Can't Say

Chapter 30

      Waking up was a confusing and weary endeavor, to say the least. At first, you had forgotten where you were, what time it might be, or even how you got in your bed. Once your mind cleared to the best it could, the memory of Slenderman's more in-character visit flashed by.
      Why did he do that? Did you irritate him somehow? No, usually he would strangle you if he was mad. This was something different.
      Glancing at your clock, you remembered about the mission for tonight. The digital numbers read 12:30 A.M. in its bold, red glow. The blood drained from your face as you recalled Slenderman specifically saying that the mission would begin at 1 A.M., to which you leapt out of bed, gathered your clothes, and sprinted to the bathroom.
      At first, you found yourself stumbling and nearly falling against the walls and doorways, but managed to keep upright. Something was strange about your body - your mind. They had a weight to them unlike before you had fallen asleep. Did Slenderman do this? Why would he hinder your performance before a mission? You'd have to ask him at the briefing.
      Once prepped with the basics, you scrambled from the bathroom and flew down the staircase, where you landed with the rest of your team. Everyone stared as though they had been waiting on you for some time. You flashed an apologetic look, though it wasn't entirely your fault. Slenderman didn't seem concerned with your tardiness. He probably knew it was his doing.
      "Now then," your master broke the awkward silence, "what have you listed for the mission?"
      Masky held a notebook in front of him, reading off the list of supplies everyone had agreed would be necessary to successfully survive the mission. "We'll need guns - pistols and a sniper rifle, specifically. Each Proxy should carry a combat knife. For the electrical traps throughout the house, we figured it'd be easiest to wear either rubber or leather gloves. The main power will most likely be protected to prevent being cut. That being said, we should each have a set of wire cutters with rubber-lined handles to break any traps we find along the way. Bullet-proof vests are a default. Twenty feet of rope should be on each person, for various reasons, such as: restraining one of the humans, as per your orders, reaching upper levels of the house, if they so happen to be blocked from below, and making tempoary traps of our own, if the humans prove to be more aggressive than reliant on their own creations. One of us will also carry a seringe of sedative for the captive. Also, due to the extra gear from our usual list, we've agreed to carry two rounds per target. Despite the plan to restrain a captive, we feel it better to prepare for the worst." He concluded there, tilting his head back and lowering the notebook to await a response from Slenderman.
      For a few moments, Slenderman remained quiet. Perhaps he was pondering over any other possibilities that may require more gear. "Well done," he finally spoke. "You may now equip. You have fifteen minutes to return here."
     Hoodie, Masky, and Toby nodded to your master and dashed to the equipment room without another word. You, however, hesitated to leave just yet, gazing up at Slenderman as you tried to ask him what had happened last night. Your words caught in your throat when you made visual contact with his lacking face. There was the energy of a daring glare from the tall being. He didn't want to discuss your concerns at the moment, most likely. So, rather than confronting your master, you turned tail and met up with your teammates for the gear.
      The tension in the air was thick. Everyone's thoughts on the mission were of worry for what the humans would have in store. There was little room for error - if at all. Your teammates exchanged few words, only communicating topics of gear and preparations. The four of you decided on using leather gloves, reasoning that they would provide better dexterity and weigh less than the rubber ones.
      Once everyone had ensured that they were fully equipped, you and your fellow Proxies returned to the foyer, where Slenderman waited. Now, for the briefing.
      "We will begin infiltration through the back side of the house,"  Slenderman explained how things would start off. "There is a recess in the building, which contains the hall and staircase. From our initiative, there will be a window on the first floor that opens underneath the stairs. This is where you will enter the house, as it provides the most cover from being discovered." He continued to explain that the other houses in the compacted neighborhood would bring higher risk of interruption, but such risk would decrease if your team entered away from the main street.
      Masky was to set up at a vantage point on top of the next row of houses. From there, Slenderman would transport him where needed, since the disruptor's range didn't stretch that far. Hoodie would scout the outside of the house for any main power cables that could be cut. As for Toby and yourself, the aformentioned window would be the main goal.
      "Treat everything as though it is energized," Slenderman warned, "even if Hoodie is successful with cutting the main power."
      Your team was instructed to hold the one captured human in the house until the disrupter has been deenergized. Slenderman closed the briefing with the directive that everyone meet in the staircase hall to avoid being sighted as best as possible.
