Slender

Horror has a face. Those words have been echoing through my mind for the past few months now. Horror has a face. Whoever said that was wrong. Horror has no face. Horror is not human. Horror is the bane of my existence. Horror has no face, but a name. That name is the reason I am constantly fleeing. I never stay in one place for too long, in fear that the faceless horror might find me. The name that has caused me so much grief lately is following me. What is that name?

Slender...

It's been going on since the start of this year. I was just a freshman in high school at the time, so I was still getting familiar with the surroundings. The school had four buildings, each connected by a long hallway. It had two floors, the top of which I spent most of the day in. The school was surrounded by woods. All of the area in the back of the school was a forest. During the school day, they never let anyone back there. However, my film class had special permission. We were allowed to go back there whenever we needed a scenic shot. That forest is where this all began.

“Alright, class. Partner up and take a walk further into the woods. Make sure one of you keeps track of the time, because I expect you all back here by the end of class. Understood?”

“Yes, Mr. Marley.” We all said in unison. As everyone scrambled about, trying to get to their best friend and partner up with them, I stood still. Something felt odd. I shivered as a cold breeze blew past.

“John, are you having trouble finding a partner? Would you like me to assign you one?” Mr. Marley asked, pulling me from my trance-like state.

“Uh, sure. Yeah. I need one.” I said, still a bit lost in thought. He walked away for a second, and returned with a girl who had been standing next to a tree near the entrance, fiddling with her camera.

“John, Karen will be your partner. I've noticed you two work well together, so why don't you both go into the woods and film some of this beautiful nature?” Mr. Marley said, inhaling deep.

I nodded and walked ahead of Karen, who ran to catch up with me.

“So, where do you want to go first, John?” She said, pushing some stray strands of blonde hair out of her face.

“I really don't care. I just want to get this over with. I'm not feeling very well today.” She threw me a concerned look.

“Really? You don't look pale or anything. I'm sure you're fine.”

I walked further into the woods, not taking any notice to fact that we had strayed off the nature path. This was my first mistake.

“John, we've been walking around for about ten minutes now. I haven't seen any of the other kids this far back. Where are we going?” She asked me.

“I don't know. We're finding the best place to film. Don't ask so many questions.” I said plainly. She was starting to get on my nerves. I was about to give up and just film whatever there was here, but I saw something odd further on in the woods. It looked like a man, but he wasn't moving. He was just standing there, still. It almost looked like he was staring at us.

“Hey, Karen, do you see that man?” I said turning to her. She was fiddling with her camera again, and my voice made her look up.

“What man? I don't see anything.” She said looking where I was pointing. I turned back to look again, and the man was gone. I felt the hairs on my neck stand up. I couldn't have been seeing things. It was too vivid. He was wearing a black suit, and it looked like he had a tie on. I couldn't make out any facial features, but I knew he was tall. Very, very tall. I sighed and told Karen that we should just start filming here. She agreed, and we used my camera to record. At first, I just filmed Karen walking around a tree, and then telling us information about it. She made all of it up, but it seemed believable enough.

I figured we had enough footage for the day, so I told Karen to move out of the frame, so I could end it on an empty shot. She scooted to the left, and where she was standing before, was the same man, still further back in the woods. I drew in a sharp breath as I felt that same tingling that I felt when I first saw him. Karen turned to look at where I was staring, and she just blinked.

“What's that man doing there?” She said with a chuckle. “He looks a bit too formal to be out in the woods,” she added.

“Karen...Lets go. I don't think he's going to do anything. Besides, class is almost over.” I said. While she looked from the man to me, I was slowly zooming the focus in. I had to get a better look at that man. Something about him just seemed off. I would check the film later. Karen took a few last looks and reluctantly agreed. We packed out equipment up, and headed back the way we came. Before we were out of the forest, I threw one last glance over my shoulder. On the tree behind me, I saw something that would become a very important symbol during the following months.

It was an egg-shaped oval, with an “X” mark through it. I wondered what it meant at the time, but I now know that it was not the doing of some little kids drawing on a tree.

That night, after school, I was sitting at my house. Thoughts of that man I saw in the woods earlier that day were running through my head. Something about that man made me feel really uneasy, I just didn't know what. I glanced over at my bag, which was sitting by the door. I knew I had to look at the tape sometime, and it was better to do it and get it over with than to put it off and have it bother me.

With a heavy sigh, I got up from the sofa, and retrieved the tape from the bag, and began to play it back.

There was Karen, in all her fake-information-giving glory. But where was that man? I skipped to the part where Karen stepped aside, and then I saw him. He was standing there, like he was before, just staring. He was still too far away to make out facial features, but I could tell that he was there. When the playback had reached the part where I zoomed in, I watched intently as the focus began to slide closer to the man. To my dismay, as it got closer, the picture got blurrier. Then, all at once, the picture began to distort wildly, and the speakers emitted an ear-splitting shriek. The audio of Karen and I talking was almost inaudible over what was coming from the speakers. The picture was twisted beyond recognition, and I could only make out bits and pieces of the woody scenery. Then the recording stopped. I fell to the floor, breathing heavily. What the hell was that all about?
I hastily pulled the tape out of the player, and looked at it. No sign of damage to it. It was just like it had been when I took it out of the camera.

Something was not right here. That man had something to do with it...

I had trouble getting to sleep that night. That horrible noise from the playback was haunting me, and I couldn't make it stop. Paranoia was also a big factor in my sleeplessness. I'm not usually the type to lock my doors and windows and put bars around them at night, but I felt like I was being watched. I kept glancing around my room for signs of movement. I would jump at the slightest of sounds, and my eyes would dart around the room if a light from outside so much as flickered. It was about three in the morning before I finally nodded off. I had a dream that night. I almost wish I had stayed awake.

