Can't Say

Chapter 28

    Despite your best efforts to patiently sit and wait within the confines of your bedroom, thoughts of everything going wrong whirled in the back of your mind. The anticipation of hearing BEN's reaction to your personalized trap for him flared your nerves. Each passing second seemed like minutes. You regularly checked the bedside clock, only to see that time had barely moved.
    The defeat of impatience lifted you from your bed when you pinged the idea to hide all evidence of your crime. You gathered the notebooks and utensils, only to find yourself unsure of where to stash them until further notice. Eventually, you would have to dispose of them, right? For now, you didn't want BEN to know this was all your doing.
    Under your mattress? No, that's too obvious.
    In the night-stand's drawer? Still too obvious.
    Maybe in the armoire? You could hide them under some clothes. The underwear drawer would be good! Surely BEN didn't go digging around in a lady's private clothing.
    This seemed to give you enough confidence to do just that. You buried the materials at the very bottom of the underwear drawer and covered them thoroughly. At some point, it might be a good idea to rig your room with all sorts of false bottoms and hidden storage spots. Would Slenderman be okay with that? Considering that the mansion was affected by his fourth-dimensional influences, you weren't sure how long your hiding spots would stay. You had seen the television destroyed twice already, only to find it renewed to perfection a short time after. Perhaps it would be best to ask permission before remodelling your room.
    With nothing to do again, and still no sign of BEN's presence, you made a second attempt to wait on your bed. If he were to try surprising you in the bedroom, then you could pretend that you were sleeping, hopefully making him hesitate that it was really all your doing. If you were truly lucky, BEN might think that you're too much of a newbie to pull this sort of stunt. Maybe he would try blaming it on someone else? Hopefully not one of your teammates, because then you would have to deal with their collective anger from taking all the heat.
    Finally, a terribly shriek jolted you from your thoughts. You flinched in your bed, quickly sitting up and whipping your head around to make sure the screaming wasn't actually in your room. It pierced the mansion's atmosphere as though walls didn't exist. This had to be BEN. He sounded as though he were being brutally murdered, but surely that wasn't the case.
    With a cautious mind, you crept over to the bedroom door and cracked it open for a peek outside. You didn't want to go out before anyone else, lest you seemed like you were excited to hear BEN's painful cries.
    At the top of the staircase were Masky and Hoodie, peering down and looking uncertain about the situation. It was an odd sight, though. You had rarely seen your fellow Proxies without their masks and gear. The only way you were able to tell them apart was their physique. Hoodie was a bit thinner and taller than Masky. Though, now that you noticed, their hair color was a little different, too. Masky's hair was a dark shade of brown, while Hoodie's was closer to a dirty blonde.
    Shaking the curious thoughts from your head, you focused on the current state of affairs and walked out of your bedroom with the best confused and tired demeanor you could fake. As you approached the two men, another door opened to reveal Toby's groggy and irritated face. He was also without his usual headgear, but this was the first time you saw him this way. It was a shocker, really, because the most notable thing about him was the large, fleshy scar on one side of his mouth. His teeth were bared due to the lack of skin to cover them. From the looks of it, the scar was from a burn, but you tried not to stare.
    "What the shit is going on?" Toby growled as he scratched his backside and trudged over to the rest of the gathering.
    At the moment of questioning, both Hoodie and Masky turned their eyes to you with accusing stares. It shouldn't have been a surprise that they assumed you were responsible, since you had asked for their help in getting revenge against BEN some time ago. They knew, but probably didn't expect you to go through with it. Still, your heart sank at their acknowledgement, terrified that they'd rat you out before you were prepared - let's face it, you weren't ever going to be prepared - for BEN's wrath.
    In an effort to postpone your inevitable torture, you shushed your teammates, trying to keep them from talking about it too loud. Even with BEN still screaming, you were worried he might somehow hear the discussion. "Okay! Okay! It was me," you confessed. "But don't tell him!" Your hushed voice sounded more desperate than you wanted to admit.
    "What the hell did you do to get him like that?” Hoodie asked, looking at you with raised brows. He seemed impressed.
    You gave them a short summary of all the steps you took and what BEN was screaming about downstairs. All three men simultaneously responded with various versions of, "H-ho-oly shit." They were now at awe with your achievement. You couldn't help but grin. If things went any better, your head would surely swell with ego.
