Slendermane

by Felixdragoon

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Human, Dark, Tragedy, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 5815

Why am I here In this dark forest? I managed to get eight notes about this... creature That's been following me. Now I'm... Where am I?

I finally managed to get all eight notes. Then….. The Slenderman…. It teleported in front of me… I thought I was a goner for sure…. But, now….. I'm in a different forest. Where am I?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-08 00:24:58 UTC

All The Children Try To Run

My heart was pounding so hard I swear it was about to burst out of my chest. I dodged between the trees, evading in every which way possible to avoid my pursuer. But I know he... No, it was right behind me. The pounding in my head rivaled that of my heart, and my body felt like a percussion section from all the hits I was taking, running into trees, tripping, and such. I couldn't remember my name, who I was, where I was from, and I definitely  didn't know where I was.

But it was following me. The slender man....

Watching with that expressionless face....

I held seven notes in my left hand and a flashlight in my right. I woke up with some extra batteries in my pocket, saving me from roaming in the eternal darkness. And then I found that note. 'Always watches: no eyes' And I saw it, looking exactly like the trees surrounding it. I've been running for at least a half hour. Now I'm not sure how much longer I can last. And then I saw it. My salvation. A final note was stuck to the back of a truck. I quickly grabbed it and stopped, gasping for breath. I slowly turned in a circle. I was safe. I let out a relieved sigh. I did it! I let out a gentle smile as I started walking back along the trail.

Suddenly it appeared in front of me. And it was too late. His arm threw out and he grabbed my throat with that icy touch. I was paralyzed by fear. I let out a small squeak as he slowly lifted me into the air. This is the end. I thought sadly. His tentacle flew out and wrapped around my wrist, and I felt a sudden burning sensation. I struggled against his grip, but I couldn't escape. His grip tightened, and he pulled my face closer to where his should be. My vision started blurring, and my heart rate elevated. Time slowed down... and I felt myself blacking out.

I awoke with a gasp, seeing the same foreboding tree cover above me. I slowly sat up, a constant pounding still in my head. I glanced at my wrist, and my eyes widened in shock as I saw a small scar there, in a strange shape. But I recognized that shape. It was... his symbol.

I'm screwed. I stood up, still shaky after the encounter. I quickly grabbed the flashlight. I glanced up to check my surroundings.

I honestly wish I didn't. The Slender man was right there. And he was watching me. My vision started to blur again, and I quickly glanced away. I started running in the other direction. It's not over. This sick game of his.... It must keep going on forever. I realized. But I had to keep running. I wouldn't give it the satisfaction. These new woods were much darker, and thicker. Roots visibly snaked over the path I was taking, and I kept tripping up. I quickly stuffed the notes from my left hand into my hoodie pocket, and I held my flashlight tightly with both hands. Don't look back. Don't look back. Just, Don't. He wants me to. I kept repeating to myself. I saw a faint light ahead of me. The end of the woods! I quickly turned off my flashlight and stuffed it into my other pocket. I picked up speed... until I broke through the line of the woods. But I knew I wasn't safe yet. It is unfazed by day, and It will keep following me. I continued to sprint across a field, and I noticed a sort of town close by. I have to get there! I thought desperately, picking up my pace. Suddenly I tripped, and I felt my ankle twist. An extremely large spike of pain shot up my ankle as I crashed into the ground. I started desperately trying to crawl, drag myself, anything..... Just to get away from that menace. But it was no use. I slowly let my head fall, drained of all my energy. I collapsed on the ground, closing my eyes. I heard the noise of grass being crushed beside me.

I sighed. "Just kill me." I whispered. I was expecting a slow, painful death. Instead... I heard a woman's voice.

"Sweet Celestia, are you alright?" The voice asked quietly. I was tempted to open my eyes, but I couldn't trust this voice. Slender man can only harm you if you look at him, right?

So I didn't look at him, or whatever he was trying to do. I kept my eyes closed. At least until I heard more voices join in.

"Twilight, what is that thing?"

"What happened?"

"Is it okay?"

"What a strange creature..."

I slowly let my eyes drift open. Six ponies stood in front of me, with concerned looks on their faces.

"What happened?" The lavender one asked. I coughed, dismayed to find blood fly out of my throat and onto the grass in front of me. I shakily managed to push myself into a push-up position, and sat back on my knees. I glanced at them, and they were all staring at me. They looked scared, but It must have been nothing in comparison to the look of unbridled horror on my face. Blood trickled down my lip, and I felt it drip off my chin. I didn't know what these creatures are or what they want, but I assume they can at least assist me. I shot one last glance at the edge of the woods, and I saw him there. That pale face..... Why me? i heard a collective gasp from the group of mares and I felt myself losing consciousness.

