1- Jamie
The door is already cracked by the time we get up the stairs and to his room. I don't even hesitate to rush in and take a look at everyone gathered. Karlyah leaned on the bed, a wicked smile crossing her lips at the sight of me. However, there was something off about it. Her eyes gave away the truth. She didn't look menacing or tricky, like usually. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she looks anxious. A small movement catches my attention and I look to see Jeff, sitting slumped in the chair Slender always seems to have in his room for some reason. Slender has his back to us, apparently studying the wall for some reason.
After the man and woman step in behind me, I close the door and lean against it. I know the room is typically guarded with magic so no one can hear in, but it would be easy for someone to edge the door open just enough for the spell to be compromised. With my body on the door, that means no one can open it without me knowing of their attempt.
The man gets straight to the point. "We would like to discuss-"
"We know." Slender cut him off. "Karlyah has already informed me of the entire situation. We can figure out details, but I have already made up my mind."
Slender doesn't continue, not even offering his decision yet. The man looks a bit puzzled, then frustrated. "Well? Are we granted our promised sanctuary or will you be just like that many mouthed villain?"
"Sanctuary was offered to you the moment you walked through the gate with Karlyah. I have known her for a long time and have come to trust her opinion, as well as the circumstances in which you were brought here."
A small smile breaks out on the woman's face and she wipes at a tear. Emotion thickened her accent as she said, "Thank you very much. We really appreciate it."
The man inclines his head a bit. "Then I will do my best to provide whatever information I can on the Falin boy."
I notice very discreetly how everyone perks at his words. Slender turns towards us finally and nods, straightening just a little. Slowly, his mind opens to us and I'm immediately overwhelmed by the static. It feels like he's trying to overtake my mind. Seeing everyone else simultaneously flinch, I can tell it isn't just me being greatly affected. The static retreats quickly, but continues to hum in the background. Slender is unnerved by something.
1- Slender
The moment I lower the barrier on my mental connections, everyone in the room flinches exactly at the same time. I quickly reign in the static, feeling the bitter taste of emotions something like me should never experience: regret, shame, guilt. It is rare that I lack control over myself, and it is something I am hesitant to admit, especially out loud. I am a being of great, unimaginable powers. If others thought I was weaknesses to exploit, they would. The only reason I have yet to be challenged is because of the unmentioned fear they all have that they would lose to me.
I have worked hard to keep that view unchanged. Any hint of bravery or rebellion in the mansion or among the others is squashed before it can even become a problem for me. I have made it so that the other beings have few choices. They could either take the sanctuary and freedom of my mansion, or become a slave to beings more powerful than them. A few chose Zalgo and many die soon after joining him. No one is allowed to choose the other being. If they try to, I kill them off before it can find them. No body is too unpredictable. We do not allow such risks.
As I regain control over my own powers, they all straighten. I notice the two new ones rub their temples and share a look. Thoughts flash through their heads, brief images and words that are jumbled messes. It would not have been so bad to shift through their rapid thoughts, but there is also three other people in the room with minds that seem to shuffle through their own thoughts just as quickly.
There was a sharp stab of emotions flooding in from Jeff, a blade that was almost poisonous enough to taint my own empathetic emotions. I consider for a moment limiting my connection him, but that would be difficult to maintain since I will need to concentrate on other things. After thinking it over for a moment, I decide to just leave the connection open. I will just deal with whatever side effects came of this. In contrast, Jamie's emotions felt very flat and slippery. It was almost akin to running a hand along the silk of a fresh dress shirt.
Karlyah is the only one who has remained consistent. That is something I have always appreciated about her. Consistent results in her missions, which I could expect to be a success in some way. Consistent results in her brain waves, which I could expect to be sluggish and blurred with alcohol. Which is why she has to go away. She does too well, but isn't reliable because I cannot control her mind like the others. Karlyah does not know this. She will never know this.
