Dexter Morgenstern - The Slender Man

I keep going, my feet hitting the ground so heavily that my steps seem to displace the black earth beneath me. I feel like I’m running faster than I ever have before, even in the real world. Even with Adam latched onto me like a parasite as he unwillingly feeds on my life-force. I can’t tell if the numbness is helping me or hindering me, but I’m pretty sure if I could actually feel what I was doing, I wouldn’t be able to do it. I must have dashed fifty meters, but every few steps an unwanted hand touches me, siphoning my last remaining bits of energy. They’re on my thighs, shoulders, arms, and even my head. Are they running with me, warping in front of me, or do they just have really long arms? I can’t see. I can’t see a thing in front of me now. It’s not worth thinking about. I can’t think. I don’t have any strength to think.

I take another step, but I don’t reach ground immediately, and my heart skips a beat. “Downhill…” I say aloud, almost chuckling. I try to recover by throwing my next leg forward to catch myself, but it’s too late. I feel my knee hit the ground, followed by my chest and then onto my side. I am thankful for the numbness now. I can’t feel any pain as my body slams into the ground during my tumble. I’m falling down. My brain is shutting down. I catch a glimpse of something in the split second before I hit it. It’s a large tree. Thud.

“Ah…ugh,” I groan.

I roll over but my back is against something. I feel wet, and everything is bright. I cough weakly. “Am I dead?” I ask aloud. I feel something pushing me.

“Alyssa,” a distorted voice calls.

“Alyssa, wake up. Don’t be dead!” it shouts. I still hear static, but it’s more broken than before. I can see a little bit more. I can see branches. The person speaks again. “Alyssa!”

“Adam,” I groan. My vision returns a little bit, but it keeps going blurry again. I’m in the forest, and Adam is leaning over me, trying to rouse me with his good arm. I look him in the eye. He looks normal aside from paleness and a few bruises. I cough again and try to move. My body is still very numb, and it’s another few seconds before I can so much as hug Adam. I look at my body to identify the wetness, and realize that it’s not broken static that I hear.

“Rain,” I grunt. It hurts to talk. I try and get up, but it’s still a while longer before I can roll over onto my stomach. Now I have to push myself up.

I slowly make it to my feet and Adam helps me stand the rest of the way up. My vision is still blurry, but I can see Adam coated in muddy leaves. I lean forward- nearly falling on him, and kiss him on the top of his head.

“We did it?” I ask. I look around. It’s morning and I see no sign of the Slender Man, although I feel like moving around is still as difficult, and now that the numbness has dispersed some more, I realize I’m banged up pretty bad from the fall. My vision clears up a bit and I look around. I think I can make out the trail about ten meters away.

“Come on,” I mumble to Adam, still feeling weak. “You okay?” I ask, finding that I have a small limp. A lot of my pain seems to throb from my thigh and back, but the most intense is coming from my head. I must have hit it, but at least feeling is returning to me

“Where’s the bus?” asks Adam.

“Bus?” I ask, not sure what he’s talking about. “We need an ambulance,” I mutter. He follows me and we find out that it was the trail I saw. We follow the trail towards the school. We aren’t too deep into the woods, so it’ll only be a bit longer before I can— “Ugh,” my vision blurs again and I stumble. “I think,” I huff. “I think I hit my head, a little too hard,” I say through short breaths.

“Where’s Denise? We need to find her!” he protests. What is he talking about? Denise, she’s dead right?

“Adam, Denise isn’t here,” I say, trudging along. I can see the road just ahead. For the millionth time I anticipate Slender stealing me away at the last moment. Slender! Something is wrong. This escape was suspiciously easy. Why has he stopped pursuit? I fell down hill and was knocked out, and now I’m back? He wanted me. I was the one who escaped, stealing one of his children and now I’ve done it again? That doesn’t sit right. He’ll be back.

“No, she was sitting right beside me,” he protests, tugging. My train of thought returns to him. He’s talking about Denise.

“No just, we need police,” I mutter. We make it through the edge of the woods safely, but my vision blurs again. I try shaking my head to clear things up but it only makes it worse. I pull Adam along the road, hoping someone will be out driving this early. After another minute I see a car in the distance and wave. The car is coming in our direction. I rush forward, pulling Adam with me as fast as I can, with a minor limp. I almost think we aren’t going to make it. Maybe we aren’t as visible in this rain, but then I realize that it’s driving slowly, as if the driver is scanning the woods already. As I get closer I see that it’s a police car and it’s already come to a halt by the time I register who’s driving it.

“Oh my god!” I hear Deputy Yew shout. “Alyssa, you found him! Oh—” he rushes over to us. “Are you alright?” he asks when he gets close.

“Uh, I think I need… ugh,” I start. I see his flashlight light, but I can’t tell what direction he pulled it out from.

“Follow the light for me.” I try to, but my vision blurs.

“Were you attacked or…?”

“I was running and- I fell…” I answer.

“Running? From…”

“I’ll explain later, but… but yeah,” I say. I can’t seem to form full length sentences.

“I think you might have a small concussion, here come with me. We’ll get you to some medical attention,” he instructs. He puts Adam and me in the back seat. I’m on the driver’s side and I lean against the window. I notice I’ve tracked a lot of mud into the car, and the rainwater is ebbing into the seats. I feel a little sorry because Deputy Yew will probably be the one to clean it up. I hold Adam’s shoulder since his left arm is broken. He’s holding his left arm, wincing.

“I hurt my arm,” he says.

“Adam that’s been, that’s… you’ll be fine,” I say.

“What about Denise and the others? They’re still at the bus?” he asks.

“Adam, that accident…” I try, but I give up. It’s not worth the energy to speak. I lean against the headrest and let out a little laugh. We both made it! We both escaped, for now at least. I thought he wanted me to stay in exchange for Adam though. I thought he wanted me for certain.

Deputy Yew is on his radio. “…Yes that’s correct. I have both of the Redwood children. Alyssa found the boy,” he explains. I look through the front window but my vision blurs again, damn concussion.

As my vision returns I see something far ahead in the road. It looks like a person and I brace myself for Deputy Yew to slam the brakes and slam my already weakened body forward. Even with a seatbelt I’m not- he’s not slowing down, and I get a closer look. It’s him! It’s The Slender Man in the middle of the road! As the car speeds closer I see him raise one of his hands out as if reaching for me. There’s an immense wave of static.

“Look out!” I scream, but it’s too late, the car crashes into the Slender Man and I watch his hand reach right through Deputy Yew and right into my face. The only thing I hear over my own scream is Slender’s laughter.

Deputy Terrence Yew abruptly lost radio contact with the sheriff’s station while reporting that he had recovered Alyssa and Adam Redwood. A squad car was sent immediately to the deputy’s last known location. The responding officer/deputy reported that the deputy was dead, but Adam Redwood was alive and in the car. He had crashed into an unknown object that was at first speculated to be a hit-and-run, but collision reports indicate that the front of the car was deeply dented into a V-shape by an object that was something too slender to be any type of automobile.