Disturbed

It's been a week since I was targeted by a ethereal creature named Slender-Man. I also learned that their is an entire pantheon of these things. Creatures like The Rake, The Blind Man. The Black Dog and hell of lot more.

The Fears. Physical manifestations of what go bump in the night. Muzen's grandfather explained everything to me. Most of the time my mouth hanged open completely stupefied  by what I was hearing. They lurk inside your nightmares and strike when your at your most vulnerable. It would of been hard to believe any of it if i hadn't seen it for myself.

It was Tuesday and fresh light beamed through the window in the guest room. The sounds of birds chirping soothed me a little, almost made me forget I was being hunted by a monster. The entire situation troubled me relentlessly. The past few nights I've been having nightmares of being chased. I knew by what, but it was scary nonetheless. I also lost my appetite, nothing seemed to interest me or my stomach. I felt horrible.

A knock came at the door. "Josh, you up?"

It was Tasha. With my leg still broken making it around is bitch. So every morning Tasha helps me get out of bed.

"Yeah I'm up come on in." I answered re-positioning myself to help her out some. She opened the door and walked in. The first thing I always notice about Tasha is her hair. It's so long and luxurious, always smelling of peaches or some other type of fruit.

I like fruit.

"How did you sleep."

I slept terrible but I didn't want to tell her that. The whole household was worried about me even Muzen.

"It was better."

"Still having nightmares." She asked sitting next to me.God she smelled good. I turned my head trying not stare.

"Yeah."

She put her hand on my shoulder and smiled, "You'll be ok, you'll get through this."

I wanted to believe her I did but......

"I have a question."

"Ok then shoot."

I looked down into my lap, "How many people have actually gotten through this, I mean he took my friend without batting an eye what's the chances of me surviving."

She bent down and looked me right in the face.

"I'm not going to lie to you the chances of surviving is...very slim but that's why you have us." she smiled.

By us she meant the Agents. A secret order created back when Slendy was called Der Ritter. Back when he first waddled his way onto the scene. They've been battling him and his groupies The Proxies for centuries. Then without notice more Fears started showing up, rearing their ugly heads from out of the shadows.

"Thanks." I said forcing a smile.

"Good now let's get you out of bed."she giggled slapping me on my cast.

We made it to the kitchen. The entire family was in there. Muzen, his grandfather, two younger siblings and a dog. The smell of bacon and eggs was intoxicating, it made my mouth water something vicious.

"Josh how nice of you to join us take a seat have a plate two." howled the grandfather. He looked to be in his late fifty's but moved like a man just out of his twenties. I guess you would have to be in tip top shape to battle demons and such. His hair was a bright shade of gray and shoulder length.

Tasha helped me into my chair. Muzen was sitting at the end of the table stuffing his face with bacon.

"Geez Muzen the bacon's not going anywhere." I scoffed.

"Yeah so you say." Muzen said still throwing bacon in his mouth.

We all laughed. It was good to have some fun.

The younger siblings named Ronny and Molly jumped in the seats next to me. Just like i suspected they were around my age. Ronny was 14 and Molly was 13. Ronny had glasses like huge glasses. Just like Tasha his hair was red but really curly. Molly had to be the strangest one out of everyone. Since I've been here their have been three consecutive times she's stared off into oblivion.Creeps me right the fuck out. Also unlike most of the people in her family her hair was blond.

"So Josh how's the leg man." Ronny squeaked.

"Ugh it's better can't wait to get this cast off."

We laughed again. Man laughing felt like a blessing right now, because you never when it's going to be your last.

"Granddad, their here." whispered Molly.

She was doing that staring thing again.

"How many."

"Five I sense another presence but I can't get a fix on it."

"Muzen!"

"I'm on it."

Muzen threw the chair back and ran into the other room.

"Who's here, is it Slendy." I asked getting a little scared.

"Proxies a whole squad of them, they must have followed you the night you got here." explained the granddad.

"I thought they couldn't follow us." I said.

"That's the problem with Spacial Transport it can be tracked."

"Oh that's great." I said slumping back into my chair

"Tasha take Josh and Molly back in the room, seal the door, Ronny your with me." Muzen said walking back into the kitchen. He had a hunting rifle in his hand.

We ran into the back room, well I wobbled, but we made it. Tasha helped me onto the bed and went back to the door. Molly sat next to me still staring off. Tasha closed the door and began digging in her pocket. Oh boy here comes the chalk.

She started writing strange markings around the door frame. When a marking was finished it glowed a bright red. Stepping back from the door she began chanting. With every word spoken the markings began glowing brighter and brighter.

"Seal Number 36: Lockdown." she voiced loudly. There was a loud boom and then the markings began to dim.

"Were safe." Tasha said sitting into a rocking chair.

"Yeah but for how long?"

Their was silence. Since their was silence I knew that their was no answer.

