Darkness.
The smell of damp wood and old blood mingles with ancient dust. Something cold surrounds his wrists. Metal. Chains.
When he opens his eyes, the ceiling is high. Too high. The walls seem to breathe.
He remembers fragments: Forest. Shadows among trees. Laughter. Pain.
The bedroom door creaks open.
Jeff the Killer tilts his head, a crooked smile on his face. “Hey, look who decided not to die.”
Laughing Jack appears behind him, too tall, too long. “Can I keep him? I promise to return him in pieces.”
Ticci Toby laughs as he crouches in front of him. “Y-you tied him up tight… look how he pulls.” His neck cracks as another tic pierces it. “He’s going to hurt himself.”
EJ tilts his head slightly. “Interesting anatomy. I wonder if their organs function the same.”
“Leave him alone.” Jane the Killer protests. “Slenderman decides, not you.”
Sally Williams approaches with small steps. “Can you turn into a bunny?” She smiles. “Bunnies are soft.”
Smile Dog slowly circles him, sniffing. His smile doesn't change. His tail twitches once.
Nina the Killer smiles with fascination. “He's cute. Exotic.”
BEN Drowned appears leaning against the wall, pixelating for a second. “Cute, she says. He looks like a caveman.”
Toby laughs louder. “Cave-caveman.”
Homicidal Liu sighs from the back of the room.
The shadows in the corner of the room begin to stretch.
The air grows heavy.
Immediate silence.
Slenderman forms from the darkness, tall, impossibly so, his black suit perfectly intact.
His voice is silent.
He appears in all their minds at once. “Show hospitality.”
Jeff clicks his tongue.
Laughing Jack slowly straightens.
“He is now part of this domain. Prepare the ritual.”
A symbol seems to blaze in the air for a second: a circle with an X in the center. “If he survives… He will belong here.”
