Slenderman Love Story: Damned Romance

~Chapter 3: ...Slenderman?~

~Alice's POV~
Badum, badum.
Like the beat of a heart, right beside my head. Am I listening to my own heart?
No, that's stupid! You scolded yourself. You wouldn't hear it beside your head!
That means...its someone, something else's.
I register the feeling of arms around me, and that I'm softly rising and falling, in the rhythm with a soft beating sound below me.
Footsteps! I realize and suppress a tremble. I'm being carried...
But by who? A voice whimpers in my mind.
I'm tempted to take a peek, so I try opening my eyes slightly, but I guess the blood that was all over my face is still drying, because my lashes are gummed up, and all I can see is a red haze. I fear if I open my eyes furthermore, whoever is holding me will notice, and I'm not sure if I want that...
Wait, what's that noise? Oh no... More footsteps!
I keep my breathing laboured as the five, maybe seven people keep approaching.
“Boss!” A voice calls out. Not low, but not high-pitched either. Young. Male, definately. 

"It's alright, Toby!" The person--no, the man holding me calls back. I know it's a man, for his voice is deep, with a soothing quality to it. Almost...farmiliar. "I'm fine."

Boss? I think. Oh no, I've been found and kidnapped by a strange, tree dwelling mafia gang! Sinner's City is full of mafia's, gangs and all sorts of horrors.

"Who's the girl?" A different voice, lower than Toby's, rasps. He sounds like his tongue is dry.

"It's Alice. Alice Mare!" Boss's voice has a bubble of excitement.

"What?!" A third voice, male, but older than Toby. Twenties or thirties. "But, Boss..."

"You heard me right, Eyeless Jack." Boss replies. No longer does he need to shout, for the gang is gathered in front of me. "Alice Mare."

Eyeless Jack?! Holy shit, what kind of mafia is this?! I'm beginning to panic.

"Holy shit..." Another voice, simular to Eyeless Jack's but slightly higher murmurs.

"Ooh, she returns." A sickeningly twisted voice chuckles. A predator's voice. "Come on now, it can't really be her!"

"Masky, BEN," Boss chides. "That's enough."

"I-It can't truly be h-her. She's dead." Another voice, almost identical to "Masky"'s. 

"No. She isn't. Just because she went missing, doesn't mean she died, Hoodie."

"You said it yourself," Jeff growls. "No mortal could survive that fire!"

Mortal?! God, these people are lunatics!

"I said it was unlikely," Boss corrects. "I didn't say it was impossible."

"Move, I want to see her!" Demands Eyeless Jack. 

There's a shuffle of footsteps, and the sound of rubbing fabric. I flinch as a hand is laid on my stomach.

"Oh my god..." Eyeless Jack whispers, sounding absolutely shocked. "I...I...I can't believe..."

"What?" Ben sniggers. "Come on now, let's see this Alice doppleganger then shall we? I--oh..." He trails off into a choked silence. 

"BEN?" Masky says cautiously. "Are you okay?"

I flinch again as a hand runs through my blood-crusted hair. "It's...It's her. Alice." He half-sobs.

Suddenly Boss stiffens, twisting to the right, tense and alert.

"Boss?" Hoodie asks. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Boss intones. "But we would be wise to continue on home, these woods are not as safe as they once were. Who knows who could've slipped through the boundry." He starts walking away, the others following him. There's some hushed whispers behind him.

"How bad is she?" Eyeless Jack speaks up. 

"I don't know." Boss sighs. "And I won't, until we get all this blood off her."

"Careful!" BEN snarls as someone bumps into Slenderman.

"I tripped!" Toby snaps indignantly. "It's not my fault!"

"Yeah, well, watch where you're going then!" BEN hisses.

"Boys." Boss warns.

They fall silent, but I have a feeling their glaring at eachother behind their masters' back.

I have to know. I think. My curiosity gets the better of me, and I open my gray eyes. 

"Oh my god..." I whisper aloud. "...Slenderman?"