Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A flood of emotions surged through him as he held the dying man in his arms. He felt numb, whitenoise droning through his head. The stench of blood was filling the room but all he could focus on was the guilt and inner panic as he watched his boyfriend bleed out before him; there was nothing he could do. 

Alex’s body lay on the ground where he’d left the man to die while Alex’s other victim, the hooded figure, was sprawled on the floor. He’d hoped avenging Jay would help him feel something but it didn’t. It couldn’t bring his boyfriend back and that burned him worse than flames ever could. 

“Everyone is dead because of you.” Timothy could still hear Alex’s accusing tone echoing in his head. He didn’t want the crazed man to be right—he hadn’t been the one killing people—but Jay… 

It was his fault. The coughing fit had slowed him down and Jay had enthusiastically gone on ahead. If he’d recovered faster he could’ve… Timothy didn’t know. He could’ve taken the bullet? Pushed Jay out of the way? Pulled him back into the hall? It didn’t really matter what he could’ve done. Not now.

That rage seeped through his veins and he could feel his masked state—Masks as Jay had referred to it—taking over. He didn’t fight it. That creature had appeared and that irritating sound only made the shift that much faster. 

“How much do you hate?”  Totheark’s words mocked him as he recalled their video while putting on his mask. A lot. He’d never known he could despise anything so much as he did that faceless entity right now. 

He charged it blindly. It was that thing’s fault his life was in shambles and everything in his mind screamed at him to hurt it. There wasn’t anything left It could take from him anyway.

Pure agony shot through him. He didn’t even have time to register that the entity had swatted him away like a pesky gnat. One moment he was barreling towards the tall figure and the next flying through the air. The man landed heavily on the ground, blinding pain scorching his face. He could feel thick liquid running down the left side of his face, freely pouring down around his head. It had broken through the plastic mask like it was tissue paper.

“It is not enough…” The words continued to scathe him as he struggled to stay conscious.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, beneath all the anguish and high-pitched ringing, he knew he was dying. The realization wasn’t as horrible as Timothy would expect. Of course he was dying. He was always going to die. What else would’ve happened when some eldritch creature was stalking his life? At least now perhaps he’d be at peace. Maybe… maybe he’d see Jay again. He’d never been the religious type but he hoped that whatever came next would at least be better. 

His body fell limp on the cold floor, a faint rise and fall of his chest still signaling he was clinging to life. Timothy wouldn’t even feel the sickening twist of the world shifting around him as The Operator took him and the others back to its domain. 

---

A blurred black tree branch cut across a gloomy sky with hazy dark gray clouds. His vision felt obscured as he tried to focus. “What? Where… where am I?”

Pain flared to life, dull at first as he slowly regained consciousness. He blinked, trying to bring the world into focus- it was somewhat helpful. Timothy brought a hand up to his face where most of the pain was located, though his whole body felt sore. “Ahgh! Everything hurts… What hap—”

His memories caught up with him and he jerked upright, shouting aloud as he began standing despite the agony. “Jay!”

He could feel dried blood on his jeans as he got up and scanned the tall dark trees that surrounded him. Vaguely he was aware of his shattered mask next to where he’d been lying on the barren ground but he ignored it, opting to run at a staggering gait towards a pair of legs peeking out between the trees nearby.

“...There! Jay…” He knew Jay was gone but what else could he do right now? He should be dead , he was sure of that. Everyone else was gone…

Timothy fell to his knees and pulled his boyfriend’s body into his arms. He wasn’t a big crier but tears were welling in his remaining eye as he hugged Jay close to him. A hand wove into the soft, light brown hair. There was a desperate search for comfort amidst the guilt for everything that happened. 

“I’m so sorry.” He lowered his head, feeling Jay’s hair brushing against the lower half of his face. There was blood trailing from Jay’s mouth and the dark circles from sleepless nights looked more prominent against the freckles dotting his cheeks. “This is all my fault…”

Time didn’t feel like it was passing in the forest yet he knew he’d been sitting there for a while. The physical pain was blocked out by the unbearable tearing sensation in his chest; it felt like an animal was trying to claw out his heart. 

He didn’t hear the whooshing sound of something rapidly approaching. The cold, still air chilled further as the noise grew louder. Startled, Timothy whipped his head around, looking back over his shoulder in hopes of finding the source within the fog. “What’s that?”

Nothing was there, or at least nothing living. There was a faint black and white line racing closer through the trees like a blast of ghostly energy. It was almost strange enough to make him believe he was hallucinating. The forest seemed unharmed and the mist barely wavered in its path. The disjointed static however, was enough to cue him into the reality of the strange situation. 

He didn’t think twice before curling over Jay’s smaller form. The man was gone yet Timothy still felt the urge to protect him on instinct. He didn’t know what that wave rushing towards them would do but he didn’t want to let go of Jay yet. It was too soon to just let him go—he at least wanted to bury him, assuming the blast didn’t end his life… At least then he’d die with the love of his life in his arms. 

The blast swept through him. The sensation was odd and there was this strange feeling of power within it as it phased through him just like it was the trees. The whitenoise that accompanied it drilled into his head and left him dazed as the wind grabbed at his hair with invisible hands. 

It was over within moments despite feeling like it had lasted several minutes. A quick assessment once he got his thoughts unscrambled told him he was unharmed by… whatever that had been. Timothy sat up and slowed his breathing, still trying to comprehend what just happened—whatever it was wasn’t normal. 

Coughing broke the once again eerily silent woods. The man tensed, fear going through him as he felt the body in his arms jerk and give a shudder. Small clouds of condensation floated momentarily in the air before dissipating. 

“Jay?” His bewildered voice called out the name as fear sank into him. “No… It’s not possible. He was dead !” 

He’d been certain of it. Unnerved he stared down at his boyfriend’s body as he tried to wrap his head around the insanity of the situation. But no, it was real. He could see the faint rise and fall of Jay’s chest and hear the wheezing breaths as the man weakly breathed.

“Jay, can you hear me?” He shook the limp man gently, afraid to hurt him by jostling the bullet hole in his side. “How is this possible?” 

He risked shaking Jay’s shoulder a little rougher, pausing to listen to the man’s breathing, half afraid he’d hear nothing. “ Is he still breathing?”

“Did I imagine all that? ...Maybe I’m crazy.” Relief went through him as the quiet sound reached his ears. “No... he’s alive.”

“You need to wake up.” He stared down, his tone desperate as he begged the small figure to show him any other signs he’d be okay. “Jaybird, please…”

It was clear that, despite somehow miraculously being alive again, Jay wasn’t going to wake up. Timothy pulled himself together, aware that he could be wasting time he could be using to get help. He tore off a piece of his red flannel and went back for his dropped mask. Putting it on, he secured it by tying the fabric scrap around his head, making a makeshift eye patch for the time being until it could be properly treated. First, he wanted to make sure Jay got help before he went about worrying too much about his gouged face. 

“Stay with me Jay.” He picked the light man up carefully, wrapping one of Jay’s arms around his shoulders while keeping the other over the wound. His boyfriend’s head fell back limply and Timothy stared at him, aware he was breathing but still fearing he’d be too late. “I’ll get us out of here—Get you to a hospital. Just hang in there”

The details on what happened and why could be worked out later. Right now, he was finally starting to think more about their surroundings. “Where are we?”

Fog hindered his already damaged vision but between the pitch black leafless trees and the strange occurrences so far, he was aware this wasn’t home. He was pretty sure this wasn’t even the same universe- realm, or whatever. None of this was making sense. Jay was dead and now he wasn’t. Timothy knew he should’ve died after what he’d done. “How is this possible?”

There was a gnawing thought in his mind wondering if he was dead or if this was some sickening trick by that entity. Not that it really mattered. He had to focus on what he did know: that he and Jay had survived against all odds and he needed to get out. Figuring out the specifics of why, how, and what could wait. 

---

“Was that supposed to happen?” The gray-skinned demon rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the wave of energy disappear into the distance, far away from the small clearing of burned, ashen white stumps and regrowing obsidian trees where he stood.

“Eh, I’ll assume that’s nothing important. Probably just the Twig starting a new iteration.” Turning away, Alastor closed his glowing yellow eyes and shrugged. “Not my problem.”

Chapter Text

“AHHH!” Pain ripped through their left shoulder as the bullet shot through it, tearing into the back and out the front with what could have nearly been a fatal shot to the heart. The bang from the gunshot still ran in her ears as she ran away.

The night turned even darker as they fled further into the cover of the forest. The adrenaline coursing through her body was enough to keep them going despite the heavily bleeding wound. From behind them, the man’s voice shouted out a threat. “—I’ll kill you!”

They didn’t catch all of it but the message was clear enough. Luckily, her gray and black outfit helped them blend into the shadows. The sounds of pursuit as they continued down the dirt path disappeared as she did her best to sprint without tripping over any roots that may have grown onto the trail. They didn’t dare slow down for a long time. Not until the exit came into sight. 

Her body shook as she allowed herself to slow, putting her hand over the wound as she walked in hopes of stopping the bleeding. They shakily stepped out of the trees, coughing as a familiar presence made itself known behind her. She didn’t look back at the tall, thin entity blending into the trees with branch-like tentacles. 

“I...I know you’re there.” She finally spoke, trying not to stutter as she tried to focus on her words as well as catching her breath. “If… if this is because I f...failed… I won’t again…” 

Another cough escaped as they tried to string words together and get away. The whole plan had gone askew and she knew what that could mean. “I know what’s at stake.” 

Slenderman remained silent, the static however emitted his clear disapproval at their tone and inability to finish what was instructed. She filled the silence once more, clearly voicing her displeasure and frustration. “Maybe he’d be dead if… if you didn’t just stand there menacingly… Who am I kidding? ...You’re enjoying this.” 

More quiet anger radiated from the being as she spat out the last part, as unwise as it was to do so, before it left her. “I won’t play your game forever…” 

Silence. It had left her alone… for now. They slowly continued on, making it to a road they could follow. Given how late it was, or early depending on how one looked at it, the area was deserted. It was a good thing too. She was barely on her feet, potentially bleeding out, and wearing a smooth featureless white mask aside from the two black circles around the eyes. Not exactly a normal sight. 

The shaking got worse the longer they pressed on. Pain wasn’t something they let stop them often, but as a human she still had limits. There had to be a town eventually or somewhere she could hide out. Staying out in the open, especially when that guy could find her, wasn’t a good option. They stumbled, barely catching themselves, and kept hobbling along. Darkness edged her vision and her legs finally gave out, sending her to the dirt on the edge of the blacktop. They fought to stay conscious but… it was getting difficult. They’d pushed themselves so much already… She curled up slightly on her side, slowly feeling their senses fading out.

---

“What the!?” Jay slowed as his headlights caught a slumped figure on the edge of the road. His heart nearly skipped a beat upon the first glimpse, he almost thought his mind was playing tricks on him. 

The tires screeched as he slammed harder on the brakes and shoved the vehicle into park. No, he might not be running on a lot of sleep but that was definitely a person. He jumped out of his car and ran over, shouting out to them as he slammed his door shut. It wouldn’t be right to just leave someone there. “Hey… hey!” 

“Huh?” He slowed and knelt down as he got closer, finally able to take in more detail. They wore a mask that was… sort of similar to Tim’s. The eyes and color scheme matched at least but the rest of the plastic was smooth and featureless; it sort of looked like that thing in the suit’s ‘face’. “Another masked figure?” 

They hadn’t responded to his earlier calls and with the mask on he couldn’t even tell if they were looking at him. Even with his headlights, it was too dark to really notice if they were breathing. Jay reached out a hand, fear and excitement at this find running through his mind as he slipped his fingers beneath the mask to pull it off. 

“Don’t.” The voice was weak and a bloodied hand shakily reached up to grab his wrist.

“Huh?” Alarm shot through him, though the grip was too loose to really stop him if he continued trying. The idea slipped from his mind though as soon as the blood and their state processed in his head. “You’re alive!?” 

They didn’t say more, in fact their hand slid back to the ground. It was as if they’d used all the energy they could currently muster in those two actions. Jay stared wide-eyed at them, the gears in his head turning. “Tim’s not going to believe this.”

“I can help.” He left their mask on for now and focused on getting them up, tossing their good arm over his shoulders as he helped them walk back to his car. “You’re going to be fine.” 

The figure was quiet, their head drooped. As they reached the hood of the car and began walking to the passenger’s side, Jay tried to test the waters again with the mask—both out of curiosity of their identity and concern for how injured they were. “I have some bandages back at my hotel. If you took off the mask I could take you to a hos—”

They stomped down on his foot harder than expected, not that he was expecting it to begin with. “Ow!”

Jay heard their breathing rasp more for a few moments before steadying again from the sudden exertion of energy. It was concerning but he didn’t force the conversation in hopes of staying on their good side. “Okay! …Sorry.” 

“Who are they?” He pondered the question as he put them in the passenger’s seat and closed the door, walking quickly back around to the driver’s side. Getting in, he stared at the masked figure again for a moment, taking in the dark stain on their black jacket. “Did Alex do this?”

“I should call Tim.” He began driving again, using one hand to pull out his phone and scrolling through his list of contacts for Tim’s number. “He’s not going to like this, but they might have answers—and I couldn’t just leave them there.”

The sound of his phone ringing disrupted his sleep. Tim cracked an eye open as he tiredly shifted around under his blanket to roll over and grab the phone off the bedside table. Next to the device, his clock read three a.m. in glowing red numbers. “Jay? Do you have any idea what ti—”

“Tim, I need you to meet me at the hotel.” Jay spoke quickly, cutting the half-awake man off before he could finish speaking. 

“Did something happen?” He was immediately more alert as he tossed the blanket aside and got out of bed. His mind immediately went to the worst. “Is it Alex? Did he find you?” 

Amusement laced Jay’s voice as he glanced at the stranger in the passenger seat. “No. No, I'm fine. I think I found something that could give us answers.” 

As happy as Jay was about this new discovery, Tim was clearly less than pleased. The burly man put a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose slightly. “I told you no to—”

“I didn’t!” He once again cut Tim off, hearing the man getting dressed and grabbing his things in the background of the call. “I couldn’t sleep and just, uh… Found something on the way back from the store.” 

It wasn’t a lie. He had gone to the store for supplies and hadn’t meant to do anything close to investigating without Tim. Jay pulled into the near empty parking lot of the hotel he was staying in, trying to end the conversation quickly so he could deal with getting the masked figure inside. “Just meet me at the hotel. I’ll explain everything.” 

“Huhhh…” He let out a breath as he ended the call and unbuckled. No longer distracted, his eyes caught the gleam of something reflecting in the parking lot lights along with a blinking green light. “Hmm? Is that their phone?”

The injured figure was definitely still out of it, their breathing slow and deep as they continued leaning against the window. Jay stared at the phone as the notification light continued its blinking. “Maybe I can get answers off it. I need to know who they are—”

He reached over and swiped it out of their jacket pocket. There was a quiet clack as he dropped it into his own jacket’s pocket with his own phone. “How they’re involved with all this. I’ll give it back…”

Jay didn’t see an issue with it. He wasn’t going to steal the device nor was he taking it without good reason. For all he knew, this masked person might not tell him anything… assuming they were well enough to. Figuring anything out about them was a good thing. 

He got out of the car before leaning back inside and reaching over, shaking their shoulder as gently as he could to avoid hurting it further. “Hey, wake up. We’re here.” 

Their body jolted under his touch in alarm and twisted away from him. Their head thunked against the window while their legs created several more thuds as they shifted to look at him through vision that was blurring in and out of focus. 

Jay refrained from reaching out again to help them, rather uncertain if it was wanted or if it was a good idea after that reaction. It sort of reminded him of a wild animal or feral cat reacting to human contact. Still, it was clear they were disoriented; he hoped that was the reason for their startled reaction rather than the idea he might’ve picked up someone dangerous. “Are uh… Are you still doing alright?”

They didn’t provide a response but he was used to masked figures not speaking—even if they had rasped out a single word earlier it wasn’t like Tim hadn’t said a one-word response while in his masked state before when Jay had tried taking off the mask. He let them help themselves out of the car as he grabbed the camera and bags. After the abrupt wake up, they seemed to be a little more alert and capable. He glanced over his shoulder at them as he began heading inside, unworried that they’d be running off in the state they were in. 

