Y/n stood still when she spotted the boy lying on the bed. Her eyes watched his chest specifically, watching for the signs of life beneath the blankets; then, when she spotted the slow rise of his chest from an inhale, she let out a relieved breath. Her throat grew dry quickly during the time she left it agape and stumbled quickly to his side. Eyeless Jack and Doctor Smiley were silent, but in the corner of her eye, she couldn't see them in the hallway anymore.
The h/c-haired female reached out slowly to Levi and spotted her fingers shaking during her approach, not just her fingers, her whole hand was shaking. Her mind was scattered with thoughts of uncertainty. Was this even real? Another dream of some sick individual that thought toying with her emotions was funny? But no matter how long she waited, only the soft ticking of the clock on the wall filled her mind.
Then, she laughed.
Y/n chuckled to herself quietly, kneeling down near the side of the bed, her knees hitting the wooden floor rather harshly. She reached out again, this time brushing her fingers on the wrist of one of his exposed arms, then down to the top of his right hand, holding it gently. He had lived.
She was no longer alone.
_____________
[ Today at 9:38 ]
Hello again. I've spoken over your offer, this time with someone that is more experienced in this field, and have come to the fortunate agreement that we would like to accept your offer. Please get back to us soon. :OKM_Discuss
[ Today at 12:15 ]
AOKM|OKMP: I apologize for not responding as quickly.
AOKM|OKMP: That is good to hear. Would you like to set up a time to meet?
I'm sorry?:OKM_Discuss
I did not realize that we were going to be meeting personally...:OKM_Discuss
AOKM|OKMP: Of course, after all, you could be lying to us for all we know. We would like solid evidence and proof that you are not lying...it would also make us feel just a bit safer with our information. This could also build our bond even more. We are risking just as much meeting personally with each other.
Just a moment. :OKM_Discuss
~
[ Today at 12:22 ]
OKM_Discuss: I think this is getting reaaaaally out of hand, Cutena
OKM_Discuss: They want to meet IN REAL LIFE!
OKM_Discuss: I mean, it would've been okay if it was over like a call or something, but irl???
mmm, i mean, do they seem threatening at all? :Cutena
OKM_Discuss: Not really. They just have a really weird way of talking..
well, you can't really base something over the way they text over a screen lol :Cutena
OKM_Discuss: I know that but
OKM_Discuss: god...
i'll handle it from here :) :Cutena
~
[ Today at 12:28 ]
AOKM|OKMP: This would be in a public place, mind you.
Sorry for the wait!!:OKM_Discuss
Yes, you do bring up some valid points! Do you live close to the Mojave Desert by any chance? I won't go into details on which state, but somewhere close there would work best. :OKM_Discuss
AOKM|OKMP: Actually, yes. It is a small drive, but we can meet somewhere within the area. Let us talk soon as there are some important plans that are being discussed in real life. You may choose the place we meet.
~
see! totally fine! :Cutena
i'll meet with them tomorrow, don't worry! :Cutena
OKM_Discuss: Cutena... seriously?!
OKM_Discuss: It's COMMON KNOWLEDGE that you don't meet with people online. And the Anti-OKM Asocciation no less.
OKM_Discuss: At this rate, what's your plans for OKM_Discuss? Are we no better than them?
OKM_Discuss: God, i need a break
____________
Dr. Smiley leaned against the wall of his operating room near the door while Eyeless Jack restocked supplies in that black, leather bag of his. The cannibal usually carried it everywhere with him since he had finally escaped that maze, the one Smiley was fortunate enough to avoid.
Bandages, gauze, thread; Dr. Smiley squinted. Antiseptic, plastic gloves..
"Don't go taking everything I have," he snapped from his place against the wall, arms crossed, "it's not easy goin' to town and buying those things with my whole appearance and all."
Eyeless Jack turned his head to the side and the sense of someone glaring at him came and gone within the second. Jack shut the cabinets he opened and closed up the sleek case, the click of the bag bouncing off the somewhat thick walls. The grey-skinned man stood straight, his full height a foot taller than Smiley's own.
"Why would you keep his existence a secret?" Jack asked, moving across the room to the doorway that led out into the hall. The other doctor followed after, his arms still crossed.
