She reaches into the neck of her white floral blouse and pulls out a necklace. She unclasps it from behind her neck and hands it to me. I take it in my hand and my jaw drops open. She just handed me her Star of David necklace that must be as old as my Mom. Its outer coating has long degraded into nothing but copper, and it has the weight of a half dollar.
“I know you don't have much faith in talismans, but it would make me feel a whole lot better if you wore this. You can call it my good luck charm,” she says.
I'm almost in tears. I've never seen her without this. She'd chop off her left hand in order to keep this, and now she's handing it over to me? I look back up and hug her tightly. After the hug she gets up and leaves the room to go express the urgency of having Adam and me flee the state. I put the necklace on and feel its weight drop down as I slide it into my shirt. I wait in my room, pondering the situation.
We're dealing with some sort of static shadow monster that thrives on pain, and takes children through to his world. What does it do to the children though? Does it kill or torture the ones it takes? Is it torturing poor Shana and Lionel right now? I can't ignore the possibility. Is it really as old as Bubbe says it is, or are there many of them, a whole race even? That thought terrifies me. I suddenly feel that I don't want to be alone and head downstairs.
I hear Bubbe discussing the little vacation with my parents. She's imploring them to take us to Asheville and get us on the next flight first thing in the morning before some “sick child molester” hurts her babies. Her persuasion skills even force me to smile. I'm not excited about going to see my aunt and uncle. They're very dull people, but if it means safety for both Adam and me, who can argue? I see that dinner has already been served. It's cornbread, beans, and steak. I sit at the table and am intimidated by the huge amount of food Mom absentmindedly lumped onto my plate. She's preoccupied with her argument with Bubbe.
“Dan and my sister both work full time, there's no way I can expect them to take a sudden afternoon off to pick up my children on a hunch.”
“Then you have them wait outside their house until they get off work. God knows it's worth waiting for a few hours if it means they won't get snatched in broad daylight.”
I force as much of the food down as quickly as possible, but only end up finishing about half of it. I don't like wasting food, but I don't like vomiting either, so I casually get up and just scrape the food in the trash. Mom is on the phone with Aunt Kendra now.
“Yes, alright that's great, thank you,” Mom says half-enthusiastically.
“What's the verdict?” I ask.
“Any time after six; pack your bags,” she says.
I go upstairs, but don’t immediately pack my bags. I get changed into some pajamas, chancing quick glances around the room to make sure the monster isn’t ready to creep up on me, and then I go to grab a suitcase out of my closet. It’s not very visible in the jumbled mess of my closet, but it pulls free with a quick yank of the handle. It’s a small purple and black zebra stripe suitcase from Wal-Mart. I used to think it was the coolest thing, until I realize just how easy it is to stick the zippers.
I decide I’ll help clean up my room a bit by choosing from the various clothes I have scattered about- at least the ones that don’t appear dirty. After finding enough shirts and pants to almost fill the suitcase, I determine that the remaining clothes in the floor must all be dirty and kick them into one big pile. I go into my drawers and retrieve socks, underwear, and a few extra items such as a belt and some hair clips just to be sure. I throw some toiletries in, and set my purse on top. Mom would kill me if I leave my schoolbooks so I take my school backpack and set it beside the suitcase. I don’t feel like going through it to make sure there are no hidden knives or- oh right, my Mace. I reluctantly remove the canister from my keychain and set it on my vanity. I won’t be able to bring that.
After I think I have everything. I seal up the suitcase, set the backpack on top and take a deep breath.
“I’m ready for bed,” I say aloud. The eventful day has made me sleepy, though truthfully it’s probably the sickness combined with the exercise. It’s only now that I realize that I have to reopen the suitcase to get my toothbrush.
After I retrieve my toothbrush, I head to the bathroom and hear Bubbe in Adam’s room. She must be packing his suitcase too. After a good rinse of the face and brushing my teeth, I set the toothbrush on top of the suitcase instead of back in. After all, I’ll need it in the morning won’t I? I shut the light off and hop in bed.
