Sta.sh
What happened last night?
Were you drunk?
Sleepwalking?
How did you end up in this forest?
And why were you fenced in?
Why was there nobody around?
And why did you feel you were being…
…watched?
Thoughts flooded through your mind as you awoke to find yourself in a dense forest. Tall trees with scrawny branches surrounded you. A fence blocked your way out.
And that gut-wrenching feeling in your stomach told you that someone, or something, was watching you.
You stood up, stumbling over a couple times as your mind woke up and you became fully alert. You took a step forward, and tripped over something, and scraped your knee on the ground. Blood oozed from the wound, mixing with the dirt. You looked behind you, back at your shoes, and noticed a video camera and a flashlight partially hidden under some dead leaves and twigs.
You stood up, and brushed yourself off, ridding of the mud on your knees. You then bent down and picked up the camera and flashlight. They both, surprisingly enough, had working battery. You pressed the power button on the video camera. Full battery.
…Didn't that seem just a tad…
…strange?
Ignoring the interesting concept, you pressed "Record," before flipping on the switch of the flashlight. You waved the torch around you, so you can actually see where you were. The fence blocked your way out. There were no surveillance cameras, or park officers or the such. Your only hope at the moment was to follow the grass barren dirt path in front of you. You took a step forward, and began walking.
Walking. Walking. Walking.
You walked for what seemed like hours, which, in reality, was only a matter of minutes. You stumbled upon an old brick building that reminded you of a hospital, or hospice…
But…why was a hospital in the middle of a fenced-in forest?
And why was an eerie aura coming off of the building?
Ignoring your self-consciousness that was urging you to flee, you penetrated the structure and started exploring. From where you entered, there was a long hallway that turned left into another one that had 2 ways to go: another left turning hallway that turned left into a room, and a short hallway that turned right. And immediately to your left was a room. You stepped inside, and spotted a lonely wooden chair, as well as some areas of tile that were chipped and crumbling onto the floor, forming a pile of shambles.
However, you saw something sitting on the chair.
You hobbled over to it, and a piece of notebook paper came into view, with something scribbled on the front. Jumbles of sketchy etchings and letters became legible as you picked it up and held it to your face.
There were 2 little drawings in the upper and lower right hand corners of a very scrawny "X" and a thin, almost slender looking man. There were also words in the middle that took up most of the paper.
"DON'T LOOK OR IT TAKES YOU."
They were underlined for whatever reason. You flipped the paper and took note of a small message barely visible to the naked eye.
"Collect all 8 pages."
You had to squint to read it. Once you did, you simply shrugged it off and stuffed the page into your left pants pocket. Then you turned around, and walked right out of the room as if nothing was out of the ordinary; towards the exit. However, as you faced the forest…
…something made you stop dead in your tracks.
Behind a tree near the building was a man who looked strangely like the one pictured on the note. He was indeed slender, and his arms reached just past his knees, which had to be longer than his arms. He had to be at least 7 ft. tall. If not, much much taller. The man wore a black suit with coattails and a black tie. His face was…
Wait, was that even considered a face?
It looked more like just a head! No nose, mouth, eyes, ears, or even hair!
Your camera started growing fuzzy with static, and a shrilly noise rang in your ears, making them ache. Through the camera, you witnessed black, slimy tentacles spawn from his back. They multiplied and stretched towards you the fuzzier your camera got and the noisier that noise became…
Thinking fast, you broke eye contact with that…thing…and darted back into the building. You swiftly ran down 2 hallways before stopping halfway through the short corridor that lead to opposite side of the former hospital. You turned your head left and right, trying to decide which of the 2 exits to take. 1 was an immediate way out, and the other was a long, darkened hallway. You didn't want the…slender…man...to meet you on the other side, so you took the easy way out, which lead directly to some large yellow gas holders of some sort.
Then you realized it.
The moment you picked up the first note, a single drum beat had been pounding in your head. It was really loud, and echoed like the inside of your head was a cave. It also repeated on a seemingly endless loop. It gave you a slight headache, but hey, you'd rather have an aching head than run into the Slenderman again.
After looking around the gasoline tanks for a little, you started growing exceptionally paranoid, and constantly turned around to make sure he wasn't there. Then you found the note. It had fallen under one of the containers. You walked over to the container and got down on all 4's, stretched out your arm underneath the tanker, and began grabbing blindly at the air and sinking your nails into the soil as you tried to get the note. At last your fingers brushed against the rim of the paper and you grabbed it and pulled it out. You held it close to your face as you read it.
