Being Hunted

I should probably apologize for all the silence that has been coming from this blog recently. It is my fualt, North has wanted to post but I have not allowed him to do so until now. After my last post I realized that we were being followed by someone, and I deemed it nessacary to cease all communication until we knew who it was. The intrustion of the creature North wrote about in the last post has however made it clear who was after us. It seems the one who killed my son is now after us as well, unless the abomantion that travles with him is in fact not unique. I am unsure of what I should hope for, but now we are on the move again and knowing who is tracking us should make it easier to stay one step ahead.

I don't even know if any of you people are ever going to see this post. That thing is still after us and I don't think we'll be able to fight it off if it finds us. If you're reading this, we made it trough the night and we're alive for now. If not... fuck, I don't even wanna think about it.

Shade and I got attacked while at a motel. I was laying in bed, playing with my phone and Shade was on the desk writing some shit up, when all from the sudden the window breaks and glass goes flying fucking everywhere. And that thing. That fucking thing jumps into our room.

I can't even begin to describe it. It kinda looked human, but it WAS NOT human. It's skin was all fucked up. It looked kinda like charcoal, but brighter... if that makes any sense. Then it's eyes were fucking yellowish white, no pupils... at least none that I could see. It attacked Shade, tried to punch him. It was quick, but Shade managed to dodge it.

It's fist went trough the fucking wall.

I grabbed my rifle and shot at it, but this thing was SO FUCKING FAST. It actually managed to DODGE the damn bullet. I tried to reload, but before I was done the bastard LUNGED across the room, grabbed me by the throat and threw me so hard against the door, I actually went TROUGH it.

Before I could get my shit together, that THING was on top of me. It grabbed me by the neck, lifted me off the ground and started STRANGLING me. I swear to god, that thing could have just snapped my neck right there if it would've wanted to, but he was ENJOYING this.

Shade got one of the ground and grabbed one of the guns. He shot the thing three times. In a fucking millisecond the thing had dropped me and turned to face Shade, but it couldn't dodge the bullets. He got hit in the chest... and the fucker STILL WOULDN'T DIE.

It tackled Shade and sent him flying across the room. I got up and grabbed the "Fire Axe" from the wall. Shade was managing to hold up for himself, but he was clearly on disadvantage. I ran into the room and managed to swing the axe into the back of it's head before it turned to face me.

It was still alive. But at least it couldn't move.

We got up, got everything we could gather and just ran the fuck out of there. Drove until we reached the city. We don't feel safe in a hotel, where they could catch us alone, so we're just gonna spend the night on this E.R. waiting room. I complained about a stomachache and chances are I'll have to wait all night to get looked at. A good way of getting a free place to spend the night.

We're sleeping in turns. I should wake up Shadow now, I really need some sleep...

God help us.

Recovering

Since Joshua died I have been finding it difficult to cope. North has written a lot about this, he has already mentioned my fitts and violence during this time. Until he stepped in front of me that last time, I had not actually realized what I was doing, I had not thought I was hurting anyone other than myself. But when I lashed out at North, I realized that I was putting him in danger, too. While I was dealing with my guilt he was suffering, haveing to deal with the monster and myself. I had almost forgotten why we were always moving, why we couldn't stay still. I have started thinking again, andI realize that even if I can't save my son there are many others who could still use the help, who still ned it. I'm not sure where I will go from here, but I realize now that I need to do something. I need a new focus.

Getting ourselves together.

We start falling apart the moment we lose sight of our objectives. Having a goal was what kept me going after my family died, and the lack of one was what almost killed me when I was trapped in the loop. Finding and saving Joshua was Shade's goal, and now that that's gone, he's...

Yeah, I think you get my point.

We need a course of action we can stick to in case things get bad. A plan. But first of all, we need to be prepared for whatever the Tall Man can throw at us. That's why I'm getting some new weapons.

In case you aren't informed, I grew up in a family of hunters. When I first left home and started running I had two handguns, a rifle and a hunting knife. I've relayed on the guns and knife the most, since carrying a rifle around trough the streets is probably not a good idea, but lately one of them has been malfunctioning a lot. It jams constantly. And I can't have that happen to us while in the middle of a fight.