"Help......Me...." I managed to stutter before collapsing again.

To Him It's Part Of The Fun

My eyes bolted open. I was lying in a small bed, pressed up against the wall of a large, spacious room. I quickly scanned the room, noticing bookshelves lining the walls. I seemed to be inside a... tree? The lavender pony from before was sitting at a desk, her horn glowing. I started shaking violently, suddenly feeling nauseous. And like I was being watched. Paranoia..... He had put me here. Why? Why was I here? I glanced at the scar on my wrist. It was.... Glowing? I started to panic. I whispered quietly to myself, and curled into the fetal position. The pony quickly glanced over her shoulder. Her face lit up instantly. "Girls, he's awake!" She called out before rushing over to me. I stupidly stared at her, mind racing. "Alright, I'd like to ask you...." She trailed off as I retained my expression of horror. A look of concern soon followed. "What's wrong?" She asked quickly.

My hand was shaking so violently now I could barely control it, as I slowly reached into my pocket and pulled out the notes. She quickly picked them all up with some sort of... Aura? I was confused as to how she did it, but my headache came back, worse than ever. I literally screamed. The other five ponies were already in the room, and they were gathering behind the lavender one. They all looked scared. I felt insane. My head was pounding again, and My heart sped up. I blinked and I saw him there, standing at the back of the room, head tilted. He slowly raised his hand... Then disappeared. I felt my heart slow, and I slowly stopped shaking. The ponies had backed away uneasily, glancing between the notes and me.

"Who are you?" The cyan one asked. I slowly turned and looked at her. My head was swimming, and I had trouble trying to focus. My thoughts kept popping into my head and vanishing almost as quickly. I couldn't remember anything. Only that I had opened my eyes in some strange woods, collected the notes, and finally made my way here. Wherever here is...

But something else scared me. It wasn't my knowledge. It was my lack of knowledge. Why couldn't I remember anything? This amnesia was brutal. I could remember people, and things they had told me, but not their voices of faces... Whenever I tried to imagine someone's face, they looked just like his...

I shook myself out of my trance. I glanced up at the group. "I... I don't know..." I quietly answered, glancing once again at my wrist. It had stopped glowing, But I had a feeling Slender man wasn't done yet. The mares looked at each other, confused expressions on their faces.

"You don't know? I think he has amnesia." The lavender one stated, glancing back at the others. I started shaking again, wondering how he would return to torture me. The lavender one quickly piped up. "Well, you may as well know our names. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie!" she said pointing to the ponies as she said their names.

The yellow one... Fluttershy, was it? murmured something inaudible. "What was that, 'Shy?" Rainbow Dash asked her. The yellow one raised her head slightly.

"W-w-what was t-that c-cr-creature f-following you?" She asked timidly. She stuttered worse than I did when I was scared. I felt a stroke of pity, and hoped that she wouldn't be the next target of the Slender man. Next. Target. I mentally scolded myself. I had just admitted that I would be killed, or hunted until I died.

"It was the Slender man." I told them quietly. Against my will, I glanced out the window. It was clear, he wasn't there. At least for now... But it was night out. And I couldn't think straight. They continued to talk to me, and I saw their mouths move, but I couldn't hear any sound. It was if I had gone deaf... Until a whispering started up in my ears. I froze, trying to hear what the whispering said. But one thing outshone all the other whispers.

A child giggling.

The noise filled my head and I started shaking again. Why is it torturing me? I thought desperately, the giggling getting louder... and turning more menacing. I stood up and bolted for the door, quickly tugging it open and ducking through the opening. I started my way down the stairs, but froze instantly as I noticed a figure crouching in the middle of the lobby below.  The whispering and laughter had stopped abruptly. Twilight had... teleported? In front of me. Just like the Slender man.... But Twilight froze when she noticed the figure I was staring at.

