Just Another Creepypasya Fanfiction

2. The Vote

As I walk through the woods, I notice things changing around me. As always, it starts slow. The crickets and other animals stop making any sound, then the wind stops blowing, and then the path I'm on seems to disappear behind me. The deeper I go into the trees, the more suffocating the silence is. Until I start to hear a faint yelling. As I continue walking, it begins to sound more like agonised screams that gradually get louder as I get closer to the forest's heart. And just when I think I'm about to lose my grip on reality, the sky starts to change colours. I watch as it fades from a near-black to a deep blood-red. When the moon changes from white to a pumpkin tone, I know I'm almost home.
I step onto a burnt path that has suddenly appeared. Walking along, the screams become more clear and I hear sadistic laughter intertwined with them. Flowers of belladonna, delphinium, and hellebore sit alongside the path with their brothers and sisters of similar properties. You can tell they're waiting for their next victims by the way they fall gently into the trail. I'm careful to not step on them, to be respectful, and make a mental note to make sure Alisper doesn't play with them. I didn't save her just for some flowers to kill her.
The road stops when it turns into stairs. I look up at the black mansion I've grown to love over the years and suddenly feel more anxious than confident. Though we get to do whatever we want in this division of the world, there are still rules for the house. Bringing Alisper here is breaking our first and most important one: No bringing living humans to the dimension unless they are soon to be executed or are proxies-in-training. No one has ever broken the rules before, not that I've heard, so I find myself worried about the possibilities. I take in a deep breath for courage before opening the door. I hope that after all this time, they care more about family than secrecy.
I'm relieved when I see that the living room is empty. That makes this a little easier. Unfortunately, I soon realise that I didn't think this through enough. No matter where I go, there's the risk of running into someone and being caught before I can talk to the Big Man himself. It would make sense to drop her off in my bedroom that way I don't have to carry her with me, but if she's alone, I can't watch over her. Someone could go in and decide to kill her. Or she could wake up, wander out of the room, and that's when she'll get taken. Neither of those is good, and I'm sure there are more scenarios that I'm not thinking of.
A lot of sudden yelling startles me enough that I jump. I'm instantly aggravated, but it disappears at the same speed. It's not just one person yelling. On the contrary, it sounds like the whole house. I feel my blood run cold with the idea that someone might walk in and grab her before it can be stopped. It's happened before. All doubt clears from my mind and I start running as fast as I can up the stairs. I consider myself lucky for not running into anybody, or dropping her, but I'm soon panicking again. My door won't unlock. It takes about two minutes for me to get the key to work. Then, once I'm in, I instinctively kick the door closed. Knowing it'll be loud, I go to stop and my fingers get crushed between the door and the frame. I curse under my breath, then sigh. At least no one knows I'm home.
I gently remove Alisper from my back and place her on my bed. I take the bag off of her shoulders so that she can comfortably lie down, then I grab a clean hoodie from my dresser. I toss my stained one into my hamper on my way out of the door. Halfway down the hallway, I have to turn back to relock my door. She doesn't need any more surprise visitors tonight.
It's still just as loud downstairs as it was when I went up, so I enter the den to find out what's going on. Not everyone is in the room, but it might as well be. E.J. and Sally are sitting on the floor playing Mario Kart together. It's a heated match, completed with E.J. yelling at Ben to stop telling Sally what to do and when to do it. I look behind them to see L.J., Mr. Skin-Taker, and Clockwork sitting on the couch. The guys don't notice me, but Clockwork does. We wave at each other. Her and I have gotten along pretty well since we met. We're like siblings now. Besides Liu and Sally, she's the only one that I know for sure won't harm Alisper. That eases my anxiety a considerable amount and I smile.
"Hey, Jeff! Where have you been?" Hyde yells, catching my attention.
I look to my right to see him and Serena on the loveseat. They both look drunk. I shouldn't be surprised by this. They always look like they're on something when they're together. It's a really strange and reoccurring phenomenon that E.J. suspects is brought on simply by their love and lust for each other. I didn't even know that love drunkenness was real and I can't help but wonder what it feels like.