The dark skinned man continues to rub his temple as he looks up at me with a displeased expression. It is not often I meet someone who is not afraid, but that can be written off for now. He will be staying here and I will have plenty of time to instill some fear into him.
"So what all has the other woman told you? I'd rather not repeat myself and keep this simple."
I nod, feeling mildly annoyed by his attitude but knowing now is not the time. "She told us of her mission and running into you and your injured sister. All we cared to know was of the message you had for us from Zalgo."
There is a hush in the room as I say his name. Jeff's emotions harden at the name, while Jamie freezes with noticeable fear in her eyes. The being sent her off on the run for years to harden her, using mind games and beasts to create a small hell for Jamie. She does not speak of it at all, preferring to lock the event into the back of her mind. However, I know of all the small cracks in the lock and how it likes to quietly open in her dreams, leaving her screaming in the middle of the night. Before Zalgo broke his control on her, she used to have night terrors in place of his visits. It was a relief when they were lifted because it was tiring having to handle them.
The man nods at my words. "He had offered us sanctuary. The lying rat," He spat, seeming to shake with rage. "When he attacked us, he claimed he only did it at the word of a comrade. That's what he referred to it as."
This is the part I had been most interested in. Hearing him say it only confirmed what I had worried over. Zalgo only referred to two beings as his "comrades." He did it to mock us and label the two others that shared his power levels, which meant he could not actively pursue us. He certainly did not hear anything from me about these two so it must have been No body. The bastard. It is still trying to set up its dominos in the background in hopes no one would catch it.
"Did he say anything else?" Jamie says, looking intently at the man. "What about Falin? Or the message Zalgo had for us?"
The man rolls his eyes a bit, which I can not blame him for. Jamie could be a bit too much. "Yes, I was getting to that. He claimed we would run into a woman who might offer us sanctuary, but only if we mentioned the Falin boy. I didn't believe him since he had already lied to us in the first place. However, we are thankful he has been truthful about you and your sanctuary."
The woman pipes up. "But it was weird. He could hurt us, which shouldn't be possible. We're already dead, after all."
Jamie looks a bit shocked. No one else was, since we all knew or assumed. I could tell immediately, since they gave off a different mental wave than someone alive. "Yes," I add. "I am not too sure how he could hurt beings like you two, but I do plan on starting research on it as soon as I am able to. This is a big deal since many of my own here are dead and may be vulnerable to attack now."
"We are glad to have offered this information to you so it could be useful." The woman whispers, inclining her head. I could get used to her quiet, polite demeanor.
The man pulls his sister closer. "We didn't release our own injuries until we had run into her," He says, gesturing toward Karlyah, who bared and snapped her teeth. "By the time I was telling her about Falin, my Lavinia was already collapsing into my arms from her wounds. I didn't get a chance to tell her everything, since I was so worried about my sister."
"Lavinia," I state, getting used to the woman's name. Looking towards the man, I ask, "What is your name? So I may address you properly later."
The man hesitates before slowly saying, "I'm called by Silvanus." I nod and gesture for him to continue. He does so by adding, "I wasn't told a lot. I know you think he's dead, but Zalgo claims he isn't. He spoke in riddles I couldn't understand since I don't know the man or what happened to him, but I could gather enough to say that whoever told you he was dead was compromised. I'm not sure how far back your memory reaches, but Zalgo says your messenger would have come back drugged and mentally damaged. He only told you what he thought happened. Falin didn't actually die there. The boy lived and has been with Zalgo since."
It is quiet. Silvanus seems to understand that such news needs to sink in before you can drop anything more on top of it. As I roll his words inside my head, I unconsciously cut off my link with everyone else as I retreat inside my own mind to make sense of what he said. Thinking back, Jeff was in a really bad state when he came back and Karlyah was no better. The other woman who left with them was nowhere to be found. I assumed she was either dead or had ran when she had the chance. I didn't care either way, she was nobody to me. Plus, I had to deal with Jeff and the news he carried of Falin.