It was a human. Or at least it was a human. It slowly raised itself up before turning to look at me. It's eyes..... Oh God, the eyes... The entire eye was the purest black, but it had one defect. The red outlined shape of an eye, both horizontal and vertical, with a small circle in the middle where they intersected. My heart started racing as the whispering started up again. The person bolted up the stairs, letting out a silent screech as it's mouth opened. I turned and ran back into the room, turned, and leaped through the window, smashing it. Small wooden boards and glass fell around me like rain before I landed on the ground, rolling with the impact. I fumbled for my flashlight as I started to run into the shady city. I held the ray of light straight in front of me, running faster and faster as the whispering got louder and louder. I noticed shapes climbing out of the bushes. More of those... Proxies. I quickly re-adjusted my course, swerving between the houses as they chased me, more popping up in front of and beside me. Lights came on in a house near me, and I heard some shouting. A proxy quickly jumped into the window, and the angry shouting turned to agonized screaming. The proxy leaped back out the window with blood trailing off his hands. I hurried even more. The proxies seemed to be leading me on a path, like this was planned. I was chased down the streets of the once-peaceful town, and I felt a feeling of dread creep into my mind.

They're leading me back to the forest. I can't go there! That's his domain...

I changed my plan. Instead of turning when a Proxy ran in front of me, I slammed my fist into it's head and kept running straight. I altered my course so I was heading back to the building where I started. I glanced over my shoulder, noticing less Proxies following me than I had initially expected. There was maybe four, including the one that fell behind after I assaulted him. My heart started racing faster. They were gaining on me. The giant tree came into view, and a burst of adrenaline coursed though my veins. I leaped the final stretch into the house, and quickly slammed the door, directly in one of their faces. I slowly stepped back, shaking. I glanced through the peephole in the door.

They were gone.

I turned back around and a I felt horror course through my very essence, becoming embedded into my very soul.

The pink one, Pinkie, was lying in a pool of blood shaped like the operator's symbol. The giggling started up again as I slowly slid down the wall raising my hand to shut out the image of that pony's smiling face.... Permanently embedded upon her face, even after death.

Dressed In Darkest Suit And Tie

I sat there silently, basking in my own insanity. I knew that Twilight and her friends must have gone out searching for me, and Pinkie must have stayed behind. I could hear the whispering in my head getting steadily louder, but it was still impossible to understand. I heard the door open and a loud gasp. Rainbow Dash ran in and crouched beside her deceased friend. A lone tear escaped and fell on the floor before she turned to me, rage smoldering in her eyes. She pinned me against the wall, screaming in my face. I couldn't hear her, the whispering had increased in pitch and volume as she shook me. She started to trail off, tears freely flowing down her face now.

"It was the slender man." I quietly whispered. She glanced up at me, slowly focusing in on my face. "He wants to kill me... And he'll kill anyone that gets in his way or tries to stop him..." I murmured, tears starting to flow down my face as well. "I don't want to die..." I trailed off, our tears falling freely now. I held her tightly, trying to gain some sort of comfort from her soft body.

She might be next..... Don't think about that, nobody is 'next'! I quickly told myself.

But it was of no use. I knew more and more ponies would die in the process of the Slender man's lust for my soul. And he can only kill me when I'm in those woods. Maybe I should just kill myself and get it over with.....

No. I can't start thinking like that. It's what he wants me to do. I buried my face In Rainbow's mane, and hugged her even tighter. To my surprise, she hugged me back. Whether it was from sympathy or if she sought comfort from her friend's death, I'll never know. I felt the familiar exhaustion take over me, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep. Not here, not now. I told myself, slowly letting go of Dash and pushing her off me. I slowly stood up, hands shaking. I glanced down and almost passed out in shock. The observer symbol, the same symbol the eyes of the proxies had once held, was stained on the chest of my hoodie in blood, dirt, and rainbow's tears.

I managed to choke out "Why?" before collapsing to the ground again, panting heavily. The whispering had finally subsided, allowing me to think straight. But before I could even whisper to Rainbow, the others came back in. I heard more than one scream as all the mares rushed over to their dead friend. Collective tears were shed, and I silently made my way up the stairs. They needed some time alone.

And I needed to make an important decision.

I flipped on the light switch for the room, making my way over to the small bed in the corner. I curled up into a ball and silently wept over my choices. I drifted off into sleep, but I knew that Slender man would haunt my dreams.

I did dream, but It wasn't about Slender man... At least not as far as I could remember. I recognized a face... The face of my mother? My dream was ended in an abrupt scream, and I jerked awake. I quickly sat up in bed, heart racing. I silently stood up and made my way to the door.