“Should I really be following him?” They stared after him, still lingering outside the open car door while mentally debating the choices.

“It’s okay.” Jay called back. “No one’s going to see us. We’re going in through the side door.” 

There was a pause before he spoke up again, quieter and half to himself when he recalled how early it was in the morning. “Doubt anyone’s awake at this time anyway…” 

“He acts like seeing someone wearing a mask and covered in blood is normal…” Ash continued to hesitate without showing signs of verbally acknowledging his side of the conversation. Just observing him, she was starting to put the picture of who he was together. “What’s with the camera?” 

Jay had turned around, heading for the glass doors again. 

There weren’t many other options and she could use the rest. Her suspicions were high though, especially given her past knowledge about those involved with those tall entities and how this guy was acting. “Might as well. I already got into a car with him, I guess he would’ve killed me by now if he was going to.” 

Chapter Text

They followed him inside the brightly lit hotel, squinting under the mask at the sudden increase in light. At this hour, they were the only ones in sight. It still didn’t put her at ease. 

“Bathroom’s on the right.” The man who’d helped her spoke again as he pulled out a key card and stopped in front of a door. “I’ve got some bandages you can use—a spare jacket.”

“Why is he helping me?” Ash watched him carefully but continued to follow him into the hotel room, letting the door close behind her before turning into the bathroom. She supposed this situation wasn’t as bad as the alternative. “Better than the side of the road.” 

Further into the sparsely decorated room, Jay sat his grocery bags down and searched around in his other bags for the bandages and jacket he’d offered. “Can’t let Tim see all the blood…”

He’d never had need for the gauze but right now he was glad to have thought to bring some. Grabbing a navy blue jacket he rarely wore, he headed back to where they were waiting in the bathroom. Hopefully they would be able to benefit from the items, or at least enough not to bleed out or cause Tim to freak out even more than he likely would already. 

Still the injury had to be bad with the state he’d found them in. There was some concern that the gauze wouldn’t be enough. “You sure you don’t want to go to a hospital?”

“...” The shorter figure stared at him silently. The mask they wore gave nothing away, nor did their static pose. The only positive was the fact they didn’t appear to want to threaten him or bolt for the door. 

“Uh… Okay?” He held out the items to them. “Um… Let me know if you need help I guess…” 

They remained quiet and somewhat skittish as they accepted the items and backed into the bathroom. He’d already begun moving away without further conversation as they closed the door. 

“Who is this guy?” Ash continued wondering the same questions as they stripped off their soiled jacket and pulled off the plastic mask, sitting it on the counter by the sink. 

Without the dark fabric covering the bullet wound the damage became clearer. Dark crimson drenched the gray shirt she wore and some had dripped down her left arm as well. They’d known there would be a lot given how she was feeling but as she was still alive, it was safe to say the artery was nicked rather than hit directly. Ash had been lucky. 

Wound assessed, they began peeling off their shirt as well to get on with cleaning and bandaging the wound. Her thoughts once again drifted back to where they’d been with the helpful stranger. He certainly sounded surprised, though oddly it didn’t seem to be due to her mask. “Acts like he’s seen people like me before. But he isn’t a violent Source like the others.” 

Her thoughts drifted to the man in the blue striped jacket as he’d held the gun up to her, blood dripping down the side of her face. The man wasn’t the first Source she’d ran into but he was the latest target. All prior Sources had shared the common trait of aggression, but the guy out in the other room certainly wasn’t. “Maybe in the early stages? —Infected?”

A much more sinister thought cut into her curious pondering. It could almost be mistaken for trying to be merciful to spare her rescuer from a worse fate… until the latter part. “I should kill him before he gets worse. He’d want me to.”

Of course Slenderman would want that. It was for his benefit, to weaken his rival. Ash’s hand clenched against the side of the sink counter. “I won’t. It may not be too late for him to get out.”

“And…” Tired, dark green eyes glanced at the ghostly reflection in the mirror, taking in the dark circles under their eyes for a moment—sleep wasn’t easy when there were lives on the line. Their own included. Ash straightened again and worked to wrap the gauze around her injury with experienced motions. It bled through the first few layers but more would hopefully suffice. “What that faceless bastard doesn’t know won’t hurt him… Unfortunately.”  

---

“Alright, so this is the phone I took from them.” Jay sat on the bed, holding his camera in one hand and pointing it at the cell phone he was holding in the other. He hit the button on the side and watched the screen light up, revealing a screen directing him to swipe to unlock the device. “Uh, doesn’t seem to need a password.” 

He swiped, hearing a faint clicking sound effect as it opened. Immediately obvious was the battery life, which was so low into the red it was a wonder the device wasn’t dead, and notification icons along the top. Ignoring the rest of the apps for now, Jay swiped down to see the notifications. A list greeted him of twenty-five voicemails, thirty-nine missed calls, and forty unread messages.

“Huh, they have a lot of missed messages.” He said it mostly for the camera. “Wonder who they’re from? I don’t want them to know I went through their phone so I can’t check those.” 

There was likely a lot of information in them but it wasn’t worth the risk. With Tim on the way especially—the man was already going to be less than thrilled when he saw the masked figure. “Don’t want a fight Tim might ki—Huh? Someone’s calling.” 

The screen changed as the phone began buzzing quietly. A call screen greeted him with the name Ethan. “Ethan? Doesn’t sound familiar… But who knows what that Thing has made me forget.” 

It had, after all, made him forget plenty of memories. A whole person didn’t sound too far fetched. Jay doubted he had much time left to snoop between the person in the bathroom and the battery life. Not to mention he was curious to know what this Ethan guy was. He tapped the green answer button, following up by hitting the speaker icon. 

“Hey, it’s me again. I know you don’t want to talk but—” The man cut himself off as he realized he hadn’t heard the typical voicemail recording. “Wait. You finally picked up! Great, I… I was beginning to worry.”

Ethan’s car was still zooming down the country road, something Jay could hear faintly through the phone. It was super early for so many people to be up, let alone call, but the man did offer something that could’ve been an explanation, not even waiting for Jay—or he supposed the phone’s owner—to respond.

“Anyway, I think I know a place with something that could help you.” That certainly sparked Jay’s interest and he was mildly disappointed when the man didn’t elaborate. “I know you don’t want me getting involved. Just hear me out.” 

Jay heard a few coughs come from the bathroom, but it didn’t seem like it was loud enough to register over the phone. Although Ethan’s next words were slightly ironic, as with the masked figure’s current state, it would be more than true. “Not like you can stop me anyway.” 

A strange mix of lightheartedness and distaste entered the man’s voice. “I know your father was a little… crazy. But he has to have something useful. Why not at least see?”

Once again, Jay’s excitement for answers was crushed as the man refused to say exactly what the ‘somethings’ were or why the answers would be useful. However, as the man’s tone turned openly concerned and pleading, his interest peaked again. “You’ve been gone months. Zac and I— We thought you might be dead in a ditch somewhere .”  

Unbeknownst to Jay, that was said from experience rather than fear alone. Ethan could still remember the sounds of the ambulance’s sirens and the flashing lights all too well despite the time that had passed. “You don’t have to fight this on your own just to protect us. Please… come home.” 

The call ended with a click. There hadn’t been time to speak if Jay had planned to. He lowered the camera and sat it aside. What he’d just heard was vague at best but it did give him several more possible leads to follow, though how well they tied in with the answers he was seeking was unclear. At least now he knew there were others out there searching for answers like him and Tim.

There wasn’t much time to think too long on the subject before he heard the bathroom door opening. Before he knew it, the person he’d found was standing before him with their mask back on, unfortunately, and wearing his jacket. Unable to see their face to know how much they’d heard, and with him still holding their phone, he was uncertain what to do. “Uhm…” 

Chapter Text

“Oh, uh, you doing better?” He broke the silence first, slowly rising from the bed.

“...” They continued to stare at him silently. If he hadn’t heard them speak earlier, Jay almost would’ve thought they couldn’t—then again, one word wasn’t exactly a full response or conversation. 

“Okay then…” He held out their phone, speaking cautiously but deeming it best to tell the truth. No need for a repeat of what happened with Tim punching his face. “Um, here’s your phone… I uh, took it in the car—so I could find something out! A name maybe? Someone to call?”

Jay gave a small shrug; his only mistake was glancing down sheepishly as he continued talking. “You know, since you were barely conscious.”

They grabbed his outstretched arm and yanked him forward, doing so easily given he wasn’t prepared. Jay’s eyes were wide as he caught himself from falling completely. Their voice held a slight growl, as if in an attempt to intimidate him. “And what did you find?”

“Nothing!” He shouted, jerking his arm back as their grip loosened. Taking another step back, not that it gave him much space in a small hotel room, he continued trying to explain. “I didn’t—Someone called, uh, Ethan, I think. So I answered.” 

Wrong move. A ringing seemed to fill her head, distorting her thoughts and egging on her anger. When she spoke their voice was laced with malice. “What?” 

Jay was quick to backpedal and attempt to de-escalate the situation. Raising his hands and waving them in front of him despite the figure not moving from where they stood. “I didn’t say anything! He thought it was you!”

Ash rubbed at her head, sighing while mentally repeating the same phrase over and over in her head as the sound began to fade away. “Not now, not now, not now…”

Calming down, she questioned him about it. “What did he say?” 

“...” Jay kept quiet for a few seconds as he watched them warily. “He was looking for answers. Uh, something about your dad knowing answers?” 

He rubbed the back of his neck with uncertainty. “Do you know anything about that?” 

They straightened and lowered their hand from the side of their head in alarm. “That idiot! I have to go.” 

“What?” Jay watched them rush for the door. “Hey, wait!”

“Uh,” they turned to look at him, rubbing the back of their head. “Thanks for the help.” 

Jay reached out to stop the figure, he couldn’t let them leave before Tim got here. “You can’t just leave.”

He crossed his arms and gave them a doubtful look as he eyed the still weak person before him. With how he found them and their current state, how likely were they to even make it somewhere safe. “Do you even know where you are?”

“Not hard to find out.” They lowered their arm, the blank mask’s eyes sockets staring at him as they fell silent again. “...Look, I know you see that thing.”

“Why else would you pick up some freak in a mask?” She walked closer again, pain lacing through their injured shoulder as Ash moved it and placed a hand on their hip. Not that she’d let the discomfort show. “Oww…”

For every step they took, Jay shuffled back closer to the wall on the other side of the bed with his arms raised in preparation to fend off an attack. Their demeanor remained calm however, judging by the tone of their voice as they continued to speak. “You’d have to be stupid. You’re lucky I wasn’t—Um…”

At that, they trailed off. Jay’s back was nearly against the wall as the masked figure finally stopped at the edge of the bed across from him. Their focus seemed to shift down to the camera he’d left lying on the off-white blanket. 

“What are you doing?” 

They didn’t answer his question, merely going back to where they’d previously left off in warning. “Next time, well let’s hope there isn’t one.” 

Ash picked up the camera, staring into the lens for a moment while trying to figure out how to grab the tape with the recording on it. “Some advice, stop filming and get out of this while you can. It’ll never stop, but maybe you’ll live a little bit longer—”

“—Avoid a…uh, messy death.” She could recall the tall, spindly dead trees with black trash bags dripping with the remains of victims. They were often left as threats and warnings to Slenderman’s other targets in order to burrow further into their minds and stir up their paranoia. Sometimes, he did it for fun. 

The entity might not have a face but Ash was aware of how it could twist its features and stretch the pale skin to appear as if it were grinning mockingly. It knew how helpless victims were. Every death was just part of some cruel game. Her own friends weren’t safe. No matter how much she’d kept away; they were always used against her. One by one, Slenderman threatened them for her obedience and one by one they would die horribly because of her if she failed.

“I don’t want to kill you—or anyone really—but if you become too ‘infected’ and get on Its radar… I might not have a choice.” The warning was still there as she fiddled more with the camera. Truly she didn’t enjoy killing, especially when this man had helped her, but if it was between him and her friends then of course she’d pick them. 

“Is that a threat?” He heard his phone ping in the background, though wouldn’t check to see Tim’s message saying he’d made it to the hotel. 

Ash pulled out the small tape and pocketed it while he was looking at her masked face. Placing the camera down and heading for the door, she decided enough time had been spent here. Glancing back as she closed the door, she answered his question and hoped he’d follow her advice. “A promise.” 

Neither were aware of the threat closing in from outside the hotel that very moment. The injured but furious figure was closing in, following the road he’d seen Jay’s car drive off on. It had been easy to follow the blood trail to the road… Following Jay had been the tricky part and the dead sprint he’d pushed himself to pull off had left him more pissed off than tired, although, his head definitely felt like it was stuffed full of static. He slowed and stalked closer to the hotel building to devise a plan. “ Found you.” 

As Ash made her way down the sidewalk, her energy spent from keeping up a strong front for the man who’d helped, she missed Alex standing across the parking lot in the grass. A metal bat—her metal bat—was in his grip and currently lowered at his side. She limped along on the sidewalk near the building, not knowing where she was going to go until she could get her bearings… Assuming she’d get the chance given Alex had easily spotted her.

Chapter Text

Tim got out of his car, more tired than normal after being woken up so early. He really hoped this wasn’t going to be a norm with Jay. Looking out across the parking lot, he didn’t expect to find Jay waiting for him but he didn’t expect to spot someone much worse. “It’s too early—Is that? Oh no, Jay!” 

Panic set in him at the idea that Alex might’ve found Jay first. Unarmed, he didn’t dare confront the man. At least he seemed focused on something else at the moment, Tim closed his door and hurried into the hotel. The bright lights of the hallway were harsh after being in the dark but a quick glance over his shoulder showed Alex hadn’t followed him. 

Tim continued at a hurried pace, his head swiveling back and forth to look at the identical room doors. He hadn’t gotten a room number from Jay, as they’d planned to meet tomorrow at his place before taking off. “Which room is he in?”  

“Tim!” The shout was loud in the quiet hotel, probably waking up some of those trying to sleep.

He was just glad to hear Jay’s voice, though could’ve done without the man bolting down the hall and grabbing his shoulder, shaking him in a rush. “Did you see them?” 

“Them?” He stepped back, further annoyed with Jay for finding what was most likely trouble. “Wait, what exactly did you find?” 

“Uhm…”

“‘Something’ Jay!? What were you thinking?” Tim glared at the taller man; this wasn’t something he was going to put up with. He already didn’t trust Jay after sharing his medical records and lying, this situation wasn’t helping.  “We agreed to start working together.” 

“And we are!” Jay argued back before rationalizing his actions. “But I couldn’t just leave them there.”

“Jay!” He tried to keep the frustration from his tone. “Alex managed to follow you here.”

His new partner’s expression shifted immediately to one of fear. “Alex!”

Glad to know Jay was going to take this more seriously now, Tim was able to—slightly—relax. “We need to go, now.”

“Okay but we need to find them. They’re hurt. Alex could kill them!” They’d been acting tough but Jay was aware the masked figure wouldn’t stand a chance against Alex. “I promise I’ll grab my stuff and leave. Just… find them. They can’t be far.”

Tim stared at Jay as he clasped his hands together with wide eyes, pleading with him. Admittedly, he didn’t want someone else to fall victim to Alex's hands even if they were a stranger. If he had a chance to stop that from happening, he needed to try.

“Fine but this conversation isn’t—”

“Great!”

“—over…” He sighed, watching Jay run back to the hotel room. At least he’d be getting packed in relative safety.

Tim made his way back outside. The parking lot was dark and now empty. Despite the hour, the lot was mostly empty. More importantly, Alex was nowhere to be seen. He glanced back and forth on the sidewalk for a moment, debating which direction the crazed man might’ve gone. 

He settled on his left, believing he could hear faint sounds of scuffling coming from the side of the building. “Okay, Alex was looking that way… Guess I’ll check there first.” 

---

“I think you forgot something!” 

Pawn stared as the man in the blue striped jacket; blood ran down his cheek from a cut while his hair was matted with blood from where she’d struck him from their first encounter. The man raised the bat she’d left behind in her prior attack against him above his head in preparation to strike. Her coughing fit had covered the sound of his approach and he was clearly ready to finish her off after his first attempt failed. The bat whizzed through the air, barely slow enough to duck out of the way before hitting the brick wall with a loud crack. Alarm rushed through her as a piece of the wall chipped off. 

