And Slendy Makes Four

The good news: I have a weapon now. Now it's just a matter of using it. Also, I have four readers now. Not really that important, but it's good to know, I guess. Speaking of my new reader, she saw this coming. Somehow.

The bad news: I have another eldritch abomination following me around. It's the only one I would've recognized before I started reading the blogs. Yes, that's right. The original Fear: the Slender Man.

Although, you had probably already figured that out when you read the title. But it never hurts to make sure.

So I was running away from a gas station, having just shoplifted the entire beef jerky isle (and I'm still feeling kind of guilty about that) and not wanting to get caught doing so, when a guy with a machete ran up to me and tried to chop my head off!

I just managed to duck in time, and the machete swept over my head, missing me by near inches. I looked up to see my brother, or the thing that used to be him, swing the weapon again, and I just managed to jump out of the way.

Unfortunately, I tripped and fell backwards. Fortunately, my backpack broke my fall. Painfully, but still broke it.

I scrambled backwards, trying to regain my footing, but I couldn't. Tom raised his machete, but before he could swing downwards, I heard the sound of a motorcycle engine, and WHAM! The Newborn crashed right into him, knocking him down. The machete went flying out of his hands and landed next to me. I was lucky it hadn't hit me.

I picked up the weapon and looked up. The Newborn had been upgraded, for lack of a better word. There were large metallic spikes all over it, spikes on the wheels, spikes on the handles. Even Judgement had spikes. Not all of them were metallic, though. Some looked... fleshy. I didn't want to know where they had come from.

Nevertheless, the mechanical arms came out as my mom, or the thing that used to be her, rounded a corner and ran towards me with her butcher knife. I knocked it out of her hands with my machete, but in the process I accidentally chopped off her pinky. It fell to the ground with a sickening squick noise. But there was no blood. No anything.

I wanted to apologize. So bad. But I looked into this woman's eyes and remembered she is not my mother. Not anymore.

And then the birds flew out. One by one, they flew out of her finger with their creepy, reality-warping powers, and flew at me. I don't like hurting things, but I really had not choice. I swung the machete around wildly, as several ducks flew at me, pecking at me with their weird, rubbery beaks.

Did I mention how strong ducks' beaks are? They may not look it, but those things hurt. I've still got the bruises to show it.

So I swung the machete around, backing away from the ever-growing swarm of ducks (I know swarm isn't the right word, but screw terminology). The ducks were beginning to overwhelm me, and I was beginning to tire out, but then... then it happened.

I felt all happiness sucked out of me. I felt my soul get slowly dragged out of my body in the most painful way possible. I felt the world slowly crumble as it stood in awe at his impending might. I felt... I don't know what I felt.

The ducks left. All together as one, they carried away their Nests and flew off into the sky. I heard the roar of the motorcycle engine, and Judgement left as well. I was all alone... except I wasn't.

I looked up and I saw him. He was shaped like a man, only too tall, too thin. Too faceless. He stood there, and he stared without eyes, and I stared back, unable to do anything else. Then my vision sort of distorted for a second, and he was gone.

I don't know what had happened. I just know that I do not was to meet that thing again.

--Branden

Judgement part 2

I encountered Judgement again today (Er, tonight, rather. It was already pretty late by then). It was... weird.

I was walking down a dark alley (smart move, I know) when I noticed a motorcycle behind a dumpster. Then I realized there was a duck on it, and that it had mechanical arms that were reaching into the dumpster for some reason.

Rather than do the sensible thing and run away, I chose to comment on how ridiculous it looked.

"What exactly... is that?" I asked it. And why are you reaching into a dumpster?"

Then, Judgement spoke. Not out loud, of course, ducks can't talk. It communicated telepathically. Somehow.

This, if you can't tell, it said as the mechanical arms got a banana peel and placed it on the duck's head. This is Judgeme- NO NOT THERE!

The duck started flapping around, struggling to get the banana peel off as best as it could.

I raised an eyebrow. This is not what I expected Judgement to be.

Then... something else entered my head. Not a voice, exactly, but... Well, it sent a series of numbers. I find it wierd that I remember it so perfectly; normally I'd have forgotten it instantly:

01100111011011110110111100100000011001110110111101101111001000000110011101100001001000000110011101100001

Binary?? That's what it looks like anyway. Any of my three readers know how to translate this? I'd really like to know what it says. So, back to the narrative:

Yeah, well, not on me, Judgement replied.

"Is this a bad time?" I asked. "Because I am perfectly fine with not getting killed today."

