~Oh little child, you make me laugh at thee with such great joy

You seek us.

You seek your precious Hawk.

He will soon be lost to thee.

On the move, but we are watching.

And you, wild huntress, are next.

You cannot deny yourself.

You try to hold it at bay, but the need consumes.

Just like me.

And what shall I say to your little companion?

She is just as hopeless as you

Watch, huntress.

Watch her consumed by that which crawls the night, seeking her

Go home, girl.

Go home before he catches you.

Hehehehehehehehehehehe.~

Our time is up.
They are moving, in the forest.
It is only a matter of time now.
And I cannot stop dreaming of them.

My Family.
Why.

Curtis

He's dead. The man who risked his ass to tell me what I wanted to know, when I went home.

Those bastards out there nailed his body to a tree. That girl. The one who fought me, in Skan's house. I saw her wave at me with a hammer in hand, then point 25 yards to the left..

I...oh God...Curtis...

I'm so sorry...I...Shouldn't have gone to see him. Shouldn't have bothered. What did it get me? Nothing, really, just confirmation. What did it get him? Death at the hands of...her.

That's another thing. Hypnos' week isn't up yet. We still have three days...

What the hell is he up to? 

Recovering

Things are slowly getting fixed and cleaned up around here. The lawn is still a bit of an eyesore, unfortunately. Molotovs will do that.
We let Hypnos have his lackey back the day after he asked for the return. We would have let the obscenity-yelling and later dagger-glaring proxy go a lot sooner except...The Rake. I'm pretty sure our clawed friend is pissed off about all of the flashing and banging..He is always around, now. Stalking the wards, clawing trees, leaving deer parts everywhere. The day we intended to let the proxy go, the Rake never left the sight of the house. Not once, all day. None of us are that cruel, and we hoped Hypnos wouldn't be a pain about it. He must have seen the Rake too, because we didn't receive any threats. How very...considerate...of him. Strange, considering he just sent a small army after us.
The proxy actually calmed down a bit too, after Skan and Eternity dragged him to a window and pointed at the Rake. The conversation had been a little bit like this:

Proxy: YOU MOTHERFUCKERS LET ME OUT OF THIS DAMN CHAIR OR I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU WHILE YOU SLEEP. HYPNOS NEVER LEAVES A MAN BEHIND. HE WILL COME FOR ME. OBEY HIM OR ELSE.
Eternity: Your threats don't faze me. You're tied to a chair.
Proxy: *more screaming and obscenities*
Skan: You know what, fine. Come here and met me show you why filth is still in my house.


She actually cut the bonds (all but the arms and the blindfold, at first) on the guy and hauled him to his feet, dragged him to the closest window, ripped off the blindfold, and pointed. "See that? In case you're blind, that's the Rake. If you go out there now, you'll die. But by all means, walk out. We won't stop you."
The proxy stared at her in disbelief. And stopped glaring and yelling. Instead he stared out the window for a few minutes and simply said, "I'm hungry. Would you mind giving me something? We can talk, if you want. I'll answer anything I can. I don't know much. Hypnos doesn't say much, to be honest he tells his enemies more than he tells us."

So, we did something stupid. We took him back to the basement first, then untied him completely. We got him some food and then..started talking to him. He didn't seem like the enemy, talking like this. Eternity never got more than a foot away from me the entire time, though. It appears my girlfriend (yes, indeed) is a guard dog as well.

We never got around to talking about Hypnos' plans, because he either wasn't going to say or he really didn't know. I believe the latter, personally. Except one thing that he kept repeating..The words "Family is the reason for everything we do." I think...He was trying to say something important. I have no idea what it could mean, though. Just another puzzle, I guess. But I was admittedly sorry to see him go back to Hypnos when the Rake finally disappeared for a while.

Things are quiet again, but not ominously so. Minus the Rake, that is. We've got rue stashed everywhere just in case shit hits the fan in the Rake department.

RETURN

Return to me what is mine.
Return to Him what is His.
Or He will come for it.

You would not like that.

Return it to us and we will not bother you.
For one week.
You have my word.
Did I not keep it last time?
Do I give you reason to not believe?

Question it if you think it will help you. 
Harm it not.
Return it to us at morning light.

Tomorrow.

Sorry I took so long..

We've been cleaning up for the greater part of today. Hypnos isn't a liar, but he sure is a bastard. He waited until Friday was almost OVER to come for us. By the time Eternity noticed shadows moving on the fringes of the wards, all three of us were wound up so tight that for a moment, Skan and I just thought she was seeing things.
Until of course, there was a quiet snapping sound followed by a very audible explosion. That would be one of Skan's beautifully designed land mines. It lit up the night enough to let us know the the guy didn't step dead center on it. He would have been dead..As it is, He's probably just missing a lot of blood and maybe a limb. Probably. One down
The explosion cast off enough light to illuminate the surrounding area for just a brief moment, which was all we needed to see the shadows of a rather large seeming group of proxies. Eternity counted about 8 of them in all. And out in front, the man with the cane. Hypnos. They stepped up the the wards..And Hypnos...He looked up at the house and smiled. I SAW him...I FELT him..I shouldn't have been able to see his face in the dark from that far away. But, it seemed like he was just feet in front of me.. He stepped across. One step, two, three. Then he turned to his group and beckoned. One by one they stumbled across, all but the last one. He collapsed with his hands on his head..I suppose whatever Hypnos did to get his group across didn't work on him. Two down.

