I hear them all laughing as they pursue me, but when I turn I can only see about three meters behind me, and I greatly wish I hadn’t let Leanne drain so much of me. I should have run as soon as she laughed, or just ignored her. I’ve fallen for Slender’s traps and now I can’t even see if my predators are catching up or not. I see more children, most of whom I don’t know by name, but I have seen their faces before. These don’t wait for me to approach. They just dart in to intercept me.
Ignoring the creeping numbness, I do my best to sprint, dodging trees and roots that would impede my path. Most of them seem like they will catch up to me at the speed they’re running, and their ability to appear suddenly, why aren’t they all upon me yet? Realization sets in. I’m being herded.
If I could look around, I might have an idea for where I’m going, but my field of vision is limited. I hear one more voice chime in, and this one makes me stop for a single second to mouth the name. “Adam.” He repeats his call.
“Alyssa!” he shouts, very audibly. It came from in front of me, slightly to my right. I follow the sound, shouting his name. When he comes into view he takes off running. Why’s he running from me? Oh right, I’m being herded. With my track experience and his broken arm, I should be able to catch up to him easily, but Slender has control of him now, and that’s even more obvious when his body warps almost out of my line of sight in a single distortion.
I follow Adam, with a choir of laughing Slender-Children behind me, for what feels like ten minutes, before he stops in his tracks. I don’t stop- not immediately, and I put a hand on him as soon as I catch up, only to be siphoned at the touch. I jerk away and catch what he’s staring at.
My eyes begin to sting before I register what it is. The Slender Man is standing in the middle of the clearing, but this time I don’t close my eyes. If I am to meet with the Death incarnate, I am going to look him in the eye. As I stare him down, the stinging turns into a continuous burn. The name “The Slender Man,” suits him well, but he’s taller than I remember him. This must be his full-length form. He stands maybe fifteen feet tall, and yet thin as I am. He has that imperfect stillness to him, only interrupted by its distortions. It looks like I’m gazing at a shadow, except the shadow has taken a three-dimensional form and is standing over me.
My body is screaming at me to close my eyes, and my neck is involuntarily twitching trying to get me to look away. The Slender Children have all caught up, but they’re not in pursuit. They’ve done their jobs. When their laughter stops as well, I can’t tell if they’ve just quieted, or if they’ve disappeared, because I am looking at Slender, not his minions.
“I came here,” I start, surprised that my voice is coming through clearly despite my proximity to the entity that’s caused all of this. “…like you told me to. Now I want Adam,” I finish. He doesn’t move, but Adam’s movements catch my eye and I look down at him. His left arm hangs limp by his side, but with his posture you wouldn’t even tell that it’s broken. He distorts to face-less Adam, and then to the angry-faced version. He changes back and forth, but not once do I see the crying, weakened, real version of Adam.
He backs up, as if seeking Slender for comfort. My heart skips a beat. I didn’t come here for Adam to run from me. Was this Slender’s plan all along? I close my eyes to hold back from crying. I won’t let his victory be so easy.
“Adam it’s me. It’s Alyssa,” I say. Adam doesn’t seem convinced. Slender bends over and I feel that resonating screech. He’s laughing at my attempt. I shake my head.
“Adam! Get over here now!” I shout. Adam backs into Slender, and it’s as if he is being absorbed into his form.
I watch in horror as Adam practically disappears as Slender contorts in response. After Adam has fully disappeared, a long tendril sticks out from Slender’s back. As the tendril unfurls, I can hear Adam screaming, and then more tendrils emerge, each one accompanied by a new scream. I refuse to look away. I have to show him that I’m strong enough to handle him. I’ve heard enough screams. He’ll have to show me something new.
My eyes burn, but I do my best to glare at him, show him my anger through it. “Give me my brother back!” I demand. He laughs again. He shape-shifts and shrinks to about seven feet, but it’s not his size that matters, it’s the face that appears. I’m looking at Adam, but a black, full shadow version of Adam. Slender is mocking me. He must be enjoying his thought of triumph.
I think about what Bubbe and Mr. Mario said. I have to use joy and life to bring him back, and I bring that with music, but I dropped my guitar back there. Then Bubbe’s words ring in my ears, and I begin singing. I sing the song I came here with, Adam’s favorite song. I sing Adon Olam. I look Slender right in his imitation of Adam’s face as I sing it. I sing it through his laughter and distortions, through his static and the cracks in my voice. I ignore him. I’m singing to Adam. He’s the one I want. He’s the one I came here for.
I reach the second verse and Slender begins contorting again, and I can hear Adam’s sobs. He’s not screaming now, he’s just crying. I ignore him and sing louder. I’m getting more off-key, but I think it’s working. Adam stifles his sobs as if he’s listening to me. I realize I closed my eyes during my song. I open them and see Adam, the real Adam, peeking out through Slender.
He’s crawling forward, distorting sometimes, but he’s not marked by one of Slender’s tendrils anymore. I’ve brought out the real Adam! I crack a smile when I see him. It’s a smile of temporary relief, but I know the fight isn’t over, not yet at least. I don’t stop singing though, and I hold my hand out for Adam to grab. He doesn’t take it though, he can’t. He needs his good hand to balance.
I reach forward and take him in my arms. I immediately feel that Adam is draining my life on contact, but I ignore it. I feel as if I’m slipping through him, but with me being absorbed into him, his body follows me as I rise into an upright position. I let go as he’s standing, and look up at Slender. He’s waiting, as if pondering his next move, and then he makes it. He shakes wildly and I see his tendrils leave him in the form of his Slender Children. Besides Adam, he has twelve of them, four of them I know: Lindsay, Jason, Leanne, and Lionel. He doesn’t have Shana to sic on me, but that’s a victory on my part.
“Adam, we have to run,” I say, but Adam looks hesitant. Slender hits me with that vortex and I feel my life being drained.
“Adam now!” I take off, dragging Adam behind me. My life-force is draining quickly, but with me pulling Adam along and running away from Slender, I’m hoping that whatever I lose is now actually going into Adam and not to Slender. We can’t move quickly, but I don’t stop.
The Slender Children keep warping right in front of me, and each time I pass one it lashes at me, stealing an ounce here or there. I keep going. My field of vision is blurry, especially with maintaining contact with Adam, and every minute my light grows dimmer. I stick my right hand out and each time it hits a tree I work my way around it. Adam sometimes lets go and when he does I have a moment of respite, but my vision doesn’t clear and I’m more worried about losing track of him than not being able to see. Luckily he’s glowing more brightly than I am so it makes him easy to find. My hands and feet are guiding me in the shadow world now.
We’re going uphill now, and I dry-heave from the effort. I do it on the move though; I have to keep moving, because every few seconds another one of the Slender Children, or maybe Slender himself is striking out at me. I am using what little light I have left, no the light I’ve given to Adam, to help guide me.