God Dammit.

Twirl Down Pt 2

I awoke inside Muzen's car, my head still thumping.

"What happened?" I questioned still a quite bit dazed.

"You passed out, I was able to put your leg in a makeshift cast, I'll be able do a better job when we get to the safe house." said Muzen his eyes never leaving the road.

Their was silence for about twenty minutes. There was really nothing to be said. My house was just burned to the ground.

"I'm sorry about your parents, he stopped the house burning's a long time ago, you must be special. " he laughed.

"Do you think this is a joke huh do you. My parents are dead my house is a pile of ash. Is your house a pile of ash,IS IT!" I yelled slamming my leg against the door. Bad idea.

"I understand your hurt I do, but what I need you to do is keep your emotions in check for right now, you can cry later." he uttered oh so nonchalantly.

The more time I spend with this guy the more of a asshole he becomes. "Who are you really, some type of child soldier from Narnia or something."

"No, I'm a Agent." he answered like I know what that was.

"And what the hell is that may I ask."

"Fine I'll start from the beginning."

He pulled into a clearing in the middle of nowhere, I wonder if Courage is around.

"Fear, one of the strongest emotions humans can feel. It is so strong in fact that it has the ability to manifest itself in different ways. Slender-Man is one of those manifestations."

"So you're telling me there's more of those things out there."

"Yes, quite a few of them each more dangerous then the last, and you my friend have been targeted by one. Slender-Man being the first one to have ever manifested is also the strongest."

"Well how do I stop being targeted?"

"That's the tricky part, Slender-Man can't necessarily be killed, but you can slow him down. "

"Yeah right, you don't even know what you're doing. I don't even know what I'm doing."

Muzen didn't respond. He was staring at something what I don't know. I looked out the window to see nothing but darkness and more darkness. "Muzen, what's wrong."

That's when I felt it. The same feeling I felt earlier that day in my room. A familiar feeling a feeling I didn't want to feel.....it was fear.

"Stay in the car." Muzen demanded while reaching in the glove compartment. He pulled out a gun. A big one at that.

"I thought you said you couldn't kill him."

"I did say we can slow him down."

Muzen jumped out of the car, gun in hand. He walked in front of the car and then towards my side. It was so dark out there I couldn't even see him anymore.I reached over to the steering wheel and flicked the cars lights on.

Holy shit!!

Standing right in front of the car was him. The one who took Sam, the one who burned my house down, it was the Slender-Man.

"MUZEN, get back in the car!" I yelled waving my hands frantically back and forth.

Three shots rang out accompanied by amber flashes of light . Slender-Man didn't even flinch. A high pitch whine began to emanate from him. I forced my hands into my ears. I looked up to see black tentacles protruding from his body. I was freaking out, I thought about getting out but that's suicide.

With everything that was going on I lost sight of Muzen. He better had not ran off. I hope he didn't run off.  I looked back to the hood of the car.. he was gone.

"Goddammit." Muzen cursed as he threw open the car door.

"What the hell was that about, are you ok."

"They found us, buckle your seat belt now."

We flew off nearly swerving into a guard rail.

"Dammit, Dammit, Dammit." Muzen blurted.

"Will you tell me whats going on."

"That wasn't really him, we'd be dead if it was , it was a astral projection used to scare us. Fuck, the Proxies must not be far behind. Were not even close to the safe house."

"How much farther?"

"Far, I have to do another cloaking charm. If they find us it's over."

For the short time I've known him this is the first time Muzen showed any type of fear. Even his driving was different. It was more reckless, swerving in out of traffic. Car lights blurring past us.

"Muzen, maybe we should slow down."

"Slow down we die."

He started digging inside his coat pocket again. I hope he's not getting the chalk out. Nope...he pulls out a cell phone and starts randomly dialing numbers. He puts the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Tasha we got a problem, they found us." he shouted into the phone. If you listened carefully you could tell that his voice was cracking.

"I don't know how, can you get us spacial transport or not."

Spacial transport? That does not sound safe at all.

"I know how dangerous it is just do it. "

He hung up. Muzen starting pressing buttons on the radio. I don't think now is best time for tunes. That's when the radio flipped inside itself to reveal an entirely new console.

"Are you James Bond or something  what is that."

"Listen carefully, were about to make a spacial jump to the safe house since this is your first time I'd advise you to use this." he said while reaching into the backseat.

It was a brown paper bag. Am I going to throw up.

"Jump in one, two, three launch."

A series of bright multicolored lights started to fly past the car. The other cars on the road seemed to slow wait no their stopping completely.

"This is insane." I said with a slight giggle.

"Oh it get's better." Muzen laughed.

Did he just make a funny. Even with this serious facade he has he still was a kid like me.

Suddenly we jetted forward at blinding speed. Rings of light enveloped us in a spectacle of color and sparkles.