      All present Proxies nodded in understanding. Their master extended his tendrils from his back and made contact with each Proxy. You found that the slender-walk hadn't been affecting you the same as it did in your first experiences. Your mind seemed to adjust well with the abrupt changes of atmosphere and worldly placement.
      The smell of concrete and potted herbs filled your nostrils. You could hear a small dog barking far in the distance. The low lights of street lamps illuminated the bordering walkways between each row of houses. Shielding you from human eyes were the exterior walls of two houses. Everything in this neighborhood was cramped. There was a chill in the air. You weren't surprised, however, due to it being close to autumn in the human world. At least your gear would keep you warm enough.
      "The target house is directly across from us," Slenderman pointed a long finger across the walkway. From what you'd studied of the blueprints, the indicated building seemed correct. Its gray-blue panels looked somber in the nighttime light. "You are clear to assume your positions." Your master paused a moment, soon mumbling a hesitant, "Good luck." You weren't sure if you appreciated the honest concern or were intimidated by what could get Slenderman so doubtful of his own Proxies' success.
      At first, you followed Toby and Hoodie across the walkway. Once the three of you reached some cover, Hoodie split away to find the main power cords located outside of the house. Toby lead you to the depression in the house's design, hiding in the given shadows. The two of you began working on getting the window open. There was no point in waiting on Hoodie if your orders were to treat all electrical traps as though they were hot.
      Slipping on the thick, leather gloves, you and Toby began searching for wires lining the window. Each one found, you traced to a source if possible, and clipped them with the wire cutters. Though you weren't all that educated about electrical wires and such, Toby seemed to understand the severity of the wires being used.
      "Damn," Toby inspected the recently clipped wire in his hand. "They're really trying to kill us." The long, metal piece was half as thick as a pencil. Most wires you had seen were fairly thin for tiny electronics, or the huge ones that hung from power lines.
      After finding no further wires on the outside of the window, Toby took out a crowbar and pried the window up. It wasn't locked, though, as if the people inside wanted you to come in. This wasn't so much of a surprise, of course, since the wires were there - and capable of killing any unsuspecting victim. Again, you felt around the inside window sill for any wires lining it. There were some, in fact, which you cut and removed. Toby climbed in first, having already put away his tools. You followed shortly after him.
      The house was dark, as you usually found them on missions. Thankfully, you had attuned to Slenderman's passive effects on his Proxies by this point, thus gaining the advantageous night vision. It wasn't what your were expecting, however; rather than a spectrum of greens or black and white, you found that night vision, for a Proxy, was a dull sight. Sure, there were colors, but they had been brought down to gloomy shades compared to what you saw in broad light. It was better than stumbling around in the dark, though.
      You didn't hear any noise from the rooms beyond. Most likely, the targeted humans were sleeping. There must have been one who stayed awake as a look-out. These people knew they were being hunted. To let their guard down would be foolish on their part.
       From your crouched positions underneath the narrow staircase, you and Toby could see the hall that lead to the front door. Directly across from you was a room that, according to the blueprints and the notes provided by Hailey and The Gentleman, was a guest room. At this point, the target humans didn't sleep in that room during the night. They gathered together in two of the bedrooms upstairs, separating into groups of three.
      Still, it was best to clear all possible areas in the house, so not to get attacked from behind. Toby took the guest room. You moved further down the hall to the next room over, which was a mixture of a computer and storage room.
      The steady hum of the computer towers entered your ears as soon as you nudged the door open with a leather-gloved hand. Since the knobs were made of metal, they could have been rigged with more electrical traps, so it was best to take precaution. You were right, of course. Once you opened the door, you saw the tail end of a bare wire slip from some sort of makeshift connector. It was made to energize the wire while the door was shut, but disconnect if the door was successfully opened. You peered inside, keeping what you could of your body from the doorway until the coast was clear. When you saw no further traps, you slowly opened the door wider and removed the wire from the knob. Upon further inspection of the trap, you saw that a car battery was attached to the connector on the floor. You really didn't want to mess with that.
       Rather than disabling the rest of the trap, you began walking around the room as your eyes scanned over the heaps of electronic devices. Such a sight was a common occurance on these missions. You had learned that the scavenged parts were used to make the disrupters to nullify Slenderman's effects on the humans. For such a small device, it took a lot of parts; or maybe it was difficult to find just the right one with such old equipment.
      Your eyes eventually landed on the window opposite from the door. After a quick search, you found that the sill was lined with wire. Said wire ran down the wall, right into a nearby outlet.