Great, now I get to be left alone with my thoughts. My memories are no longer a safe place to retreat, and as worries of Shana, Lionel, and concerns for my own safety set in, my drift into sleep isn’t so peaceful either. In fact, I hear that static howling now. I try and frown, but it’s not happening.
I open my eyes, and this time there’s no mistake. He’s come for me this time. He’s right here in front of me. He’s standing upright, and with me lying down I can’t even see his face. I feel tears of fear, anger, and frustration surging. Why can’t I just be left alone?
I feel the static embrace ready to constrict me again. I will not just give in and go quietly into the shadow world. I begin pushing out with my arms and rocking back with my legs. I’m not going to panic this time. No, now that he’s here I’m going to beat him at his own game. I open my mouth and try to let out all the vocals I can. I can hear myself exhale over the already present static wind, but still no moan. Keep trying, I tell myself.
The fiend looms over me. His shape is constantly shifting, still unable to maintain perfect motionlessness, and yet he’s still able to convey that impression of something perfectly still, watching you. I feel his invisible grip tighten, and terror sets in, making my teeth itch. I want to close my eyes. I want to blink! But I fear if I do he will only get stronger. Shana’s words echo in my head. He wants me to sleep. He wants me to go to sleep. I feel fluid trickling down my nose. I can tell it’s blood by the coppery tang that is sliding down the back of my throat. I feel myself getting weaker under his influence. It’s going take me! I’m going to be the tenth.
I’m trying to scream at the top of my lungs now, hoping that someone in my house will come and wake me, but all I can do is let out a heavy breath. I need help. Won’t Bubbe have stayed awake to patrol us in our sleep? I’m hyperventilating. I can’t let him take me. I feel him back up. Is he retreating? No, he bends down so I can see his face… or I can see where his face would be, if he was an actual man.
He has no face. It’s all blackness, and I can only look for a second before my eyes burn. I guess it is not possible for the human eye and brain to process the visual input of this being from another dimension It’s just so…wrong…that trying to look directly at it results in a disconcerting vision like a combined effect of a strobe light flashing on static. I instinctively close my eyes to dull the stinging pain, but immediately realize my mistake. Now I can’t open my eyes anymore. Its static grip grows stronger and now it’s becoming painful. I can sense his face get even closer to me and the closer his head gets to mine, the louder the static ringing gets. I feel my head vibrating as if hearing something this unnatural is going to burst my eardrums. It’s resonating throughout my mind, as if it’s trying to say something to me. I can make out syllables. It’s saying something. It’s saying, “Alyssa!”
13: The Nightmare
“Alyssa! Alyssa, wake up! I need your help,” I hear. I open my eyes. I can still feel the static immobilizing me, but it's receding. I look and see the monster still looming above me, but I recognize that voice. “Alyssa!” I hear again and the monster leans in, this time touching me with hands, Shana's hands. Shana!
I jump up, but immediately stumble forward and fall forward off the bed at Shana's feet. My body is numb. I can still hear the howling wind. I try to move, and can see my body responding, but I can't feel what I'm doing. I can't gauge the amount of strength I'm putting into pushing myself off the floor, and I certainly can't feel en
ough to balance. I stumble over again. Shana bends down and puts a hand on my arm. I feel a jolt. It's not exactly electricity, but the shock courses through my veins and I can feel a bit of control return. It's only a bit, but it's enough for me to let Shana help lift me up.
I rise to my feet and look at her. She looks... dark and scared. I feel the impulse to lean forward and hug her, but I know something is wrong. I look around and see how dark the place has gotten, yet I can see. “Am I dreaming?” I ask Shana. Shana shakes her head.
