Dark Legends - Part 3: Lana and the Tree

It was a Thursday, 10:45 Pm. Sixteen year old Lana was walking through the woods. No, her mother didn't know she sneaked out, or that she sneaked out almost every night to be out here. She couldn't. It was her only escape from people... from problems... from life in general.

She tromped through the woods, walking deeper and deeper into it's heart. She came across a small gorge, where she had placed a log across it, having grown tired of climbing down and up the gorge just to cross it. She easily ran across the placed log, having crossed it multiple times and mastering her balance.

She went a bit farther until she came across a tiny, abandoned house. It's windows were still intact, and were sparkling clean. Lana had brought some all-purpose out here to shine them up. The door was still a bit dirty, but that was her next project. Besides the windows, she had scraped the walls of the moss, dirt, and fungi, as well as clearing brush against the house. The roof, she had given up on until she could find an easier way to get up there.

Walking inside, she surveyed her safe-haven. The door opened into the small living room. To the left was the dining room and an open kitchen, a door in the dining-room led to the bathroom. A door on the right side of the living room led into the only bedroom in the house. It had it's own bathroom, but unlike the one in the dining room, this had a bathtub. A door at the opposite end of the living-room led to a small back porch with an overhang.

This was her home. This is where she wanted to live. No one was here. No problems could be made here. Nothing and nobody around... not until she found that special someone...

She shook that thought out of her head. Not yet. Not for a long while.

The inside still needed a bit of work. She had gotten the trash out, dumping it in another part of the ravine. Sweeping was the only thing left to be done. And there was a lot, because all the floors were wood. She preferred it that way anyway, seeing as how carpet would be such a mess to deal with.

Eventually, she'd have this place up and running; a bed in the bedroom, a couch in the living-room, food stored in the pantry. She figured maybe one day she could get some generators or something, get some electricity going through the house... that was her wish. Perhaps one day.

Tonight she wasn't going to work on anything. Work was saved for the weekends. She usually just came here to lie on the beanbag chair to read her book, with a clip-on book-light.

A noise sounded from behind the house, and she froze in her reading. Glancing at her digital watch, she read the time: 11:23 Pm. Creeping to the backdoor, she peered through the door's small window. She couldn't see anything. She slowly inched the door open, peeping her head out. "Hello?" she whispered. There was no response. She stepped outside and continued to survey the forest around her. Nothing seemed to be out of sorts, until she examined the trees. She did a double take.

The trees had grown taller, thinner. and the one in the middle looked more... ghostly than the others. It mesmerized her, and all the fear she might have had vanished. She closed the door behind her. She sat on the back porch, watching the tree.

Then the tree moved.

It started to shrink, though it didn't lose it's leanness. It shrunk until it was about eight feet tall. It no longer looked like a tree. It had the appearance of a tall, slender, mysterious man. It stood there, staring at Lana.

She wanted to panic. She wanted to scream. She wanted to fear. But she couldn't. She was calm, unafraid. What did scare her was how submissive she felt to the tall man. She slowly stood. Upon doing so, the tall man started moving forward. It walked towards her, stopping ten feet away from her. A chill ran through her spine, as she heard, no felt, whispers all around her. She barely made it out, but she heard I am the shadow of the trees. I am the darkness in your dreams.The thing from which every human has ran. I am what my enemies call me: The Slenderman.

Lana quickly sat up, and looked around her. She was sitting inside, book to the side. She stood up and ran out the back door, stopping on the back porch. Was that all a dream? But as she surveyed the distance, she could make out the tall man's figure, slowly walking away. She blinked, and it vanished.

Lana decided it was time to go home. Not because she felt in danger, but because she always made sure to be home before twelve. She looked at her watch. it read: 1:47 Am uhg, I'm gonna be tired tomorrow...

As she hiked back home, her thoughts were on nothing but... the Slenderman. She didn't feel threatened... but the more she thought about it all, the more she became scared.

She wasn't just gonna let this go. She was gonna find out what she could. Whether this was just a hoax, or something... otherworldly... she was gonna find out.

And nothing was gonna stop her.

Dark Legends - Part 2: Jane

Her mother leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Sweet dreams, Candace. I love you."

Candace smiled, as she kissed her mother back. "Love you too mommy." the tween said, settling in bed.

"Do you want the nightlight on?"

Candace shook her head. "Naw, I'll be good tonight. Besides, the moon is really bright tonight."

Her mother smiled. "Okay baby. Sleep tight." And with that, she shut the door.

Candace, closing her eyes, thought of her best friend, Leslie. Tomorrow was Friday, and they were going to have a sleepover. Her excitement kept her awake. thinking about all the fun they'd have, playing Truth or Dare, having pillow fights, and talking about boys. Especially Jason... Oh yeah, she thought, Jason... sigh. Jason was just a year older than her, and oh. My. GOD, was he hot!

A cool breeze blew through the room, and she tightened the blanket around her.

Wait.

The window is supposed to be closed.

She opened her eyes and sat up, surveying the open window... and then she froze.

A woman was standing not a foot from the open window. She just... stood there. Candace couldn't move, couldn't scream. She could only stare. And that's when she noticed the eyes. They were black. No pupils, no iris, nothing. Just black. And streaks of blood ran from both of them. Slowly, gently, she walked over to the bedside. Slowly crawling on top, she revealed a long knife. Candace finally spoke, though it was barely a peep. "Stop..."