Then we stopped. We were in front of an old cabin in the middle of the woods.

"That was awesome. Why didn't we do that in the beginning."

"Because I didn't think we were going to get caught. "

"Well either way you can have this back." I told him while handing the paper bag.

"Oh no give it a second we just get here." Muzen chuckled.

"Yeah right."

I felt something in my stomach. It was a bubble of some sort. An eruption of yesterdays dinner and today's snack flew out my mouth.

I stuffed my head into the bag.

Muzen started laughing hysterically.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah laugh it up." I said while wiping my mouth.

 "MUZEN!" screamed a voice. It was a chicks voice a cute one at that. Muzen got out the car and was tackled down by a mass of flowing red hair.

"Tasha, come on calm down."

She got off of him in less then a second and smacked the ever loving shit out of him. Ouch.

"Spacial Transporting on a public road have you learned nothing. You idiot, what if the Proxies had saw you?" she said very aggressively.

I think I'm going to stay in the car.

"Tasha, it's fine no one followed us."

"That's not the point Muzen you could of put the entire safe house in danger not to mention that kid in your car." she said pointing at me.

I slid down into my seat. Please don't point at me again.

"I'm sorry sis ok." Muzen whispered. It was his sister. His sister is hot. She had long red hair that almost touched her lower back. She was tall and a slight bit muscular but not to the point where it's disgusting. Just like Muzen her attitude seemed sketchy she was hard to read. But I didn't care she was hot.

Three more people came out of the cabin. A old guy and two kids probably my age.

"Muzen, welcome back." said the old man placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Thank's granddad." Muzen smiled.

Are all these guys related. That's awesome I guess. They started talking among themselves. About what I have no clue but they all looked in my direction a few times.

Then I heard ringing. It was Muzen's phone he must of left in the car.

"Hey Muzen your phone's ringing." I yelled out the window.

"Answer it for me." Muzen responded.

Okay the level of trust here is amazing , just answer the phone Josh. I picked it up and put it to my ear.

"Ugh hello."

"Jooosssshhh."

It was the voice from back in the diner.

"Who is this."

"Did you like the gift?"

"What gift.Who the hell is this."

"My name is Purpose and I have friends oh so many friends. HAHAHA did you like the gift it sure was a blast."

"You son of a bitch you're the one who burned my house down, you KILLED MY PARENTS YOU DICK."

I looked towards Muzen and his family. They all were looking at me.

Muzen poked his head in the car and whispered "Put it on speaker."

I pressed the button on the phone.

"Were always watching Josh, you and your friends, watch your back kiddies."

He hung up.

Everyone just looked at each other. The grandfather walked to my side of the car and said "How about we get you inside."

Twirl Down Pt 1

Me and Muzen left the diner. His walk was hurried, I had to jog just to keep up with him. He stopped in the middle of the road and started digging through his coat. After a few seconds he pulled out a piece of chalk and started scribbling on the concrete.

"What are you doing?" I asked trying to get a better look.

"I'm hiding us now stand back." he said while stepping back himself.

"One flash, two flash, three flash, four flash. Cover your eyes now!" he commanded with a finger pointed at me.

"What?"

Four consecutive flashes of light burst out of the ground. I slammed my eyes shut just in the nick of time

"AHH, what the hell was that!" I cried.

"A cloaking charm, this will hide us for awhile." he explained.

"Who are you even talking about."

"Just follow me."

We walked another block or so before we came up to a parked car. A very nice car to be exact. A jet black El Camino, only reason I knew so was because I collect model cars and this bad boy was my favorite.

"Muzen hold up, what's going I think I deserve to know"

Muzen turned and looked at me with such intensity. I took a few steps back.

"You've been Tagged."

"What do you mean tagged." I asked severely confused.

"When you're friend was taken you saw something that didn't want to be seen."

"For something that didn't want to be seen it surely did a piss poor job." I said with a chuckle.

"Explain."

"Well I turned around and there it was just standing being all creepy and such.'

"It's not like him to be so blatant, somethings wrong "

"So you know what that thing was!"

"It has many names but we call him the Slender-Man."

"Slender- Man, now I'm really confused."

"Just get in." he said while opening his door.

We got in and pulled off in a huff a smoke. I stared out of the window trying to piece together the events of the day. No matter how much I try to make sense of it I come up short. We soon reached the neighborhood I lived in. We drove past Sam's house. I wonder if his parents even know he's gone. My eyes began to water. What the hell was going?

"Which one is yours?" Muzen asked slowing the car almost to a halt.

"The one that's on FUCKING FIRE." I screamed.

I threw myself out of the car barely missing a mailbox. Firetrucks were parked from the top of the street all the way down. Onlookers stood nearby with hanging mouths and shaking heads. I ran towards the towering  inferno that once was my home.