No, you're getting killed, said Judgement. Just as soon as the Newborn finishes its... Whatever it's doing.

"The Newborn?" I wondered.

Yes, Judgement replied. This motorcycle is the Manufactured Newborn's most recent incarnation. Apparently, it thought it was a bright idea to absorb a duck into its system. Unfortunately, the duck it chose just had to be the one being possessed by me.

01100111011011110110111100100000011001110110111101101111001000000110011101100001001000000110011101100001, said the Newborn again.

I had no comment.

"So, yeah, I think I'll be leaving, then..."

Oh, no, you don't! Judgement exclaimed, and suddenly I heard the roar of a motorcycle engine as the Judgement/Newborn combination sped towards me.

I had no time to react as the distance between me and it closed in a matter of seconds, I closed my eyes for impact, but then I heard the screeching of wheels and the motorcycle stopped.

I opened my eyes to see it had drifted to stop just in front of me, and the duck was looking at something over my shoulder.

Change of plans, said Judgement. Let's go. We're going now. NOW!

01100111011011110110111100100000011001110110111101101111001000000110011101100001001000000110011101100001, replied the Newborn as it sped off in the opposite direction, then turned a corner and out of my sight.

I turned around to see what it had been looking at, but I saw nothing, just darkness stretching as far I could see.

Still, if there was something out there that could frighten Judgement, I decided not to take my chances. I ran in the direction Judgement had gone, not looking back.

So that's what happened. I avoided death, somehow. I'm trying not to let it get to my head.

--Branden

Judgement

That was totally unexpected. Seriously, you guys. Out of all the things, I did not expect that.

Okay, allow me to explain. I was walking along the highway, somewhere, I'm not sure where, staying away from the road, but not too close to the trees next to it, either. I had just left the outskirts of the nearest town, and was trying to get to the next one before nightfall (Which reminds me, I need to keep moving once I'm done posting this, it's starting to get dark). Sleeping in the streets is much better than sleeping in the woods.

Then, the birds came. It was the first time I've seen them in quite a few days. They were still ducks, if you'll believe it. Freaking ridiculous animals.

I started running. Running as fast as I could, with my backpack slowing me down, anyway. Unfortunately, I'd been walking nonstop for hours, so I didn't get very far before I was forced to stop and pant for breath.

I looked back behind me and I saw them, filling up the sky faster with each second. And then, when it was completely filled, the sky opened up, and a large number of birds flew down.

Don't ask me how they carried them with their webbed feet, but the ducks were carrying two humans, wrapped in cloaks made of duck feathers.

My mom and my brother.

I backed away. I didn't want to hurt them... But I couldn't risk getting hurt either. I hadn't brought any weapons with me anyway, so I really had no way to fight.

The ducks landed and flew away, seemingly leaving me alone. But the people who used to be my family stayed behind, and pulled out weapons from who-knows-where: A machete and a butcher knife. The same ones they'd used back... Back at home...

I willed myself not to cry. I would not show weakness.They'd caught me at my weakest state, and I had no way of defending myself. It seemed my end was imminent.

And then, the unexpected happened: I heard the sound of a motorcycle engine, and my family, my would-be killers turned around in genuine shock and surprise.

"That's the form it chose?" asked my mother.

"That seems very implausible," said Tom.

And then I saw what they were staring at, and I almost couldn't believe my eyes.

It was a duck. A duck on a motorcycle. And I don't mean the duck was riding the motorcycle. They were more like... connected. The motorcycle was part of the duck,and vice versa. Where the duck and the motorcycle touched, they sort of blended together, like... Well, there's nothing I can compare it too, really. It was just...odd.

And then I recognized the two. They were Tom's motorcycle... and the duck I'd run over with it. Don't ask how I'd recognized it. I just knew.

Suddenly, a mechanical arm-like thing (It wasn't exactly an arm, but... That's the purpose it served, or so it seemed.) extended out of the motorcycle, and it was carrying a gun. It fired two shots, but not at me. I saw my family (I should stop calling them that. It's too painful...) crumble in pain and hold their hands up their heads as the bullets penetrated their skin.

Ducks should not be able to fit through bullet holes, but somehow, the fowl creatures flew out of their head wounds, flying directly towards the duck/motorcycle creature.

I took this as my chance and started running. I heard the sound of twenty ducks quacking in pain, but I did not look back. When I could no longer run anymore I began walking, and I forced myself not to stop until I practically collapsed from exhaustion.

I took that exhaustion as the opportunity to tell you guys what happened. Because for some reason, I feel you guys should know. Speaking of you guys, there is three of you now. I feel so loved. (Not really, I don't even actually know any of you...)

