twobytwobytwobytwobytwo

it's so cold

He captures all in His gaze.  no matter where i turn the eye is on me

two

by

two

by

icanticanticanticant

you think you know fear?  every single moment He draws close i remember the years i spent with His hands holding My strings.  every whisper of breath would give me away, if He couldn't find me by my thoughts

its useless

we are all His whether we know it or not

every move you make is one He allows you to

every thought you think is one He permits you to have

defiance and bravado exist so long as He desires it

and when that moment arrives, theyre gone

snrgherah killme

please

killme

somehow, alive.

i made it out.

rhodes has held me for the past...

12 days

it was not as bad as you might think.  he tortured me with a knife and some machine that gave off a lot of heat...i think it was a rice cooker.  but only for the first two days.  afterwards all he did was try to get in my head.  try to convince me to go back to Him.  told me He was all I had left.

i wont.  ever.  i wont insult june's memory like that.  surprisingly, after the third day, rhodes was gone for the rest of my captivity.  i was too injured to escape, though.  until earlier today.  his large minion was too slow to catch me.  now here i am.

i have to stop rhodes.  i know he's planning something.  he spoke on the phone to someone...i heard him mention montreal.  what does that mean?  could be where he's gone.

also, im trying to stop talking with...how did he put it?  "cryptic bullshit."  it's hard.  doing anything "ordinary" is hard.  it's still almost impossible for me to talk to anyone face to face.  i lost most of my identity to Him.  now all i have are a few shattered memories to cling to.

but cling to them i will.  i wont be a doll anymore.  im human.  i will fight him.

cant

eyeswilllie

dont believthem

the serpent isnot

he

Hush now, darling little Rae.  You and I have a LOT to catch up on...

what should i do now?

june is dead.  and...i have no one else left.

i cannot go to his brother, who is innocently unaware of monsters in this world.

im just...alone.

again.

every person i try to protect dies

should i just end my own life?

...something tells me june would have harsh words for me on the other side if i did.

for his sake at least, ill...try to do as he asked.  "live for yourself."

ill try.

Automated message: If I don't make it back...

Hey.  I set this up to respond if I wasn't around, a day and a few hours after Rhodes' big stupid jerk deadline.  If I make it out, I'll just take it down, if I don't...well, you're readin' it, so...Guess I'm dead.

Oh man.  I'm like a ghost now.  WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!  Oooohhhhooo summon me with the essence of bad smelll, Niiiickkk~ whooooo~oooo~

Okay enough of that.  There was a reason for this.  I have a story to tell you all.  It's about Valkyrie.  And Rhodes.  And...my Dad.

My childhood wasn't Slender-free after all, it seems, and that's what I remembered the moment I saw Valkyrie's eyes.


Eight years ago...I was ten years old.  Living a happy, carefree life with my parents, my older brother Lawrence...and my older sister, Vivian.  Lawrence and I got along fine...but it was Vivian I was really close to.  She doted on me, really.  Thing is...Vivian was always a little strange.

As a kid I didn't really notice.  But...my folks kept setting her up appointments with a "therapist", and when I went for walks out in the woods...I'd find dead animals, nailed to trees.  It was years before I saw Vivian torturing a squirrel to death with an iron spike and hammer.  She nailed it to the tree, still alive, and watched it squirm until it died.

From that day on, I was scared of her.  But...her attitude towards me never changed.  She was the same, smiling, caring Vivian.  But once I hit ten years old...Things changed.  She started to get violent with more than just animals.  I saw her break a kid's arm in a fight...And she threatened his friends never to tell, with a knife.  I was watching from the forest nearby- I'd followed her when I saw her wander off the path back from school.

Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me, I turned, and saw a tall man...With a pale face, red hair, dressed in a black fedora and suit.  He gave me a smile.

"Hey now, don't be afraid.  I'm here to help you!"

I stepped back.  "Who are you?" I asked.

"You can call me Rhodes, little June.  I know your name, so it's only fair you know mine!"

I nodded slowly.  My mistrust was fading...he seemed so genuinely cheerful and sincere about wanting to help me.  and he did help me.  Over the next few weeks I stole out into the forest to talk to him.  I told him how worried I was about Vivian, how I was afraid she'd hurt my parents, or Lawrence, or me...How I wanted my sister back.  He began to tell me why he thought she was acting the way she was.

It was because of the "Slender Man."

Apparently, Vivian was seeing him in her dreams.  Being little, I never questioned HOW Rhodes knew this.  Stupid.  It was all part of the plan for them.

Slender Man was telling her to do things, Rhodes told me.  She was fighting it.  It made her angry...It made her WANT to do these horrible things, to kill those animals and to hurt those kids.  Finally, I asked Rhodes how I could help her.

He said to come back later that night.  So I did.  He led me to a clearing in the forest, and together we spied on Vivian from the bushes.  She was meeting someone.  A tall man, broad chested, with pale skin and hair.  And at his side?  A little girl, with gray hair, who hid her face behind a white mask.

Sound familiar?  The story you told me didn't really make sense until I remembered this, Rise.

The man told Vivian that Slender Man expected something of her.  To burn down our home, and kill our parents.  She swore and attacked him.  He grabbed Rise...and used her as a shield.  The bastard used his ten year old daughter as a shield.

He knocked Vivian to the ground and...then the Boss himself appeared.  Rhodes held his hand over my mouth to stop my scream.  How could I help it?  It was a real monster.  And if you think he's scary as an adult, well, he's fucking terrifying as shit as a kid, let me just say that.

He walked up to the Vivian...she finally submitted.  Rhodes led me back away, and told me to tell my Dad about what I saw.  Not my Mom.

I ran to where my father was...Back home.  I babbled out what I saw.  When I said "tall man with no face" he about flipped his shit and told me to hide in my room, before running outside.  I was about to, when I saw Rhodes through the back window, who beckoned me.  I went out to talk to him and he hit me on the back of my neck.

I woke up tied to a chair.  We were in  Rhodes was sitting there with Vivian and the broad-chested man, and Rise, who was cowering in the corner.  I cried out to Vivian to save me.  She didn't listen.

Rise spoke up then.  "If you're really his sister, don't you love him?"

Vivian responded.  "...Of course I do."

"Then why don't you help him?"

It was a brave but dumb thing to say, and her father hit her, sending her to the ground.  She started to cry softly in the corner.

I whispered to her.  "It's okay...my daddy will save us."

She looked up at me...The adults were distracted, talking about something I can't remember.  She removed her mask and looked at me with yellow eyes, wet with tears.  "That's what other kids have said...it never happens.  Anyone He wants, He takes."

I shook my head.  "My Dad's awesome.  He'll save us."

She looked at me funny.  "How do you know?"

I grinned.  "Cause I'm awesome too."

She stared, then the slightest little smile appeared on her face.

"I'm...Rae.  Rachel, but I like Rae better...but Father always says to go by Rise, so, maybe I should call myself that..?"  She looked confused.

"Geez, three names?  Pick one already and quit screwing around."  I was pretty foulmouthed as a kid, too, just so you know.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.  Rhodes grinned.  "Reynolds is here.  Come on."

Rise's father grabbed the chair I was tied to and carried me downstairs.  As it turned out, we were in an abandoned machine shop over looking a junkyard.  My father was outside, some feet away from the entrance.  The proxies all went outside, bringing me with them.  We stopped about twenty feet away from my father.

"Dad...He's calling for you.  You owe him.  You never told me." Vivian sounded resentful.  "You can't just leave.  He wants us all to join him."

My Dad shook his head.  "Vivian, he's a monster.  Please.  Come back to us."

"Thaaat won't be happening, Mr. Reynolds.  What's gonna go down here is real simple.  You walk back over that line and get back to serving the Tall Man, or...Well, your youngest here doesn't have a lot of blood to spare.  Shall we see how fast he can lose it all?" No prizes for guessing who said that.

Rise's father spoke.  "Stefan Reynolds.  Return to the Master.  How you could have fled from such glory is beyond me.  He is the future of our species.  I gladly presented my daughter to his service the moment she was born."

My Dad's eyes...they narrowed.  Dangerously, though the other didn't seem to notice.  "Even your own daughter?"

Rise's father nodded.  "And she takes to the life well, despite her conscious.  We will see how well we can stamp that out once she makes her first kill."

Rise couldn't contain a sob any longer.  Her father glared and hit her again. And my Dad...went berserk.  He ran straight at this man, this guy who made him look like a contortionist next to a bodybuilder, and starting hammering him with his fists.  Rhodes was kind of speechless, as was I.  I'd never seen my Dad do anything violent, never seen him even get into a fight.

But he was beating the hell out of this man.  I even saw Dad grab him by the scruff of his neck and HEADBUTT him.  For a finale, he lifted and bodily through him into a pile of junk.  The man was unconscious.  I can't really blame him.

Dad went over to Rise and helped her to her feet.  "Listen.  I want you to run, okay?  He's not your father.  He doesn't deserve it.  Run."  He gave her a kindly smile.  "I'll be drawing the bad men's attention, so just run!"  Rise was silent for a few moments, before she nodded.  With one last look at me, she ran off.

Rhodes was just watching, oddly enough.  He seemed amused.  "Great sense of dramatics there, Mr. Reynolds.  But there's still, erm, the matter of your son here.."

