We've got Raggedy.

Wait, that sounded sinister. Don't worry, he's safe.

http://adangerousroadahead.blogspot.com/2013/11/an-old-friend.html

I'm alive...I think

Sorry for the radio silence. It's been awhile huh?

I can't put down too much about what all has happened. I've been trying to conserve as much power on my laptop as much as I can.

Long story short. I had visited my old school. I found out a lot of things. Let's just say things are pretty culty there. After getting jumped an stabbed with multple pairs of scissors and knocked out I made a daring escape and got into my car before they took it away. I pulled out and Slendy popped up in front of me as I was driving

BOOM! In a swamp.

I'm pretty sure I'm still in Florida. My cars stuck. I'm out of medications. Withdrawal symptoms suck. My hands won't stop shaking and my arms feel like that sort of numb feeling you get when you are zapped. I'm pretty sure one of stab wounds are infected.

Now that I think about it, it's a fucking miracle that I'm able to get wi-fi out here.

I could really use some help right now.

And pardon the typos. I really don't care right now.

Somebody stuck their nose where it didn't belong

Welp!

Things in Florida did not go as planned.

I hate children.

But thanks to their generous...donations, I am now the proud owner of five pairs of  scissors.

And I'm in a lot pain. Yeah Sanna, I know that I have no right to bitch given what you've been through but my some slack. I had 25 little bastards trying to kill me art with supplies.

Just figured I'd update y'all. More details later.

-Raggedy

EDIT: Ha! My page view count is at 7654. This amuses me.

Afterthoughts

I'm incredibly grateful for the time I spent with Noah and Mira. Putting what they were aside, I was nice to have company. It always is. It's kind of funny how much I love having people around even though I consider myself to be socially inept.

It was nice to have Slendy not standing outside of my window. It was nice to have a time where most of my days were spent in peace. It was nice to once more spend time with people that I could call friends.

It was all very, very nice.

That's all I can really say about.

-Raggedy

Mira's Departure

I walked in on Mira as she finished packing. If there is one thing I learned from our time together it is that she is a minimalist when it came to possessions. Some clothes, books, lotions, her sword, and hand gun was all she seemed to have. I can only assume that the whole packing process took about ten minute at most.

"Ready to go?"

She gave a small nod  "Everything is in order."

"So what do they plan to do with you when you return?"

"I am not entirely sure." she said with a shrug. "Given my prolonged absence from combat, I believe they will send me on missions that will be easier in order to have me get, as you would say, back into the swing of things."

"Sounds like a pain in the ass." I said with small laugh.

"I suppose."

We sat in silence for quite awhile after that. There wasn't much to say at that point.

Soon, there was a knock on door. Tobias stood there as his cold expression looked down at me and then to Mira. "Are you ready to depart Mira?"

"Yes sir." she said politely and went to his side. She gave me a sincere, genuine smile "It was...fun. I enjoyed the time we spent together Chris." she said and donned her mask. "Please stay safe."

"Please proceed to the car Mira. I will follow you shortly." Tobias said. She gave a silent nod and followed his order. He looked back to me. "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure of what?"

"Are sure of your decision? Are sure you want to place yourself at risk?"

I gave a smirk "Why not? It's not the craziest thing I've done before."

"I wish you the best then." he said and went on his way.



The apartment is rather quiet now.

It's just me.

And a tall, faceless, well-dressed man waits ever so patiently to see what I do next.



-Raggedy

My Decision

So I've been pondering about where I wish to go from here. Do I travel around in the hopes of finding a Runner to assist or the ass of a Proxy to kick? Do I follow a feeling in my gut that is telling me that I should look more into what happened in Florida all those years ago? Do I continue to take advantage of the protection provided by the Eyes? Do I launch a full-on suicide attack on Slendy?

Well, I've come to a decision.

I'm going to Florida.

The fact that I led so many of my classmates to their deaths is still eating away at me. Guilt's a bitch like that. Over the last year, I've had a greater desire to find out about the aftermath of the event. I mean, surely I wasn't to only one who was silenced in one way or another but at the same time, someone has to know at least something. I think..no, I know that this couldn't have been a one-off thing for Slendy. Something seems off...

So I want answers.

Mira, it's nothing against you. It's been fantastic having you and Noah as guests. But it's something I have to do. I can't just sit around any more. I gotta' get off of my ass and finally do something.

-Raggedy

Q&A with Mira, Part 2: Warren

Since the situation had become a little uncomfortable, I decided to change the subject "Speaking of Warren, what does he do?"

 "Warren is our combat specialist." Mira's demeanor had completely changed. While she was rather formal when she described Tobias, she loosened up in an instant when Warren was brought up. It seemed like she held him in very high regard. "He is the one who taught us everything."

She went to talk about the various styles that he had taught. Upon her request, I will not list the various styles. What I can say is that he is has served in a couple special ops units, received..I guess you can call it unofficial training, and some fighting styles that were self-taught.

"So he teaches all of you?"

"Yes, he trains us in groups. He takes those of us who are just beginning training and trains us in basic combat styles. He observes us for about a year and then splits us up based on what we excel at and what our flaws are. Those who are split up have two separate classes. One for mastering our strengths and one for improving on our weaknesses, at least to the point where they are not too much of a hindrance."

"Christ, how does he manage to do it?"

"Devotion I suppose. He says that fighting and training others are two of the things he loves most in life."

"So what, he's like a blood knight?"

Mira tilted her head slightly. The question had obviously gone right over her head. I should've known that she wasn't familiar with tropes.

"I mean is he like some war monger? Is he one of those guys who is like 'Screw winning, losing, motivation, morality and whatnot. I wanna fight!' or all like 'Maim!! Kill!! Burn everything to the ground!!'? Does he intentionally hinder himself to make the fight last longer?"