I had gone through Jeff's memories of that day many times without him knowing, and each time I saw the same thing. It was always blurry and choppy for various reasons, but I remember the image of Falin's broken, still, and bloody body being very clear. I felt that was one of the few truths I could trust from Jeff's experience with Zalgo. I had no idea what to think if that image I took to be a truth was actually a lie. It made me instantly wonder how many others times I could have been lied to. Over the many centuries, I had grown used to telling fabricated thoughts apart from the real ones. I did not was to think of what it meant for me if I could not see the lie in Jeff's memory.
But, now I have to wonder if it really was such a bad thing. Falin was a gifted and promising young proxy of mine. The others were useful, but Falin had unlimited possibilities because of who he was. He questioned everything, took the impossible and made it real. There is a journal of his that I still own and look over in my free time. It is full of half finished ideas, projects that will never see the light of day since I can make no leads on the journal's contents. I could ask for help, but there are confidential recipes in there that I cannot risk letting free. If others get ahold of Falin's recipes, everything about our way of living here can be changed. It is a risk I can not take.
It could mean anything for us if Falin is still alive, but being hidden by Zalgo. It could mean anything for Falin if he has truly been in the hands of Zalgo this whole time. I did not want to think of the horrors that being could have put my proxy through in the past several years. It would have been too easy for Zalgo to corrupt or ruin Falin's mind.
A soft hand touches my arm, making me shy away from the touch and come back to the present, only to see Karlyah looking up at me. Looking from her to the others, I realize they are in various positions and covering their heads. I must have lost control on my powers once more and leaked into the others, slowly poisoning their minds without realizing. I immediately lock my powers down behind a steel wall in my mind, leaving the most feeble connection to communicate with.
Quietly, I hear Karlyah's voice in my head. "I know. I was thinking the same thing. I'm worried about what might have happened to him."
I do not say anything back. Her comfort in being near me always made me feel odd, in a way I could not explain. I certainly felt no affection back for her, despite her obvious feelings. However, I did not see a reason to ever push her away. Karlyah was close to Falin, was taught many things by him and shared a few traits with him. Not only that, but she was a fearsome being. Human, but not quite that due to her contract with the demon and her appetite for human flesh. Adding in her healing, strength, and stubbornness made her someone I could feel more comfortable with than many other Creepypasta's. I would never say that to her though.
"I didn't kill him," A small voice murmurs from the corner. I look up from Karlyah and focus on Jeff, who has been quiet the entire time. He is hanging off the chair a bit, looking inches away from tumbling down. There was an odd expression on his face, but I did not care to reach out to him and find out what he is feelings. A hiccup of a laugh left him. "It wasn't me. He's still alive."
"Might be." Silvanus kneels on the floor beside his sister, propping her up against him. "Zalgo mentioned it and I'm going to stress it so you can't turn on me if he isn't. We also need to discuss the terms of sanctuary. I trusted Zalgo and this happened. I don't know about you all, but you won't catch me putting trust in him again."
From the floor by the door, Jamie mutters, "He's right. I wouldn't trust Zalgo. The bastard only knows how to lie."
I hold up a hand, silencing Jamie. "Zalgo is many things. He is both a dishonest and honest being. He just tells what truths he wants to. For now, I want to hold onto the hope that it might be the truth."
"Then we need to save him!" Jami blurts out. I look at her, wishing she hadn't said that. "I know I'm not the only one thinking it. Who knows what Zalgo could have been doing to him in all this time."
"It is not safe," I counter. "The last time I allowed a rescue mission into Zalgo's lair, Falin did not return. At that time, we even had a minion with inside information on his den. We have no one to tell us his traps or guide us this time. I will not send anyone onto any mission blind. Plus, it is obviously a trap and I have reason to believe it is to set up something."
"So what? Is Falin not important enough to risk it?" Jamie snaps right back.