“I don't know, but he's had me here for a while,” she answers. I take a few steps, trying to get used to the lack of coordination this... dimension, gives me. “I need your help Lyss. I can't stay here,” she says. As I move around I notice a field of illumination follows, as if I'm holding a flashlight or something. I look around for the source of light, but everything more than ten feet away from me is immersed in almost total blackness. I look at myself and realize that the light is emanating from me! I am still in the pajamas I was wearing, but my body is distorted and shifting, like, like him. It's almost like I'm not solid. I look at Shana and notice that her body is doing the exact same thing, except she is dark. Most of her form is utter blackness.
“Where are we?” I ask. Shana bows her head and moves toward the door. She opens it, and I can see part of the hallway, but everything else is dark. With great effort, I walk through the doorway and look around at my house. It looks almost the same as it usually does, but it has the same eerily dark quality, kind of like it’s lit with a black light, but without the illumination. And, it feels empty. I feel a surge of fear as I realize that the monster must have sucked me into his realm-into the shadow world Bubbe told me about. What if I’ve just disappeared from my bed?
“Alyssa!” Shana cries.
“I need you to help me. I need to get out of here,” she continues. I feel the longing I've had to see her well up. Has Shana been watching me from here the whole time? I have to use the wall for balance as I move through the hall. I have to check on Adam, but as I push on his door, I think. What do I want to see? Do I want to see Adam lying in bed or not? If he's here that could mean the fiend has sucked him in as well, but if he's not then it could mean the same thing. I push his door, but it won't open. As I push I feel surges of static pushing back against me, through my already numb body. I can't get through.
“Alyssa, come here,” Shana pleads.
“I can't! I need to get in here!” I shout with frustration.
“It won't work,” she says. I look back at her long enough to see her face distort a bit and wince in response. Shana waits at the top of the stairs and I move over to her, not quite ready to descend. Why can't I get into Adam's room? I turn and look back at it when I feel a wave of the howling static hit me. I can hardly keep my eyes open as I tumble down the stairs. I feel like I'm probably injured, but the pain is dulled by the strange numbness. I can't say that's good, because it's hard to tell if my injuries are serious.
I'm a little dizzy from the fall, but as my vision returns I see the shadowy Shana atop the stairs. She's not even rushing to help me. I close my eyes, taking a breath before I pull myself up on my own. I open my eyes and am shocked to see Shana already at the bottom of the stairs. She's standing over me with the same posture she was at the top of the stairs. It's the same stance she's had since she woke me up. Something tells me she didn't just jump down the steps, and I didn’t hear any footsteps.
She bends over and helps me stand up, but before I'm even in a full standing position to make sure I'm still okay to walk, I feel her push me toward the door. The front door? Where does she want me to go? The door is ajar and I pull it open. I'm surprised that when I open the door I can see more than ten feet ahead of me. I can see the shapes of houses, mailboxes, hedges and everything in my neighborhood. There's no moon or apparent source of light, but I can see them. It's such a weird sensation to see without light that it only adds to the confusion I'm already feeling.
Shana pushes me again, but when I turn angrily to look at her she's already in front of me. It's like she tackled me in a rush to get ten feet in front of me, but that doesn't make any sense. I want to help her, I really do, but it doesn't seem like she's as scared or upset as I would be if I’d been stuck in a place like this. I know she's been here for days, so maybe she's gotten used to it, but still I can't see her behaving this way the first opportunity she has to get my help. I follow her down the street, but as I do, I look around. I notice some of the areas, particularly other streets, don't illuminate as I pass by. It's as if I'm not supposed to venture down there, like my path has already been predetermined.
I get the eerie feeling that something is watching me, and I’m starting to be afraid of the way Shana is leading me. She doesn't appear scared at all. She doesn't seem like she's desperately trying to attain my help, and even if she really is, what does she want me to do? I stop walking. What does she want me to do? It's only now that I actually stop and think about it. I'm a fifteen year old unarmed girl who is barely capable of walking normally. All I can do is run. I remember Jason and Shana- at least normal Shana in the normal world. Both of them claimed that their siblings appeared to them pleading for their help and then both of them disappeared.
Shana was even afraid to fall to sleep. She must have realized that it wasn't Denise speaking to her. Does that mean that this figure in front of me isn't Shana?
