Caught In The Forest

A Color That Kills

  I could only stare back up. "Slenderman," I whispered.

    In an instant he crouched over to my height.

    "Where were you?" He hissed in demand.

    "I was exploring," I said bluntly.

    "Where?"

     "Beyond the woods."

     For a long time, Slender stood in silence. Finally he spoke, so softly it was terrifying. "You went to the town."

     I didn't respond, but I was not surprised to know Slender knew. Finally I gathered my guts. "I didn't think it would harm-"

    "Not only did you worry us. You put US in danger."

    "Slender, I didn't know! I wanted to see more!"

    Faceless face to face,  he demanded, "Did you say anything?"

    "No, I promise. I made up a whole story, I lied, okay?"

    Slenderman turned around, his back to me. "I don't want to kill you, but if I have to, I will."

    I glared at him in shock and a sense of betrayal. "You can't even die. Now that if I think about it, you are the danger!"

    He whipped around. Anger bore him like a shroud. "No we can't die, but we can still feel pain. We can be taken away, no matter our strengths. Caged, Penny! Like animals!"

    "I'm starting to think," I mumbled, "that you are an animal."

     If he could grin, I think Slender was. It was not a kind smile, no not in this situation, it was sick and evil. "You are yet to see the animal within me, Penny." He began to walk towards me, and I backed away into a tree. "Tell me Penny, what do you think I am?" He slammed his hand into a tree next to me, slashing off three layers of bark. "You are lucky. You should be grateful. Do you know how hard it is for me not to kill you? Throw you away like every other putrid human being?"

     I looked him in the face, glaring. "You said it yourself, and I'll never forget. I'm an experiment, Slendy," I hissed. "Its reminder is fresher than the blood you spill everyday. How many innocent people, Slendy? How many children?" I threw my own fist at the tree already damaged. I saw my knuckles bleeding, but the anger put a shield against the pain. I did not know why, but I felt tears gather in my eyes. I presumed it was from the grief of being taken away from my family, from being taken away from my future. "I know you killed one for certain, and that one was me! How can  you live with yourself knowing you've killed people who loved others and those who loved them? People destined for great lives!"

     The wind shrieked in our silence. But just barely audible, Slenderman whispered, "Not everyone, Penny."

    Wiping at the trail of a tear, I looked at Slenderman weary eyed. "What?"

    Louder now, he said, "Not everyone is great, not everyone is innocent. Not everyone is loved."

    I felt angry at his simple words. They were logical, but I felt they weren't true. "You. Are. Wrong," I spat. "If not everyone is loved, how is it I am able to love you people? You horrendous demons? How is it that I care about you, Slenderman? Knowing you murder and have the name of mass genocide under your belt? How many times have I said these words, Slender? Horrendous, death, kill, murder? Murder, murder, murder!" Trembling now, I stared at him, this time in sorrow, pain, regret. "Why me? Why am I in your experiment? Why couldn't you discard me? Can't you see it, Slenderman? I'm falling to pieces!" I slumped against the tree, tired, worn, a thousand years older than I'd ever been.

     Then, like a rotten nostalgia, the ugly color returned to my head. It was an instigator, sending a torrent of tears down my cheeks. "No," I whispered to the tree. "No," I said louder, to the audience of one standing in front of me. "Is this how you win? Is this fair?" My vision was leaving, the dark sky turned lighter, it was turning gray. Like I had been struck with the pain of my entire life at once, I screamed. I screamed for help, in mourning, in stress, and in sadness. I screamed in gray.