Just Another Creepypasya Fanfiction

3. A New Home

We all speak quietly to each other as Clockwork leads us through the woods. It's strange to speak so low with them, but I don't think that any of us are in the mood for surprise visitors. The night has been eventful enough without another creepypasta confusing us for food. There's not a whole lot to say anyway.
I notice Alisper slowing down as we walk along the path. I look down and see her staring at the flowers. At first, I ignore it since I'm holding her hand. But when she starts slowing down enough that she could possibly grab any of them, I'm quick to ask her to walk in front of me. Her demeanour makes it obvious that she's not happy about the change until I explain that the flowers can make her sick. She understands immediately and relaxes her arms. Still, she doesn't seem to take her eyes off the flowers.
The sky starts to change colours again, meaning that we're exiting our dimension. The discovery makes me anxious. "You didn't say that this house would be past the divide," I say to Clockwork.
"I figured that would be obvious. Why, and how, would normal people build a cabin out here?" Her tone is relaxed; more factual than annoyed.
"You never mentioned they were normal." I match her tone to let her know this isn't meant to be an argument.
"I'll set up an appointment to see Zalgo. He might be able to extend the perimeters."
"That would be nice. I think it would lower bad luck if we were all under the same sky still. Besides, I don't want to lose any gifts."
She chuckles. "Of course. I get it."
Ten minutes later, we're standing in a clearing fully under the black sky with the bright, white moon. Clockwork starts to walk towards a fairly large cabin. The guys immediately start following her, while Alisper and I stay behind. She's staring at the lake on the property. I nudge her a few times to get her attention, but nothing can break her gaze. I notice the others have stopped at the front door, staring at us curiously. All I can do is shrug. They wait patiently as I try to draw Alisper's focus out of the water. It feels like it takes forever, but she finally starts walking again. I ask her what was so interesting about the lake, but all she says is she liked it. I don't push the conversation further.
"Are you ready?" Clockwork asks when we reach the group. I look at Alisper, who looks at me, and we both nod, "Great. After you." She pushes the door open as she speaks.
Like many houses, the first thing we see when we enter is the living room and kitchen. It seems that the previous owners were going for a rustic, cottage look in modern, expensive makeup. The living room is very cosy, with plush pillows and furry blankets on all of the seats. There's a fireplace against one of the walls and family photos on the mantel. A nice, large television set is hung up above it. Two Nintendo Switches rest on the aged, wood coffee table. There's a bookcase built into the wall that has yet to be painted with the books categorised by colour. Alisper comments on how pretty the rainbow is, while Ben makes a gay joke. I laugh when Smile smacks him in the face with a pillow.
The kitchen is less cabin-y than the living room. The colour scheme is mostly white rather than a mix of all neutral tones. There's no eating table, but it seems that's what the bar is for. It'll make things more convenient, I think. All you have to do is cook, plate, and turn around. No walking through the kitchen to get to a table. Although, that wouldn't be much of a problem. There's enough space for movement that it wouldn't be hard to walk across the floor. Still, it's unnecessary. There's a pretty large bay window in front of the sink that gives you a clear view of the tree line. I can see the value in that, and all of the other large windows that go around the home.
"What, no liquor?" Ben groans. "What kind of people were these owners?"
"What are you talking about?" Liu asks, his head in the fridge, "There's a bottle of wine right here."
Ben twists his face in disgust. "That's not fun liquor though."
"Maybe not, but it's good for a housewarming," I say. I reach around Liu and pull the bottle out. It's been opened already, but it still looks new. I sit it on the counter. "We'll have some later."
"Can someone at least get a bottle of vodka for me?" Ben asks.
"No. I don't want hard alcohol around Alisper," I answer.
"Besides, you're only thirteen. You don't need to be drinking," Liu adds.
"Oh, what's the worst that can happen? You think it'll kill me?"
"No, but think about what kind of example that's setting for the child." Liu and I clap at Clockwork's response. Despite his disappointment, Ben decides to give up his argument. No point can be better than that one. She guides us out of the kitchen and down the hallway, "If you look to your left, you'll see the door to the basement. Second left is a bedroom. To your right, we have the bathroom followed by another bedroom. At the end there, a third bedroom. Where would we like to go from here?"