Mira perked an eyebrow "Um...I do not think that is how it is. He just says it 'gives him a rush'. He is very quick and efficient in what he does."

"So why does he love training others?"

"He has never really gone into any detail about. In my personal opinion, I think it is because if he dies, everything he has learned can live on through others.If that makes any sense."

"It does. Well, for me anyway. So I noticed you kind of..perked up, when I brought up Warren."

She blushed slightly, I'm assuming because I caught her with her guard down, "As I told you earlier, Father picked Tobias and Warren to build the Eyes with him. I think it is because they both share the qualities of Father from two different points of view. Tobias is very intelligent and analytical. However, he is rather distant because he needs to make sure that he can evaluate us properly. Warren however shares Father's combat skills and his..fatherly attitude towards us. He always makes sure we are okay and gives us advice when we have problems."

"So you have a strong mentor-student relationship with him then?"

"Yes. That is a good way to describe it."

"Thank you. I think that is all the questions that I have to ask you."

Hearing her descriptions of both Tobias and Warren, I wondered if The Grigori was using them to determine which one would be his successor. I can't really figure out which one would be the best choice.

I've also really been thinking about what Mira said about Warren's love of training. How everything he has learned can live on through others. Maybe on some psychological level that's what I've been trying to do with Kenny and why I've admittedly kind of been forcing it on Sanna via e-mail.

I mean, obviously I don't want them to get killed but..I'll be honest. At this point I have a gut feeling that I have at most a year, maybe a little longer. I want to know that I've had some kind of impact. That I can help as many people as I can. Especially after my massive fuck-up.

I think that as long as what I know and what I've learned can live on through others, I think I can die without any regrets.

-Raggedy

Q&A with an Mira, Part 1: Tobias

Ever since the clash with Moriarty's Remnants, I had a few questions for Mira that I had never really gotten around to asking.

"Hey Mira, mind if I ask you some questions?"

Poor Mira was practically limp on the couch as though she was melting. The sudden jump to hundred degree weather was definitely doing a number on her. "I'll answer what I am allowed to..."

"I was wondering about two of the Eyes that were with the Grigori...I think their names were Warren and Tobias? I noticed that they didn't refer to him as 'Father'. Is there some sort of reason for that?"

She quickly moved to sit up as though a spark had shot through her. "Their names are Warren Devereaux and Tobias Deckland. They do not call him Father because they were not taken in by them. They helped him establish the Eyes. From what I know, Tobias was the first one to follow Father and Warren was brought in shortly afterwards."

"So what exactly are their roles within the group?"

"Tobias is responsible for...a lot of the background stuff?" she seemed unsure of the words that she was using. "He makes sure that everything is in order. He keeps logs of all of our missions. He does evaluations to make sure that we still have the mental stability to complete our missions without making grievous errors. He also assists us with our education."

"Your education?"

"Yes, is it not obvious that we would have to be educated?"

"Well yeah, but I've always come to assume that there are a large number of you guys that are of various ages. A school-like scenario would seem kind of difficult to pull off."

"When we reach the age of 14, Tobias begins to teach us subjects that are on a high school and college level. As time goes on, those of us who...I believe you call them quick studies?" I gave a nod to assure her that she was right. "Those of us who are quick studies will help teach the younger ones. Father believes that it is a way to strengthen the bonds between us."

I personally felt that this set up was laziness on either The Grigori's or Tobias' part, but I was going to keep that thought to myself. "So is he the one who helped you learn to speak English?"

She nods "That is the subject that Tobias teaches every one of us. Learning various languages. A lot of time, it is simple words and phrases that someone would say in combat."

"So basically, if you were carrying out a mission in, lets say Brazil, and someone is talking about flanking you, you'd be able to pick up on it."

"That is correct."

"So was it difficult to learn English?"

"It was frustrating at first. It was probably because I was so young at the time. Warren was also fluent in my language so unlike some of the others, I had two people teaching me. I was lucky to have learned it rather quickly."

"Is there anything else that he is responsible for?"

"He is responsible for ensuring that we get to our destination."

"I was wondering about that. How exactly do you guys manage to get around the world."

"If there are a large number of us that have to go on a mission, we usually go by vehicle. If there are three or less..."

I raised an eyebrow when I saw her hesitate. "What about it?"

"It is kind of difficult to explain. Father, Tobias, or Warren will blindfold us and grasp out hands tightly. Then there is just this weird feeling. It feels...cold, heavy. It is like there is something weighing me down and wants to consume me. But it is only for a quick moment. One second, we are at our home, then we are somewhere else." She fidgeted a little. "I would like to ask how it works, but....I fear that it would just cause more trouble than it is worth."

I took in what she said and tried to piece it all together. My conclusion is that 1) Tobias and Warren are full-fledged Proxies and 2) The Grigori is using the Path as a means of travel for the Eyes and is blindfolding them in order to limit their exposure to anything Fear-related.  

-Raggedy

Heat

I forget just how hot some places can become.

According to Raggedy, Texas is starting to reach the normal temperatures that this location has over the summer. To save on his power bill, we very rarely have the air conditioner on. 

In hindsight, I probably would not have been able to hide myself forever. With the combination of  the hoodie and my mask, I fear that I eventually would have been overcome by heat stroke.

The last several weeks have been nice. Raggedy is very kind. He is not put off by my appearance and aside from his occasional rants about terrible movies, he is quite enjoyable to talk to. He even went out in the middle of the night to get me skin lotion when I had run out. I go through a lot of bottles... 

I have not told Raggedy yet, but I am not sure if I can accompany him if he decides to leave the apartment and travel. Father wanted us to watch him as he stayed at the apartment. If he left, I think  my mission would have ended. Also, just because I am comfortable with having my mask off around Raggedy obviously does not I am comfortable having it off around others. I think a girl wearing a mask would make people uncomfortable. I feel bad about leaving him in this situation but...if it must be, then it must be.

