𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝘁

ℝ𝕦𝕟 ||𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 5

'Who was this guy??'

This phrase echoed through your skull as you sprinted deeper into the dark verdant oasis. It was deathly cold but you carried on. Your figure swerved between branches and leaves. Roots of larger trees sabotaged your escape, almost tripping you a few times here and there. You didn't glimpse back, knowing already from the loud snaps and cracks that this psychopath was chasing after you.
'Why me?'
Your stamina, lucky, had been cruising you through this. It stayed consistent and let you live a little while longer. Thorns unexpectedly brushed against your frame, causing small, irritating cuts to form on the first layer of your skin.
'Just keep running. Maybe you could exhaust him.'
Your mind couldn't refrain from thinking of a way out. It only got worse from here. As your pace started picking up you heard a small scoff from behind you, as though the murderer had been throwing something in your direction. Your breath hitched as the world steadily began to move in slow motion. A hatchet appeared right beside your cheek, cutting off some hairs with the blade. It was sharp like the killer had sharpened it just for this occasion. Your (E/C) eyes widened in shock as a harsh 'thud' sounded when the hatchet made contact with a tree you passed by. Your body trembled as you ran, and you held down a cry, not wanting to give this person the satisfaction.
This man, whoever they may be, wanted you dead.

Toby's POV

They were a fun one, I'll give them that.
They even managed to dodge my hatchet flying straight towards their head. I was surprised to say the least, but all this tension would finally release once I got to kill them. I knew they were nimble but this exceeded my expectations.
I liked the chase.
I stopped for a brief second to peel my hatchet out of the wood it pierced, examining the metal for any fresh blood. Yet again, (Y/N) impressed me.
'Come on, (Y/N), you can't run all day,' I couldn't help but feel all jittery inside, excitement consumed me. I wanted to get my hands on this person and watch them suffer.
Before long I realized what direction we were heading in.
'The mansion!!'
Panic kicked in as I tried to run even faster to catch my victim. They couldn't see what beautiful horrors lay within this forest.
I picked up my pace, realizing this was no longer a game and actually a jeopardy to my life.
'Toby, what the hell?? He's going to be so mad, then feed my organs to Jack, or throw me into a river, or tourture me, or just kill me on the spot!!' my thoughts ran wild as I kept sprinting towards my target, trying to throw my hatchet once again to try my luck. It was like the lottery.
Damn, my aim was horrible today. I was like Masky everyday.
I managed to snip their baseball bat lingering by their side with my hatchet. I heard a loud yelp sound from their being as the hatchet shattered the wood everywhere. They continued to hold the end of the bat for dear life as though it was going to protect them from me. At least now they didn't have a weapon. If I could feel pain, that hit from earlier would have winded me right then and there. I let out a low growl as I ran faster, picking up my hatchet from the dirt floor. I couldn't let anyone near the mansion, it was one of the reasons he kept me around.
No humans were allowed near it.

'Shit, this bitch can run'

(Y/N)'s POV

I kept running aimlessly, fast and far away. The deeper I got into the forest left my sense of direction a hazy mess. I couldn't stop now, that thing would get their hands on me and pry me open. The thought of myself dead wasn't too pleasant, I'd miss the joys of life I haven't experienced yet. Suddenly a large, outstretched mansion emerged from the darkness. Its worn tan wood faded lightly into a grayish hue, and it's windows had a mossy white coating making it impossible to see what lurked inside. The bushy leaves covered the mansion well, especially at nightfall. It left the immediating mansion with a scariness that was unbelievable, almost as if fate was begging me to turn back. It's aura lingered in my soul but I couldn't just let that thing get near me. I clutched the pathetic end of my destroyed baseball bat and braced myself to hide inside. Yet before I could even take another step closer to the mansion, a soft ringing noise bounced around in my head. The ringing suddenly got louder and louder until static filled my vision.
Was this my fear?
I tried to stay up and keep running but my limbs grew weak and not before long I felt my body drop lifeless to the grass. My breathing hitched as I dropped to the floor, wanting the hell binding sensation to reach its demise. Nonetheless, it lasted longer, making a tear run down my cheek. I couldn't even keep my pain inside anymore, I let out a faint scream. I felt as if my head was going to explode due to the pressure. This couldn't be the end, right? My memories flashed back to my parents, school and (B/F/N).
My life was just beginning.
This couldn't be the last time that I saw them.
Please, don't let this be the last time.

Toby's POV

My heart dropped once I witnessed (Y/N) step foot near the mansion. This couldn't be happening.
Please Lord and saviour help me because I'm going to die!!!
Panic reached its maximum state and I felt myself twitching more than I usually did. I observed their pace gradually decrease and collapse to the ground. They laid there lifeless, almost mocking me once again. I couldn't be the one to kill them. Taking one small step forward, I wanted to examine their body. If I couldn't be the one to kill them, then I'll at least get to watch their corpse before I die.

"Tobias," a deep, angry voice boomed out. The voice made my lungs lose air and almost took me out right on the spot. He's never used my name like that before, he usually just called me Toby. Oh I've really out done myself this time.

"Sl-sle-slendy--" for once my voice wasn't cracking because of my speech. I slowly turned around to meet face to face with the slenderman. His white figure towered over mine, watching down on me like death itself. I just knew I wasn't going to like the outcome.

"What do you think you're doing?" His voice firmly echoed through the trees, stabbing me in all directions. His tendrils appeared at every angle possible, ready to take my life with one flick.
At least I wouldn't be able to feel it.
"This human was not on your list, and you chased them right towards here. This is unforgivable, Tobias," his voice rang through my ears as his tendrils slowly made their way towards me. He was either going to make this very slow, or very quick. I accepted my fate and shut my eyes, awaiting death to occur. Yet it never did. I slowly opened my right eye to reveal that his tendrils were inches away from me, however, he was focused on the corpse lying on the forest floor.

"They outran you?" He questioned out loud, his voice still tainted with anger, but was softer. The question still made me feel like it was either life or death.

"Ye-yes" I nodded, agreeing quickly to seal in whatever fate I had. This was really good, or really bad. I didn't know what to expect, his nature was always mysterious and reading him was like reading a wall.

His tendrils suddenly retreated as he strode towards the lifeless body. He abruptly picked them up, their body hanging lifelessly from his tendril as he disappeared into the mansion.

'I'm going to make you anew, my child.'
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