Dad was ignoring him.  And looking at Vivian.  She was shaking.  Whispering.."I don't want to.." Over and over.  Rhodes frowned and walked over to her.  "Come on, little Valkyrie.  Buck up."  He nudged her, roughly.

My Dad grabbed his outstretched arm suddenly.  His eyes were alight with anger.  It was scary, even for me.  Rhodes of all people tried to take a step back.  "Never touch my children again." Dad said softly.  And, hoisting Rhodes forward, he broke his arm and kicked him over.

Dad held out his hand to Vivian.  Slowly, but surely...She reached for it.

and that was when HE showed.  Tentacles and all.

Vivian screamed.  I heard Rhodes' pained laughter in the background.  I was crying with fear.  He went straight for her...And my Dad ran towards him, grappled with him.  It was so loud...I could hear a sort of deafening ring in my ears.  But the one thing I remember hearing was my Dad, screaming.  "You WON'T TAKE THEM!"

...and that's all I remember.  Next thing I knew, we were at home.  Life was normal.

Except Vivian was gone.  From our home...and our memories.  Even Dad forgot about her.  And we forgot about Rise and her father too.  Not to mention Rhodes...

And I didn't remember any of this until I saw Vivian's eyes again.

I know she's there now, with Rhodes.  It'll be time to finish things.  The only way I can escape from that memory...that nightmare, is to confront it head on.  So I will.  And...well, I dunno what's happened.  But if you're getting this message, I probably wasn't around to cancel it, huh?

Sooo...I already kinda gave my parting shots off in the last post I made.  But I have a few more.

Yo Spence!  Listen up.  You may be your team's leader, but they're adults.  They're competent.  They're smart.  And they know what they're doing.  You aren't responsible for them.  In the end, you're all only responsible for yourselves.  I don't want to see you going all IT IS MAH FAAAAULT if one of em bites it, okay?  We all know the risks.  And you've got nothing to atone for.  Just be yourself.  And take good care of your girlfriend.

Shaun.  Kinda unreasonable of me to ask this, but...Consider forgiving Elaine, okay, bro?  You know as well as I do that she sold those other people out to protect us.  Now, I'm as pissed about it as you are, but...You should also take that as a sign of just what you mean to her.  Just...have one of those "boyfriend/girlfriend" talks.  "Hey hun, do you mind not lying to me and sending others to their doom to ensure my safety?"  That's what ordinary couples sound like, right?

HEY WRITER, YOU'RE FAT.  OOOOOOOOOOOH SNAP!  Damn son you gonna need some ALOE for that BURN!

Elaine...I've told you how I felt, already.  Just remember to trust us more, okay?  Well, I say "us" but it's more "them" now....But, you were like...A sister to me.  Dammit why do all my sisters kill people.  Is it something about me?  Is that it?  THE POINT IS...I firmly believe that if you guys off the Slenderwhatsit you'll be able to cope in normal society fine.  You're not some maniac bitch.  You're a woman who wants to live and wants her loved ones to live too.  There's nothing wrong with that.

Nick.  It's up to you, dawg.

Rachel.  Fuck Maurice straight up the ass with a Giga Drill Break.  You're you.  It's your damn body so tell the fucking squatters to piss off or start paying rent.  They don't know what they're dealing with.  Show em.

Rise...I'm sorry.  I know what must have driven you to do what you did.  You're...not right.  It's to be expected after that childhood.  But I'm glad that you did escape him.  And I'm glad...that I got to meet you again before the end.

...Lia.  I love you.  Thanks for everything...thanks for being that light to me.  I'm sorry I've failed you.  I wanted so much more time... Heh, but no matter how much we could've gotten, it wouldn't've been enough, would it?

You keep your head upright, missy!  You better not drag yourself around moping over me the rest of your life!  Stay strong and stay safe.  You're the Lily, the light that monsters flock to, but the one they can never devour.  It's too bright, and too pure.

Hey old man.  Yeah, Lia's crazy proxy Dad.  You kinda remind me of my Dad, so I'll be easy on you.  Just...keep her safe, okay?  We cool.  You too, Dy!  Suplex them bears something fierce.

Is that it?  Think that's it.  Okay.  Time to go settle this.  If I make it back...yeah you won't be seeing this.  Way too sappy.

But if I don't...and this post appears.  Just...

All of you.  Everyone.  Even the people I've never met or talked to.  Never.  Give.  Up.  Not for a second.  Don't let him win.  Defy him to the last.

It's only impossible if you say it is.

Right.  I got some folks to save.  Let's see just what Fate's got in mind for me.

...bring it on.

the warehouse

it is over

i followed him to the warehouse

it was thirty three minutes to the deadline

saw him sneak in through the ducts

he had something, i believe it was the blueprints for the warehouse

he must have aquired them somehow

thanks to that, he knew where to look for the ducts

his pack was bulging, and about ten minutes later, i knew why

fireworks

he set off fireworks inside the warehouse at three points

i entered through the back door, and saw the white haired girl

bashing her head against the wall, i lifted her up and prepared to slit her throat

when june arrived behind me and told me to drop her

i complied

his eyes were full of rage

but he relented, and told me to follow him

the servants were in a panic, as we climbed onto the catwalk above

the massive one did not even notice us approaching from where he guarded a crank

june struck him with the hilt of the sword, i grabbed onto one of his arms and kicked the back of his head

together we forced him over the railing, to a hardy fall onto the crates below

after seeing that he was not dead, june threw the switch, lowered the hostages, and told me to cut them loose

he ran towards the back room

i hesitated, but did as he wished

they were conscious, i directed them back outside

a boy my age appeared out of the wall in front of me and threatened me with a gun

i slapped it out of his hand and incapacitated him easily

after the hostages were safely outside, i headed for the back room

and saw through the window

the woman had stabbed him in the shoulder, rhodes pointed a gun at him

the door was looked, i could not break the window

i began to pick the lock

rhodes told june that he would let him go free if he shot the woman

Valkyrie

and lowered his gun, allowing june to take his out

there was silence

anxiously, i checked the time- only nine minutes left

june had pointed the gun directly at valkyrie's head

said she was not the sister he'd loved

she only smiled and said that this was who she really was

she wanted her brother to introduce her to the "wonder" of death

june dropped his gun, lowered his head

the police burst into the front of the warehouse

perhaps the fireworks caught their attention

rhodes shot june straight in the chest

dead center

i finally got the lock open

ran for them, stabbed valkyrie in the arm

rhodes hit a switch

and the rest was a daze

i awoke amongst the ruins of the warehouse

there were many injured officers

remarkably, no fatalities

except one

the only one that mattered to me

i could not find him

i dug desperately through the rubble

i could not find him

i found valkyrie's body

but not his

there was more rubble i had no strength to search

but it hardly matters

it is over

i have nothing left

If I'd gotten this from anyone else, I'd suspect it was a joke.

But it's not.  Found this in my inbox three hours ago.  Take a look.

To June-

My compliments!  You showed great sense in escaping that wretched facade of a safehouse before its eventual collapse.  Lies are so ugly, are they not?  Anything built upon lies will collapse, every time, without fail.  That's a simple fact of this world.  Take your little heroic crusade, for example.  You hide your shame and guilt behind jokes and bravery, but the truth is that if anything, you're even more frightened than everyone else.  Dress yourself up with your weapons and toys, but at the end of the day, even Elaine, that worthless lying piece of offal, has saved more lives than you.  You attempt to emulate Nick Dwyer, but it's a sad and pathetic effort, fueled not by actual bravery or heroism, but compensation for your own fear.  Your lies shine through, bright and clear, to me.  But...I suppose it's not surprising.  After all, I know you very well.  I was practically your therapist in the old days!  You were a far more polite child, I must say.

But enough about that.  Let me show you something.

*He posted an image here.  I didn't repost it, because...Nobody needs to see that.  It was eight people, tied around their waists with rope and hung from the ceiling, with three more on the ground.  Their guts were spilled all over the floor.  Rhodes was there too, and Obstruction, who was holding a corpse up and making it high five Rhodes.*

See the people still breathing?  Well, tomorrow they'll still be breathing...But not for much longer after that.  They'll be breathing in poison gas.  I've rigged five canisters of Chlorine gas to a timer set for exactly 24 hours from when you'll receive this email.  We are currently within an abandoned warehouse in *omitting the location.*

It's a great party, but our guests are...sadly lacking.  I do hope you'll come lighten the mood a bit.  You are quite the charmer despite your rude playacting.  Tell some jokes, relax, breath in the fresh air...Oh, well, heheh, maybe you don't want to do that.

For the record, June?  I am playing for keeps this time.  Whatever happens...Only one out of the two of us will be leaving that warehouse alive.  Shift, Obstruction, Jade, and Valkyrie are all here as well.  If we see police, or anyone- ...hm, no, that's no fun.  If anyone other than you or your masked guardian comes to this warehouse, we'll redirect the gas to spill out into the town.

Oh yes...I'm quite serious this time.

Shall we end this, June Reynolds?  I owe you...and your late father Stefan, quite the debt.  Eight years' debt...inflation's a bitch, ain't it?

~Rhodes

No, I don't know anyone he's got.  ...But I don't care.  I know this is the most obvious set up in the history of the world...But I don't care.  And I know that my chances of coming out of there alive are zero to none.  Guess what I care?

...A little.  Not nearly enough to stop me, though.