A picture of a circle was portrayed in the middle. 2 X's were drawn over the areas where a human's eyes would be. A blood-chilling message was written above and under the circle, underlined.
"ALWAYS WATCHES NO EYES."
You had to read it over again a couple times before you grasped its meaning.
The message meant that the Slenderman is always watching, with no eyes.
Shivering slightly, you neatly folded the paper and tucked it in your pocket. Slowly turning around, you followed the dirt path until you reached 4 large boulders that seemed to create a formation of some sort. You circled the rocks and squeezed your chubby figure in-between them, wincing as the crinkle of paper sounded from underneath your foot. You bent down and picked up the wrinkled piece of paper from under your shoe. You read it silently, shaking as you repeated the 2 underlined words.
"CAN'T RUN."
You nervously stuffed the paper in your pocket, which now held 3/8 pages.
'Wow, I've gotten to 3 notes without seeing the Slenderman. He's probably right behind me,' you thought, turning around slowly. In-between the gap of the rocks on the opposite side of where he was , you saw a glimpse of him behind another tree. You gasped, and forced yourself through the gap in the rocks, making a run for it by cutting through the forest to get at the dirt path on the other side, in order not to make the curve and run into him.
Then you realized it.
A new sound effect was added to the drumbeat. It sounded like the theme of suspense in a film. It was loud, and simply drove you mad. It was also on an endless loop like the drum, and it would fade out before sounding again, right when the drum sounds. You smacked yourself upside the head to keep from screaming aloud in frustration.
As you strolled down the path, a series of intersecting brick walls that appeared to form an "X" came into your line of sight.
'Hm, X-shaped walls? In the middle of nowhere? Who builds this stuff in a forest that's sealed in?' you thought to yourself as you approached the structure. You circled the brick walls until you found a page stuck to one of them, facing the dirt path leading away from where you just came from. You walked up to the lined paper, and read it.
There was a picture of the Slenderman in the middle, and the word "NO" was written 6 times on either side of him.
'Ok, what the hell is this supposed to represent?!' you thought angrily to yourself. Maybe it meant something like "No, don't look at him," or when you were close to him, you would hear him whisper "No," 12 times in your ear; you weren't exactly sure. This note literally meant nothing.
You turned around and saw him in the middle of the path you just explored. And boy was he close. Your camera got fuzzy and flashed static, and he was suddenly closer, like he…
…teleported.
You squeaked in surprise and shock as you turned and ran away, not looking back.
From that, you walked and walked on this dirt path that was notably longer than the others. Now you weren't sure what you were to look for this time.
A tunnel? An abnormally looking tree? A car?
You didn't know.
But after some more walking, you looked to your left, and spotted 6 large wooden pillars. You ran over to one of them, because you saw the page hanging from it. Breathing heavily, you snatched it from the pole and held it close to your face.
It read…wait, there were no words…on this note?
It was just a picture…of the Slenderman among a forest of scribbled trees.
W-Was it supposed to symbolize that the Slenderman is as tall as a tree?
So…not only was the Slenderman slender, but he was also really tall?
…The Tall Man?
The name faintly struck a bell. Where had you heard that name before? Hmm….
Oh yeah! Your mother told you urban legends of the Tall Man as bedtime stories.
He was a…tall man…who was very pale, with almost stark white skin, and deprived of any facial features, except for a mouth full of razor sharp teeth underneath his skin. Long arms reached past his thin waist until they dangled by his knees. Sharp fingernails tipped his inhumanly large hands, whose fingers could easily wrap themselves around a young child's head. His legs were just as long, if not longer, than his arms. For clothing attire, the beast wore a pitch black business suit, complete with either a tie black as night, or blood red. When angered, the Tall Man will spawn 6-12 tendrils from his spine at will. They can extend to incredible lengths to asphyxiate his victim from far off. The Tall Man can also produce multiple arms from his body, which can also extend like his tentacles, as well as his legs.
He would inflict paranoia and fear into his victims without so much as moving. Children and infants would serve as his diet, with the occasional adult. His mere presence can infect someone with the fatal ailment known as "Slender sickness."
The first stage is violent coughing that requires medication.
2nd is experiencing technical difficulties with computers, cameras, cell phones and televisions; such as static or high-pitched shrilly noises.
3rd is seeing him from the corner of your eye.
4th is seeing his entire figure.
Final stage is death….
Symptoms include paranoia, insomnia, and the need to record yourself at all costs.
No one has ever survived if they contracted Slender sickness.
Fatality rate? 100%....
But…coming back to reality…why is it called Slender sickness if he is called the Tall Man?
…Is the Tall Man Slenderman?
