Can't Say

Chapter 43 Part 2

      A pair of large, white hands gripped your shoulders; one was more tender on your wounded side. You craned your head back, heart fluttering with joy as the aura of your master gave you relief. Slenderman stood there, looking just about as rough as you. His suit jacket had long been lost to the war's merciless battering. Now, all he had was a shredded tie and wrecked shirt. One sleeve had been halfway torn off. His pants were looking mangled, but functional. Cuts and bruises littered his skin. Somehow, his presence eased the pain of your wounds. Even the multiple fields of vision returned; you could see from everyone's sights again, including Slenderman's. He was looking over you, watching Zalgo. His jagged mouth was stained with blood and bile. The view reminded you of the time Eyeless Jack had tried stealing your kidney. A muscular neck, chiseled jawline, and the hollow hiss that reverberated from your master's throat; all emanating an attractive sense of power that you couldn't explain.
      "The level of chutzpa you possess is staggering," Slenderman said, though you weren't sure who he directed it to. "If only it could fuel one's power, then this war would have been an ephemeral affair." He retracted his tendrils, hesitant at first. "May I join this dance?"
      "Oh, Slendy," Zalgo giggled. "I thought you'd never-" A tendril whipped across Zalgo's face, throwing him back a fair distance. The ruined foliage behind him was scattered from its barely livable place.
      Slenderman lifted his hands from your shoulders, stepping over to your side. "You've surprised me thus far, ____. At this moment, you are no longer my Proxy. Now," he lowered into a defensive stance, tendrils waving and squirming behind him, "I ask you to fight by my side as my equal."
      If your master - no, former - master's mere appearance wasn't enough to give you energy, then his request had you elated enough to drive away any fear that was lingering within. You nodded, watching Zalgo's form rise to his feet with a new expression on his face: fury. "I couldn't ask for anything better," you responded to Slenderman's request.
      With a hunched stature, Zalgo glared at Slenderman; his eyes were full of red, glowing disdain. Even the lava-like veins on his otherwise charred skin seemed to glow brighter than before. Zalgo was only going to play with you earlier, but now that a certain tall, white, and slender being stepped in, things turned serious. Zalgo wrapped a clawed hand around a vine that had gotten tangled in his hulking antlers, then ripped it out and tossed it aside. He shook his horned body loose of any remaining debris, never wavering his spiteful gaze.
      In the blink of an eye, Zalgo disappeared, a cloud of void-like flies and mist left behind. Slenderman weaved his tendrils around you and himself, creating a dome structure just in time to block Zalgo's offensive appearance. "I need you to be expeditious with this plan, ____," Slenderman's voice resounded in your mind. "After I block Zalgo's attacks, strike him with your venom. I don't care how. I'll create an opening right after he's deflected." You confirmed his plan of attack, then readied yourself to move at a moment's notice.
      Zalgo disappeared again, leaving behind his grotesque residue of nightmarish wisps. Slenderman eased his tendrils, knowing that Zalgo would easily find a weak area if things didn't change. The demon lord appeared again, behind the two of you this time. Slenderman was able to create another cage of tendrils in time with your foe's strike. You turned and leapt toward Zalgo, venom-laced knife in hand. The tendrils contoured enough to allow your attack to go through, and you thrust the dagger up to Zalgo's form. Zalgo escaped just before you could make contact. You kicked off from the wall of tendrils and landed back at Slenderman's side.
      "He's faster than I thought," you growled and licked your knife again, mostly out of agitation.
      "Don't hold back," Slenderman said. "Whatever strength you have, you'll need all of it for this fight." To this, you grunted in acknowledgement.
      Again, Zalgo appeared, ready to swing a leg right into your face. Again, Slenderman blocked with his tendrils. And, again, you attacked through the opening. This time, however, Zalgo didn't leave. Instead, the devious demon rolled away from your attack, allowing half of your arm to go through Slenderman's barrier. That was all he needed to grab your wrist and jerk you against the solidified tendrils. Your face slammed hard, breaking your nose, and your shoulder was pulled right out of its socket. You lost grip of the knife, which dropped to the ground. Now, you had no function in either of your arms, which pissed you off more than it hurt.
