Thursday, November 24, 2011

Where do I begin?

Elliott here.

Managed to wrestle coherency out of Elaine for a little while. I think anybody with a shred of common sense will figure she's not in the greatest of states - but hell, is anybody? Anyways. Got her functioning long enough to get myself on here. Figure you deserve an explanation.

Let me start off by saying we're safe - or, well, as safe as we can be given the circumstance. It's me, Elaine and Emily crammed in a car. It's spacious, at least, and Elaine and I are taking shifts. Em is basically comatose on my lap, the poor thing - she's got the softest brown hair and the clearest fucking blue-gray eyes and she just looks completely and utterly destroyed. I can't say I blame her, either - seeing what she saw there is something no six-year-old should have to deal with. Or anybody, for that matter.

From what I've heard, Rich and Shaun are travelling together. Good on them. They're tough bastards. Alex is with Steele, Rivers and Ray and they're not doing so hot - though they're alive, and fuck that's worth a whole lot right now. Rivers, Steele, thank you again for taking in Alex. I don't think I can express my gratitude enough. I don't even want to begin to think of what would happen to him if you didn't agree - and I'm so, so sorry about getting you dragged into this. Rivers, you'd better pull through. I've got a debt to repay to both of you.

But enough stalling.

Hope.

I could tell the place was off the second we set foot inside the concrete walls. Something about the way the floors creaked and the way the light hit the paint made the place seem uncanny. It had the same smell in the forest - under the pine and the damp earth, there was the unmistakable /stench/ of sulfur, pine and something I think we eventually nailed down as tar. Acrid and bitter. It burned your throat and made your eyes water. It wasn't nearly as strong as the forest had been, but it was still there. Notes of it on the edge of every breath. If you didn't step out for some fresh air you'd develop a headache - or, that's what happened to the three of us. Rich hated the place, Alex was uneasy and I was on edge. Every time I'd slip to the roof for a cigarette I'd see the slender bastard at the edge of the property, watching. Waiting. As if something was keeping him out.

We figured that one out, huh?

It was one hell of a deal, too. Tried leaving Hope to go shopping with Alex once. Second we crossed the property line Tall, Dark and Slender was on us - on /Alex/. We weren't two steps over and got back before he could be snatched up, but I don't think I'd ever been more scared of losing one of them. The second we were back over He stopped. Went back to watching us. Waiting.

(And of course now that we're out it's only gotten worse. Off in the corner of your eye. Like you've got blind in the deepest part of your peripheral vision, except the hole wavers every once and a while. It's barely a movement at all - always seems to happen just when you forget it's there. The fucker's toying with you and you know it and goddamnit it's working.)

...

I'm stalling again.

Can you blame me?

(Yes. Get on with it, Broodmoor.)

I... wasn't actually around for the start of it. I was supposed to be out of Hope by noon today. While everybody was having what'd be the last communal lunch, I was packing. Missed the glorious reappearance of Slender himself, Rivers getting his leg splayed open and destroyed - by the sounds of it, anyways - and the chaos that tends to follow this kind of stuff.

But I'd be damned if I didn't feel it in the place. So could Alex. I think to an extend everybody else could, too. If you stared at the walls they'd flicker and the rotten eggs and pine stench was noxious. But that aside, the place was quiet. Peaceful. Deceptively so, you could say - the calm before the storm.

(And don't think I didn't notice the date. Maybe it's coincidence, but I'm not stupid enough to dismiss it so quickly.)

Then hurricane Slender hit with full force. Rivers loses the use of a leg, Steele grabs him, Ray and Alex and books, Nick and Ellen are off riding flaming wolves somewhere, (/how much I wish I was kidding about that/) and I come into the kitchen just in time to watch Jennifer and Adam get run through by Dr. Stalktopus himself.

Elaine's standing between them. Defending them from Slender. He doesn't take kindly to this, of course, and grabs her by the leg and tosses her across the room. It's then that He turns his attention to the mother and child and lets them share the same fate as their husband and father.

Adam wasn't old enough to chew his own food. Babbled and bubbled. Couldn't have been more than a year and he was slaughtered in his mother's arms. Her dad was killed off before then - shotgun only a couple feet away. I didn't want to think about it.

And there's Emily, staring in horror.