"Do you want to defy the entity's orders? I know you still have some internal issues with who you serve because of that maze 'nd all, but I sure as hell don't want to face that creature's wrath." Dr. Smiley could still remember the day clearly when Slenderman had appeared in front of him, holding an unconscious boy in his arms. He left Levi here with strict orders, orders that Dr. Smiley followed to this day.
Jack stopped in the living room, turning to face him, "that place was a prison. Don't speak of it like it was a fucking vacation," he snarled. Dr. Smiley lifted his brow and grinned.
"Wouldn't dream of it." The cannibal turned once again and neared the front door and opened it with ease. The rain had lightened up considerably during the short amount of time they had spent inside. Small droplets slid down the overhang of the cabin, beginning to create a small puddle of mud and water. Jack turned his head to the right, over to the Rake who still lay soundly near the front of the building, then sighed.
"The group was thinking about moving soon, somewhere safer, farther away from activity." He stepped outside now, holding the metal knob between his grey fingers, "I'll be back for her soon."
Not a second later, Eyeless Jack shut the door, the glass of the window shuddering at the vibration. Dr. Smiley stared at the front door a while longer, then spun on his heel. It had been a while since Y/n had entered Levi's room, hadn't it? The door was still open and he could hear no movement inside.
When the male moved down the hall and peered inside the bedroom, he could see the h/c-haired girl kneeling next to the bed, her hand placed atop Levi's, sleeping soundly by his side.
"Keep this boy alive, Doctor. You are the only one capable of doing so at this time," he remembered the creature's words as clear as day. The first words he had spoken with the entity for two years. If Slenderman could just teleport out of the maze and take people with him, why didn't he do that before? There were so many questions Dr. Smiley had but... He hadn't even heard from the entity since then.
During these few moments, anger bubbled up into his gut, but quickly died down. He turned and quickly left the room. Alive. He needed to keep them alive. He entered his usual place of work and b-lined it for the other side of the room, near the cabinets and drawers Jack had just emptied. In the small space between it and the wall was an IV pole, the top where the bag was supposed to be was empty, but he kept it that way.
Smiley wheeled it out from between the small area and opened the cabinet to its right, four full IV bags sitting neatly away. He had used up too many of these during his 'vacation' here and hoped that the damn kid would finally wake up for a full twenty-four hours so he didn't have to waste supplies.
The doctor exited the chemical-smelling room and entered the bedroom where Levi and Y/n slept, one more comfortable than the other. Dr. Smiley stopped to watch the two breathe soundly for a moment, just in case, then silently moved to the opposite side of the bed. The male hooked up the IV bag to the plastic cord and pricked the skin of the boy on the bed while inserting the small needle. A small sigh left his lips.
Dr. Smiley stared for a moment longer, the furrow between his brow softening just a tad before he silently left the room, closing the door behind him.
____________
A girl, seemingly around the age of seventeen or eighteen, could be seen wearing a smile, walking down a sidewalk near a somewhat busy party in the sunny town. A large building, one with outdoor seats and see-through swinging doors caught her eye as she quickly made her way over. She wandered with her arms tucked across her chest, a notebook pressed between them, and her phone in her right hand.
The girl, her brown hair pulled into a high ponytail, sat down at one of the outside tables, one that gathered some shade, but was warm from the intense heat. She set her belongings in front of her and unlocked her phone, bringing up an app she used the most to contact others.
~
[ Today at 8:04 ]
I have arrived! You will find me sitting in a shaded area in front of the mall :OKM_Discuss
AOKM|OKMP: Arriving shortly.
~
This girl went by Cutena on most online forums. She was most commonly noticed for her activity on One Killer Maze discussions that involved many different things. Even though she was never on Twitter for the live audience reactions, she was still a die-hard fan until the controversy and the downfall of the show. Even so, that didn't make her any less of a theorist or any less curious about what had happened behind the scenes.
Cutena fiddled nervously with the notebook she had in front of her. This was all the information she had gathered over her time as a fan of OKM (after too, as she didn't stop watching it). All the small details of things she had noticed or found on online forums that seemed important. Possible locations of old contestants' homes or relatives (you can literally find anything if you searched up someone's name) that nobody knew about. It was all very creepy, but necessary for her cause.
"Hello." A voice, bland but clear, startled Cutena from her thoughts. She lifted her head with startled eyes and squinted at the person who stood in front of the glare of the sun just right. The person in front of her was also a woman dressed in a white, button-up blouse and a black sweater with black pants to go with it. Seemed to her that this woman was going to a casual business event right after this.
