A Slender Chance

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

The first thought that went through my head was, 'Shit, I'm gonna die.'

The second thought was, 'Too bad Charlie's not here to see this. He woulda freaked.'

And third, 'But dammit, he's not even real!'

"So... I finally cracked, huh?" I eventually managed to croak. It was the only logical solution I could come up with - I'd finally gone insane. 'Bout time,' my subconscious sneered at me. I told her to shut up.

Slender man just cocked his head at me. I blinked and suddenly he was gone.

I spun around quickly, scanning the trees around me for the monster. When I found nothing, I waited for my heart rate to slow and allowed myself a small, hesitant chuckle. "Sky, you dumb ass. It's just your eyes playing tricks on you," I said to myself out loud. First seeing things, now talking to myself. Wow, I really was loosing my mind.

I turned, once more to climb the ladder. This time when I heard the noise I didn't even turn around.

"You're not real, you know," I said more to myself than to him.

From no more than ten feet behind me I heard the reply. "I don't know. I feel pretty real to me."

I gasped and turned quickly to face him. "Well of course you would say that if I was imagining you," I tried to reason. Did I just see the twitch of a smile? How? He doesn't even have a mouth...

"Why would you think you're imagining me?" Oh, there's his mouth! When he spoke a split in his face where his mouth would be appeared. His voice was deep and sad sounding. It sounded centuries old. As he spoke, he took a step forward.

"Because you can't be real," I said.

"Yes, you've said that." He sounded annoyed.

"And because I can't die yet."

Okay, now he looked amused. "So what you're saying is that the simple fact that you 'can't die yet' automatically makes me a figment of your imagination?" He stepped forward again.

I nodded. "Pretty much."

"I'm surprised you've survive this long already with logic like that." He stepped again.

"Hey!" I protested, "I've grown up in a society that doesn't believe in myths. I can't help it if it's the conclusion I jump to automatically. I've only ever had to deal with humans before not..." I trailed off, not sure what to call the creature that stood before me.

"No excuse." Step. "You know what I think?" Step. "I think you're just saying I'm not real because you're scared." Step. He actually grinned at me, but it was an evil, sharp toothed grin that sent a shiver down my spine. He was now only a couple feet away from me. I had to look almost straight up in order to see his face. He towered over me.

I tried to shrug, but my true fear was getting harder to hide the closer he got. I decided honesty wouldn't be any worse than lying at this point. "It's easier to just avoid things by pretending they're not real ," I explained.

He grinned. "So you are scared?" I didn't reply. Long black tentacles sprouted from Slender man's back. One if them reached down and caressed my cheek. It was smooth and slithery, but surprisingly warm. It sent another chill down my spine. "Just admit it. I can smell the fear on you."

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. Another tentacle wrapped around my waist and a third slithered its way up my wrist. "Feel that human? Does that feel real to you?"

Totally against my will, my traitor mouth let out a whimper. Struggling for control of my own emotions, I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. "If your going to kill me, just hurry up and do it." I sighed.

The tentacles lifted me off my feet and brought me till I was eye level with the monster. "I thought you couldn't die yet?" he mocked me.

"Well I don't want to die, no..."

"But?" he prompted.

"But I hate showing weakness, and fear is for the weak," I said matter of fact.

That took him by surprise. "You are a strange little one indeed," he murmured, and the tentacle stroked my cheek again.

Suddenly making up his mind he set me down and unwound his appendages from around me. I gaped up at him as he took a step back. "I'll be seeing you again little one," he promised and vanished.