"Follow me." Alastor pushed by us and shoved the rusted cellar door open, which let out an ear-splitting, shrill screech. "It uses less energy if I do it in the location of the memories- less illusion casting necessary."

"How do I know they'll be real answers?" I climbed out and left a few yards between us.

"I'll be pulling them from your subconscious... which means you and I are about to get real close, Sweetheart."

"How will that give me any of the answers I'm looking for?"

"You'll see... Your father recorded so much, but I'll show you the sins he hid and the things you've forgotten." He stared back at us as Tim and I continued standing there. "I'd suggest we get moving unless you want to hike through the woods in the dark."

I watched as Alastor once more began walking across the backyard and leaned closer to Tim. "If anything goes wrong, run. Don't come back for me. Just run."

Not waiting for a response, I started following after the demon. The faint light from the cloudy sky was already making my head hurt, which wasn't helping my balance as I limped into the overgrown trees. We continued going until the house was nearly out of sight behind us and the neighbor's field could be seen through the bare trees. Alastor came to a stop and motioned me closer to stand beside him.

"Do you remember this place?"

I glanced down the small slope into the pond below. "It's just the pond; we weren't allowed this far back unless someone went with us."

"This is where he tried to kill you."

"What? Who?"

Alastor turned, momentarily glancing over to check on Tim, before placing his hands on either side of my head and bending down so we were face to face. "This might hurt."

A burst of cold went through my body and I felt water wrap around me, pulling me down away from the surface. Water flooded my mouth as I instinctively tried calling out for help. My flailing did nothing as I continued to sink. Through the bubbles and chaotic ripples I could see the outline of a man looking down into the water. My arms and legs went still. The trail of bubbles from my mouth had already disappeared. The man had turned and left. Everything was shrinking to a small pinpoint of light as my vision left me. The freezing water felt warm compared to the cold overtaking my body. Even the burning fire in my lungs was extinguished as I continued to drown.

I dropped to my hands and knees on the ground, barely avoiding falling sideways and down into the water. Instinctively I coughed and gagged as if trying to cough up the water that wasn't there. My breathing was erratic as I gasped for air. I could feel someone pulling me away from the edge of the hill to flatter ground but couldn't understand what they were saying.

It took me a few minutes to calm down and realize my clothes were completely dry. I hadn't fallen into the water. The sensation of drowning wasn't something that had just occurred... It was just a memory dredged up by Alastor. My violent shaking didn't stop despite the realization. I slowly turned my head to the side to look at Tim as he glared at Alastor.

"I went easy on you." Alastor tilted his head as he stared boredly down at us. "I could've dragged out the memory, made the sensation last longer..."

I groaned before giving another cough and dropping completely onto the ground. It felt like I'd taken a bowling ball to the chest. "What... what happened?"

"Just now? I merely pulled up a memory. Usually I do it while a victim is sleeping or just stand off to the side but touching the vic-"

"No... after that..." I rubbed my temples, trying to get the hammering in my skull to stop.

"Your father ran home... and found you unconscious in the backyard with Slenderman standing over you." He shrugged. "There's a video recording of some of that... Or his lies. When your mother got home, he told her you fell in and he barely got to you in time- pretty damn convincing too."

"Why...?"

"Can't you guess? Or should I pull up some of your old nightmares." Alastor moved closer and crouched down. "You saw the reason every night for years."

"The ARK...?"

A smile appeared on his face. "Correct. You still see it sometimes don't you- in your dreams... You are the only known person to be born there you know. That's why your father named you Ashley Ray Koleman; A.R.K. So he'd never forget the abomination he created."

"What does that have to do with any of this." Tim's eyes trailed down to the mark on my wrist and I subconsciously tugged my sleeve to hide it.

"Nothing really. But Daddy Dearest didn't know that. He thought you were already its puppet- or worse." He stood back up. "We aren't done yet. Let's get heading to the next area."

I heard him walk away, his boots crunching on the dead leaves. My lungs still felt like they were burning as I forced myself back to my feet with Tim hovering a few inches away. I unsteadily followed after the demon's retreating form while shivering, allowing Tim to steady me whenever my legs began giving out.

"You can't keep going." He spoke lowly, making sure Alastor wouldn't hear. "We should leave while he isn't looking."

"He'll notice before we... get to the car..." I paused to catch my breath before continuing. "Maybe you could... but not if... I'm holding you back."

"I'm not leaving you behind with him."

I looked at him before giving a tired grin. "Guess I can't fault you... I'd do the same thing."