Rise.  Stay away.  I don't care what my Dad did for you...This is my fight- no, OUR fight.  The two of us.  You tried to kill Fiona, and you stopped me from getting Nessa out in time.  You're my enemy, no matter what you've done for me.

So stay away.  ...Stay alive.  Live for yourself.


As for you all...


What Rhodes meant was simple.  Elaine was selling secrets about the Runners she didn't know, to the proxies, in order to keep the Runners in Hope safe from attack.


It came out, and...I left.  I can't abide that sort of deal.  That sort of compromise.  I told Elaine exactly what I thought of it and stormed out.  I...regret it now.  See, once it got out, they revoked the protection on Hope. Elaine prepared to defend it.  The results...were catastrophic.  I should've remembered...She did that for our sake.  I should've fought to protect Cam's legacy with her.  Should've died if neccessary.


Elaine, I forgive you.  Okay?  If we see each other again, it's all cool.  You did what you thought was right...And you did it for the people you love.  So...put that fucking bottle down and pick that knife back up.  You're a fighter.  And you have strength in you that even you've got no clue about.  You can still go on.  With or without me.  Not like I made much of a difference at all, right?


Let's face it, everyone.  Rhodes is right about one thing.  I'm a sham.  I tried...to be a hero.  To sacrifice myself over and over to save the lives of the less able.  But...as time went on, it became clear that I was the less able.  Time and time again, I failed...or had to be bailed out by Rise, or Nick, or Lia...I tried to be a hero, and what did that result in?  Nessa's ashes on Rhodes' bedside table.  Those guys in the parking lot, skewered by Slender Man.  ...My folks.


...It's my last chance.  I'm the only shot those guys have.


Cynical readers will probably interpret this as a last ditch attempt to die with a good name.  One last chance to be a hero.  And you're at least partially right.


But Rhodes was wrong, too.  Cause that was NEVER all there was to it.  ...I don't want this.  I never wanted this.  All I want...is for no one else to see that horrible Man when they look outside.  I never want another clueless teenage boy to come home to his house and parents burning.  I never want another innocent young girl to be corrupted into murder and madness.  I never want another adorable artist to be driven on the run and forced to fight her own father.  I never want another Seer to suffer like that one did, going from hope to despair over and over.


I never want another man to fall victim to his own good intentions, and become a puppet of the Tree.  Or for another young girl to have her whole world corrupted by that monstrous Man.  Or for another boy to be raised to serve him from birth, always carrying the scars within him.


I never want another Konaa to come from another June Reynolds.


So no matter where evil rears its head, no matter what plots the snake makes, the traps he sets, no matter what loops Writer makes, no matter how strong David is, no matter how absolute the Slender Man's grasp...I will confront that evil every single time.


IN THE NAME OF THE KING OF HEARTS!

Eeeeheheh.  Sorry.  I couldn't resist.  Man, I haven't even mentioned how much of a dork I am for old Japanese fighting anime.  So much left unsaid, no matter how much we tried.


...Well!  If this is where my blog ends, I can't think of a better note to end it on than the dulcet tones of Tomokazu Seki.  Like a dream come true, really.


...See ya.

only eight days after the fact.

November's been a quiet month for this blog, huh?  Sorry...Posting's not typically on my mind these days.

Along with Elaine and Shaun, I entered the forest those poor students were in.  Yeah, you guessed it, it was one of those...loops, labyrinths, call em what you will.  A stretch of ground that's got some Slender influence.  They twist, they turn, they trap you and lots of unpleasant shit can happen inside one, so, uh, don't get caught in one.  This has been Konaa's Survival Tips.

Anyways, the thing about this loop was that it was clearly preplanned.  These kids were the "pet project" of a proxy by the name of Writer.  The bastard is like Spencer's old boyfriend from proxy reeduation camp or some shit like that, I don't know.  Anyways, he can create these Loops and he maintained this one, to...I guess see what would happen if he trapped a bunch of kids for a few months and slowly killed them all off.  Wow.  I wonder what valuable data he got from that?  "People die when you cut them off from the world and drive them crazy."  You're just BREAKING the boundaries of science here, Doctor Writer!

Incidentally, I wonder what he'd say to that if he read this blog?  Would it be...

A) "My purpose in that project is beyond a child's comprehension."

B) "Your interference has merely further my plans!"

Or C) "lol i have a crush on Spencer dont tell plz!!"

My money's on C!  Though I guess it's less a "crush" and more a "psychotic and disturbing obession." (Jade, take notes.)

Anyways!  We broke into the loop.  Which makes it more exciting when than it was.  What was it like inside?  Well...it actually felt a lot like the forest where zerosword was.  Creeping unease, the feeling of being watched...Old tricks.  I think Writer was trying to scare us.  He did stuff like make us wander into a clearing.. WITH LEAVES THAT WERE BLACK!  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!  oh oh and he CHANGED THE LIGHTING SOMETIMES!  AND MADE SOME BUSHES RUSTLE!  oh, SAVE ME, Zeke Strahm, SAVE ME from the evil scary proxy man who is flicking the light switch on and off!

more to the point...We found their camp.  Scattered possessions, campfire...And five or six survivors.  Can't really remember the exact amount.  They were kinda pissed.  First off they thought we were with them.  Things didn't look up once they realized we came to rescue them and were pissed cause we only made it now.  There wasn't really time to argue for a while...Because a kid got cut down by an unseen force right before our eyes.

Grim sight.  But I've seen worse...sadly.  Elaine and Shaun grabbed a kid each, bolted.  I stayed.  One, Richard, was deflecting knife thrusts from...something I couldn't see.  He, another guy, and a girl named Suze were determined to go out in a blaze of glory.  Suze in particular...wanted to die.  Badly.  I tried to grab her, thinking she was just caught up in the moment after months of this, but...I saw the look in her eyes.  She was a girl who knew what she wanted.  Who really had nothing left.  ...And she asked me something.  Asked me to save Richard.  So...I did.  Grabbed Rich, and dragged him away.  He struggled, wanting to go back, but he was really too weak to hurt me after all he'd been through.

We made it out of the forest....out of the loop.  I dropped Richard for a bit and went back in.  Crazy as that sounds.

Too little, too late.  It was a regular forest when I went back in.  Writer took the loop down.  I didn't find a single body.

I...want to say I'm sorry, Suze.  But I gave you what you wanted.  I guess I'm just sorry that it had to come to that.  And that I didn't know you any better.  Rest assured, I fulfilled my end of the bargain.  Richard's in the safest place possible now.  Though, what he does from here on out is his choice.  He's not the "take orders" type, too much fire in him.  But...he's smart, too.  I think he'll be fine.  So...rest well, you lunatic girl.  I knew you for all of three minutes, but...you really left an impression on me.  I won't forget you.

So, where are we now?  Hope.  Yes, you read that right.  The compound known as "Hope", built according to designs laid out by Cam, Elaine's best friend, who is sadly no long with us as of...Actually, the very same night my house was burned down.  Well...sadly is kind of inadequate to describe it.  The world is a worse place without that man.  I'll leave it at that, I don't have the capacity to say it better.

Anyways, it's got steel walls, a huge center building, and room for like 20 people to live with plenty of space.  Cam was rich, and he gave it all to Elaine when he passed on...well, what was left after financing the construction of this fortress.  It's a Runner's sanctuary, and Elaine runs it as such.  The kids we saved are all here, and...I haven't really posted much, cause I've really been to happy to.

It's kind of surreal, having a "home" again...having someone cook for you.  A warm bed.  significantly less chance of disembowelment in your sleep (always a hit at parties).  I'm grateful to Elaine for letting me in here.  It's really a haven.

...That's about all there is to say.  I'll keep you guys posted.

still with it

I'm...okay.  It took a few days...but I'm okay.  Head's still sort of scrambled.

I...

For once, I don't think I want to say what happened here.  I know that we have some sort of fuckin' full disclosure clause with these blogs, but...What I remembered when Valkyrie looked into my eyes

I'm sorry.  it hurts.  those are memories I wish I still never had.

if that makes any sense at all, which it probably doesn't.

I'm alive and unhurt.  just haven't really been able to function well for the past week.  moving is easier now.  not tripping over anything anymore.  but definitely not safe enough to use the grapple.

let me tell you a little story as a side note.

50 kids walk into a forest.  Ecological field trip or some bullshit.  To cut straight to the punchline, the forest is a labyrinth.

They've been in there for months.  And dying one after another.  and the survivors are starting to lose all hope.  So...that's where I'm headed next.  someone's got to do something and I don't trust those idiot couriers to get the job done.  I'm not terribly confident, truth be told...Breaking OUT of one of those things was hard enough, no clue on what breaking IN will be like.

most people in our community are of the opinion that those kids are a lost cause.  Let me tell you right now: There's no such thing as a lost cause.  giving up makes it impossible and nothing else.  I'll get those pretentious punks out of that hellhole, just you wait and see.

It sure does seem like I exist only to meddle in others affairs, huh?

Well, somebody's gotta.

fuck

my head feels like there's a...head...split-y thing growing out of it.

tttasfjh

proxies found me again.  injured one and then ditched

rhodes and valk were waiting.  rgh

hesaid it was time for a reunion.  and then Valk took her hood off and looked into my ey-FUCK WHO ARE YOU?

lookedinto her eyes

my eyes

...I'm Batman.