      Before you could clip the wire, a strange crackling noise came from the computers. It sounded as though one of them was heavily processing something. All you saw on the monitors were typical, default screensavers. Hopefully, it was nothing to be concerned about.
      From upstairs, the soft sounds of movement came to life. The sinking feeling in your gut had you looking to the doorway, to which you saw Toby checking in on you. His head was lowering from looking up toward the sounds he had heard, too. He raised an index finger to his covered mouth, signaling for you to stay quiet. His hand then lowered the finger to the floor, while his other hand gesture for you to come to him. Toby wanted you to crawl back across the room.
      You narrowed your eyes at the young man for a moment, but knew that he meant well. Lowering your body to the floor, you belly-crawled to him, hoping that you were low enough. Once your reached Toby, he pulled you from the room and helped you up. "T-they used the webc-cams on the monitors. Someone's wat-tching from upstairs," your teammate whispered. Your heart dropped, paling your face. You had already been seen.
      The shuffling from upstairs stopped. Things went quiet again. "They're probably all upstairs," you said. "Should we bother checking the rest of this area?" It seemed like a waste of time to search for people who weren't there. You both knew where the targets were.
      Before Toby could answer, the monitors' glow dropped to darkness. The humming of live electronics was silenced. The air became thick. Your eyes locked with Toby's, both knowing that Hoodie was successful with cutting the main power. He would be locating the disruptor next, so there was no point in waiting to regroup with him. You and Toby began to ascend the stairs. Toby went first.
      Though his steps seemed light, Toby's leg sunk right down into the second step as if he had stomped on a suspended sheet of paper. Toby's body lurched forward with momentum, landing on his hands to hold up his body.
      At first, you weren't sure what happened. All you knew was that Toby's leg had sunken down nearly to his knee. Did he break it? With his inability to feel pain, it was hard to tell if he was injured at all. You hurried to his aid, hearing shuffling from above again. No doubt, they heard the step break. As you grabbed your teammate's arm in an effort to help him rise out of the broken step, he tried to pull his leg, only to find that he was stuck. You tried not to ask him questions, knowing that the humans upstairs would hear your conversation. Instead, you reached your arm down into the hole and felt down Toby's leg, searching for the problem. When your fingers were pricked by sharp objects, you realized what was going on: Toby's foot had been pierced through by long nails. They had managed to drive through the sole of his boot. These people must have sharpened the nails beyond their original shape.
      "We got you," exclaimed a voice from the top of the stairs. You and Toby raised your heads to see a middle-aged man standing there with a body-camera strapped to his torso. From behind him was the mild glow of street lights breaking through the window. His stance and expression showed that he was wildly excited that the trap was a success.
       You backed off of Toby, ready to defend against the human, if need be. With your eyes trained to the man upstairs, you watched him pull out a pistol from his back pocket. His wide eyes hinted at the madness in his mind. You reached for the pistol in your jacket, heart pounding with building panic. These guys weren't supposed to have guns! How did he get ahold of one?
      Before the man could shoot, he broke into a fit of coughs. His hunched form looked ragged and weak. Toby looked back at you, encouraging you to take the shot before the man recovered. You aimed your gun, knowing that once you shot, it would be a chaotic war of cat and mouse with the rest of the humans. 
      You squeezed the trigger, but it sounded off sooner than it should have, making your flinch at the surprise. Something warm and wet splattered over you and Toby.
      Glass had shattered from behind the man. His body sank down to the landing of the stairs, then rolled down the steps where Toby caught him. There was a gaping hole in the human's torso now. His body camera had survived, but one of the straps were broken. Life faded from his eyes as he choked on his own blood.
      You lowered your gun, realizing that Masky had taken the guy out. In a way, you were relieved, but now things would be much more difficult.
      After a couple of unsuccessful tugs, Toby managed to pull his foot and boot free of the nails. He was bleeding so heavily that it was hard to tell how many holes he now had. Despite Toby's inability to feel pain, you winced at the thought of suffering the injury yourself. Such thoughts were rudely interrupted when your senses registered to the busy noises upstairs. They knew you and your team were here. They knew their ally had been killed. What they were doing now, you hoped was anything but tactical preparation.
      Toby glanced at you as he tucked his looted pistol into his pants and grabbed one of the hatchets on his hips. You gave him a nod to ensure that you were ready as you'll ever be. With that, the two of you carefully ascended the stairs. You holstered your pistol back into your jacket. Right now, your nerves were a little strung up, so the last thing you needed in hand was a gun.
