The Slender Man (a Hetalia fanfiction - Book 2)

Epilogue - Eternal Fear

On the flight back, I stared out the window. I'm not afraid of riding on the plane anymore.
I don't know why, but it just doesn't seem as terrifying.
Maybe it's because I knew what to expect?
Maybe it's because of what we experienced last night?
The fear, the paranoia, it still haunts the back of my mind.
No matter how happy I am to leave, I know that this is going to always be a dark reminder of what's out there.
If this is the kind of shit that happens, what else is out there?
Is it better than what we went through? Or is it far worse?
Whether or not I find out, I know there's things out there that can really stick to someone's mind.
Like that mansion, or Slender Man.
That mansion still lives on, and so do the beasts within it.
Slender Man is immortal, so I know he's not going away any time soon.
And they're both going to haunt us, probably for the rest of our lives.
What if the wrath of the mansion is still upon us?
What if we have another situation where we run into Slender Man again? What if this time, he gives no mercy? We were lucky to have escaped from him, but is his grasp on us completely released?
I can't be too sure, but I know he will always have some sort of hold on us. Like the mansion, we're definitely not forgetting this.
We may have escaped this game, but what if he wants to play another round?
What if we didn't really escape him? Why would he let us escape in the first place?
Ugh, too many questions and not enough answers.
Who knows? He could still be in the shadows, watching. Waiting. Radiating off a gaze that can make anyone go mad under the pressure.
I glanced towards where I remember first seeing him.
We're on the same plane we were on getting here, so of course it brought back some unwanted images.
I kind of expected everyone to be rowdy and excited to be getting back home, talking about work and the other countries and such.
But no, everyone is silent. The only thing that can be heard is the hushed speaking of the flight attendant and the pilot up front and the roar of the engine.
I don't like silence very much, but I can't blame anyone.
I looked back out the window and watched as the clouds rushed by and the land beneath us moving ever so slowly.
Although we escaped, for now, I know that the fear will always linger.
The fear of being lost, watched, followed, and never alone, not in the good way.
That kind of fear doesn't truly leave you. It'll always be in the back of your mind, only making its existence known we we're faced with anything that reminds us of the situation.
I know, because I've felt that fear before. Many times, actually.
I don't think I can ever get used to it, and I don't want to experience it ever again.
It's over now, isn't it?
We escaped, didn't we?
We'll never see Slender Man again, right?
I began to doubt things, I began to believe things, I began to understand things, and then there's the stuff that'll make me go mad if I think about it for too long.
Although, right now, I should feel safe. Romano is sitting next to me, his hand in mine. He and Italy are both alive. Everyone is here, everyone is safe, and we're on a plane, going back home.
I should feel like everything will be fine, everything will be back to normal.
But I know it'll never be the same.
I don't feel completely safe, because there's one thing that will always be there.

Fear.