    Another bout of BEN screaming incoherent babbles rolled through the air. Masky looked back down the staircase with a concerned expression, "Maybe we should check on him, though. He sounds pretty bad." Hoodie and Toby agreed, though they admitted they were more curious than worried. BEN was a Creepypasta who treated them poorly, after all. Why should they care all that much?
    At that, the four of you descended the stairs. You weren't too sure about viewing BEN's miserable state, though. "What if he attacks us?"
    Hoodie coolly replied, "You should be more concerned with yourself." This stopped you in your tracks, left behind at the foot of the staircase. He was right, after all. If BEN had any idea that you were guilty of his torture, then he would unleash a world of hell on you. Sure, you de-energized all possible ways that BEN could cut you off in the mansion, but there were still risks you couldn't control.
    You shook your head, tossing worry from your mind as best you could. Just stay oblivious and BEN would have no reason to accuse you of all this.
    Catching up with your fellow Proxies at the bathroom doorway, you found the three crowded around the open door. They were watching BEN writhe and squirm on the floor. It was anything but a pleasant sight.
    Now, BEN's words, though few, were understandable. You could only make out three short phrases: "Give it to me", "I need it", and "It calls". The Hyrulian ghost was gripping his hair, tearing out tufts here and there. His scalp was bleeding. Smears of blood covered his form, along with the bathroom floor. Surely, most of the blood came from his perpetually weeping eyes, but it still created a gory scene. His body contorted into all sorts of strenuous ways, making you cringe at the thought of experiencing it yourself. There were even scattered patches of flames around the bathroom, never burning anything, just existing.
    The grotesque sight before you swayed your original hatred toward him. In a way, you felt sorry for BEN. Maybe you had gone too far? You gave in to your humanly kindness and began moving to push through the men at the doorway. A large hand rested on your shoulder, stopping you. With a wondering gaze, you looked behind to find Slenderman staring ahead at BEN's slowing form. The tall being gently pushed his way past his Proxies, though they moved back as soon as they noticed him. Slenderman approached the bathtub, neatly rolling up a sleeve, and bent to reach into the water. His pulled the game from its watery cage and plucked up a nearby towel to dry off the sandwich box. Once satisfied that excess water wouldn't drip onto the precious contents, your master opened the box and retrieved the game cartridge. He casually walked out of the bathroom just as BEN fell silent and still, frozen in a catatonic state that resembled some sort of modern, abstract sculpture. Here, you felt satisfied with your work, knowing that BEN had now ended up the very same way he had left you.
    You and your fellow Proxies followed Slenderman down the hall and to the living room, leaving BEN in solitude. As you watched your master tenderly shove the game cartridge into the N64 console, your gathering of curious humans looked like some sort of comedic group bumping and tripping on each other from the doorway. At first, nothing happened; then, once Slenderman turned on the television and console, a pale green wisp of light slithered from the bathroom and into the N64. The television screen showed Majora's Mask across it, then completely skipped the file selection and opening credits. It opened to a spot in the town, the Song of Unhealing playing in the background, and in the center of the screen was BEN's statuesque avatar facing away from the viewers. He didn't say a word. He didn't look over his shoulder. BEN simply stood there, refusing to face the outside world.
    Satisfied with BEN's current state, Slenderman walked out of the living room and rounded the corner to put the wall between himself and the television. He handed you the sandwich box, still full of rocks, without speaking or directing his lacking eyes to you. Before you could open your mouth to ask him what to do with the box, your master disappeared. Most likely, he slender-walked to wherever he goes when he isn't bothering you. It was hard to tell when he was actually doing business or just being a stalker, sometimes.
    Hoodie, Masky, and Toby all understood that the show was over and it was time to get back to the normal day's routine. They all gave you a firm pat on the shoulder for, hopefully, a job well done, and made their way to the kitchen. You watched them, unsure of what to do at that point. Did Slenderman want you to dispose of the box? Or maybe he wanted you to just put everything away, since it was all over.
    You shrugged in defeat, deciding to just put everything back the way it was. Repairing the wiring would be a hassle. You didn't know the first thing about electrical work. Too bad it was a useless endeavor.
    First, you went to the back patio and dumped the rocks where you originally found them, not wanting to mess with Slenderman's Zen or whatever. Once that was done, you headed to the kitchen to put the sandwich box away.
