After the meeting with Slenderman, Hoodie leads the way back down to the common rooms. A few more people had shown up, and most of them stared at me as we descended the staircase.

"Who's the new kid, Hoods?" A monochrome clown asks, wincing slightly as he talks.

"Her name's (Y/N). You okay, LJ? Slendy told us about you." Hoodie says, his eyes running over LJ's form. He huffs in response.

"I'll live. Been through worse."

At that moment, a young man – couldn't be older than twenty, by the look of him – walks out, balancing a bunch of plates with waffles stacked on them. He had orange goggles on, and a mouth guard was secured around his face. He had a camouflage hoodie and black pants, with combat boots for footwear. His eyes catch mine and the mouth guard shifts, most likely because he was smiling.

"Hey, (Y/N)! Masky told me you'd be here!" He says, placing the plates on a table and walking over, extending his hand for me to shake. "I'm Toby!"

"Uh, nice to meet you." I say, shaking his hand and giving a small smile. He steps back and starts handing out the waffles to people. Hoodie guides me into the room across – a living room. People were already inside, playing a game together. I recognise Jeff, but the second person took a little longer. It was the man who broke into my house.

"Ben, Jeff, you mind if we join in?" Hoodie asks, gesturing towards me. Jeff looks back at us, an annoyed look on his face, and shrugs.

"Sure, whatever. I don't care." He mutters. Hoodie laughs, fetching two controllers for him and I to use.

"Do you enjoy video games, (Y/N)?" He asks, pausing before he hands the controller to me. The person on the couch stiffens for a moment, glancing back in surprise. We lock eyes for a moment and I give an awkward wave, much to Hoodie's amusement.

"Uhh, Hoodie..." The person says, his eyes flicking from me to him.

"(Y/N), meet Ben! And don't worry dude she doesn't have a weapon." Hoodie laughs, handing me the controller. I connect it to the TV and sit beside Jeff, much to his disdain, while Hoodie sits beside Ben.

"Um... Ben... sorry for stabbing you." I say as the game starts. Jeff looks at me in surprise.

"Wait, you're the one that did that to 'im?" He asks, quirking an eyebrow at me. I nod, focussing on the game as I pull ahead of Hoodie's character. A moment later, Masky enters the room with Toby behind him, sitting on the couch to watch us play. I relax slightly and manage to win the first race. A few more games, however, and I can't stand the tension in the air. I place the controller down, announcing that I've finished playing for now, and leave the room. I feel someone following and glance over my shoulder. Toby raises his hands in peace.

"I've been given the job of showing you around, if you want?" He offers.

"Sure. Thanks." I say, following him as he shows me around. The first place he showed me was the kitchen because, in his words, it's "the most important place in the mansion". I snickered at that. Afterwards, he showed me to my room, which surprised me a little. I told him I didn't need my own room, I could just stay on a couch or something, but he said Slenderman had ordered it be prepared for me. He showed me to the bathrooms next, and that brought the tour to its end.

"Thanks for showing me around, Toby." I say, smiling at him. He smiles back, then reaches up and rubs the back of his neck.

"There is one last thing. The fourth floor is off limits to everyone but Slenderman and his brothers. So, um, don't go up there." He laughs, walking off. I follow him back to my room, where I say goodbye. He waves and walks downstairs to join the others again and I take the chance to look around my room. It was rather large, definitely larger than my room back at home. A large bed took up one corner, looking soft and plush. I remove my boots and leave them by the door, falling backwards onto the bed, my arms splayed wide. I close my eyes and sigh in content. The bed was even softer than it looked. A loud knock comes from the door and I sit up, immediately reaching for a dagger that wasn't there. The door creaks open slowly and Masky appears, smiling as he saw me on the bed.

"You okay (Y/N)?" He asks, approaching and sitting beside me on the bed. I contemplate the question for a moment.

"Yeah, I think so. It's just really sudden, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." I admit.

"Well, you have been through a lot lately. I'm glad you decided to stay though, ya lonely bugger." He laughs, laying back on the bed with his hands knitted behind his head. I smirk.

"Well, of course, Timothy." I say, laughing as he shoots a glare up at me.

"Call me Tim, call me Masky, call me whatever, just not Timothy." He says, making me laugh harder. He rolls his eyes, smiling again as he stares up at the ceiling. We sit in companionable silence for a while before he speaks up again.

"You're doing the thinking thing. What's on your mind?" He asks. I glance at him in confusion.

"The thinking thing?"

"Yeah, where you go all quiet and contemplative. It's, uh... kinda cute..." He says, whispering the last part so I couldn't hear. I cock my head to the side slightly and ask him to repeat what he said.

"I said it's kinda weird. Anyway, what are you thinking about?" He says, smiling slightly. I turn back to the front.

