttered.
"Call me Madness."
I blinked in surprise. What?
"Call me Anger, Frustration, Despair, Hopelessness, Remorse, Self-Loathing, Darkness. But, for now, you can call me Snapped."
Snapped? I don't understand, I'm confused.
"That's good, because soon you won't be able to feel anything at all."
What the hell do you mean by that!?
"You're falling over the edge, Rosalie. Did you really think you've truly escaped from the events back at that mansion?"
I'm fine!
"You're not. You're only worsening, not recovering. Once this is over, your sanity will be gone."
I started to think. Am I going crazy?
"What the hell do you think I'm saying, idiot?"
I rolled my eyes. Great, first you help me find Romano, then you insult me.
"You need to learn to listen. I can help you."
But you're just some weird voice in my head, right?
"You can say that."
Then why do I need to listen to you?
"It all depends."
On what?
"On whether you believe I'm really here or if I'm just your imagination."
I bit my lip at that. Is it just my head talking to myself? Well, if the voice is inside my head, I guess it is my imagination.
"Do you believe you're crazy?"
No! I don't!
But...what about the voices I hear? Is that my imagination, or are they really there?
"What do you believe in most? Your imagination, or reality?"
I blinked. That...

America's P.O.V

It was silent as we walked through this creepy as hell woods. Man, when are we gonna find that airport?
We're all pale, exhausted, frightened, concerned, stressed, and the list goes on and on...
I sighed a bit and looked at Rosalie. Her eyes are tired and looking ahead, and she seemed like she's focusing on something.
Her expression reveals her weariness and her feet dragged along the ground. Hell, I can't blame her, we've ran a lot tonight.
I slowed down so I can walk her pace beside her. "Hey, Rosie."
She blinked and looked up at me. "Oh, hey."
"You alright?"
She huffed slightly. "What do you expect?"
I shrugged. "I dunno. This has to be the worst night ever."
"Tell me about it."
"She's losing it."
I blinked. "What?"
"What?" Rosalie asked, her eyebrows furrowing. I looked around to find who that voice belonged to, but no one said anything.
"You're all losing it. It's very amusing."
"Who said that?" I asked, looking around.
"Who said what?" Rosalie asked, looking at me in confusion.
"You didn't hear that?" I asked her. Then who said that?
"What are you talking about, you bloke?" England asked, sounding tired.
"Someone said something," I said, rubbing my arm and continued looking around.
"The only ones talking are you and Rosalie, aru." China said, giving me a confused look.
I sighed. "Uh, nevermind."
"Rosalie is going to Snap."
Snap? Snapped? Oh, shit...
I closed my eyes, and there in the void of my mind, as expected, is a mirror, revealing my reflection. However, the only thing different is that my reflection is smiling sadistically, and there's a bruise on his neck.
And what does it mean by Rosalie is going to snap?
"You know what I mean."
I opened my eyes. What do you want from me, man?
"I am here to let you know that little Rosalie will one day lose the fight against her darker side. And it will be soon."
Oh, really? Ha! I'm not going to let that happen to her! As long as I'm here, she's not losing any fight!
"She's already losing it, you dumbass. Nothing you're doing is working."
Oh great, now it's offending me?
"She'll lose once she finds out."
Finds out? About what? It's bad enough that she went through what she did, and things are still happening that'll scare and scar her. What else will happen?
"She'll find out the truth about you. About her. About what you're keeping from her."
I blinked and I felt my expression drain from my face along with my blood.
Oh...
"Do you know how she will feel once she finds out? You know she'll find out sooner or later. That, or you tell her. Either way, you know she'll be upset. She'll feel terrible knowing you lied to her. She'll hate you. She'll hate herself. It will-"
Shut up! I know what it would do! I thought it would protect her to keep it secret!
"Do you really think keeping it from her will protect her? Even when you know how she'll feel once she finds out?"
I don't know how to respond to that.
"You're no hero. You're a coward because you don't want to lose your-"
Don't say it. I gritted my teeth.
"Oh?"
Although I hadn't closed my eyes, I can feel him smiling.
"You know you'll lose her. Just as she'll lose herself. It's only in a matter of time. You know it. And you can't save her."
I swallowed hard.
"Some hero you are."
Shut up...
"Don't you want to save her?"
I do, and I will.
"I doubt it. Touch the mirror, and I can help you."
I opened my mouth to shout aloud only to hear Russia speak up.
"Over there!"
We all looked to where he was pointing ahead towards where we can see an opening to the beach and ocean.
Not too far down the beach, we can see a dark structure that could belong to none other than the airport.
Russia turned to us with a smile on his face.
"I told you we would find airport soon, da?"