-Mira

Where do we go from here?

I'm free.

I am no longer bound by probation.

It honestly wasn't as eventful as I thought it would be. It was just sort of a "You're done. Get on your way." kind of thing. I wasn't really expecting some big fanfare or anything but a "Good job." or "Good luck." would've been nice.

Anyway, now that I can actually travel, I have a whole world of options open to me. I can travel and help other Runners. I can go to Florida and see if there is anything worth looking into regarding my first encounter with Slendy. As silly as it sounds, at one point I consider making my place a rest stop for Runners in the area. It's a little difficult to do it with Mira staying here but I think it could still be worth a shot.

I got to admit. This is all a little overwhelming.

I tried asking Mira what she thought would be a good idea but she was no help. "My job is not to help guide your life."

All I know is that I can't sit around and wait for something to happen anymore.

-Raggedy

Archers

In the television shows and movies that I have seen, they never really show archers having to defend themselves if they are forced into close range combat. You are just left to assume that they have no chance of being able to defend themselves. 

That is not true. In the Renaissance period, archers were equipped with a sword called a katzbalger. It was particularly known for having a very sturdy blade and a unique guard that could protect the user's hand in case the opponent's blade would slide down their own. It was easy to wield, weighing only a little over two pounds and the blade is short enough to be used in very tight quarters. 

Why do I bring this up? 

It has been mentioned before that Noah and I are usually paired together for missions. It is not only because we work well together. We make up for each others flaws. Noah is phenomenal when it comes to handling firearms. However, he tends to have a bad habit of not watching his back and getting. That is where I come in. I am capable of using firearms, although I am not as fast as others when it is a matter of reloading or recovering from the recoil of the gun. When it comes to swords however, I am very proficient. My job is cover for Noah and eliminate anyone who my pose troublesome threat, especially in close quarters. . 

Noah is the archer. I am his katzbalger. 

-Mira

Familial Bonds II: The Girl and the Mask

"So why do you still hide behind this mask?"  I asked as I returned the mask to her. "I mean, I've already seen what you look like without it on. I'm not bothered by it."

"Are you that oblivious?"

"I have Asperger's, remember? The answer to that question is kind of obvious."

"Good point." She finally released her legs and adjusted herself into a new position. "I am self-conscious. Every time a new Eye comes they are always put off by my burns at first. Noah was the one exception."

"Yeah, I remember him writing about that." I took a seat next to her "Still, I don't think you really need to wear this."

"I also use it to hide myself when I am vulnerable. I do not want anyone to take advantage of me when I am worried, upset, or uncomfortable. I am still human. I still have my weaknesses."

"I understand where you're coming from. I guess you're lucky since I don't really have a way to hide things like that."

She gave a small shrug. "I guess."

"So...I've noticed you've been calling Noah a lot. You shouldn't worry so much. I'm sure he's doing fine."

Mira shook her head "You saw how he got wounded. We could have easily gotten out but Noah had to protect us like that. He gets reckless from time to time. I do not feel comfortable when he is on his own"

"I get ya'. But I've seen him fight. He's pretty damn good."

She let out a heavy sign "He is another one that I owe everything to. I believe I have every reason to worry." She looked down as though she was embarrassed  about what she was going to say.  "I...I do not know what I would do if I lost him."

"So, do you have a crush on him?" I said, giving her a teasing grin.

"No! No no no no no no!" She said, blushing and shaking her head rapidly. "I think of him as a friend and as a brother. It is the same with him."

I couldn't resist laughing at her reaction. "I'm sorry. I just could not resist asking you that."

She gave me a light shove "That is very cruel!"

"The chance presented itself. I'm not going to pass it up."

"You are shameless!"

"Damn right I am!"

She turned very serious "I could always report to Father that you are a threat to my safety. Then you would think twice about teasing me."

I froze for a minute as I remembered what The Grigori did to Hoyt. Mira was probably completely unaware that I knew just what The Grigori capable of. I suddenly saw a quick smirk form. "Did...did you just try to play a trick on me?"

She gave a small, satisfied smile. "Perhaps."
_________________________________________________________________________________

With that mask gone, she was acting more...human. I liked it. And personally, I think she did too.

As the days passed, she become more casual. She wore her mask less and less around the apartment until she was wearing it only when she could not get a hold of Noah. We began having more and more conversations about general things. I managed to coax her into watching movies (mostly terrible ones) with me. Life was starting to feel a little normal again.

But the Slenderman has returned.

He always shows up in ways that ensure that Mira cannot see Him. Usually whenever she is away or asleep.

Has he decided to go on the offensive or is he just fucking with me again?

-Raggedy

Familial Bonds

Mira returned about two weeks later. Noah was sent out on another mission after he recovered, so she was on her own to keep an eye on me. She was pretty closed off for the first couple of weeks. She keep her mask on, barely uttered a word save for a "Thank you." after every meal, and sometimes wouldn't even sleep in the apartment and instead took residence on the roof.

"I'm sorry."  I said one day at dinner. I had finally decided to see if I could get something out of Mira.

"For what?"

"If it wasn't for me, you'd probably still be on a mission with Noah instead of babysitting me." It sounded like something out of an anime but it was true.

"It is nothing new. I have done missions on my own before." she said softly. "Please do not patronize me."

"I'm not patronizing you. I'm just saying you seemed happier whenever you are with him. Well, from what I could tell. You said that you guys are basically siblings, right. And after Noah got injured, well I ju-"

"I am fine. There is no need to concern yourself with me."

I let out a heavy sigh. "Look, despite the fact you could kill me at any time, I still consider you a friend. Hell, you've been living in my apartment for the last- what? Four months?"

Mira remained silent looking down at her half-finished meal.

