Mine (Unedited) (Discontinued?)

Chapter 28

BEN should've gone home as soon as he punched that stupid tree. Now his hand and wrist were both so swollen, he almost couldn't tell that they were supposed to be a part of his arm.

Of course, the pain he felt at every twitch of movement his fingers attempted was not helping. It was so bad he couldn't even transform back to his non-human self so that he could heal faster. Every time he tried the pain got so intense he would nearly vomit or pass out, or both.

He had managed to get about a day's walk into his journey before he had to stop. The pain was dizzying, and he was barely keeping himself awake.

"This is all Kendra's fault," he muttered to himself, glaring at his hand. If it weren't for her cheating ass, he wouldn't have punched that damn tree and he'd be shopping for the supplies needed back at the mansion right now.

Thinking of the mansion made BEN remember that he was supposed to call and check in with Slender yesterday.

"Shit!" he shouted, panic ringing through his voice.

Using his left hand, BEN pulled his phone from his pocket, struggling not to let his arm brush the ground or the tree behind him that he'd been leaning against. As soon as he had it in hand, he pressed the button on the bottom of the screen that should have turned the phone on.

The screen remained black.

His panic rising, BEN pushed the button again, and then held down the power button at the top in hopes that he had just turned it off rather than forgetting to charge it again.

Nothing.

"Fuck!" he shouted again, dropping his phone in his lap. Of course he'd forgotten to charge it!

"Damn it, you idiot!" he said, talking to himself out loud now. It was better to fill the silence the forest had created around him.

The forest was quiet around him.

Loud warning bells went off in his head. Tensing, BEN strained his ears in hopes of hearing some kind of sound. Birds chirping, rabbits rustling the leaves that covered the forest floor, the flapping of wings, something that belonged to the life of the forest.

But he heard nothing that wasn't the sound of his own breathing.

Panic swelled in him again, and BEN struggled to his feet. He wasn't about to get caught in something dangerous when he was in such a vulnerable state. He only hoped he noticed the warning signs in time to get the fuck out of dodge.

BEN started a fast pace, walking in the direction of town since it was closer. His unease grew with every step, the silence seeming to grow with malice. What could have made the forest itself fall silent?

The answer came to him when he started looking around and saw a bent form in the distance to his right. Whatever it was was hunched over, its hands hovering near its face as if it was feeding from something.

The longer BEN looked, the higher his fear increased as he started to understand what he was staring at.

It was the Rake. Its skin was mottled and grey and clumped with fur. The fingers that he thought were sticks initially were the Wendigo's claws, sunk deep in the flesh of a badger. The spine of the thing was visible, poking through the skin that was shriveled, giving it the appearance of leather.

And then BEN realized that if the Rake was eating the animals of the forest, then it was probably too hungry to care what the flesh it consumed was attached to.

At the thought, BEN turned and ran. He was in his human form, the Rake wouldn't care if he was usually a killer under the protection of Slender, it just knew that BEN was currently human, and that was enough for the cannibal monster.

BEN heard the sound of crunching leaves and hungry growling, and he knew the thing was chasing him. Panic and adrenaline coursed through him, numbing the pain in his arm and helping him to pick up his speed.

But the Rake was a Wendigo, the perfect hunter of humans. So when BEN made the mistake of looking back to see where the thing was, it was gone. BEN slowed, confused and hopeful that it had stopped its chase.

A snarl of victorious laughter made BEN snap to look ahead of him again, fear renewing when he saw the Rake crouched only a few feet in front of him.

The close proximity made it possible for BEN to see its eyes, fogged with ravenous hunger and excitement. BEN took a step back, but the Rake took two steps forward and made him freeze.

"Rake, it's me. BEN. I'm under Slender's protection, remember?" BEN tried, hoping in vain that maybe his words would get through the hunger.

The Rake only snarled and took another step closer, it's haunches and shoulders flexing as it got ready to lunge. BEN took another step back, swallowing hard.

He shouldn't have moved, because the second he did, the Rake leapt towards him, its eyes locked on his neck. BEN squeezed his eyes closed and waited for a death that didn't come.

A loud screech came from the wendigo, the sound filled with pain and frustration. Wondering what was going on, BEN opened his eyes to see Slender standing in front of him and facing the Rake.

He had a tentacle wrapped around the monster's neck, the appendage getting tighter the more it struggled to get away.

The air crackling with his irritation, Slender spoke. "Rowtag, I have told you many times that if you attacked those under my protection, you would be punished. I was there for your creation, I will be here at your demise, do I make myself clear?"

The creature made a choked noise before, to BEN's complete shock, speaking painfully.

"Yessss," it hissed, glaring harshly at Slender.

Slender nodded and let it go, the Rake instantly taking to the trees in order to run off.

BEN dropped to the ground in relief, wiping the sweat from his face with his good hand. He saw Slender crouch next to him and take his broken hand, but he didn't feel anything due to the adrenaline still rushing through him.

"How did this happen?" Slender asked, gently pressing the swollen area around his wrist.

"Punched a tree," BEN muttered in answer, scowling at his hand and wrist.

Slender paused in his examination, his head lifting so that his blank face stared at him. His silence was incredulous, and it made BEN squirm in discomfort.

"You punched a tree? For what reason?" Slender asked, staring for a few more seconds before he went back to assessing the damage of BEN's arm.

"Was pissed about Kendra," he answered, her name causing a wrench of pain in his chest.

"Ah, now I understand. Very well, I'll need to take you home so I can start the process of repairing your arm."

BEN nodded, but said nothing. His arm had started to ache while Slender had talked, and he was a bit distracted by the dread of the agony his arm was going to be in when the adrenaline finally drained from his body.

Slender sighed, picking BEN up with ease and, wondering when his peaceful life of murder and housekeeping had all erupted in such emotional chaos, teleported home.