Three days later and the normalcy and joy I'd gotten from being around my friends crumbled. Alice hadn't shown up for work for several days and didn't answer the phone when our boss called to find out why- and she was a persistent lady. Being the only one to ever hang out with her outside of work, plus being the only one with the day off, meant I was the one they asked to go check up on her. It hadn't taken long to drive to her small house in the rundown section of town.

I walked up to the door and ignored the yard that was beginning to look overgrown. Nothing seemed out of place other than the lack of attention to the grass, the door was shut and didn't show signs of breaking and entering, and the window to the side was closed without even a crack in the dusty glass. I knocked, waited for a minute, and knocked again.

No answer, not even a sign of movement from inside the house. A bad feeling started to rise up in my stomach as I tried the questionably functioning doorbell. "Alice? Hey, are you home?"

I looked at the gravel drive; her car was the only one parked there. "Alice, come on! Why aren't you answering the phone? People at work are getting worried- this isn't like you!"

Despite my shouts the door still remained unanswered and I still couldn't hear anyone moving around inside. The cold feeling of dread crept through me as I made my way to the back of the house and walked up to the back door. This time when I knocked the door swung open freely on its hinges to reveal a trashed house. I slowly stepped inside.

"Alice...?" I called out, hoping for anything other than the deathly silence.

An involuntary shiver went through my body and I nervously walked further into the kitchen, glass cracking under my shoes from a broken cup. If it hadn't been for her car out front I almost would've thought this was the wrong house. "How long has it been like this? ...Was she robbed?"

I cautiously began searching the rooms one by one, very aware I had nothing to defend myself with should someone still be in the house. My search came to a halt when I found a trail of blood leading to the closet at the end of the hallway. For a few seconds I wasn't sure what I was seeing- what I knew I was about to find- was real. How could it be? This had to be another nightmare, right?

Numbly, I walked over to the closet and turned the worn, metal knob before leaping back as her limp body slumped in the hall. I pressed against the wall, staring at Alice's body; her hands were stained with dried blood from the wound in her stomach. I shakily backed away, unable to breathe from the shock settling in. A note caught my attention from where it had been hung in the closet for me to find.

"Do I really want to read that? I shouldn't- I should call the police...!" Despite the thought I found myself grabbing the note before hurrying back outside to escape Alice's corpse.

Reading the note didn't make me feel any better.

'You should've joined us, Pawn. Your little coworker was only the beginning- a demonstration. It'd be a shame if your friends were next.'

I dropped to my knees as my legs gave out and let the paper slip out of my fingers. "No... no Alice... I-I'm sorry... This is my fault... it's all my fault...!"

I ran my hands through my hair, tangling them as I sat there feeling dazed. Minutes passed by before I managed to recollect myself enough to get up and run back to my car. All I knew was that I couldn't call the cops- in fact by now I was sure the body would most likely be gone. "What am I going to tell my manager...? I need to get home... I can figure it out there... I can't stay here!"

I checked everything once I was back in the 'safety' of my apartment. As far as I could tell no one had been there, though I didn't put it past anyone to show up with another threat. Satisfied that I was at least safe for the moment, I called my manager and ended up on voicemail.

"Hey, um, I went to Alice's house like you asked... I couldn't find her. The place was trashed like she'd left in a hurry or like a robbery... I called the police but I don't think there's much they can do about it." I hung up and dropped my phone onto the couch next to me before letting out a long exhale to calm my nerves.

"What should I do...? I can't just skip town, they'll find me... Can't ignore my friends, they'll hunt me down... Definitely won't let Slenderman use me as one of his proxies without a fight but... is it worth their deaths?" The silence ate away at me, forcing me to drown in my thoughts.

I leapt to my feet and began pacing the small room, trying to fight back against the stress and blame. "They'll die... it'll be my fault. I might as well kill them myself- I could try to kill the proxies... no... I can't... I can't win..."

***

I tossed and turned as I tried to fall asleep. Angel had left my bed to find a better place to sleep long ago after I continuously disturbed her own rest. Several times I swore I'd see a shadow move or a figure standing near the door but each time I found nothing. Once I thought I heard something and got up to check on it only to find nothing out of the ordinary and went back to bed.