The woman put her hand onto on the girl's forehead, and gently pushed her back onto the pillow. Slowly, she leaned in towards her ear. "Don't go to sleep," she said, "I need you awake for this."

Candace's eyes widened, feeling the knife plunge into her neck. Choking, she gripped at her neck, as she felt her own warm blood oozing down her body. The woman kissed her cheek, the girl's last breath hitting her face. "I'm sorry, Darling. I'm so sorry... but I needed the blood."

Jane exited back through the window, and in a matter of seconds, she had disappeared into the alleyways. Her work was done, and she could rest against the trashcan. She gave a long sigh, as she surveyed the area around her. A lone newspaper fluttered towards her, and she picked it up.

The headline was about Jeff the Killer. She chuckled. Funny, she thought, they think he's doing all the killing. I bet Jeff is curious who's been doing the extra gutting...

She threw the newspaper aside, walking away into the darkness. She was done for a while, and it was time.

Time to find Jeff.

Dark Legends - Part 1: Jeff

FRIDAY, OCT. 20th 2017

KILLER STILL AT LARGE AFTER ELEVEN YEARS

After eleven years of investigation, homicidal serial killer, known as Jeff the Killer, is still at large. Jeff the Killer is known to seek out seemingly random victims to gut, stab, and eventually kill. Officials are baffled as to how he's eluded them for so long. "There's been multiple times when we thought we had him," Officer Garret Bean says, "But time and again, he just... slips away." 

Reports have been gathered that the FBI is now possibly getting involved.

Statistics show that there are ten deaths every month on average caused by Jeff the Killer.

Physical description: Pale skin, black lined eyes with missing eyelids, a scar on either side of his mouth, forming a smile. His hair is ragged and black. Usually wears a white hoodie, skinny jeans, and black sneakers. Contact your local officials if you see a man fitting this description.

Jeff chuckled, crushing the newspaper into a ball. Shaking his head, he surveyed the ally he was sitting in. Nice and dark, no one here but the couple making out next to the dumpster. "Fools." he said softly, throwing the newspaper ball into the dumpster, "Give it up. I've been going 11 years strong. You will never catch me." He sat back, pondering. There was one thing he was concerned with. Jeff made a note to count how many victims he had. There were a lot, that was for sure. But not as many as described in the article.

For the past year and a half, he knew there was someone else out there, gutting his victims. And while he wasn't concerned about the deaths, he was curious as to what would happen if he were to run into this mysterious killer. Of course, he would kill him. But not after a long, probably painful, talk.

The feeling.

Jeff stood. The feeling was here, and it had to be satisfied. He slowly turned his head to face the couple. Not caring if they heard him, he casually approached them, tapping on the man's shoulder. The man turned, wiping his mouth.

"Ay, D***wad! leave me 'lone, will yas??" the man yelled. He saw Jeff reach his hand into the front pocket of his hoodie.

Jeff took a step closer. "Go to sleep." and in the blink of an eye, A knife was protruding from the man's neck, as he fell, grasping himself. The woman screamed, but it didn't matter. As the man fell, Jeff whipped the knife back out, pinned the woman against the brick wall, and whispered in her ear, ever so seductively, "Go to sleep, darling." and proceeded to stab her chest, once... twice... three times... and then a slice at the neck. She too fell.

It didn't take long for Jeff to throw them both in the dumpster. Wiping his bloodied hands on his jeans, he walked away from the ally. The feeling had left, and he was at peace once more.

But something nagged at the back of his mind. Something told him it was time to find the other killer. A shiver ran through his spine, causing him to become confused. Nothing could make him worried... yet the thought of this... other killer, did.

He shook it off.

Playing With Death - Part 18: Beauty Among the Ashes

Rose sat up in bed. The sun was shining through the window next to her. She smiled.

No matter what anyone else said, there was still beauty in the world... even in the midst of the end, it seemed, and the sun was just one of many examples of that beauty. It was something she looked forward to every night before she fell asleep. And even at night, there was always the moon and stars to look forward to. Beauty still reined among disaster, and it reminded her that there was still a God.

She got up and changed, having taken a shower the night before. Walking down the stairs, she wore a large smile. "Morning guys." she chipped.

"Yo," Trevor replied. "Sleep alright?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah. I did." she filled a glass with water. "I dreamed darkness."

"Better than a nightmare..." Trevor said shrugging.

Rose took her water outside, and sat on the bench on the front porch. It was peacefully quiet this morning, other than the single walker roaming the field a bit aways. She watched it, as it meandered along the grass, with no direction.

The front door opened, and out came Jen, chainsaw and all. She sat up against Rose, cuddling up beside her. Rose started to stroke her hair, as she continued to watch the undead traveler.

It was sad, those soulless bodies. Mindless creatures, with no purpose in life. If there was something she could do, she would. But there wasn't. Nothing could help them but putting them out of their misery.

Jennifer gasped. "Rose! Dead person!" she exclaimed, sitting up, a smile creeping on her face.

Rose nodded. "Yep. Let's let it walk a bit. I'm watching him"

Jen cocked her head, but nodded back. "O.. kay..." She leaned back against Rose.

Rose sighed. She saw beauty, but that didn't mean she wasn't worn. It didn't mean she didn't cry. It didn't mean she didn't wish it would all end.

Rose froze. Another figure emerged from the woods, and before she knew it, the zombie fell, the figure standing above it.

"Jen. Go inside." She said, nudging her.

Jennifer complied slowly. Rose followed, but simply walked back outside with a pistol. She stood on the porch, watching the figure carefully.

And then he waved.