Dexter Morgenstern - The Slender Man

Leanne and Jason ring out, followed by someone I don’t recognize, followed by Lionel. Now he’s so loud he is drowning out my guitar. I won’t let him. I pluck the strings loudly and off-key, not with the intent of the song I’m playing, but just to mask the cries.

I reach the final slope, and the cries are cut off all at once. It’s as if someone abruptly hit pause on a simultaneous screaming track. I don’t hesitate, although I’m progressing slowly. I don’t fully know what to expect, but as the tree comes into view, my heart fills with dread. I do the best I can to pull up anger, but I just don’t have enough of it in my system. No! I need joy, I have to be joyous.

I reach the top of the hill. The tree has gotten much taller. It must be twenty-five feet in height, and not half a foot wide. I get where the term Slender originates. It still has those two low hanging branches that are almost as tall as the tree alone; the arms, and then the rest of the branches, all stemming from the back and all pointed up. There are more of these than there ever were before. I know that we are right-the branches are somehow representative of the children he takes, and Slender has been busy. I count fifteen branches now, not including the fallen one next to the axe on the ground.

I feel a continuous stream of static. With the static comes numbness, but slowly. I feel goose-bumps as shivers run through my body, but I pretend to not notice. I walk up to the tree, face to face, and I am about to play the guitar when I think of the boldest thing possible. I turn around with my eyes closed, and lean with my back against the tree. “Time to be happy Adam, I hope you’re listening,” I say.

I take a deep breath and force a smile, and then I begin playing the tab for Adon Olam. As I play I feel the static get closer. It’s not necessarily stronger than before, but it feels closer. All of my muscles tense involuntarily. Is he right here? I slink down into a sitting position, still leaning on the tree. I feel something touch my arm. It’s feels like a hand with long, slender fingers. It’s coming from behind me. I shiver. I’m practically vibrating by this point, but I continue.

I begin singing in a tremulous voice.

“Adon… Olam…” I feel heavy fluid trickle down my nose. “…asher malach,” I continue, but my body is starting to go numb. I feel another hand grab me gently, as if just to tease me, and the way the static is slowly pulsing, it’s almost as if it’s breathing down my neck instead of laughing. I take another breath, trying not to hyperventilate.

“b’terem kol… y’tzir nivra…” I mutter, but my voice cracks. Stop being afraid. Don’t be afraid damnit! I keep playing,

“…L’et na’asah, v’cheftzo kol…” I feel unbearably drowsy as Slender’s static aura engulfs me, pulling me through, burning.

“…azai melech, sh’mo nikra…” and I fall over… limp.

Bump, bump, bump. I can hear my heartbeat. I can feel it. With each beat it gets heavier. I’m not dead, I know that much. He’s sucked me in. I feel numbness penetrate my body and shudder in response, but it’s no time to be scared. That’s what he wants, but I came here expecting this. I already know what it’s like in this shadow world. I hold myself still, waiting for Slender’s screaming laughter, or the jagged pain, but neither come. I only hear my heartbeat, and static. What’s happening?

I open my eyes, it’s very dark, but the light coming from me is brighter than before. I still can’t see anything outside of the clearing though. I see no sign of Adam, or the Slender Man. I lean forward, balancing my- my guitar! I still have it. Apparently I can bring things through. If only I smuggled Dad’s shotgun in. If only a shotgun would work on this fiend.

I slowly make it to my feet, stumbling as I get used to the numbness. This has already happened to me twice before, you’d think I’d adjust more quickly by now, but it’s like dipping into cold water; no matter how many times you experience it, you’re never really prepared for the sensation.

I turn around to look at the tree. It’s moving, but not contorting, and there’s no black vortex-vein connecting me to it. Slender really must have special plans for me, but what does he want me to do? I take a few steps, unsure of which direction to turn. I’m starting to feel anxious, trying to anticipate what’s going to happen next. He’s going to jump out at me, or grab me suddenly. No, he must be expecting me to wander off with no guidance, to try and escape, and eventually fall into his trap, if I’m not trapped already.

“Adam!” I call, but my voice is muffled, as if this is a dream. I can still hear my voice. It just won’t project into a shout. Is he blocking the sound then? I strum a chord on my guitar to see what’s going on. I feel the vibrations pass through my body, and the sound of the guitar resonates for a while, but it’s very discordant.

“Your move,” I say, boldly.

Slender must be taking the bait, because here’s Leanne’s scream. It’s coming from my left, deeper into the woods. “Right,” I say. He must want me to follow Leanne’s calls. I do my best to not let fear overcome me, but I can hardly help myself. Every second I tell myself. “He wants me to be scared,” in an effort to calm myself down, and it does, if only a little. I walk into the woods, every step showing me another leafless tree.

Leanne’s screams get louder which means I’m getting closer. I walk for about another minute before I see Leanne lying on the ground. There is no light coming from her body, but she’s moving a little bit. I stand above her, and watch her body distort. She’s ghostly pale, and if not for her slight movements I would think she’s dead. “Leanne?” She distorts again, and I jump back as the once-prone Leanne is now standing face-to-face with me inside one flash. She looks angry, but her eyes are blank, and her body is emitting this shadowy aura. What’s worse is while she’s standing like this, she is continuously distorting, and in between the flashes she seems to have no face, but when she does have a face it’s set in that vengeful look, the hateful look I last saw her directing toward me.

I wait for her to make a move. She distorts again and now she’s on her knees crying for help. Confronted with this pitiful version of her, I can’t help but feel, well, pity. He’s showing me that Leanne is still here with us, even though he has total control of her actions. It’s the temporary release Shana had to fight to achieve the moment she told me to wake up, but Leanne isn’t as strong. She just wants help. She distorts again, and Slender-Leanne is standing less than a foot away from me once more.

“I didn’t come here for you,” I try, hoping that’s the right answer. Leanne does the scariest thing she could possibly do next, she laughs. As she laughs her body distorts- no contorts, violently, as if disjointed, and she keeps flashing between no-face and angry-face, while manically laughing, but her laugh is coming from all directions. I feel a sudden drop in my sanity and consider running, but where?

Leanne grabs my head and my shoulder and pulls herself forward as if she were trying to kiss or head-butt me. As her face connects with mine, there’s no impact, instead it feels like we are merging, and a deafening static shriek permeates the air. I feel the same vertigo and sudden weakness I experienced the last time. I pull away and catch a glimpse of what’s happening.

My light is dimming and it’s as if- Leanne is creating the same effect that the tree’s vortex did before. Only this time it feels like my whole body is being sucked in by the contact. My body distorts now, painfully. I jump back, and pull away as fast as I can, but Leanne won’t relent. I see light coming from her body now. She’s stealing my own energy from me! I jerk to my right and run, but my guitar strap pulls me back. I turn my neck and see she’s trying to hold onto me by my guitar. She pulls back as I pull forward.