Backing away, the masked figure paused to search their jacket pockets for their pocket knife. It wasn’t ideal but it was the only other weapon she currently… didn’t have. “Where’s my—Oh no…”

That’s right… It’d been left in their jacket, which was still in the bathroom of the hotel room. Pawn spun away, ditching any attempt to fight her way out of the situation. Behind her, the bat clanged on the ground. 

“Come here!” A hand grabbed the back of their hood, yanking her back. 

He slammed her into the brick wall with a loud dull thud, their mask cracking from the force. The pain hadn’t fully registered before the Source was tossing her to the ground. A chunk of the white mask fell to the ground in front of her as the breath was knocked from her body. 

“Hahaha…” A toothy grin spread over their face despite the pain. The man was standing over her, fully in control of the situation but Pawn couldn’t help but throw out an insult, as weak and unsteady as their voice sounded. “Is that a gun in your pocket? Or does murder get you off?” 

The man glared and reached for the gun in his jacket’s pocket, his finger already on the trigger. “Think you’re funny, huh? Well you can’t run this time. You aren’t getting away again!”

There was movement behind him that Pawn couldn’t quite catch. The Source, however, was distracted by it at least. He spun away, instinctively raising his arm with the gun in defense. A snap sounded as the bone broke.

“Ahhhh!” His agonized scream muted the clatter of the gun dropping on the ground. 

Pawn caught the look of satisfaction on the newcomer’s face through blurring vision. Rather than feeling relieved at the rescue however, they felt a sense of dread. They struggled to get their trembling body back to its feet, pushing through despite the pain in their shoulder and head. “Get up! I’ve had… worse…”

She collapsed to the ground once more, eyes rolling up in their sockets for a second. Focusing again, their pulse pounded faster as the scene warped before her. “What…?”

Instead of the two men fighting it warped into a scene of horror. HABIT stood over one of her friends as they sat hunched over on their knees, his machete dripping blood onto the ground. “No. No. It can’t—I can’t watch them die again. No!”

“Ash help me!” The memory of her friend’s voice cried out in pure desperation.

HABIT’s voice held a growling undertone as he mocked her, daring her to make a move against him. “Yes, Pawn help them… Their pain is your fault.”

“How did he find me? No… I can’t go back. Not again!”

HABIT grabbed her friend’s head, fingers tangling in their hair and twisting their head to the side. A sickening feeling struck at the display of gore. Most of her friend’s face had been torn and mutilated beyond saving below the nose. A choking, gurgling sound filled the air as the blood gushed down. HABIT gave a wolfish smile before tossing the body to the ground and stalking towards her.

Terror flooded her as he approached. Pawn shook, unable to get up and escape. “This… can’t be real…”

He stood over her, weapon still in hand. Her threatening tone fell flat as she spoke. “S-stay… b-back…”

“I’m sorry Ethan…” Their cousin had already nearly lost her to HABIT once, it’d destroy him to never know what happened to her.

---

“Of course they’re wearing a mask…” Tim stared down at them, not failing to recall Jay conveniently leaving this fact out.

It wasn’t like he was one to talk. He ran around the woods at times in a mask, of course his pills helped with that. For all he knew they were in a situation like him; the idea didn’t make him trust the unconscious figure in the slightest. The only thing going for them was the fact Jay seemed unharmed from his encounter with them.

There wasn’t much time to think. A burst of static buzzed through his skull. Coughs bubbled in his throat as Tim’s thoughts grew hazy. His breath heaved as he continued to cough. The Operator revealed itself, looming over them much too close for comfort. Adjusting his grip on the bat, he hauled the masked figure over one shoulder; they were much lighter than he’d expected.

“Time to go!” He didn’t look back to see what became of Alex or to see if the Operator would follow. Getting out was the only thing currently on his mind. 

“Tim!” Jay called out to him from where he stood by their cars.

“Jay, get in the car!

He laid the masked figure in the backseat of his car, not bothering to restrain them just yet, as he wasn’t sure how much time they had before the Operator or Alex caught up to them.

Jay rolled his window down as he pulled over next to his car. “What happened?”

“Follow me!” He slammed his door shut and started the car, speeding out of the parking lot.

Once on the road, he slowed down to the speed limit. Alex hopefully wouldn’t be able to follow them this time, especially now that he had a broken arm to tend to. The pair drove through the city, which turned into the countryside as they continued driving. Above them the sky gradually lightened as the sun rose over the horizon. Satisfied that they were far enough away, Tim pulled his car over while Jay did the same behind him. 

He’d had time to calm down since their earlier conversation but Tim wasn’t about to let Jay get away with this. They needed to establish rules if they were going to work together. Getting out, he got right to the point. “When I said I’d help, I didn’t agree to dealing with stunts like this.” 

The trunk popped up as he pulled the lever. Walking around back, he dug around his haphazardly packed bags. Jay’s door slammed shut and his footsteps could be heard approaching him. Tim grabbed one of his belts and shut the trunk just as his partner reached the car.

“What’s that for?”

“I don’t trust them.” He walked around, opening the door to the backseat; the person was still unconscious. He pulled their arms together and tightened the belt around their wrists, making sure it was secure but not cutting off circulation; they didn’t stir.

“I don’t either but don’t you think that’s a bit extreme? Or too tight?”

“Looser than it looks, jacket’s just big.” Despite his words, he did check. “It’s just until we know they won’t kill us.” 

“I wonder if they’re like us. Someone called, sounded like they knew about that thing in the suit.” 

The door shut with a quiet slam and Tim turned around to lean against it. “Did you know them?”

“I don’t think so.” 

“Hopefully they aren’t anything like Alex.” 

“No, they didn’t sound like it.” 

His tone went back to being more callus before easing up at the end; he wasn’t trying to pick a fight. “Still I don’t want this happening again, Jay. Not without discussing it with me. It’s not just your life on the line.” 

The taller man’s face fell, his eyes focusing on the road. “It won’t.” 

Tim turned to get back in his car. “Let's see if we can find a place to stay. We need to figure out where to go from here.” 

“Alright. Think there’s a hotel a few miles ahead we can try.”

Chapter Text

Meanwhile…

The old basement stairs creaked ominously as weight was pressed down on the top step. A beam from the man’s flashlight illuminated the path down, exposing the old, likely rotting, wood and the water stains on the cold cement wall. The banister on the stairs was completely broken off aside from the parts that once held the handrail up, however the steps themselves appeared to be intact. 

More creaks and groans sliced through the silence with each step he took further down into the basement. Thankfully, he’d been right about it being able to hold his weight, though he didn’t dawdle to test his luck—nor did he want to linger more than he had to, given all the throat scratching dust. 

“Okay… There has to be something helpful down here.” Ethan reached the bottom of the stairs shuffled around the pile of cardboard boxes, though it was hard to avoid them given how many were stored down there in now haphazard piles. His light flashed across the stacks as he searched for a path through them. “Eghh… place is creepier than I remember.” 

His uncle hadn’t allowed them to come down here as kids but the few times he and Ash had snuck down they at least hadn’t been choking on dust and inhaling any of the mold that was likely growing somewhere down here. Of course, there had been other strange things down here and the area as a whole had always given him the creeps. 

He swung the light around taking in another pile of boxes and faded black trash bags. “So much junk.”

Ethan moved the light along to another wall, pausing silently to stare at the weapons lined along it. Those in particular had always made him feel uneasy about his uncle. Who needed a wall of weapons? When he’d gone running to his father about it as a boy he’d been assured that the axes, hand saws and chainsaws, along with the ropes and chains were just useful tools adults might need, especially when living in the country with a forest in the backyard. He’d never gotten an answer about the machetes and other knives. Looking at them now from a distance, he couldn’t tell if that was rust staining the weapons or blood.

Despite the wall looking just as untouched as the rest of the basement, he moved on swiftly to the back wall. A jolt of surprise and relief swept through him as the light reflected off the old dusty surfaces of several small box monitors sitting on a desk full of VHS tapes and journals. “Wait, there!”

Maybe he would be lucky enough to avoid digging through everything down here. Ethan maneuvered around the boxes that hid an open space in the center of the basement. With what little his flashlight revealed, he was rather certain there was a strange symbol that had once been painted on the cement floor. Now it was faded and pieces had disappeared completely. Another unnerving sight was the patches of dark stains that he tried to tell himself wasn’t blood… but they definitely didn’t look like more water damage. With what he knew about Ash’s father it was admittedly probably all that remained of some unfortunate souls.

“Maybe Ash was right to stay away. All those terrible things… It’s like they’re lingering here.” He pressed onward, deciding to keep his gaze off the floor. His eyes drifted to the side where a dark cloak hung near the corner with a completely featureless white mask hung over it. Well, it was almost completely white… He could see long dried and faded bloodstains on it. “...Nothing to worry about. No one’s here… He died in that fire.” 

Focusing back on the task he’d actually come here for, he shook off the apprehension and looked back at the desk full of possibly useful information. “There’s a lot… More than I remember.” 

Sitting the flashlight down so he could still see as he looked, he quickly realized there wasn’t much order to anything. Not only were the journals everywhere but there were loose pages, scraps of paper that had likely fallen out of the books, sticky notes, and much more dust as his search disturbed it. He picked up what was likely to be an unplayable VHS tape that more than likely held security footage of the yard—or at least he hoped it wasn’t more sinister—and a random journal that didn’t particularly look like it held anything interesting. 

Ethan placed them down and swiped some of his wavy light brown hair from his eyes before picking up the flashlight and shining it more directly on the pile sitting on a shelf next to the desk. “Don’t know exactly what I’m looking for.” 

Sure he knew his uncle was a horrible guy who was involved with some creature Ash had once described as a tall, but faceless, humanoid wearing a suit. He’d never once ever seen anything like that and had it not been for her father and some other events he probably wouldn’t have believed her. As much as he wanted to help get her out of whatever mess her father had caused, there wasn’t a whole lot of information he had to go on—Ash barely told him anything.

“Gonna take forever…” He groaned internally and began shifting around the books again. After a moment, his eyes locked onto a particularly fancy cover with an almost star-like design that almost seconded as a strange eye. Or, that was what it had likely once looked like; there were claw marks across the cover that certainly looked like a large animal had caused it. “Wait… That one…”

Placing it on the desk in front of him, Ethan flipped it open and began scanning the pages for anything useful. At first he didn’t know what to think as he looked at pages upon pages about some entity or another, many with notes scribbled all around or stick notes pointing things out. Most seemed to involve summoning things. He paused as he landed on one labeled ‘Alastor’. 

For a half second he felt as though he were forgetting something. The name sounded so familiar but he couldn’t place it. The feeling faded quickly and he quickly tried to piece together what the page said. It wasn’t easy given the stains from water and what looked like coffee warped the text in places. Not to mention other wear and tear from years of existence. His uncle’s handwriting wasn’t the easiest to read either, though the drawing of a symbol that somewhat looked like an upside down crescent mixed with two ovals on either side that formed an eye in the center, was perfectly clear. 

“There, that might work!” Other scribbled drawings and mentions of things like ‘ARK being’ lined the page as well but he grinned as he caught rather large red text that read ‘Master’s enemy’. Well, he could guess who that was referring to and surely that meant this particular entity could be helpful. The only trouble was that the summoning portion’s text had been damaged rather badly by a coffee stain but in better lighting he hoped he could figure it out.

Snatching the journal and his flashlight, Ethan hurried back to the stairs. It was possible there could have been other helpful things but this was a good start and he wanted out of the basement. Going up, he wasn’t at all as cautious as he’d been coming down and was practically running up them with a triumphant smile.

“Don’t worry Ash, I’ll figure this ARK stuff out… You’ll have to let me help then.”

Chapter Text

The ARK

Rook stared through their tanned, warped mask at the blood smeared on the obsidian tree back. “...Found you!”

Their prey wasn’t going to get away. Racing through the trees, Rook easily followed the proxy’s trail. “Time to send a message.”

Slenderman wasn’t their enemy by any means… not yet anyway. The entity had no idea Rook even existed… but that would change soon. They were growing stronger and killing Slender’s proxy would be the first move in announcing Rook’s presence. While it was a dangerous move, it was the first warning in their ultimate goal of taking down the ruling figure of the ARK.

Within the mist ahead, the figure in the brown striped jacket’s hand twitched and jerked the hatchet he was holding. The targets in front of him held his focus, which meant the hunter was still unaware he’d become the hunted. The sleeping man stirred as he slipped up and made some rustling noise, causing him to pause and in turn, Rook to slow their approach to a more cautious pace.

“Huh? What was that?” Timothy got to his feet, glaring into the trees. If it weren’t for the heavy fog and missing eye, he would’ve known he was staring right at the threat. “Who’s there?” 

Snaps and more rustling came from the forest yet nothing showed itself. I know I heard something.”

His good eyes missed Rook changing course in the distance and worse still for his health, missed the proxy drawing back the hatchet. It wasn’t until the blade was whirling directly towards his head that Timothy realized the danger had found him first. It didn’t take long for him to know if he died, Jaybird would be killed soon after. “No!”

Not to be left out, Rook revealed themself as they ran up from behind and grabbed the man’s plaid sleeve. With ease, they flung him back several feet where they landed with an oof. He was clear of the hatchet’s path but Rook however, felt the blade cut into their chest. A yelp of pain escaped but there wasn’t much time to assess the wound. The weapon’s owner wasn’t far behind, though they easily yanked the second hatchet from his hand. 

Glancing at the large gash along their chest, Rook could already see the black goo-like substance had bled quickly from the wound. Non-fatal to them but it would certainly have killed a person. A low growl vibrated in the vessel’s throat as Rook focused back on the proxy. 

He seemed amused by the reaction, laughing disjointedly. “You think you can hurt me?” 

The skin of their vessel’s fingertips ripped and tore as Rook forced black claws to grow in place of the nails. More of the azoth dripped down from the mutilation but Rook didn’t pay it any attention. Without further hesitation, the entity initiated the fight once more. 

“What’s going on?” Behind the scuffle, Timothy sat up and watched the fight in confusion for a moment. 

His eyes drifted to the side as he spotted a rather helpful item: the newer looking of the two hatchets that man had attacked with. For a moment he hesitated to grab it, uncertain if he should rejoin the fight or flee with his boyfriend. However, finishing this here and now was ultimately the better option to avoid future run-ins with the man. 

“I have to project Jaybird.” Picking up the hatchet, he did his best to aim with it between the two moving around and his diminished depth perception. 

The blade swished passed the stranger who’d shown up and tossed him back, barely missing their arm and head. Timothy’s heart dropped as the weapon landed with a dull thunk at the attacker’s feet. He’d been accurate enough but being unused to fighting with one eye, he’d ultimately fallen short on the throw. 

The orange goggles tilted to stare in his direction. The man’s messed up mouth twisted into a sneer as his full attention fell onto Timothy; he wouldn’t notice Rook raise their own hatchet. “Missed m—”

Timothy felt sick as the hatchet sliced through the man’s neck, swiftly decapitating him. He’d thought it had been bad to see Alex’s blood gush out… that didn’t hold a candle to this. What was almost worse was watching the stranger kneel down next to the body with their back to them. Had he known they were thinking about how much they were starving and been able to see the masked figure absorb the soul of the deceased man, Timothy probably would’ve bolted then and there before he could even see the sockets of their mask glow white before fading back to black again.

As it was, he remained where he stood and watched them rise back to their feet with a chuckle. The voice sounded slightly raspy as they finally spoke. “And they say proxies are hard to kill… Let’s see how He deals with losing his favorite.” 

Before he could fully process what they said, the figure was already turning their head to face him. “You must be a Source, huh?” 

Timothy tensed, preparing to fight. He wasn’t going to go down without a fight let alone let them lay a hand on the comatose man behind him. 

A ‘tsk’ escaped as they waved their hand dismissively. “You’re not worth killing—Those wounds, you’ll be dead like your partner there, or worse, soon enough.” 

“He’s not dead!” Frustration ran through him at their words as he crouched down and cradled his boyfriend. 

