Masks

Chapter 44

It had been a week since Hoodie's attack and waking up outside the ARK. Being back wasn't getting easier however, especially considering now I couldn't just wander for days on end without the need for food or water. Stealing wasn't exactly easy but it was the only thing I could do at the moment. The only thing I had going for me was that my head was feeling better.

Currently, I had taken to following the newest masked person, Skully. The man had been getting closer to my hideout and I was going to put a stop to it before he found where it was. I'd followed him through the streets, hoping to ambush him when he got back to his place only to wind up confused when he began scouting an apartment complex. I watched from a distance as he finally found the one he was looking for and slipped inside.

Minutes passed by but I didn't dare enter the apartment to see what he was doing. I couldn't just attack him there with a possible witness. "What if this is just a trap? There could be another Source in there waiting for me... but I didn't think he knew I was following him..."

Finally, I saw him climb out and walk off with a camera and something rattling in his pocket. I continued to watch him leave before creeping closer to the window and looking inside the dark room... Nothing in there suggested this place was anything special but there was a nagging feeling of doubt in the back of my mind. Skully had known this apartment had what he was looking for, and I could guess who those items had belonged to.

"At least I know Tim's alive I guess... Hopefully. I mean, what if he just killed Tim to get those? ...I could've stopped him." I backed away and looked in the direction Skully was retreating in. "Great, he's starting to get away."

A light turned on behind me and I jumped before running- at least my worry that Tim had been murdered was put to rest. Behind me I could hear Tim shouting along with the window shutting. Up ahead, Skully skidded to a stop and looked back before seeing me and freezing. I came to a halt and stared at him for a moment before running in a different direction as I heard footsteps running behind me. As much as I wanted to catched Skully and figure out what his plans were, I wasn't about to start a fight and let Tim catch up to us.

"Dammit. So much for my plans... not that they were great." I tried to lose Tim as he continued to follow me and made a break for a short fence in hopes of slowing him down.

My shoes momentarily slipped on the bars before I pulled myself over. Glancing back as I began running again, I could see Tim had fallen behind after trying to decide who to chase after. For a second I thought I'd get away... then the ground vanished beneath me and I felt cold water surrounding me. Panic flared up as I sank. I tried to swim up to the surface but the kicking and arm movements only seemed to slow my descent. Water was getting into my mask, taking any chance of being able to breathe away. Unable to hold my breath I soon tasted the chlorinated water in my mouth. I continued flailing in hopes I'd at least surface long enough to take another breath, however I was only eating away at what little oxygen I had left. My lungs were starting to burn and I once again inhaled more water before giving a choked spasm as I instinctively attempted to cough it up.

My vision was starting to go dark. I barely registered someone pulling me to the surface until I was dragged over the edge. Immediately I began coughing up water, pushing my mask up just enough to keep the water from just building back up inside of it. Between burning, stuttering breaths I began to process what had happened... and that Tim was standing somewhere behind me staring as I choked up water. I coughed again before pulling my mask back down and turning to face him, my eyes stinging from the chlorine.

"Haven't I put him through enough...? I just wanted him to move on, maybe get back to his semi-normal life." In the faint lighting from the parking lot lights I couldn't tell if he recognized me or not. "If I run now maybe it'll be fine."

I dragged myself to my feet and backed away towards the other side of the fence, this time being more aware of where the edge of the pool was. Tim stayed where he was before finally taking a step forward as I reached the other end.

"Ash...?"

"Shit..." I paused, unsure how to react, before grabbing my head as a burst of pain went through it.

I arched my back as I collapsed to the ground while Slenderman hovered over me. The whitenoise created by it was enough to make colorful bursts of light dance across my vision. I withered on the hard pavement, hoping to push his influence away. Everything doubled and blurred, flickering in and out of darkness... Then a second wave hit in discord with the first. The chaos made me cry out and curl up on my side before I felt both disappear.

Tim was coughing on the other side of the pool. I could've taken the opportunity to run once more but only managed to stiffly sit up before the trembling sent me back to the ground. His coughing was easing up, which meant I needed to get away. I pushed myself up and stumbled away before shakily climbing over the fence with a quick glance over my shoulder to find Tim getting to his feet. Turning away, I began running through the complex on a roundabout path to get back to my hideaway.

At times I swore I saw Skully following me but each time I'd glance his direction I couldn't see anything. Paranoia stuck with me until I got back and checked the area for any intruders. Despite not seeing anyone, I found I couldn't relax. I paced back and forth in hopes of burning off the nervous energy but only seemed to fan the flames.

"He knows I'm alive... I mean, he didn't see my face, but he knows what my mask looks like... Maybe- maybe The Operator wiped his memory of me after it showed up. Or maybe he'll just assume it was a hallucination..." I coughed several times and tried to calm my erratic breathing. "Skully set that up. Why? What does he know? He's been- I think- helping me... but why? It has to be a trap. I mean, after he started pointing that camera around those things showed up... oh shit- Slenderman knows where I am now, both of them do. It's only a matter of time before Toby is sent to fetch me back or worse..."

I sank to the ground as the world began to spin around me. I fought to keep my breathing slow and steady but only seemed to worsen the rapid, shallow breaths whenever I'd slip up. My body started shaking again as I hunched there; I felt cold, as if I'd been dropped in the pool again. I collapsed to my side completely and closed my eyes, still feeling as though everything around me was tilting.

The feeling of someone touching my arm made my eyes shoot open in terror and I jerked away, unsteadily scrambling to escape before crashing back down to my side. I rolled onto my back, fear stiffening my movements as my muscles tensed up in expectation of pain. A figure in a feminine mask stared back at me.

"No... no... he isn't here." I tried to drag myself further away as Masky took a half step closer. "He wouldn't have time... he couldn't have found me... This is all my fault....! I brought those things right to him!"

Masky once again moved closer and I shakily scooted away once more, this time managing to sit up and crouch on unsteady legs. The world blurred as I shot forward, expecting the hallucination to go away, only to feel myself slam into the very real figure. I jumped back and barely dodged to the side as Masky reacted to my assumed attack. Vertigo washed over me mid-step and I crumpled to the ground, the air getting knocked out of me.

I desperately tried to get back up and run as he closed in once more. Dots were eating away at my vision. I couldn't move. There was a feeling of helplessness inside the consuming dread as Masky stood over me. The stress became too much for my mind to handle. Darkness soon blotted out the blurry figure standing over me, watching.