Chapter 24

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      "Sooooo..." A voice said in my ear. "Want to play a game?" BEN asked next to me, teleporting tauntingly in and out of my reach. His green presence was mildly irritating, but I had come to respect his ever-eager energy.
      "Um, how about no?" I responded, unlacing my shoes which were dirty from my solo training I had tried this afternoon – Slenderman was still frequently gone due to the mysterious 'threat' that was near us. I was currently sitting on the couch, taking up valuable gaming room apparently.
      "Oh, come on!" He dragged on, "You, like, never play!" He grumbled, messing with his controller. Someone walked over and plopped down on the couch. The scent of candy brushed past my senses again, alerting me it was Laughing Jack.
      "Hey L.J." I acknowledged, slipping off my shoes and pushing them under the coach for safekeeping.
      "Hello ______. You gonna play with us?" He asked excitedly. A few other presences were scattered in the room, drawing closer by the prospect of something to pass the time. When they weren't at each others throats, they were playing a game together. It was actually quite amusing to listen to, until it dissolved into a physical fight.
      "Nah, gaming isn't really my thing." I mumbled as I stood up, brushing my pants off. I walked a little ways away, allowing an actual gamer to have the prized spot of the couch.
      "You sure? We got a few new controllers cause there's so many of us here." Jeff called from the floor, punching a few buttons in his device.
      "No, I kind of need to take a shower. Catch you later though!" I responded cheerfully, swinging away to face the hallway towards my bathroom. The others quickly went back to setting up the video game.
      I grabbed a bundle of clothing from my room and a towel from the closet, making my way into the bathroom. I set the bundle on the counter and began to take off my dirty cloths. I stripped quickly, running my hands over the familiar divots in my skin. I reached up and took off my mask, laying it on top of the clothing bundle gently. I moved my hands to my face to run my fingertips across the cracked skin where I was burnt by that red light so long ago. I held my fingers in front of my eyes, wishing I could see them.
      A sigh escaped my lips before I stepped into the shower and turned on the water full blast, taking my time and losing myself to the bliss of the scalding water on my body. It drowned out the many voices in the house and allowed me to forget the multitude of presences that surrounded me.

--Jeff's POV--

      "BEN, quit cheating or I'll quit!" I fumed, throwing my controller on the ground and glancing over at the green idiot. He was grinning madly, laughing at everyone's characters drowning in the virtual quick sand. "Seriously!" I muttered, trying to get my engraved smile to drop into a growling face. I didn't have much luck because BEN started laughing at me again. I was about to throw a punch when BEN suddenly stopped, eyes brightening with deviousness. His figure even glitched, losing reality for a second before solidifying again. He seemed to be listening to something far off.
      "Hey... this is boring for you guys, right?" BEN said. The others grunted in agreement, not sure where he was going with this. "I have an idea." He sneered wickedly, red eyes flashing as he glanced around at the others.
      "Who's in?"

-- Reader POV --

      After a long and refreshing shower, I gingerly stepped out onto the cold tile. It was a weird shower. For a second I thought I felt something flicker into the room but it was gone so quickly I figured I must have imagined it. I reached out for where I left my towel, guiding it to my skin. I dried off, wiping the water away quickly. I ran the towel through my damp hair a few times to get the most obtrusive drips out. I dropped the towel to the floor, reaching out for the bundle of clothes I left for myself.
      My hand came up with a comparatively light load of cloth... I gingerly separated the articles of clothing, finding only my underwear was left...
      No, no, no... This can't be happening. This can't be happening... how did I forget the rest? I patted around on the counter, searching for the most crucial piece. Where was my mask?! Where was everything-
      No... that flicker of presence... it can't be... they wouldn't... would they?


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Lil-magpie
Deviant Art

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