"You don't have to be so hostile you know. I've proven that I'm trustworthy."

"I have every reason not to trust you. You are not one of us."

"Not one of us? Are you serious? That's it? Is that something your 'father' ingrained into your head?"

"No, it is common sense. Family is all you can trust. That is how it was long before I became an Eye."

I have to admit, I had found myself growing irritated. "And let me guess, it's all you have and nothing else."

Mira shot up and slammed her hands on the table. "How can you make light of this? Does family mean nothing to you?"

"Not at all. I love my family and I'd do anything to protect them." I said, rather taken aback by her sudden outburst. "Why do you think I'm so distant from them? I can't let them get hurt because of me."

"Then why can't you understand why I cherish it?"

"There's a difference between cherishing it and obsessing over it."

"It is not an obsession, it is common sense!" I had to admit I was kind of surprised to see Mira raising her voice like this.

"Well I understand tha-"

"Then why are you bothering to ask?

I shot up from my chair now. "Because that is all you ever talk about. The only damn thing! You talk about nothing else.

"Because there is nothing else!"

"Bullshit!" Not thinking, I grabbed her mask and yanked it off "Maybe if you stopped hiding behind this all the time you'd see there is far more than just a psuedo-family! You have a free will you know! You don't have let this man rule over

Her eyes widened as she was exposed and grabbed her fork, stabbing it into my free hand. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "You really don't understand! He saved me from what was a living hell. There is nothing I can do to repay all that he has given me. He gave me a new life!" She stormed off into her room and slammed the door.

After tending to the stab wound and wrapping my right hand up, I decided to let the each of us of simmer down for a little bit before I tried to make amends. I took some time to view her mask. It was made of some kind of material that I wasn't familiar with but you can just sort of tell that whoever made it put in a lot of effort in doing so. It was like it was made specifically for Mira.

After waiting a couple of hours I cracked open the door "Mira...are you okay?"

She was sitting on the bed, hugging her legs against her chest. I could only assume that she did not intend to come out for the rest of the night since she had changed into a tank top and loose slacks. I discovered that her face wasn't the only place that was burned. Most of her left arm was near blackened and her other arm had patches of burns that were of various degrees. Some of the burns appeared to have extended to where she was covered.

She gave me a very spiteful glare as she said "Why does it matter to you?"

"I said and did some things that I probably shouldn't have done."

The glare morphed into a way that said "You think?"

"I'm sorry. I guess I still don't exactly understand how the Eyes work..."

"My family and I were always very close. At a young age,  my parents made sure that they emphasized how much of a treasure family is. We did everything together and my brothers always helped out with our bakery. I could not have been any happier." The peaceful expression quickly grew to be blank and dull "Then the Yugoslav Wars happened. Militants came into our town. They lined everyone in the town up. One by one, they either killed them or took them away. I do not wish to think about what happened to them.  Eventually, only my family was left. My father tried to fight back when they attempted to take my mother away but they shot him down as soon as he took one step out of the line. My mother bit the man who was dragging her away and she met the same fate. My brothers were unceremoniously shot and I was the only one who was left. I was about to be shot when the leader of the group ordered them to back away. He looked me over for a long while and finally said 'Let's take her with us.'"

"After that, I was their toy. They abused and violated me whenever they had the chance. I was dragged along with them and watched as they slaughtered others. I was fed whenever they remembered that I was there. It felt like I was there for years. I had pretty much lost all hope. I was confident that this would be my fate." She tightened her hold on her legs. "One day during winter, one of the militants was drunk and...using me for pleasure. I could barely understand him because his words were very slurred but I guess I had angered him in some way because he yelled at me and brutally beat me before tying me up, taking me out of tent and throwing me in their campfire. He made sure that I didn't roll out of it, continuing to yell at me before some of the other militants who were watching finally had enough of the show and pulled him away. They put me out and decided that I wasn't of any use to them. Damaged goods. They left me for dead. I'm not sure how long I was out there for. I was in so much pain and so malnourished that I couldn't move. And some point I just began waiting. Maybe I was going to be eaten by something. Maybe my body would finally give out."

She started to tremble "Even after all I had gone through, my time lying in those woods were the scariest moments of my life.  It eventually hit me that I didn't want to die. Not that way. Not alone and useless. And with every minute that passed, that fear intensified. But then I remembered something. I wanted to live. As young as I was, I still knew that I had some sort of importance in life. A reason for my existence. I couldn't die here!" She went silent for a moment as her grip on her legs finally loosened. "I began to muster every ounce of strength that I could and dragged my body until I found a snow bank to rest in."

A small smile formed on her face. "A snow storm was starting when Father appeared before me. I was surprised to hear him speak in my native tongue. He knelt down and asked for my name and then asked me if I wanted a new life. A family. A home. A reason for living. I could not say no. I would have been mad to have said no. He picked me up and smiled in way that...I do not know. It was a smile that only a parent could give to their child. As I drifted off sleep I heard him say 'Welcome home'."

I finally had a chance to speak up "But didn't you think that earning your keep by killing people was just a little fucked up?"

She gave a small shrug. "At first it was shocking but...I suppose in the end I accepted it because it was worth  it. Father gave me everything I ever wanted, I had to repay him. He even gave me the chance to deliver retribution to those militants. I took up the offer without hesitation. It was the first time I killed people. It felt very, very satisfying."

"Is it always satisfying for you?"

"Not all the time. It is usually only when they are so vile that they deserve to pay for what they have done. The other times that I have killed...it was uncomfortable at first but I eventually grew indifferent to it."

"That makes sense. I guess."

"Does the reason why I am so obsessed with the concept of a family finally make sense to you? My parents told me that a family is the only situation where you can feel unconditional love for someone. I feel unconditional love towards the Eyes. That love and that bond is what I value, more than anything else in the world."