Jaybird was still pale and sickly, rarely stirring since that fit of coughing when they’d first gotten to this place. But Timothy could still see the rise and fall of his chest, as faint as it was. Nothing suggested he was getting better and their words sent fear through him that he wouldn’t get better either. After this fight, Timothy worried about his ability to protect them both as well. It wasn’t like his eye was feeling much better either; it felt infected and irritated. Had he been able to see it, he’d be able to see thin black veins branching out from the empty socket beneath the makeshift eyepatch. 

“Wait.” Timothy looked up to see the figure walking away. They were the only other person he’d seen here and on top of that they hadn’t attacked him. 

Glancing back down at his boyfriend’s face, his vision blurred as he teared up and gave a quiet sniffle. They were in a bad situation; he was desperate and knew he had to do something . “Can… Can you help him?”

The masked figure stopped but didn’t turn to look at him. Timothy watched their head tilt to the side as they raised a hand to their chin in thought. 

Rook was quietly pondering his plea, having no reason to help or not help him. “I suppose they did aid me in that fight… unintentionally. I could repay him.” 

They waved their arm, gesturing for him to follow. “Fine. Follow me, I know a place that’s safe.” 

Warily, he’d pick up Jaybird and carry him on his back. “Everything’s going to be fine… Hopefully.”

As they walked the trees would mostly look the same for a while. Had he been on his own still he would’ve worried they were going in circles again. But perhaps this new ally could notice differences he didn’t, as eventually he did spot something much different. Faintly through the fog, Timothy swore there was something large like a pit in the distance. 

“Huh?” He’d slow and squint, trying to figure out what it could possibly be. It almost felt like it was calling out…

“Keep up.” 

The order snapped him out of it and he once again continued to follow. At some point, flakes of white ashes began falling gently around them. Timothy looked around, confused as to where it came from. Burned stumps were nearly hidden behind the healthy obsidian trees and the ever present mist. 

“Ashes…? This isn’t familiar…” He wasn’t sure if the change was a good or bad thing but didn’t dare slow his pace in such an unfamiliar area and risk losing his guide. “Please tell me this wasn’t a mistake.”

The three continued in silence. Nothing suggested the landscape was about to change until Timothy was suddenly standing somewhere sunlit. The persistent cold and fog suddenly disappeared and was replaced by warmth and normal looking trees. The unexpected shift was almost enough to blind him after so long in a world of gray. 

Now he came to a complete halt. Wonder filled him with the idea that they might indeed be somewhere safe. But it felt too good to be true. Surely it wasn’t that simple to leave? What had they even done to suddenly return to the normal world? “What… is this place? Are we still…?

This time the stranger stopped and turned to face him. “Yes, it’s still the ARK. This is a place I carved out myself.”

They turned away, continuing to walk. “Haven’t given it a name.”

As interesting as it was that they managed to change a part of the ARK so drastically, Timothy was more interested in helping his boyfriend. Being in the ARK wasn’t likely to do that from his experience so far. “He needs a hospital.” 

They scoffed once more. “He would be dead minutes after you left the ARK. I’m not sure how he’s alive.” 

“I’m not sure of that myself.” He turned his head to look at Jaybird’s peaceful face, thinking back to the time he’d found him after arriving in this godforsaken place. It had amazed him he’d been alive after knowing he’d died in his arms seconds before. 

Timothy’s thoughts turned back to the person he was following. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered why they weren’t dead either. “Not sure how they’re alive either. I swear I saw them get hit in the chest back there.”  

As if that was the only strange thing about them. He wasn’t so sure they were a person… maybe they weren’t even real. At least if this was an illusion, it was a hopeful one. As if that idea tripped something, he looked forward again and saw a house nestled in a tree up ahead. “Was that house there a second ago?”

The fact the figure was still talking snapped him out of his thoughts. “Staying put and letting his body recover enough to make the trip out should be your first step.” 

Timothy hoped that was true. It wasn’t like he had much choice but to trust them when he’d already followed them this far. He followed them up the slightly spiral wooden staircase to the large front porch. The outside looked nice, something he definitely wouldn’t expect to find in the ARK and far from a murderer’s cabin in the woods. As he stepped through the doorway, he hoped that was a good sign. 

The masked person stood off to the side of the hall, gesturing to a room off to the right. From where he stood he could see a brown couch in a mostly barren but well lit room. “You can put him in there and get yourself cleaned up.” 

The carpet felt soft beneath his shoes as he walked into the room. Gently, he laid his boyfriend on the couch for the time being. Standing back up, he took a good look at the surroundings. While it was rather bare bones, the warm, autumn-like colors did give him a sense of relaxation and hominess. 

His eyes caught his new ally leaving again. “Wait, where are you going?”

Almost immediately he wished he hadn’t asked. They turned, holding up the head of that guy from earlier. Somehow, he’d been so focused on trying to map out where they were going and figuring out other things that he’d missed them even carrying it. What they said in response made him even more uneasy. “To deliver a message.” 

Timothy fell silent, letting them leave without further questions. It was disturbing but the fact he was still alive and they bothered to bring him here was something to suggest the two of them would be safe… Hopefully.

Chapter Text

The ARK

Slenderman’s face began tearing, a loud distorted ringing sound of displeasure emitting throughout the surrounding area. “This will not do.”

His gaze, while physically lacking eyes, was locked onto the severed head left on display in his territory. Behind the entity, his proxies stood waiting after his telepathic summoning. 

“He was like a brother…” X-Virus’ thought was something the creature could care less about. The young proxy’s sentiment could be useful though if the entity pushed him in the right direction…

“Who did this?” The teen spoke up, his voice trembling through his gas mask, his saddened stare hidden behind blue goggles. 

Irritated by the question, Slenderman coiled a tentacle further around Toby’s hair and kept his back to the proxies. The decapitated head was held behind his shoulder, now clearly on display for them to see if they’d had trouble before. “Silence!”

The telepathic command was immediately followed. Despite not facing them, the entity could tell that X-Virus was now looking down at the ground in shame and grief, one hand brought up to his face. The remaining three were all watching Slender with rapt attention as they should be as they awaited orders.

“Hazard, Rouge, up the patrols.” He picked them tactfully. Rouge has always been good at patrolling and hadn’t failed him yet. Hazard was more of a multi-purpose proxy, meant to work hunts as well as patrols; she did each without hesitation. Both of them were quite skilled at close range combat and shared claws for weapons as well—though Hazard’s weren’t removable and could double as pressurized needles at the tips when they weren’t retracted to poison targets. 

For the remaining two, Slender felt it was more important to cover other bases as well. It wasn’t going to do them any good if they didn’t continue on their original missions. “Kate, X-Virus, resume your tasks as usual for now.” 

The entity knew his Chaser wouldn’t disappoint, however the boy was another story. With the death of someone he was close to he would be more vulnerable… Humans were such weak creatures, the entity mused. Even with him giving them less human traits like their difficulty being killed, many were still easily broken. X-Virus would need to be guided. It was likely Slenderman could use this pain to his advantage, urging the proxy’s grief to become vengeful. 

But that brought him back to the subject of just what had done this to his prized proxy. Anger radiated from the entity as he observed the severed head, one of his many tendrils rising to his featureless face and curling slightly under his chin. “Whatever did this took his soul…”

One of his immediate thoughts was that The Operator had done this. While weaker than himself, the other entity was still something to keep an eye on… and destroy. “That youngling?”

“...Or a new player?” The Operator wasn’t the only culprit. In fact, their species wasn’t the type to feed off souls. Their kind enjoyed feeding off the life force, which would leave the soul behind to suffer even longer in that pit once their body had failed them. It meant that, if he wanted, Slender could kill them and revive them once more so long as the body was salvageable to use as cannon fodder when necessary. 

But to take a soul… It ripped that chance away once the body was killed. Whatever did this was clearly sending him a message. 

“Dude I would not give him more bad news right now.” Hazard’s voice spoke up somewhere behind him. 

Slenderman twisted his head around like an owl might to stare at the newcomer. His fury only rose, as he already knew why Watcher had arrived. He’d known this was coming since Pawn had failed to kill the Source and ran away. 

Watcher stepped around the shorter proxy and knelt down when the entity didn’t dismiss him. Respectfully, the man bowed by kneeling down on a knee and stared at the ground. “...We lost her location.”

Slender turned to face the messenger before him, an action that would appear to make him distort and disappear for a moment before reappearing in the new position to the human. “I am aware of Pawn’s setback.” 

Losing the location was an annoyance but nothing that couldn’t be rectified. Then again, Watcher was one of the newer proxies. While he was happy to follow orders without Slender taking control of the man to push his will upon, he wasn’t always the best for the job. There was a reason he wasn’t high up in the ranks… but at least having him around meant he could keep closer tabs on Pawn without wasting a good proxy on the job. 

“We shall correct their failure shortly. You know what to do.” 

“Yes master.” Watcher rose to his feet and left, ready to obey his wishes without question. Of course he knew what to do, he’d seen one of the others do it before and had been the one to carry the messages to the traitor enough times already.

Pawn was a difficult case. A born proxy who held no interest in doing his bidding. Even after sending them to HABIT and being pushed to the brink of death, she wouldn’t relent to his orders. But Slenderman was a god and gods always got what they willed to happen. Pawn hadn’t cared what happened to her but to friends… Well, that was a human trait that didn’t seem like it could be bred out of every born proxy. It was unfortunate but at least the game was of mild interest. 

Unlike this current attack against him. Slender would rip whoever did this apart. He was the King of the ARK! A god! This would not go unpunished.

Chapter Text

A few days later

Tim was smoking outside, enjoying the morning while leaning against the building as he waited for Jay to join him outside. Exhaling a breath of smoke, he heard the door to Jay’s room open as if on queue and turned to watch the man walk over to him. They hadn’t been traveling together long but the action had already seemed to be a habit.

He lowered the cigarette and stared at the sidewalk, already guessing what Jay would ask. Instead, he spoke first with his own thoughts on the matter. “It’s been a few days, if she doesn’t wake up soon we need to get her to a hospital and move on.”

“And have them ask questions?” Jay’s eyes bore into him and then shook his head. “What if they got the police involved? They can’t help us.”

“Seriously?” The shorter man spoke quietly. He couldn’t believe Jay thought that was more important than keeping someone alive. Of course the police couldn’t help them—they’d be called crazy if they tried to explain and would likely get in trouble themselves—but at least the hospital might know how to help the stranger Jay had picked up.

“We should wait a little longer. They’ve been in and out of it since last night,” Jay pointed out, “that has to mean they’ll wake up soon.” 

“I hope so.” He turned away from Jay and took another hit on his cigarette. “We can’t stay here forever.”

They’d already stayed long enough in his opinion. Given how quickly Alex had tracked Jay down that night it was a surprise the crazed man hadn’t in the few days they’d been at this new hotel. Granted, this place was much further away than Jay’s last hotel had been from the area Alex had been.

“I know that.” Jay quickly changed the subject. “Let’s just… Get some breakfast. Then we can figure out—”

He ran a hand through his dark hair and closed his eyes with a long exhale. The day had barely started and he was already feeling irritated. “You keep saying that but we haven’t figured out anything.” 

Tim dropped the unfinished cigarette to the ground, extinguishing it with his shoe. Sometimes he really wondered if Jay had an actual plan. “You said you had leads.” 

“I—well, uh, I do…” Jay rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting Tim’s gaze for a moment before thinking of a way to defend himself. “But maybe there’s more to this than I—than we, realize!”

He gave the man a doubtful look before turning inside his hotel room—he hadn’t trusted the man enough to share one nor would they have had enough beds for the third member of their little party. It was too early to argue on the matter and he was hungry. Who knew, maybe Jay would actually come up with the start of a plan while they ate. “I need to grab my wallet.”

The pit was dark. But, within the darkness she could see hands reaching, grasping for her in attempts to claw at her and drag her down further into the gray muck with them. The inhuman screeches and growls echoed endlessly around her alongside the familiar voices of the dead.

Many were filled with malice. “You killed us!”

“Broken.” Some were sullen and cold.

The voices shot blame down at her. “Your fault!” 

“How many more?” Several voices cried out in dread and melancholy.  “Why did you let this happen?” 

Their hands continued to reach and grasp, the tones as gray as the sludge they unseen owners of the hands had crawled up from. The nails were sharp and demonic; they’d surely rip her to shreds if they reached her. Her body felt like it was sinking in quicksand.

“You let me die.” Which was quickly followed by a voice agreeing. “You let us die!”

“Blood on your hands.” 

“Killer!” 

“Drag you down with us.” 

“Why can’t I move?” Ash, with the last free hand, reached for the small pale circle above. The last glimpse of freedom from the heart of the ARK. But it was too late, the ground had nearly swallowed her completely.

The voices spoke one last time, their voices joining in unison. “Be consumed with us!”

Her eyes snapped open. Ash quickly tried to move on the bed she’d been lying on, shaken from the nightmare, only to find she couldn’t. Restraints held her arms uncomfortably behind her back while one also wrapped around her ankles. Struggling, fear began to race through her over the reasoning behind being captured. 

For a moment, she thought back to her friend… and HABIT. Ash hadn’t been able to do anything, restrained and weakened. All she could do was watch as the entity tortured her friend before finally dropping their body in front of her. Their blond hair was patched with red while bones stuck out in places after being snapped and twisted enough to tear through the muscle and skin. The purple duct tape HABIT had restrained them with had broken… but it wasn’t much help anymore. Even still alive, her friend wasn’t in any shape to even try escaping. 

“You look a bit tied up. Too bad—for them.” HABIT had said. “Don’t worry, you’re next.” 

“Huh?” The click of a lock and rattle of a doorknob as someone entered the room snapped her back to the present. Her eyes locked onto the hall that the newcomer would have to walk down.

It wasn’t long before a man in red flannel came into sight, pausing with a quiet “oh” of surprise upon seeing her. Ash gasped and fought harder against the restraints, grunting as she tried desperately to free herself. Not paying attention, she soon found herself falling off the edge of the bed. “Mmmph!”  

Twisting in an attempt to avoid landing on her face, she landed on the green carpet. Unfortunately, that meant landing on her arm instead. Pain lanced through the already injured area as the landing jostled her shoulder. “Ahhoww…” 

Panting, she tried to sit up and saw the man standing at the end of the bed, his head turned towards the door as he called someone. “Jay, get in here!” 

A whimper escaped despite trying to hide the discomfort. Finally, she managed to get the belt restraining her legs off and kicked it away. The belt landed at the man’s feet with a quiet thump. 

“Calm down.” He stepped closer and began kneeling down. “I’m not going to—”

Ash didn’t give him a chance to finish. With as much strength she could muster in her position, she kicked out at him. The attack hit hard judging by his reactions. The initial sound of the air being kicked out of him followed by the man hunching down with an arm protectively shielding his waist and stomach as he huffed breathlessly was a good indication of that.

“Jay!” Once more he called out, though this time his voice was shakier.

Still stuck between him and the corner of the room, Ash scooted away. Her wrists were still bound, as the belt had been done much tighter than her legs. “I’m trapped…”  

To make it worse, this time ‘Jay’ came running at his partner’s call. “What’s going—”

“Oh,” surprise crossed his face as he slowed and saw the scene before he grinned. “You’re awake!” 

“Huh? Wait… He’s familiar.” While she was still uncertain about the situation, Ash managed to form a faint smile as she stared up at Jay. 

“You remember me, right? I, uh, helped you out?” 

Ash looked away, her back pressed against the wall. “...Yeah… Sort of.” 

The last thing she recalled was the Source trying to bash her head in with her own bat outside that hotel Jay had taken her to. Even that wasn’t easy to recall given how out of it she’d been. “It’s hazy.” 

The man in the flannel got to his feet, now eyeing her warily as he stood next to Jay, who continued talking as if he hadn’t noticed his friend had been lying on the floor. “Do you remember after you left? Tim saved you from Alex.”

“Not really.” Ash barely remembered the Source—Alex—attacking her again. She certainly didn’t remember Tim or how she’d ended up in this new hotel.

Tim gestured to the belt, still cautious but seemingly trying to extend an olive branch. “I can take that belt off if you don’t attack us.” 

Nodding, Ash let herself start to relax. They didn’t want a fight and she preferred not to fight either, as if she was in the right shape to do so. Turning her back to him, she let Tim unclip the belt restraining her wrists. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were with him.” 

