Masks

Chapter 23

It felt like days since I'd woken up in Slenderman's 'home'. I hadn't seen any sign of Zac or Toby in that time but had certainly heard things stalking me between the trees. Gurgles and inhuman screeches had broken the silence on occasion and sent me running despite the dull pain it caused my chest. I hadn't seen what made the noise and prayed I'd never find out.

I slowed to a walk as the snapping of twigs faded into the distance. "That thing sounds fast..."

A cough escaped me as I leaned back against a tree. The constant traveling was wearing down on me and the rest I got didn't seem to do anything. Creaking of wood made me tense up and snap my head in the direction of the noise... only to be met with empty fog. I shuddered and hurriedly began walking again, still hearing the occasional animalistic noise echoing behind me. As they grew closer, I started sprinting once again and zig zagged through the trees. My shoes were slipping on the leaves as I fled, wondering if I'd have time to climb a tree before that monster caught up with me.

"I have to try..." I found the easiest tree I could climb and booked it in that direction. "What if it can climb? Will the knife be enough?"

There was a grotesque gurgle only a few yards behind me; it was catching up too fast. I glanced around before sharply turning and hearing it skid behind me. I lunged up at the first tree branch I could reach and scrambled to pull myself up. Claws grazed the bottom of my pant leg and I quickly climbed higher and huddled against the tree trunk while holding the knife in my hand. Below me, I could barely make out a grey skinned humanoid creature circling the tree and growling in frustration.

After several attempts to claw its way up to me, the beast seemed to give up and bounded off. I stayed in the tree, fearing it would come back if it heard me climbing down. "What the hell was that?"

When it didn't return after a long wait, I made my way down and looked back at the deep gouges taken out of the trunk. Blood like sap dripped down the trunk and I backed away in horror at the thought that it could've ripped me apart without effort. I shivered and kept going, gripping the knife tightly when I caught glimpses of dark navy on my right.

"With all the noise that creature made, I guess they were bound to show up." I started jogging again before sliding to a halt as Zac made a full appearance.

"A-Ash?" He staggered toward me, a pocket knife in his hand.

I backed away distrustfully as he shakily advanced and fell to his knees. "Is- is it really him? No! This has to be a trick!"

"Ash please..." I flinched away as he pressed the small knife into my free hand with the blade pointing at him; his eyes were wide and glassy while his hair was unkempt like the rest of his terrified appearance. "Please, you have to kill me... Ash, please! I need you to. I can't... I can't do this anymore... I've been hurting people- hurting you. I'll be the death of you if you don't..."

It would've been so easy to kill him. To sink the small blade into his throat or blind him and finish him off with the hunting knife in my other hand. All I could do was stare down at him in confusion, still trying to figure out if this really was real. My hesitation only pressed his desperate actions further as he shuffled closer and guided the blade to his throat, his rapid pulse beating against the metal.

"Ash... please!" He begged, his gaze never wavering.

I couldn't bring myself to do it, even if it would've been a mercy. "But he betrayed me! ...Because it controlled him, not by choice. I can't hurt him..."

I shakily got my hand out of his grip and tossed the small knife aside as I retreated. "I-I can't... Not when you're... you."

He gripped his hair tightly and gave a frustrated sob. "Ash... you should kill me! I deserve it. I'm going to kill you- I can't stop it."

"I caused this..." I couldn't tear my gaze off him as he unsteadily got back to his feet; his suffering was my fault... yet all I could do was watch. "Would killing him be mercy? I don't want him to suffer."

I was so lost in my conflicted thoughts that I nearly missed the fact Zac had picked up the pocket knife until he sent me a growled threat. "You should've killed me... now run."

He was still holding his head with one hand as if in pain but I knew better than to think he'd be able to hold it back much longer. Regretfully, I began running away, hating myself for not being able to help him. The trees blurred in front of me and I wiped my eyes, aware of the footsteps already chasing after me nearby. It likely wouldn't be long until Zac caught up and tried to kill me. I glanced back to see how close he'd gotten, nearly screaming as I crashed into someone.

I jolted away and raised the knife up defensively, nearly falling over, and turned to see Tim take a step back with a look of surprise. Suspicion went through me given I hadn't seen any sign of him until now- right after dealing with that creature and Zac.

"Tim... Is that you?" I didn't dare move closer, unsure if this was a trick.

"Ash? ...Where are we?" He took a step closer, though he kept out of reach of the knife I held.

I lowered the weapon but kept him in my sight. "I don't know... It's home. The Ark... I think... I-I don't know how we got here. I just... I was attacked and woke up here, that's all I can remember."

He moved past me and stared in the direction I'd been running from. "Is he looking for Zac? Does Tim know he's out there? ...Is this a distraction while Zac circles around to trap me?"

I stalked closer to him while his back was turned, the knife ready to strike. My pulse was racing at the thought of killing him, could I do it this time? Tim turned, quickly noticing what I was about to do, and shifted to the side faster than I'd anticipated before lunging forward and pinning me to a tree.

"What are you doing!?" He demanded, fury emanating from his voice.

I tried to twist my wrist free before giving up and awkwardly tossing it down, hearing it land nearby with a dull clatter. "I... I'm sorry. I just thought... I didn't know if you were really you or- or if you were faking like Zac... I just-"

He kicked the weapon further away and let go. "Do I look like I want to kill you?"

"Well for a second there..." I shoved the thought away, not wanting to make the situation worse. "No..."

"Put it away. I've been seeing things here too, I get it. But we need to stick together, remember?"

I nodded and picked up the hunting knife, putting it back in the sheath before approaching him. "Do you have any ideas about how to get out?"

"No." He started walking in a new direction. "But I do know we're safer together."

"So, did someone attack you before you woke up here?" I followed after him, still uneasy about where Zac had run off to.

"Yeah, I didn't see who it was. I thought it was just you coming back and the next thing I know, I'm being hit in the head with something and passed out."

"...Zac, and probably that other proxy- Toby- too." I stared at the ground, pushing my hands into my jacket pockets. "I thought I could trust him... Zac's been there for me for so long. And that thing took him from me too... I never should've let him stay so involved in my life."

"Anyone you come into contact with has that risk. I don't like it any more than you do but that's how it is for us."

"That doesn't change how I feel about it." I muttered, my voice giving away how hurt I felt as the encounter with Zac replayed in my mind. "They know exactly how to break me..."