I should get going now. The sky's almost completely darkened, and I don't think I'll find another town until at least a mile. Probably more. I really don't want to sleep out here...

--Branden

What's Been Going On

Couldn't sleep, so I felt I should at least fill you guys in on what's been going on.

So I've been gone for a few days. I'll do my best to explain.

First, the car ran out of gas and I had no money to pay for it. So I ended up having to ditch it in the middle of the road and run away before a tow truck came and got it. Then I sort of just... kept walking aimlessly.

That's not much of an explanation. I guess I've just been upset over what happened to... them. Can I even call them my family anymore? Is there any way to... Get them back?

I suppose there's no use in hoping so. Apparently, I'll die soon, anyway.

So. After stopping to rest for a while, I eventually got myself to open my laptop and check on the blog. So it turns out the Eye posted a small message before leaving again. It's no longer on my desktop, so I think I can assume it's left the computer for good.

So. Judgement. The Convocation already took Tomas and my mother, so they're out of the question. Perhaps one of my old friends? Even before this whole mess started, I didn't have too many. Tom was always the popular one. I was just... Not, I guess. I never really thought much about it.

Thinking about things, how they used to be, is kind of depressing. Hard to believe it was just two weeks ago that I started a blog and created this never-ending spiral of despair...

So, I've got at least two people reading this now? That's good to know.

I have no reason to keep writing this. Really, I should keep walking, getting them off my trail. I guess it just feels nice to vent and stuff.

You guys don't mind when I talk about my feelings, right? Well, I'll just pretend you don't.

I've gotten really emotional lately. I suppose it's just all the stress, but I find myself crying at unexpected times, and in mad fits of anger, usually right afterwards.

There must be some purpose to this, right? It's not just a bunch of eldritch beings who have fun torturing random human beings? Surely there's more to life than that? Are we all just cosmic playthings for creatures that we cannot even comprehend?

I'm ranting now. I hardly even know what I'm talking about.

Nothing else has been happening, really, just walking around aimlessly, stopping to rest every once in a while. The birds aren't usually far behind. No sign of any Nests so far, though, which I'm highly thankful for. No need for another reminder of what I've lost.

It's kind of creepy, being outside late at night. Knowing about the Fears and stuff makes it even creepier. That's probably contributing to my inability to sleep. That and the uncomfortable-ness of this ground. And the cold.

Some people are surprisingly willing to allow some random kid who hasn't showered in days into their house. Most aren't. I didn't meet any of the former people today.

I hate sleeping outside, because... well, I think that should be obvious. But I also hate sleeping inside, because I have to sleep knowing that Judgement or the ducks could come any minute and I'd be putting some random strangers in danger.

Fears. Why do they exist? And why do they terrorize us so?

These are my questions. Perhaps I may not live to see it, but I hope they are answered someday. And that's all I can hope for, really.

I'm starting to feel kind of tired. Hopefully tired enough to get some sleep. Until then, I'll leave you guys alone. So, um... bye, I guess?

--Branden

I'm Baaaaaack!

So I finally recover from that horrible infection, and I come back to find out my dear friend(s) the Convocation tried to take my victim away from me. I believe it's time to break this alliance and teach them a lesson.

But first I need to kill this guy before they do. It's come to my attention that they've already sent two Nests after him. Fine. I planned to have a little more fun with him, but I am left with little other choice. I'll be leaving again, but this time, Judgement will be taking my place.

Ciao.

~Eye of Judgement

What the crap? What the actual crap?!

I don't... I don't want to think about what just happened. I don't want it to be real. I don't. I shouldn't have... It's all my fault. It's all because of me! And yet... I didn't take the chance. The chance to take away the pain...

I failed. Utterly. They're both as good as dead, and... and I'm on the run. Nothing with me but the clothes on my back and the random crap I managed to stuff into my backpack. Oh, and my laptop, of course. My laptop which, as far as I know, still has the freaking Eye in it!

And if I had left sooner, this wouldn't have... They wouldn't have...

Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. I should... I should start at the beginning.

I tried to fake being sick this morning, but Mom didn't buy it. Apparently Tom had faked it enough times that she could tell when it was real and when it wasn't. So I had to pack after school, and that's what I'd done as soon as we got home. The storm yesterday inspired me to act fast, before something even more drastic happened. Guess I wasn't fast enough.

I heard someone struggling with the lock on my door, so I threw my backpack somewhere they wouldn't see it. Wouldn't want them to know I was leaving until the last minute.

My mom has a key to all the rooms in the house, so I knew it was her when the door opened without my consent.