    It was a good idea to eat breakfast when you did. Getting to anything edible would be near impossible, according to what you saw upon entering the kitchen's doorway. Along with the three other Proxies, Eyeless Jack was there, looking roughed up as though he had just returned from a mission. His clothes were stained with mud and blood. In fact, you only then recalled that he and Jeff had been out hunting this whole time.
    With a nervous air, you silently walked across the kitchen floor to get to the sink. Your eyes held firm on Eyeless Jack's hunched form as he rummaged through the refrigerator. The number of times that he had threatened and harmed you, it was only right to be wary of him.
    Upon approaching the sink, you rinsed out the sandwich box, cleaning the rock dust and bits of sand that happened to get in. You noticed a few scratches on the transparent plastic, and there was little you could do about it, but it made you wonder how much damage the game cartridge had suffered. You shrugged and grabbed a small towel, drying off your former tool of revenge. It was then put away in the nearest cabinet, not that any of them had much in their confines to matter.
    You turned around to promptly exit the kitchen, only to find a pair of hollow, black eye sockets and grey skin filling your vision. Needless to say, you were no less than startled. Jack had been standing right behind you for who knows how long. His blue mask was lifted to make way for the kidney he took a greedy bite of. In his other hand was a jar full of pickled kidneys. Even without eyes, you felt a powerful stare coming from Jack. He seemed to be daring you to make a move, though all you could muster was a shiver down your spine as he slowly shredded up the kidney flesh in his mouth of sharp teeth.
    After several moments of watching Eyeless Jack chew his mouthful of kidney, you guessed - hoped - that he was just toying with you. It was then that you gulped down your fear and politely excused yourself to step around him. As soon as your shoulder was even with his, however, Jack stopped you with a bump, leaned into your ear, and said with a low growl, "You better not try that shit on me." He then took a violent bite of his half-eaten kidney, some of the juices squirting onto the side of your neck, and stepped over to the cabinets as though nothing had happened. You heard him open one of the doors and retrieve a bowl.
    At first, you hesitated to move again, but soon moved on to the kitchen doorway with quick stride. Your fellow Proxies didn't bother to help, though you noticed awkward glances from them as you left.
    When you successfully escaped the kitchen without further incident, you picked up your pace a bit until the hall opened up to the foyer. There, you released a tense breath and paused in wonderment of how to spend the rest of your day. The gentle sunlight gleaming from the decorative windows on either side of the front doors caught your eyes, bringing forth thoughts of how nice it was outside. Perhaps you could go-
    "Oh shit," your heart sank when you remembered, "the garden!"
    Like a gust of wind pushing you from behind, your body hurried out of the mansion and high-tailed it to the bed of planted seeds you had forgotten. You mentally joked about how it would be your luck if Laughing Jack's gum ball actually sprouted, but due to your neglect, wilted and died. So far, you hadn't seen the monochrome clown angry, which worried you a great deal. He was still a Creepypasta, after all, and that meant that he could do some terrible things. Your skin crawled at the thought of Jack's fury over his failed candy tree being your fault.
    You rounded the mansion's corner, quickly assessing the situation. The dirt looked dry, and weeds had begun to creep their way over the seed beds. Though your breath was growing heavy, you made a mad dash for the tool shed and pulled out the watering can. The water pump couldn't distribute its contents fast enough, but you managed to fill the can before running to the garden and drowning it as best you could. Hell, you weren't even sure if the seeds were still alive, but getting the dirt soggy again wouldn't hurt, right?
    After numerous return trips between the pump and garden, you were satisfied with how dark the soil had become. It was now time to weed the place. So, you started at one corner, lowering to your hands and knees. This was going to be another long and tedious process. You did your best not to rush, trying to prevent accidentally pulling up any possible sprouts that may have survived.
    While moving into a physical auto-pilot, your mind slowly began to wander into comedic territory. Since the garden had dried up within five days, that meant it still hadn't rained at the mansion. In fact, you couldn't recall a single day of rain since you first woke up in the Creepypasta world. Did it ever rain in this world? If not, then how did the plant life survive? Where did the water in the pump come from? Did Slenderman just use the one watering can to hydrate his forest? That would take a lot of his time!
    Then the image of your master using both hands and all eight tendrils to water everything appeared in your thoughts. Your mind continued to make the idea ridiculous by placing a sun hat on the being's bald head. This lead to adding a sun dress, and that's when you snorted out a devious cackle.