Okay, I think I can officially add "avoid junkyards" to my rules list.  They can be helpful if you do gadget-work or engineering but they're cramped, full of sharp pointy objects, and it's all too easy for someone to hide in one of those mounds.

I was on my way out past the junkyard when I was nearly shanked by a masked loon jumping out of a mound of rubbish.  Guy Fawkes mask, incidentally.  He sorta stumbled towards me, he was easy to disarm, and I removed the mask and gave him my best "Really?" look.

A rattling behind me.  Five guys.  A couple were teenagers, but the other three were big, broad chested adults.  All packing knives.  I hate proxies sometimes.  They were on me before I could slip away, and I was forced to defend myself with a piece of scrap metal from the ground.  I kept trying to get to somewhere narrow, to fight em off one by one, but there were about three on me at once.  I could barely maneuver, much less draw the sword.

Gazing up for a moment, I saw a hook dangling in midair, suspended by a cable  A decrepit crane was parked nearby.  It probably wouldn't run, but I can improvise.  Leaping forward, I placed my feet on one of their chests and kicked off, grabbing the hook and swinging around, away from the mob.

I landed on top of one of the piles and started sliding down.  Suddenly, something grabbed my legs from below.  Massive hands- Obstruction.  I wonder how long they made him wait in that junk heap?

The proxies from behind were coming, and I could see Jade approaching from ahead of me.  Desperately, I cast my eyes around, looking for something, anything, to help me get away.  I spotted it- a long piece of scrap metal, big enough for me to stand on.  At that point, I figured it was just crazy enough to work.  I stabbed Obstruction's hands, one knife to each.  He yelled with pain and loosened his grip.  (really, how did he think that was gonna turn out for him?)  I jumped onto the scrap-snowboard and rode it down the pile.  Jade dove out of the way and I kicked it back at her as I slid to a stop.  I didn't look but I definitely heard a thwack and her shout.

I made it out of the junkyard without further incident, but I almost tripped over Shift not one block away.  Tried to stab him but he phased away, and Valkyrie rounded the corner.  Before I could even do anything she was on me, and I have a couple more gashes on my chest thanks to her.  The proxies were coming at me from across the street, so there was only one way to run- a nearby alleyway.  I prayed it wasn't a dead end.

man, fuck prayer.  It was TOTALLY a dead end.  Team Rhodes and the Redshirt Brigade were blocking off my only means of escape only a few seconds later.  I did NOT like the look in Jade's eyes.  Valkyrie gave a dull, quiet sort of smile.

"Shall we dance, little June?"

I looked up...and back at her.  And grinned.  "Really?  That line is so cliche.  If you wanna be villains in my story you're gonna need A-Material, lady."

Jade giggled, but man did Shift look pissed.  Then again, when doesn't he?  Valkyrie started towards me.

"Jocular even in the face of death.  How utterly irritating.  Obstruction, the cables?"  The big man brought out some cable, probably to tie me up.

Oh, had I been waiting for this.  I'd daydreamed a few scenarios where I got to unveil my little project I mentioned last post, but I never guessed I'd get as good a one as this was.  Raising my hand to my belt, I removed it and pointed it skyward.  "Cables?  Allow me."

I pulled the trigger on the pistol and a grappling hook attached to some industrial cable shot out and dug into the edge of the roof.  Giving them a cheery wave, I hit another button and was hoisted upwards.  Not as fast as I'd've liked, but...I think they were all a little too dumbfounded to react.  I mean, most of them were masked, but Jade and Shift's faces were priceless.  Once I reached the top, I went over the roof and made good my escape.  As I went, I couldn't resist yelling out a parting line.

"I AM THE NIGHT!"

...you'd've done the same.

Insert trash related pun here.

I tell you.  Can't even take a midday stroll without trouble rolling around.

There I was two days ago, on my way to a train, when I notice the street's empty.  And guess who's on the opposite side?  I cut and run into the only open place...The junkyard.

We're talking major duty junkyard here.  Scraps of steel, mounds of broken electronics, the whole nine yards.  It was practically from out of a movie.  I start making my way through, when I run into a clearing and Obstruction slides off a pile in front of me.  To the left, Shift phases through.  And behind me, Jade comes out from hiding.

They all charge me at once.  I ducked around Shift's knife and punched him in the stomach, winding him.  I kicked him towards Obstruction, who...just swatted him aside.  Projectiles that aren't sharp or bullets don't really do much against him.

I jumped away from Jade's cleaver and ran up a pile of junk. Grabbing a piece of metal, I threw it down at Jade.  Didn't do too much, she just ducked.  I kept pelting her with shit from the pile as I ran up it but she's quick, like her boss- dodged it all.

I reached the top and starting sliding down the other side.  Suddenly, Shift phased through the pile and tackled me, sending us both tumbling down to the ground.  I gave him an elbow to the face and a shove, but Jade was on me before I could get up and held me to the ground, grinning like a maniac.

I growled and tried to kick her, but she just forced my leg down with hers.  "Sweet Knight, that won't do you aaany good at all.."

I blinked.  "...okay, WHAT did you just call me?"

"You're the savior to the damsels in need, of course.  The Princess, the Lily, the Seer..." I looked into her eyes...And the look she was giving me made me feel chilled to the bone.  It was pure insanity, nothing else to call it.

"Oh, but the Lily doesn't need your help...the Princess has accepted the dragon, and the Seer has died at the evil knight's hands...But it's okay, sir Knight...I can be your damsel."

And then she leaned down and kissed me.  Leveled the cleaver with my wrist, too.  This girl...she's fucked up.  Majorly.

I cast my eyes around.  Obstruction was as emotionless as ever, Shift was looking way, noticeably disgusted.  More importantly their eyes weren't on us.  Thankfully so, considering that I'd rather as few people witnessed that as possible.  And I noticed she'd stopped pinning one of my arms.  I pretended to relax into the kiss, and she pressed forward, weapon arm slackening.

I grabbed the cleaver's blunt side and yanked it out of her hand, driving my fingers into her side at the same time.  While she was still off her guard I headbutted her and rolled her off me.  Scrambling to my feet, I dropped the cleaver and drew the sword.

"That's the most forward I've ever seen anyone be, and I've seen Elaine flirt."

She chuckled weakly.  "You still fight it, sirrah.  But you'll come around to the idea.  To me."  Jade got to her feet and pulled out a couple knives.  Her teammates came up  and together they charged at me.  I was able to fend them off and back away by waving the sword at them.

A piece of junk falling from the pile behind us was the only hint I got of the fourth person.  Looking behind me, I saw a tall woman in a black hood armed with a long knife.  She leaped forward and cut my arm- I just barely deflected the blade with my own away from my heart.  Then she pressed forward and attacked, keeping me on the defensive despite my larger weapon.

Now, four on one just isn't my style.  And I saw my chance to get away from it.  Noticing the pile looking somewhat unsturdy, I dodged one of the new girl's strikes and put myself in the path of Obstruction.  Being a predictable fellow, he rushed at me, and I rolled aside.  He slammed right through the bottom of the pile, and down came the rain of junk.  I didn't stop to look at the results, but bolted.  It slowed them down enough that I made it out with no further incident.

So yeah.  I'm in a safe place now.  I've made a few trips back to the junkyard and there's some amazing stuff there.  Tools, intact metal...makes me wish I'd taken more than amateur engineering classes.  I've got an idea for a gadget of sorts...kind of crazy, but it might just work.  the Killdozer did, right?

Still sort of shaken up from the fight...mostly from Jade.  Goddamn it, why is it getting kissed by a girl disturbs me more than friggin' knife wounds?  I have a serious problem.

You know, besides the being stalked by a gang of idiots who would be too lame for minions in the DC Animated Universe.

On the road again

Where to?  Not sure yet.

Lia and I went our separate ways a few days ago.  For the simple reason that Slenderman seems a lot more interested in me than her.  Oh geez was she not happy about it.  Honestly, she's such a sweetheart.  But I'm tough to argue with when I'm determined to do something.  This is for the best.

It's been...a quiet week.  No Rhodes, no Slenderman.  Actually, a couple of low grade proxies showed up outside my hotel room a few days ago.  I called the cops and they had em in a couple minutes.  Stupid assholes.  Did they seriously forget the police exist or something?  Or that I considered this battle a matter of honor?

Fuck honor.  Honor leaves you face down in the mud, bleeding out.  If you have an advantage, use it.  That's a basic rule of strategy.  The only line I won't cross is killing.  It's wrong no matter the circumstance, I still firmly believe that.  I've got other plans for Rhodes, believe you me.

This was really just to check in...Not much is going on.  I'll report back if anything DOES happen.

It's been a big day for gender equality

In case my last post confused anyone...Slenderman showed up at Lia's place.  We tried to escape, but...Rhodes cut the wires to Dysis' car, and we were trapped in between them.  There was only one way they'd get out, and I took it.  I offered myself to the damn twig so he'd leave them in peace.  Fortunately he took that deal.  And I spent two days as his captive.

If you were wondering...yeah.  That last post?  He was Hallowing me.  Or trying.  I don't quite know how to describe it...but it was horrible.  Like there was an alien force in your body, trying to empty you, to make you a shell, remove YOURSELF from the equation.  I understand why Morningstar was so fucked up, I mean, how many times did they do this to him?

