~~Flashback~~
"Someone, please help! He has my baby!" A woman screams, tears streaming down her cheeks as she frantically begs for any possible help. "Please! He has my child!"
Really? This is pretty much a daily occurrence in this town. It seemed so nice when I first came here and everyone seemed normal at first. After about a week I found out just how superstitious they all really are. Supposedly there's some monster in the forest but there haven't been any victims in the four months I've been here. Usually people just get stuck in a bramble bush of some tree branches. People constantly claim to see this tall faceless being in the trees, but I haven't seen a thing. It's all just a myth.
"Take me to him. I'll make sure we get your baby." I assure her, confident this is yet another false incident.
"Slenderman! The monster has my child," She sobs as she leads me to the forest. Here we go again.
The people really can't be serious can they? There's barely any crime in the town, so why are people so scared of the forest? It's like any other forest out there! I don't really believe in the Slenderman they speak of, and this town pretty much sealed the deal on that belief. I'm sure there's ghosts and spirits within the forest. Maybe they're all just seeing a ghost? Some tall person who hasn't moved on to the afterlife yet? I believe in the supernatural. Not non existence beings made up to make your child behave.
The reason I came to this town in the first place was because I was running from my old life. I've been trying to start new and I just keep convincing myself this is just the town's little quirk. I work at the small clinic in town, and I have learned a lot of medicine not in my field of expertise. I used to live in the big city and I had a great job as a doctor, but the clinic decided to downsize. It was my name on the chopping block despite everything I ever did for the place. As if things couldn't get worse I walked in on my fiancé cheating on me.
When I walked in on that it's like my brain short circuits and I just started moving on auto-pilot. Instead of screaming and shouting I ignored both of them and packed up my stuff. I didn't listen to the threats and insults my fiancé threw at me. I pulled off the engagement ring, placed it in his hand, and left. I withdrew all the money from my accounts and I disappeared from the world. I just wanted to start over and this town seemed nice enough in the beginning. Other than this Slenderman thing it's actually an overall nice and friendly town.
"Mommy, help! He's got me!" A young boy sobs as he thrashes desperately from a thicket of branches. Anyone can easily get him out if they took the time to actually try.
"It's alright. No one has you, it's just a tree branch," I assure him with a gentle smile. "Stay still. I'll get you out of there."
It takes some convincing but I'm finally able to get him calmed down enough to get him detached from the tree branches and back on the forest path. Do I really need to have the talk about there being no monsters again? I turn around to start it, hoping it'll be a learning moment. Before I'm able to open my mouth something hard hits my head so hard my eyes rollback and I knock out.
"Do you think he'll accept the sacrifice? Surely this will please him greatly!" A woman's voice cuts through the ringing in my ears, my head pounding with pain as I try to focus.
"Of course he'll accept her! She's been a nonbeliever since the beginning! I hope her terror is enough to appease him for a while," I hear the mayor declare.
"What's going on?" I mumble, blinking through the pain in my head as I try to take in my surroundings.
I try to move, but my hands are tied above my head against a tree, the bark rough against my back. I look up and try to focus on pulling out of the ropes but the jolts of pain that shoot through me only make me nauseous and I have to stop. My head still hurts like a bitch.
"You have been chosen as our sacrifice to The Slenderman! We alleviate his anger by giving him the nonbelievers!" The Mayor cries, earning cheers from the rest of the people around him. "You should feel honored to be part of something that protects the town! He'll make your death quick."
"Mayor, don't lie to the girl. She may as well know that she's about to be torn apart piece nu piece as she dies," Another voice scolds. "This is a true honor! Don't you feel it?!"
"Are you insane?! Let me go dammit!" I snap, bile rising in my throat. My head. My damn head. A cry of pain leaves me when I suddenly hear nothing but static inside my head, trying to focus my vision when it stops. The hell kind of trick is this?!
"Finally," A deep and unfamiliar voice feeling like it echoes in my head. "I've heard the town gossip about you. A newcomer who doesn't believe. Open your eyes Y/N. Do you believe now!"