-Raggedy

Warped Retribution, Part 3

It was...interesting.

The way Mira and Noah seemed to speak about him, I expected all of the Eyes to be bowing at his presence or lining up and standing at full attention. It wasn't like that at all. They acknowledged his arrival in simple, respectful manners. "Hello Father"s, nods, smiles and The Grigori acknowledging each of them by name. It felt like they were an actual family. 

The only one who seemed out of place was the man next to The Grigori. He was a tall, Hispanic man who looked to be in his late forties. He had a very professional appearance to him. A close-cut shave, thin glasses and a suit, although the jacket was a little longer than what I've normally seen. His cold gaze and long cheek bone gave him a distinguished look to him. I know it seems like I am obsessing over him but there was something about him that just really stood out for me. 

The Hispanic man went off somewhere else as The Grigori went over to Noah, who was being load up onto a stretcher and moved to a van. "Hello Father. Sorry you had to see my like this." Noah chuckled. 

The Grigori laid a hand on Noah's shoulder. "I must be the one to apologize my boy. I had put you and Mira into a very difficult situation. I am relieved to see that the two of you are alive." he gave what I believed to be a rather sincere smile as he said "I could not be more proud of the two of you. Now, just rest and we'll get you back home to patch you up." 

Noah had a look on his face that I had not seen on him before. He looked like a child, beaming at the words of praise given to him by 'Father'. "Thank you Father." he said before the back of the van was closed. 

As it drove off, he came up to group of Eyes that were now near me. Warren donned a pair of sunglasses and grinned. "Mission accomplished Grigori." he said as he gave The Grigori a heavy pat on the shoulder. Grigori? Why was Warren not referring to him as Father like everyone else?  "And just as you said, the kid made out it. Not that I questioned your judgment or anything, I'm just surprised. The kid didn't look like much." Do I really not look like much of a fighter? 

"Mr. Schultz is a rather unique individual, Warren." Grigori said as he smiled at me. "I was curious to see how he would fare on the battlefield." 

My jaw dropped "So you dragged me into this because you wanted to do an little experiment?" 

"It was merely a test. I just wanted to confirm that you are still worth being a satisfying meal for my Boss." 

I highly doubt that that was his actual reason but before I could call him out on it, the Hispanic man returned. "I'm sorry to reported that he isn't among deceased." His voice was calm and collected. It had a professional tone with a slight hint of an accent.

The Grigori let out a sigh of disappointment "Well that is certainly a pity. I thought he would have been a far better leader than that."

"We do, however, have a survivor."

"Splendid Tobias. Bring him here. Oh, and Warren, please gather up everyone else and head back. I would like to handle this on my own."

As Warren gathered the Eyes and loaded up the vehicles, Mira gave a small wave goodbye as Catherine and her got into one of the vehicles that once belong to the militia. The Grigori's smile returned as he looked to me "Perhaps it is just me, but I feel that when a decisive battle is to take place, the general should be among his men on the battlefield. To be there in person to witness a victory that you put on everything on the line to obtain. To not do so is not only a display of cowardice, but a lack of faith in the troops that have fought and struggled beside. It is insulting to both sides of the fight. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Y-Yeah..." I have to admit, I could see where he was coming from. While I try to avoid conflict (which if you couldn't tell, is something that I am fantastic at doing), if it comes down to it, I'm a respectful fighter. I'm not the kind of guy who would take a cheap shot to the groin or throw glass in their eye.

Tobias returned with a bloodied, wounded man who he shoved to the ground. "This is Curtis Hoyt. He appears to be rather high in the ranks. Unfortunately he has been quiet ever since I found him."

The Grigori eased himself down to one knee and raised the man's head, observing him. "How interesting...we did not bring anybody who fights with their fists. Did you wind up doing this to yourself?"

Silence.

He continued to observe the rest of the man. "Your right ankle appears to be swollen. Very little movement from you in general. Nerve damage perhaps? If I did not know better, I'd say that you fell down something. Maybe a long flight of stairs."

Silence.

"But then that poses the question of how it happened. You appear to be well-trained. A fair amount of muscle..." he grasped Hoyts hand for a moment, "...your palms are rough, worn down. A sign of experience. I doubt that it was because you were clumsy."

Silence. At this point The Grigori was just playing with his prey. Given that I was still too drained to do much of anything, I couldn't help but imagine myself in that man's position.

The Grigori raised an eyebrow "Oh? What have we here?" He rolled Hoyt onto his back and tugged on his shirt to reveal a crudely bandaged wound. The Grigori gently removed the bandage to reveal a gunshot wound. "It makes sense now." he said as reached down and lightly rap on the wound with his index finger.

Silence.

The Grigori then took out a small Swiss Army Knife from his pocket, flipping out the blade. Without any sort of warning he slipped the blade into the hole, wriggling it around inside. Hoyt was biting down on his lip to the point that it bled, trying as hard as he could to stick to his vow of silence. It wasn't until The Grigori violently pried the bullet out of him that he let out a cry of pain followed by a seemingly endless string of curses. "Ah, that explains it." The Grigori said over the wounded man's screams. "You were on the edge of the top stair. The bullet hit you and it made you lose your balance. Am I correct?"

"FUCK YOU!!!"

"Oh my. You are quite the surly individual."

"What are you doing? That's going to make things worse!" I shouted, trying to see if there was some way to keep the man from suffering. "You want him to give you information don't you?"

The old man slowly stood up "I intend to make things worse, Mr. Schultz." he said as he tossed the bullet aside. "I've encountered people like him. They are too devoted to their cause. No matter what I do to him, he will never say anything that could betray his comrades. It's quite admirable." He took out a handkerchief to remove the blood from his hands.

"Then you can just leave him alone...have him serve as a message to the rest of them." I said. I knew it was a dilemma as to whether he was better off living or dead but the torture was entirely unnecessary.

