It was the night after Halloween. You and your best friend, Lucas, were munching on candy that you had stolen from the Trick-Or-Treating bowl as you waited for the Halloween special of (F/S) to begin.

"Hey, (Y/N)," Lucas said, turning to you, "What do you think's gonna happen, this episode?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. I've only seen the commercials for it."

"Hand me some Skittles," Lucas said, turning back to the TV. You took a handful and held them out to him. He smiled and took them, stuffing them all into his mouth at once.

"What the heck, Lu," you laughed, "Slow down!"

"No," Lucas responded, spitting a few Skittles on the floor in the process.

Lucas had been your best friend since 8th grade. You were a very lonely kid, and you sat alone at lunch. One day, Lucas sat down next to you. He looked at you with the sweetest smile. "Hey," he said, "I saw you sitting alone, over here, and I thought I would join you. Is that okay, mate?"

You smiled back and nodded. "Yes, I would like that. What's your name?"

Lucas had puffed out his chest and announced loudly, "My name is Lucas!" Everyone in the cafeteria had turned to look at him, but he simply made a goofy face and said, "What? I have the right to be obnoxious!"

From that day on, you knew that Lucas was destined to be your friend. And so, it was!

You were jolted out of your thoughts when Lucas suddenly grabbed your shoulders and shook you. "Wake up, mate!" he yelled, "You might wanna see this!"

You looked towards the TV, where he was pointing, and it seemed that the news had come on.

"...Her body was found in her backyard with wounds that,  investigators say, came from a hatchet," the reporter was saying, "Had it not been for the following footage, they wouldn't know this for a fact."

The screen changed to show security footage showing Main Street of (H/T). A boy wearing a hoodie with stripes on the sleeves and carrying a hatchet was creeping down Main Street.

You and Lucas looked at each other. You both recognized the boy, and you both knew that he was still around; this particular boy was called "Ticci Toby" and he was a murderer. Everyone said that he wasn't real, but you and Lucas always knew that he existed somewhere.

When the reporter showed a picture of the victim, your heart almost stopped. It was a girl who went to your school! She was your friend in grade school, and you couldn't help but think that it was no accident that she, of all people, would have been targeted.

You felt sick. You were no longer interested in finding out what happened to the main character in (F/S). Now, you just needed time to think. Lucas went upstairs with you to your bedroom.

"What are we going to do?" you asked miserably.

Lucas shrugged. "Hope that we don't die, I guess," he responded.

You both sat silently for a moment, thinking. Then, Lucas gave a weak laugh. You looked up, concerned, but he simply smiled sadly and said, "Hey... Isn't it kinda cool to have a 'fictional' character in (H/T)? Especially one that we've been trying to prove was real for years!"

It was true--You and Lucas had spent almost three summer breaks researching Slender Man and his "Proxies". You had been trying to convince your classmates to believe your evidence, but they would always laugh at you both.

"WOW! Is THAT what you do in your free time!? Get a LIFE, (Y/N)!"

You returned your best friend's smile and sighed. "Guess we never thought about how it would affect us, if it WAS true..."

"Yeah, and I bet people will say something stupid like, 'It was a guy who dressed up as this character! Some faker!' Damn, everyone thinks they're so smart."

You leaned toward Lucas and whispered, "I don't think a normal guy would have skin so pale, it was almost gray!"

"WHAT!?" Lucas cried, "How could you see his skin, (Y/N)!?"

You smiled mischievously. "I could see his nose, Lu," you responded. "Even darkness wouldn't make a healthy person's nose look gray."

Lucas grabbed your shoulders and shook you, all sorrow lost to excitement. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!?" he cried, and without awaiting a response: "It means we have proof!! ACTUAL proof, mate!! And it's on camera!! PROOF!!!" he yelled, standing up and beaming, hands on hips like a superhero.

"Slow down, Lucas," you said calmly, trying to conceal your grin at his goofy behavior. "There are two problems with it."

Your friend's smile faded and he sat down slowly. "If the world saw that we had actual proof," he quoted your thoughts perfectly, "they would kill us 'cuz we know too much..."

"And," you added, "humans are so goddamn stubborn, they STILL won't believe us."

Lucas put his head in his hands. "Damn it..." He murmured.

You gave him a pat on the back. "Hey, Lu..." You said quietly, "Let's just worry about one thing, okay?"

Lucas looked up at you, his eyes gleaming with trust. "Yeah? What?"

"Let's vow to protect each other. If Toby or any of them attacks us, our first priority will be each other. Deal, Lucas?"

"Deal."