A Slender Chance

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

I didn't see Slendy again until Sunday afternoon.

I was outside raking leaves in my backyard, scanning the woods behind my house every few minutes out of paranoia. When my cat snuck up behind me and rubbed against my leg I nearly jumped out of my skin.

'Damn you Slender man! I was never this jumpy before,' I thought to myself.

I was actually kinda glad I hadn't seen him for a couple days. It had given me time to think.

Yes, I'd known he was a child murderer. I'd asked him and he'd straight up told me he was. But hearing him tell me he was about to go kill... and seeing Daniel's round little face on the news... That disturbed me.

And I'd also had time to think about how he had been acting around me. He was so strange. One moment he was serious, then he'd be happy, then he'd make a death threat, then he go back to being happy. The guy was a freakin' emotional roller coaster! I just wasn't sure how to act around him. And that scared me. I didn't like feeling scared.

I sighed and flopped down face first into the pile of leaves I'd just raked. All this thinking was making my brain hurt. Maybe I'd get lucky and he wouldn't come back, then I wouldn't have to worry about it any more.

'Lucky? Do you really think that would make you happy?' a part of me whispered. I sighed and had to admit to myself, 'No, it wouldn't.' Now that I'd met him, I didn't want to go back to life without him. But why? It didn't make sense. I didn't make sense. He didn't make sense.

Maybe it would be better if I had never met him. At the very least it would be safer, if not for me, then for the children of my town...

'Damn him.'

"What are you doing, little one?"

"Ahhh!" I jumped and sat up.

Slender man chuckled. "You're not scared, are you?" he teased.

I glared at him. "No, of course not!"

Looking amused he reached out and plucked a leaf out of my hair. "Tsk, tsk, you're a mess." He seemed to be in a good mood again.

"It's called working," I snapped and he chuckled again.

"Hm, you're feisty today," he remarked, plucking another leaf.

"Hmph," was my only reply.

Slender cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong Sky?" he asked, catching on to my mood, the amusement gone.

"Nothing," I said curtly.

He growled. "It doesn't sound like nothing."

I groaned and laid back into the leaves, throwing my arm across my eyes. The leaves beside me shuffled and I moved my arm so I could see. He had sat down beside me and was now peering down at me.

"Tell me Sky." His voice was a little softer now.

He looked so awkward, sitting like that, with his long legs folded up to his chest and his spidery arms resting on his knees. It was comical. Not able to contain myself, I giggled.

Poor Slendy look bemused at my mood change. Hmm, apparently I'm one to talk about being bipolar. "You are a strange little one," he said.

I noticed a leaf caught on one of his buttons. "Yes, you've said that before." I smiled but it didn't quite reach my eyes. I reached up to untangle the leaf from his jacket button.

Slender man stiffened suddenly as my hand came near him. "Th-there's a leaf," I stuttered. Hesitantly I grabbed the leaf and tossed it to the side. Once my hand was back by my side he relaxed.

'That was... weird,' I thought.

"Why were you upset little one?" he asked after an awkward pause.

"Don't worry about it," I sighed.

"Tell me," he demanded.

"No."

"I'm warning you human. Tell me."

"But I don't want to." I was starting to get mad. Why couldn't he just leave well enough alone? I wasn't about to tell him that he was the the reason I was upset. Him and his murderous history, confusing mood swings, and mixed messages.

"Sky Olivia Steele..." he muttered dangerously. I was too scared to ask how he knew my full name.

The air around us seemed to get darker and it had an electric feel to it. I started hearing static in my ears and and my brain was getting fuzzy. When I look up at his face, I noticed he had grown several feet and was now standing over me, glowering down. His appendages had sprouted from his back again and were swilling around madly like a disturbed nest of snakes.

'Oh fuck, he's really pissed,' I thought. I shrank against the ground, curling in on myself. If he had come at me like this last weekend, there would have been no doubt in my mind - I would have ran.

So this was Slender man's full power, huh? Damn, no wonder they made a horror game after him. I felt like I was slowing going insane - for real this time - as I stared up at his blank face in horror.

I couldn't say or do anything except continue to stare up at the tall man. I struggled desperately to get my wits about me. Suddenly I found my legs and was up and running in an instant... Straight into the woods.

'DAMN IT YOU IDIOT!' my subconscious yelled at me. This was probably just about my worst idea ever. I knew he was going to kill me when he caught me. Not if - when.

I ran, thankful for once to be a varsity cross country runner. I could keep running for hours.

'Can't run,' flashed through my mind. I wanted to scream.