"-had helped... alive!"

"No... problem... didn't... anything."

The arguing got clearer as I became more aware. I gave a shuddering breath, pain shooting through my ribs enough to make a whine escape through me clenched teeth. The voices fell silent. A hand grabbed mine and I felt the person check my pulse.

"Ash... Ashley, can you hear me?" I recognized Tim's voice.

I stayed silent, unable to speak as I continued regaining consciousness. My vision gradually returned, showing me a cloudy sky that was partially blocked back Tim's face. Confusion washed through me at his expression and the noticeable shift in time of day. The pain worsened as I tried to sit up, and I choked back the cry of pain.

"See, she's fine." Alastor's smug voice spoke somewhere out of my line of sight. "If I had helped, her ribs would be crushed and organs punctured. Not to mention how tired I'd be from the compressions- or worse, I could've broken a nail!"

"What...? What's he talking about?" I managed to find my voice-as weak as it was- and stared up at Tim.

His grip on my hand shifted and tightened just enough for me to feel the pulse of his rapid heart rate. "You collapsed... He nearly killed you."

"I didn't do anything. The illusion had the same feel to her as it did to you... Her heart just happened to give out."

Alarm shot through me at his words. "Was I dead!?"

"I know I've said this a million times but you need a hospital, which means I have to move you." Tim regained my attention. "It's going to hurt but-"

"Oh no. That wasn't the deal. You still have the big finale to see. If she lives through that you can leave." A growled threat entered Alastor's tone.

"You know she won't!"

"Such faith in me... but he's probably right... It isn't worth dying for whatever he's showing me- nothing has been so far."

"Well then, guess that means you're coming to stay with me for a while." Alastor stepped into view with a malicious smile. "And she'll still die."

"Ethan won't-" I began to protest before coughing, tearing up as it worsened the pain in my ribs.

"He isn't in charge. A human could never take over a demon's body and this little issue we have doesn't change that." The demon roughly dragged Tim from my side without breaking eye contact with me. "Your cousin won't save you. No matter how much he begs and pleads for me to help."

Anger surged through me and I launched myself to my feet and jumped up at his face. The pain spiking through my chest made me fumble mid attack and I crumpled to the ground, though was stopped from falling by Alastor grabbing my arm with his free hand. Just as swiftly, he jerked me upright to look at him. Agony washed through me as I panted and glared at the demon, his face blurring in and out momentarily.

"You're only wasting the short time you have left." I yelped as he dropped me. "Now, as I-"

An eldritch tentacle knocked into him, flinging him into a tree several yards away. Fear raced through me as I heard the whitenoise start ringing and I looked over my shoulder. Slenderman stood with his tendrils lashing around, ready to continue the attack. A shudder went through me as I recalled the times when I'd been on the receiving end of his anger.

"H-hey... I didn't touch her." Alastor got back to his feet, an arm over his stomach as he stayed hunched over. His previously superior tone slipping to mimic that of a child who'd just been caught red handed. "You know I'd never steal from you, especially not ones you're playing with. We were just having a little chat."

There was silence and the demon scowled, his voice taking on a darker growl. "I'm not starting a war over this unless you make the first move- and trust me if you do, Zalgo will hear about it and you'll have much bigger problems. Take your proxy and leave."

"As if... He doesn't care if I die." I shivered and sank lower against the ground.

"Ash... get up." Tim urged me, inching closer. "We need to run."

One of the tendril nearly impaled him in warning and I paled as the ringing became a grating shriek. The pain from the high pitched sounds was enough to drown out the pain signals from my broken ribs and I caught a glimpse of The Operator through the flashes of light blotting out my vision.

The forest disappeared from around me and was replaced by a different one. Familiar dark trees hung over me while velvet soft leaves were scattered on the ground. I could feel the pain ebbing away, as if I'd been given pain killers, while Slenderman watched a few feet away.

"I have to get back... I can't leave Tim- it's my fault he's in that situation." Each way I looked appeared the same so I merely picked a direction at random and began making my way through the trees. "Is it going to let me leave? Or does it know I can't get out this way?"

I suspiciously looked back at Slenderman, freezing in place when I found he was no longer there. A sickening feeling rose in my stomach and I looked up as I turned forward again... There he was. His blank face staring down at me as I scrambled back. One of his tendrils shot out as I fled and pain ruptured my stomach and back. My legs went numb but I was unable to fall thanks to the tree I'd been impaled on. My blood felt like it was boiling and I was dropped to the ground within seconds.

Black dripped on the ground as Slenderman observed the bleeding tentacle. I flinched as he reached out with another one and yanked me up by the wrist. A loud pop followed by my scream didn't faze the monster, as all his focus stayed on the mark engraved in my wrist. The burning sensation was making me squirm while the wound to my waist continued pulsing blood. Another screech filled the air as he crushed my wrist, though this time I was silenced by a branch going through my chest.

I didn't know how I was still alive. The pain was gone- assumably due to something Slenderman was doing- yet the wounds were still sapping away at my life. My mouth held a familiar metallic taste; it was all I could smell at this point too. I hung there and dully stared down at Slenderman as he stood below.

Even without an expression, I could tell whatever was coming next wasn't death. It would be a long time before Slenderman ended his game and let me slip away. I just worried what torture he was plotting... the pain I'd have to suffer- that others, Tim, could be forced to suffer- until he was satisfied.