I paused as a child's voice reached my ears and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

We both looked at Alastor to see he'd stopped in front of an old shed and was staring almost wistfully at something we couldn't see. Upon joining him, I could see Faith running away and crying as she tripped over a rock hidden in the spring undergrowth. Shortly after Ethan ran into view along with a younger version of myself holding a generic halloween mask.

"I'm telling!" Faith sobbed, blood running down her short leg.

I could feel the immature irritation rush through me at her words and my younger self pulled her back- the action rougher than necessary- before she could run again. The illusion's voice held a growling undertone. "No you aren't. It was a prank. You're the one who decided to run off."

"Ashley, calm down. I've got this." Ethan crouched down in front of Faith and gave an encouraging smile. "You know, tattling on people could get you in trouble too. I mean, if you tell on her, you'll get yourself in trouble too- we shouldn't be playing in the shed, remember?"

"That... that tone almost sounds like-" I couldn't let myself finish the thought in fear just thinking of HABIT would somehow summon him here.

The illusion faded away as if blown apart by a breeze before a response could be made. I saw Alastor turn away, his face contorting between indifference and nostalgia. "That wasn't as painful... not for you at least."

"You couldn't have done that for the first memory?" I muttered.

"I took it from my- Ethan's- memory." He regained control over I assumed Ethan and continued walking. "That one wasn't planned... but it does have a nice foreshadowing, given what happened to your sister. Given what you did to her. But that's the grand finale, I won't spoil it."

"Why do I feel like I won't like what he shows me." I gave Alastor an uncertain look that went unseen as he turned his back to us and continued his way through the trees.

We came to a stop on an overgrown path and Alastor turned to stare down at me. "Your friends... They meant a lot to you- even the ones who abandoned you."

"...Yeah..."

"Time to see them get what they deserved for leaving you to suffer long before they decided to." His long nails brushed over my face, fingertips once again resting over my temple.

"Wait." I flinched back. "Can't you let both of us see it? Like that last one?"

His head tilted to the side, a teasing smile on his face. "Aw, the pain wearing you down, Love? I could do that but it takes more energy when I don't make direct skin contact, not to mention making the illusion of you as a separate figure taking more energy... and I'm getting hungry."

"He should know..." I gave Tim an apologetic look. "I kept the reason for coming here a secret... but I shouldn't keep the answers from him."

"Especially now... I feel so weak. He needs to see it too if it helps provide answers."

Alastor's face turned serious once again as he nodded. "Alright then..."

With a snap the world turned to night and the summer breeze rustled the leaves above us.

Voices could be heard in the dark and soon after I saw a small flame spark up nearby, illuminating three pre-teens as they shuffled around a makeshift fire. Even after all these years I could remember my former friends, Jane and Seth.

Seth was standing furthest from the group and continued shifting away as Jane continued reading something from an old looking book-likely my father's. "S-stop! I'm going to leave. I don't like this."

"Then go." Jane paused to look up at him. "Good luck finding your way back in the dark- we're in the middle of nowhere."

I shifted closer in an attempt to see what she was reading but found I couldn't move beyond the line of sight of my younger self. Jane turned the page and silently read for a few more seconds before pulling out a wrinkled page with what appeared to be a strange symbol and tossing it onto the shrinking fire.

Paranoia shot through me as I watched it burn, trying to decipher what was on the paper, and I looked up in unison with my younger self to see a tall figure in a suit watching the trio, its long branch like tendrils shifting as it waited to strike. I had to glance over at Tim to make sure this was still part of the illusion.

"We need to go." It was weird to hear myself speak.

"We aren't done yet." Jane cast off my younger self's concern, though she looked around momentarily.

"Something's watching us... I can feel it."

"Babies." Jane huffed and shoved the book into the past Ashley's hands before marching quickly away. "Let's go then... I'll race you back!"

My younger self stomped out the dying flames and ran after them as they fled. For a second the illusion blurred to catch up until my past self crashed to the ground after tripping over the root. The paranoia rushing through me increased into adrenaline fueled terror and I found myself staring up at Slenderman as he stood over us. His tendrils shot out at me and I jerked away instinctively, still feeling the ghost of their grip as they caught my former self and began dragging them back.

The static seemed so real. I couldn't move from the spot. My heart was racing in my chest as I held my head in my hands, trying to block out the memory and ignore the illusion prying at my senses. I could still feel it even after the figure disappeared. The echoes of my friends' screaming shortly after only increased the blood-chilling fear running down my spine. What had he done to them? Had he made me do something to them?

"Why can't I remember this night?" I turned, hoping to spot my two friends, before feeling the full effect of the illusion tug me down again. It felt like I was suffocating. "I have to help them... I can't move... Why can't I move?"

The illusion broke. I still couldn't move. My body was losing feeling. The alarming rising in me died as the world was swamped in darkness.