"Hey, honey," she said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," I lied, opening one of my schoolbooks onto a random page and scribbling something down on a sheet of paper."Just doing some homework."

"Listen," she said, sitting down at the foot of my bed. I could tell she saw right through the lie, but she didn't try to force it out of me. "Tom and I have been worried about you. You seem so... cast off from us, you rarely even come out of your room anymore. And yesterday, when you were going on about ducks..."

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention? I asked her and Tom if they'd seen the ducks that had been all over the neighborhood recently. If they'd seen them turn into that storm. They told me they hadn't seen any ducks.

"We were just wondering if you were okay," she continued. "If there was something we should be worried about."

"N-nothing," I stammered. "No, nothing at all."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "See, Tom found your blog, and..."

Oh God. The blog. I hadn't thought they would find the blog. I did the only thing I could think of. I'd say I should've done the opposite, but... It was already too late by then anyway.

"It's true," I told her, grabbing my backpack from where I had thrown it, and my laptop from my desk. "And I know you won't believe me, but the longer I stay here, the more danger you're in. So I hope you understand that I have to leave." I started to get up and walk towards the doorway.

"Oh, I believe you," she assured me.

I stopped. "You do?"

"Of course," she said. "And I can help you take away the pain."

"Wha...," I stammered, edging slowly towards the door, hoping against hopes this didn't mean what I thought it meant. "What are you talking about?"

"I can help you escape your troubles," she continued, still keeping her voice quiet, as if she was still worried about me. "You won't ever have to die, you won't ever feel pain. Join us, and all your problems will be blown away. Conscience can't get to you once you're one of us."

"No...," I whispered, unable to form any other word as my mind clouded over in unspeakable horror. "No. No no no no no NOOO!"

And then, her eyes, those dark brown eyes that looked just like my own, turned a deep, dark red. Her brow  furrowed in anger as she pulled a butcher knife from... I'm not entirely sure where she got it from.

"Then you leave me no choice," she muttered, her voice... not quite like her own.

I ran. I didn't know what else to do. I ran down the hallway as I heard a low moan behind me: A mixture of pain and pleasure that I really did not want to hear from my mother.

I opened the front door, but Tom was also waiting there with a machete in his hands. Don't ask me how he got the machete. He raised it over his head, and I flinched and shut my eyes, waiting for the pain, but it didn't come.

I opened my eyes, and saw his disembodied hand lying on the ground. Where his hand used to be, there was no blood, no bones, no anything, just a huge, gaping hole. And then a feathery, flat-beaked head popped out of it.

If I'd been scared of the ducks before, that was nothing compared to how I am now. Ducks. Freaking ducks. Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke? What kind of eldritch being takes the form of ducks to terrorize their prey? Ducks!

Then the ducks started flying out of his arm. I turned around and saw more ducks waddling down the hallway. So I did the only thing I could with the resources I had. I started hitting them with my laptop.

When the first duck flew out, WHAM! Second one, POW! Third one went down with a similarly ridiculous onomatopoeia. But then, they started to get back up, and I could only hit them one or two at a time. The ducks in the hallway were getting closer, by the sound of it.

I took Tom by surprise and kicked him to the ground, disorienting some of the birds. I took that as my chance and made a run for it. Somehow, even with my backpack slowing me down, I managed to run to the car and shut the door. I remembered we keep a spare key in the glove compartment, so I fished it out of there while the ducks pecked at the windows with their oddly-shaped beaks.

Yes, I know the glove compartment is not a good place to keep a spare key. And yes, I know I don't have a license. None of those seem very important anymore.

I stuck the key in the ignition and put it into reverse, backing out of the driveway while the birds continued pecking fruitlessly. Then I sped towards the highway as fast the the speed limit would allow me, shaking off the birds as I did so.

I've only driven a couple times before, so I'm not exactly used to it, but I know the basics so I didn't have much of a problem with that.

I did have a problem with the fact that I had no idea where to go, however. I just drove off in some random direction, and I didn't stop until just about half an hour ago. I'm in a pretty large town, and the GPS says I'm in... Well, I'm not gonna give out my location on the Internet. Better be safe than sorry.

Well, I guess it's already too late for that.

I don't know what to do. I put my own family in danger and now there's no way to get them back and... And now they're trying to kill me! And the worst thing... The worst thing of all is that it's all my fault. All those bad decisions these last few days has led to this. If only I had made better decisions...

I'm running now. INSANITY, if you're reading this, feel free to mock and ridicule me all you want. Your insults don't matter anymore.