I managed to squeeze some information out of Shade and contacted one of his "acquaintances". He cut me a deal for a taser. In exchange I'll give him the broken handgun (which I assume he will dismantle and sell as spare parts). Once we have that, I think we'll be ready to face proxies in case we come across them...

As for long term plans... now that's a good question. I don't want to say "running". We can't just cower away from Slendy forever, but I can't think of a better choice. I like to think the whole "Power in the numbers" thing still holds some weight, but after what I've seen... Well, lets just say the theory needs a reworking. For now, I'll just focus on keeping us alive.

Until the next time.

We're a fucking mess.

Just look at us. Look at what we've become. Look at what this thing has done to us.

Shade went from being a smart, strong, calm man to a ball of wrecked nerves. This thing took one of the few things that gave meaning to his life, and just like that, it tore it away. And there's nothing he or I can do about it.

And I went from being your everyday college student to... this. Whatever the fuck I am now. I can't even describe it. "Pile of shit" is probably the closest I'll ever get to it. Soaking with cheap vodka and wallowing in my own dirt, terrorized by nightmares of a life I used to know going away forever to be replaced by the hollowness of mere survival, by the fear that each sleep will be my last, that every time I turn a corner he'll be waiting for me, ready to put an end to it all, an end I want to see but yet I'm not yet prepared to, an unfinished play written by an author that has long ago moved on to bigger projects, never quiet forgotten, but yet never important enough to be remembered. Abandoned. Forsaken. Alone.

He went berserk again. Shade. Lost control and tried to throw the TV out the window. For the first time ever I tried to stop him, thought perhaps I could put an end to it. The black eye remains as a testimony to my failure. We left trough the fire escape so we wouldn't have to face the interrogations waiting for us at the lobby.

It was only when I fell from the stair into a deposit full of trash, the smell of piss and rot filling my nostrils, that I started wondering where it had all gone wrong.

I can't stay like this. I have to do something.

SO AMY HAD A FIELD DAY ON OUR BLOG.

She read trough and commented on every single post. Now, I COULD go back and respond to each one of her comments, but that would probably take up a lot of time that I could be using for being emo and slacking off. Which means I'm taking the lazy-man's out on this one and just making a post answering all of her questions. And hey, she actually asked some pretty GOOD questions, so this might also serve as some sort of recap. Still, unless your name is Amy and you're well known for telling people how much they SUCK, fell free to skip this.

"Joshua".

Q: I think you knew far better why he left. Fear or anxiety wouldn't have been enough to drive him from your protection. What was it, really?

A: All I know is that Joshua and Shade weren't in the best of terms. He wasn't there during most of his childhood, so they weren't very close. If there was any other reason for his departure, Shade never told me. And honestly? I don't think there was anything else.

"Going to help" and "North is safe".

Q:And we know next to nothing about you, yet you think you can "help" us. Someone would have to be in a huge spot of trouble to accept anything from you.

Q:How brief and uninformative. I think you suffer from an inability to speak of yourself, my lovely Shade.

A: Not as much of a question, but I do wanna clarify: I was in a huge spot of trouble. Shit was past my neck and had already wrecked the motherfucking fan. I would have accepted help from the fucking SLENDERMAN if that would have gotten me out of that thing...

As for Shade's writing... he's quiet. He keeps things to himself. It has kept him alive 'till now, and saved him from things other than the Slenderman, so you can't really blame him for it...

"Helping North".

Q: Were there no questions asked at the hospital? Jeez, officials are so boring and trusting these days. -.-;;

A: We didn't go to a hospital. Shade knows people. He got some of his friends to patch us up. Not like we needed a lot of help anyways. I needed some serums and he needed some bandages. Nothing that a stop at the pharmacy couldn't solve...

"Target located".

Q:Question. What do you and Joshua actually.. do? Are you friends, are you proxies, are you lovers, are you Runners? So little information to go off of.

A: As you can probably guess now, Joshua is... was Shade's son.... not a lot else I can ad to that.

"Shade..."

Q: Because people are dumb and don't like the sound of their own voices?