"Have you, um... ever killed someone?" I ask. It had been weighing on my mind since I had met Slenderman, and I felt I deserved an answer. Masky goes silent, confirming my suspicions.

"I... I have. All of us have, even Sally. We only go after the ones who hurt others, though." He says quietly. I nod, swallowing, my hands gripping the edge of the bed. I try to match the thought of a murderer to the boy beside me, but it just didn't seem possible. I suddenly feel it was a bad idea to stay here, and stand up.

"Where are you going?" Masky asks, watching me walk towards the door.

"I-I'm gonna go home. It was a mistake to stay here. I'm sorry, Masky." I say. He sits up, his mouth open, but before he can say anything, I leave the room and close the door behind me. I find my way back to Slenderman's office and knock on the door.

"Come in!" He calls. My heart in my throat, I push open the door.

"Ah, welcome, child! Is there anything you need?" He asks. I take a deep breath and nod, standing by the open door despite the empty chairs around the room.

"I-I've changed my mind about staying here. I'd like to go home, please." I say. His 'face' droops a little, most likely in disappointment or sadness, I couldn't tell which.

"Of course, child. May I ask why you have changed your mind?"

"I... I don't belong with murderers and psychopaths." I mutter, hoping he wouldn't take offence. He just nods sadly, standing up.

"I see. I'll arrange for Toby to take you home." He says, walking towards me. I fall into step beside him as he leads the way back to the front door.

"Slendy, where is (Y/N) going?" Sally asks, staring up at me with big eyes. I try to meet them but find myself looking away. My view of her had totally changed.

"She's going to go home, Sally. She most likely won't be coming back." Slenderman says.

"Good riddance..." Someone mutters nearby, though I couldn't tell who said it. Slenderman just sighs and gestures for Toby to come over. Two hatchets hung from his belt, one with an orange handle.

"Please make sure (Y/N) gets home safely. If you see anything suspicious, report it to me immediately."

With that, Slenderman turns back around and walks up the stairs, out of sight. I start walking for the door but Sally reaches up and grabs my hand, staring up into my eyes.

"You'll be back, right? Then we can have more tea parties!" She says, trying to form a smile. I feel my throat close up and gently remove my hand from hers, not saying anything. Once I reach the door, Toby close behind, I hear someone whispering.

"Bets on if she'll be back or not?"

"Shut up, LJ."

"I bet she'll move out of town within the week!"

I try to shut out the noise and step out into the forest, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. Toby shuts the door and guides me to his car, allowing me to take the passenger seat and stare out the window. Once we start moving, he speaks.

"So... you're not coming back, then?" He asks sadly. I glance over at him. His face was downcast, though he kept his eyes on the road.

"No, I don't... I don't plan to." I say back, returning to staring out the window.

"Masky told you about what we do, didn't he? He never wanted you involved with us." He continues, "Always finding reasons why we shouldn't be near you, despite the person stalking you. EJ had been watching you for a while. You were supposed to be his victim."

I twitch in surprise at that. This 'EJ' had been mentioned a lot, and seemed rather important to their group. If that man was supposed to kill me...

"What made him change his mind? About... you know." I say.

"I don't know. He never mentioned why he decided to protect you instead. Oh, damn..." Toby flicks on the windshield wipers. It had started to rain a bit, but quickly became heavier. I stare out at the streets, processing this new information. He pulls into my driveway behind my car and I move to get out.

"Hold up a minute." Toby says, unbuckling his seatbelt and reaching into the back seat, searching for something. He pulls out my dagger, which I thought I had lost. "Ben wanted me to give this back to you. And, um, here."

He hands me both the dagger and a piece of paper with a number scrawled on it.

"The number is for Slenderman's phone. Call it and he'll show up instantly to help you, if you need it." He says. I nod and thank him, putting the paper in my pocket and opening the door.

"Bye, Toby. Thanks for making me feel welcome, at least." I say, smiling at him. He smiles back and nods, watching me walk to my front door before reversing out of the driveway, disappearing down the street. I stare after him for a few moments longer before turning back and unlocking the door. The house was cold, and dark. I flick a light switch on and suddenly realise I was still in Hoodie's clothes.

"Damn it..." I whisper. Oh well, too late to take them back now. I take off the now wet hoodie, leaving it by my front door as I walk further into the house. More time had passed in the mansion than I had realised, and it was just now getting to night time. The darkness was emphasized by the stormy clouds overhead, shrouding the house in shadows. I leave a trail of lights as I make my way to my room, surprised to see that my window had been replaced and all my belongings cleaned up. I search the room for anything missing but nothing seemed out of place. Placing my dagger back on its stand, I head to the living room, finding my dog soundly asleep. When I enter the room, she jumps up, her tail wagging at warp speed as she leaps at me.

