Caught In The Forest

Losing to Angst

Everyone got a good look at Penny 2.0. They couldn't quite pinpoint what they found the strangest about her, her new attitude, her robustness, or even her random appearance out of the blue. Yet, they also knew Penny wasn't there for a simple hello. After BEN's failure to greet Penny, no one else disturbed her. Not because they feared her, because they feared they'd hurt an old friend if they were angered enough. She spent most of her time within her room, and the others kept bothering Slenderman about it.

     "I can't believe you just let her stay," Jeff complained.

     "Do you like your head?" Slenderman replied, calmly. Jeff shut his mouth. "If I were to say no, she just might crack. She looks shattered as it is. This just makes things easier."

     Jeff huffed and slid two strange fruit puppets off the coffee table in protest. "Weird director guy, leaving his crap everywhere," he muttered, examining a broken apple puppet on the floor. "Well, I think I'm going to go risk my head anyway and see her."

    "I recommend that you don't do so," Slender scoffed.

    Jeff grunted in refusal and briskly left the room. He stomped up the stairs, shouting down to Slenderman, "She can't just expect to be left alone." His voice echoed behind him as he then stood in front of Penny's door. He rapidly began to knock on Penny's door. No response. "Open up." Still no response.

    He rolled his eyes a simply broke the door open. "You're a brat."

    "You're a hot head and have no respect for people's space," Penny was facing her window.

    Jeff stood frozen, looking at Penny. "Your hair looks ugly. Girls shouldn't have short hair like that, it makes you look like a boy."

    "Shut up. Don't tell me how to look." She twisted towards him, her dark eyes piercing back. Her empty face looked even more hollow to Jeff's surprise. She moved a piece of hair out of her face, Jeff noticed dried blood underneath her dirty fingernails.

    "What do you even do?"

    "I play with our critter friends outside," she turned back to the window. She made a slight gesture to one corner of the room. Animal pelts of vary shape and color sat in a crumpled heap.

    "Since when do you hunt?"

    "I needed practice." Penny's head turned toward the heap. "Some of them are fast, I must admit. But its worth the fun," she eyed a distinct rabbit fur.

     "You're not very clean with it, are you?"

    "Where's the fun in not getting your hands a little dirty, Jeff? You of all people should know." She looked at her knees, "Hypocrite," she whispered. "And you," she continued. "Daring to talk about beauty. What makes you think you have such a pretty face?" Jeff clenched his fists. "What was it, Jeff? A bout of insanity that ruined you? Where is that fire? Have you lost your spine?" She began to ramble, talking about decay of himself and the others. How they were foolish artists, running dry of an original masterpiece.

     "Watch yourself,"he warned.

     "You never could keep your head, could you? You ugly boy." Jeff felt himself clutch at the shiny new knife sitting in his hoodie pocket. He was fighting himself to not slaughter Penny. "Ugly, ugly boy. That's all you are. An angry, hypocritical, ugly little boy."

     Jeff felt sick to his stomach, it was like Laughing Jack's poisoning all over again, except this was the real Penny speaking. "Don't provoke me."

     She laughed, "I dare you. Or are you growing weak you monstrosity?" Jeff couldn't help himself as he pulled out his knife.

     "Stop," he ordered.

     "Of course, I'd never want the horrid smiley man to send me to the grave. That would be humiliating."

     Overwhelmed with anger, Jeff struck. It was at the last second that Penny saw Jeff drive the knife into her back from the faint reflection of the window. She gasped for air. Jeff began to panic and turned her towards him. He watched in horror as a thick stream of blood began to flow from Penny's mouth, dribbling red down her chin.

     "Penny!" He shouted in terror. "I'm so sorry!"

     She smiled faintly with blood stained teeth. "Oh Jeff," she managed to gurgle. Suddenly a surge rose up from her mouth, spraying Jeff in Penny's blood. She began to choke and Jeff picked Penny up and began to run out of the room.

     "Help!" He cried. Slenderman was still downstairs and he jumped up at the sight of a limp Penny in Jeff's arms.

     "What have you done!" He demanded laying her onto the couch.

     "I-I," Jeff was stumbling over his words. "I'm so sorry!"

     Masky and Hoodie fled downstairs, running to aide their lord. They seemed to turn paralyzed, looking at Penny's motionless body. Their still hearts wilted at the sight. "Penny," they mumbled in unison.

     BEN all of a sudden flashed onto the scene after hearing the whole fiasco, instantly tackling Jeff. "What did you do!" He screamed, the entirety of his eyes a crimson. His eyes darted towards Penny, and he stumbled over to her. He felt the void within him grow at the sight of her own dead eyes. He snatched her arm and felt for a pulse, nothing. If BEN was able to cry, he just might have, the mortal feelings were staggering for him. They were striking him like freight trains, carrying a variety of grief. "Why couldn't you just have self control?" He bellowed in heartbreak.

     Jeff stared at the scene, his eyes wide. He too could feel it, the pain, and it was miserable. As well as the sting of guilt for once. He couldn't express in words how shameful he felt; he was speechless. Penny was dead and it was all his fault.

     A drained sounding Slenderman spoke, "You've all seen death before. It never hurt before, don't let it hurt now."