I grabbed her and ran. 'Course Slenderfucker grabbed me. Popped my arm right out of its socket. Hurt like a bitch. Still hurts like a bitch. Popped it back in a while ago but it's still awkward and painful as fuck. But I'll live. Bastard's been waiting twenty years for me - a few more won't kill Him.

Had my bag over one shoulder and Em over the other. Injuries be damned I wasn't going to let her die. Ran until we got out of Hope - which had by then turned into a maze in itself, doors leading into different rooms than the ones you entered through. Windows blocked halls and I think we ran along the top of a door frame at one point. It was messed up. BC had some seriously weird architecture, but that was unsettling. This just didn't make sense. The kitchen was on fire. The sitting room - the one with the piano - was soaked in gasoline. Wouldn't be long until the fire reached it and there'd be a sizeable boom to follow - at least if Hollywood has taught me anything.

Flash of red. Giggle. Green eyes.

Writer. Couldn't see the bastard but I knew he was there. Probably the one responsible for filling the rooms with gas. Crazy bastard.

(Guess the forest wasn't enough for you, huh?)

We started driving. We're still driving. Not going to stop until we get to Vermont.

Time for my shift. I'm probably forgetting a few things. Going to add what I can as I can.

15 comments:

  1. Yeah. Just how it goes. The Johnsons are resting in peace now, at least.

    What about you? How are you holding up?

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  2. You know what is most amazing from this? That you actually thought it would end up any other way.

    You idiots called it "Hope" for the love of God.

    What is our duty... what is His greatest Game... if it is not crushing just that?

    Make sure you get a cookie for the little one.

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  3. ...uhh, oh god. Good...to hear you're doing well in...

    well, as well as you can be right now.

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  4. Most distressing but I can't say I was not expecting such a travesty to occur, after all like the Nightscream said, the name of the establishment was "Hope". Still truly a most unfortunate and horrific event, my condolences to you all.

    -Shadiey (for now)

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  5. It must suck to be you right now. You get out of that fucking forest in Canada to here. Not much better, is it?

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  6. Scream, I'm fucking inclined to agree with you. Hated that fucking name ever since I fucking heard it.

    It was like ASKING for the worst to happen, and guess what?

    It fucking DID.



    Elliott, m'fine. We're both safe.

    ... Liberated a bitchin' rifle from a sad little pawnshop. Probably doing better than you lot are at this point.

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  7. The problem wasn't we thought it'd end another way. The problem was we either didn't accept it or wanted to hang on to it for as long as possible. We were stupid and we paid for it.

    Hah. Had I been an hour faster. . .

    Rich, good to hear it. Knew you'd be fine but fuck, it doesn't stop me from worrying. Somehow it doesn't surprise me to hear you're armed - licenses are easy to get here. Might look into a little something for myself.

    Shadiey, Xander. Thank you. Just thank you.

    And Daren? Fuck you, buddy. It's not about where I am. It's the fact that my heart's still beating and my head's still my own. Slender's been waiting twenty years. He'll wait a few more.

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  8. Fuck it all. Guardian told me to get out and I just vanished without thinking about it. Not that he didn't try and get me in the process, but still.

    Shit. Guys, you shouldn't have posted where you're going. I made the mistake, it didn't end well, if Guardian's to believe.

    Just... Be safe, alright? Dammit, if I figure out this key, I will use it to help.

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  9. Not too worried, actually. The place we're headed is...

    Out of the way.

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  10. I'm not going to mention the name, I've mentioned it three times already, once on the post it was unveiled, I'm not going to say it again. Glad to see you're being rational about this, and no, don't share where you're going, not that it will make a huge diffrence, but it will buy you time. And after everyone was basicly gathered in one giant trap, time is pretty much all you have left.

    See you around
    -Cage

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  11. ...The Hospital is not ready yet (I still need to travel one hour to get a dam energy connection), but at least it is warm at night (thanks to my new improvised chimney). Dont worry about us, we got pretty much space, and some medical equipmet, you will be welcome to stay, sister.

    -A not so experienced brother

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  12. Here there's only faith no doubt
    You can be taken anywhere
    Here is where you choose the place
    With pleasure and pain in equal share
    A refuge for truth and deceit
    Where all who come are taken in

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