      All in one fluid motion, Slenderman's tendrils retracted as he grabbed you around the waist with his own hands, pulling you back toward him. He gathered his eight vines into one twisted group and swung it down at Zalgo. Unfortunately, Zalgo must have anticipated his enemy's retaliation, and quickly retreated before he was hit. The tendrils crashed into the ground, stirring up a cloud of debris that eventually settled to reveal a significant crater. Slenderman pulled you against his body, setting you down as he turned to counter Zalgo's next attack from behind.
      You gathered yourself, using the pain to fuel your production of venom, which now leaked from your lips in excess. Now that you were effectively armless, you were severely limited on your options of attack; defense was just as bad. What good were you now?
      "If that's all you have to offer," Slenderman called to you, struggling to overpower Zalgo in a current lock of fists, "then perhaps I was hasty in considering you as an equal." He swiped a tendril low, aiming for Zalgo's feet, but the demon climbed back in the air as though an invisible staircase existed, then vanished.
      Slenderman's words stung you. Just moments ago, he was praising you, but just as quickly you disappointed him. Your chest tightened at the thought.
      "You're gonna make her cry, Slendy," Zalgo cooed from behind you, and his leg cocked back just as you spun around to face him. He flashed a sly grin and a wink at you before following through with the kick. You tried to twist away, but Zalgo still caught your side. He sent you spiraling deep into the crushed forest that he and his army had appeared from. Just as you were being sent away, though, you thought you had felt your hand slam onto Zalgo's back. This time, you were the one to crash into the ground, crunching limbs and leaves alike underneath.
      While you were busy recovering from your daze, Slenderman and Zalgo continued to duke it out. One would think that Slenderman would have the upper hand with his extra limbs, but Zalgo was tricky, slick, and just as powerful. His manipulation on inanimate objects was his advantage. He danced through the air as though it were solid; he swam in the dirt as though it were liquid; and he possessed illusions of madness that even Slenderman had difficulty in cancelling out completely. You watched for a few moments, gathering your thoughts and contemplating how you could be of any use at this point. Then, you remembered the feeling of your hand hitting Zalgo, despite your limp arm. Maybe, if you worked it right, you could; yes, maybe. You clenched you hands, wiggling your fingers to ensure enough function. Yes, you could do this! It hurt like hell, but you could pull this off. You hunched over and managed to lick your thickened fingernails. They hand lengthened enough to do a bit of scratching since you first noticed their physical change. Each hand was coated with venom, thick pockets of the substance cradled under the curve of your nails. Now, to get back on your feet and into the fight.
      Not far off, Zalgo and Slenderman crashed together, exploding the area in a radius of air pressure. You closed your eyes and held your breath as dust rushed passed. Once it cleared, you staggered up to your feet and psyched yourself into enough of a rage to numb the pain. Once you saw an opening for you to step in, you ran to join the fight, but you didn't want to reveal your plan to Zalgo just yet. This had to be used as a counter or he would see right through your attempts. With that in mind, you went to give Zalgo a firm kick. You knew Slenderman had heard your thoughts, that nosy being, so he would be able to aid in your endeavors. Hopefully, this was enough to prove your worth as his equal.
      Zalgo blocked your kick with his shin, a knowing look in his eyes. "You'll have to try harder than that to catch me off guard, ____." He flicked his tongue playfully before pushing you away.