A: Just for the record, I hate my own voice.

"An unfortunate occurrence"

Q:WHAT THE FUCK? NO QUESTIONS? Oh god, I hate bloggers some times. Pull your heads out of your asses, readers. I mean, goddamn, what did North see behind Shade? Why didn't Shade see it? What made North trip his shit? How long was he tripping his shit total? Why was Free even connected to Shade? Fucktards.. I throw my hands up at the lot of you.

A: I was actually kinda surprised no one asked these before...

• What I saw behind Shade: Well, I don't remember a lot from my little breakdown, but Shade and I have talked and... I don't think he can see the Slenderman. It's weird, he just... doesn't. Which means maybe I saw him? Or perhaps I was hallucinating. Either way, it doesn't matter now, does it?
• Why he doesn't see it: No fucking clue. Sorry. I wish I could figure it out so I would stop seeing him too...
• Why I tripped my shit: I'm gonna go all out and reveal personal issues and shit now: Sometimes I wake up believing I'm still in the house. I know I'm not there. I can see the place is different, I can recognize Shade's things, I remember he saved me, but... I don't know. I just can't convince myself I'm out yet. As if this were all some sort of huge illusion created by him and it would all break down any time now just to reveal I never left that damn place, those same fucking walls, the darkness, the cold, the hunger... I'm gonna shut up now.
• Free and Shade: They had worked together. That's all I know.

So, that should be it. Skipped some comments because they didn't seem very important. Hope that's okay, don't really care if it's not.

Until the next time.

Well, fuck everything then.

...Yeah, there's no good way to start this...

He's not doing well. He hasn't been ever since we heard about Joshua.

Josh, he... he was his kid. He was all the family he had left. Shades had been looking for him for so long, had traveled so far, talked to so many people, and just... fuck.

Then that FC asshole just comes in and takes it all away like he had some kind of right to end the kid's life. I just hope that fucking piece of scum is alive so he can get what's coming to him. I swear to god if I ever find him-
okay I'm gonna stop myself before I start blabbing on about my blood vengeance or some shit. That's not what I'm here to write about.

Shadow hasn't been doing well since that post went up. He'll sit around for hours being depressed and shit, just to get up and wreck absolutely everything around him. We've had to run away from like 10 hotels now because we can't afford to pay everything he broke. And I'm not about to fucking stop him. I've traveled with him long enough to know he would beat my ass in a fight. Besides, maybe it's for the better. He has to let it all out somehow.

I guess that's all I can do... right? Just let him vent his anger? I don't know. I'm not good with people. I never was. And I don't know what I can say to make things better for Shade. How do you even deal with this shit? He lost his damn family and I just...

...I don't think there's a good way to finish this either...

Until the next time...

About Joshua

He's dead, and it's my fault. I should have been able to protect him, to shelter him, but I couldn't. Because of me he sought out death, I have been a horible father.

Joshua is, was, my son, he was the only thing left in my life that I cared about, and I failed him. From the very beggining I was a failure, I wasn't there for him. When he was young, while he grew up I was in prison, a criminal. That was all I ever was for him, all I was ever able to be. Fifteen years for Grand Larceny in the Second Degree. They didn't even catch me at my worst crimes, but it was still enough to put me in jail, for my sons entire childhood. Amanda never forgave me. I knew she wouldn't, not with Joshua there, to see what a failure his father was, to see the follies of my crime. But I always loved them both, as best I could, and so the first thing I did when I got out was try to find them.

I tracked them down, it took weeks to do without violateing parole, but I found them.

It was too late.

Amanda was dead. I found where they were staying and as soon as I entered the apratment I saw her body, what was left of it anyways. She had been ripped apart, and Joshua was just standing there, alone. I made him tell me what happened, about the monser. How it hunted them, and how it killed my wife.

So I took my son and we ran. I tried to teach him how to survive, but he didn't trust me. We had been barely moveing for more than a month when he told me he could not run with me any longer. We fought, he was angry, he thought because I had not seen the monster like he had that I could not help him. He thought that because I was never there for him when it was all just starting he Could not trust me. Maybe he was right. I did not stop him. I let me son go.