"I had some people to take care of," I answer. I'm careful to avoid eye contact in case it gives something away.
I see Ben shaking his head from my peripheral vision, "I don't understand how you can find so much enjoyment in mercy killing," He says, "It must be so boring to have to figure out which ones are safe for killing and which ones aren't."
I shrug. "Not really. It gives me something to do." Ben scoffs but I know it's not meant to be disrespectful, so I let it slide. A lot of the others have a difficult time grasping why someone would only want to kill the evil people in the world. I don't bother trying to explain tonight. "Has anyone seen Slenderman recently?"
"He was in his office about an hour ago," Liu answers.
"Thanks," I say.
"Why do you want to see him?" E.J. jumps in.
I pause on my way out of the door. "I just need to talk to him about something," I respond. No one questions it and I'm able to escape.
Slender's office is upstairs in The Castle, which is what we like to call the fourth floor. We call it that because that's where Slender, the proxies, and Sally sleep. Since they're the most important in the household, we nicknamed them The King, The Knights, and The Princess. It just made sense to call their level The Castle. It helps that none of us 'non-royals' go up. There isn't a rule saying that we can't, of course. There's just no reason to most of the time. It's all business and sleep.
My room is on the third floor. It makes me nervous because there's a risk of Slender hearing Alisper's thoughts, but I'm hoping he's not bored enough to search for minds to listen to. Unlike The Castle, there's no special purpose for the third. Like, none of us are third-in-commands or anything. It's just for mercy killers. Originally, the third was for the fun killers, but a lot of them like to kill in their rooms and it was disturbing to hear all the thumping and screaming. L.J. is the worst with it. So, we all got together and had a family meeting. Everyone agreed it'd be best if the mercy killers got the third and the fun killers got the second. It's still audible sometimes, but it's easier to block out when you're above it. I just don't understand why they'd want to torture and kill in their bedrooms when we have a basement for that.
The first, or ground, floor isn't much exciting. There's a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, the den, a few closets, and a guest room. It's not very special. The fifth floor is pretty cool though. Sally's playroom is up there, along with a music room, a gym, an art room, an office for the whole house, and even a spiritual room. Clockwork went through a phase where she was obsessed with yoga and meditation. She said that it helped with her urges, so Slenderman had a room built for it. That was cool of him. Next, we should be getting a pool; although it's unclear if it will be an indoor or outdoor one.
I stop in front of Slender's office and take a few breaths. I listen to my heart pound wildly inside my chest as I try to think of what exactly my plan should be. I didn't give it any thought. I consider running away before he knows I'm here, but I know he'd find out. Then, he'd get mad at me for teasing him. Unnecessary conflict would not help the stress or my anxiety. So, with all of the confidence I can muster, I force myself to knock on the door.
Seconds after I knock, the door opens. I don't enter the room, from concern of disturbing him, so I watch quietly as he works. None of us know what it is that he's always working on in here. But every time we show up, he's always shuffling around some documents or typing something up on his computer. It's probably related to whatever business it is that he's running, but for all we know, it could just be more artwork for the woods. Either way, we don't know and we don't have the balls to investigate. Slender is pretty cool a lot of the time, but he can still fuck us up. Who really wants to be ripped in half? Especially by the tentacles coming out of someone's back. Those things creep me out so bad. He tends to keep them hidden around the house, possibly because of my aversion, but he still uses them when he has a lot going on. I understand and I never complain, but I try hard to not look at them.
After a short moment of time, he reaches a stopping point and stacks all of his papers into a neat pile. He lifts his head up, then motions for me to sit down. I enter the room and do as I'm asked. He folds his hands over one another in a fashion that makes me feel like I'm being interviewed, or interrogated. "Jeffery," His voice fills the inside of my head. That's something that took some getting used to. "What a pleasant surprise. What may I help you with?"