"H-hey girlie! I forgot about you today!" I say, trying to clean dog slobber off my face. She woofs happily, dropping to the ground again and nosing at her food bowl.

"Yeah, I bet you're hungry, huh?" I ask, squatting beside her and rubbing her head. She turns to stare at me pleadingly. I laugh, standing up again and grabbing her food bag, pouring a moderate amount into the bowl. She sets upon it immediately, devouring the food like she hadn't eaten in her life before now.

"How did you get back home, little girl?" I ask, kneeling beside her and rubbing her neck. The last time I'd seen her was last night, in Hoodie's and Masky's apartment. I hear the front door open and stand up, keeping my eyes towards the doorway leading to this room. Multiple voices reach my ears.

"This is where she lives. As you can see, nothing is out of place. She's just up and disappeared." One of the voices say.

"There was evidence of a scuffle in what seems to be her room when we first arrived, though by the second visit it was all repaired and tidied up. Someone came in and hid the evidence." Another adds. I hear footsteps and dive behind a couch, peeking out from underneath it.

"A-A dog? What's that doing in here?" One of the people ask, approaching my pup. She had looked up from her food bowl, staring at the group in distrust.

"The bowl has food in it. Someone was here just recently." The first person says, pausing by her side. She lets out a low growl.

"Search the house. Be ready."

I realise I had better show myself now or else it'll make my situation seem much more suspicious. I gather my courage together and stand up, raising my hands in peace.

"T-There's no need to-"

BANG!

My eyes widen in shock as pain erupts from my shoulder. My right arm drops to my side and I clutch at my shoulder with my left hand, trying to stem the blood that had started flowing from it. Three men were in the room, one still pointing a gun at me as the other two shout at him. One of them snatch the gun from his hands, turning the safety back on and shoving it into his belt. My knees buckle slightly and I lean back against the wall, my eyes wide in disbelief. My dog goes crazy, barking at what I now recognise as police officers and edging closer to them. I dimly hear a car screech to a stop outside my house over the sound of shouting. One of the officers approach me, trying to lift me out from behind my couch. My breathing hitches and I push him back, edging out on my own.

"Miss, please lay down! We'll call an ambulance and-"

His words are cut short, turning into a wet gurgle. He falls forwards, an orange-handled hatchet lodged into his spine. The other two yell in shock as Toby leaps into the room, ripping his hatchet out of the first man and running at the remaining two. They yank their guns out, but before they can fire any shots, Toby reaches the first one and slices his head clean off his shoulders. The last officer whimpers in fear and, in a last ditch effort, turns his gun towards me and fires. The bullet rips through my calf and I tilt to the side, falling heavily to the ground. Toby yells, burying his hatchets into the last officer's neck, blood spraying over him. After ripping them out and returning them to his belt, he runs towards me, skidding on his knees from the momentum.

"F... Fuck! (Y/N), you still w-with me?" He asks frantically, turning me onto my back. I wince, still clutching at my shoulder. My dog walks over and sniffs at my calf, licking once at the wound. Toby notices and pushes her back, then slips his arms under my legs and back and carries me out of the room, towards his car. My dog follows us and jumps into the still open driver side door, the car's engine idling. I screw my eyes shut in pain as he opens the back door to his car, laying me down gently before shoving my dog over to the passenger seat and closing the doors.

"Don't worry (Y/N), I'll get you to EJ. Just st-stay with me." Toby says, reversing out of the driveway and tearing off down the street. The next few minutes are a blur as he drives way above the speed limit, reaching the forest in record time. I could hear sirens in the distance at some part, though they faded quickly.

"T-Toby..." I whisper, trying to lift my head, feeling my eyes droop. I was bleeding all over his back seat.

"Shh. Save y-your strength. You'll b-be f-f-fine." He responds, his body twitching. I drop my head again, staring out the windscreen with half-lidded eyes. He slows down slightly as we reach the hidden dirt path. I feel my consciousness slipping away, darkness beckoning to me, and gladly succumb to it.

~

"We're all lucky she was unconscious. Would've been screaming her head off otherwise." A quiet voice says. Someone hums in response. A dull throbbing in my shoulder and leg pulls me all the way back to consciousness, forcing my eyes to open in a squint. It seemed I was laying on an operating table, and a bright light shone directly above me. Shifting my head to the left, I see a tray filled with tools covered in varying amounts of blood. Almost all of them had stains.

"Thank you, EJ. Here, I managed to steal the kidneys of the officers that shot her..." Toby's voice replies, along with the rustling of cloth.

