Slender

Chapter 2

The chirping of birds awoke me to the early morning light of the forest. I had fallen asleep without realizing. My knees and hands just barely stung and my neck and back ached. After resting for a couple minutes I soon noticed an additional blanket of warmth upon me. I slump forward as it falls off into my lap. Before examining what it is, I look around the forest recalling my memory's of last night and him. I look down to see a black jacket. Holding it up from the shoulders I noticed how long the arms were compared to the rest. I slowly get off the ground with the jacket in my hand. There was no tag or brand on it and the fabric felt a lot like... skin. This jacket belongs to the demon who chased me last night. I smiled happily, something that I've not done in a while.

Re-tracing my steps back to the path to where my bike stood I started folding his jacket neatly. Back at the path I stare at my bike holding the stiff fabric against my stomach, soon realizing that riding it back home might not be an option. I search around the forest for any sign of the tall man to return his jacket. And there standing deep in the now lit woods was the man, no jacket of course. Just seeing him made my stomach turn; he must want it back.

It didn't look like he was going to be moving anytime soon, so I felt no choice but to go and give it to him myself. Taking a deep breath I hesitantly start to walk in his direction; The sound of dead leaves crunching underneath me. Stopping just a few feet away I look up and acknowledge his extreme height. But once my eyes reached his pale head I looked down immediately in fright.

"Here." I say eyeing the ground while holding out his folded jacket. Only a few moments past until he held out one of his long arms and retrieved it from me. My heart thumbed painfully in my chest, I just couldn't help but be completely frightened in his presents. "Okay then... I guess I'll be going..." I said politely as possible hoping that he's decided to leave me be. Turning around I immediately felt a strong grip on my arm holding me back. Even his grip was scary. I turn my head up to him in terror, he must have seen how scared I was because he let go immediately. Stepping back from his reach I take one last look at him before dashing back to my bike. What does he want from me?

Lifting the break off the ground I grip the handlebars ready to start pushing it up the path. I turn to see that he was buttoning up his jacket. To think such a terrifying existence was in this forest the entire time, it boggled me. At that moment he seemed like a normal person but no matter what he just can't be. As he finished buttoning up his jacket he slowly lifts his head in my direction. I turn away from his view and started pushing my bike. This made my hands sting.

Two days past.

Earphones shot rock music into my ears as I dipped my paintbrush into the black paint. An obsession has taken over me, an obsession of faceless man.

My room has always been rather empty when it came to the average "stuff." For I've never really wanted anything other than a link to listen to music and art supplies. These had been my only passions up until my encountered with the tall man. You'd think after such a terrifying experience that I'd do anything to avoid even thinking about him. But this is not the case at all, for I couldn't stop wondering about his existence even if I wanted to.

Had set up a fresh canvas with a couple paint jars, brought out every paintbrush I could find and started painting the night I came home two days ago. Everything about him was fascinating, his height, his face, and to top it all off he wears a suit? My smile from my amused thoughts are replaced with a sudden frown. Am I lucky? Because from the way he had followed me I could have sworn he was planning on hurting me in some way. I paint a white circle at the very top of the canvas representing a full moon. In this painting it was the tall man standing upon the dark forest yet he's being lit up by the moon above him. I made the trees somewhat tiny compared to him so that they don't over shine the point I'm trying to make. The point was that nothing in the forest compares to the horrifying existence of the tall man.

In the end I used up all the canvases I had. I look over at all the different colored and styled paintings being laid out to dry. After cleaning up the extra paint and putting away all the paintbrushes I go to the bathroom to check to see how my hands and knees were doing. After that night two days ago well actually, that morning I got home from pushing my bike up the path it turned out that my scratched were a lot worse than I wish they were. I cleaned them up and bandaged them, which hurt like crazy. I even found a bruise below my left knee in the process. My parents didn't seem to notice my scratches at all and didn't mind me leaving as usual.

Rolling up my long gray sleeved shirt I undid the bandaging to see that it was still pretty bad. After replacing the bandages with new ones I head back to my room. It was rather late so I closed the door behind me on my way in. Walking past my desk into my bedroom stood him. The same tall man from the forest.

I put my hands over my mouth to stop myself from gasping too loudly while back up slowly into my desk area where he can't see me. I hope he didn't hear me enter the room. Perhaps, was he too busy looking at my paintings to even have noticed... I back up against my door, my hands still over my mouth tightly. My stomach starts to tense up as my heart rate fastens the same way it did when I first saw him. Why is he here?!

I take hold of the copper knob but it was no use, the shaking of my hand made turning the knob quietly very difficult. I hear his footsteps coming this way. I look around in an utter panic to see the black wooden cane my dad got me for Halloween last year, I take the cane and hold it up like a baseball bat. The tall man stood silently blocking the entrance to my bedroom. I breath hard, terrified but ready to protect myself if necessary. I flinch after thinking about the situation I was in and how bad it could get. I assumed he was going to hurt me. But why? How do I know he won't? Oh... That's right. Humans are afraid of things they don't understand.