“Thought you might’ve been with that Source.” Her muscles were sore as she brought her wrists up and rubbed them once the belt was off. Quieter, she mumbled her other initial idea under her breath. “...Or someone worse…” 

HABIT could be anyone and she’d be damned if she ended up trapped again with that maniac.

Tim paused upon hearing the term ‘Source’. The hesitation went unnoticed by the other two but he couldn’t help but feel slightly paranoid about it. “Source? That’s what Alex called me.”

He went to stand by Jay again, letting the taller man lead the conversation for now. The man was all too eager to get answers, his camera in hand ready to capture it all. “So who are you? I, uh, never got your name.” 

“Ash.” 

“Ash…?” 

She brought her hand to her hip, the motion hurting her shoulder though she didn’t react to the pain. “Do you need a full name? No offense but you two are strangers.” 

“Well, um, can we at least ask you a few questions?” Jay didn’t seem discouraged by the answer, still pressing for more information. Give him an inch and he’d try to take a mile. “Since you seemed to know about all this.” 

‘All this’ was a very general term but all three of them knew exactly what he meant. Crossing her arms, Ash decided to play along for now. “Huhh… Like what?”

Chapter Text

There was a moment of silence as Jay sat the camera down on the tv stand. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times before holding out the phone to show Ash the photo on the screen. “Have you seen Brian?”

She stared at the picture. By the angle, it was a selfie of Jay and another man she could assume to be Brian cuddled up to each other standing in a gazebo. Clearly it was taken a while ago, as the tired look Jay currently wore wasn’t present; the two appeared happily unaware of what was to come. 

Tim turned to look at Jay, saddened by the reminder of his lost friend. “Jay… I don’t think—”

“I’m not giving up on him.” There was no room for argument. Jay wasn’t giving up on his boyfriend… even if he hadn’t seen him for years now.

Ash finished observing the picture and thinking back to other Sources she’d taken care of in the past. Luckily, she supposed, she was able to shake her head. “No, I haven’t—sorry. Is he involved in this too?”

“How many others are involved?” Ash had thought she was just dealing with one Source and maybe a couple survivors… This seemed to involve more people than Slenderman had let on. But these two didn’t seem sick, perhaps they’d avoided Slender’s radar… for now.

“Maybe.” Jay rubbed the back of his neck, disappointed in the answer. All he could think of was that bullet casing he’d found in Brian’s house. “I just… I just hope Alex didn’t kill him.” 

The three stood in awkward silence. Ash didn’t know what to say, she barely knew their names. Meanwhile, Tim did know a little more how Jay felt… he just didn’t want to give the man false hope. 

Jay sniffled, forcing back the tears beginning to prick at his eyes, and cleared his throat as he put the phone back in his pocket. He’d wanted to know, hoped that someone this stranger might’ve run into Brian at some point, and now he had an answer. It wasn’t confirmation that he was dead, which meant as unlikely as it was by this point Brian could still be out there.

Tim took over the conversation, tilting his head to the side as he questioned her about something he was still somewhat suspicious about. “How do you know Alex anyway? There a reason he came after you?”

Ash stared for a moment before turning away; she couldn’t look Tim in the eye as she spoke. “He’s a Source. He’d probably go after anyone he was paranoid about.”

It wasn’t a lie, at least not a complete one. But she wasn’t about to admit to attacking Alex first let alone that she’d done so in an attempt to kill him. Last thing she needed was to cause more trouble.

“Just like that guy in the tunnel…” Jay commented, though the reference to who he was talking about went over her head. 

She could only assume it was one of Alex’s victims.

Unlike Jay, Tim seemed more doubtful of what she’d said. The man stared at her, arching his eyebrow “Is that the only reason? Looked like you were both beat up before we found you.” 

“I… uh, I was trying to…” Ash stalled for a moment, trying to think of an excuse. She ended up just crossing her arms and looking away again, stubbornly refusing to give them any information that could involve them further. “Look, the less you know about my business the safer you’ll both be.”

Her body tensed as Tim moved closer, his dark eyes boring into her as he paused in front of her. Nothing on his face suggested he believed her and Ash wondered what would happen if things turned ugly. She was still uneasy even after he walked to the side of the other bed, bending down to grab something. When he stood up, a familiar bat was held in his hands. The fact he had it in his hands did little to ease her worries, even with a bed between them and despite the knowledge he wasn’t holding it in a threatening manner.

“You attacked him, didn’t you. Why?” 

Still cautious, she tried to answer carefully but as truthfully as possible. “He’s dangerous like any other Source. Left alive, he could kill or infect so many more people.” 

“Well, she isn’t wrong about that… but are we safe?” Tim silently had to agree, even if he didn’t like the implications of what Ash was saying. He couldn’t be sure whether or not she wouldn’t see them as Sources if she knew about his… masked state… 

His eyes shifted to the broken mask on the small table between the beds; it was broken and cracked from Alex’s attack. Knowing the person before him had something vaguely similar to what his mask looked like both unnerved him and nagged at his curiosity. 

“And the mask?” 

Ash’s head snapped to where he was looking,her teeth gritted slightly in alarm. She hadn’t thought about it after waking up, not with everything else that had occurred. However, she calmed quickly; there was a truthful and logical reason she could give. No need to lie completely about it. 

“To avoid being recognized by people like Alex. If they figured out who I was then it would put people I care about in danger.” 

“Like Ethan?” Jay asked.

“Yeah.” 

The response was short as she looked down, hands coming to rest on her hips despite the discomfort it caused the bullet wound in her shoulder. It was bad enough that proxies knew her and who to use against her—Ethan being one of her biggest worries; she didn’t need more threats like Sources coming after her friends and family too. 

“Who is he?” 

“My cousin… And someone I don’t want involved.” Ash turned her back to him, though glanced over her shoulder to give one last explanation. “That’s why I need to get back before he does something stupid.”

It was bad enough he already somewhat knew about where she ran off to and why. The memory of Jay mentioning Ethan thought he’d found something that could help on the brief phone call could lead to something much worse. Being out a few days, who knew what mess Ethan might be getting himself into.

“Wait, you shouldn’t go out alone again.” Jay darted around her and blocked their path. 

Ash once again felt her body tense up at just how close he was. While his spread arms and quick movements hadn’t meant to be threatening, she couldn’t help but eye the hand hovering over her uninjured shoulder warily. With how he stood, she almost felt cornered before spotting her way around him. 

Slipping around him, Ash continued to watch Jay carefully. While he wasn’t a Source yet, that didn’t mean he might not turn violent. She didn’t know him well as a person but if he was infected by the sickness then who knew what he might do. “I’ll be fine.” 

So focused on the taller of the two men, Ash didn’t hear Tim sit the bat down and walk into her path. She would’ve ran right into him too had she not turned around in time to see his hand out motioning her to stop. Surprising, they jerked back in alarm as if he’d tried stabbing her. For a split second, confusion crossed his face but he lowered his hand without commenting on her reaction. 

Ash still remained on guard even as Jay continued trying to convince her. “We can help you get back. It’ll be faster than walking.” 

“It’s up to you, but it’s something to consider.” Tim shifted to the side, gesturing that she was free to leave. His dark eyes shot a look at Jay as if to emphasize his point to the taller man. “We aren’t going to keep you here against your will.” 

Jay had made a good point, Ash would admit that. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two as she tried to think. The two were strangers and ones who might not exactly be trustworthy—especially if they had the sickness. If it wasn’t too late, keeping them from getting involved further could benefit them. But going alone would mean it could take longer to reach Ethan. The two had helped her and as of yet didn’t really seem like they wanted trouble. 

“Yeah… Guess it would be.” Defeated by the logic, Ash gave in. She ran a hand through her hair and looked over to Jay, still determined to set some boundary. “But I think it’s best if we meet Ethan halfway. I can make sure he’s safe and you two are involved for a shorter time.” 

“Phone’s probably dead from what I saw when I uh…” 

Ash shot Jay a look, not wanting to be reminded that he’d been going through her phone. 

He was quick to recover from the hesitation. “You can borrow one of our chargers, think they should work.” 

“Thanks…” 

“We’re about to get breakfast if you wanna join. Could let it charge while we’re out.” 

The offer was tempting. Being out for several days, Ash could definitely use a nice meal. However, her shoulder was aching and needed a new bandage too. Plus, a shower was definitely in order too. That would have to come first.

“Oh um, yeah… sure.” She rubbed her shoulder and looked away, still feeling conflicted about the pair’s kindness towards her. “Mind if I clean up a little first?” 

“There should still be some towels and stuff you can use.” Tim spoke up now, knowing more than Jay would given this was his hotel room. 

He turned and began digging through his bag, searching through the clothes while feeling Ash’s gaze watching him. A moment later, the man found what he’d been searching for and tossed the charger on his bed for her to use.

Heading to the door, he motioned with his thumb as he finalized their plans, wanting to give Ash some space—much to her relief. “We’ll be waiting outside.”

Jay was quick to grab his camera and follow the shorter man out, only pausing to look over his shoulder. “After we’re done eating we can swing by the store if you need anything.

“Alright.” 

Ash watched the door shut, hearing it lock behind them. The silence of the empty room would’ve felt relaxing if it weren’t for the doubts still lingering in her mind. “Are they really just… Helping me?”

Surely they had to have an alternative motive. They’d asked questions but it had been far from an interrogation she’d expect from those infected by the sickness. The situation was so strange to her. Even proxies usually had strings attached to any help they gave. But they only appeared to be infected. They weren’t full blow Sources yet from how they acted—much too calm and rational for a Source.

Her eyes fell to the broken mask once more. “They might have a chance to escape that fate… I can’t let Him know about them.” 

“As long as the sickness doesn’t worsen. I don’t want needless blood on my hands.” Leaving her phone to charge, Ash made her way to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. A hot shower would definitely help her feel better.

Chapter Text

In the ARK, Alastor stood under the stone archway that was slowly starting to crumble where it sat on an island surrounded by a small river of water—probably the only source of the stuff in the entire realm. The fog made it difficult to see much beyond the trees on the other side. Not that it mattered. Little here that he couldn’t sense the presence of would count as a threat if it came down to it. But he was beginning to grow impatient while waiting for the tall figure who’d asked—more like demanded—a meeting.

Finally, he could feel a shift in the air. His head turned to watch the space distort. A lanky figure in a suit flickered into sight as Slender arrived on the opposite side of the river. The entity was much taller than him despite the pair both possessing god-like abilities; Alastor wasn’t intimidated by the difference. 

Instead, he looked up to the taller being’s ‘face’ and ignored the tentacles that threatened to reach across the water towards him. The demon’s tone kept a bored tone as he kept his eyes on where the twig’s face used to be. “Is there a reason you requested my presence?”

While Slenderman’s face didn’t change, he did bend over to loom threateningly closer. There was a feeling of rage beneath this barely constrained calm and the rasping voice ‘spoke’ up in answer to the question—already blaming Alastor despite asking a question. 

“I lost a proxy. Do you know anything about that?”

Oh, great. So that was what this whole thing was about. It was insulting really. While the two were far from friends, Alastor had hoped Twiggy would realize he knew better than to kill a proxy. He barely held interest in anything Slender did… barely.  

“Now why would I care to mess with your pets?” 

“There are not many who could have done it. ” Well, that wasn’t entirely true; proxies were hard to kill but not impossible for others. Alastor let him continue however, silently amused as he watched the tentacles start to thrash in irritation. “What do you know?” 

His third eye on his forehead rolled in response to the assumption. “Oh please, I kill a few thousand in that war with Zalgo and now you act like I’d want to start another one. Don’t forget, I killed his minions too. I didn’t want anything to do with it.” 

Keeping his unconcerned demeanor—he wasn’t guilty of this after all, why should he worry—Alastor leaned back against the side of the arch. “I don’t want your stolen crown. Why don’t you ask the one you took it from when you invaded this dimension?” 

It was a sore point to the entity. Alastor enjoyed making the jab and watching as Slender collected himself. The tentacles that were just writhing around lowered and came to a rest, though clearly the twig was far from pleased with his retaliation. 

But the entity was far from defeated and quickly came back with his own sneered retort. “No… you’ve gone soft. Sentimental for a human, pathetic. You may not have killed my proxy but if I find out you were involved…”

A growl rose in his throat. “Don’t threaten me Twiggy!” 

For a moment the pair glared at each other. Alastor’s teeth were bared, his yellow eyes glowing brighter in preparation to use his power. Across the water, distortion began forming around Slenderman and his tentacles rose once more. This time, his blank white ‘face’ began to rip open in a snarl—between the gaps, smaller tentacles could be seen within. If it weren’t for the physical distance perhaps a fight would’ve broken out then and there, although the distance wouldn’t be difficult to close should one make a move. 

Slender seemed to find the near-fight unnecessary and once again lowered his tentacles. “I have a request.”

“After you insult me?”

Amusement took over the other entity as he raised a tentacle to his chin, almost as if he was chuckling silently to himself. “You will like this one. It involves your… human. I wish to keep him alive this iteration… see if it keeps Pawn in line.” 

Good. Alastor was frankly bored of using Ethan as an energy source. The poor man didn’t deserve to be driven mad anyway in his opinion and seeing him die over and over again was beginning to make him sick—perhaps he was getting too attached to him. 

A hint of a smile crossed his face as he tilted his head, trying not to seem overly enthused by Slender’s decision. He even threw in a ‘compliment’ at the end. “Then I guess we’re on the same page. I’ve grown tired of repeating the same routine with him each iteration. Ethan doesn’t deserve to suffer and die believing Ash could ever escape you.” 

This time there was an evil chuckle, entertained by the demon’s words. “You allow yourself to grow attached to your victim. Do you think he’d ever see you the same way if he knew you destroyed his sanity in past cycles?” 

His gaze fell to the reflection of his head in the water. Slender was right, Ethan would never trust him let alone like him. But that wasn’t important, was it? And Alastor would be damned if he let himself get spoken down to by Slender.  “...So long as he isn’t harmed… Otherwise perhaps I’ll have a reason to retaliate…” 

Slenderman’s tentacles began thrashing once more, his face splitting open again in anger at the threat. Alastor didn’t stick around. His face fell into a look of disinterest before he turned and walked under the arch and through the portal. 

---

Ethan shut the book he’d taken from his uncle’s basement with a snap and a sigh of breath. “Should’ve known nothing would happen.” 

The lit candles arranged in the shape described in the journal still sat on the ground in front of him. It was hard to say if he messed up given the tears and stains that had ruined the text in some places—he was, however, content not knowing what caused the stains considering some looked suspiciously like dried blood instead of coffee. 

“Maybe a different one will work… Or I missed a step?” He wasn’t going to figure it out soon; it was much too late—or early at this point—to keep trying. 

He turned his back on the scene, intending to clean up and leave for home. His eyes landed on a pair of glowing yellow eyes behind him however and Ethan’s body jolted with shock. 

“Aaahhh!” Tripping over his own feet, he fell backwards onto the ground.

The demon continued his approach, blue-gray skin becoming visible in the firelight as he got closer. Ethan could also see a third eye resting under one of three horns on his head. Vaguely, the features seemed to resemble the symbol he’d made with the candles. Despite that, as he sat there trembling, his mind seemed to draw a blank of anything the book had told him about who he was trying to summon.

“W-who are you?” His voice was just as shaky as his body. Suddenly this didn’t seem like a great idea anymore.

The demon stopped before reaching him, which was… somewhat calming Ethan supposed. It was enough to snap him out of his initial shock at least. He grabbed the journal from where it had fallen next to him, flipping through the pages as quickly as he could.

“Wait… Wait… Are you Alastor?” 

The page came up and he stared for a moment. There wasn’t much in terms of an actual picture, just a small scribble of three horns and a face with three eyes amongst the other notes. But context clues would suggest that if he’d done this ritual and the name on the page said Alastor, then that had to be the demon before him.

A sharp-toothed grin crossed the demon’s face as he held one hand to his chest and the other behind his back. “In the flesh.” 

“Can… can you help me?” It was probably best to get right to the point. “I uh, I want to make a deal!” 

Alastor’s face changed, the smile dropping slightly. “This doesn’t seem familiar to you, does it? This doesn’t… ring any bells? No sense of deja vu?” 

“What? ..,No?” Confusion swept through him. Why on earth would any of this be familiar?