      The third-to-top step was revealed to also be a trap like its bottom counterpart. It seemed partially damaged, most likely from the now-deceased human when his corpose tumbled down. You and Toby pressed your backs on either wall of the staircase, peering across to see if anyone was around the corner. So far, it seemed clear. The movement in the other rooms had stopped. It was best to assume that the humans were now avoiding windows, if they saw what happened to their friend.
     The house's air returned to its original silence. You strained to hear any nearby breathing from around the corner, but found nothing. You and Toby nodded to each other again, signalling that each other's corner looked clear of waiting threats. Toby clutched his hatchets, you slipped a long knife from your jacket. The two of you ducked around your respective walls, ready for a surprise ambush. 
      When you rounded your corner, knife brandished in front of you, there was only an empty hall to the right. Directly across from you was a door. Further down were two other doors. All three were closed. With a roll of your eyes, you dreaded the tedious procedure of having to check each door for traps, then opening them to inspect the rooms for humans. It didn't help your nerves knowing that the targets were aware of your presence now.
      Still, it needed to be done, so you urged on. There was a time limit at this point. No doubt, the neighbors heard Masky's rifle and the yelling from the man that was now dead. Logic only added that up to the police being called - especially since they heard gunfire in a country that illegalized firearms.
      The first door was the same situation as the computer room downstairs. Upon opening it with your leather glove, you found a similar contraption to energize the knob while the door was closed. You disabled it and continued into the room, making sure there weren't other computers set up - not that they would have power to record you this time.
      To your right was a bed. To your left, the room went deeper, containing a closet and dresser. There were clothes, books, and electronics scattered around. Dufflebags were tucked under the bed. At a glance, there seemed to be no one around. There were still possible hiding spots, so you crept further in, shutting the door behind you.
      Since the bed was closest, you checked the other side of it for any human using it for cover.
      No one. Just more clutter.
      You moved to the closet, careful not to trip or stumble on the various objects askewed on the floor. First, you gently pressed your ear against the closet door and tried to listen for breathing. After a few seconds of dead silence, you gave in and cracked open the thin door. Nothing stirred, so you opened it completely, only to find more clothes and belongings. There was room for a person to hide in the small space, but not enough to take cover behind the other objects. With a satisfied mind, you moved on. If there were humans on your side of the house, then they were either holed up in the bathroom or the bedroom at the end of the hall.
      You moved to the bathroom, leaving your previously inspected room slightly ajar. Again, the door was trapped with an energized knob. You were certain, by this point, that all doors in the house were rigged this way. As for the presence of humans in the small room, you found none. There was also no window for them to escape, much less worry about someone getting into the house with.
      The last room was where everything hit the fan.
      Your first mistake was when you neglected to avoid the doorway as you turned the knob. Instead, you remained right in front of it, opened the door about an inch, and your ears began to ring. Your right leg felt a kick into your shin and something explode from your calf. Your brain was set on fire from the pain of shattered bones and flesh. Somehow, that was the only bullet that landed on you, but it was all you needed to begin your rampage.
      At the time, you didn't even realize what was going on. All you could do was act on instinct. Any sense of pain disappeared, replaced by unbridled rage.
      There were two humans firing six-shot revolvers at you, but the bullets were quickly wasted. They were obviously unskilled with guns, having only managed to hit you once. As for a chance to reload and try again, they never had one.
      You watched from within yourself as you wielded a knife in each hand and charged the two humans ducked behind the bed. Their screams were muffled by the lingering deafness caused by the volley of gunshots from earlier. The terror in their eyes was evident, prying them open wide and crazed. You fell onto the bed after a failed attempt to jump over it, due to your mangled leg. That didn't stop you, though. Your sights held firm on your targets, pulling you to them as you visciously clawed and crawled across the bed to get closer.
      The humans backed away, shaking violently as they tried to reload their guns. All they managed to do was make a mess of scattered bullets all over the floor.
      Rolling from the bed as you reached the other side, you used the functioning upper part of your busted leg to help lift yourself up. Your good leg did the rest as you lunged to one of the humans. The both of you crashed into the wall, where you repeatedly stabbed and shredded their chest. You felt a pressure in your throat, barely recognizing the sounds coming from it as you screamed with fury. The other human had fallen back on the floor as they had dodged you. Their still muffled screams and sobs slowly increased as your hearing began to recover.