I didn't know how I finally managed to go to sleep other than simply passing out from exhaustion. As usual, nightmares plagued my dreams. I couldn't remember much upon waking up in a cold sweat to my alarm going off, my breathing sharp and gasping from panic, but I could remember the last few moments clearly. Their faces... faces of my family and friends, twisted in agony... Their voices crying out that it was my fault.

"...It is... It's all my fault...!" I sat there shaking as the nightmare gradually faded, though I doubted I'd be forgetting it completely anytime soon. My eyes fell to the time on the clock as I finally turned off the alarm. "Better hurry... I'll be late... I can't be late..."

I yawned as I got dressed for work with only the cracks of light coming through my closed curtain to guide me around my room. Angel, after hearing me moving around, hurried in and circled in front of me, giving me a wide-eyed expectant look.

"Just a minute." I moved past her, aware she was right on my heels as I moved to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

The lights blinded me for a few seconds and at first I wasn't aware of the sloppy writing on the mirror until I blinked enough for my eyes to adjust. I tensed and stared at the mirror, my reflection partially blocked by the short message: 'I'm waiting'.

"How in the hell...!?" I nearly tripped over Angel as I backed away, glancing down briefly to make sure I didn't hurt her.

Getting ready was forgotten about as I swiftly moved throughout the apartment and checked the windows and door for any signs of entry... nothing. Everything was securely shut and locked just as I had left it when going to bed.

"So how then..." My eyes continued to dart around the room as I slowly went back to getting ready, checking for any potential hiding places as I went to make sure the intruder wasn't inside. "What am I going to do? I could've been killed in my sleep- what if they come back? I can't... I can't just not sleep but- Who even did this? That proxy? That new masked one...?"

I found myself pacing again, my alarm to leave for work barely registering as my worries began to consume me. The sound finally grew loud enough to snap me out of the chaos and process what it was. "...Great... maybe no one will notice me coming in a little late?"

After quickly finishing getting ready- making a mental note to clean the mirror when I got back- and fed my cat, I hurriedly drove to work and did my best to slip in unnoticed. Luckily for me traffic hadn't been bad and I clocked in just before I could be counted as late. I couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped me as I slowly made my way to the back to see what needed to be worked on. If my coworkers noticed my shaken up appearance or trembling they didn't say anything and I mostly kept to myself as I set about the usual tasks left for us to work on throughout the day, which gradually helped distract me and calm my nerves.

Towards lunch however, things began to get worse again. Despite the cool air conditioner the summer heat still managed to invade the building as the lunch rush mob began making their way in. Usually handling them was no problem but given the stress I was still feeling, I soon found myself feeling faint- not a new experience on my part but it was unpleasant. I quickly switched with someone in the back as I continued to feel weaker. Despite how hot I felt I couldn't stop shaking; I began feeling nauseous while I was hyper aware of my pulse beating rapidly under my current near lifeless looking complexion.

"...Freezer..." I made my way over and stepped into the small, cold area. Instantly I felt my body temperature drop, not that it was a help initially.

I continued cooling off, hoping the fading in my vision would start to go away so I could resume my job without getting in trouble. Slowly I began moving around, searching for things I could take out that we'd be needing so I wouldn't just appear to be wasting my time here. My legs gave out and I fell to the floor like a ragdoll, unable to find the strength to even shout for a coworker to help. The little vision I had left soon disappeared entirely and darkness swallowed up my consciousness seconds later.

***

My fingers twitched slightly as I once again became aware of the world. I still felt awful as I unsteadily sat up to find one of the new workers kneeling next to me looking nervous and worried with his jerky, hesitant movements and widened eyes. "Are... are you okay?"

"Yeah... happens sometimes... sorry." I muttered the apology under my breath, hating myself for what happened. "I- I should probably tell our manager I need to go home..."

"Can you drive like this?" He acted like I was about to pass out again at any moment, though I didn't blame him; I still felt unwell and dizzy with static clouding my mind.

"I can call a friend..." I slowly walked over and clocked out, aware of the glances some of the other workers were shooting me as they pretended to be working. "...I-it's fine... I was only out for a few minutes... I feel like shit..."

I walked into the uncomfortably small office where my manager sat at her desk, her initial stare told me she was already aware of what happened and expecting me. "Ashley, can we talk for a moment?"

"...I knew this was coming." I sat down across from her and nodded. "Yeah."