Of everyone I expected to want to do this, she was the last one. Jamie did not even know him.
Karlyah answers, dropping her hand from my arm, "He is, but it's risky. The last time we went, Zalgo was expecting us. He separated Falin from me and the other girl immediately. It wasn't until he dropped dead that Zalgo let us find him." Karlyah pauses and then gave a familiar toothy grin. "Well, I guess he isn't dead anymore, right?"
"Might," Silvanus shoots out once more, but we ignore him.
"You know something isn't right when Karlyah agrees with Slender," Jeff chuckles, sitting up in his chair. "However, I agree with Jamie though. I left him there. I need to bring him back."
Karlyah snickers, "And you know something is really wrong when Jeff agrees with Jamie."
Jeff's smile turns quickly into a scowl. "I'm going to save him!" He snaps, leaping to his feet. "I owe that to him. We owe that to him."
Jeff is looking straight at me now, his face made up of pure rage and determination. I knew that look. "You are already on one mission," I say, hoping to dismiss and satisfy him with that. "I cannot send you on another."
"That's bullshit!" Jeff rebounds instantly, moving closer. "I have to do this. You can't stop me."
"Do not make me. I will. I have let you do many things, Jeff. But you cannot push me around." I threaten. If only he was not so stubborn, life would be much easier for me.
"I'll go." Jamie pipes up, starting to stand. "I'm a full creepypasta now and I've been wanting to go."
Jeff and Karlyah instantly jump down her throat.
"You? Rookie, you ain't ever even seen a mission, let alone go through with one. You'd be dead-"
"Hell no! You're not going anywhere and there is no way Slender will let you. Besides, it has-"
"-within an hour out there. If anyone could do it, it would be me. I'm the best we have."
"Yeah, because you know so much about me. I've changed! So get off your damn high horse and come down-"
"-to be me. I have to do it. Slender, you have to let me."
"-here so I can strangle your stupid tall neck."
I raise my hand and silence falls immediately. There is a familiar ache in my head, one that tells me I will need quiet for a long time to make it go away. They all look at me as I slowly lower my hand and gaze at them all individually. To send anyone on any sort of rescue mission into what is most likely a trap laid out by Zalgo and No body would mean death, surely. There had to be some reason Zalgo was doing all this, but I could not figure that out here. I could try to talk to him, but I already know I will get nothing out of the damn being.
It is an option that I could just not send a rescue team. I could believe Zalgo was lying, that Falin truly is dead and the being was just trying to distract me for some reason or send my people to be slaughtered. But I know none of them believe that. I do not believe that, or at least I do not want to. A part of me wants to believe Falin is alive. If I have that small sliver of hope, I know they must believe it much more than me. Not letting them go would mean them sneaking out, unprepared and with no resources. But, if I let them . . .
"Fine." I say, feeling slightly defeated by them. "There will be a rescue team. But I decide who gets to be on it. I hope you all can find that reasonable."
The three nod, with the other two shrinking away to the wall so they would not be included. "Alright," Jamie says, pushing off the door. "Can we hear who is going so far?"
I pause, contemplating for a moment. "You three, Madison and EJ. Maybe one more, but it will have to be someone who is very good with sneaking. I will let you all know tomorrow, during the mission briefing. Until then, get out of my sight."
Jaime looks surprised that I had actually picked her, which is something I did not find comforting. Karlyah and Jeff scowl a bit at the news, but they nod and leave the room. I know Karlyah will be back before long to discuss things, though I'm sure she will have added some more alcohol into her system before then. Maybe even a big meal. Jamie hurries out the door behind them, her brow set. Seeing the door close behind her made me feel tired in a way I knew should not have been possible.
I am just starting to let the barriers on my mind fall when a timid voice calls out, "I'm sorry, sir. We don't mean to overextend your welcome, but the terms?"
A deep sigh resonates in my soul. I look to the brother and sister. "Yes, very well. Let us make this quick."
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