      You thought that you'd fall back and struggle to get up again, but Slenderman caught you in time. Zalgo was relentless now, rushing toward the two of you, ready to strike. He dove into the earth with an oddly graceful form some feet away from you. Slenderman ported you and himself to another spot in anticipation of Zalgo's plan. You saw Zalgo surface where you once were, and then dive right back down without a moment of confusion in his actions. Slenderman waited a moment, then Slender-walked the both of you to a new spot. The situation repeated itself a couple more times before you stepped away from Slenderman and had him port away without you. He did so, playing along with confidence in your little scheme. There, you waited for Zalgo, ready to leap back when he breached the earth, then swing your limp arms and scratch his crispy flesh.
      Zalgo didn't surface; not where you stood, that is.
      From Slenderman's vision, you helplessly watched as Zalgo broke through the ground from behind your tall companion. It was too late to react. Your heart sank. Your turned to see it with your own eyes, hoping it was all a trick. Yet, reality confirmed your horror, and it numbed your pain more effectively than your anger, but it was a little too powerful. Your legs grew weak, yet you barely managed to stand.
      Unbeknownst to both you and Slenderman, the two of you had been tricked. Zalgo had predicted Slenderman's movements. Now, Slenderman hung at the mercy of Zalgo's horns run through his back. The white being tried to use his tendrils to strike the offending demon, but the major injury had already weakened him significantly.
      No, wait. It was much worse.
      Something was in Zalgo's fist. He clenched it, crushing something of plastic and metal. You saw Slenderman begin to flicker, and for the first time, you heard him cry out in agony. Zalgo tilted his head and pushed Slenderman off his horn; the tall being tumbled to the ground where he remained on his side. Once again, the network of allied vision was cut off from you. Zalgo's intimidating hallucinations grew stronger, slowly creeping into your mind. The buzzing of flies and hissing of whispers scratched at your eardrums. You wished your arms could function enough to futilely clasp hands to head, but even the attempt of lifting them was a whole new agony in itself. The only thing you could do was close your eyes and hope that your dreadful screams would drown out Zalgo's power.
      "____," a familiar, creamy voice reached out from the depths of chaos. "You're not done, ____." Slenderman tried to encourage you. He tried to pull you away from Zalgo's torture. "Didn't I tell you not to hold back?" Somehow, even through an unstable, mental connection, he was able to embrace you, shielding your mind from the piercing voids. Then, a gentle whisper, filled with a secret that only the two of you shared, "Show Zalgo just what sort of monster he's dealing with."
      Opening your eyes, the scene of your fallen comrade had changed to a much closer Zalgo. He sauntered over to you, unaware of what was to come his way. You growled, hunching over and readying yourself to move. With a mouth flooding of venom and drool, you unhinged your jaws to let it spill out, not minding the mess. Your pair of fangs stretched forward, and a longer-than-average tongue flopped from its cave. A sepulchral hiss sounded from your throat in one final warning to the demon lord before you.
      Zalgo only responded in a sensual moan before suggestively querying, "What do you plan to do with that soaking mouth?" The only reply you gave was a swift knee to the gut, causing Zalgo to heave in consternation. You didn't waste time with trading blows, knowing that the sooner you could corner Zalgo, the better. You twisted your upper body and worked with the momentum to sling your nearest arm at Zalgo. Your palm struck his upper arm, but you didn't clench your fingers in time; Zalgo vanished in a wisp of darkness before you could infect him with your venom.
      No matter. You just had to keep up the pressure. Zalgo would eventually slip up, just like Slenderman did. Everyone makes mistakes. You wouldn't stop attacking until you were successful, dammit!