You faintly remember your mother mentioning that the Tall Man had a couple of other names…one was in German…another was "Der Rifter" or something…and then the other…started with an "s"…and sounded like something with "ender" in it….
"S" and "ender" fit with Slenderman….
Could it be? Him?
Snapping back to your surroundings, you wrenched your head left and right, before sprinting forward, away from the pillars. You don't know when is started, but the suspenseful music from before had ended and replaced with an…angrier sounding one. It still sounded like the theme of suspense from a horror movie, but it was as if the killer was now chasing you…very atmospheric…and fitting to your current situation. In thi-or rather, your case, the Slenderman, or Tall Man, or whatever, was the killer, and you were, or are, the one being chased.
As you ran, a pipe-like tunnel came into view. It was gray, and has a texture similar to concrete. Yet another thing one wouldn't expect to find in a sealed in forest of death.
You breathed heavily, your voice echoing down the corridor like a hollow cave. A familiar piece of paper came into your line of sight to your left. You walked up to it, exhaling loudly. On this page was an obviously scribbled tree, with the Slenderman standing next to it. And only 1 word was on it.
"FOLLOWS."
It was written next to the Slenderman.
So it was saying that the Slenderman follows you.
You made a "pfft" noise as you clutched the note in your hand before stuffing it in your other pocket, since the other could fit no more.
'Yeah, I think I figured that out,' you thought to yourself as you casually strolled towards the other end of the tunnel.
'6/8 notes. And I haven't seen him since my…4th, I think. God, this is so nerve wracking,' you thought. Exiting the pipe of would-be-doom, you followed the dirt path to your right. This path is your savior; you follow it like a little duckling.
Anyhow, soon enough, a blue gasoline, or oil truck, came into your line of sight. There was no note seen on the back or left side of it. Your high hopes of living sunk faster than a rock in a pool. Was there no note? Would he get you? …And kill you?
You mentally slapped yourself. There had to be a note. There just had to be! You've gotten up to an astounding 6/8 pages; there was no turning back now. You were going to get all 8 pages and survive. For your life. Literally.
Nearing the truck, you circled around it to get a glimpse at the right side. If there wasn't one there your only hope was on the front; possibly on the truck's hood.
There was nothing on the right side.
Creeping closer to the front, anxiety settled. What if it wasn't there? No, stop denying yourself!
…And sitting on the hood, was a piece of notebook paper.
Relieved, you snatched it from its perch on the hood of the vehicle, and read it.
"HELP ME."
Underlined.
…Did a previous victim write this? And the other pages? As a desperate attempt to get help from the outside world?
…It was a possibility. But the answer remains unknown.
…Ok, 7/8 pages. Only 1 more. Where is it? It is the last one you need to escape this hellhole!
Frantic thoughts clouded your brain like thick fog as you turned around and jogged along the path to heaven; to freedom. It could lead you to the 8th and final page, or directly into the Tall Man's grasp.
You'd prefer the 8th page, to be honest
.
Panting, you speed walked on the path that suddenly seemed to curve…and before you knew it, a red Volvo with a tool shed appeared!
For the first time in forever, you smiled, feeling accomplished. You just survived a night in the forest with the Tall Man!
…Or so you thought.
You've must've circled the Volvo and the tool shed twice each.
And there was no note.
Anxiety settled in once more. How close was he behind you? Where was the last page? …Did he have it?
No, there's no way Slenderman himself would have the 8th page. That would destroy the purpose of you running away from him!
However, you were not going to give up. 7/8 pages….
"I'm coming for you, 8th page," you said to yourself under your breath.
You followed the grass-barren pathway that lead away from the truck and shed. Your mind went from determined to vulnerable to the Tall Man's powers and abilities. It was also at that moment that you noticed the 20th or so sound effect was added to the drum and suspenseful tune. It sounded like something from…an 8-bit style game. It was pixel-y sounding! And it added even…more suspense.
Just what you needed.
To be even more terrified.
Frikkin brilliant.
As you walked along the gravel path, an…unusual looking tree popped into your sight.
It had a fat trunk, and as the branches started to form, they grew considerably…slender and scrawny looking.
Like the Tall Man's tentacles of suffocation.
From where you were looking, you could see no familiar piece of paper. Just the brown colored bark of the "Slender-tree," as you now called it. But maybe the page was on the other side. In a position where you couldn't see it from your own position. Yeah, that's it.
But that meant you had to turn around to see it.
…What if he was directly behind you right now?
…What would happen if you turned around to find him right in your face?