I open my eyes and try to focus on what's in front of me, blinking until my vision clears. My eyes grow wide in shock. A faceless man is kneeling in front of me as the townspeople bow around him.
"Slenderman," I breathe out, more shocked than afraid. "You're real."
"That is correct. I am as real as you are. Now you will finally fear me," He growls with cockiness.
"There's nothing to fear from you! You're nothing but a pathetic murder. Karma will bite you in the ass someday." I spit, gasping when a black tendril is suddenly around my neck, cutting off my air.
"I shall accept this sacrifice of yours for now. She will entertain me well for a while," Slenderman growls.
I feel the ties on my wrists snap, gasping in a breath when his tendril loosens only for my breath to be taken away again as it feels like I'm being constricted and squeezed through a tight tube. A pained groan escapes my lips when I'm dropped unceremoniously to the floor, harsh coughs leaving my chest as I desperately take back in my stolen oxygen. Everything hurts. I whimper when I feel him step on my arm to keep it in place, crying out as searing pain shoot's up and down my entire arm. I'm panting erratically when he moves my foot, my eyes widening when
I see a circle with an X through it now carved into my skin.
Slenderman kneels down and grabsu arm, a shudder of disgust going through me when he licks the mark to stop the burning as I tremble beneath him.
"Your fear is so sweet. I shall enjoy you for a long time," He laughs, it sounding almost demonic as he runs his thumb along the mark. "You are now my slave. Every bidding I desire shall be carried out or there will be consequences. For now, let us start with a punishment for speaking as rudely as you have."
"F...F-uck you! I won't break that easily," I snarl back at him. "I'll get out of here."
"I would like to see you cry," He snarls, filling my head full of static until it makes me pass out.
~~Flashback End~~
"So he left to hunt today?" Jeff the Killer chuckles, pulling me from the few moments of sleep I was managing to get. "It's been a year, you'd think he'd trust you enough by yourself in a mansion full of killers."
"At the moment there's only three of you here. You, Ben, and Sally. Of course he doesn't trust me. I'd either get away or you'd get lucky enough to kill me," I snicker to the glare I earn. "You're nowhere near as scary as he is."
"You have me there," Jeff chuckles, his knife almost glowing in the darkness as he kneels in front of the cage. "Ben and I are going out to kill. We're both itching to get out of here."
"You can't! It's your turn to watch, Sally!" I protest as I listen to him walk behind me to take the chain off the wall. It falls to the ground and the count makes me wince.
"So? Slender may give us a place to stay but he's not our dad. We don't have to listen if we really don't want to," Jeff hums, opening the cage door.
"Why are you down here then?" I ask, getting out of the cage and stretching my sore and stiff limbs.
"I'm not entirely irresponsible. Watch Sally for Ben and me. I'll be back before boss so enjoy your time as a 'free' woman while you can," He declares, unhooking the chain from my collar and leading me through the basement and up the stairs.
"Y/N!" A sweet voice cries, earning a smile from me as I capture the little girl in pink in my arms. "I won't tell!"
"Excellent! We'll be back in three hours tops!" Ben laughs, wasting no time getting away with Jeff before I can give them any protests.
"What did they promise you this time?" I chuckle softly as I set Sally down and follow her to her room when she grabs my hand.
"They said you'd watch me!" She smiles, her large green eyes shining bright as she looks at me. "I know daddy would be mad but I like when you take care of me. I said I won't tell if they let you out so you can watch me."
"I enjoy watching you a lot myself," I assure her, rather surprised that she is actually eager for ME to watch her. She has plenty of people to keep an eye on her. She doesn't have to choose me.
I know she liked me, but a part of me assumed it was because no matter what I was pretty much supposed to follow her every order and desire. At first I hated it. Playing 'house' wasn't my cup of tea in the beginning but the longer I spend here the more I enjoy spending time with Sally. She's a break from all the pain and torture for at least a little while. I never figured she'd like me just for me.