      The bombarding whispers and buzzing were still rattling your ears, but you were too distracted with the determination of blood lust to care. Zalgo reappeared behind you, his favorite tactic, it seemed. You only noticed his presence when he punched your square in the spine, which sent you barreling to the ground only for a moment. With skill and grace, you twisted your body enough to roll yourself onto your feet and hop back to a stand. You didn't waste time waiting for Zalgo's next move, bringing the fight to him. All you had were your kicks until you could get a good opening. Zalgo blocked your attacks with a solid stance, though you noticed a trail in the dirt as he was gradually pushed back by your force. The kicks weren't getting you anywhere, and Zalgo didn't try to counter, so you changed it up and went for a tackle, if only to throw off the demon lord. Zalgo responded with a grunt as he lowered guarding arms. You kept on the pressure, twisting your upper body to drag an arm against Zalgo, all the way to your nails. Trying to bite him would have been a risk to your fangs, since Zalgo was strong enough to have easily pulled back and broken them. This time, you managed to drag your toxic nails across Zalgo's arm, nicking him, if only just enough. The shoulder-mouth ran a savoring tongue over its fresh cuts, not yet bothered by whatever amount of venom that may have gotten on it. Still, you continued fighting, just in case. With Zalgo being a powerful Creepypasta, it may require more of your venom than normal.
      Zalgo punched you away again, only staggering you this time. He grinned with all seven mouths before dissolving into a swarm of black flies. The buzzing grew louder as they swirled around you, dive-bombing and biting at your skin with swift strikes. You gathered up a spit-wad of venom, flinching here and there at the irritating nips, then expectorated it at the swarm. The homogeneous goop of phlegm and venom sped through the air, only to be completely avoided when the flies effortlessly contoured their flight path for the brief moment that it took to allow your projectile to pass. You suspected that flailing your arms about would produce similar results. Zalgo's new form would require something less physical, but you possessed no sorts of abilities that could counter the swarm. Creating a mist of venom wasn't something you had practiced, either.
      Your face and neck were speckled with new bite marks from the flies. Even your open wounds were being struck by the tiny void-dark insects. This fight was hopeless.
      You let your knees buckle and collapsed to the ground, laying there on your back as the swarm rose up. It formed into a dark cloud, its shape constantly changing, and the flies stopped biting you. The buzzing synchronized into comprehensive words much like Zalgo's own voice, "Have you given up already?"
      "I know when I'm beaten," you narrowed your eyes at the cloud of flies.
      "Don't say it like that," Zalgo cooed. "You make it sound like domestic violence."
      "Seriously," you exasperated. "Stop with the flirting. I'm not interested in you."
      "Oh, I know," Zalgo stated. "But I never asked for that." The flies backed away and spiraled to the ground, compacting onto each other as they reformed Zalgo's body from his feet on up.
      While he was busy forming, you took one last chance - one last burst of energy - to roll your body forward, tumbling a couple of times, before getting close enough to Zalgo and swinging a limp arm at his legs. You clenched your hand as hard as you could, even flexing the sore muscles in your arm, despite the searing pain of a dislocated shoulder.
      Contact! Your nails dug deep into Zalgo's shin, scraping off a couple thick lines of his flesh, which dangled there at the ends of the wounds. Rolling away, you saw the flies complete Zalgo's horns. The demon lord stared down at you disapprovingly. You scrambled to your feet, expecting the fight to continue, but Zalgo only stood there. His gaze seemed to switch to an expression of impatience. Was he waiting on something? You noticed the scratches you left on his shin were beginning to sizzle and melt.
      "Ah! Oh no!" Zalgo stuck out his leg in a suspiciously exaggerated show of shock. "The pain! My leg! Your venom is too much!" He gripped both hands just below his knee, squeezing tight around his leg. "I can't handle this. I'm literally shaking!" Zalgo vigorously shook his leg to emphasize his words. Then, his leg ripped off at the knee; it was a mess of dark maggots and jet blood. "Look what you've done to me!" He waved the dismembered limb in your face, looking distraught. This whole time, you could only watch in confusion; unsure if Zalgo was truly defeated or toying with you. "How can I-" Zalgo interrupted himself when a new leg erupted from the stump he had made, much like an unexpected belch. For a moment, he paused, almost surprised at what had just happened. Then, he tossed the old leg over his shoulder with a simple shrug of acceptance, "Oh! Never mind, then." A shadow loomed over Zalgo's face, his smoldering eyes and sneering mouths illuminated more than usual, "I guess I'm perfectly fine."
