Catastrophe

It happened Saturday in the evening. I mentioned awhile ago that I've had this constant paranoia ever since we got here. Well, it was at its worst that day. I didn't want to be alone, but Chastin had to go to work and Aiden was busy taking care of KK. So, I made Chastin promise that he would wait at his work for me to get there so he wouldn't be walking alone at night and, thankfully, he listened to me. (Looking back, I can't decide whether it was a good thing I insisted I be with him or if everything would have been fine if I'd just ignored my paranoia and stayed in our hotel...)

It was dark by the time we finally started on our way back. I felt slightly more reassured that I would be safe while Chas was there, but I couldn't shake the niggling feeling that we were being followed. I turned around to check that no one was behind us every couple minutes and I was constantly on the look out for that ominous tall, pale shape in every alleyway we passed. Chas started to get annoyed by it and caught my arm as I turned back to check behind us for the umpteenth time. He looked at me sternly and told me that I needed to stop thinking about it, or something really would happen to us. He scolded me, saying that I know the rules for surviving better than he does and yet I was breaking them all and putting us in danger anyway by thinking about Him. It upset me that he wasn't taking my concerns seriously, but looking back I know now that he was right.

My only response was to glare at him angrily and wrench my arm away. I was about to step forward, when suddenly I felt someone grab me from behind and winced as the biting blade of a knife dug itself slightly into my throat. It was a guy, and the mask he was wearing dug into my shoulder. I knew instantly it was a proxy. I knew what was coming next. Slender Man appeared behind Chastin, who was too focused on finding a way to save me to notice. I tried to scream at him to run, but the proxy shoved a cloth into my mouth, cutting off my words. Chas must have realized what I was trying to tell him, because he turned around to face that evil, faceless ghoul. Before he could do anything, Slender Man sent a tentacle whipping towards him, hitting him in the stomach and sending him crashing against the building a few feet away. I could only watch helplessly as he calmly walked over to Chastin, wrapped his fingers around his throat, picked him up, and slammed him forcefully against the wall one more time.

I thought it was over. I thought Slender Man was going to kill him before my eyes and then kill me, but, to my great surprise, Slender Man dropped Chastin. He turned his pale head towards us and the proxy released me after a moment. At another wordless command from Slender Man, the proxy, along with another that came out of the alley next to the building, took hold of Chastin's arms and hoisted him to his feet. He was clearly on the verge of passing out, so the proxy that had held me slapped him hard across the face, forcing him back to his senses.

I was frozen on the spot. I had no idea what to do. I couldn't run, I couldn't leave Chastin there to die. But, I couldn't fend off our attackers either. All I could do was stay where I was, watching in horror and waiting for my turn. 

The proxies continued to beat up Chastin while Slender Man watched with a sick, sadistic glee radiating off of him. Finally, Slender Man commanded them to stop. Chastin was bloody and bruised, but lucid. He'd managed to break free a few times and land a couple very painful looking blows on the proxies, but eventually they subdued him by slashing him on his chest and arms with the knife. He was still struggling, but much more weakly than he had been due to his injuries.

Slender Man turned to face me. I was angry and upset, so I rushed at him blindly and attempted to jump on him so I could get at his head. He caught me by the arm and threw me into one of the alley walls, taking care to ensure that Chastin would be able to see what he was going to do to me. I looked up at him, terrified out of my mind, and was greeted by that sickening smile. He wrapped his fingers around my throat, pinning me, and wrapped a tentacle around my pinky and ring fingers on my left hand. I heard a loud crunch and felt the skin tearing as white hot pain coursed through my body and blanked out my mind. When I finally came back to my senses, I realized I was screaming. It was a raw, primal scream. It didn't even begin to convey the agony I felt. Slender Man wasn't finished yet. He wrapped the same bloody tentacle around my forearm and wrenched it, ruining any healing the bone had already done and snapping it again a little higher above the original break. The tentacle burst into countless tiny tendrils, each of which coursed its way under my skin and into the muscle, tearing up everything they came into contact with.

I could hear myself screaming and crying. I could hear Chastin sobbing and yelling. None of it mattered. Every fiber of my being was focused on the pain and, eventually, I'm assuming it became too much. I passed out and woke up in the hospital with Chastin asleep in the chair next to me.

Chastin won't tell me how we escaped or why Slender Man let us go. All he said is that our injuries have been blamed on the proxies and that they've been apprehended.

I suppose I should have mentioned the fact that I was hospitalized in my last post, but I didn't want to upset Aiden after all he'd been dealing with at that point.

They released me this morning mostly because Chastin and I both insisted that we couldn't stay there. My arm is far from better and it won't be for a long time. Apparently, I'm extremely lucky they don't have to amputate it at my elbow since the tissue was so destroyed.

I'm really worried about what may have happened while I was passed out. Why did Slender Man spare us? Did he do something to Chastin? I don't know what to think...I hope things get better for us once we're with Aiden, but I'm worried that our presence will make Aiden a target too.

I don't know...I'm totally at a loss right now. We almost died and now I'm starting to suspect Slender Man finally got to Chas while I was out. I can't begin to think like this now...this is probably exactly what Slender Man wants. He probably knew I'd leap to the conclusion that he'd taken Chas to sow seeds of doubt in my heart and to drive me away from my allies. Not only does that leave me vulnerable but, if I'm wrong, it means Chastin will die. (Chas went to bed so I typed those last few paragraphs myself, by the way.)

Aiden...we'll be there soon. We both need some sort of comfort in these troubled times.