A cop jumped in front of me and screamed, "Back up it's not safe here "

"I live here my parents are in there." I shouted trying to push pass him. This guy must be a fucking line backer.

"I understand that but you have to get back....."

A huge pillar of fire suddenly burst through the kitchen window, which happened to the same window we were standing by. The sheer force flung us into the street. My ears were ringing loudly, I couldn't even focus. My vision blurred, smoke burrowed up to the sky in a mad dance of flame and destruction.

"Let's go, GET UP." a voice called out. It was Muzen, he was running towards me. I tried to stand up but my leg felt broken. Muzen grabbed my arm, steadily screaming in my ear. I wanted to respond but my thoughts were miles away.All I could do is stare. I wanted to scream so I did just that.

I screamed to the heavens and cursed the gods for allowing such a thing to happen. I was normal, just a run of the mill 15 year old kid from the suburbs I never asked for this. I never even asked.

Twirl Up Pt 2

I was frozen in my chair for hours just staring at the spot where Sam once sat.

My brain couldn't even register what just happened. What the hell was that thing? What did it do with Sam?
Will it come back?

FUCK THAT. I gathered the strength needed to get out that chair and I bolted out of my own house. There was no destination, I just had to get away. I ran past the schoolyard, ran past the the courthouse, ran past the train tracks at the edge of town.

I just ran.

Finally I decided to take a break by a creek. Despite the obvious toxicity of the water I splashed some on my face. The image of that thing replayed itself over and over in my head. How could something like that even exist.

The sun started to go down. I checked my watch it was 7:00 on the dot. I had to get home soon, but I kind of didn't want too.

The walk back was horrible. I felt sluggish and completely disoriented.

"Hey, kid " a voice blurted from nowhere.

I jumped out skin and began haul-assing it toward a nearby diner. I could call my parents from there.

Busting into the door of the diner I almost fell flat on my face. All eyes were on me.

"You ok sonny?" asked the old man behind the counter.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Is there a phone?"

The man pointed to the far back of the diner. I found the payphone behind a tower of cardboard boxes and milk crates. The smell of fish was rampant it almost made me hurl. I dug in my pockets to search for any type   of change. A dime..awesome. I picked up the phone and dialed my home phone. It rang only once.

"Hello"

There was silence.

"Hello mom, dad."

A low rumble was in the background.

"I said hello." getting a little frustrated.

"Josh." a voice said.

"Who's this." I muttered. I started to get scared.

Whoever it was started laughing and immediately hung up.

I slammed the phone on the hook and made my way back to front. Then something grabbed me and pulled back into the shadows. I tried to struggle but they were strong.

"Stop struggling you idiot I'm trying to help ."

"What do you mean help?"

I was let go.

The person stepped into the light. It was kid no older than 17. His hair was messy and long. He had a weird demeanor about him I just couldn't get what.

"Who are you?"

"My names Muzen ."

"Muzen.....that's different."

"Yeah whatever look your in danger like life threatening danger. "

",,,,,,Just great."

Twirl Up Pt 1

"He's been following me for three weeks now, I don't even know who this guy is. He's tall like freakishly tall, dude remember the oak tree in front of the school he could reach high into the middle of it. I've seen him at school, home, the market he's everywhere I am, he's even in my dreams"

My friend is being stalked by something he describes as not being human. Showing up when he least expects it and disappearing  immediately after. I said it's probably someone pulling a prank on him, but he doesn't believe me.

"I don't know what to do Josh, I can't sleep, I can't eat, I'm falling apart. My mom's thinking about sending me to a institution. I can't let her, he'll get me.....he'll get me....."

He started to cry.

I've never seen him cry before. Sam being the tough guy of our group; seeing him like this made me believe him.

"So....he just stands there, he doesn't say anything?" I asked.

"No, he just stands there looking, staring, MOCKING me! You know what makes it so much more terrifying?"  he asked still sniffling.

"What?" I answered trying not let my own fear slip out.

"His face......he has no face....HE HAS NO FAAAACCCCEEEE!" he started to scream, writhing back and forth in his chair.

"Sam calm down it's okay it's okay." I pleaded.

The look on his face scared me shitless, the whites in his eyes were gone, his jaw stretched to proportions a human face never should go. It was then that I noticed his eyes were fixed on something, and it was then that I noticed what he was fixed on was behind me.

Fear swept over my body like a storm cloud. I didn't want to turn around but whatever it was made me turn.

It was a man well I guess it was a man. He wore a suit with arms that dropped to his knees. Its height was ridiculous I don't even know how he managed to fit in my room. Then I looked at his face....he...he had no face just holes where his eyes and nose should be.

I screamed.

And as fast as he came he was gone. My heart had fell in my stomach by this point.

"Sam, what hell was that thing...Sam?"

I turned back around to see that Sam wasn't there. He was gone.