"This isn't the first time this has happened at work. I know it can get rough at times but given how distant you've been, several late arrivals... My hands are tied." She pursed her lips, the pity clearly written on her face. "You're a hardworker- I know that- but corporate doesn't want incidents like this on their hands. It disrupts workflow and leads to employee injuries and a bad reputation on their part if word gets out."

"It's fine." I forced myself not to shrug. "I understand, it's just business."

"I'm sorry, I wish I had more say in the matter."

I glanced away. "Really, it's okay. I expected this sooner or later... Then after Alice... well, I was kinda considering getting a job somewhere else to get away from what happened..."

I swore I could smell the rotting corpse for a second as I mentioned her.

A cautious smile appeared on my manager's face. "Well, if you ever need a reference don't hesitate to use me. I'll make sure to throw in a good word or two."

"Will do." I stood up and turned to open the door. "I'll return the uniform once I get home and can change out of it- pick up my car too... rather not drive in this condition."

She nodded and turned to get back to work while I shut the door behind me. I made my way back to my usual corner to hide in while I debated on calling someone- probably Zac given he lived closer than Landon- to haul me back home or to wait this out and drive myself back when I felt better. No one bothered me as I sat there, staring absentmindedly at my arms as they rested on the table.

"Hey." A familiar voice made me look up a few minutes later and I saw Tim walking over with a bag of food. "Didn't know you worked here."

"I uh... used to work here..." I shifted in my seat. "So... what are you still doing in town?"

He ignored my question and sat down, mild alarm hiding behind an otherwise casual expression. "What happened?"

"Summer likes to try killing me with high temperatures- I passed out." I focused back on the table. "...Guess I'm just a danger magnet, huh?"

I forced a smile onto my face at my own bad joke before looking up at him and leaning back against the chair. "Surprised the hotel hasn't kicked you out yet... must be getting expensive though."

He paused for a second before continuing to take out his food. "It is... but I've had something come up that set me back."

My suspicion immediately flared up as I recalled the pieces of that hotel room I'd been in along with that message. "Is he the one who left it? Was he sent by one of those operators? ...I shouldn't trust him. Why do we keep running into each other?"

"Hate it when that happens." I shook my head sympathetically before wincing as a wave of disorientation came back.

"Do you need a ride back?"

"Why is he so concerned? He barely knows me..." I wasn't sure I wanted him to know where I lived, especially if he had anything to do with that message or those proxies. "If he's with them then he already knows where I live... or will soon enough probably... Could it really hurt? Least I won't have to bother Zac."

"Um... yeah. I guess I do..." I gave a small laugh. "Guess this is becoming a thing for us now huh?"

"Yeah, I guess."

We fell into silence as I let him finish eating while I laid my head on my arms and tried not to fall asleep at the table. It wasn't until he stood up again to throw his trash away that I noticed the camera sitting on the table that the to-go bag had formerly been hiding.

"What's with the camera?" I continued to stare at it for a few more seconds before looking over at him as he sat back down.

Tim reached over and picked it up, examining it for a moment. "Just something a friend and I used to film stuff with. I found it while packing and thought I'd see if anything was on the tape while I had lunch."

He seemed to be telling the truth. I glanced over at it again as he sat it back down. "Looks pretty beat up."

"Yeah, probably dropped it a few times." He shrugged.

I cautiously pulled it closer to me to get a closer look, faint memories of my cousin coming back to me. "You know... my cousin loved filming stuff. He went to college for it- even started making some film for a class... He never did finish it..."

"Because he tried to help me..." I pushed the camera away again at the thought. "Nice scenery though, lakes, forests, the night sky... very aesthetic stuff but I never understood what it was about."

"Why didn't he finish?" The question was innocent but underneath there was the faint tone that said I might've hit a nerve that made Tim uneasy.

I shrugged and tore my gaze from the camera. "Other stuff came up. Don't really know what happened, think it had to do with his girlfriend... We don't talk anymore though."

"That sounds... awful?" He didn't know how to respond, as if it wasn't quite the answer he'd been anticipating.

"Yeah, sucks since we were so close but people grow up." I looked outside, hoping to drop the subject.

Once again his chair scraped the ground as he stood up and grabbed the camera. Apparently he'd gotten the hint. "You ready to head out?"

"Yeah." I slowly followed after him, hoping I wasn't about to regret this decision.