Anyhow, you circled the tree, keeping a sharp eye out for the Slenderman. You actually saw him this time. He was standing near the trees from the path you just came from. And he was really close. Your camera started emitting the shrilly noise without a thought. You turned the other way and ran; away from the Slender-tree, and the Slenderman himself.
Running. You ran for what seemed like forever. And to where? This pathway would probably lead you in a circle, directly into the Tall Man's deadly clutches.
But, thankful to your quickly-draining sanity, you saw the gateway to freedom. Heaven's Gate.
The fence where you woke up to begin this very nightmare.
But alas, you still had only 7 pages.
Where the hell is the 8th?!
It was slowly driving you to the brink of insanity at this point. You turned to your left, and…
…vaguely saw a red…tower…in the distance.
Yet another thing one wouldn't expect to find in a forest.
But it's a forest of doom, so it's probably considered an exception.
You walked over to it, veering off of the path slightly and panting heavily; a consequence from running too much and too long at a time.
It was indeed a red tower, and it reminded you of one of those climbing towers you would find at a carnival. Not too many people were successful in climbing to the top. You were one of those unsuccessful people.
Putting that aside, you were standing in front of the presumed climbing tower. You started scooting around the edge of the tower to the right. If the page wasn't here, you would just give up and sacrifice yourself to the Slenderman. It was obvious to you that he wanted you for dinner. Or dessert. Either way, he wanted to satisfy his hunger for your flesh and blood, and your delicate crunchy bones.
And you had fallen right in to his trap.
But wait…what's this?
Out of the corner of your eyes…you swear you saw…
…a piece of lined notebook paper.
Euphoria glazed over you like maple syrup on a stack of pancakes. Was it real? Or were you now hallucinating? You had to find out!
You sprinted next to where you saw it.
There was absolutely no doubt about it.
You had found the 8th and final page.
And it was directly in front of you. On its perch on the red climbing tower.
Since you were directly in front of it, you could easily read it.
"LEAVE ME ALONE."
It was scribbled in huge letters in the middle. "ALONE" was underlined. And next to "ME" was either a tree, or the Tall Man without a head. It was too sketchy to distinguish.
You greedily grabbed it. And just like that…
…the music stopped.
The drum, suspenseful music, the pixilated tune;
it all just…
…ceased.
Had you done it? You collected all 8 pages, and now the only thing left to do was get on the other side of that frikkin fence.
The fence that continued to block your way out of this horrific nightmare.
The nightmare that had yet to end.
You turned around, prepared for the worst.
He wasn't there.
You smiled from ear to ear, and started skipping towards the chain-link fence. You had done it! You had gotten all 8 pages!
Now you just had to climb over that damn fence.
Your hands would've been grasping the chain-links by now.
If it wasn't for the pale, impossibly large hand perched on your shoulder that made you stop dead in your tracks.
You turned around, stuttering in your breath.
Standing before you, staring into your soul, was the Slenderman.
He was 200% scarier up close like this.
He smelled of death. His claws were caked with pieces of rotting flesh and dried blood.
And his mouth…
…was a cracked, black hole in his head. Sharp teeth gleamed at you from the crater mouth. And a long, black tongue slithered out. His tendrils spawned, and began to squirm and slither in the air. A second pair of arms formed from his shoulders and threatened you with sharp nails. Another pair grew from the sides of his torso; underneath his mandatory arms. They reached out, curling their slender fingers around your neck.
As they did so, you opened your mouth to scream, but your vocal cords were cut off as soon as he grasped your neck. Your hands flew up to your neck to try to pry his hands off, but to no avail. You coughed, slowly choking; dying. His mouth curled into a wicked grin; like he was enjoying your last breaths.
Your legs flailed helplessly; a sign that your time is near. You let out one last gasp before everything slowly faded into darkness…the last thing you saw was the Tall Man's mouth opening even wider, before all of his tentacles and arms lunged towards you, and a searing pain surging through your veins…as if the tendrils stabbed into your flesh and his nails pierced your skin…and he was ripping your body into pieces….
You shot upwards, hands over your mouth to prevent from screaming. They fell to support your weight as you panted aloud. As they hit the ground, you heard the unmistakable crinkle of dead leaves and snapping twigs. Wind rustled the leaves from the tall trees surrounding you. Crickets chirped from all directions. You took in your position and looked behind you. A chain-link fence blocked your way out. You turned your head forward and tilted it up to look at the…black night sky?
Questions popped in your mind faster than you could find the answers to.
What happened last night?
Were you drunk?
Sleepwalking?
How did you end up in this forest?
And why were you fenced in?
Why was there nobody around?
And why did you feel you were being…
…watched?
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