DISCONT | Scorched Earth P2 [Creepypasta]

Ch3 - ...Zalgo.

I sighed. "I don't need a babysitter," I told them.

Helen shook his head, expression firm. "If Zalgo tells us to do something, we have to do it. Even if we don't think its needed," He explained to me.

Puppeteer nodded. "Zalgo isn't somebody you want to piss off. He can be quite brutal-"

"That's enough," A deep booming voice filled the air, and I watched as the two men cowered back slightly, lowering their heads almost as though they were afraid.

I reluctantly turned my gaze to the voice, swallowing my fear as I did so. I wasn't as afraid as Helen and Puppeteer, but I was certainly trying to be cautious.

The man that stood was clearly something inhuman, his black eyes peering with such intensity. His body had seven mouths that I could count, but only one of them moved when he spoke.

I couldn't help but stare, drawn in by such a monstrous sight. "Leave us," the creature let out, and the two men quickly retreated out of the room.

The creature smirked at me. "I am Zalgo," he said plainly, gesturing for me to follow. Seeing how the others had reacted so fearfully, I complied, deciding it best not to aggravate the creature by refusing.

"I'm Y/N," I let out, trying to be polite. Zalgo nodded, though I was sure he knew my name without me having to speak it.

He begun to walk, so I followed him through the narrowing, twisting passages. Each wall was lit with a flame upon a sconce, the light extinguishing behind us as we walked as though by magick. "Y/N. Do you know why I brought you here?"

I shook my head in response. "I still don't really understand most of what is going on," I admitted. "Am I dead?"

Zalgo's eyes narrowed. "You are only as dead as the others," he responded. Not exactly a helpful answer, but an answer nonetheless. "You are here to learn. To put your abilities to use."

"Abilities?"

He nodded. "You are a reality warper. Your abilities mirror my own, yet it seems they are unrealised."

"Reality warper...?" I echoed, still not really understanding what it was he was talking about. Had he mistaken me for somebody else, perhaps? I certainly didn't have any abilities, as far as I knew.

"Yes. I will be your closest friend, Y/N. Your greatest ally. But if you betray me..." he stopped walking for a moment, looking at me with his terrifying black eyes. "...Then I will be your worst nightmare."

I swallowed hard, nodding as a chill went through my body. It was genuinely frightening to be talking to a being that radiated such an air of malevolence, but I had to do what I thought best to keep safe.

And right now, compliance seemed to be the safest option, at least until I had a better grasp of my situation. Perhaps this meeting would result in allyship, and the cold behaviour was simply something I would grow used to, or perhaps he would become an enemy.

"But you won't betray me, will you, Y/N? Not for that fool Slenderman, or anybody else for that matter," he then said firmly. It was clear that he wasn't really asking - I was well aware of the thinly veiled threat behind his words.

When the silence grew, I realised the question was not rhetorical. Fearful, I quickly shook my head. "I w-won't," I scrambled out. I recognised it was a manipulation tactic - making me promise to something that I might later regret. I said nothing of this.

Satisfied with my answer, he gave a crooked grin. "Good," Zalgo spoke with a nod. I knew it was the only answer he would have accepted. "Go eat with the others. They will inform you of your duties after."

I nodded, walking through the door he so clearly gestured towards. I couldn't help the feeling of dread that slowly filled my chest. Everything just seemed to be becoming more dangerous by the moment.

What happened to the normalcy? I never expected I would miss that lonesome house in the woods. I never expected to miss a life so uneventful as before.