I suddenly feel like I can't breathe, so my voice cracks when I start to talk. I clear my throat and try again, "I brought a guest with me. I was hoping she could stay with us."
"You have? That's wonderful news! Who is she? What is she?" He asks excitedly. He loves it when we get a new family member. It makes him so happy that Mr. Skin-Taker has created the theory that he plans to use us to take over the world. The more members we have, the better our chances.
"Her name is Alisper. She's..." I trail off, unsure of what to say. I run through a couple of thoughts, but none of them sound right. I decide that being blunt is probably the only way to go. "Well, she's a human."
"That's not unusual. Almost all of you have started as humans. Where is she? How did you find her?" The ecstasy in his voice tones down as he takes on a more sombre appearance, "What happened?"
I scratch my head nervously. "I'm afraid that you don't quite understand. She's not like us. She's just some little girl that I found and decided to keep. I was hoping she could, you know, stay with us even though she's not a killer or dead or anything like that. She's just human."
The faint static sound that plays when he's in our head goes away after a couple of seconds. I assume that he's now trying to read the minds of everyone in the mansion, trying to find Alisper. He could also be thinking of a way to respond. There's no way to tell. I don't bother with saying anything during this time. Whatever he's doing, it's not quite my business. I don't care to interrupt.
The static returns and a heavy sigh follows. "While I appreciate that you mercy killers have such a heavy conscience and urge to do good, you must understand that this isn't allowed. Humans are not allowed to live here unless they are willing to be part of the family. If she were a killer or even dead herself, it would be permitted. Seeing as how that isn't the case, we either need to kill her or start taking her out with us. Otherwise, we need to clear her memory and send her back. She can't stay here as she is."
I'm not surprised, but I don't give up. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept that. She's only seven. Who knows what could happen to her out there. At least here I could protect her. Please let her stay."
"Rules are rules, Jeffery. Pure humans are not allowed. There needs to be a little monster."
"What about Sally?"
"That isn't the same thing. She is dead, a ghost. This girl you brought is not."
"They could be friends." I'm grasping at straws, I know it.
"Sally has friends already; friends who aren't against the rules."
Frustration begins to boil up inside of me, but I make sure to keep it down. I didn't come here for a fight. I make my stance clear by calmly saying, "Alisper isn't leaving."
"Then she shall die."
"No."
"Then she leaves. There isn't an in-between option, Jeffery."
"Then make one!" I yell, slamming a fist onto the table. I wince at the sound it makes with instant regret. "I'm sorry," I say, quickly calming myself back down, "That was inappropriate of me. Is there any other option? What about a vote? We could get everyone's opinions. If more people think she should go, then she'll go. I won't fight it. But, can we have a vote? Please?" I know I sound desperate, possibly even pathetic, but I can't seem to control it.
There's another sigh, but it's followed by an agreement. He instructs me to gather as many of the others as I can find and meet him in the living room. I thank him and leave.
I can hear the doors from the floor below slamming shut when I get into the hallway. He must have told them to go downstairs already. I appreciate that. When I get to the third floor, I knock on all the doors just in case someone stayed behind, then go to my room. I unlock and open the door to check on Alisper. A feeling of dread takes over me when she's nowhere to be seen. Slenderman must have stopped here and got her after I left his office. When that realisation hits me, I spin on my heels and run as quickly as I can down the stairs. I knock on all of the doors on the second floor and demand that everyone goes to the living room. A few are annoyed with me for the interruption, but no one argues when I mention it's at Slender's request.
When I get downstairs, I find everyone else waiting for me. Slender is standing in the front of the room, holding a still-sleeping Alisper up by his tentacles. Everyone can clearly see her. The exciting murmuring makes the room sound like it's full of bees. I step fully into the room and lean against a wall. I don't want to get too comfortable. He's been polite, but he's still a child murderer. He could do anything. I need to be prepared just in case.
