Well. When I thought of picking another video for Toby, I instantly chopped to this one. The video didn't remind me of Toby, but it depicts the fleeting moments and the dread I can see Toby experiencing when murdering people. Not to mention the horror displayed in it was just... perfect. Lol. Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsD_HBut-Ds&index=6&list=PLcHEo97sdA_LEi4QTWLOyYPD-6RDX4Jra
Anime: Shinsekai no Yori. Never watched it, but supposedly, there's some boy-on-boy and girl-on-girl action that goes on in this anime. Lol.
*******
Once everyone was settled down and Sally was put to bed, Toby finally arrived to the top floor of the mansion. The stairs creaked with each step he took and the walls seemed to bounce a silent scream, but each sound was a familiar echo, the high pitched moan reminding him of how long he'd lived there. He wasn't the type to just waltz in Slenderman's office once he was home though. No. Not at all. He was taught better than that, not to mention he had to mentally prepare himself for what might happen inside.
Slenderman had a habit of throwing things when he was angry...
Once he reached the door, Toby took in a deep breath and shakily brushed off the dust on his sweater. He was sure that he looked like normal. He was wearing his clothes as if it were a normal day, but in the inside, he felt different. It was mostly the pills doing its work, something Toby didn't want Slenderman to find out about. If his boss ever caught wind of it, he would probably tell him to stop using them immediately. Either that or he would dispose of them himself.
Toby cleared his throat once he opened the door, the atmosphere around his figure grim and calculating. "Excuse me," Toby murmured before closing the door behind him.
Toby brought his attention to the center of the room, his boss sitting leisurely against his chair, exhausted. Slenderman's white hands were folded on his lap and his head was limply pressed against the headrest, his back conforming to the soft ridges of his chair in his contemplative state. Though Toby never payed much mind to it in the beginning, Slenderman was a very expressive person. And now that he was under the influence of the pills, he noticed that he was able to focus on these features, the expressions of when Slenderman was deemed 'unemotional'. Ever since he started to take the pills, he began to notice the small quirks his boss had. Even the body language that seemed to blend underneath his ADD.
Toby stepped forward with his hands in his pockets, his steps heavy as he held the pill bottle tightly.
"I've returned with news about Offenderman's acquaintance," Toby said with a sigh.
Slenderman raised his hand to silence the teen before he continued. The faceless being was in deep concentration and he looked somewhat troubled sitting in his chair.
One moment, Slenderman thought, those words easily picked up by the teen.
Allowing the faceless man to regain his composure, Toby's eyes traveled from the man's face to the scene outside the window. He could sense an ominous presence from where he stood, the sensation foreign to him as the scenery outside seemed to glitch. It was almost similar to Slenderman's, except it was thick, making his breath heavy.
"I'm assuming you're reinforcing the Wall, right?" Toby spoke up. The room was thick with silence.
Slenderman nodded. That I am.
Toby could almost hear the exhaustion behind his words, so much that it hurt. It was part of his job that he took over Slenderman's' basic needs. That involved protecting the mansion, killing those who wandered in their grounds, taking care of Sally, and taking over any chores that needed to be done. But this time, the exhaustion Slenderman was experiencing couldn't be helped. Even so, he still felt useless and powerless to help Slenderman.
Toby was of no use...
However, I believe the person behind all of this might be an old acquaintance of mine. This presence... is quite familiar, Slenderman admitted, snapping the young man from his stupid (stupor lol).
Toby raised a brow in surprise. An old acquaintance? Toby barely knew of Slenderman's past or about his struggles in life, but he knew that Slenderman had lived for a long, long time. If that was the case, how old would this person be? Toby knew that Slenderman was practically immortal, so...
"Is it safe to assume that it's a friend?" Toby asked.
I am not quite sure. Slenderman slowly nodded his head to the direction of the window. She has a habit of taking possessions that do not belong to her. Particularly ones that don't know any better.
So it's a she, Toby thought.
Though Toby was probably the only link to Slenderman's thoughts and emotions, he could sense something from the mention of this woman. It was bittersweet. Almost like eating a chocolate and washing it out with water. Maybe an ex-girlfriend? Wait. If she was, how would they have gone on a date? Or even kissed for that matter?
Toby pondered this some more.
Toby. You're thoughts are actually quite distracting right now. Do you mind toning it down a bit?
The young male flushed a light pink. "O-Oh, right. Um... Sorry about that."
And of my brother's... acquaintance? We have yet to discuss what happened at your little meeting, Slenderman asked, his inner voice dropping an octave from the mere mention of Lara.
"R-Right, right." Toby cleared his throat and stood up straight. "I managed to speak with her at the designated area she suggested, to which I believe no one noticed my intrusion."
Good... Good...