I let him die.
S

Back for clues

After the most recent posts on this blog I realized that there was only a small window of opportunity to find more evidence on Joshua's location. Unfortunately we only got there today, and it was clear that "Freedomcaged" was long gone by this point, either on the run or taken by the monster. Most evidence points to the latter, which means I will never get to ask him properly about my apprentice. When we met before I could tell he was not being honest, but I didn't have enough information to push him more, and now I have lost the opportunity forever.

Still I could not let myself gain nothing from the situation, so North and I returned to the area and investigated his the dormitory room he resided in. Getting in was no problem and once we were there it was quickly apparent he had not had the opportunity or intention of concealing anything. His laptop was sitting open on a desk in the corner, right next to a pistol loaded with four bullets. I took the gun and his hard drive while North searched the rest of the room. Unfortunately he essentially ransacked the room, however we were more concerned with speed than subtlety at that point. Still North will require more training in an ordered covert search method, I think he was enjoying himself too much.

Unfortunately we didn't find anything of potential use in locating Joshua. I am going to spend the night going through it to see if I can learn anything. Hopefully by morning I will have a new lead.
S

An Unfortunate Occurrence

I had gone out to speak with the blogger who calls himself Freedomcaged earlier, which is something I will adress seperately, and when I returned I found the hotel room in complete dissarry. North had torn up the pillows and bedding, ripped the curtins off the window and and taken the drawers out of the dresser and trown them around the room, along with most of our possesions.  I found him in the bathroom, trying to cut himself with a peice of glass, I had to pick the lock to get in. I attempted to take the glass from him but he would struggle and make the cuts deeper whenever I got close, so eventually I had to retreate to get some of my sedatives.  When I returned North had shollow cuts all along the lenght of his arm.  He laughed and pointed behind me "You don't even see it, do you?" I half-turned to examine the space behind me while keeping an eye on North, but it was empty.  After that I decided the best course of action was to sedate him. I suffered a few minor scratchs, but nothing attending to, so I focused on cleaning and bandageing North's hands and arms.  His hands in particular were bleeding quite a bit.

After makeing sure North was patched up properly and not going to wake up for a while I cleaned the room as throughly as I could, makeing sure to remove as much of the blood as possible from the bathroom floor. I also packed our things. I am concerned that staying still for this long has had a bad effect on North, and putting a little distance between us and our current location would be ideal. While I am not yet ready to abandon my first real lead on Joshua, it seems the best course of action would be to return after things have calmed down a little. I plan to move as soon as North wakes up, and if he is unwilling I will be forced to sedate him again for the trip.
S

symphony of life

its weird how this little game works, isnt it? you just wake up one day to realize that youre being stalked, and before you can even notice it youre running and trying to avoid the operator , but thats not really you, because you dont know whats happening yet. its like your brain goes into auto or some shit and youre just running and doing what you have to do to survive.
but then it hits you. i dont know how or when but it hits you. youll be having dinner or reading a blog or taking a piss when all from the sudden you realize: the most powerful being in the universe is out to kill you, and theres no one that can help you. the authorities that you trusted so much are just as scared as you are, your family and friends are most likely dead or can't help you. he has taken everything you ever loved and took for granted away. youre nothing but his pray anymore. his toy. and then youll star hearing it.
the clock ticking down to your death. and you wont know how long you have, but you will know its coming and that theres nothing you can do to stop it. lights will turn to bright, shadows will turn too dark, you will never feel safe or comfortable again.
thats when it happens.
thats when you become a runner.

Shade...

You DO know your "contact" follows the blog, right?

You PROBABLY shouldn't reveal you will be observing him RIGHT WHERE HE CAN READ IT.

Target located

It was not easy, but we managed to track down someone who appears to know something in regards to Joshua. He had attempted to lead us away from him covertly, which actually enabled me to track him. I am unsure why he sought to lead us away from him, but it implies that he knows something. I plan to observe him before I make my approach. It would be unwise to rush into this situation without knowing more about him. Hopefully he can direct me to Joshua, if not willingly I will find other ways to get the information. I have not had a solid lead in some time, I will not allow this to dead end so quickly.