"Thank you, everyone, for getting here so quickly," Slender begins, "I know all of you have things you would rather be doing right now, so I'll try to make this just as quick. As I'm sure you've noticed, we have an unexpected visitor. It seems as though Jeffery has brought her. Not to hunt, to eat, to kill, to train, or any of the other reasons we get humans brought here. He wants to tack her onto our family wall - this pure human girl." The chatter starts up again and a lot of people shout questions out at me. I look down, refusing to answer or entertain the thought of answering them. Slenderman shushes everyone to get them to fall silent again. I look back up and see many of the housemates still staring at me. "While this is against the rules, Jeff has requested that I allow a vote so we can all decide together what happens to the girl. Does everyone understand and agree to this?" A chorus of confirmation spreads throughout the room and Slender uses his extensions to move Alisper over to me. I take her gently as he says, "Wake her."
"Alisper," I coo, "Alisper, I need you to wake up, please. Wake up."
She mumbles in her sleep a little bit and her eyes start to flutter. They finally open and she looks at me in a confused daze. Everyone waits patiently as she wakes all the way up. I don't put her down, but I nod to Slenderman when she is. He tells me that he wants her to introduce herself that way they have an idea of what she's like before the vote.
I look at Alisper and gently explain the situation, "These are my family members. They want to know about you. Can you tell them who you are?" She nods, "Do you want me to keep holding you?" She nods again. I promise to, then give her some encouragement.
"Um," She starts cautiously, "I'm Alisper. I'm seven-years-old. My favourite colour is red. I like art and music and reading. Peter Rabbit is my favourite book. I have a bunny named Peppermint. He looks like a peppermint, except he's blue and not stripped. He's not real though. He's my only friend. I don't have any others. I'm homeschooled. Um... I don't have anything else." She looks down the whole time she speaks.
I try to look at as many faces as I can and catch Clockwork smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Alisper," She says, "I'm Clockwork. How did you meet Jeff?"
"He was in my room." I chuckle silently at her nonchalant tone.
"Weren't you scared?"
"Not really," Alisper answers with a shrug, "He didn't seem scary."
Clockwork smiles again. No one else asks Alisper any questions. While they're all deciding what they think, I speak to Alisper quietly and let her know what's going on. She looks worried at first, but I assure her that I have a plan prepared and that I'm not going to let her down. She seems to understand and believe, which helps my own anxiety.
After a couple of minutes, Slenderman puts an end to the discussion time. "All of those in favour of letting Alisper live with us, please raise your hands." Hands all over the room go up. At first, that raises my confidence, but then I count them. I already know it's not enough when he asks for the objection votes. After he counts them, he says, "I'm sorry, Jeff, but she has to go."
A storm of emotions is brewing inside of me, but I make sure to hold it together. "Okay," I say, "Thank you for letting us vote on it. Is there anyone who wants to help me pack up my stuff?" I ask the room. It shocks everyone.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't get me wrong - it's fair and I do appreciate it. I'm not going to fight. But I said that I wasn't going to throw her out on her own, and clearly the other option is equally unacceptable. So, I'm leaving with her. Truthfully, it's nothing against you, any of you, or the rules. I still think everyone is great and I love the dynamic here. I hope to be able to return someday. But I'm also ready for a new chapter of my life, and that includes her. I hope you understand." Before I can leave, the TV turns on without any warning. Loud music blasts through the speakers and practically shakes the walls. The music only lasts a few seconds before shutting off and the words 'I'll help you' appear on the screen. "Thank you, Smile," I say gratefully. "Let's go."
He follows Alisper and I to the stairs. An argument breaks out while we're leaving. I can hear the people who voted in my favour trying to change minds and the vote, but I don't stop to investigate it. Slender won fair and square. Truthfully, he didn't even have to agree to a vote in the first place. This isn't a democracy, hence why we call him The King. I don't see a point in fighting. Smile and I continue walking until we get to the third floor and hear feet running after us. We turn around to see it's Ben and my brother. I smile, glad to know they still have my back.