At any rate, I guess killing me wasn't enough.  He wanted me to be his servant.  The only problem was this Hallowing stuff didn't take with me.  Yeah, it hurt...but pain is no longer a good motivator for me.  And I kept my eye on the goal.  The sword.  I focused on it in my head, kept it clear in my mind, and that gave me a constant reminder of my purpose, and by that, who I am.  If that bastard can get frustrated I'm almost certain he was.  He tried more than once, I've sort of lost track.  Intense mental torture tends to impede my mathematical judgement, it's a quirk I have.

I wasn't really awake for most of these two days.  I slipped in and out.  And this one time when I slipped back in, I heard voices.  Shouting.  Confusion.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Lia entering the room.  Then I realized I should probably take stock of where I was at all.  I was sitting in a chair, with my arms tied around the back to it.  Some kind of warehouse?  I never got a good look, I was pretending to still be out.

They'd clearly underestimated me- weak-ass knot, that was.  I had it undone in a couple of minutes.  Suddenly Slendy stepped away from me and looked towards Lia.  And the big proxy he'd brought with him took a step towards me, knife raised.

I was too drowsy to dodge.  There wasn't really any other choice.  As he stabbed forward I reached out my hand and impaled the knife onto it, then yanked it out of his hand and punched him square in the jaw.  While he stumbled back I pulled it out, grabbed my chair, and hit him over the head with it, once, twice, three times.  I saw Lia coming towards me and we grabbed each other.  I gave Slenderman a grin and a nonchalant wave before Pathing out for a brief second.

We re-entered our world right outside the warehouse, and unfortunately I lost consciousness again there.

But hey, I'm back in action, and...kinda no worse for the wear?  A little?

Thanks for the save, Lia.  I owe you.

existence

names, names, they're all the same.  Without meaning.  Without substance.  What defines a man is not his name but his actions.

june or konaa?  does it matter?

is there any point to this

rebelling against something greater than life itself

what hope can be found in a hopeless world?

rgsj

fuckyou

is there any reason for our existence?  are we cattle, bred to be slaughtered?

nothiswontbreakme

iamme

youwonttakethatfromme

iknowwhoiamandthatismystrength

it hurts, but...I'm used to it by now.

why not be like everyone else

why not stop thinking

He wants to think for me

I'm no good at saving people anyway, why fight the inevitable?

diefighting

diebeforeservinghim

it's not

noshutthefuckup

but it's meaningless, no matter how hard I try

youtried and that is what matters.

To fight to the end- that was my vow.  And I will keep it.

Death before dishonor.

Alright alright I'm up

just a quick fun fact.  On my way to Hylo's, I started bleeding.  I couldn't even tell from where.  It was freaky as all hell, too, and when I reached her place I was pretty much passed out.

But uh yeah, I'm up and back to normal.  Weird but not life-threatening.

Now piss off internet, I'm trying to watch anime with my girlfriend.

not again

http://somethingtoleavebehind.tumblr.com/post/10971355733/what-you-thought-that-you-had-to-remind-me-of-how

see attached

http://somethingtoleavebehind.tumblr.com/post/10862852096

A reminder

What is it about dreams?  Coming out of nowhere like this...And leaving a sense of purpose in their wake.

I was once again in that forest in Indiana.  The Bleeding forest.  And that same sight met my eyes- the hooded figure, a glimpse of a mask underneath, seated on the stump.  Only this time he was facing me, and not pale at all.  I knew this had to be a dream, because he looked quite alive.  I stood there apprehensively.

"Don't look so nervous.  I'm not here to attack you or anything."  A sad wry smirk crossed his face, "I'm just...here."

I felt for the scabbard, pulled it off my back and held it out to him.  "Sorry," I said.  "I borrowed this."

Zero reached out hesitantly, his hand over the sword.  "Where'd you get that?  My blade was broken."

"I had it fixed."

His eyes were hard to see under that mask, but the look he gave me was piercing.  Not angry...curious, would be more like it. "Why?"

I tried my best to cast my mind back to the days before the fire, when I was full of reckless energy.  Well...using the term 'reckless' with relation to myself in the past tense still wouldn't be quite right.

"...I'd already made the questionable decision to retrieve it.  Might as well go all the way, right?" I grinned nervously.

Zero looked at the blade, obviously tempted.  He waved it off.  "Keep it then, bad memories for me."  Looking away, he asked, "So...does that mean I'm dead?"

"Yeah.  Few months now."

He was silent for a bit, processing that.  "I didn't...kill you, did I?" He sounded nervous.  I shook my head.

Zero nodded to me for a moment, then slowly stood up and walked around his stump.  "Trapped in a forest...blood of many...and out of options."  He sighed and looked up. "God, this sounds familiar."

He stepped back towards me. "So...what made you decide to go and loot my body?"  He grinned, perhaps appreciating the gallows humor.

I gave a weary chuckle.  "Hero worshipping kid, plus overconfidence, plus deep desire to actually get something done, plus 'oo, katana' = bad decisions."  He was quiet, and without really knowing why, I kept going.

"I've....changed quite a bit since then.  But for what it's worth I was glad to at least give your body a bit of a better resting spot."

He smiled. "Have you done well in your quest, then?"

I sighed.  "Well..."

He interrupted as if he were waiting for me to start listing my failures.  "No no no.  None of the bad stuff.  We're fighting agents of evil, there's bound to be problems.  I'm talking about standing up, fighting back, even if you can't always win."  He was looking right at me, I did my best to meet his gaze.

"We've got a monster at our throats, and every last person who steps on a Proxy's neck to spit in his nonexistent face....that's all any man CAN do."  Zero stepped forward and gave me a prod in the chest.   "You remember, you remember...that anyone that stands up and gives hope, even if he is falliable, you remember that this is what one man can do."

I think I understand why he was made a Sage.  He had a way with words, a simple sort of way.  But it reached your heart because of that.  What he said...it echoed my own beliefs so thoroughly.  That hope deep inside me that refuses to die, no matter how many of my friends and family fall.  To hear such words of encouragement from a man who once represented hope to the stalked, it was...well, inspiring.

All I could do was smile gratefully.  "Thanks.  I guess...I needed a reminder."

"Hey, don't I know it."  He motioned to the sword, "Nice to see you took it for good reasons, eh?  I guess I didn't totally destroy what I originally wanted."

"You didn't.  That hope still exists." I was able to say that confidently for the first time in months.

He nodded, then looked around, speaking again after a few moments. "Everywhere I look, I see shades of the past.  People are so worried about their failures.  Really, all they need is their humanity."

I listened intently.

"Failures make us human, but expecting us to be perfect...heroes even is another.  Remember where the want of a hero, of success leads to." He gave his sword another look.

I asked him the question that had been burning in me for who knows how long.  "What makes a hero?"

Zero laughed softly, "To do what you can.  To not take things lying down.  Sure you'll fail, plenty of times even.  But if you can make one good mark, save one person, change one thing,  you've thwarted destiny."   He motioned to me. "I know I can rest easier, knowing that I inspired one person to do good."

We smiled at each other.

And then I was awake, my eyes wet.

Whatever that was...I needed it.  Thanks.  Wherever you are, in what lies beyond death, I hope you're resting well.

Haven't had time to post

..Still don't, really.  I've been on the move for quite some time.

Three days after Rhodes and I fought...He caught up to me.  And this time he got the jump on ME.  Obstruction, the big guy, came busting right through the door of a cafe I was in.  In seconds both of the other customers and the woman behind the counter were on the ground, bruised.  And he strolled in.  Called nonchalantly that they should stay on the ground, and that he wouldn't be staying long.

Another person was with him- pale white hair and skin, green eyes.  Kind of pretty...Same eyes as Lia, after all. (<3)  Less pretty was her meat cleaver, which she was casually waving around while staring at me.

Rhodes...looked fine.  New suit, new hat, not even a mark on him.  What the fuck can kill him if a 100+ foot fall can't?

"Sorry, may I please have some tea?  Green, if you will.  Pour a cup for my young friend, too."

Believe it or not, Obstruction made the lady get up and pour us both a cup of tea.  Rhodes sat down across from me, grinning widely.

"So!  Care to give this another shot, or are you interested in a chat first?  I'm certainly DYING to know what you've been up to.  Haha.  Get it?"

Stupid asshole.  ...Although that was a pretty good one.

I remained silent.  The lady brought us our tea, then Obstruction threw her back on the ground.

"Oooh, the silent treatment.  Very tough and defiant.  You may want to consider being more polite with me, Konaa.  Your dear Hylo wouldn't know how to go on if her darling Juney wasn't going to be there for her again."

THAT made me laugh.  "Hylo's tougher than the two of us put together.  She's lost what I have and managed to not turn into a mopey idiot regarding it.  You really need to start threatening people who can't kick your ass."

He grinned.  "Like, oh, Nessa, for example?"

Geez, he knows how to shut a guy up, fast.  My face must have said it all, cause he looked delighted.  A chuckle came out of him.

"Poor you.  You'll really just carry that baggage for the rest of your life, won't you?"

I shrugged.  "We all have problems.  Some of us failed our friends.  Others have scalded faces."

He looked confused.   Okay, I'm just gonna mention: Don't hand someone who hates you a cup of hot tea.  It went straight into his face.  With a surprisingly high pitched yell he fell back, and I went into action.  Smoke bomb, out the door...Simple.  I ran into the alleyway and...