"We spoke for less than half an hour, and she... tried to treat me to food. To which I declined," Toby reported, deep in thought as well as professional. But eventually, his dark eyes fell to the ground. "However, I have some important news to share with you."
Slenderman sat on his chair silently, his eyebrows knitting together once he realized how serious Toby sounded. And Slenderman noticed how his body language seemed to change completely, Toby's feet shuffling underneath him like he wished he were under a rock.
Toby cleared his throat.
"The woman- no, Lara- has come forward to me and told me that she..." Hesitantly, the young man paused and swallowed. "She seems to be experiencing odd symptoms."
Slenderman visibly sighed.
That is hardly surprising. She is a human, after all. The effects of staying near an entity such as myself would be catastrophic for her health.
Toby slowly quirked a brow. The boy pointed at himself in confusion. "But... I'm fine..."
Of course, you are fine. You are lucky enough not to be experiencing symptoms like everyone else is, Slenderman thought tiredly. He pointed out the window. If you recall the two boys- the boys Sally named 'Masky' and 'Hoodie... They are the result of what happens if they stay in contact with a powerful being for too long. They are reduced to nothing but pain and suffering, eventually losing their sense of sanity.
"Oh.... Well..." Toby murmured.
He had no clue that Masky, the source of his miracle pills, was experiencing that turmoil, nor did he know that it was only natural. Now that he thought about it, Jeff never stayed too long at the mansion anyway. He always wondered why he came and went. But one thing struck him as odd. If that were the case, how was it that he didn't feel anything? Maybe it was because Toby was plagued by so many disabilities that he was able to handle it?
But besides that, he still had to explain what he actually meant.
"Actually, sir. Though I'm grateful for the explanation, I have news that could explain her concerns," Toby spoke up.
Slenderman straightened his back and sat up in his chair, his posture regaining his regal stature and his hands settling to clench his armrests. The faceless man could sense the distress in his servant's words, the way Toby seemed to beat around the bush quite alarming to the man.
He could also sense... the anxiety, the heaviness of the news.
"In fact, she believes that she might be..." Toby shakily tugged at his sleeves.
He had no clue how to break it to him. It was like confessing to your girlfriend's father that you took her virginity, or that you accidentally ran over someone's dog. Avoiding all eye contact, Toby breathed the unspeakable word under his breath, meekly hoping to God that Slenderman didn't lose his temper.
"... She might be pregnant."
There was a long silence as those words sank in, the breeze from outside the window knocking against the glass. From downstairs, someone had just entered the house and closed the door behind them. But even through this thick silence, Toby could feel it. Toby could already sense his boss's slow, seething anger, his merciless aggravation, but Toby continued, ignoring the feelings that did not belong to him.
"Lara informed me that she was experiencing a great hunger and that she's been affecting the electrical appliances around her. She even showed me the pregnancy tests- all of which said negative- but she said she hasn't had her period for a while." Toby eyes darted to another spot once Slenderman's fingers twitched. "She's been hiding from your brother for a while now, too. That fact was something that she seemed to avoid telling me during our little meeting, but I managed to figure that out after finding a motel card in her ba-"
And how was her attitude? Towards her predicament? Slenderman interrupted.
Toby eyes widened in shock from the question before he hardened his expression. "Lara seems to want to keep the child intact, and to keep it a secret from your brothe-"
Has she been successful?
Toby blinked, trying to recall anything at all that would be of any help. "I-I don't know. I couldn't sense hi-"
Slenderman's voice was low with annoyance. It's your job to know, Toby.
"I-I know that, s-sir. But all she wanted was help. Just like the note said."
Slenderman visibly scoffed and stood up from his seat, shaking his head. If she wanted help, she would have gone to the hospital for an examination, as well as gotten an abortion.
The faceless man strode over to the bookcase against his wall, his hands gliding over each surface as his tendrils spilled from his back, the thin appendages snapping to and fro from his aggravation. And the look on Toby's face was distorted behind his strands of brown hair. Again, it was of surprise. Not for the harsh mention of actually getting rid of the child No. That was understandable.
It was by how shaken and frazzled Slenderman sounded.
"S-Sir... I... " Toby began, but he had nothing left to say to that. He knew that Slenderman was right.
Though humans are labeled as smart and pure, she should have followed the unrelenting urges of selfishness that was bestowed upon humanity. Now, she is in far more danger than I can comprehend. The amount of time spent with... with that thing inside her could lead to her own demise and-
"But that's why she contacted you," Toby interjected, taking a step forward. "She needs your he-"
Sally asked for my help once, Toby. And the only reason why I followed along with it was because I knew it was in my ability to do so, Slenderman thought to the teen, glancing over at the invisible Wall before turning away. What that woman needs is- no, what she must do- is to get rid of the fetus within her. That is all the advice I will give her.