"Hi!" Cutena gathered herself quickly, reaching out to shake the woman's hand. Cutena also noticed that her hair was a dark, gun-metal blue, most likely dyed, but professionally done. It was short, hanging right below her chin.
The woman sat across from her after shaking Cutena's hand and set a manila folder in front of her. She smiled, but that smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Let's start off with names. I am Leia, it's nice to meet you." She began and the more she settled in the more Cutena noticed how unsettlingly perfect this woman, Leia, seemed to be. Good posture, even greater manners, and nothing to show or hide about her personality.
"I am..." She trailed off, thinking about what she had learned over her time on the internet (but idiotically forgotten the number one rule), "V!"
Leia nodded slowly, "V," she repeated, nodding again, "alright. And you are the one who oversees and manages the account?"
"I oversee it, but I'm not the one who controls it completely."
Leia blinked, but there was no emotion on her face to show that she was caught off-guard about this comment, only a brief amount of silence.
"And...you have the information today, correct?" Leia's eyes landed on the notebook in front of Cutena, who nodded but placed a hand on the notebook.
"I can't really guarantee it's information you guys already know since these are notes I've taken all by myself, with the help of others, of course," she explained, her own eyes flickering to the folder Leia had, then met her eyes again, "since yours looks professionally put together..."
This time, Leia smiled a second time, the same repeat as before, "oh, do not worry. We don't care about the appearance, only the quality inside of it." She lifted the folder easily. It looked light on the outside, but Cutena could see a few layers of paper on the inside. Cutena lifted her own notebook and they traded.
Cutena felt some sort of weight lifted off of her chest.
Leia had already opened the notebook and nodded, humming thoughtfully at the words she had written all across the pages, "you put a lot of thought into it, it's very neat.." She closed the notebook, "thank you for meeting today."
Blinking quickly, Cutena stood up just as Leia did, "wait, uh...that's it?"
Leia looked at her with the same neutral expression, "was there something else?"
There wasn't, but she just hadn't expected this meeting to go by so quickly and so...normally. She knew what AOKM meant and what they were all about, so it just didn't sit right with her.
"Uh...no, sorry..." She trailed off, deciding to wait and watch Leia leave first. She walked down the sidewalk, opposite from where Cutena had arrived, turned the corner, and disappeared. She watched for a moment longer, then looked at the folder she was clutching so tightly in her left hand. Peeking inside, there was definitely a lot of paper neatly placed on top of one another, so it wasn't for nothing.
Sighing with relief, Cutena pocketed the phone she had almost left on the table and hurried away from the mall. Civilians that had passed by were now busy inside the large shopping complex and void on the streets outside. The sun blazed down on Cutena as she hurried down the sidewalk so she could take shelter in her car. A little bit of hope fluttered in her heart when she spotted it coming into view.
But, of course, she wasn't going to be let off so easily, was she?
She had no time to react when a car came speeding down the road and right next to her. The girl's heart stopped when the doors flew open and hands grabbed her by her shoulders and shirt, dragging her inside. The folder flew from her grip and papers spilled out from the action.
The car sped off and no sign of her remained except the papers of information fluttering in the still wind.
___________
There was the lone sound of a clock ticking in the background that slowly woke up Y/n from her once peaceful slumber. She had no dreams, which she couldn't tell was a good thing or a bad thing, but nothing woke her up until now. Her bones and joints felt sore in their unnatural position and she could feel the imprints of the material on her knees from the way she slept. Something warm fell from across her shoulders though, onto the back of her calves.
It was a yellow blanket, a bit worn at the ends, but it was a blanket nonetheless; a warm one at that.
Y/n rubbed her tired eyes and scanned the room. Everything was the same, everything except the metal IV pole sitting next to the bed on the opposite side of her. The liquid inside dripped into the tube that was attached to a part that was in Levi's left wrist. It was kind of odd to see something like this in a cabin, but hey, she's seen weirder.
She lifted herself from the floor, her knees almost buckling from the way she was sleeping, but she kept herself standing and stretched slowly, popping the joints that needed to unlock themselves. Y/n looked back at Levi. She needed to make sure that he was okay; that he would stay okay until he woke up. Y/n left the room quietly as if she couldn't disturb him sleeping so soundly, then paused right as she closed the door, Dr. Smiley staring at her from down the hall and in the living room. It wasn't hard to see down the hall from the couch that was placed right next to the door.