We make her wait while we peek around all of the rooms. I claim the master bedroom at the end of the hallway. It's the biggest and already has its own display case for my knives. I just have to get rid of the trophies. Liu takes the bedroom to the left of mine, saying something about the clothes in the closet being his size. Alisper, though she doesn't say anything, seems thrilled about being left with the room to the right. It's the most empty, so I make a note to go shopping for some stuff. She can be a child now.
Clockwork waits patiently in the hallway while we're picking out our spaces, then guides us into the basement. At first, I think it's pretty neat. There are strobe lights hooked up on the ceiling and a disco ball hanging down. There's a full bar, complete with all the hard alcohol Ben could ever crave; though he doesn't try to take any. Another giant TV is attached to a wall. We open up a door and are surprised to find a whole music studio behind it. The guys and I have fun going through all of the instruments in the room and walk out to see Clockwork teaching Alisper how to play pool. At first, it's kind of cute. Then Clockwork whispers at me to go around the corner.
Confused, I comply and go around the corner. There's a short hallway here that's decked out like a strip club. There are chairs and a couch set up in a semi-circle around a pole. Floor lights and speakers are carefully placed around the setup. A 'girls girls girls' LED sign is hanging up on the wall. Some dollars were left on the floor. At first, I like the idea. But when I remember Alisper, I quickly become grossed out. When I notice a door behind the couch, I become concerned about what kind of dungeon waits behind it. I quickly spin around and walk back to the basement's main area.
"All of that has to go," I say. Clockwork agrees.
"What a shame," Ben responds with a humoured smile, "That could be great for parties." He gets smacked on the head with a pool cue.
Alisper looks at us curiously as we talk, but doesn't interrupt. I want to work on her confidence, but right now, I'm happy that she's so shy. I can't imagine trying to explain that scene to her. I rush everyone out of the basement and lock the door behind us. I hear a creaking sound and turn around to a set of stairs falling from the ceiling. This place has an attic.
A very dusty, very unfinished attic.
All of us climb back down the stairs, coughing. By the time we're able to stop, it feels more like we were dry heaving. I make mental plans to clean it soon. It looks like it could be a great space if it were fixed up. The others agree with the idea and offer to help. Ben suggests that I have it turned into a gaming area for myself, while Liu says that it could be made into a self-sustainable gardening area. There's a large enough window that it could possibly work for an indoor garden. Clockwork quickly shuts the idea down and says that there's a room that we missed.
Sure enough, in the living room by the TV, there's a door. We follow her through into a large, glass room. The first thing we see is the moon through the glass ceiling, and the lake through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I frown at the sight and make a note to get some curtains. We don't need people looking in like that. I look at the wall behind, the one connected to the house, and find myself staring back. The entire interior wall is covered in mirrors. This room is practically made of glass.
I hear Alisper making a cooing noise and turn around. She's looking at a small table. I walk over to make sure it's not broken glass and see that the table is covered in crystals. She doesn't touch them, but her eyes are glued on them. I take a better look at the room and see that it's similar to Clockwork's spiritual space at the mansion. There's a meditation pillow and a yoga mat. There are crystals, a bookshelf with information on chakras, another table with an incense burner on it, and a shelf stocked with essential oils. Alisper is fascinated by it all.
"You can have those," I tell her.
"Really?" I assume the question is meant to be rhetorical as she starts smiling really big.
"Yeah, all of this stuff is ours now. Those can be yours," I look at Clockwork, "right?"
"Right," She confirms.
Alisper squeals gleefully and tells me that the crystals stay here, in the room. She calls it their happy place. I agree with this term and inform the others that we'll have to make a garden elsewhere, like outside. The guys start talking about what's necessary to grow while Clockwork strikes up her own conversation with the kid. We make up a list of some easy-to-grow foods, then spiral and start talking about growing a pumpkin patch and corn maze. We also make plans to start fishing. Food is expensive, but a little less if you harvest it yourself.