The three of them follow me into my room and we all get to work. I take care of my clothes while Liu goes for my music case. Smile and Ben help each other pack up my weapons. Since he's a dog, Smile can't do a lot to help, but he does the best he can. The sadness in the air is thick enough to choke us, so none of us say anything. Not even Alisper speaks. She just sits on the bed, out of the way, watching us work. After a while, all of my clothes are ready and I move on to my bookshelf. I don't read a lot, but I do enjoy it. Some of these are from my own childhood. I'm sure the girl would like them too. I smile. I've never been able to pass anything down to someone before.
Once everything is packed, I have Alisper get off the bed. Liu helps me strip it down to the mattress, then he places the bag in the corner with the others. The guys stand with me and we stare at the empty space together. Aside from the bags, it looks exactly the same as the day I moved in. Ben and Smile helped me then, too. They explained everything to me - from how this dimension works to the rules I'd have to follow. At the time, I never planned to break any of them. But I guess that things change. Six years have done a lot to my brain.
Feeling depressed, I sit on the floor. The guys do the same. At first, we still don't say anything to each other. But the silence becomes unbearable. We start talking about all the fun we've had together. All the parties, the jokes, the fights, the hunts. Everything we have ever done together or with the others comes up. Once we're done reminiscing, Ben and Smile both promise to visit me at my new place, wherever that's going to be. I thank them.
"Hey, Liu," I say.
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember the time before my accident? When you were letting me live with you?"
"Yeah."
"How would you feel about moving in with us? It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me."
He smiles, "I'd love to. Thanks, man."
I start to tell Smile and Ben that they can join us if I'm able to find a large enough place, but they shake their heads. Ben explains that they like it here, then points out that it'd be best if not all of us left anyway. It would make it seem like it's a 'Jeff stays or we all go' deal. We all agree that it would be best to avoid any confusion like that. With the agreement, we decide that it would be best if Liu waits a week or two before moving in. I don't need conflict.
"What's your plan for tonight?" Ben asks.
I shrug. "I have no idea. I don't have anywhere to go. I don't even have enough money for a hotel room."
Smile barks and nudges a coin towards me. I'm not sure where he found it, but I pick it up. I'll consider it a farewell present.
"Hey, that's a great idea, Smile!" Ben cheers, "We can split the cost to get you a hotel room!"
I shake my head. "Nah, you guys don't have to do that."
"Who said we had to?" Liu asks.
"Bros help bros, bro. It's in the Bro Code," Ben says.
I try to protest, but they ignore me and decide to pool all their money together. I realise I won't be able to talk them out of it, so I just thank them instead. They all repeat Ben's bro code idea, then start standing up so we can gather the money now. I make sure that Alisper has the drawstring bag first, then help her jump up on my back so I can carry her and two of my bags. The guys each get one. Ben opens the door so we can leave, and almost runs into Clockwork.
"Oh, sorry," She says while stepping out of the way so we can crowd the hallway. She looks at me. "I was just coming to let you know that I have a place set up for you and the kid. It's not that far from here, you'll still be on this side of the woods, but it's a reasonable distance away. I think it took me, like, fifteen or twenty minutes to get there on my bike. If you'd rather be on the other side, that's fine. I can easily set that up, but I do think you should look at it first. It's really nice and I think it might be perfect for you." She glances at Alisper. "I, uh, persuaded the owners into handing it over to me. I cleaned it up for you too. No leftovers, no mess. Completely furnished, spotless, and even stocked up with food. All you have to do is bring your own clothes and sign some papers."
I smile at her and give her a hug. "Thank you," I say.
"No problem," She responds.
Alisper asks to be let down so she can walk. Clockwork takes one of the bags from me to free up one of my hands. Alisper holds it while we walk down the stairs. Almost everyone is still in the living room when we get to the front door. I receive a lot of goodbyes and wishes for good luck. I thank everyone who voted for me and promise there are no hard feelings for anyone who didn't. We can see, and even feel, the remorse all of them hold when we step outside. But no one protests when I walk out of the door hand-in-hand with Alisper.