Not so simple.  Guess who was waiting for me.

Tall, dark, and Slender sure hasn't changed.  I know I've made this joke before, but where do you think he launders that suit?  Maybe Rhodes recommended a place or vice versa, cause HIS always seems spotless too.

Anyways.  I still felt pretty sick, even after I defied him the last time.  I'd take the goon squad over the boss any day, so I ran back.

They were gone.  ...What the fuck.  Rhodes, you really need to be a little less bi-polar with your desire to kill me.  Suddenly, NAW IT'S COOL WE DON'T NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A FLANKING MANUEVER?

Anyways...this past week and a few has been hard.  No sign of Rhodes, but...the other suited jackass seems to be back onto.  He shows up, I try to fight him, I get sick, I run.  After about four times I skipped to the running part...It's kind of impossible to fight him, or maybe you hadn't noticed.

Been goin' eastwards.  Maybe I'll see a few of you and

fuck it all he's outside.  Later.

Have fun storming the mansion

Picture the scene.  Colorado, full of mountains and trees.  We're focusing on one mountain particular, not too far from a nearby town.  And some ways up that mountain is an old mansion.  They say it's haunted, the ghosts of an unjustly slain family torment whoever stays within.

Granted, I didn't really care about that shit.  What lived in there was worse than any ghost.

I spent a full day staking the place out.  I couldn't get too close- Who knows what'd he do if he saw me hanging around?  From what I could see, it was a big place.  Three floors, kinda run down, decrepit.  Paint flaking off the walls, couple broken windows, etc.  More importantly, a front door and two side doors.  No back door.  It was up to me to make that one.

Nick suggested getting the police.  I checked out the local police station- small.  They wouldn't be too much help.  I was on my own for this one.  Like that was new to me.

I had a lot to think about.  How do I outsmart Rhodes?  He's faster, more clever, and has had a lot of time to prepare for me.  What's the answer?  An even more complicated scheme, weaving my own web around his?  I spent a lot of the past few days trying to think of a plan, incorporate what plan his might be...

Then I realized I'm an idiot.  And I should act like one.  Do the unexpected.  Rhodes wouldn't expect me coming in through the back.  Who would?  There's a solid wall.  It's just common sense you couldn't go through there.

Right.  Fuck common sense, you guys hear me?  We're dealing with the fucking Slender Man.  Fuck common sense square up the ass with a ten foot long halberd.

THAT colorful train of thought led to a construction contractor's warehouse, a knocked out employee, and a stolen piece of hardware.  Yeah, pretty illegal ain't it.  They've almost certainly retrieved it by now, though, so no harm done.  At least to them.

It's early in the morning, the sun is just rising over the hills.  The birds are singing, the old mansion proudly welcomes the sunlight...

And a tree in the lawn bursts into flames, and falls over.  Lots of noise, light, and smoke.  The perfect distraction.  I start the bulldozer and accelerate straight down the hill.  That old wall never had a chance, and I was in the foyer before I knew it.  I could hear someone yelling outside, but I didn't care.  I jumped out and ran upstairs.  Fancy-ass staircase, like everything else.  I heard typing.  Kicking open a door I see a scrawny little guy typing desperately at a computer.  Presumably this hacker, Shift.

Hacker he may be, fighter he is not.  I drew my gun on him and yelled at him to spill the beans.  He tried to lie and say there'd never been a prisoner.  It was easily enough to see through that lie, and I gave him a whack on the head for his trouble.

That was when he told me the truth.  Nessa had been here.  And she's dead now.  That freak..he raped her.  And burnt her body.  Shift said he...kept the ashes in an urn in his bedroom on the third floor.  Even he sounded disgusted talking about it.

More on...how I feel about that some other time.  I tried to get more out of him, like on who else he has helping him, but that question was unfortunately answered as a huge burly hand grabbed me from behind and slammed me into the doorframe.  This guy was HUGE.  I mean, he looked about six and a half feet, and he was wide and muscled as all hell.  He threw me against the staircase's railing.  Luckily and unluckily for me, it didn't break.  But it did hurt like fuck.  I tried to grab my gun but he kicked it aside.

I stabbed his foot and heard him growl- yeah, GROWL- with pain.  I took off running towards the corner, but suddenly a pale blue outline of a person appeared out of the wall next to me.  Then it formed into Shift.  I think he's like Hylo somehow- he can phase through solid matter.  I ran straight into him and stumbled back, right into the big guy's grasp.  This time I got slammed against the far wall.  Those bruises are gonna hurt for a while.

He pulled me back to do it again.  I looked up and saw one of those fancy lamps, like, with the squiggly metal bases, hanging out of the wall.  I kicked off of the burly guy and wrapped my legs around it, and twisted to avoid getting smashed a second time.  That surprised him enough to get him to lessen his grip, so reached up, grabbed the lightbulb out of the lamp, and smashed it into his face.  Not that it did much, but it gave me another second.

I jumped down, and ran past him, scooping up my gun (making sure to clock Shift on my way over!).  I turned around and shoot the big guy in the arm and shoulder.  He fell over, swearing in pain.  I turned to Shift, but he was already gone through the wall.  Pointing the gun back at the big guy, I asked him where Rhodes was.

Naturally, he pointed up.

Up the stairs.  At the grand bedroom I paused and reloaded before kicking the door down.  Empty.  Grand bed, several photos of himself, and...a red urn.  With that drawing of him she did besides it.  I...I'll admit, I spend about ten seconds just staring at it.  I managed to get that under control, though.

For his room, it was pretty bare bones.  Guess he kept the evil plans and shit somewhere else.  Or got rid of it before I showed up.  I went through his stuff and there was nothing.

Back out into the hallway, and I almost lost my life right then and there.  I just barely avoided the bullet that came at me from the side.  And that laugh.

"Oooh!  Close one, close one!  Come on, to the roof!  That's the best way to have a final climactic battle!  Oh, this is EXCITING, June, you have just no idea!"

I heard him scrambling up some more stairs.  Looking around the corner, I saw another staircase leading up into the sunlight.  As I ran forward, I threw a knife through the opening.  Good thing I did, too.  It was like a glass wall shattering, only the glass vanished the moment it hit the ground.  Who knows what that thing would have done.

Running up onto the roof, I immediately rolled forward to avoid the next shot- but it never came.  I looked up, at the figure silhouetted in the sunrise.  He laughed again.

"Come on, all this way for an anticlimax with guns?  That isn't how a final battle works at all, Konaa!  We fight man to man.  Come on, how does it sound?  Great, right?"

I didn't even bother dignifying this with a response and emptied my clip at him.  To no avail.  Every last bullet fell short of him in midair and hit the ground.  His laughter grew deranged.  Like, even for him.

"So sorry, but bullets won't work on this rooftop.  Mine too, as it happens.  You see, that wall you broke was the entrance to this Territory."

I can take a hint, I didn't try with the gun again.  Putting it back in the holster, I drew a couple knives instead and walked forward, the two of us circling each other.

"A Territory is normal space, twisted by the one who calls it, in this case, yours truly.  It's the sort of thing those in my profession can employ, and it's useful for keeping people trapped.  I set a Rule.  In this case...The Rule is rather potent, since I'm quite proficient in them.  The Rule is...No anticlimactic finish to this battle.  We fight it out, and to the winner goes the spoils!  Which...in this case is a mansion with very lowered property values.  A bulldozer?  Really?  Please tell me you don't want to be Cifer when you grow up."

I'd had enough of his smug face.  "Are you quite done babbling?  If we have to gut each other, so be it.  I just want you to die, so do us all a favor and get with the program!"

With that, we charged each other.  Lots of slashing, lots of hacking.  He was...inhumanly fast.  Before long I'd received several gashes without even dealing one.  Until I remembered that little note.  Do the unexpected.  I dropped my knives.  He blinked, and I sliced him across the chest with Zerosword in that instant.  Rhodes managed to jump back, though, so I didn't have my split psychopath.  That was a pretty nasty cut, though.  He looked shocked, and in pain.  And then...he laughed again.

It was sick.  It made me feel sick just hearing that noise.  There was nothing sane behind it.  It was a laugh that only the most twisted sense of humor could bring out.  "That's it that's it that's it!  Hurt me more.  You can actually hurt me!  This is great.  Fantastic!  I haven't felt pain in such a long time...I forgot how great it is!  Aaah...it's nothing to the great suffering I put poor dear Nessy through though."

I paused in spite of me.  I wanted to hear what he had to say.

His smile widened.  "Oh yeah, I took her in that way, alright.   I don't usually do that, but I tailor the torture to the victim, y'dig?  She was so fragile, so easily broken...psychologically and physically.  The most fun I've had in a looooong time.  Her crying face was like a work of art.  The sight of someone crushed beyond hope is truly beautiful!  And I have YOU to thank for it!"

I sputtered.  "Me!?  You're the monster who-"

"Ap ap ap.  You had your hand in this.  If you hadn't drawn her back into the community, I'd've never found her.  And never taken her, certainly, if she hadn't made that drawing, and you hadn't foolishly assumed she was safe.  So thanks for that, June!  Thanks a-"

I cut his arm off.  He staggered backwards, face white as a ghost.  Then...I got a horrible confirmation about his status as nonhuman.