Alastor looked… Disappointed? Ethan wasn’t sure why the demon he’d just met would react like that but it at least made him feel a bit more comfortable that he wasn’t going to be killed or something.

“I guess the plan didn’t work.” Alastor whispered to himself, too quiet for Ethan to hear anything specific. Stepping closer however, the demon leaned down with a hand on one knee to look Ethan in the eye as he spoke louder. “I won’t be making a deal with you.”

“But why not? Isn’t that what demons do? Like, I give you my soul or something and you do what I ask?” He didn’t want to throw away his soul but if it helped save his cousin from whatever was after them… It’d been worth a shot.

“I don’t barter in souls.” 

Something along the lines of relief mixed with the worry. 

“Then what do you want?” Silence met his words as Alastor kept his back to him. Ethan scratched the back of his head. “Okay… Fine. Then why won’t you make a deal?” 

Alastor looked over his shoulder. “It would kill you.” 

“What!?” 

He choked out the word as a shudder ran through his body. He hadn’t known what answer to expect but being told it’d kill him wasn’t it. Although, considering Ethan was dealing with a demon, maybe that should’ve been something he should’ve considered… 

Alastor turned and began stalking around him like a wolf or perhaps a shark given those sharp teeth. “It’s happened every time. You summon me. We make a deal, your sanity for your cousin’s safety. Then when you break that protection ends… and one way or another you wind up dead.” 

The demon stopped in front of him, staring Ethan down as he processed what he’d said. Ethan knew Ash, and her father, were into something dangerous but he’d never thought about how it could hurt him. He’d been told to leave things be but how could he when doing nothing had nearly gotten Ash killed? Technically… they had died before the doctors had been able to resuscitate and stabilize her. Ethan just didn’t expect to fall into such a dangerous feeling situation so fast… 

The silence continued to stretch and Ethan eventually had to break eye contact with the glowing yellow eyes and the third eye that watched his every move. “I don’t… How do I know you aren’t lying?” 

“I have no reason to.” 

Did demons need reasons to not lie? Maybe this one wasn’t the worst. As harsh as Alastor’s words had been, he hadn’t actually laid a finger on him or acted like he was going to try killing him. He also seemed to know things Ethan hadn’t told him, which might mean his warnings held some form of truth.

“You… You said I should remember you. Why? Can you help me remember?”

A look of worry crossed Alastor’s face. “I could… show you memories from your past lives, yes.” 

Ethan’s hopes rose for a moment… and then were dashed as Alastor continued speaking. “It isn’t a good idea. Your mind might not be able to handle it.”

“Seriously?” Ethan turned back towards the candles that were still burning, not quite as unnerved about the answer now that he was expecting responses like that. He blew out the dimming flames, the smoke drifting and dissipating in the morning air. “Is there anything important I should know at least?”

“Hard to say. Some events might not even happen this iteration.” 

Picking up his uncle’s book he must’ve dropped in his earlier shock without noticing, Ethan once more went to Alastor’s page. “The book says you’re the enemy of that thing Marcus followed. By that logic, whatever’s after Ash is the same thing. So why won’t you help?”

“Your cousin is part of His game. To interfere could make things worse.” Alastor could picture it; Ethan’s family member drenched in the blood of victims Slenderman had puppeteered and manipulated her into killing. They were a fly caught in a spider’s web without hope of escape. 

“But—”

“I can’t do anything to help your cousin. Their fate is sealed.” He crossed his arms. As much as he hated Slender, the consequences of making the entity too angered wasn’t worth it. “Doing so could risk starting another war.” 

“Fine. I’ll find a way to stop what’s going on myself.” 

“Why? You can’t stop it.” 

Ethan walked past him for a few steps before looking over his shoulder. Had Alastor never had a family he cared for? Did demons have families? It certainly didn’t seem like he had anyone he cared for. “Ash is family. I’m not letting them suffer alone.” 

He kept walking through the trees, not failing to notice that the demon was following a short distance behind. Ethan was confused as to why Alastor would be following him when it seemed their business was done but he stayed silent as he retraced his steps through the trees back towards the parking lot. The dawn light slowly brightened through the leaves as they walked in silence. 

As they got to the edge of the forest however, his phone began chiming as it rang in his pocket. Surprise went through him, though at first he expected it to be his girlfriend, Emma. A cautious smile crossed his face though when he saw Ash’s name on the caller ID; usually he was the one to contact her. 

“Hey, are you okay?” 

Hearing her speak, Ethan felt relieved that she sounded alive and well. Considering how often she disappeared it was hard to know sometimes. Not to mention the last time he’d called she’d been silent the whole time he’d told her his idea about how to get answers. The fact she was asking him to come meet her to take her back home also gave him some hope that, just maybe, she was starting to let him into the world she kept trying to keep him out of. 

“Yeah I can do that. It’ll be a day or so, I was out camping and getting some photos for this freelance project. Is that okay?” 

It wasn’t a lie. He had gotten some pictures for a freelance journalism job while he was out—the camera and a few other supplies were still in the back of the car he’d borrowed from Emma to avoid damaging his sports car. But… he’d also done some other things too, like summoning Alastor and breaking into Marcus’ old house. After the last call he expected her to be suspicious and question if he was telling the truth—it had only been a few days even if it seemed much longer. 

Ash only gave a simple agreement along with the time and location to meet. 

“Great I’ll see you then!” He heard the call end and slid his phone into his pocket before turning to confront Alastor; Ethan could feel the three eyes burning into his back the whole phone call. “If you’re not going to help, why are you following me?”

Alastor followed him to the car, heading to the passenger’s side while Ethan got into the driver’s seat. “You have a tendency to get yourself killed. I said I couldn’t help Ash, not that I can’t help you.” 

There he went again about him dying. It wasn’t like Ethan could remember other ‘iterations’ as Alastor called it. Were those supposed to be alternate timelines or something?

“I don’t need help. I barely know anything about what’s really going on.” 

“That’s the problem...” 

“Ow…” The demon winced as he hit the thinner, middle horn against the car’s door frame with a thunk as he climbed into the vehicle. 

He couldn’t tell if it actually hurt Alastor or not but by this point Ethan just gave him an unamused side-eye with one eyebrow raised as he waited for the demon to get in. Finally ready to leave, he began heading home. 

“Just so you know, you’re not coming with me to pick them up.” 

Not only would Ash freak out if they saw him with a literal demon, but he wasn’t entirely sure if he could trust Alastor after what he’d said so far. Time would tell he guessed...

Chapter Text

“I’m not giving up on him.”
The hooded man stared at the small screen as Jay’s latest entry played on his phone. The fact Jay was defending him, despite going radio silent on him for years, was touching. This whole time, his college boyfriend was still holding onto the idea he was alive and out in the world somewhere.
“Jay…” His voice rasped out from lack of use while heat rose to his cheeks.
Little did his boyfriend—if he could still call him that—know that Brian was sitting in the bushes outside the motel the trio was staying in. By now though, the man wasn’t sure how much of Brian was even left when his brain was constantly being scrambled. Sometimes the name Jay’s viewers gave him felt more like his identity than his actual one. But he was trying.
It was difficult to track Jay but that was a good thing. It meant Alex would have a harder time finding him too. But when he’d seen that newcomer Jay had picked up off the road… He’d gotten a bad feeling. So far the two had been safe with Ash around but he felt the need to be nearby so he could protect Jay himself if need be.
A door slamming shut in the parking lot caught him off guard—a mistake that didn’t usually occur. Flinching at the sound, Hoody ducked down further behind the bushes, relying on them and the thin amount of trees to cover him. The dawn light certainly wouldn’t do him favors. From a small gap, he watched as a stranger in a gray jacket with a lime-green accent color walked down the sidewalk with a shoebox in hand. A black bandana with the same accent color hid the lower half of his face, only serving to ring more alarm bells.
His gut clenched. Even from where he stood he could see some type of liquid was dripping through the cardboard. Every muscle tensed as he watched the man approach Tim’s door and fiddle with the cheap lock before creeping inside. The man hadn’t even given the bushes a glance to know he’d been caught red handed. Hoody stood, placing a hand on the trunk next to him as he hesitated.
The coast was clear of anyone else. He took the chance and bolted across the parking lot, pressing his back against the side of the building outside the still cracked open door so he could assess where the stranger was. The man had already made his way between the two beds in the room, placing the box on the small table between Tim’s bed and Ash’s. Quickly and quietly the hooded man slunk into the room and moved to hide behind the open door that linked to Jay’s adjacent room. For a second he paused to look into Jay’s room but the man was sleeping peacefully and unaware of the two intruders. He shifted his focus back on the likely threat; the man was standing between the beds still but was now staring down at Ash’s sleeping form. He should’ve known they had something to do with this guy.
It was so silent that despite the man whispering, Hoody could still faintly hear what was being said. “Shouldn’t’ve hesitated to kill him, Pawn…”
A chuckle made the hairs on his arms prickle as the man continued. “But hey, maybe a friend will help remind you.”
It wasn’t hard for him to put the implication together. What the man said plus what he could now see was a bleeding box… Hoody felt sick. He continued peeking out, not daring to move just yet in case he made things worse. Tim wouldn’t automatically assume he was there to help.
Still, his stomach churned more as the stranger turned to look down at Tim—horribly unobservant to Hoody’s presence or Ash’s shudder behind him.
“Oh Pawn… you are in trouble. Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you. I’m sure Master would love a nice snack anyway.”
Tim mumbled in his sleep, clearly about to wake up from the man’s disruption. Good. But that didn’t mean his own muscles weren’t tensed and ready to jump into action. Hoody’s feelings about Tim were mixed but he wasn’t going to let him be murdered. Especially not by someone who wanted to feed him to something—probably that tall creature stalking them all.
“Back off!”
The next part happened quickly. Ash sat up with a whispered-shout the only warning before they leapt at the man; a barely human snarl accompanied the action. Hoody watched with only borderline relief as the two fell to the ground with a thump. Ash had the man pinned for only a second prior to being tossed off.
Once more he prepared for a fight… But instead watched the stranger sprint for the door, once again missing Hoody who was easily in his line of sight. He was grateful his cover wasn’t blown but the lack of observation made him want to roll his eyes. Ash, too focused on their pursuit, gave chase without acknowledging him either.
Despite that, Hoody ducked further into Jay’s room and out of the adjacent doorway as Tim jolted upright in bed to look at the front door. Tim wouldn’t have seen him but he could hear his ex-best friend getting up.
“Ash?” Tim’s confused shout was followed by running as he too ran outside.
Hoody pressed against the light blue-gray wall. His heart was pounding as he continued looking around the corner. He’d have to try getting out before anyone came back…
“Tim?” Jay’s groggy voice made him jump for the second time that morning.
Hoody whipped his head to face Jay as the man rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Jay was instantly alert the second he full woke up.
“Oh no! He can’t catch me yet. Can’t let him see me. Can’t let him know who I am. Not like this!” Panic seeped through him as his mind began chanting ‘not yet’ on repeat.
He’d love to reunite with Jay but now wasn’t the time. It wasn’t safe so long as Alex was hunting them… So long as that Thing was stalking them. He could help better solo.
Hoody bolted for Tim’s front door without a sound. He’d almost had his hand on the knob when Jay grabbed his sleeve and tugged. Their bodies crashed together as he twisted to try pushing Jay off, failing as he fell to the carpet with his boyfriend on top of him. A near-silent groan escaped beneath the cloth mask he wore. His gloved hands had fallen around Jay’s waist in a subconscious attempt to protect the scrawny man as they fell.
Jay didn’t speak but he could see the surprise and confusion on his face. Right now, the man was probably being slapped with the realization the man in the hoodie was trapped beneath him. The blush on his face though… Hoody feared the familiar gesture of how he’d wrapped his arms around him would give him away if Jay had too much time to think about it. Luckily, Jay was distracted quickly. Horror flashed over the man’s face at a droplet of blood on the floor.
He used that to his advantage and shoved Jay off a little rougher than he’d intended. “Sorry Jay… Maybe one day.”
Hoody fled before Jay could recover and follow.

Chapter Text

Jay stood and caught his breath, finding the doorway and world outside void of anyone, including the hooded figure. The memory of seeing the blood a second ago jolted him back into action.

“Tim?” He turned to look at the beds, finding both of them empty. Tim and Ash were gone. 

The worry caused him to miss the bleeding box still on the bedside table as he looked outside again; it was the only other option for where the two could be. Jay hoped nothing bad had happened to them. “Tim!”

Thankfully once he was outside and could get a better look around he spotted Tim hunched at the end of the motel fairly quickly. Jay raced down the sidewalk towards the man, still concerned about where the blood had come from. 

Before he could say a word, Tim turned to face him with a finger to his lips; a signal to be quiet. Paranoia played in his head and Jay wished he’d grabbed his camera before running blindly out here. Ducking down close to the wall like Tim, Jay watched as the shorter man shifted forward to just barely look around the corner like he’d been moments before. 

Jay held his breath as he heard Ash speaking. “They don’t know anything. Just some randoms who found me and helped me out.” 

“Safer to kill them.” An unfamiliar but masculine sounding voice replied, sending a chill down Jay’s spine. “Master wouldn’t mind a nice apology snack after your fu—”

“No. It’s not worth drawing attention to ourselves.” 

Tim leaned back for a moment, not speaking but sending Jay a look of concern over the conversation they were eavesdropping on. His glance returned to the alleyway before once more cautiously peeking around the corner. Jay didn’t dare try to mimic the action. His heart was already racing and they hadn’t even been caught spying yet. 

“Tch. Fine.” 

Footsteps retreated, growing quieter by the second. Jay leaned heavily against the cool wall of the building. The relief was immense. Ash had lied somewhat to defend them—Jay knew she was aware they were somewhat involved but even they didn’t seem to know the extent of it—but it did raise some questions. For now though, they were safe.

Tim leaned further around the corner before ducking back again. Seconds later Ash came into view, shoulders hunched as they walked by. 

“What was that about?” Jay tried to get an answer, even if it was something basic. 

A frown crossed his face as it was met by silence. Ash continued back to the motel room without a word or even a glance in their direction. Jay felt more concerned and began following with Tim close behind. Something was clearly wrong but he couldn’t tell what. Neither of his companions looked hurt and the confusion about the blood, that stranger, and the hooded man’s appearance was a lot to process so soon after waking up. 

Jay came to a hesitant stop in the room Tim and Ash shared. Ash was sitting at the edge of Tim’s bed with their back to them. From his angle he couldn’t see what Ash was looking at but he could see their body shaking and swore he heard a quiet sniffle. 

“What—” The word had barely escaped his mouth before he saw Ash tense up.

“Not now.” 

The tone was icy and similar to the one used when he’d told her he’d answered Ethan’s call that night Jay had found her on the road. It left little room for him to speak without escalating the situation. Stiffly, Ash rose to her feet and turned to look over their shoulder. 

Something about their eyes unsettled him. It was clouded by barely restrained tears but something beneath those was enough to suggest the threat hadn’t left with the stranger in the alley. As they walked by, Jay swallowed heavily at the sight of the blood soaked box in their hands. That answered the question about where the blood had come from but also served to create more. 

“Wait—” 

Jay snapped out of his spiral of fear and confusion to reach out as Ash walked right back out the door. Tim’s hand grabbed his wrist, keeping him from going after them. 

“Jay, no. Give them some space… Something’s wrong.” 

The way Tim said it… Jay wondered if he meant something beyond whatever was in that shoebox. He recalled finding Ash in a mask and had to ponder for a moment if the events of the morning had pushed them to a state similar to the masked state Tim went into at times—only for the moment, Ash’s mask was broken and unwearable.

“Right…” He turned to go through the doors that linked their rooms, mumbling under his breath as he went. “If they come back.” 

“Jay.” 

He stopped, looking back at Tim. “What?” 

“We need to be more careful. That guy found us too easily. Next time we might not be so lucky.” Tim turned away, heading across the room where he disappeared into the bathroom for a second. Jay saw a towel in his hand as the shorter man reappeared. “Once Ash is back, we need to go.” 

“Should I tell him?” Jay stared silently, taking a moment to consider the choices. “The guy in the hoodie found us easily too… I was so close to catching him…”

He could anticipate Tim’s reaction if he dared mention the man with the red frowny face mask. “No, he’d want to leave now.”  

