A Slender Chance

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

I didn't know where I was. I felt like I'd been running forever, my feet were numb, my lungs were burning, and I didn't know where I was.

He was still behind me. I could feel him more than anything else. His presence had that power in it that seemed to be soaking into my very soul. The static in my ears was still there. I didn't dare look back.

I knew it was all over when I fell. My foot caught under a tree root and I face planted into the forest floor. As I fell, my ankle twisted and audibly snapped. I cried out, clutching my injured ankle to my chest. The static got stronger. I closed my eyes.

Tentacles wound around me, slithering and crawling across my skin, and lifted me off the ground.

A choked sob escaped my throat.

"Just do it quickly please," I begged.

A pause. "Sky..."

The static was gone and the air felt less dense in an instant.

Strong arms replaced the tentacles and he cradled me against him. That was it. Pride or no, I allowed myself a moment of weakness. I hid my face in his chest and started crying.

I could tell Slender man was unsure what to do. He'd caused plenty of people to break out into tears before. Most of his victims were already crying by the time he reached them anyway, but he'd always killed them shortly after. He'd never had to comfort one before.

"Little Sky..." he murmured, stroking my hair hesitantly.

I didn't reply other than to cry a little harder. I wanted to shove him away, I wanted to yell at him, but I couldn't. I just didn't have the will power. He just held me there for a while. The front of his suit jacket was getting soaked. I idly wondered if he'd be mad at me for that latter.

As my tears started to subside, I lifted my head. "I'm sorry, I got your suit all messy," I sniffed meekly.

He smile down at me softly and a tentacle wipe the tears off my face. "That's alright little one. It can be cleaned." The tentacle lingered. "Why did you run from me?"

I stared up at him bewildered. "I - I was scared." Wasn't it obvious?

"I would never do anything to hurt you..."

I scowled. "Oh yeah? 'Cause you were just radiating that 'I'm gonna kill you' vibe," I said angrily.

"You were being very... Difficult. I lost my patience," he replied.

"Yeah, we'll if you'd just let it go, this wouldn't have happened!"

Slender man didn't seem to be responding to my hostile tone at all. "I asked you a question and you were refusing to answer me."

"So? People don't always do what you want. That's life. Get used to it, pal."

He looked shocked for a moment. "I... I've never been refused anything in my life," he said after a pause.

"Well there's a first for everything."

"I don't... like being refused... what I want." He seemed to be struggling with his words. He sounded... Lost.

I sighed. Poor Slendy. I kept forgetting he wasn't human. Things were different for him. "I was upset because I was scared and confused," I gave in after a few moments.

"Who was scaring and confusing you?" There was concern in the pale man's voice.

Pause. "You," I whispered.

Slender man froze, not looking at me anymore, but straight ahead. "I apologize for scaring you," his voice was cold and distant.

"I thought it amused you when you sacred me," I asked.

He looked back down at me. "No my little one, not after seeing you like this." I blushed when he called me his, and he tilted his head to the side, no doubt wondering at it.

"What was it about me that was scaring and confusing you, exactly?" he asked.

Oh great. How to begin? "Well, um..." I paused, not really wanting to continue.

"Go on," he prompted.

"Your mood swings throw me off constantly."

"Mood swings?"

"Yeah, you um... you seem happy one second, then you're mad, then you're sad, then you turn all playful. It's really hard to keep up with," I explained.

"Hmm, alright. I'll keep that in mind. What else?"

"Um..."

He leaned his face in closer till it was only inches from mine. "Please tell me?" he breathed.

"Uhh... Nghh... Um..." I mumbled unintelligently.

He chuckled and pulled his face back. "Sorry, didn't catch that?"

"I scares me that you kill children," I blurted.

His chuckle died instantly. "You already knew that about me," he said gravely.

"I know. It didn't quite hit though till I saw Daniel in the news," I explained.

"Oh..."

"Yeah..."

"I... guess that's a valid reason to be scared," he said slowly.

I gave a shaky, half strangled laugh. "Ya think?"

He shook his head. "You know, I have to eat too Sky."

"Can't you eat something normal like McDonald's?" I exclaimed.

That actually got a laugh out of him. "What McDonald's is going to serve me?"

"Good point," I mumbled. "But that still doesn't mean you have to kill children!"

"I don't suppose so. But I enjoy it." A shiver ran up my spine and he grinned evilly again. "Come on little one, lets get you home." In a flash that left me feeling disoriented, Slendy teleported us back to my backyard. He went to set me down and I cried out and collapsed on my bad ankle.

"Sky! What is it?"

"Nothing... Just... My ankle," I panted. "Just give... Me... A moment."

The tall man knelt down in the grass next to me and placed my foot in his lap. I bit my lip to keep from whimpering as he rolled up my pant leg.

The ankle was nearly purple and was swollen so much my high top converse were cutting into it. Slendy unlaced my shoe and carefully pulled it off.

"What am I going to do with you child?" He shook his head. Gentle fingers wrapped around the swollen flesh. Then the pain started to lessen. I looked up at Slendy in shock.

"Am I healing?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"One of my many talents," he said, then held up his other hand to silence me.

I waited patiently, amazed at what this man was doing to me. After a few minutes he released me and stood up. When he spoke, he sounded tired. "How's that?"

I stood up to. There was no pain. I grinned up at him in awe. "Amazing!" I gasped, "Thank you so much!" On an impulse, I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him. He froze.

"That's... Er... You're welcome," he said stiffly. I let go and stepped back, a little embarrassed. After a second he relaxed again. "I should be going," he said.

"Why?" He smiled and ruffled my hair. "Healing can be very... taxing on my strength. I need some rest," he explained. His hand left my hair and gently caressed my cheek. "Good night little one." The next second he was gone.

His sudden disappearances were almost as bad as his mood swings.

I raised my hand an gently touched where his hand had been moments before. "G'night..." I mumbled.