The dream was terrifying. The man from the video was there, but just like always he was standing at a distance. I could make out his figure, but not his face. It was almost like he had none...I stood there, staring at him for the longest time. Neither of us moved, until finally, he outstretched his arms. I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and I almost doubled over. Then, I began to walk towards him. Despite my incredible fear of this man, I kept drawing nearer to him. His featured became more distinct the closer I got. With each step the tightness that had been building in my chest got more painful. The man began to slide further away from me, and I could no longer make out anything other than his suit. I woke up in a cold sweat.

I almost didn’t want to get out of bed that morning. I hadn’t been able to get back to sleep since that dream, and I wasn’t sure I would be ready for school. I sat up, and almost immediately, I felt incredibly dizzy. I swung my legs over the edge of my bed when I regained my sense of direction, and stood up. I glanced around my room, and noticed something strange,

My camera – which I had set up last night – has its red light lit up indicating it was recording. I certainly hadn’t done that, so I walked over to it to see how long it had been recording. When I saw the timestamp, my jaw dropped. It had been on for at least four hours, which was how long I had been asleep. There was film in it, and all the space was probably used up now. I heard a beep, and saw the camera was giving me a notification that the film space was low. I sighed and pulled out the tape.

I was just about to throw it away, but something made me hesitate. I looked at the tape in my hand, and decided to play it. There had to be a reason why it recorded.

The playback began as soon as I put the tape into the player. Normally, I would have to push a button to play it, but the screen just snapped to the film, and began to play.

It was me, laying there in my bed. I sat watching me sleep for about fifteen minutes, before fast-forwarding about two hours. I was still sleeping at the two hour thirty minute mark, but something made my heart leap into my throat.

Outside my window, there was the figure of a man. He stood still, gazing in. It was the man from the forest. It had to be. I still couldn’t see his face, as it was being obstructed by the blinds. Then, he began to move. It didn’t look like he was walking. He was just sort of sliding – like he was in my dream – to the side of the window. When he was out of sight, the tape showed me waking up with a jolt.

“Who the hell is that?” I breathed, pausing the playback. Then I realized, if he was outside my house, he had to have left some kind of trace on the ground. People don’t slide like that naturally. Then again, I was beginning to thing he wasn’t a person…

I ran outside the house, and darted to the left around the side. I stood outside my bedroom window; the blinds were open in my room, so I could see my bed. Messy as it was it felt like the only safe place right now.

I knelt down, and began to search for any sign of the man having been here. The rain had made the ground wet, so if he had been through here, there would have been tracks in the mud. However, there was nothing. Sighing, I stood back up and looked into my bedroom once more.

I froze as soon as I looked. There he was…The man was in my house, in my bedroom, staring out at me. I tried to run, but my legs were locked in place. I wanted to scram, my voice caught in my throat. The only thing I could do right now was sit and endure the unbridled terror, and force myself to look at the horror that I saw before me.

He had no face…

How was it even possible? He had a body, and arms, but no face. He was so tall. Almost to the ceiling of my room, and he was just standing there.

Hello, John.

Those two words forced their way into my mind, yet they were not my thoughts. He was talking to me. He was talking to me through my own mind.

“Who are you? I asked when my voice recovered. I could barley say it above a whisper.

You know who I am, John. I’m Slender-Man. I’ve been following you. You have something I must have.

“What do you want?” I choked out.

Tsk, tsk, so impatient I’m getting to that! He began to pace around the room. You see, it’s not something you will just give up. I expect quite the resistance actually. Yet, in order to keep my secrecy, it must be done. John? I must as you for your silence.

I nodded quickly, trying to dissuade him from what I thought he was thinking of. “I promise. I won’t tell a soul!” I said. The terror was almost too much.

I’m afraid I can’t take your word for it, John. You people are not very reliable. You make empty promises that you fail to keep, and expect others to just deal with the fact that you have betrayed them. I’ve been around long enough to know. Allow me to rephrase my request. I must ask for your eternal silence!

“No! Please! I don’t want to die, not now!” I shouted.

If not now, then when? I’m afraid I can’t allow myself to let you go. I will not jeopardize my secrecy. I showed myself to you, because I enjoy watching kids like you squirm before I make them ‘disappear’. You were different somehow. You managed to understand what I was, even though you can’t seem to realize that fact. You know what I am, John. You know who I am.

“NO! Please, I’ll do what you want, just don’t kill me!” I screamed. This man had told me he knew who I was. I did not; I had never seen him before.

Fine, let’s play a game. I’ll give you enough time to move to a new location. When you have moved, I will search for you. When you see me again, I will kill you. The first time you lay eyes on me, your life is over. This should be fun. I hope you enjoy this game. It won’t end anytime soon, and your life is at stake. Good bye, John. Good luck.

He vanished right before my eyes, and I fell to the ground, weeping. When I realized I didn’t have much time, I ran. I ran faster than I ever had, and I made my way out of town. I had to leave. The game was on, and it was my turn. I had to make the right move, or I would lose.

And now here I am, writing this. Why? I saw him. Today at the park, I saw him in the shade of the trees. It had been months since I had seen him last and today all of it ended. He’s watching me now, waiting for me to accept my loss. I can see him outside my window. Hopefully, this will be found. People must know. The world must know.

Everyone has to know of the horror.

The horror of him…

Slender…