The Grigori kept that smile he always seems have. "Oh, Mr. Schultz. That is something I am afraid I cannot do." He looked down at Hoyt, whose screams toned down into groans and quickened breathing,  "People like Mr. Hoyt and the members of the militia are of a different breed. They claim that they are purging the world of Proxies and Runners in order to protect everyone from the horrors of my Boss. In reality, they are only doing it as a way to exact their revenge for the loss of their loved ones while avoiding confronting something they are unable to wrap their heads around. Isn't that right Mr. Hoyt?" He then slammed his cane into the wound, giving it a good twist and stretching it out in the process. Hoyt howled in agony. "It's kind of funny. They've sort of become a far cry from what I believe Moriarty originally intended." He look down at Hoyt and sighed "And you have the gall to hide behind his name." He gave it another twist.

"F-f-fucker..." Hoyt choked out.

The Grigori leaned in "Oh? I'm sorry Mr. Hoyt, what was that? You are going to have to speak a little louder. I am getting up there in years, so I am awfully hard of hearing."

"You fucker...my children are dead because of you.."

The Grigori gave the cane one final twist before pulling it out. "Well, isn't that a coincidence. Some of my children are dead because of you." He suddenly slipped out an old-fashioned revolver and fired a shot into one of Hoyt's kneecaps.

Hoyt's tough man facade was practically gone now. He bit hard on his lip, trying to keep himself from screaming any further. "Why don't you just let your 'boss' get me?"

The Grigori let out a loud laugh. "Oh no no no, Mr. Hoyt. That just wouldn't do. You see, if I let the Boss kill you, your militia would view you as a martyr. 'Curtis Hoyt, the man who valiantly fell in combat against The Slenderman.' It's a little bit of a lengthy title but I am sure you understand my point. Besides..." he fired a shot into his other knee. For once, The Grigori's expression showed a subtle hint of spite, the smile was gone. "...I refuse to let anyone get away with killing my children."

I may as well have not existed at this point. The Grigori had all of his attention devoted to Hoyt.

"So...what are you going to do? Kill me yourself?"

The Grigori grinned "No. I will let you live Mr. Hoyt. I'm just going to put you somewhere where nobody will find you."

By Hoyt's side it looked like hole had opened up. I could see a forest in there, warped in design covered with black leaves that looked like they endlessly falling. I quickly realized what it was.

The Path.

Hoyt looked in horror and tried to drag his body with his one good limb. The Grigori put a quick end to his attempt when he shot a hole into his wrist. He walked up to Hoyt and  nudged his squirming body inch by inch into the hole. Hoyt looked ghastly white as he was pushed in there. I have no idea how long it took before Hoyt was completely in.

The Grigori smiled yet again "Oh, and if anything bad should happen, please don't hold it against me." The hole finally closed as Hoyt screamed out something that got cut off.

He turned to me as he put his revolver away and tipped his hat to me. "I apologize for you having to see me like that Mr. Schultz. I just get a little carried away from time to time."

I just stared at him. I wanted to say something but...

On one hand, I should have been disgusted at how he treated Hoyt. But, I just can't. Maybe it's a because they saved my ass (granted they got me into the situation in the first place). But, I think I can't condemn him for it because I think The Grigori was completely justified.

From what I've seen, he legitimately treats the Eyes as more than just tools. In some very warped way, they are his children.

Tobias took me home after that and was kind enough to have retrieve my crossbow. I had so many questions for him. Why he and Warren didn't refer to him as Father? Why was he allowed to see the Path? But I was just too dazed at the time to say anything.  I did manage to utter a "Thank you" when he dropped me off, he returned the thanks with a nod.

_________________________________________________________________________________

So that's it. That's why I have been gone. I had to compose all of this. And it's certainly not something I'm going to forget. 

Warped Retribution, Part 2

I immediately raised my crossbow and fired off a bolt nailed the guy in the eye. Two more men followed and both took a bullet to the face by Noah. Noah and I turned back to rush to Mira "I'm okay..."she said as she eased herself up. "It caught the edge of my mask...I guess it knocked me back. I am thankful that Father had made these tough." She looked up and rubbed her head, the bullet/mask had nicked here, barely missing her temple.

Forgive me for sounding cliché but for a second  it felt like time froze as I analyzed her face. Her left side was very fair skinned something that I kind of expected given her nationality but the other side...

The right side of her face was horribly burned, almost blackened.

I snapped back to reality as Mira looked away, not saying anything. I went to pick up her mask. I guess it was the only way I could think to change the subject. "Hey..it looks like your mask is pretty much intact if you want to put it back-"

*click*

One of the men hobbled up, the bullet just missing his brain I guess. He made a staggering charge at us with some kind of crudely made explosive in his hand. We all hauled it out of the room and the man followed and tossed the bomb before his body finally gave out. We made it to the door and Noah shoved us down, diving with us as it went off.

I looked up at Mira and grinned "That was a close one...I can't believe this shit is common for you guys." She looks up and actually cracked a smile before realizing we had left her mask behind. She looked away in shame. "What are you looking away for?" I chuckled. "If it's your face, don't worry about it. I've seen worse."

Okay, those weren't exactly the best words that I could have chosen.

Noah panted heavily "Good, you two are okay..." he said as he stumbled forward. We looked and saw that  his back was shredded up. I could only speculate that chunks of shrapnel had flown over him as he dove. I saw that there were a couple tiny bits stuck in him.  "Don't worry, I'm fine...this is nothing..." he said. We slipped out of the side door. Noah used Mira as crutch while tried to take out who we could. Eventually I had to abandon my crossbow because I ran out of bolts and went with my trench spike (trying to go for non-fatal stabs and punches with the handle) while Mira and Noah took turns using the firearms.