S

And then shit hit the fan.

So, I guess it was about damn time I posted something. Been traveling with Shadow for a while now and I haven't said a word about myself.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is North. I'm a runner. Shadow pulled my sorry ass out of a loop and we've been adventuring together ever since. Shade's a nice guy... I guess. Doesn't really talk a lot. No wonder we knew so little about him. He's one of the most shut in people I've ever seen. Of course, it's not like it bothers met. I haven't been really talkative myself, so having a quiet person as my partner doesn't really affect me.

I have managed to make him talk a little, tho. Got to know some things about him... I don't know if I should post them without his permission tho. I'll ask him latter. If he says yes, I'll put another post up.

So, the kid, Joshua. For the first time in ever Shade has a lead as to where he is. Not saying where we're going or who we're meeting. Don't want any proxies tracking us down. We're fucked up enough with Slendy biting our toes, thank you very much.

Shade will probably update soon anyways. Just wanted to let you guys know we're not MIA.

Until the next time.

New Information

I have been attempting to track down as many old acquaintances of Joshua's as possible, in the hopes that he contacted one of them. I believe that I have located one who is aware of the Slender Man. I am planning on visiting him soon. Hopefully he will be able to assist me in locating Joshua.
S

Helping North

When I found North's house I was unsure of how to help him. He was not within the house and his posts suggested that he was not even on this physical plane. After I determined that he really was not within his house I was forced to find another way to get to him out safely, as I did not know how to enter whatever realm he was in. I contacted a few sources that I have developed and asked them to let me know if they heard anything and I began to observe the house and nearby town to see if I could find any proxies that might know how to reach North. It was not very long before I was able to discover that a proxy had been sent to torture North. I observed him for a few short days and learned as much as I could about him. Normally I would study him longer, but I knew time was short.

On Thursday I followed the proxy, who is called Ire, to North's house. I followed him inside covertly when he opened up the other realm. I had intended to come up from behind and jab him with a sedative dart. However my body reacted poorly to changing planes of existence and I was unable to suppress a violent set of coughing. Ire noticed me quickly and attempted to attack me with his axe. I managed to evade him and we spent some time studying each other's style. After I was confidant I could guess his movements I backed myself against the wall. When Ire was distracted I succeeded in causing him to embed his axe in the wall. I used the opportunity to jab a sedative dart into his neck, though I received a bruise when he freed his weapon. Before I was able to recover North appeared in the doorway and attempted to fire on Ire. The gunshot distracted me and Ire used the opportunity to wound my arm with his axe. However he became overconfident and I was able to knock him over and jab a second sedative dart into his neck. I believed him unable to react much longer so I was surprised by his sudden turn and he was able to give me a sharp gash across my ribs. We both got to our feet, but Ire was only able to make a very weak swing before finally losing consciousness.

It was at this point that I was first able to fully acknowledge my surroundings. Even though it had been day when I followed Ire in none of the windows showed any light and the air felt cold and heavy. I found it difficult to breath, but I felt a need to keep going and get out of the house. North was leaning against the frame of a door barely able to stand. It did not take much convincing to get him to come with me. We returned to the entrance and opened the door. Light filtered in to the entryway, but the yard appeared hazy and dimmed as though it only appeared to be there.

I was preparing to attempt exiting the house when North yelled for me to look out. I turned to where he was pointing. I could not see anything but the world was suddenly jerked away from me. Somehow we ended up on the roof. The sun was directly overhead but the air felt even colder than inside the house. I struggled to maintain my composure, but before I could recover I felt myself thrown to the floor in North's kitchen. I barely even made it too my knees before I found myself slammed against the wall of his bathroom. I had expected to land on the tiled floor of the bathroom, but instead I found myself face down in the grass on North's front lawn as the sun set over the trees. I looked up to see the house's walls collapse and splinter in on themselves as the entire structure crumbled.

I found myself purging the contents of my stomach on the lawn. I have been sick before, but I have never felt so completely ill before. As soon as I was able to move again I located North curled up to my left. I managed to help him up and we both returned to my car down the road. I used some of my supplies to patch up our individual injuries as well as I could, then I gave North some of the rations I keep with me. We drove away from his house but we did not get far before we were forced to stop and attempt to sleep and recover our energy.