He continued to think about the man—specifically how he’d been standing in his room. Tim would be cautious about the potential threat, now more than ever in their short time working together after that man in the gray jacket showed up. Jay shook his head, whispering to himself again as he answered his own question. “And if he was going to hurt me, he would’ve. We’re safe for now.” 

Tim gave him a side eye as he cleaned the mess off the bedside table between the two beds. Even from where Jay stood he could see the dark color soaking in bold contrast against the white fabric. “You sure you want to keep doing this anyway? It was dangerous enough without Ash’s ‘friend’. If he comes back—”

Jay suppressed the argumentative tone. It wouldn’t do any good to start a fight after an already tense morning. “We need to find answers. Brian and Jessica could be out there somewhere.” 

This time, Tim didn’t look at him. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” 

Jay kept quiet and stepped into his room, opting to leave Tim to his own devices for now. He sat on his bed, thoughts still whirling as he thought about the morning… Mostly revolving around the mystery man in the hoodie more than the guy Ash confronted. 

“Should I ask him if he knows who the guy in the hoodie is? He said he didn’t but…” Jay eyed the open doors, still able to hear Tim moving around. “Everyone except that guy Alex killed in the tunnel, and now Ash and that other guy, have ties back to Marble Hornets and Alex.”

The cast had been small. Jessica was only involved because of him and her ties to Alex’s girlfriend. There really weren’t many people to cross off the list of who could be under the fabric mask. Jay knew he could be impulsive but he wasn’t stupid. There had to be a pattern here. 

He pulled his phone from his pocket as a thought—maybe a smidge of hope—came to mind. The glow was bright in the dark room and he tapped the gallery app he visited often when he needed a reminder of better days. 

“Could he be Brian?” He stopped at a close up of Brian smiling, maybe laughing, with his eyes closed as a hand rested on his cheek. Jay could see a brick building in the background that told him this was probably taken before Alex’s project even started filming. Brian didn’t seem like he’d be hiding behind a mask in the image… It felt like Jay was looking at some parallel world.

His mind drifted to the moment he’d felt the man in the hoodie wrap his arms around him after they’d fallen. In the moment, Jay had thought the action felt familiar. But now, really thinking about it, he was starting to wonder if it was wishful thinking. “No… He just did that because we fell.” 

He turned the screen off and sat the phone on the table. “If I ask Tim he’ll probably get pissed at the idea his best friend would stalk him and steal his pills.” 

Now that was an argument he wanted to avoid. Jay might’ve been dating Brian but Tim had been his best friend—and in Tim’s case one of the only friends he’d had. Jay could imagine the fury Tim would get over the accusation, though wasn’t certain if it would be at him for suggesting it or at the guy in the hoodie and the possibility it was true. Jay wasn’t willing to risk driving the man off after everything it took to get him to help.

He put his head in his hands and spoke quietly to himself again. “Alex wasn’t a murderer either before that Thing showed up.”

He’d forgotten his camera in his room during the morning’s excitement. It sat on the table positioned to film him as he slept. It wouldn’t have picked up the intruders unfortunately. “I don’t have any proof… And I was so close!”  

The fact answers had been within his grasp continued to plague him. So close and now back to being so far. Jay flopped back onto his bed, staring in defeat at the ceiling. “Why was he in my room? Was he protecting us from that other guy? Or was it just a coincidence?”  

A sigh escaped him. “Why does everything lead to more questions than answers?”

Chapter Text

It had taken hours to dig a deep enough hole by hand but the blood soaked box finally rested at the bottom where it was unlikely to be disturbed. They stared down in misery at what contained the remains of a friend.

“He was right. She’d still be alive if I hadn’t hesitated. This was my fault. Just like the others. Just like Ethan if I don’t…” Their attempts to hold off tears finally failed and Ash cried over the open grave. At least the small area in the trees and bushes separating the hotel parking lot from the road provided them with some privacy. 

While it wasn’t on her at the moment, she could easily picture the last group photo of their college friend group. Derrick with his dyed hair that looked like a flame had been smiling and leaning over Sam’s shoulder while they sat looking at the phone camera. Ash had been standing behind them in the back of the group with Zac—who wasn’t a student but came to visit—while fashionable Maya with her long black hair and pink tips leaned in on the right. And in the middle holding the camera while beaming in her favorite space themed purple shirt, earrings and hair clips, and necklace was Anna.

One by one they’d disappeared; only her and Zac were left now—and Ethan, who had been at his college when the photo was taken. Ash knew exactly what happened to Sam. They’d fallen at HABIT’s hands because of her… And in reality, hadn’t they been the one to deal the mercy killing? Ash hadn’t been able to erase the feeling of their blood on her hands. Anna was now just another victim.

“They’re paying the price for my mistakes.” Anger burned through the misery. It wasn’t fair. “I should’ve killed that Source. The Operator wasn’t a threat. It wouldn’t hurt me here. It would take a lot of energy to cause harm outside the ARK.”

And was that energy really worth wasting on her? Who knew how many infected people were out there. Hell, she’d been helped by two of them! Maybe It would hate to lose that Alex guy but surely not enough to attack. Running away had set the nail in Anna’s coffin. Ash stared at the bloodstained golden pendant of Saturn lying on the box’s lid; it was only right to bury it with the rest of the pieces.

“You didn’t deserve this.” The pain from digging finally reached through the fog in their mind. Ash brough a blood and dirt stained hand up to grab her shoulder. It wasn’t bleeding through the bandages but it still hurt from the effort. “But I do.” 

She’d been the one to fail. It should be her that was in a hole somewhere. But Slenderman knew killing their friends would make her suffer more. 

With resolve to finish the grave, Ash worked to bury the box and its contents. Even with tender feeling hands, it was much easier to push the soil in than it had been to claw a big enough hole. Good thing the earth wasn’t frozen yet or Ash didn’t know what they’d do—buy or steal a shovel maybe but that would’ve taken too much time.

Ash kept at it as the sun continued its journey across the sky. Unknown to her, a hooded figure in a frowning mask watched from where he crouched in a field of corn across the road. He’d linger a while before disappearing as the shadows lengthened and darkness grew.

As night fell, Ash stood and stared at the hotel building from behind a tree trunk. How easy it would be to simply walk over, go inside, and find comfort in a bed. Even if sleep evaded her, she could at least lay there comfortably. Instead, she turned her back to the row of doors and slumped down, the bark scraping at her back. No, she didn’t deserve a warm bed. She also didn’t feel like answering questions that Jay or Tim were likely to throw her way. Right now, Ash just wanted to be alone. Plus, there were other benefits to keeping her distance. 

“This is safer. I can’t let them get close. I’d have to kill them too.” For all Ash knew, Watcher was already blabbing to Slender about more people who were infected by The Operator. If that was the case, it was too late and they were already being made targets for her or another proxy to eliminate. But at this moment, she had to pretend they were somewhat safe. 

“I don’t want more blood on my hands.”  

As if that could be prevented. 

Voices called her name as Jay and Tim searched the parking lot. Ash froze, keeping silent as they walked around but didn’t seem to delve too deeply into any hiding places.

“Ash?” Jay called out from down the sidewalk one last time. 

Tim’s voice was quieter and sounded tired; it was late now. “We’ll check tomorrow.”

Footsteps faded out. Ash went unfound, for now. Though, in the morning she would need to return. With Ethan coming to meet them, she couldn’t just ditch the two here and now. Her cousin would fear the worst if she was a no-show after messaging him to meet. 

Their body shook, fingers lacing into their dark brown hair. No rest would come tonight. The stress of that morning and the grief that brought memories both bittersweet and horrific clung to her thoughts. She worried for what would happen in the future if her failure continued. It wasn’t just her life on the line, in fact, her life was still as safe as it could be when people and entities were out to kill you… Still safer than Ethan or Zac’s lives. 

Ash could imagine almost too vividly the ghosts of her college friends standing before her as ghosts in the night. Unwounded unlike how they’d be in the ARK but just as furious. The victims went back further though, didn’t they. Her and Anna’s childhood friend Luke would be there as well as Faith, her younger sister. They were sure that the first Source she’d killed—never even finding out his name—would be here too. Knife in hand and a hated scowl on his face wishing he could kill her several times over. 

The same thought continued to repeat. “I deserve this.”

Chapter Text

Bags slung over their shoulders, Jay took the lead on the way to their cars.

“One last look around and then we have to go.” Tim reminded him of their agreement they made as they’d gotten ready that morning.

It didn’t give Jay much time or much hope of finding Ash but it had been better than nothing. Everything that had happened had left him with a ton of questions. 

Luck was on his side for once. As he turned the corner a grin broke across his face. There Ash was, leaning against their cars. “Found her!” 

Camera in hand he ran over without giving Tim a second to give a response. Slowing to a stop as he closed the distance, he once more kept the camera steady but lowered slightly. Ash wasn’t exactly thrilled to be filmed. 

“Ash, you feelin’ okay?”

A glance to look at him. “Sure.” 

“Where were you?” 

“Out.” 

Vague. Irritably vague. But she obviously wasn’t going to tell him more.

He unlocked his car instead, heading to the trunk to put his bags in. Tim’s car beeped as he caught up and unlocked his own vehicle. Mimicking Jay’s actions as he put his own belongings into the trunk of his own car.

“Once you’re ready we can go meet Ethan.” Tim spoke up.

“I’m ready.” Ash turned her head to look his way now but remained near the hood of Jay’s car. “I borrowed Jay’s room while you guys checked out this morning.”

So, she was good at sneaking into places too… Jay wondered if this was a trait all masked people involved with this had. It explained her change of clothes at least. 

“If there isn’t anything else then, let’s go.” Tim got into his car, ready to put more distance between here and the masked figures who’d found them all too quickly.

Not that he wasn’t. Were they watching them right now? Jay hurriedly got into his own car and watched as Ash paused to consider her options before joining Tim. Disappointing. He couldn’t prod for any further information during the trip and it was unlikely Tim would—if he did, he wouldn’t have a camera to record it.

The drive itself was short, just a quick drive through to the town over where they would pull into a Denny’s lot and wait. Jay got out of his car, leaning by the rear headlight as he watched the other two get out as well. There were several cars already there but he’d note that no one was coming over to meet them. Strange, considering they got here late already.

A few minutes would go by before he’d speak up, pulling his phone out to check the time. “He said noon, right? Is he usually this late?” 

Vvvrrrrrmmmmm!

As if on cue with his words, an expensive looking silver sports car sped into the parking lot with a dramatic turn and drifted into an empty spot. A flashy move for a flashy car. Jay suddenly worried this guy was a lot different than the one he’d heard in the voicemail.

“I assume that’s him?” Tim asked as he and Ash came to stand closer to Jay.

“Unfortunately.” 

Ash seemed unenthused by the display, though Jay didn’t have much time to dwell on it. A fit man with light brown wavy hair in a white v-neck stepped out of the car and barely stopped to shut the door and lock it before bolting straight for Ash. 

“Mmph!” She was quickly locked in a bear hug.

Jay watched quietly for now, shooting Tim a wiry smile. Considering all the trouble he’d found himself in, this was honestly a nice change up.
“Ethan… Can’t breathe…” A wheezed voice as Ash patted the taller man’s shoulder.

“Sorry! Are you okay?”As if burned, Ethan pulled away, though kept his hands loosely on her arms. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “We’ve been worried. I thought—”

“I’m fine.” It seemed her short responses weren’t just reserved for the two of them, Jay noted.

And then Ethan’s gaze turned to him and Tim. “Hey thanks for helping her out. I…”

A pause. A confused then certain look flickered in Ethan’s eyes before lighting up as a wide grin appeared. “Wait! I know you!”

“You do?”

“You what?”

The three’s voices spoke in chorus, each with very different inflections. Jay was, of course, excited about what this could mean. He didn’t recognize Ethan himself, but this was turning into a really interesting development. Next to him however, Tim seemed utterly confused while Ash’s response seemed displeased, if not fearful of the revelation. 

“Yeah, I mean, Brian never officially introduced us but you guys were dating right? I remember you picking him up after parties sometimes. Or he’d be waiting for you outside our creative writing class.”

“You know Brian too?” Jay’s eyes lit up. This was much, much too good to be true. So good that had he not been so excited about this, he might’ve felt paranoid about the coincidence.

“Used to. We… stopped talking a few years ago. I was busy for months trying to find Ash after she disappeared the first time. Alex and Brian checked in now and then but overtime people get busy, ya know?” A moment of sadness before he perked up again. “Hey if you want to keep catching up, how about we get some lunch, on me? I was late, so I can at least make it up to you guys.”

“Alright” Not just alright. It sounded perfect. Maybe he could at least get more clues to finding answers. Ethan seemed much more talkative than Ash.

“Sounds good to me.” Tim agreed as he followed the other two men.

The silence from the last member of their group was overshadowed by Ethan’s bright disposition and willingness to talk. Any reservations over this new plan went unspoken as she followed after warily.

Jay sat across from Ethan with Tim next to him, eager to talk more. Their drinks sat before them alongside his camera filming everything. He shot Tim a happier look than he’d had since the two teamed up while Ash death-gripped her glass of water with a less enthusiastic look at Ethan.

Ignoring it, Jay would pause on Brian for a moment to ask about the other person mentioned. “So you said you knew Alex too?”

He clearly wasn’t dead like the rest of the Marble Hornets crew seemed to be, so there had to be some story here. 

“Alex and I were friendly rivals in some of our classes.” Spoken cheerily, as if unaware of what Alex had turned into. “We’d also go on double dates sometimes too.” 

Jay shared a side glance with Tim. Was Ethan really out of the loop enough that Alex had missed him? Or was this a case of mixed up and forgotten memories that seemed to be a symptom of that tall entity?

“Oh, uh, have you seen him lately?” 

A question that sent tension through everyone but Ethan it seemed. Tension that was broken into relief with an anti climatic response. “No. I stopped texting him around the same time as Brian.”

Next to him, Ash coughed. Maybe a sign that would’ve caused tensions to rise again had the server not returned. “Good afternoon, are you ready to order?” 

“The All Star Special for me.” Ethan spoke first.

“Um, just the grilled cheese.” A basic order from Ash.

Jay almost spaced on what he’d been considering. “Uhm, I’ll get the Egg Breakfast.”

“I’ll take the Chicken Dinner.” Tim finished up the orders.

With a smile and a quick promise to get their meal out soon, she was gone. 

“Hey, I’ll be right back.” Ash spoke up suddenly.

“Hmm? You feelin’ okay?” Ethan turned, looking uncertain. 

Ash was already getting out of the booth, tossing them a quick assurance. “Yeah, fine… I won’t be long.” 

Jay watched her go, finding it odd how quickly she dismissed herself. But, wait, hadn’t she just been coughing? Should they be worried? For now, he continued to sit and say nothing.

Idle chatter here and there, and suddenly twenty minutes had gone by. Their server returned with their food, placing each dish in front of them before dismissing herself with, “here y’all are, enjoy!”

Ethan looked over at Ash’s empty spot. “She’s been gone a while...”

He and Tim turned to look at each other. It didn’t seem like Ethan knew much at all about faceless things in suits—something he probably should’ve known when Ash had mentioned it before about keeping him out of it. But they knew. There were many possibilities and none of them good, but all of them were great reasons to worry.

The silent idea that someone should check on her lingered until Jay stood and motioned for Tim to let him out of the booth, deciding to leave his camera at the table for now. This shouldn’t take long. “I will!” 

He headed for the door, leaving the two alone. 

The two glanced at each other in silence for a moment. Throughout their short time knowing each other Jay had been the one doing most of the talking. 

But he had to say something . Tim cleared his throat and tried to be casual about the question. “What did you mean earlier about Ash vanishing?” 

A loaded question regardless judging by Ethan’s reaction. “Oh…”

The man shuffled in the booth, avoiding eye contact. “Back in the fall of two-thousand-six she came to visit me at college. I was going to introduce her to Alex and Brian but… she just disappeared.”

“No one could find her. The police didn’t have any leads… Said it was like she just vanished but they’d keep the case open.” He could still picture the police woman breaking the news to him and the way the search and rescue dogs had whined as he sat with his head bowed into his hand, sensing his grief.