The sight I was greeted by made me stare in shock. The operator symbol in the floor had remained, painting a permanent black scar in the middle of the floor. Though the blood had been cleaned and Pinkie's body sent to the morgue, the sign of it remained. Twilight was staring in shock in front of the kitchen, a shattered cup lying on the floor with tea around it.

I silently made my way down the stairs and pushed past her. I grabbed a kitchen knife from the block, and took a deep breath. She had turned to me at the sound of the knife sliding out of it's wooden prison, gazing at the iron blade uneasily. "I need to end this. I'm sorry Twilight." I told her, before spinning the knife and plunging it into my throat. Well, I would have, if a purple aura hadn't stopped the blade from reaching me. The knife was then thrown across the room and I was pressed against the ground.

She walked over to me angrily. "You mean to tell me that you've been causing all these things to happen?" She screamed, and I flinched.

"He wants to kill me... Let me end it here and now... Please......" I begged, fumbling across the floor for the blade.

It was too far away, and I couldn't reach it. Twilight apparently cast a spell, and I felt myself losing consciousness.

But, unfortunately, he couldn't resist the chance. I could see Slender man towering behind Twilight, and though she had her eyes closed in concentration, I could see him wrap his tentacles around her, and she screamed as the spell was suddenly broken. She screamed louder as she was dragged into an abyss of darkness, and then was silenced for eternity....

My mind suddenly flew back to reality. She was standing over me, mouth contorted into a worried frown. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly. "Your eyes clouded over and you started having a seizure."

I was still shaking softly. I sighed and she let me sit up. I buried my head in my hands, trying to think of a solution for this eternal pain. Wait.... The notes! Maybe there's more? I quickly thought, jerking my head up and smiling for the first time that I can remember. "Um, are you okay?" She asked again, sounding even more worried now.

I turned to her. "The notes. There must be more. Where could I find them?" I quickly asked her.

She shrugged uneasily. "I don't trust what's going on, and I'm not letting you go and kill yourself out in the forest with that... thing..." She told me. "I should send a letter to the princess and ask for her consent to assist you with your... adventures." She started to walk away, making sure to put the knife back in it's block.

"Lucian." I randomly said out loud. She turned to me, confused.

"What?" She asked. I glanced up at her.

"My name is Lucian." I stated. I stood up and brushed my brown hair back, out of my eyes. "I don't think this Is going to end well, and I figured I'd need a name. Just saying." I quietly spoke. Twilight nodded.

"Alright, Lucian." She conceded, heading off into her room. She emerged soon after with a small wrapped-up note floating beside her. "Spike!" She called out. She wandered around the house for a bit, calling for whoever it was.

"Who's Spike?" I asked her when she sat down finally to think. Suddenly the scroll dropped out of her magic grip and fell to the floor.

"He went to Zecora's for some potions the day you arrived..." She quietly sobbed. Tears started to flow from her eyes.

"Why does everyone have to die?" I asked. "I could just end it, but you won't let me." I quietly reminded her. Seeing her break down made my heart ache. Why did this have to happen to her? I should have been able to prevent this.... I lowered my head in defeat. There was nothing I could do.

Suddenly Fluttershy burst the door open, running over to Twilight with an expression more scared than I had originally thought possible. "There was this... Creature... It looked like a human like our friend but he was pale white and It had big claws and It was watching me when I woke up! I barely managed to get out of the window in time to escape it..." Fluttershy whimpered quietly, glancing between me and Twilight. A distant memory stirred in me... Human-like, white, large claws..... The Rake? No, it couldn't be...

"The others!" I suddenly shouted. The two mares turned to look at me, confused expressions on their faces. "We have to check on the others, to make sure they're alright." I told them. "Fluttershy had an encounter, Twilight discovered.... Well, Spike's missing. Did the others encounter strange occurrences too?" I stated swiftly. The two glanced at each other.

"We need to hurry." Twilight stated, before running out of the house with Fluttershy in pursuit.

But the second I stepped out of the Library, all hell broke loose.

You Most Certainly Will Die

The light outside was very dim, like it was either dawn or dusk. I glanced around uneasily, and I felt like I was being watched.

The sun was eclipsed. Why? Why now? I desperately thought, starting to shiver. I was interrupted when I heard a snarling coming from behind me. I spun around quickly, and I felt my heart skip a beat. The white menace was standing there, claws tearing into the ground eagerly as it eyed it's prey. I paused for no less than a second, and It charged me. I bolted. The sudden chase caught me off-guard, and I could feel myself slowing.