"I believe Slenderman wants to talk to you. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on the girl." The other, unknown voice says. I was still slightly delirious and didn't bother to close my eyes again as the person walks into view, holding a small, blood stained bag. He drops the bag next to the tray, taking a seat beside me.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" He asks. He had a blue mask over his face, black liquid dripping from the eye holes. A black hood was pulled up over his head, though I could see wisps of brown hair peeking through. His hands were the only visible part of him, his skin an ashen colour.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." I say, my voice raspy and cracked. He nods, standing and walking away for a moment before returning with a cup of liquid. He cups the back of my head and helps me sit up, raising the glass to my lips. I sniff at it suspiciously for a moment, earning a laugh from him.

"Don't worry, it's just water. I wouldn't poison you just after finishing surgery on you."

I take a sip of the liquid and, after confirming that it was indeed water, drink the whole cup. He lays me back down and places the cup next to the tray of tools, watching me watch him in silence. After a few moments, I speak up.

"You're EJ, aren't you?" I ask. He nods, not taking his eyes off me. I glance away first, looking around the room I was in. It was rather plain, a practical surgeon's room, nothing more. The sheets covering my body were cold, and I glance down, noticing for the first time my shirt and one of my pant legs had been cut away. Thick white bandages covered my wounds, though red had seeped through the cloth. I attempt to move my leg, pleased when all I felt was a dull pain, but when I try to move my shoulder, I whimper in pain.

"Try not to move too much. Your shoulder was much messier than your leg. Without any extra help, it'll probably still be a few weeks before you can use it normally again." EJ says, watching me closely as I look around once more. He stands up, prompting me to look back over at him, stiffening in surprise as he lifts me into his arms.

"U-Uh..." I stutter as he carries me out of the room.

"I'm guessing the table wasn't very comfortable. So I'm taking you back to your room, where you can rest easier." He says, walking into the common rooms. Sally jumps up and runs over to us, asking a million questions a minute.

"(Y/N), you're back! Are you okay? What happened to you? Why is Jack carrying you? Where's your shirt? Why is there blood on you?" She asks. EJ pulls me slightly closer as she jumps up, trying to see my wounds.

"She needs rest, Sally. Go back to the others for now." He says.

"Come over here, Sals! Charlie misses you!" A feminine voice calls. Sally pouts but turns back around, running back to the others. I glance over to the group, noticing Hoodie staring at me. I quickly avert my eyes as EJ mounts the stairs and reaches my room. He nudges the door open with his boot, laying me gently on the bed. A crinkle of paper catches his attention and he reaches over me, picking up a folded note.

"Seems you've got a secret admirer." He muses. The corner of my mouth twitches as he places the note on my bedside table and pulls the covers up over me.

"Do you treat everyone injured like this?" I ask sarcastically. He chuckles.

"Slenderman would rip me a new one if I left you on an operating table when you've got a nice comfy bed. And it's not like you can walk anywhere on your own for now anyway." He says, straightening up.

"If you start feeling pain again, let someone know. I'll be up here again as soon as I can." He promises, turning away and walking to the door.

"Thanks, EJ." I call. He just hums in response, leaving the room and closing the door. I reach up with my good arm for the note on the table, struggling to open it with just one hand. The handwriting was scrawled and messy, though readable.

Sorry for scaring you off like that and getting you hurt ;/
- Timothy (Just kidding don't call me that)

I snicker at the words, folding the note up and placing it back on the table. I would have to find him sometime and put his mind to rest. A few minutes pass and I slowly begin to realise being injured is not very fun. I close my eyes, releasing a sigh. A month of not doing anything, according to EJ, suddenly didn't seem as appealing. After a while, though, I could hear the sound of repressed giggling. I open my eyes, turning my head to the side, Sally's eyes meeting mine for a split second over the edge of the bed before she jumps up and throws herself across my body.

"(Y/N)!!" She squeals in glee, landing on my injured shoulder. I breathe in sharply, biting down on my lip to stop myself from crying out in pain.

"Fuuuuuhh... Please don't do that, Sally." I say through clenched teeth. She sits up and I breathe out in relief, though the pain was still there.

"Are you okay? EJ didn't let you answer before!" She says. At that moment, another woman enters the room.

"Sally? What are you doing in here?" She asks. One of her eyes were green, and the other looked like... a clock?

"I came to visit (Y/N)!" Sally says proudly, scrambling off the bed to stand by my side. The lady laughs quietly behind her hand.

"I'm so sorry, (Y/N). You probably need your rest and this little munchkin isn't letting you sleep. Come along, Sally. She needs to rest for a while, okay?" She says, holding her hand out for Sally to take. Sally pouts, turning back to me.

"Do you really need to sleep?" She asks sadly. I nod. "Okay..."

She turns around, dejected, and places her hand in the woman's extended one. She looks at me one last time.

"I hope you feel better soon, (Y/N). Oh, and remember to thank Toby next time you see him. He was stressing out and ticking all over the place." She says, laughing softly once more before leaving and closing the door. I sink further into the bed, staring up at the roof. Closing my eyes once more, I drift into a dreamless sleep.