Since then I have gotten us both proper medical treatment. We are also returning to Chicago shortly. I still do not know where Joshua is, but I need to continue looking.  North and I have agreed that it may be wisest for him to travel with me until he has recovered more.

S

North is safe

I have retrieved North from his house. We are both safe and recovering at present. We will likely stay here for the time being. I must get some things in order before we continue on and it would be wise for North to avoid excessive travel in his condition. I will try to publish a post about what exactly happened shortly.
S

North's house

I have arrived in North's town and located his house. I found it surrounded by woods and suffering from neglect. I found the front door unlocked and entered with caution. The first room I entered was a living room. It was abandoned, but there was blood stains on the floor, making it sticky and leaving a caustic smell behind. I moved to the kitchen next, but there were no signs that anyone had been there. The refrigerator was empty as well, no doubt its contents had already been consumed by North. Upstairs I found several bedrooms, but they too contained no sign of North, nor any other life.
I find this all concerning. I am here, but I am still unable to locate North. It is possible that he has left or been removed since his posts. However I have found very little indicating that he has left, or was ever here. If he truly is trapped in some kind of loop or other realm I have no idea how to free him. I will try to find more information, but if I can find no more information on North I will be forced to abandon him. I must find someone who knows how to deal with this.
S

Going to help

North is in trouble. I have decided to try to help him. I have found no new leads in New York and heard nothing from my contacts about Jacob. I have decided he is capable of protecting himself for now. I have trained him to be as self-sufficient as possible. At the very least I am incapable of doing anything further to help Jacob right now. However I may be able to provide North with assistance. I believe I may have located his town. I will be heading there as soon as I have prepared for whatever I may encounter. North if you see this try to hold  on until I arrive.
S

Moving On

I have searched most of Chicago by now. I spent a great deal of time, money, and most valuable: favors to insure that Joshua truly has left. Part of me feels foolish for wasting so much time here. But I had to be sure he really was gone. I could not allow myself to continue on while the possibility of him being here remained. I also made sure that if he returns I would be informed. Setting up a reliable network often takes years, however. I was forced to make this one in a much shorter time frame. I can only hope that Joshua is not yet skilled enough to exploit those weaknesses and return without my knowledge.
I have not looked at the blogs recently. I should look there for any possible evidence of where Joshua may have been seen, or may be inclined to go. I will perform this task tonight. While looking I will endeavor to help those I can with what I know. It is always beneficial to form bonds with those who may help you. It also appears that many may truly need the advice. I apologize for not keeping this blog updated. I am not used to this format, but I realize it may be necessary to find my apprentice. I am very grateful to those of you who have offered help and support.
Soon I will be traveling to New York. Joshua has not left behind much of a trail, but New York is a good place to go if you are trying to avoid someone. There are also several prominent bloggers in that area. It makes sense to continue my search for Joshua is such a well known area.
S

Joshua

It has become clear that Joshua is unable or unwilling to return to me. Therefore I must seek him out myself. I am skilled in locating people but I taught Joshua how to cover his tracks well. Considering the beast hunting him I would not be surprised if he appeared to some of the other bloggers. As a result I must ask that you inform me if he approaches you.
His physical description is as follows:
He is seventeen, but short for his age, only five and a half feet tall. He has short brown hair and brown eyes. He has a small but prominent scar over his right eye. When he left he took only jeans and a white shirt, but he is capable of acquiring a new wardrobe easily. He has a thin nose and a prominent jaw line. His frame is thin and lean. Our physical training focused more on speed and flexibility, so he is not heavily muscled, but he is able to defend himself.
If you see him or are contacted by him please contact me. My e-mail is nolightwithoutshadows@gmail.com. Joshua, if you see this please return to me.
S

Come back

I know you will see this at some point, Joshua. I understand your decision to seek help elsewhere, but this is not the answer. I am your teacher, and am capable of protecting you far better than any others. You are not safe outside my attention. I know you observe the blogs. When you see this return to me.
S