Scaley, thick ropes, shot out of his wound.  They wrapped around themselves, and formed...into a snake.  He stood there, covered in blood, with a fucking snake with its own head for an arm.  I could only stare.  And I vocally wondered just what the hell he was.

"Oh, I'm still quite human.  Just because I happen to have a little friend in here with me doesn't change that!  Don't discriminate now."  And with that, he lunged.  The snake struck out of its own free will and he stabbed in a different direction.  I chose to roll again, slashing at his side as I got up, catching him.  I got a view of inside his body- more snakes.  Blood, organs, and more of those snakey ropes.  He began to laugh, again.

"This is PURE GOLD!  The Hero finds out, to his horror, the Evil Lord is more monster than man!  But he fights on regardless, to avenge the damsel who died valiantly!  What a story!  This cracks me up!  And yeah, you heard me.  Hero."

I had scowled at that mention of that word.  His eyes narrowed.  He smelled blood, metaphorically.  I'm sure literally he had plenty of blood to smell.

"Yeah, that's right...Whine about how no one should rely on you all you want.  Get as mad about being called a hero, about being compared to Juno, to something akin to a savior- it doesn't change the fact that you want to be one.  You want to save everyone!  That way you can convince yourself your parents didn't die in vain.  That way it can be worth it!"

I was shivering.  I should have kept attacking, but...he was getting to me.

"Cause you think you CAN be!  You always think, don't they treat me too much like a kid?  Haven't I saved people before?  I deserve respect!"  He stepped forward.

"Well Juney boy.  Here we are.  Come on.  Kill me.  Be the big hero.  Save the world, June!  Save the WORLD!"  He spread his arms (well, arm and snake) wide.  "Stab!  Right in the heart!  No way I could survive that, right!?  Make it worth it, boy!  MAKE IT WORTH IT!"

The sword dropped from my hand.  I felt tears running down my face.  It was too much.  He was right.  I really am a glory hound, no matter how much I try to deny it.  Do I really want to help people for the sake of it, or do I want to be seen as The Hero, that one missing part of Core Theory, the one who dies to save the world from the Slender Man?  He laughed again.

"Just as I thought.  You really don't have the guts.  Aaah well, if you'd tried it I would have gutted you anyway.  You really don't have the brains to deal with me, kid.  Always charging forward, never noticing the traps I set...Well, you did pretty well just now, but it's mainly cause you pussied out.  Oh well...We can't all be heroes, you know?" He reached up and started brushing hair out of his face.

And I looked up...and grinned.  "If you ask me, the real Hero...has already gone to ground."

He blinked.  "What?"

And I ran forward, and gave him a ramming blow with my shoulder.  Over the edge he went.  I looked over, saw him hit the ground, roll down the hill...and over the mountain edge.  It's...a long way down.  I could see the body, barely.  It wasn't moving.

I heard police sirens.  I gathered up my stuff and got out of the house, which was devoid of people, now.  Before I left, I smashed Nessa's vase.  I didn't...want what was left of her to be a memory of what he did to her.

And I made good my escape.  On the way down, I checked the body.  It had no pulse.  He wasn't breathing.  The snakes were gone.  It was...kind of disgusting.  Let's just say that between that fall and my cuts, he wasn't exactly winning the Miss Proxy Pageant anymore.

He's dead.  She's dead.  I'm not.

Not sure how to feel.  What about you guys?

He's leading me to him.

He'll regret it.

I think you'll know the result, one way or another, in a day or so.

Just a little longer now.

Nessa

Yesterday, Nessa made a post.  Containing a drawing of Rhodes.  Rhodes saw it, and came to hunt her down.  I started back towards the safe house at around the same time.  I was only a few hours away...

But it didn't turn out that simple.

I was in a nervous, impatient, panicked state.  After I got on my train I noticed five minutes later that we were behind schedule.  I opened the door and walked out- there was a crowd of people near the front.  Dragging a body out of the driver's car.

They were talking about insane delays, so I had to find another way.  But when I headed for the bus stop, Rise stood in my path.  I told her what was going on, she said she knew.  And that she couldn't let me get to Nessa.

I was stunned.  Rise, working for Rhodes?  But no, she denied it.  She reminded me that she only serves herself.  So why, then?  Why didn't she want me to stop him?  Here's what she said.

"As you know, your resistance to His influence is incredible.  You not only hid yourself from His sight for months, you completely shook Him off when He tried to control you.  I've noticed this, and tried my best to understand it.  And from what I can understand, you only resist Him when it is to save yourself.  That is what allows you to escape Him- your drive and self-preservation instinct.  This cannot happen so long as you're tied up in protecting someone else.  So I will ensure that factor is removed."

I starting shouting at her.  "So that's why you went after Fiona, too!?  Fuck you!  I don't want to save myself!  What the hell is the point of escaping from him if I can't save my friends!?"

"I'm making this choice for you."

That was when I lost it and charged her.  Knifed her arm and kicked her aside.  But I missed the bus...I had to wait for the next one.  And by the time I got to the safe house.

The door was unlocked and unbolted.  Nessa was gone.  Her phone and my laptop were still there.

There was a post written on it.

She was a girl who'd lost everything to this.  Like me.  When we met, we found hope in each other.  And she confided in me.  And I swore to protect everyone I could, including her.  She was hopeless without someone to help her...I wanted to save her, to keep her from falling further into despair.  And she relied on me to do that.

That was her mistake.  Relying on me.  No one should ever rely on me.  I'm a failure- a joke.  I couldn't even save someone that close to me.  Instead, she's dead...or worse.  I don't know.

Rhodes.  This is a message to you.  You may think you're a genius, and that I'll play into your hand no matter what I do.  And you may be right.  But I won't hesitate any longer.

You aren't human.  Whatever you are, it's not sane and rational.  You only live for the suffering of others.  Misery feeds you.  I've seen it.  You aren't even capable of feeling anything remotely related to humanity.  I'll make you pay for what you've done.

You can run, you can hide, you can fight, scheme, plot, kill, torture, maim, it won't matter.  I'll find you.  I won't rest until you've paid your dues for all the pain you've caused- and I'm betting that's no small amount.  I might have balked at this before..But not any longer.

Rhodes, I WILL kill you.

Managed to save someone.  Damn, it feels good.

I was scouting around when I ran smack into Rise.  Girl looks as unhealthy as ever.  She held up a finger, and led me three blocks downtown, before pointing at a guy in a hood.  A proxy.  I gave her a nod and we followed him for the next day or so,  out of the city, past a few towns, until we finally caught up last night. He had cornered three runners- they were all older than me and yet they looked like a bunch of frightened rabbits!  I judged from their lack of wounds that they were kind of new to this.

One proxy isn't really in the realm of difficulty for me after what I've been through.  He went to the hospital with a nasty sword cut to his side, nothing fatal.  Had to stop Rise from killing him, though- she's quite the trigger happy girl.  Knife happy.  Whatever.

Getting thanked was the weirdest feeling ever.  It hasn't stopped being weird, it felt all wrong when Fiona did it too.  They didn't really want to stick around, and I couldn't blame em- think Rise was scaring them.  But at least they're alive and still rollin'.

Maybe I can do this after all.

Oh, and I met up with Nessa only a few days after I got out of the labyrinth, she's in a safe place right now.  A base of sorts.  I really need to keep checking up on her, though, she cannot take care of herself.  yeah, you heard me. :p

Where I stand

It's a nice night.  The stars are out, and I can see em clearly where I am.  The air from the storm is fresh and I'm getting plenty of it up on this roof.  And yet here I am, huddled with a laptop.  What does that say about me?

Well, let me tell you what's lying next to me, sheathed in its scabbard- the sword.  Reforged.  I dropped by Nick's today to pick it up...No clue where he is, obviously, and I didn't see that "Ellen" chick either.  But that's not important.

When I had it in my hands at last, I felt...odd.  This thing is just a weapon, but it gave me a strange sense of relief.  Like I finally had something I could really fight with.

Zero...Whether you were good or evil doesn't really matter.  You wanted the same thing we all did- to be free from that bastard.  And you died fighting for what you believed in.  I hope you can rest in peace, cause I'm gonna do my best to finish what you started.  (no, not the crazy bone fetish, the killing Slenderman!  geez)

So.  Here I am.  June Reynolds, AKA Konaa.  18 years old.  Orphaned by humanity's greatest and possibly oldest enemy.  Desperately searching for a way to kill that enemy, and if that fails, to protect everyone I can from him.  Heavy stuff.  To think I wanted to be a writer.

The weird thing is the thought that there are people out there who would miss me if I were gone.  That's...fairly new to me.  I guess I should tell you guys a bit about myself for the first real time, huh?

Growing up...I hated people.  I was always smarter than they were.  Why would I want to hang out with a bunch of guys who talk about the stupidest stuff, and who like running around outside yelling and tackling each other?  Best to keep away from them.  Who needs anyone other than yourself?

...So I thought.  Charming kid, wasn't I?  For the most part, people didn't really like me either.  Not only was I anti-social and rude, my sense of sarcasm was not at all absent in my earlier years.  This did not tend to endear me to people.

I'd like to note that this arrogant kid is hardly a specter of the past.  Look at my first few entries on this very blog.  Even then, convinced as I was that I was as good as dead, I still held this ridiculous notion that I was way smarter than anyone else who was being stalked.  I looked down on people.  Thought they weren't worth my time.  Even my parents, sometimes.