    "It's a shame, really," the voice of the very being you were laughing at startled you from your thoughts. Your head whipped up to see Slenderman standing not too far from the garden. "One moment, I'm proud to have you as my Proxy," he continued. "And another moment, I want to disembowel you." By this point, you were sweating cold bullets, mortified that Slenderman had read your thoughts about him.
    From what you could see, though, your master didn't look angry. The skin on his head seemed relaxed. Maybe he wasn't all that mad?
    "Besides," Slenderman stepped up to the edge of your garden, "I'm not required to water the flora of this world." Yeah, he definitely saw what you were imagining of him. "While our realm occasionally rains, the vegetation is accustomed to it. The plants that you're trying to cultivate are native to the human realm; thusly, they'll require plenty of attention to flourish successfully."
    Furrowing your brows, you absorbed the information and made a mental note to visit the garden at least once a day. You almost forgot to respond to Slenderman, seeing as how helpful he was all of a sudden, "Thank you for the generous information, sir." Surely your silence would have been perceived as rude.
    When you looked back up to see if your master was going to watch you the whole time again, you found that he had disappeared. With a shrug, you went back to pulling up weeds and grass vines. Dirt was getting under your nails, and your fingers were becoming stained. A thorough scrubbing would be a good idea after all this was done.
    To your surprise - and ultimate relief - you later found a single sprout, brightly green with life, just under a small clump of soil that a weed root had pulled with it. From the row you were on, it was most likely a potato eye starting to grow. You made sure that the sprout was securely in the dirt before continuing on. Even if it was just one seed that survived, you would be happy.

    It had been a total of fifteen days since you first awoke in Slenderman's mansion. Within that time, enough things had happened to make a person's head spin right off their shoulders, but here you were. Somehow, you were still intact. By some miracle - or pure, dumb luck - you were still alive. You had suffered a handful of wounds, bore through maddening pain, and won fights against hallucinations. While that was expected of a Proxy, you couldn't help but pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Hell, you even outsmarted a legitimate Creepypasta, causing him some serious misery.
    BEN had yet to find out who had rigged his game in the bathroom, and you planned to brag about it at some point, but you couldn't quite find the perfect moment. He recovered from his traumatization, returning to his usual routine of huddling on the couch and playing his game, going hunting on the internet, and fighting with Jeff the Killer.
    Your daily routines went by as close to schedule as possible. The exercising and training for your team left little room for days off. Thanks to Slenderman's healing acceleration on his Proxies, you didn't suffer muscle soreness for long. In fact, your strength was increasing faster than it ever had in the human world. Even your body was toning out to a, dare you suggest, tasteful physique. A once-over in the bathroom mirror caught your attention, noticing your physical changes - and the scars that came with it. Your lower abdomen had a faint, horizontal line where Eyeless Jack tried to steal your kidney. The scratches that Adea Carter left on your cheek healed well, but you were forever marked by three soft lines in your skin. She wasn't the last of the humans targeted by Slenderman, though.
    Nearly once a week brought a new mission to take down or capture a human. Each one of them had some connection with the other. That frequency disruptor was what tied them all together, and Slenderman grew increasingly frustrated with it. Even with the long distances apart, these humans had the same defences – and then some – against your master. He found out the truth only when BEN was asked to search all names of the victims so far.
    Slenderman was absolutely livid when BEN discovered a forum website dedicated to taking down the tall entity. It wasn't the website, mind you, that set your master off. No, he exploded when BEN casually mentioned that he'd seen the forums some time ago, but didn't think it was worth telling him about it, since they were just humans. You had seen Slenderman assume an intimidating sort of fury when he fought off Eyeless Jack from you, and that was the worst until this point. Compared to how your master acted at BEN's negligence, he was just a puppy protecting his chew toy. Everyone had to leave the mansion for a few hours.
    Come to find out, Slenderman was upset due to his fears that Zalgo would discover the website. While the humans were merely humans, they were smart; they were improving their technology against the Slenderman; they were slowly building upon his weaknesses. If Zalgo were to ever learn what the humans had, the war in the Creeypasta realm would have its tables severely turned against the Slender Family's favor.
    Once BEN sobered from his near-death beating, your master immediately set him to collecting every single name on the forum, along with their living address. The site was then corrupted and taken down. BEN was sure to take care of any external links that may lead to sister-sites, too. He reported all details; every line of code, every hyperlink, every image associated with the forum.
    Slenderman disappeared for six days when he was satisfied with BEN's work.