“I’d search everyday. Alex brought Rocky and a few of my other friends helped sometimes. But he got busy with the project when summer rolled around.” They’d searched so often. Up and down trails despite the fact Ash hadn’t been near the forest. But searching on campus had already failed to turn anything up.”By late summer nothing was turning up...”

“Seth lent me Midas to search again but I didn’t think I’d find…” His voice broke into shaky words as he recalled the gruesome memory burned into his mind.

Midas had found the scent and followed it deep into the trees until it thinned out again near a road. Ash’s body had more blood on the outside than in it. Maggots visible in open wounds while flies buzzed overhead. The poor dog had whimpered in distress himself at the sight! Ethan had gagged at the gore then and he almost did just thinking about it.

“I-it was horrible… I thought she was dead. ”

A moment to catch his breath and recover and a moment for Tim to absorb the first half of the story. And then Ethan continued.

“...I called an ambulance and they took us to the hospital and… And she just kept crashing… They didn’t think she’d make it. All I could do was sit there in the waiting room and wait for updates.” And how trapped, helpless, and hopeless that had made him feel.

“Even after they stabilized her, she took a while to wake up. When she did… It was clear the damage wasn’t just on the outside.” Cleaned up, she’d looked skeletal yet the doctors had strapped her arms down for apparent violent outbursts, though she’d been sedated by the time he’d been allowed to visit. It had resulted in sleepless nights until the outlook grew more positive.

“She’s gotten better. Still won’t tell me what happened or what’s been happening.” A faint smile finally appeared again. “But I’m glad she didn’t run off on you guys.”

A hefty silence.

“That explains some of it.” Or a lot. Tim recalled how Ash had reacted upon waking up restrained or how she’d shy away from even accidental contact. He felt bad but they’d just been acting cautious. He’d been able to guess there was some type of trauma but this… had been more than expected. 

“Alex never mentioned…” For all his thoughts, that was all he could whisper to himself. Of course Alex hadn’t mentioned any of this! Did the guy even care? Probably not the person he turned into.

“Hey, sorry, that got really heavy. I’m just glad she’s safe. I don’t know the details, but I don’t want that to happen again.” 

No one would. Tim didn’t know her well, hadn’t even seen the horrors Ethan must’ve seen and the anguish he’d felt, and even he didn’t want that to happen again. 

Meanwhile outside Ash found herself in the ally staring at the creature she’d sensed. The Operator’s buzzing as it peeked out from the opposite corner was more annoying for the moment than anything. 

“I’ll find the Source. Just give me time...” A few more coughs escaped as she threatened the entity. “He’s nearby I can sense it.”

She’d been sensing the Source for days. As if he was right on top of them but hiding, biding his time. 

“We both know you won’t defend him forever.” After all, weren’t they all just food once this game it played was over? 

In the blink of an eye The Operator flickered before her. Fear trickled through her but Ash stood their ground. It wouldn’t hurt her outside the ARK. That was too much energy just to take out a pest, right? It would be saving something like that for another time…

“And next time… I won’t stop because of you.” The noise grated in her skull as it screamed and threatened in its static language. She gave a last whisper to herself as she thought of Ethan sitting at that booth. “I can’t afford it.” 

“Ash, are you out here? Are you okay?” Jay’s voice, the sight of him as she whirled in alarm to see the man walking around the corner, terrified her. 

He shouldn’t be here. The more exposure the worse the infection. 

The buzzing was gone… She spun and looked back at the now empty ally. It had… left?

Slowly, she turned and began walking back towards him. “Yeah, fine… Guess you came to fetch me? Let’s go back then.”

Chapter Text

The ARK

Their little safe zone in the ARK was warm and sunny as ever. Taking a break from living in their vessel, Rook curled up on the roof and napped as the sun warmed their black fur and feathered mane. With Timothy, or M as he was sometimes called, and his boyfriend staying, Rook had less opportunity to relax in their normal form—something that would surely scare their visitors.

“Rook?” Their ear twitched as Timothy’s voice called their name from inside the house, summoned apparently by the mere passing thought of the pair.

Eyes cracked open to stare down toward the front door, a glowing white circle surrounded by the dark interior of the socket; their proxy meal had ebbed their appetite but hunger still gnawed at Rook. They’d have to hunt again soon. 

“Rook!” His shout was closer now.

Stretching, Rook gave a big yawn. Sharp white teeth glinted in the sunlight from within their long jaws and momentarily revealed a cat-like barbed tongue behind them. 

“You out here?” 

Muscles tensed, long tail curling along the edge of the exterior of the tower Rook had been sleeping on. They spotted Timothy on the deck. If he’d known to look up, their secret would’ve been out in an instant. But for such a large entity, Rook was swift and agile. They leapt away and twisted downward to the side window. Much too small for them to leap through, but that wasn’t an issue when Rook could simply shift into a less physical form and move back into their vessel. 

A moment to adjust and shake off the stiffness that occurred when the corpse was left unoccupied. Then, Rook was heading out of their room and down the tower’s spiral stairs to meet Timothy as he returned back inside.

“You were calling?”

He looked up at them, though his expression was difficult to read between the mask and torn fabric eyepatch he still wore. “We need to talk.” 

Ah. Well, he didn’t often bother them so they might as well hear what he had to say. Not that Rook had to wait long as they followed him into the small, mostly barren living room. 

“He isn’t getting better. You said he would. He still won’t wake up…” 

Indeed, Jaybird was still lying motionless on the couch with a blue blanket draped over him. 

Rook tilted their head to the side. “The wound is..?” 

“It’s healing, slowly.” Timothy crouched down and took one of Jaybird’s hands with his own.

“When did you last eat?”

“What?” He glanced back. “I don’t—before we came here. Don’t know how we haven’t starved to death.”

Humans were so funny, but it was understandable. Even Rook was too young to know all of the ARK’s secrets. They had taken to leaning back against the wall as he’d spoken, imparting some of the relevant knowledge they did have at his confusion.

“Eating, drinking, it’s not important in the ARK.” They walked closer. “It keeps him alive but his body doesn’t have the energy to heal and recover the blood lost.” 

A fact they forgot about humans. They needed blood and to replenish they needed food—similar to how feeding off souls gave them the energy to grow stronger they supposed. Still, so needy. It wouldn’t be easy to just grab food at this point when he wasn’t awake to eat it.

“He’ll need a transfusion… but won’t make it out of here…” 

Disapproval entered Timothy’s voice as he rose back to his feet. “What are you saying?” 

“I was going to make a trip out of the ARK anyway for supplies—eating may not be necessary but more energy from it will help the healing process. I’ll add it to the list.”

Something they probably should’ve guessed about adding anyway. So easy to forget what humans needed when their own vessel expired before they first took possession of it.

“If you’d like… you can join. Could have you grab the stuff you’d like from the store—maybe new clothes for yourselves from home. While I take care of the rest.” 

A moment of thought from him before he shook his head. “I’m staying here with him.” 

Was that relief they felt for getting another chance to escape this vessel and stretch their legs? It was. Rook didn’t show it however and merely shrugged off the declined offer as they headed for the front door. “Suit yourself. I’ll grab what I can.” 

Eyes watched Rook from the window as they crossed the grass into the trees surrounding the tree house. Rook left their vessel and grabbed it, though perhaps wasn’t as careful as they could’ve been. 

A feather tipped tail swiftly disappeared with the rest of them into the trees, leaving Timothy to debate if his sight was failing him. 

A quiet “Something isn’t right.” As he considered the pieces he had so far: Rook’s ability to take fatal blows, abnormal strength, weird claw-like nails, and a strange mask that was never removed—it wasn’t like he removed his in front of them though, the weakest of the oddities by far.

Chapter Text

“At least I have more time to stretch my legs.” Without M joining on this outing Rook had another chance to slip out of the vessel.

Trees blurred as Rook raced through them, the fog doing nothing to slow their speed. The vessel they used around the others, and would need upon leaving the ARK was hanging safely from Rook’s jaws by the back of the black denim jacket with a firm but gentle grip. The vessel was already in disrepair with all the tears in the cloth and scarred skin, not to mention the way the mask was practically fusing to the body’s face while feathers were starting to grow out through the hair. Long black nails had torn from the fingertips while fighting that proxy. Human enough still just by looking but the time spent inside the vessel was warping it slowly. 

The fog lifted slightly and their steps slowed as the tunnel within The Operator’s territory came into sight. This was currently the closest and safest door in and out of the ARK so long as the entity itself wasn’t around. It would probably be a good idea to make an exit of their own eventually, once they were sure it wouldn’t be discovered by other entities in the ARK. Right now, all was quiet and Rook approached with the confidence of someone who’d done this several times before. 

A thunk as they put the vessel down and it fell back against a tree. Rook’s beastly form dissipated as they returned to the vessel, reanimating the otherwise empty shell once more. The muscles felt momentarily stiff as they got to their feet, eyes glowing white from under the mask. Not wanting to waste time, they headed into the tunnel and pictured the location they wanted to end up in. They’d found out the first time of using this doorway that not doing so would merely take them into the forest the tunnel resided in within the mortal realm—not bad but it had meant a long walk. 

The tunnel warped as they continued walking, fog and metal shifting into bright sterile halls lit with fluorescent overhead lights. Everything was so clean; white floors, ceiling and aside from a blue line going horizontally, even the walls were white. Wearing mostly black and looking rather undead, Rook stood out without even trying. It was nighttime though and while there were staff and patients still bustling around, the current area was free from anyone who might see.

“Now, what blood type do I need?” Rook began moving down the hall, pulling out the wad of old gauze they’d swiped from the trash with Jaybird’s dried blood. They sniffed at it for a moment, not sure on the typing but at least they could match the scent against the rest. 

The light tapping of their footsteps echoed as they continued on the mission. Rook moved quickly, wanting to spend as little time here as needed. As they approached a corner, another set of footfalls were noticed too late with how swiftly they turned the corner. Rook bumped into the nurse, jumping back as he dropped the papers he’d been carrying. There was a split second where the nurse was still too occupied with the dropped documents that he didn’t see who’d knocked them from his hands. For Rook, it meant a sliver of time before their intrusion was given away. 

Rook couldn’t let the nurse call out. In that moment of confusion they made a choice and acted. Bone snapped as they grabbed his wrist, an “ack!” Of pain as he cried out from the bones in his wrist being crushed in their grip. They absorbed the nurse’s soul, feeding off him while killing the man swiftly. Near painless really aside from breaking his bones first. The man fell limply onto the pristine floor. 

A surge of energy rushed through them from the feeding. It was so different compared to the proxies they’d been feeding on. “Untainted by the faceless ones.”

It was the first time they’d fed off a human that was free of the sickness the entities caused… Addicting. The hunger that gnawed at them reared its head. Rook was practically salivating as the desire for more like this grew overwhelming. “I’m starving.”

They continued down the hall, following the route that should take them to the hospital’s blood supply room. Rook’s mind however was flooded with the frenzy of feeding off more humans. So many were here. They focused on each soul and pulled it to them with each occupied room they walked by, absorbing more and more souls. The pupil sized white glow their eyes had started out at had grown to occupy the entirety of the mask’s eye sockets, flooding over and dripping out as the energy poured over. 

Rook could feel it crackling around and out like electricity. The realization there were cameras here hit as they looked up upon hearing the glass crack from the spectral energy emitting from them. More power was absorbed, like a starved animal that didn’t know how to limit itself when presented with endless food. Rook used the wall for momentary support as their power surged and caused the lights to flicker. 

The room was ahead, they could smell the faint trace of sealed blood. Rook pushed the door open just as they released another uncontrolled surge of spectral energy. Darkness enveloped the hospital, cameras and their recordings frying… For the best. Less evidence of their existence. 

Mind hazed over, it was almost a relief when the food supply ran out. Rook focused on the scent they were tracking down and began collecting the blood and some other supplies in one of the bins. The reason behind this was still a blur but they made their way out of the hospital and stood on the sidewalk, looking out into the night.

“Now… What was I here for? Helping… someone…” The veil that clouded their thoughts was… Slowly starting to lift. The excess energy had simmered down and their eyes no longer leaked from it. Rook remained still as they tried to think through what this venture was for. “I got blood…. Ah, M’s place! Food, items, of course.”  

Rook had learned both human’s scents well but that wouldn’t help much when they didn’t know where to start looking. They had other tricks up their sleeve though and turned back to the glass doors of the hospital. A step through with the desire to find Timothy’s house and Rook soon found themself standing in front of it. 

“Interesting… Still looks nice for being abandoned for so long.” There wasn’t an exact length of time, M didn’t know how long he’d been wandering the ARK with Jaybird, but prior it had been months.

Yet here the house sat, grass trimmed and otherwise looking perfectly fine. No car sat outside and Rook couldn’t sense anything living within. How strange. They didn’t ponder on it long, wanting to get back. Breaking in wasn’t difficult either and they didn’t pause to do more than confirm the scent in here was M’s. It was a little different but to be expected when he’d been away for so long. 

Rook made their way to the bedroom. They found a backpack and tossed it onto the bed before heading to grab some clothes for the two. They had little idea if there were particular favorites in terms of shirts so they grabbed some along with other items and shoved them into the backpack without much delicacy. Humans didn’t need food in the ARK but once Jaybird was awake it would certainly help his recovery. Rook headed back to the kitchen, grabbing some things from the cabinets and fridge before also putting them in the bag. 

“Enough for now.” When it was full, Rook zipped it up and slung the bag over their shoulder. They pulled the same trick as they’d done at the hospital to get here, leaving out the front door and stepping through it to find the tunnel that would lead back to the ARK.

Everything was still like they’d never left as Rook walked up the stairs of the large tree house. Unsurprising, really. This haven was protected by them and unless something attacked why would things change? 

“Got some things.” They called out as they walked into the house. Rook took the backpack off and unzipped it, riffling through the contents as they turned into the side room. “We can get the transfusion going. Your boyfriend will be fine but you…”

Rook looked up at M as he got up from his constant place of vigil by Jaybird’s side. There were black veins where he’d been injured but how bad they were was hidden away as always by the mask and torn plaid fabric acting as a makeshift eye patch. “I have yet to see how you’re looking. Whether your infection is worsening or not.” 

As if it mattered. They could kill him if it became necessary. Rook doubted he’d forgive himself if he turned on his boyfriend though.

“I’m fine.” 

Was he now? Within a vessel, Rook could see with human vision and their own form of vision that let them see things based on spirit aura. Right now his was still heavily corrupted. The red tint and strong white glow was normal, but the distortion and black tentacle-like shapes warping through the aura was not. Even Jaybird’s green and weak white glow held some of that corruption but it wasn’t nearly on the same level.

“I can see you are not.” Rook jabbed in irritation. Was Timothy a liar or could he truly not tell? “You’ve refused, let it fester. Now let me see how far it’s spread.” 

A look of a snarl crossed what they could see of his face, teeth gritted in frustration. Yet he seemed to get the hint. The remaining half of the mask fell to the carpet as he untied the fabric scrap, which drifted down to the floor as well. 

“How is it?” A remaining dark brown eye looked at them with genuine concern.

“...Not great.” The veins weren’t just in the injury site. They’d spread and crept around his other eye as well. At least the scar itself looked like it’d healed well.

Rook grabbed his chin, feeling his jaw clench at the contact. But they were trying to observe closer, see his reactions without allowing him to hide as they spoke bluntly. “Infection has spread over to your remaining eye. You feeling okay?” 

“Just worried about Jaybird. Will it go away?” Fear tinged his words, as if he’d already guessed what this could lead to. 

“I don’t know.” Rook released him and the two turned away from each other. They knew what the sickness could do but hadn’t tried to help anyone with it before. “So long as you’re here and away from the Tall Ones you shouldn’t get worse.” 

Digging around in the bag again, Rook pulled out something else they’d grabbed from the hospital: a proper eyepatch. They held it out to him. “Here, this’ll be better than that old fabric scrap.” 

A glance back at them and then he turned around to face Rook once more as he took the item. 

“Everything you need is in the bag.” They turned and began walking out of the room to allow him privacy to tend to his boyfriend once more. “If anything changes, tell me. For his sake if not for your own.” 

“Sure.” Worry seeped into his voice again, eyes landing on Jaybird’s sleeping form and the pale blue-ish halo around his body. M didn’t know when it showed up, maybe he was imagining it, but Rook’s looked more like a dark haze…