Toby inwardly tsked. Something about this whole conversation was starting to aggravate him, like someone decided to plant a seed of unfamiliar feelings for Lara inside of him. He found it strange, but he shoved it aside.
He stepped forward. "P-Please... Slenderman. I... I know that the situation is beyond your abilities, but can you at least do something?"
Slenderman whipped around, his eyebrows drawn together in a dark, evident glare. His tendrils slithered against the floor threateningly, Slenderman's aura quivering with malice.
Are you questioning my decision, Toby? Slenderman asked severely. His voice was hollow, his tone prickling with electricity that Toby flinched and stepped back. If you step one foot anywhere near that woman...
He didn't even have to finish the sentence for Toby to understand what he was implying. His sole purpose as a proxy was to serve and to obey, to drink in the scent of blood without hesitation and fear. If Toby did anything besides that...
He would be disposed of. Like a rag.
Toby snapped his gaze from the frightening display before him, his words muffled by his clenched teeth. "I won't, but I can't just sit by an-"
You will, and you will do as you are told.
"No," Toby uttered, determination oozing past his lips. His breath was quickening, but he could barely notice that over the racing of his heart. "I can't just let her go off on her own. She needs help. She-"
She will need help in dying, is what you are saying.
"That's not-"
That is the only outcome I can see in her future if she chooses to keep that abomination inside of her, Slenderman thought, turning back to the books, hoping to distract himself.
"You don't know that. For all we know, she could make it," Toby said defensively.
Right now, Toby couldn't understand why he was so adamant on helping Lara. He was taught to only follow Slenderman, the monster that delivered him into a new life. Yet some part of him told him that he had to serve her, that Lara needed him. He had no idea why. He just knew that it felt right.
I have seen it time and time again, Toby. A mother chooses her child's life over her own and it all ends with the child cursing them. That woman's fate will be no different if she dies. She will die being hated, her sins carried to the innocent youth she produces, for it to carry it until it makes the same mistake. Slenderman could feel how badly is proxy was starting to shake, but even so, he decided that this final statement needed to be said. Slenderman's voice lowered into a dark hiss, But of course, you would not know that... Considering your mother chose your father over the safety of her childre-
Suddenly, a hatchet sliced through the air and hacked into the bookcase next to Slenderman's head, silencing the suited man in his lecture. The suited man took a moment to piece together what had just happened, but as soon as he sensed the mental state Toby was in, he came to a final conclusion.
He was breaking...
Slenderman turned in his place to observe his servant, the very person who vowed to do no harm to him. The very same proxy that served him for years now. The very same boy that ran away and lost his name as Toby Rogers. He could sense something was wrong with him, but up until now, he was ignoring it.
Now, it was only getting worse..
From across the room, Toby was seething with rage while his hand was ghosting over his other hatchet. His fingers were shaking uncontrollably, the hand that threw the hatchet rigid in the air.
The teen shook as he grasped the handle of his other weapon, his voice scratching the back of his throat as he tried to contain his rage. "You... promised not to talk about that..!" Toby choked.
I promised no such thing.
"It doesn't matter. You bastard..!" Toby growled.
Why are you so angry about such a simple jab, Toby? You've heard worse from your peers...
"I'm not angry.. All I know is that I'm pissed, I'm not being listened to even though I'm right, and that she needs our help..!" The proxy flicked his weapon into a proper grasp, his knees bending underneath him so he could propel himself forward, to hack his boss to pieces. He honestly felt like murdering the man. "And since I can't do shit without your permission, I'm only helping the only way I can, you shitlick..!"
Slenderman quirked a brow from his statement, not quite understanding. Something about the way Toby was acting was starting to make him feel uneasy, the emotional connection they usually had blurring before him.
He was starting to think it had something to do with Toby's ability to pick up on different energies...
Biting his lip, Toby dashed forward with his lone hatchet while Slenderman was distracted, the familiar weight tingling and prickling against his skin. However, as soon as he was even close to his boss, Slenderman's tendrils came forward in a quick defense, a tactic so overused that Toby knew that it was coming.
Slenderman huffed from his servants stubbornness. Some help... You think that brute force can convince me? And while you're mentally unstable?
Toby retreated a step back. "I'm perfectly fine..!"
However, once he was a safe distance away, Slenderman reached out a hand and willed a sea of tendrils to hurtle themselves in Toby's direction.
Oh, really? Slenderman asked amusedly. But I can see why you are so concerned.
In response, Toby slid to the ground and avoided the snaking appendages that threatened to intercept him, his teeth digging so hard into his lip that he could taste the copper tang of his own blood.
You can't hide anything from me, Toby. I can see who she reminds you of, Slenderman said ominously.
Bending onto one knee, Toby flipped around to his other arm and swung his hatchet, barely missing another tendril that was in the way.
Toby tsked. "Shut the hell up.."
Slenderman folded his arms in front of his chest and visibly sighed.