My own heartbeat was echoing in my ears as the edges of my vision blurred. I glanced back for a second, and the Rake crashed into me. I desperately tried kicking it off me, but it was of no use. It raised a claw and slashed down my chest. I screamed in agony, starting to thrash violently. I won't die here! Not now! I let out a screech and drove my feet into his hind legs, causing him to fall off-balance.

I wasted no time in grabbing it and throwing it off me... Quite far, strangely. It flew ten feet and crashed into the side of a large building, smashing through the wall. How did I do that? I quickly thought. I glanced back up to see Twilight and Fluttershy approaching me with Rainbow.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Twilight asked, sounding shocked. I didn't answer. I couldn't. Thoughts were running through my head, and It was impossible to pin them down. My mind was like a spinning wheel of ideas, never stopping on one thought. I heard a frustrated screech as the Rake leaped out of the rubble, shooting me a look of pure malice. He charged me again, and this time I kept running.

I swerved in between the houses, and made my way around the many areas in the city. I noticed something ahead with a feeling of dread.

The town square was crowded to the brim with ponies, and It was too late to change course. I started waving my arms, trying to get their attention. "Run! Get out of here!" I shouted vainly, hearing the Rake's menacing snarl slowly getting closer. My heart rate elevated to a violent proportion. I could see children in this crowd, and they broke into a panic.

They all started pushing and shoving each other to get away from the beast that was chasing me. I knew I couldn't just lead this beast into a slaughter. I quickly turned towards the beast, and I stopped. It crashed into me, unable to stop as suddenly as I did. I rolled with the impact, but I had him pinned now. I started throwing violent punches into it's face. My fists felt like they were grinding against stone, but I didn't care. I needed to make sure that the creature couldn't murder any of the innocent ponies. I quickly got off it and bolted away, hearing it's frustrated snarl following me as I sprinted to a path out of town.

I was running up a hill towards an apple orchard, of sorts. A large sign emblazoned 'Sweet apple acres' was hung above the archway I sprinted under. My thoughts were spinning faster than I could imagine. I glanced back and noticed the Rake had stopped at the gate, apparently making some sort of frustrated growl before slinking off again. He's not afraid of me... What could possibly have turned him away? I thought, but a quick look of my surroundings caused me to forget it's decision. The many trees lining the acres were covered in red apples, and it seemed peaceful enough. I started walking under the trees, attempting to get away from the town as fast as I could. There was no way I was going back. No way..... They knew I was there. How? I had too many questions and no answers, but I knew that when my adrenaline faded I would probably collapse from exhaustion. A small amount of moisture in my hair distracted me.

I felt up and ran my hair along it's line. When I pulled my hand back down, I noticed it was red with.... Blood?

My head isn't bleeding, which means...

I slowly glanced up and saw Applejack impaled on the tree. A large branch was sticking through her chest, and another one coming through her throat. I could see her blood slowly leaking down the branches and dripping on the ground. But that wasn't the worst part. Her eyes had been torn out, and black stones were inside her sockets instead. I vomited, falling back on the ground and laying there for awhile. They're all going to die! Only I can stop this... I quietly sobbed.

I felt weak, though. I needed to stop this. But.... I still don't want to die. I'm a coward, and all these ponies are going to die for it. I sighed weakly then climbed to my feet. I suddenly remembered something. I glanced down at my chest, and the observer symbol that had been stained there once was now effectively destroyed from three large claw marks going down my body. Strangely, though, my hoodie hadn't been ripped... But blood was still leaking out of the wound. I had all but forgotten the pain. I turned and looked at the forest that slender man had occupied.

I took a deep breath. Let's do this. I quietly sighed, starting to make my way to his domain. A shout coming from beside me stopped me in my tracks. The four remaining mares were running over to me. I felt tears filling my eyes, I knew that there was no way I could even attempt to explain to them. I broke into a sprint, overtaking their original pace.

"Stop!" Twilight shouted after me.

I didn't. I charged headfirst into the dense shrubs, not caring that they scratched me. I pulled out my flashlight and flicked it on, illuminating the dark space ahead of me. I heard sad sobbing behind me as I walked into the forest. They probably found their orange friend.

I hope it wasn't for me, because I sure as hell wasn't going back.

I shot one last glance over my shoulder. I have to do this. It's for them. I turned around and sighed. "Slender man, do your worst." I shouted before breaking into a sprint, deeper into the branching trees.