      If that confident glare wasn't enough of a hint that you were done, then the remaining power that you felt radiating from his body sure was. You were gassed out; there was no fight left within your marred and thrashed body. If only you had made better decisions during the war; if only you could have saved your arm from its utter destruction during the fight with Iris; then maybe this outcome would have been different. Slenderman was right: he had considered you an equal too soon. Falling to your knees, you gave in to defeat. A stolen glance over your shoulder confirmed that Slenderman was at least still alive, but he remained laying on the ground. He was weak; incapable of tagging back into the fight. His form flickered, and his tendrils contorted.
      "Turn it off," you turned back to Zalgo with pleading eyes. "You've won, so just turn off the disruptor already!" 
      The towering demon lord held up a palm, then a little black box materialized in his hand. He approached you, taking a knee, and held the box before you. "You'll have to do that," Zalgo stated, pulling the top half of the box open to reveal a ring of ruby and obsidian nestled in its center. "Marry me, ____, and I will end your master's suffering; I will end this war."
      Your heart dropped right down into your stomach. You whipped your head around to gaze at Slenderman for answers. The pale being stared back, and even with minimal features, you could see that his lacking face was washed over with horror. Again, you turned back to Zalgo, eyes wide with forlorn and fear. "Please," you begged. "Don't do this. There has to be some other way."
      Zalgo's grin turned gentle, yet the devious sneer remained apparent. "I'm afraid this is the only way. Any other wouldn't be nearly as," he savored the word as it rolled off his tongue, "satisfying."
      "But, I just can't," you tried to reason. "I lo-"
      "She accepts," Slenderman interrupted you, paralyzing you with the cold words. "I offer my Proxy, ____, to join you in matrimony." He flinched at his body's flickering, or maybe at the pain of the words he didn't want to say, before continuing, "In return, Zalgo, you will agree to a written peace treaty between you and the Slender Family."
      Zalgo proffered the ring and its box closer to you, eyeing you with a knowing arch in one scaly brow. "I will gladly accept your offer, Slenderman."
      "But you said I'm not your Proxy anymore!" You yelled, tears bursting from their hold. "I'm not your property to give out!" Zalgo patiently waited with sheer amusement, as though watching a dramatic soap opera unfold.
      "I was intending a personal view; nothing formal," Slenderman hissed coldly. "Once a Slender has marked a Proxy, that Proxy remains his until death. You are mine to grant to whoever I deem." He clenched, groaning in pain as the disruptor did its work. "Now, do as your master commands," Slenderman growled exhaustively, "and take that damn ring!"
      His words cut deep into your heart, completely countering what you were going to proclaim to Zalgo. The tightness in your chest was a weight that you no longer wanted to bear. Why harbor feelings for someone who now obviously will not return them? You wept fresh, hot tears; liquid hatred and betrayal mixed into one substance. With glazed, tired eyes, you looked up to Zalgo and, much to your chagrin, let the words stumble through your cracked lips, "I will marry you, Lord Zalgo."
      Immediately, Zalgo plucked the ring from the box and lifted your left hand enough to slip on the ring. He was at least considerate enough to know you couldn't do it yourself. You stole one last glance at Slenderman, seeing that he was no longer being distorted by the device. You wanted to feel relieved for his safety, but the whirlwind of emotions within you seemed to nullify each other into a dull, dream-like state. Why hadn't the other Slender-beings interfered? Did they even know what happened here? Did they have a say, or was such an exchange so mundane to them that they suffered no loss and only gained?
      The ring was rather snug on your finger, but that was due to the swelling of your beaten body. Otherwise, you knew it was made to fit you perfectly. Zalgo had planned this moment long ago, when he first noticed a weakness in Slenderman - something other than the disruptor. You would be the chain around Slenderman's neck, always a tool for things you never wanted. Despite your growth over the months, despite how strong you had become, despite everything that had happened, you were still the dirt beneath their feet; a slave; a Proxy.