DECEMBER JANE

December: Trust Me

I made it very clear to the two of them that we needed to run. Not run, but tear hell for leather. Trip over shit. Kick rocks. It didn't matter. We just needed to be out.

Laori was having the most trouble keeping up, so I grabbed her forearm and pulled her behind me. I noticed she had been keeping her phone on record since she got here. I didn't even know how she found her way here. It was a miracle, really, because who knows what would have been of her if she didn't find me.

The whispers occasionally got louder and softer, and I took turns on our route depending on how loud they became."Where are we going?" Laori shouted.

"Keystone!" I replied.

We had to have been running for at least thirty minutes. It was non-stop, and I was already minimal on food and water. Finally, however, after another turn, I could see the road. I didn't even bother to check for cars. We stumbled onto the road, and I immediately led us to a sharp left. I didn't slow down, because I knew if we did, we'd be too slow and dead.

After Hell's marathon, we made it to Keystone Catholic. I stumbled to a stop and fell to the ground. Laori fell with me, whilst Ann remained standing. I dry heaved some blood onto the ground.

"Holy... holy shit, Dee," Laori gasped. I offered a weak grin. "You? Swearing? That's new," I joked.

People gave us strange glances as they walked by, and I tried to not let it phase me. I stood up, brushed myself off, then offered a hand to Laori. "What's in the bag besides the bombs?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Well, a pretty nasty poison and a mask, pretty much," I replied.

"Who's hunting us?"

"You don't wanna know."

I urged Ann to join us as we walked towards the church. The three of us walked in, battered by the woods and about as normal as not, all eyes focused on us again. I felt them itching on my skin. The attention couldn't break me now, but I still dragged Laori with me into the corridor I found myself in last time. I held her hand with me still as I turned to her, Ann standing idly beside us.

"I'm sorry about all of this," I said. "I know this makes no sense to you."

"You said they're hunting us," she noted. "Why would they be hunting me?"
"Because they hunt everyone. They would have gotten you eventually. I'm just their priority." I tilted my head towards Ann. "They've already gotten one of us."

Laori's brows furrowed. "Who?"

"Doesn't matter," I said. "Where's James?"

"He's in the backstage room, probably resting."

"Resting?"
She nodded. "He was hit by a car. Minor injuries-- he just broke a few ribs, praise the Lord-- but he seems different."

I brought us in the direction of the backstage rooms, or what I assumed to be the direction. "What do you mean?"

"He's numbed out. Unresponsive. I think it traumatized him."

"Maybe," I said. "Let's see." I held out my hand in front of me, gesturing for Laori to lead us to the room. We winded down two different hallways and three doors until we made it there. Walking in, it seemed like a breakroom, with a kitchen-like area and a table in the middle. James sat at the table, hunched over a paper laid out on the surface.

I stopped in my tracks. That page was one of Slender's.

Ann took a step back. James looked up. Laori was right; his expression had wildly changed. There wasn't a condescending brow on him any longer. His eyes had seemed to lose tension and simply see without feeling. He looked dead.

"Why do you have that?" I asked.

James looked at the page, then back at me. "This is mine."

I shook my head with a nervous laugh. "That is anything but yours."

He stood up and snatched the paper, shoving it into his pocket. "I told you, you're not supposed to be here."

"I know."

"Why are you here?"

"I have some shit to finish." I gestured towards his pocket. "And it starts with you."

"You're not supposed to be here."

I drew my gun from my bag and held it up, safety off. "Now I am."

"DECEMBER, NO!" Laori shouted.

I didn't respond. I simply waited for James.

He stepped around the table and slowly walked to me, only stopping when his chest met the barrel of my gun. He tilted his head. "Go ahead," he said quietly. "If you dare."

"That car stunt was suicidal, huh?"

"Surely that isn't your problem."

I pressed the gun against him harder. "You're right. It's yours."

"December, this isn't a good idea," Ann said. "Just leave it be." I ignored her and continued to stare at James. His face seemed to slowly shift into the slightest manic smile, only proven by his widened eyes.

Then without warning, he swiftly grabbed my wrist and swung it away from his chest, throwing my body towards the wall. On instinct, I pulled the trigger, and a shot was fired against the wall. Ann narrowly dodged me before I could crash into her. The gun flew from my hand, bounced off a wall, then finally landed right in front of James. I pulled myself back up and lunged at him. Without losing his stance, he leaned out of my reach, then charged at me from the side. He slammed me into the fridge shaking all the lettered magnets onto the floor with a deafening clatter. He held me pinned to the fridge, calm and collected as if nothing had happened.

"If you don't leave, I'll make sure you will," he threatened.

I stared at him in awe. "Who taught you to fight?"

Running footsteps emerged into the room, and now it was also Jolene witnessing this shitshow I had gotten myself into. Her mouth opened and closed in shock. "I see I've interrupted," she said, looking at the others. "I'll leave. My apologies." She turned around and ran out just as quickly as she came in.

James winced and let go of my shoulders. Something was hurting him, which I assumed to be his ribs.

"I need to leave," he muttered. "Father is expecting me."

He glared at me for one last moment, then walked out of the room, leaving everything painfully silent.

Laori looked at me in alarm. "Care to explain?" she interrogated.

I pushed myself off of the fridge. "That page. I need to get it from him."

Ann snorted. "Sure, and how are you going to do that?"

I said nothing as I collected myself, then walked towards the door. Ensuring Laori and Ann were following, I left and turned to follow the direction that James took, to wait for his guardless moment-- to wait for the perfect opportunity.