His Branching Arms Are For Collecting

As I walked between the trees I couldn't help but keep glancing over my shoulder. My subconscious was nagging at me, repeating This is suicide! and Go back! in my head. I knew I couldn't go back..... The creatures would surely follow me. I cringed as the giggling started up again, and I almost collapsed right there. If it wasn't for the realization that the giggling was coming from an outside source I probably would have curled up to die on the spot. I avoided the source of the laughter, as I was already scarred enough from my encounters with slender man and the rake; I didn't need some ghost children haunting me as well. Remembering the deaths of both Pinkie and Applejack did a great deal of harm to my already delicate mind, and one realization caused me to freeze.

I wasn't sad about the deaths, and I didn't grieve. I cried because I didn't want to die, and I felt weak because I knew that would be me. The only feeling I felt was... Anger. Does that mean that something's wrong with me?

I glanced up once again at the gap in the foliage, and shielded my eyes from the sun. Though eclipsed, it still had that certain vibrancy that made the eyes sting. Here I am, distracted once again. I need to stay focused. I shook myself out of the state I was in. I started to hurry, the beam from the flashlight never varying from the steady, solid line. As I slowed to catch my breath, I slowly ran my hand along the bark of a nearby tree. It was distorted and shriveled, giving me the feeling that this forest had lived much, much longer than I could have previously imagined. But, why hasn't the slender man shown up yet? Do I need to find a note first? What is this, some sort of sick game? I don't trust this at all. I thought.

I was so deeply lost in thought that I didn't realize that I had exited the forest and started to enter a.... Castle, of sorts. It was obviously lost to the elements, the walls long since crumbled and decayed. It seemed like an ideal place for an ambush, and I still doubted my sanity, even now. Though the grounds seemed more like a city, I could tell that the large structure in the middle of the area acted as a sort of fortress, though the pillars lining the wall were collapsed, decayed, destroyed... With some, all three. I could tell even from this distance that the structure itself was much, much larger than I had originally considered. I wandered at random intervals between the many collapsed structures serving as a form of moral support. My flashlight did nothing but reveal more and more of the stone structures, the same grey everywhere but the black sky. I could only imagine how the ponies were reacting with my disappearance.

A loud scream interrupted my thoughts, slicing through the quiet.

I shakily turned off my flashlight, plunging my surroundings in pure darkness. My eyes adjusted quickly, and I started to make my way towards the source of the noise.

What I saw made my blood run cold, yet again.

I could see the ponies there, tied with leather straps and being dragged across the ground... By the five proxies I had evaded earlier. I had run into the forest out of either courage or cowardice, but I knew I didn't have the courage to rescue the four of them. The four that lived... I realized with a quick frown. The proxies seemed to be taking them somewhere, and seeing as how they continued to whisper to one another and the ponies kept writhing, I was assured I hadn't been detected.

I decided to follow them.

I stealthily shifted from structure to structure, using the rubble around the area to stay undetected. After awhile they came to a crumbled stairway leading down. With no more than a glance of consideration, the proxies proceeded to drag the screaming ponies down the flight of stairs. Poor Fluttershy was crying, but that only proceeded to fuel my rage.

I'll kill them all. Nothing will get in my way.

I blinked and cringed as the slender man appeared, and turned his head in my direction before signaling to me to approach with one of his tentacles, before fading away as quickly as he had appeared. I tentatively climbed over the rubble I had been using to hide behind and made my way across the cracked stone to the entrance. I froze as I noticed a note there, taped to the frame of the crumbled doorway. I quickly took it and read it. A riddle? Why do they proceed to toy with me? I thought angrily.

Proceed down these steps, and rescue each friend

Before they all meet their untimely end.

In these tunnels you will find

All your memory, just to be kind.

If you win, all will live

And an offer I will give.

But if you fail, all will die

Each one blaming you for your notorious lie.

Your enemies will slow you down

In their minds, I hold the crown.

If you succeed, your memory will return.

I wondered why there was no rhyme to finish the last statement, but I proceeded to make my way down the stairs with my flashlight in hand. I flicked it on as I got even deeper and the light was beginning to falter. As I reached the bottom though, words written in the wall in blood made me feel lightheaded.

Though the memory you receive will not be the memories of which you yearn.

I swallowed nervously. The memory is not what I yearn? What could possibly be so bad that I won't hope for it? I wondered over the returning whispers. I slowly glanced down the long hallway to both my left and my right. Trust my instincts. Go.... Left. I thought, steeling myself for the beginning of a whole new challenge.