Can't Say

Chapter 7

            The stench of metallic bodily fluids were all that you could smell – all that you could taste. It weighed heavy in the air, just as the boy's now deceased body weighed against the chains that otherwise held him up. You stepped back, trying to admire your work on the corpse, but you found yourself gawking, instead. Remnants of the boy's still draining blood dripped from his numerous wounds, ringing loudly in your ears. They seemed to tick the seconds by, reminding you that time hadn't stopped, though it sure felt like it.
            Had you really done this? Had you truly dissected an innocent boy? Skinned him alive? Removed his organs one by one, depending on how important they were to survive?
            To many humans, this would be considered a grotesque mess of mutilation and horror. Your soon-to-be-master, Slenderman, saw it as a form of high-quality art. His large, bony hand patted your shoulder with approval, “I must say, ____, your incisions are divine.”
            “Have I,” you gulped, not sure if you were speaking out of turn, “have I passed the test?” Your eyes remained frozen on your artistic slaughter.
            A chuckle echoed above you as Slenderman plucked the knife from your shivering hand, “You've passed with grace.”
            You whirled around to face the Tall Man, finding him to be walking away from you into a darker corner of the room. “That means I'm a Proxy now, right?”
            Slenderman disappeared into the darkness, followed by the faint clinking of metal. He soon returned, knife no longer in hand, and stopped only just within view. “Far from it, young ____. You still must prove your loyalty and endurance.”
            Your heart sank at Slenderman's response. From the sounds of it, you had two more tests to attempt. That means two more chances to fail. Two more chances for you to be eaten or dismembered or both by one of the Creepypastas in the mansion.
            “Come,” Slenderman waved a hand and exited the dungeonesque room with you close behind.
            The tall form of your Master lead you deeper into the mansion, soon approaching a pair of large glass doors. Beyond these doors, you could see a lively garden of exotic flora. Something told you to be careful around them.
            Pushing the glass doors open, Slenderman stepped outside, his pristine dress shoes clicking on the stone patio. You closed the doors behind you, confusion filling your head with questions of why you would have a test out here. All the while, Slenderman was inspecting the flowers, almost ignoring your presence. The silence between you two was unnerving, to say the least. Whatever this entity was planning, it couldn't be good.
            A gust of wind blew across the patio, sprinkling a fair amount of pollen right across your nose. The tiny flower sperm tickled your nostrils until you finally couldn't contain yourself further. You released a powerful sneeze, making your presence irresistibly known.
            Slenderman turned to you, calm as ever and pulled the neatly folded handkerchief from his suit pocket. He approached you, and offered the tissue without a word. Something radiated from him, though. A slyness in his air.
            Reluctantly, you accepted the tissue and wiped your nose with it, sniffling out the discomfort you had created with your sneeze.
            “Better?” Slenderman questioned, breaking the awkward silence.
            Immediately, your vision blurred only just enough for you to notice. Your head, however, felt incredibly light and dizzy. Something was on that tissue. A chemical or poison, but it was something.
            “I'm not sure,” you stumbled through your short utterance of words. Eyeing Slenderman, you noticed a fiercely jagged line appear across his otherwise nonexistent face. The line gradually grew thicker as you stared at it in horror. Were you hallucinating? You couldn't tell.
            “Then I suggest you run,” Slenderman's voice growled hungrily. The strange jagged line was no longer a mystery to you. This was the being's mouth! His variously lengthened teeth lined his lips like the mouth of an ancient cave.
            You didn't waste time. There was no reason to ask why you should run, considering that this was indeed a monster threatening you. Nearly slipping from under yourself, your feet attempted to turn and push you at the same time, eager to get away from the danger. You found your stability and high-tailed it right across the patio, crashing through a bush of some flora you weren't familiar with. Beyond this garden, you recognized the dark forest you had seen from outside your bedroom window. You pushed yourself harder to escape into the thickly collected trees.
            The crunching and scattering of leaves didn't aid your attempt to hide yourself. Besides that, every time you tried to stop and hide, you would see Slenderman just in the distance, watching you with a predatory aura around him. Your breath was already heavy, no thanks to the combination of fear, adrenaline, and the constant running. It didn't help that whatever was on that handkerchief completely affected your thought process.
            There were many times that you could have sworn someone else was chasing you. There were other sets of footsteps in the forest, rushing around nearby. Each time you whipped your head around in its direction, there would be nothing to give reason to the noises. Then, of course, you would find the ever aggressive Slenderman closing in on you. The very sight of his horizontally split head rushing down to devour you was more than enough to get you running again. When you would look back, the entity would be gone without a trace.
            With heavy, raspy breaths drying out your throat, you continued further into the forest of orange and black. You didn't know how long you had been running, but you could feel your body begging to give way from underneath you. Your legs felt weak, yet you were able to continue swinging them just enough to keep you propelled forward. Your stumbling amplified with each step, though. By this point, your vision was blurred over completely. The only reason you could just navigate the forest was due to its contrast in colors.
            Unfortunately, your vision began to tunnel. A ringing in your ears chimed from somewhere within your head. You felt nauseated, though not enough to empty your bowls just yet.
            As the high-frequency ringing grew ever louder, your vision closed in on itself. Then, you saw nothing. A crunching sound, along with a solid thump, vaguely registered in your mind. You began to dream.
            It involved the Halloween-styled forest, its master standing within your view. His dark tendrils waved from behind him like patient serpents waiting to strike. Something forced you to hold a gaze on Slenderman's stark face. Even when you tried to close your eyes, you somehow still saw straight through the lids clear as day. Panic coursed through you, the empty stare from Slenderman picking away at your sanity. You tried to turn your gaze, but nothing would result in what you wanted. His hold on your vision was strong, and he wanted you to see his glory – his power.
            A rush of cold water stung your face, bringing you back to an awakened state. Your sudden gasp at the freezing liquid caused a bit to enter your trachea. A short session of breathless coughs got you moving to sit up.
            “No time for naps, candidate!” Hoodie's voice had a hint of amusement laced within.
            You looked up to find the yellow-clad man standing over you with an empty pail in hand. The mask hiding his face had a noticeably red frown on it, but you sensed a smirk behind it. “What the hell happened?” You woozily tried to stand, still feeling the dizzying effects of whatever was on that handkerchief.
            “Well, you passed the endurance test! Just above the 'average' time, too,” Hoodie tossed the pail to a corner of the familiar garden patio. He patted a firm hand on your shoulder to congratulate you.
            “So,” you tried to piece everything together, “Master wasn't trying to kill me?”
            Raising his hands to imitate a balance scale, Hoodie replied, “Kinda, sorta? I mean, if you didn't keep running, he'd kill you, but he wasn't trying very hard, either.”
            You gulped, realizing just how lucky you were to let your instincts get the best of you. “I'm pretty sure that wasn't also the loyalty test.” It was worth a try to ask, but you inwardly knew the answer.
            “That's the boring test,” Hoodie sighed. “I can't say anything about it, but just know that it's boring.” He then chuckled, “Well, I guess it depends how loyal you are.”
            Before you could question him further, Hoodie opened the glass doors leading back into the mansion, leaving you alone on the patio. Slenderman was nowhere to be found.