Beginning of the End

Chapter one

It was November of 1990 and Slender sat alone in his office. He's been noticing his scouts have been getting closer and closer to his territory; a threat. A deep sigh rumbled through his throat, and he grabbed some files. If he even wanted a fighting chance, He'd need many more proxies. Almost to the amount of his eldest brother. But personally, he found his brothers senseless 'adoption' of children to be alarming. He needed to be calculated with who he accepted into his home, just as calculating as he was with Toby, Masky, and Hoodie. He glanced towards his grandfather clock with a cock of his head.

"Those three should be back by now. Where are they?" Slender stood and went to open the door to his office, only to see Toby about to knock.

"O-O-Oh! Hey Bo-o-oss!" The permanently seventeen year old chirped. On his hips were two bloody axes, and his own outfit had its own fair share of crimson.

"Is something the matter Tobias?" He asked you young boy.

"Masky wan-n-nted me to tell you that we're back! Brian and him are both taking showers and going to bed." Toby's head cranked to the side at an uncomfortable angle; his body having tensed up as well. Slender nodded.

"Very well, my child. And those men I told you about?"

"They were killed before they could beg for their lives." Toby said, and Slender again nodded.

"Go get rest my child, I have very urgent news to alarm you three of."

~~~

Slender sat at the dinner table; having made breakfast as he normally did. He waited for his three proxies, and they arrived exactly on time. Well. Masky and Hoodie did. "Good morning Brian, Tim." He said simply.

"Morning Slender,"

"Good...Good morning,"

"And where is Tobias?"

"Where is that brat normally?" Masky said as he sat down at the table, and effectively was slapped upside the head.

"I'm surprised that after two years you two still haven't gotten along." He went to go eat, as he felt Toby's presence draw closer. "Ah. There you are." Slender's voice almost seemed light and joking, if he hadn't been genuinely fearful.

"Hey bo-o-oss!" He chirped, and sat down and the large table. Breakfast was silent, but pleasant. Slender waited for his proxies to finish eating before he stood.

"It seems that I have some deeply troubling news you three."he started, and all three of his proxies listened intently, "I am sure I'm not the only one to notice the increase of his scouts around the area. I feel as if he is planning something, and that we need to be prepared. So this means, as from now on, if you find out anything on your usual missions involving people who could be of interest, either get them here, or create a file in my office for that person for me to fetch myself." He pushed in his chair as his proxies all stood, "Do you remember the degree of danger and how to handle each situation?"

"Green, or most normal humans; You easily sub-ub-due and capture," Toby stuttered.

"Yellow, fellow killers or people with background training; treat them as if they are a red level threat in combat, But still subdue and capture," Hoodie's voice was soft, but firm.

"Red; Observers. Do not pursue unless under direct orders. No matter what." Masky finished.

"Good. Now, Hoodie. Go on to that solo mission I gave you. Masky, Toby? Go into my office and sort through the files. I expect each of them to be as I have previously instructed you to keep them." His featureless face looked at Toby, and the warning look was clear.

"I missed one page..." Toby muttered and Slender almost chuckled.

"These files are all on people you need to memorize. One page would mean you miss the information you are looking for." Slender left the room after telling his proxies their orders and went to his office. He grabbed one file, to see if the two would realize it was missing, and left to the library. He walked down the long hallways, contemplating his options. Slender realized he needed to consult his brothers, as they had more experience with him. He opened the door to the library, and he looked at the two stories of just books.

He sat down in an old red chair, crossing one of his legs over the other, as his tendrils grabbed a few different stories he's already memorized. He sat there reading until he was approached by Toby quietly.

"Ah sir?" Toby switched. His voice was quiet, and guilty. Slender glanced at the clock; it had been about three hours since he got in the library.

"Yes my child?" he asked, looking at Toby intently.

"Ma-a-asky and I can't fi-in-ind a file..." Toby muttered.

"Oh? Who's?"

"U-Um... Masky said it was ah..." Toby thought, and Slender handed the creme colored file to the young boy,

"Angel. I am aware."

"Hey not fair!" Toby protested, taking the file and crossing his arms, "That's just-us-just cruel. Masky's screeching at me for losing it!"

"I will talk to Tim about his behavior towards you, as it seems to be getting worse as of recently," Slender stood and Toby frantically waved his arms.

"N-N-No! It's okay, really! I know what he's upset about, so he do-o-oesn't need to apologize," Toby's face guard twitched upwards, and Slender nodded.

"I trust you will take action yourself then? Because I will step in if needed."

"Y-Yes sir. No need to worry over me," Toby looked off to the side, his voice stalling. Slender sat back down and waited; knowing his proxy quite well by now, "S-S-ir? With what we d-d-do, why are you so mad with T-T-Tim for fighting with me?"

"Ah, well Tobias, that's easy. With what we will be facing, and what my plans for our future are, Infighting is something I cannot allow under any circumstances," Slender's voice rang through Toby's head, as telepathy was how a creature without a mouth could speak.

"And... wh-wh-what are we facing?" Toby's head tilted to the side, and another harsh tick contorted his body.

"You see my child, It's a complicated story. Go get Tim and Brain and I'll explain more in depth," Slender waved his hand slightly, and Toby nodded, a grin melting back onto his face,

"Story t-t-time then?" He chuckled, and Slender seemed amused,

"Think of it as you will," Slender vanished into thin air, black smoke in his wake. Toby rushed to get Hoodie and Masky. Slender appeared in his office, and nodded towards Tim. He reached into his desk draw and took out what he wrote down all those years ago.

The book was old; it's pages yellowing and the leather rotting. It was held together by sheer will and stubbornness. The same stubbornness his brothers and himself held within. He listened to the soft crackle the book emit when the old pages were forced open by long and pail fingers. Black ink was faded after generations of existing. Slender closed the book, his old journal, and reappeared in the same chair of his library.

He rested against the old felt, the padding having molded to his body over time. His leg crossed over the other, and out of habit his tendrils went to grab a few books. Slender paused, however, and retracted the long, black limbs. He chuckled to himself at his own complacency, but tensed as the door the the library was slammed open. Ah yes, Toby was getting the other two.

"W-W-We're here!" Toby chirped, and walked over to Slender. Tim grumbled.

"For once, can you act seriously?"

"You two, I don't want to hear of your fighting. If you have a real issue Tim, talk to me, or handle it with honor, not childish insults."

"Yes sir," Tim said, and all three men watched the excitable teenager sit in front of Slender, grinning.

"Story time." Toby said and Brian laughed, messing up the teens hair and sitting down next to him. Tim leaned against a bookshelf, and Slender began his explanation.

"A long time ago, before even America was found..."