Hurts when you don't realize how much you value something until you've lost it, eh?

And fast forward three or so months.  Every experience I've had has brought me closer to those I've befriended.  It's only now that I know how fragile our lives are that I can appreciate them all the better.  And when I take what I went through, and know that others have as well...I feel like I understand other people for the first time.

In a twisted way, encountering the Slender Man has made me a better person.  Who would have guessed?

The road ahead of me is a dark one.  No denying that.  A famous sword doesn't make that any easier.  In addition, I have to protect those important to me at all costs...and do my best to save those who are already under his thrall.  Some (read:most) would say that's impossible.

But here I am.  And here I stand.  I'll make you prove it's impossible, if you can.

The Labyrinth

How was it?

Cold.  To start.

I wandered the streets of a city I couldn't recognize, shrouded deep in fog.  The layout...made no sense.  Streets seemed to change direction when I doubled back, and the entire place felt tense, eerie.  Of course, I only got to wander for a bit before the pain started.

I saw them.  Hylo, Elaine, Spencer, August, Nessa, Nick, Fiona...dead.  I saw it over and over...the methods of murder changed, they were irrelevant.  The message was clear: "You can't save anyone no matter how hard you try."

It hurt.  I'd never experienced pain like that before in my life.  I saw my parents dead...begging me to save them.  And I saw him.  There was always a shadow of him beyond everything I saw.  Watching, waiting.

I had no sense of time.  I kept fading in and out, really.  There were moments where I would get some relief, and then the pain would begin again.

And I could hear...no, I could FEEL something else.  A compulsion digging into the back of my mind.  To give in.  To accept inevitability.  To walk into his arms.  Those moments were the worst of all.  We aren't...equipped to deal with a mind like his.  He doesn't work with our reality, that much I'm sure of now.

I don't know why I never broke.  But...At the back of my mind, I still held onto one last shard of defiance.  It was nothing more than the knowledge that if I gave in, much as I wanted to, that it would be his victory.  That there were people waiting for me to get out of this.  And that I had sworn to fight him until the end.

I stood.  We were back in the city...me and him.  And once again my head felt like it was breaking apart, and that feeling returned.  Almost like he was speaking.  A bunch of stuff about how small I was.  I was in a prison of my own mind.  Sheer willpower alone would not save me. That no matter how hard I fought, I would never be a hero.

For the first time, I replied, starting with a laugh.

"You're right.  I'm no hero.  I don't follow any plan.  Nick's fancy schemes, Elaine's research, Spencer's...weirdness.  I just don't do well following their lead, or any kind of authority or rules.  So I'll give you a tip.  Don't make the mistake of thinking I follow the rules, ever again."

I stepped towards an alley.  He loomed forward, but I could feel confusion from him.  There was a pause.  "You wanna know what I do instead?"

"I cheat." And with that, I opened the Path of Black Leaves and dove through it.  A few seconds later, or so it seemed, I was awake in the bright world of ours.

It was a gamble.  I had no idea whether being on the Path would let me open it, but maybe being a proxy's kid helped.  Whatever the reason, I can use it.  Not that I intend to.  It's got an unfortunate side effect of making me dead.

Crisis averted, I guess...I feel absolutely exhausted.  But I can't lay low for now.  I gotta find Nessa.  Never a dull moment, sheesh.

I'm alive, everyone.  I will NOT say sorry to worry you because fuck you I just got my mind raped for a week.  You should be apologizing to ME.  That's right, on your knees.  Except not like THAT, cause, uh, that'd be a little gross.

Yeah, I got nothing.  Later.

I'm alive.

Better luck next time, you betentacled piece of shit.

hurts

no, no!  I didn't kill you!  HE killed you!  I...wanted it to be me instead...why couldn't it be me?  Why..?

you're...not real.  None of this is real.  but, so warm, the fire...

would I see them again, if I...No, I can't, they're- You're gone.  I have to...accept that.  please...

don't hurt her, let her go.  let them all go, why do you do this!?  Why!?  Just...take me, please, and leave them!  That's all I want, I just want them to be safe...

ohgod no, no, no!  it's not real, it's not real, Hylo, get up please, get...no, that's not her!  She isn't here!  Oh god, no, stop...STOP!

there's no point...no matter what I do, no matter where I turn, he's there for me.

getting colder...feels nice.  don't have to worry about anything anymore..

that's right, move on...

but...they're still waiting for me there.  can't.  Can't go.  I'm sorry.  No...I can't.

No...You won't break me.  You hear me!?  YOU WON'T!  No matter how deep into my mind you get, I'll defy you to my last living breath, you MONSTER!

YOU HEAR ME OUT THERE!?  THIS IS NOTHING!  BRING IT ON!

Not the optimal discharge but I'll take it

I'm out of the hospital, though not exactly..legally.  I was about to be moved to the psychiatric ward, but the day that was to happen, I was lying on my bed, alone in my room, when the power went out.  Call me paranoid (please) but I don't leave anything to chance these days.  I got up and opened the door.

Silence.  An empty hallway.  That was very strange.  Hospitals aren't very loud places, but there is ALWAYS some noise on the ward levels.  I didn't like the looks of this at all.  Gathering my things, I decided it was time for an impromptu discharge.

On my way down to ground level, I didn't meet a single soul.  That was the final confirmation- I would be in serious shit if I stayed there.  Out the exit I went.  That was last night, and I spent the night in an undisclosed location (the best kind).  I'm heading for Nick's place as soon as this goes up.

As for whatever that was...Felt like the Slender Bastard himself.  And that's his style, ain't it?  I would have liked to stick around for another shot at him, but I know that'd do no good.  I was lucky against the tree, and I'm not gonna throw myself against Slenderman until I have a way to kill him.

Right.  Nick, comin' your way.

Unexpected visitor

I got an interesting visitor today, to say the least.  About five hours ago the doc let me know there was someone to see me.  That was when that guy walked in.  The guy who attacked me in the forest, and showed up at the fire.  Here's a general description: Dude is tall and broad-chested, usually wears that brown coat.  He didn't have his sword or guns, obviously.  He's got black hair tied into a ponytail, and a heavy Italian accent.  English is definitely his second language, though he speaks it fluently.

I asked him what the hell he wanted.  He sits down in the chair besides the bed and tells me he was impressed with my "spirit" or whatever.  Apparently his group, CRUSADER, hunts down anyone who's seen Slender Man, cause it means they've been infected or whatever, and he uses us to anchor him to this world.  So we're basically all Harry Potter Horcruxes for Slendy (the last book has been out for four years, I'll spoil it all I damn want) except mercifully less British and without the power to alter reality.  Also if we die we don't come back- haha, actually never mind.

Apparently having the stones to charge Slender Man impressed him, and he wanted to come give me a gentleman's warning before he hunted me down and turned me into chopped meat.

This guy scares me.  Maybe more than Rhodes.  He talked of killing me like it..pained him.  But he made it clear that he was going to.  And I can tell he could.  His stance is relaxed, but has weight behind it.  There is a hard look in his eyes.  The man looks middle aged, and experienced.  And when I angrily pointed out that HE had seen Slendy too, he said that he'd just have to kill himself too.  Without blinking.

He's insane.  Why is everyone insane?

Oh yeah, and I asked for his name.  He was quiet for a few seconds, before answering.

"My name is Matteo D'Avano.  My rank, and duty, within CRUSADER is Hunter.  You may refer to me as that, for that is my life to me.  I am the Hunter of the dark and the mad, he who drags them from the shadows to face the light of judgment.  So, Hunter will do."

Hunter stood, gave me a respectful nod, and left, promising that my death would be as painless as he could manage.

Yep.  Interesting guy.  Determined, skilled, actually quite kind.  Completely batshit insane.

At this point meeting someone who has it together would be more shocking.

I never even stopped to consider it, since it was what I remembered.  But something didn't seem right about what happened.  The memory of it felt...Unbelievable.  I've been going over it in my head, and I realized one simple fact: There was no way I could've avoided its gaze.  But it came to a head when the Doctor brought back one of my knives, which had been found, with my blood on it.  And then I remembered.  Which hurt.  Like my mind was forcibly piecing itself back together.

I met its gaze.  That was what convinced me those wounds were from the roots.  Its roots never touched me.  As soon as I looked into those eyes I felt my body being ripped to pieces on its own.  There was a presence in my mind- I felt like someone else, no, someTHING else was in my head with me.  Then the pain started.  It was almost blinding.  There wasn't anything else but pain and fear.  It felt like something was cutting my mind in half, this burning, sharp sensation.  Before I knew it I had raised my hand and slashed open my own arm.  The Tree told me to do it.  I couldn't say no.  The mere idea of defying it was unthinkable.

Maybe it was the sudden, physical pain of the knife, but for whatever reason, I felt myself regain some control.  That was when I forced myself to my feet, tore away my gaze, and dragged myself towards it, molotov in hand.  I managed to throw it, and the Tree burnt.  But I don't think for a second that this is the end of it.  The damage is done.

Is it too late for me?  Even now, I still have this intense pain in my head...I barely feel coherent enough to type this out.  Am I going to be like Zero, a prisoner of his own mind?  I finally understand what drove him to do what he did...I can't even remember what those eyes looked like.  And I'm glad I can't.

Everyone should probably steer clear of me.  I don't trust myself.