Toby... Be a good boy and don't assume you can save her too...
**********
Jane stared up at the ceiling as the ruckus upstairs only seemed to get worse, the crashing of glass only sending her further on edge. And each passing minute, it only seemed to get louder.
From what she could tell, she assumed that it was just Slenderman and Toby having another argument, something that was rare in the household. The mansion had its fair share of fights, but nothing was more out of the ordinary when it came to Toby and Slenderman. They had an unspeakable bond that no one could describe, the event usually leaving people worried by the end. Toby was probably the only person who understood Slenderman, the single link to the unknown. However, it usually ended with Toby getting his ass kicked, which was obvious. But even so, Slenderman would soften up after a while and give in to Toby's requests. That was how their relationship was.
Jane still had yet to understand it.
Sighing, Jane removed her eyes from the top of the room once the fighting started to die down.
And it was only a matter of time before Toby came downstairs to get his wounds cleaned...
*****
Panting...
Blood...
Aching bones...
Pain was a familiar thing to Toby when it came to murder, a sensation that was a repetitive theme in his life. Except, he only breathed heavily when his victims struggled or when they ran. When it came to the deep red, he only ever saw the blood of others, never his own. When it came to the aching, his victims would often express how tired they were of running away. And when it came to pain... well... He couldn't feel an ounce of it when he murdered people.
But right now, he could honestly sympathize with them...
Toby was pressed against the wall with his legs kicking underneath him and his heart racing against his ribcage. Slenderman's dark appendage was wrapped around his neck, cutting off a fixed amount of air supply from him. His left eye was closed shut from the blood that oozed from his forehead, his hands clawing at the tendrils that threatened to choke the life from him.
Though he knew Slenderman would let him go eventually, this was still torture. Though he could not feel the pain, it still hurt. Slenderman made sure it hurt. And it still reminded of him of how bothersome pain can be at times like this...
With his arms still crossed in front of his chest, Slenderman drew himself closer to the teen, his face void of anger.
Are you done with your temper tantrum now? Slenderman asked softly.
Toby's legs continued to lash out, his hair frizzed up in a knotted mess as he reached his hand to scratch at Slenderman's face. If he was going to be treated like a child, he might as well act like one before he was choked to death.
The faceless man sighed as Toby reached for him.
I can see you cannot be reasoned with...
"S... Screw... you..." Toby choked, earning a shake of the head from the other man.
Do you not see the risk of bringing her here, Toby? Now of all times? Are you so blinded that you cannot see the danger that could befall the people under my protection?
"B-but... she loves him..!" Toby finally yelled, his voice hoarse.
Slenderman slowly loosened the grip around the teen's neck from those words, sensing another wave of emotions. It was as if it didn't belong to him, like someone was-
"She.... loves that thing inside her. She loves your... stupid excuse of a b-brother," Toby continued, the words spilling past his lips slowly calming him. The way the words seemed to flow washed him with a sense of relief, that he was finally being listened to. "I could see it so clearly that I... I felt bad for her." He swallowed and his eyes began to brim with tears, tears that were threatening to shed. "And... even though she was smiling..."
Ah, he was starting to cry. And somehow, these were the same tears that she had shed so many times. Toby had no clue why he knew that. It just felt like she did.
"She... She looked so scared, Slenderman... She..." Toby sniffled and trailed off.
The faceless man released the proxy and watched as the teen seemed to crumble before him. This was the first time he ever saw Toby behave this way, the boy usually so excitable that it annoyed the hell out of everyone.
"I... The baby..." Toby murmured through his tears tiredly, catching Slenderman's attention.
Slenderman knelt on the ground and tried to understand. The baby..? What about it?
"I can feel it..."
If Slenderman could even frown, he would have done so then. He was finally understanding what was going on.
Go on... Tell me what it needs.
"The baby...."
You can feel it now, correct?
"It..."
What does the baby want, Toby?
"It... wants her to live."
*****
Wow. This is quite a long chapter, isn't it? It took me about two late nights to write this, so please excuse any grammatical errors and any rushed moments. I only wished to get a chapter out before the Creepypasta Awards began. You see, someone nominated me (after I said I wasn't going to participate again this season) and now, I have no choice but to update. Lol. It's not like I wouldn't have though. It's just, I'm a huge procrastinator. My followers should know that by now.
But besides that, what did you think of the chapter? Do you think our waffle loving, fluffball is doing okay with the presence of the baby? Are you guys beyond confused because you haven't read any of my other works? Also, do you think the pills are working or do you think it's making him worse?
Answer in the comment section to give me your feedback. I honesty love people who comment. I strive to get people to think out loud and share with me~
So, yes. If you wish to support my work, please comment, vote, and (idk) share my book. And please, enjoy the rest of your day/evening/night.
Love,
Terrible_Fate // BEN Drowned