"'Bout time you woke up," he muttered, closing a book he had been reading. It was clear now that it had stopped raining outside, but there was still some moisture that stuck to the outside of the windows.
"How long has it been?" She made an effort to walk down the hall and into the living room, deciding to take the couch that was empty rather than beside the suspicious doctor.
"Ten hours? Twelve? Well, long enough for it to be dawn again," he shrugged, "Eyeless Jack left a while ago. He said something about moving the group and coming back for you later."
Moving the group? Would that be a smart idea?
"Looks like you have something else on your mind though, and I'd think that some people might see me as the bad guy if I don't ask what it is." He bluntly inquired, moving the book from his lap to his left, in the center of the couch, "so, what is it?"
It was unsettling that Dr. Smiley could read people as well as some of the other killers could, but she had to deal with it for now, "has... Levi ever woken up since he got here? I don't really remember how long it's been since he..." She made a gesture with her hand. The doctor leaned back, a breath escaping his lips. Y/n caught a glimpse of his sharp teeth as he was not wearing a surgical mask that matched his gloves.
"He has, but only for a few minutes at a time. The longest he's gone was an hour," he gave a short, but snarky laugh, "the kid was scared shitless when he saw me with my surgical tray. Thought I was gonna dissect him."
I mean, I would too, Y/n thought, her brows creasing. After all this time of living in a lake-side cabin, Levi had endured staying in a place like this for just as long as she had. The guilt she had been feeling for a while just settled a little bit more.
"But he's alive, surprisingly. When the boss brought him to me...he looked like he wasn't gonna survive for very long. Had to request the boss to get me more than what I already had to keep him alive, and trust me, that...thing is hard to bargain with. Especially for a human child."
But Slenderman did it anyways.
Outside, Y/n spotted the moving shadow of something rising to their feet. Her e/c eyes seemed to reflect what she was thinking and Dr. Smiley turned, standing on his feet.
"Oh, right, the Rake." He sighed, stepping over to the door to unlock and open it. Y/n could hear it growl from the noise of the door, and so did Smiley, so he opened it tentatively, "don't you growl at your doctor, beast. I'll open that wound of yours right back up."
It growled again but settled slightly. Y/n got up from the couch and wandered over. The last time she had seen or heard of what happened to the Rake, it had been gravely injured so Jack and Skully had to carry it over here. The female was somewhat glad that it was safe.
Dr. Smiley's eyes narrowed at the creature, "looks like I'll need to clean the wound before it really can start moving first," he turned to Y/n next, "care to watch the dog while I get my supplies?"
"I kinda-"
"Good!"
He hurried back down the hall and disappeared back inside the medical room, leaving the Rake to watch Y/n expectantly, the opposite of what the doctor had asked for. Its large maw was still pretty bloody, but most of it was dried by now as it had long had any victims. The eyes that watched her were milky and didn't hold any focus, a clear sign that it was blind.
"Heeeey, buddy, how are you feeling?" She didn't exactly know what to say, but this was the best she could come up with. The Rake made a noise, a mix of a rumble and a purr, so she would've liked to assume it was fine.
The two of them looked to the inside of the cabin when there was the sound of a thud that echoed from within. Dr. Smiley stepped out, holding a roll of bandages and a plastic box that held other medical items. He stared at Y/n with a questionable look, but once he realized that she didn't make the noise, he turned to the door at his right.
"Oh, shit," he cursed, which wasn't exactly supposed to reach Y/n's ears, but when Dr. Smiley dropped the items he was holding and hurried to the bedroom door, her heart sped up.
The door opening wildly caused the boy inside to let out a startled yell, the blanket that covered his body was tossed away and the IV rod that was attached to his wrist had fallen over. Levi screamed again when Dr. Smiley approached him.
"Kid- hey, calm- ow!" Levi had shot up and shoved passed the doctor, bolting towards the door, only to run into Y/n instead. The two of them stumbled, the smaller figure unable to steady himself, but Y/n grabbed onto him.
"Levi. Levi! It's me," she spoke quickly, holding on his shoulders so that he would stop flailing. His eyes were unfocused and his chest was rising and falling quickly, but both seemed to grow steady when he heard her voice, "It's me, Y/n..."
Her voice had grown softer now and Levi met Y/n's eyes with his own, which were wide and scared.
"Y/n...Y/n..."