Not long after our tour is over, we set everything we brought in my room. I give Alisper the drawstring bag after taking her documents out, then tell her that she should get some more sleep before sunrise. She asks Clockwork to tuck her in and tell her a quick story. A part of me is concerned about her attachment to Clockwork, but I know that it's not worth dwelling on. Another woman would be more familiar than any of the rest of us are. It's probably more comforting for her. What is worth dwelling on is the worry that she'll wake up tomorrow, confused and frightened, thinking all of this was a dream. That would be hard to deal with.
Clockwork meets the rest of us in the living room. Well, almost the rest of us. Liu is in the kitchen getting some wine ready. I thank all of them for their help, then praise Clockwork for her good work with the house. There's no blood, no sign of struggle, and no bad smells. It's like it was just built and decorated. It doesn't look at all lived in, or murdered in. She tells me that she was happy to do it, and I don't doubt it. She tends to find pleasure in the killing. It's one of the things we aren't on the same page about it.
Liu comes out of the kitchen and hands me a glass just as Ben starts to talk, "Honestly," He starts, "I can't believe that you got voted out of the mansion. I thought everyone liked you more than that."
Liu sits beside me, joining the conversation. "It probably wasn't that. I assume that everyone was just worried about what it would look like and what it would mean for them. After all, at the time, we were voting on whether or not to keep a human. Not Jeff."
I nod in agreement. "Exactly. I didn't say that I was going to leave if I didn't have my way. I doubt anyone expected me to go and so they purposely voted against me."
Clockwork jumps in, "And even if they did, can you really blame them? If the vote went the other way, you know Slenderman would have been pissed about it. Considering the things that many of us have been through, it's entirely possible that the fear of his wrath was stronger than any love any of us could have for Jeff." She pauses to take a sip of wine. "I won't lie, I considered voting against her too. I would have if she weren't a child. The fear was too strong for me to know for sure that voting in her favour would be the right thing."
"I didn't even consider that," I say with a sigh, "He's probably already pissed that you guys were on my side, along with anyone else."
"It's possible," Liu says nonchalantly, "But hopefully he understands why we are. There are a few reasons to vote for a kid to stay there, and one could be the intention to train her for future use," I shake my head furiously, "I know that's not the case or goal. I'm just saying it could be a reason."
"True. Besides, it's not like Jeff divorced the family or anything. He just moved out. There's no reason for that to change everything or cause anger," Clockwork adds.
"Unless Slendy decides to consider it a betrayal that Jeff even asked in the first place."
Ben's statement makes all of us fall silent. He's not even remotely wrong. Slender could take it as an act of defiance, therefore making all of my supporters trouble-makers too. I'd like to believe that he's fair and level-headed enough to not punish anyone for something so trivial, but if he were so level-headed, a vote never would have been necessary. The only reason humans aren't allowed to the mansion is because he won't control himself. It's not about us living in a separate dimension, our appearances, our ways of life, our immortality, or the fact that some of us aren't human. It's not a concern about any of us or what we have. It's not even that he can't control himself. If it were that, none of us would be alive. He just doesn't want to.
Even though I hate being a killjoy, I have to voice a concern that refuses to get out of my head. "Hey, you guys don't think that Slender would come here and kill us, do you?"
They don't say anything, but exchange glances of the same worry. I quickly realise they weren't thinking about it until I mentioned it. I feel bad, but at the same time, I feel justified. It's something that could happen. We need to be ready and on our feet in case it does. I didn't promise Alisper a new life and Clockwork didn't kill a family to get us this house just for her to be found dead in bed. That'd be fucked up, and just the kind of thing he would do.
"It's a possibility," Liu answers first, "But maybe he won't? You didn't cause any trouble, you just left. It was really peaceful until we tried to change his mind."
"He has a point. It could go either way. He might, he might not," Clockwork agrees.
"He might wait until you aren't expecting it," Ben pipes up.
I sigh. "What can I do?"
Smile growls.
"I agree with the dog," Ben says, "We should stay over tonight that way you and the kid have some extra protection."
No one has any complaints or objections to the idea, so we start discussing sleeping arrangements. Obviously, I'm going to be in my new room and Liu will be staying in his almost-room. Ben and Clockwork decide that it makes sense for them to stay in the living room. And since that leaves Alisper's room unprotected, and since he's a dog, we agree that it's only right that Smile sleeps in her room. He seems happy going by how quickly he curls up on the floor in front of the bed. I make sure to thank him for his help today.