      Wailing sirens filled the air from outside, but they didn't concern you. The human, shakily aiming their unloaded gun at you, however, was much more interesting. You pulled your knives from the mangled corpse and dove right on top of your new victim. They tried to scramble away, realizing that their empty threat was useless, but it was much too late.
      Somewhere in the midst of your relentless slaughter, you lost consciousness.

      You dreamed of a vile beast staring at you from within a deep darkness. It was some sort of wolf; covered in silver scales and a thin layer of black fur. Protruding from its mouth was a pair of large fangs, dripping with a fluid that produced a strong, acidic stench. The strange wolf growled as it held its gaze on you. It was warning you of something, laced with jealousy.
      Then, as if it melted into the depths of the abysmal dark, the scaled wolf backed away and disappeared, never breaking eye contact.

      The first several seconds of waking up were the most confusing. At first, you thought you had missed the mission altogether. Then, you remembered going to the mission and when Toby had gotten his foot stuck in the staircase. Did you get electrocuted by one of the doors?
      No. You had gotten shot. The slowly growing pain in your right leg was a quick reminder. After that, you had blacked out, right?
      Bits and pieces of your onslaught flashed by. You weren't yourself then. It was that thing you did when you would black out. This time, you held consciousness for at least a short while. You were a monster.
      After gathering your thoughts, you examined your physical self, expecting to still be covered in blood. Instead, you were tucked away in bed, clean and changed into fresh, lounge clothes. Your cheeks glowed with a warm blush at the thought of one of the male figures within the mansion stripping and bathing your unconscious body. Hopefully, that's all they did. 
      You pulled off the silk covers to see the damage of your leg. There was a thick boot reaching over your knee. It was lined with metal braces and black coushioning. It looked like one of those medical, brace boots people walked around in after lightly breaking a leg, but from what you remembered, there was no way you were going to walk on this leg for at least a couple of weeks.
      "You will need to remove the boot once a day to air out the wounds," came your master's smooth voice. You whipped your head up to see him standing at the foot of your bed. He continued, "Toby is in a similar situation with his foot. Despite his inability to experience physical pain, his risk of reopening the puncture wounds is too great." Slenderman sounded disappointed with the situation.
      "So, I'm-" you tried to speak, but your weak throat choked on its irritated lining. You coughed, confused. Maybe it was all the screaming you did while going crazy on the humans.
      "Yes," Slenderman answered your intended question. "You are bedridden until further notice. I highly suggest not trying to walk." To this, you groaned in disapproval. It was going to be so boring with just you and that stupid dictionary in your room.
      Then it came to you all of a sudden, wondering about the mission and its success. Hopefully, your master was still listening in on your thoughts.
      He was, of course. "The mission was a success. Hoodie found and disabled the upgraded disruptor in time for me gather all of you and transport back here. We even acquired the human captive, as planned. I must admit, we nearly returned empty-handed, as you were seconds away from ripping the human to shreds."
      But you remembered only two humans. Both of them were stabbed and cut and disembowled by you. Did you find another one?
      "The last human was hiding in the nearby closet," Slenderman commented. "Though it was locked, you had easily ripped the door from its hinges." There was a hint of lust growing in his voice now. "When I had arrived to gather you, there was blood strewn throughout the room." His tall form bent over you, crawling across the bed to bring his lacking face closer to your own. "What a butcher you were; an animal."
      These days, Slenderman's odd behavior was normal. He never pushed past simple touching, licking, and smelling, thankfully. It seemed as though he was holding back, but you didn't urge him on for fear of what he had in mind.
      Admittedly, you were beginning to enjoy these moments. You felt covetable, attractive. At least in some way, he was returning the feelings you were growing for him. Still, it was hard to tell if they were real, or a mental illness. Considering the world you now lived in, did it really matter?
     Slenderman took one of your hands into his, bringing it closer to his hidden face. His mouth split open for that wet, black tongue to run along the tips of your fingers. He relished in the lingering taste of blood from under your nails. A pleased growl bellowed from his throat.
      Then you remembered the dream. The wolf that stared at you with jealous eyes.
      Forgetting your lack of a voice, you cracked out the question, "Why did you call me an animal?" Pieces of a mysterious puzzle wedged into place.
      Immediately, Slenderman paused his lustful actions. He hesitated for a short moment, then disappeared without an explanation. You were left with many questions, though one was begging to be answered first: What was Slenderman hiding from you?