We wound up trapped in the warehouse next door, holed up in a corner. I was exhausted and the realization that I killed at least one person (again) was starting to hit me hard. My hands were shaking so much that I could barely hold my weapon in my hand. I felt like my body was about to give out on me. I got to admit I didn't expect to be dodging bullets at any point so it wasn't exactly something I had put in my training regime to prepare myself for. Granted, I wasn't exactly one to complain at the moment. Noah had taken his mask off by this point and was ghastly pale. He looked like he was going to pass at any second. All that was really left was Mira at this point and she had was her sword. I laughed and whispered "Does this happen often?"

Noah looked up "Not too often...We're normally better prepared" he said with a weak laugh and pointed at me "We also don't take newbies on a mission like this..."

We heard footsteps coming down the hall. "I'm not going out like this..." I said, mustering up what strength I had left. "Mira...you still got some fighting spirit left? I figure if we go down, we go down fighting."

"Of course." she said "I am trained for these kind of situations."

Noah groaned and waved a hand "Don't worry about me, I'll catch up."

As soon as the source of the footsteps came by, I slugged him with the handle of my trench spike, making him stagger enough for Mira to land a killing blow. A shot rang out on the darkness of the hallway and whizzed right past us. More of them rang out and forced Mira and I to split up. I slipped through a series of rooms, hoping to come up behind them when I felt something press against me.

"Drop it." one of the militiamen commanded, pressing the barrel of his firearm against me. "Look, I'm just a runner who got dragged into this. I'm on your side." I said trying to reason with him and make him lower his guard."

"Bullshit you are. You are just as bad as them!"

"Who?"

"Those proxies, or what ever they are called! You runners are a curse to anyone who crosses your path They either see that faceless guy or they become collateral damage!" he said

"And I take it the same happened to you..."  I said before he shoved me to the ground

"My whole family is dead because of you!" He said as the barrel pressed on my skull. I peeked out of the corner of my eye to see that it was just a completely average guy. Your family man. The guy you would pass by on street and pay no real attention to. "If all of you are dead...there will be nobody else who has to suffer!"

"That's fucking stupid!!!" I shouted. Okay, telling a guy with gun that he is wrong is a death wish, but it slipped. "You seriously think that It is just going to stop if nobody knows about It? Killing runners...or even Proxies for that matter won't solve a thing! It's just going to continue causing pain and suffering.."

"You shut your fucking mouth!"

"If  you believed that then you would have already shot me!"

For the tiniest moment, I felt the gun lift up from me. "I-"

That was all the man uttered before a good chunk of head blew up, splattering me with blood and (what I think was) bone and brain matter. The man's body fell with a thud as another one came up.

He was quite tall, well-built, and looked like he was made to be a soldier. The combat pants and boots (surprisingly non-camo) with a tight short-sleeved shirt and open vest. The notable thing that I remember is that his hair looked like it was naturally pushed back and spiked, accompany by a goatee. He bent down to help me up, with little assistance on my part. "How ya doin' kid?" he said in voice that had slight gravelly sound to it. "You're Chris, the ah...what was it...the Raggedyman, right?" Still trying to take in everything that had happened in that brief instant, all I could do was give a nod. With a heavy slap on the back, he grinned "Don't worry, we're the good guys." he said. We suddenly heard gunfire erupt and I made a run for where I had split off with Mira but the man held me back. "Take it easy, that's the rest of us." A masked man walked into the room "Hey, is everything o-?" he trailed off when we made eye contact.. His height and the short sword he was carrying were dead giveaways for me. He saw me and shouted "You?!?"

It was Charlie.

The tall kid ran towards me grabbed my collar "How are you not dead yet?!"

"I'm lucky. How are you still talking without a tongue?" I remembered how the Grigori had sent me Charlie's tongue as an 'apology' for his murder attempt on me.

"I got a new one!" I also remembered how The Grigori mentioned that Charlie was the only one who had been a full fledged Proxy before becoming one of his Eyes. So, Slendermagic I guess.

The man cut in between us "Take it easy Charlie. We're on mission, remember?" he said as the sounds of chaos continued to grow. I wasn't in the right position to judge whether I could trust them or not so I decided to keep going along with everything. What else could I do? I pointed them out to where Mira and I had left Noah and the man sent Charlie to get him.

The man and I made our way out of the warehouse, where most of the fighting was now taking place. It was an all out firefight but most of the militiamen were being picked off easily by only a handful of masked individuals.

The man was phenomenal, taking out anyone who came towards him with a single shot each. I felt my body finally give out as I slipped back into the corner into the warehouse, watching out of the side as the rest of the fight went down. The militia was getting hacked up, shot up, I think in one case even blown up.

I know that I blacked out for a brief moment but when I came to, the last  of men were being picked off.

Mira ran out with her sword ready to strike when she saw us . She gasped and a smile curled on her face when she saw the man. "Mr. Devereaux!" she said with so much joy that if the circumstances were a little more appropriate, I'm pretty sure she would've ran up and hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

"Your Father asked that I come here personally." he said. I looked up at Mira and asked who he was.

"He is the man who taught me everything I know about combat." she said as she sheathed her sword.

"Warren Devereaux, pleasure to meet ya'." he said as he offered his hand for a shake. Another one of the Eyes, a young redhead, eased herself down from the roof of one of the warehouses. As soon as set her sniper rifle down ever so gently, she showed that she did not have the amount of restraint that Mira had and ran up to hug the other girl from behind.

"I'm so happy to see that you're okay." the girl said in an Irish brogue as she gave Mira a tight squeeze. She looked at me and cocked her head to the side "This is the person you and Noah are suppose to be keepin' an eye on? Hmm...he looks...well, he doesn't look like much."

"Thank you...I'm flattered." running my memory past one of Noah's post I said "So, forgive me for stereotyping but I'm going to assume that you are Catherine."