“Alyssa, we have to hurry,” she beckons impatiently. I shake my head. No, this isn't Shana. It's him. I turn and run, or at least try to run. It's nearly impossible to get a good stride going in this environment. I hear a scream. It's a loud bloodcurdling shriek coming from Shana.
I turn and look at her and see the he is upon her. He’s not just beside her though. He has her. Terror consumes me and I am frozen in place, unsure how to act. So, was I wrong? Can I still separate Shana from this thing's grasp? I try and run to where they are, but with each step closer, the more my eyes hurt. It hurts to look at him, but maybe if I can just pull Shana away from him… He didn't come near when I was with her until now. Maybe that's it then. Shana finally found a way to sneak away from it and then came to get me. Maybe I- or the light around me is some kind of home base where he can't get to her, or maybe he can only get to people if they’re alone, and by running away I’ve just condemned her.
Every step closer I get the howling static gets louder and more intense, and by the time I'm within about ten feet of them I can hardly hear her cries over his static. I get closer and open my eyes just in time to see him disappear. Shana is standing there, hugging herself. She appears shaken. Relief surges through me, and this time I hug her impulsively.
“I'm sorry. I didn't know that he would come.”
“Where were you going?” she asks.
“I don't know. I thought you were-”
“I need you to help me,” she repeats. She sounds like a broken record, but she's communicating more than she was able to right before she disappeared, so maybe she is recovering. I'm surprised she has recovered even this small amount of her personality in this realm. She forces me off of her. Apparently hug time is over, and the sudden loss of her support causes me to nearly fall over. She resumes walking and I follow.
“Shana. Shana you need to talk to me. I don't know how I can help you. I don't know what to do,” I say.
“You have to follow me,” she says without so much as turning her gaze toward me.
“Where are we going?” I ask. She stops and looks at me, her body still distorting in places. She points, and I follow her finger up to the ever so familiar entrance to the forest.
“Into the forest?” I ask. She nods and keeps walking. This doesn't feel right. Shana would give me more information- that is, if she could. Her screaming drew me back, but now that I'm following her again I recall the reason I tried to run in the first place. This may not be the fiend per se, but this just doesn't seem like Shana. Maybe he has some sort of mind control over her.
Whatev
er it is, I can't just go into the woods, because if Bubbe is right, then that tree is the monster’s physical totem and entrance to our world, and the closer I get to it, the less likely it will be that I get back. When we get to the edge of the woods I stop again. I can already tell something is awry. The forest has the same black-light pall cast over it, and just being this close to it makes my body vibrate with fright. It feels like a different, darker place. If what I am in now is some nightmarish dream-world, then whatever is in the forest must be the full-fledged shadow world.
My heart begins racing and I feel the howling static swell into an angry crescendo. Shana turns to me and gestures for me to come on.
“I can't. If I do I won't be able to help you,” I reason. Shana's mouth begins wobbling, and I can almost see what looks like a tear falling down her face, but the distortion makes it nearly impossible to discern.
“Please Alyssa, we don't have to go far-”
“...just close enough to him,” I finish for her.
“I can't do it. I won't. There's got to be some other way, I can come when we're in the real world and I,” but I stop. Would I come if I wasn't in some nightmarish realm? I see the darkness from the woods creeping closer and then the black static figure emerges. Shana looks at me with sorrow as he rises up behind her. He looms over her, coming on like a giant black wave. As it approaches my eyes burn and I avert my gaze, but I look up just in time to see her hand lash out and forcibly grab my arm. She pulls hard, and with my already low level of control over my own body I come forward easily. I do my best to resist, but she seems stronger than she normally is. She has merged with the shadowy darkness from the woods, as if it is sucking her in, and as it absorbs her, I get pulled closer into it. He's attacking! I look Shana in the eye and I see her look of sadness distort into a glare. She pulls me closer, and now I'm terror stricken. This is not my Shana.
The Slender Man Page 12
