The Turners: The Rise Of Slenderman (Season 1) [COMPLETED]

episode 17 - a day to mourn (3)

⚒⚒

Jojo and Somo exchanged confused looks, then gazed back at Sly who had been pacing back and forth in the room. It had been five minutes and whatever he wanted to tell the two, he found it hard to do so. Anxiously biting his nails, he looked at the ground as he paced.

I can do this. I can tell them.

Sly looked at Jojo, the bored and uncaring look on her face made him nervous. He knew to never underestimate that look. Many monsters (and humans) had, and they paid for it. Somo on the other hand, he seemed more interested in him, watching carefully as he opened and closed his mouth, the words fighting to remain in his mouth. 

Once I say it, then there is no coming back from it.

He rubbed his head, roughing up his hair. He unbuttoned his collar and took a deep breath. The air had suddenly gotten thick, but he was the only one having a hard time breathing. 

There was a stool beneath the dresser in the changing room. He pulled it and sat down. 

"Can you tell us already?" said Jojo, sounding annoyed. It was surprising it took her that long to finally speak. She always said what was on her mind, instantly. Was there a reason this time it was different? Were Sly's words about finding her fascinating a catalyst in that? There were too many questions, but Jojo's poker face gave no answers.

"I have a secret I have been keeping," Sly finally spoke, his hands trembling. He was afraid what they would think of him once they knew the truth. He knew he wasn't friends with them, but their reaction would help him have an idea of how Joe and Daisy would react once he told them.

"Go on," Jojo said, her interest peeked. 

I cannot do this. I cannot. He put his hands over his ears and buried his face on his lap. Their faces, I can see them all. 

He had gone to the morgue to see the dead children, and he found their bodies lumped together in a deserted room. The image shook him to the core, but he had to keep his emotions in check in case Slenderman was watching. 

But he hadn't felt the creeper in him in a week. Ever since the murders, it was like he was gone from him and now all the terrible things he had done came rushing back in his mind: He had killed the man he fought with in the club; he kidnapped innocent children (including Junipa's son); and he was the one who had given Gina Yanez's home address to Slenderman. 

At the time he didn't know why the creeper wanted it. 

"It is just... I know you two are Creeper Hunters, that is why telling you two first is the right choice," said Sly, taking his time. He had never been this nervous about anything in his life. 

"Come on already. You have a mouth, say it. Why are you being a dramatic bitch?" Jojo was vexed. If there was one thing she didn't have, it was patience in getting crucial information.

"Slenderman... Um... I found out who he is working with."

"Slenderman is a he?" Somo asked, his arms folded.

Jojo rolled her eyes. "Of course, he is a he. Why do you think he has man in hi-" She caught Somo's raised brow and realized what he was doing. "Oh," she mouthed, then walked close to Sly and put a hand on his shoulder. "Tell us, we are here for you."

Those words sent a shiver up Sly's spine. Not once had he seen Jojo act so kindly. Not once! So why now? It was like listening to the snake who convinced Eve to eat the apple try to tell him to open up. Will she use the truth against him? Will she kill him after he spoke? 

I am thinking way too much of this. She cannot kill me here. If she does, people will know, right? He gulped, staring into her cold eyes. I can do this. I can do this. He took a deep breath, then exhaled through his mouth. 

"Slenderman has his followers, he calls them proxies," he said. Jojo and Somo stared at him, not saying a word. "Right, you already knew that. Those proxies are the ones who have been kidnapping the children mostly. It has been going on for so long, as you may have seen with the dead bodies of children from other cities and towns. There were five of them from different states.

"These proxies are: Ellen, the woman cried on TV that her daughter was missing. But in truth, she was lying; Len, Ellen's husband and her right hand man; and Erman, Ellen second husband and her adviser."

Sly paused, gathering his thoughts.

"Ellen is Rouge, Slenderman's second in command and his favorite soldier. He sees her more than a proxy. You can see Len, Erman and..." He swallowed his saliva. It was hard to say the last name. If he kept quite, maybe it wouldn't have been true. Maybe this was all a dream and he was about to wake up soon. 

Jojo pinched him. 

"Ouch!" Sly jumped from his seat and fell on the floor.

"And?" asked Jojo, her eyes wide from intrigue. 

Sly gulped. "And me," he said. "I am also a proxy. I have been a proxy for a while. At first I hadn't known, but then Slenderman easily made me aware and I didn't object it. He messed with my emotions and I accepted who I was. Hoodie, that was the name I was branded. I didn't want it, but I enjoyed being his proxy. It made me feel... alive. It was the first time I felt such a way in a long time. I never knew what true power was until he gave me a taste of it."

He was beginning to sound like a mad man. 

"He was gentle with his words, like a charming king who assured you victory whenever in battle. And in return to always feel alive, all I had to do was kidnap a few kids for him. I didn't know why he had such an obsession with children. A part of me feared maybe he was a pedophile, but that was not the case. And even if he was, this new me would have accepted it with ease."

He hid his face with his hands in shame, then started crying. Jojo and Somo watched as Sly cried his eyes out. He had never liked people seeing him being vulnerable. Daisy had told him it was a sign of weakness. And he had agreed. 

Rubbing his nose with his arm, his eyes were puffy and red. 

"The kids, us proxies and Slenderman hid in Ramere Reserve. He spent his time watching Rouge read story books to them. And if it wasn't that, he was feeding them sugary snacks. The children would go crazy from all the sugar they ate, and that seemed to please him. He smiled as the kids played and ran around wildly. 

"But then something changed. He usually shared everything with his proxies, but that day he was distant and quite. It led him to kill Emily Vanswaggle and take her three innocent children, whom he also killed before we got to the cabin and dumped their bodies in the woods near his cabin. 

"I later came to find out that one of his creeper friends, known as The Lunch Lady, was murdered. That was what sparked his rage."

Jojo and Somo exchanged knowing glances. And there was a slight smile from Jojo.    

"After that, I left off for Mindy's home with you guys and the rest. The next thing I know, Slenderman killed all those children, and I can't feel him inside me anymore. It's like he cut off his connection from me. Now I am haunted with images of those he killed. 

"I can't sleep. I can hardly eat. My mind is messed up and I don't know what to do anymore. I was hoping if I came clean to you guys, you would know what to do. I fear if Daisy knew I was being controlled my Slenderman, she wouldn't hesitate to kill me."

He looked at them and asked, "What do you guys think?"

Jojo gave Somo an I-got-this nod and stood before Sly. "Thank you for your honesty," she said, then knocked him out with one punch. "But we got it from here."