Caught In The Forest

Let's Escape

Needless to say, the next day was quiet. No one mentioned my jump, nor Hoodie's heroic feat. But it was that evening that my voice rose again. Jeff, Masky and I sat in a tight circle within the lounge playing a petty game of cards. Slenderman sat nearby, in an armchair towards the back, his fingers flipping through a book at a strangely fast speed, he hadn't yet spoken to me. Amidst our game, I occasionally looked towards him to see a different book in his hands each time. It was intriguing for I never really saw Slenderman commit any hobby, but I can not say I was surprised to see him favor reading. Interrupting my thoughts, Jeff spoke up to say more than "Go Fish". 

    "This is so boring!" He whined, throwing his deck across the rug. "This is a damn child's game, a mortal's to be precise." I glared at him for a second, feigning insult. "Yeah, that's right, you guys are dull." He stood up and stretched, Masky still intently focused on his own deck.

     "I have an idea," I said monotonously, copying Masky's focus. "Let's go to the town, huh? Talk to the humans. Interact. Play around. You know?" I looked over to see Slenderman had closed his book and was now listening to me and me only. "Oh wait," I said. "That's bad, humans are only good enough to die, we are superior. Hold on, I'm sorry, you're superior," I shot a glance towards Slenderman. I too stood up, I smiled at Jeff. "Wouldn't that be fun though, Jeff? To go somewhere else without a mission, without a cause, to just exist."

     "I get what you're saying, yeah, to just hang around. But you know that's a bit touchy right now, especially to the big guy."

     "Jeff," Slender growled, his first word the entire day.

     "This chick jumped off a building because she couldn't go outside. You expect me to ignore that? Heck, I think I would too, except I'd try a more efficient way to croak."

    "He's got a point," a voice echoed through the room, it didn't belong to any of us. I looked to Masky but he simply shrugged. Almost on cue, this "mystery man" stepped out of the television.

    "BEN how long have you been listening?" I asked.

     "Since Jeffy's tantrum." Jeff tensed, his eyes squinting at BEN.

     "You can go to universes that don't even exist, it's easy for you to not be bored."

     BEN rolled his eyes. "Princess don't get your panties in a wad, I'm agreeing with you. Slendy, you know that she isn't a baby right? She is like some kettle of teen angst, except she's a grown-up, and you made her boil over. She's curious, she wants to know. After all we took her away from that human life."

    "And according to Jeff, its boring aspects," Masky finally spoke, still staring at the cards in an unmoving statue stance.

     Slenderman put his book to the side and walked over to the three of us standing. "Listen," he said. And we all did. But I heard nothing, however, Jeff's and BEN's faces seemed to turn blank and pale. "See we hear it and she can't. The pump in her blood. The beat of her heart. The weakness. Don't you forget it, she is normal, she is not one of us. She, like every other selfish human, will do what ever it takes to thrive, even if it means to push others down." A silence ensued, but I gathered my words at last.

     "There are good people. I don't know what you think of me, but I am more vigilante than hero, even impending villain. But don't you think for a second that I won't protect those good people with flowing blood and beating hearts."

     Slender seemed to smile and then he vanished into thin air. We looked around confused. "What the hell is he doing?" Jeff wondered aloud. Like a nightmare breathing in the day, Slenderman returned in an instant. His suit was dirty with crimson, from his death black tie to his sinful shiny shoes. 

    "Oh my, it seems that I've gained some filth on me." He flicked a small red bead off his shoulder, I watched it splat onto the floor in front of my feet. "Oops."

     I was about to tackle Slenderman, and my pride made me to believe I was to kill him when the others, even Masky, pulled me back. "You bastard!" I cried. I struggled, with all my strength, and I was surprisingly able to get free. The three could not catch me before I had rammed into Slenderman. He dodged my attack, he was suddenly behind me.

     "See, you are selfish." I kicked. "Prideful." I scratched. "Idiotic." I punched. "Weak."

     Tired of hitting air, I slumped to the ground. I looked to see the others with what looked like sadness. BEN looked as if he'd seen bloody murder, from a human's perspective anyway. "Oh Slender," I breathed. "I am no fan of hypocrites."

    He leaned over me, then curtly slapped me across the face. "Watch your tone."

    BEN, obviously horrified, ran over to me, then glared up at Slenderman. I then watched BEN do something I'd never known he could do. He seemed to lose his virtual-like appearance, the small edge of pixels began to blend into smooth flesh. His eyes melted from a dark red into a mellow blue. "I'm going to take Penny to a safer place for a while. Where humans might be more accepted."

     "I won't even let you get through the door," Slender hissed.

     BEN began to lift me off the ground, and then he smirked. "Oh Slender. I never use doors." Without a second to lose BEN bolted into the TV, carrying me with him.