"Correct!" she said cheerily and looked down at Mira. "Hey, where's Noah?"

"Right here..."

Noah was being helped out by Charlie, who had taken his mask off as well revealing a young black guy. He still had his hoodie up so I couldn't make out much else about him. A couple of Eyes helped him onto a stretcher. "So you guys made it out? Great." he said and laughed "Oh wow, Catherine and Warren are here too. It's a party."

"Oh indeed it is Noah."  a very familiar voice chimed in.

It was the leader of the Eyes himself.

The Grigori.


-Raggedy

Warped Retribution, Part 1

Yes, I'm still alive and sane(-ish).

Those of you reading this are probably wondering "Raggedy, what the hell took you so long?"

Well in all honesty, what kept me away for so long was this post.

This post was by no mean as difficult to write as my first encounter with Slenderman. But there were other factors that came into play. The events that you are about to read still feel surreal to me. So much happened in such a small frame of time that it has taken quite some time to digest everything. There was also the matter of convincing Mira to allow me to detail one event in particular. This did result in a falling out between the two of us for a couple of weeks.

But here we are now. I think there is much else to say on the matter so I hope you enjoy the show.
_________________________________________________________________________________
We were ambushed.

I was showing Noah and Mira the area where one of the warehouses that I used in my early days of experimenting with Slendersludge. While I admit that it took me a while to remember which one it was in the cluster of abandoned buildings, the day was nothing special until dusk came. The sound of several rumbling trucks could be heard.

"Well what do you know? They showed up." Noah said. As though on impulse, he immediately put on his mask.

"I'm sorry, what now?"

"The remainder of Moriarty's little millitia. We decided to quit screwing around and call them out."

"So, why did you bring me?"

"Father recommended that we use you as means of catching them off guard." Mira said,

"So, I'm a meat shield."

"Well I wouldn't say it like that. I mean, it's not like we're gonna let you get filled full of bullets if it doesn't work." Noah said, making sure his pistol was ready. Mira went to get me my crossbow "Will you be fighting along side us?"

I let out a nervous laugh as I took my trusty firearm-equivalent from her hands, wondering how she got a hold of it in the first place. "Do I really have a choice?"

"Not really. But don't worry. They're not on those drugs that made them go berserk. They are just a bunch of guys who adamantly wish to kill anybody who may have ties to our father's boss. We believe they were recruited shortly before militia crumbled apart."

"And it's more than just us fighting these guys, right?"

"Nope." Noah sounded far too comfortable with this situation. "At least not right now. We just got to hold out for a little while"

"You are not making me feel very comfortable about this."

 "Do not worry. Father would not have brought you into this if he did not believe that you were capable of defending yourself." Mira said, surprisingly giving me a small grasp on the shoulder. I can only assume that this was her means of reassuring me.

"Fine." I said as we heard several vehicles pulling. There was a good mix of vans, jeeps, and pickup trunks from what I saw as we ducked under the window. "How many?" I asked as Mira held up a small mirror, angling just well enough to get a glimpse "More than 30."

Noah smiled "You ready?" and began to lead me out.


The plan was a bust.

No sooner had a small portion of me popped out, a bullet whizzed right past me, just barely hitting my ear. Noah yanked me back and tossed out a smoke grenade out them. As gunfire erupted, the three of us made a beeline to the next floor. I saw Mira slip into the next room out of the corner of my eye, clasping something long to belt that I couldn't identify at the time, as Noah and I rounded the corner. I saw the bottom floor through a whole in the wall and had an idea. I used my crossbow to slow down as many as I could while Noah took out any of the stragglers. Due to the narrow hallways this proved no problem, especially since the men only seemed to be using pistols and rifles. I can only assume that this was a sign that they lost the financial backing that they once had .

I discovered that my skills with a crossbow have become far better than I thought. It felt...easy. I intentionally aimed for the legs and arms. It was a gut feeling that the ones coming after us at the moment were just these confused guys who got dragged into this mess. Maybe I was just trying to have some excuse for not killing them in case I was asked later. Whoever made it past was picked off by Noah.

He seemed like a different person. I mean, I obviously couldn't describe his face because of his mask, but it was the way he held himself. Professional and quiet. It felt like there was  no sign of the easygoing guy who had been staying in my home for the last several months.

The men who were charging in quickly thinned out and Noah motion to move to where Mira had gone. As we went through the building I had noticed things had grown quiet. It seemed as though both sides had decided to regroup.

We finally met up Mira and I realized that the thing she had clasped to her side was a sword. She was pulling  it out of some poor schmuck's gut as she turned to us, her outfit had only small splatters of blood on it. "Some of them tried to sneak in from the back." she stated. There was not the slightest hint of emotion in her voice.. Behind her I saw a line of at least five men, each one was struck down with a single blow. Noah turned around "I'm going to take care of the guys Chris incapacitated."

"Wait, why? They aren't going anywhere!"

"They are still alive. That makes them a threat."

"They are just some...very angry people. They've probably lost someone that they car-"

"They came at us with the intent to kill."

"That...well..." I had run out of reasons that could convince them to change their minds. I suck at arguing when in a high-tension situation.

"Father said to eliminate them all. His orders are final..."

Suddenly we heard screaming and one of the militiamen charged at us, firing at us wildly as one hit Mira in the head and caused her to reel backwards and hit the floor.

Short Update

Sorry for the delay, Happy New Year and what-not.

A lot of  things have happened in the past couple weeks. Noah is gone.

Not gone as in dead.

He just isn't where I presently am.

I found out what both Noah and Mira have been hiding. I talked The Grigori for the first time in God knows how long. I saw how the Eyes work in combat. And I'm trying to type out the encounter because I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened.

On side note, I am unsure as to whether or not Noah is still going to continue to hijacking my blog.

-Raggedy