Before the rest of us curl up to sleep, we go through the house and make sure the windows are locked. The only ones we can't check are the ones in the green room. But considering the only other option to get in there is to break a window, I think our chances are pretty good. Probably better. The sound of glass shattering is a lot louder than a window opening. The only exception would be if you lack any skill and end up crushing your balls, or whatever, on the windowsill.
I'm about to lay down in my new, seemingly very comfortable, bed when I hear a knock on the bedroom door. I sigh, but walk over to open it. Outside is a very anxious Liu. He rushes into my room and orders me to close the door. Nervous and confused, I obey him. I suppose that anxious isn't the word for his state. It looks more like impatient enthusiasm.
"Can I help you?" I ask.
"Have you looked in your closet yet?"
"No."
"Did you look in Alisper's?"
"No, why?" He grabs my arm and drags me over to the closet door. He opens it and reaches up to turn on the light. He doesn't say or do anything else, leaving me even more confused. "They're clothes," I say dully. A large variety of clothes too. Some are men's some are women's, some casual, some fancy. I'm probably going to donate them all.
"You don't see it?" He sounds disappointed.
"It's a closet," I respond, "It's nice, but I had one at the mansion too. Looked very similar to this actually."
He rolls his eyes. "Look in the back. On the floor."
I sigh again but comply. I get down and crawl to the very back of the closet. It doesn't take more than a few seconds. I call back that I don't see anything interesting, just a bunch of socks, and he instructs me to move stuff around. I toss shoes and socks all over the place until the only thing I can see is the rug. I comment sarcastically on its unique design. Annoyed, he tells me to move it out of the way. When I do, I come face-to-face with a secret door.
"What is this?" I ask aloud, mainly to myself.
I hear Liu shuffling quickly toward me. "Open it!" He demands. He's more excited than before. I look at him, feeling a little concerned, and he motions for me to do it. Reluctantly, I lift the door. I'm not really expecting anything specific, but I brace myself anyway. Shockingly, there's nothing there. Well, nothing very frightening. It's just a tunnel that leads down. I look at him questionably, and he starts trying to push me down into the hole. I slap his hands away. Falling to my death doesn't sound like a good time to me, so I grab the ladder attached to the tunnel's wall. I start going down it with Liu following right behind me.
I finally get to the bottom and turn around. It's a room. There are two sets of bunk beds, a mini fridge, stacks of non-perishable food, a large stack of blankets, and a cabinet holding toolboxes and first aid kits. I walk over to the fridge and see a weather radio and a standard radio on top of it. The inside of the fridge is full of reusable water bottles, all filled. There are two other tunnels that lead down here. They must lead to his and Alisper's rooms.
"It's a bunker!" Liu cheers gleefully. He wraps one of his arms around my shoulders. "These people were paranoid. There are even two safes down here, one under each bed. I found a key for one in my dresser. We're talking guns, knives, ammo, and money. Loads of money. You're already rich and all you had to do is move houses. How great is that?!"
He pulls the safe he has a key for out and opens it up. It's a lot larger than I expected. Sure enough, there's about five thousand in cash in it. We assume there's the same amount in the other and decide to try to find the key for it tomorrow. He starts talking about all the stuff we can buy and use it for, but I shake my head.
"Nope. All of this will be going into a savings account."
He frowns. "All of it?"
"Yep. Either as backup or as a nest egg for Alisper. It'd be smarter to save it up anyhow. We can use money we earn for anything we want to buy."
He looks at me with some disbelief. "So, when you said you wanted to go straight last month, you really meant it. You want to be human." He sounds surprised, but I can't blame him.
"Not quite human. I like the gift of immortality. But I am tired of the crime and under-the-table dealings. Every once in a while, sure, but I want the killing and the stealing to stop unless it becomes necessary for some reason. I want us to get actual jobs, or at least for me to. I want Alisper to have a normal, calm, happy life. I want a normal, calm, happy life."
He smiles. "Well, then the money will go into a savings account and we'll get jobs. We'll create normal."
"You're the greatest brother I have," I say.
"You aren't too bad yourself," He responds.