Renegade

- Chapter VIII -

- Chapter VIII -

That night I had to be extremely careful with my thoughts. If the tiniest hint that I had seen that girl, Violet, slipped into my conscious thought, my father would know immediately. Thankfully that's the only part of the mind he could see into, conscious thought. As long as I kept that days events hidden in the back of my head, I wouldn't have to worry.

Finally after sitting at the table with my parents as Mom tried to ease the tension for a half hour while we ate, she finally let me go. They probably had to talk, anyway. Not bothering to walk, I Slenderwalked across the tiny house and flopped onto my bed. I fell asleep that night with a grin on my face and an unrealistic sense of optimism in my heart.

I was jolted awake by the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. Once my vision adjusted to the dark, I realized that I was sitting on my fallen oak tree in the woods. The moon was full and casting blue light all around the forest, but silver clouds were quickly rolling in. The woods were silent other than a storm threatening breeze rustling the leaves.

I was beginning to wonder why I was there when a figure appeared next to me and I leapt back in surprise. It was her. Violet.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. My voice had a strange echo to it, as if I were talking into a cup.

Instead of answering, Violet sprang into a run and disappeared into the woods.

"Wait!" I shouted, chasing after her into the thick brush. The wind was picking up, and grey oak leaves blew in front of me as I tried to catch up, making her hard to see ahead of me. I finally thought that I had lost her until I came inches away from smashing into her from behind. She had stopped.

I followed her gaze to see a small, rundown cottage. It was a tiny house, with creaking white pain windows and made of wood and white washed bricks. Violet began walking towards the entrance. She slowly pushed the rusted iron gate back and it creaked. Only one hinge was attached, so it scraped the ground.

A light in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Before following Violet into the cottage I glanced at a large window near the gate. There stood a candle, emitting an orange hue. It was almost completely burned as a puddle of wax formed on the window sill below it. Underneath the candle, written in the dry wax, read a note:

TIME IS TICKING.

A certain sense of unease settled over me as I quickly caught up to Violet inside the cottage. The air was stiff and uncomfortable. Inside, the doors creaked as the wind blew whirlwinds of leaves through the house. Through the front door to the left was a small living room, and across from that a kitchen and what seemed to be another door outside. The other door had a small red plaid owning stretching out over the curtain drawn window.

I watched as Violet jiggled the knob to the backdoor. As she worked it, I took a little tour.

Inside the kitchen, a small oven sat in between a refrigerator and dishwasher. As I was looking around, my eyes skirted past the refrigerator door and I froze. Another note.

TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK

I shook my head and turned from the kitchen. When I turned I found the back door open and Violet gone. She had gotten out into a small garden filled with blooming rose bushes.

Roses don't bloom in the fall, I said to myself uneasily. Something was off here, I could feel it.

I decided to try talking to Violet again, "What are we doing here?"

I was about to go up to her and ask when one thought froze me in place.

Do it...

Do what? I asked back, confused.

While her back is turned! Do it now!

Realization washed over me as I realized just what this mysterious voice was telling me to do.

No! I shouted back in anger, She's done nothing wrong!

Her very existence is wrong! It screamed in my mind. I realized with sudden fear that I recognized the voice. It was my voice. It always has been.

"N- No!" I shouted back, aloud, "Get out of my head!"

The voice didn't reply at first. I was just beginning to think it had gone when I heard, Don't you see? I am your head. Everything you are, everything you were, and everything you're going to be.

Instead of arguing anymore, I summoned my tentacles. They slithered at my side like snakes, waiting for a command. I watched as the Slendersickness overtook Violet's fragile human body. She fell back onto the dirt and began squirming. She let out a scream at the same time I let out a bellowing laugh.

I crouched to look over her suffering body and our eyes locked. A smile crossed my blank face as the tentacles ripped and tore at her flesh, bringing me back to reality.