A group of six split off from Hypnos and charged the front door. The three of us looked at one another and nodded. I sighed. Show time. Skan waited until they group was within acceptable throwing range, then flipped on the giant floodlight. The group of 6 looked up, just to see the shadows of three molotovs sailing out the window. All three landed just in front of the charging proxies. Only three made it through the wall of flames. I don't know what happened to the rest, I couldn't see them afterwards. And I am trying very hard not to care. They came here to fight, right? Three, four, five down.

The remaining three came right for the front door. Skan brought one of them down with the shotgun, right after he threw a rock through the window. Not bad aim, either. Hit her right on the arm. Of course, then a slug hit HIM in the arm. Six down. The last two reached the door and started pounding on it, just as a crash sounded in the back. One of the snares, set to trap the first person trying to force the back door. Oh no. No No No. Eternity sprinted for the back door, sword in hand. I tried shooting out the window at the two breaking down the front door, but no matter how hard I tried...I emptied two clips at them. No hits.

I heard gunshots in the back, followed by a scream. And laughter. Eternity... But no. I hear blades clashing, cursing...She's all right. The two in front of us finally got in. One of them apparently jumped through the window in the next room. I went for this one, consequently losing sight of Skan. The proxy tackled me to the floor and started beating the shit out of me. I managed to get a foot free, and I kicked for the head. The mask flew off to reveal the face of a younger girl. She snarled at me and jumped at me with a knife. Cut me right across the face, and spat on me. "Hypnos will have you, little Hawk. That's the only reason you aren't dead. Pity, same might not be said for your little girlfriends." Then she jumped back out the window and ran for the forest.

I bolted for the front door. Skan was there,  a little bloodied up, but nothing serious. I haven't asked what happened. Perhaps, she will post it later. We heard some noises coming from the forest again. Oh God, no no, not more of them. Another group of four, with the girl who attacked me. They were coming again. We had one more weapon though.. Skan and I got up the stairs as fast as possible. In the upstairs window sat a bag of baseball sized rocks, next to that a small catapult. We took Mystery's advice and pained wards on rocks. Last ditch effort. We launched rock after rock out the window. None of the proxies were hit,  a few came deadly close though. They didn't like that...Apparently, they weren't ready for a barrage of warded rocks. Ten minutes later they melted back into the forest. I could hear them screaming angrily.

Eternity. Where is she. I ran back downstairs...She met me at the bottom of them.
"Three charged the back..One of them is alive and PISSED to all hell trapped in that door snare. One of them..I think he's dead. I didn't mean to. The last one broke and took off about five minutes ago."

Oh thank God. I don't know what possessed me, but I picked her up in a giant bear hug. And then she kissed me. Just like that. Both of us, covered in blood, weapons in hand...

Skan started laughing. Then we started laughing. Battle-high, all of us...

And you know what. All three of us agree. Hypnos never showed his ugly face here all night.

Fuuuuck

Blog-jacked by Hypnos again. Dammit. This time, he gave us a date. A sort of ultimatum I guess. Either I (we?) surrender by Friday, or they'll attack us.
You know what. Fuck that, and you. We're ready, and the longer he gives us, the longer we have to prepare for it. Yeah, Hypnos. Come Friday. Waste your men and resources crawling through the net of wards. If you manage that, I would LOVE to get you in range of our lovely assortment of anti-proxy devices. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time discovering them.
I'm sure you're frustrated that you can't read my mind to figure out what they are exactly. I know you've tried. I felt your miserable presence last night, fumbling with the locks on my mental doors like a child lost in the dark.
You should go back to fighting, Hypnos. Even crippled, you're better at that than this mental game.

Really though. We ARE ready for an attack. There isn't an inch of this place that isn't defensible.
Let's play.

You have until Friday to Decide.


I found you Easily.
I have been Patient.
I have waited Outside
You return this courtesy by Mockery.
You shoot at Us.
You laugh when one is Consumed.
Enough Games.


Come to us.
Or Friday we will come to You.
This is your Choice. 
Make it Soon.


~I Have Spoken~
Hypnos

On the edge

The tension in this house is so tight, it could snap any minute. I've been trying to keep my spirits up, trying to tell myself that it's nothing, that Hypnos is..I don't know. He's out there though. It's like I can feel him underneath my skin. Eternity won't put down her sword, not even when she sleeps...And she won't let me out of her sight. I came back downstairs today after my routine session of glaring out an upstairs window to find that she had moved her bed in front of the door and mine to the back corner. The more time I spend around her, the more I think she can sense my moods or something...Just as i went to lie down, I heard a slight creak outside the door... Before I knew it I had my knife out, poised to...kill, defend, who knows. It was just her, though. She has to learn to not sneak up on us paranoid folks...She's taking too many lessons from Skan in that department.

Speaking of Skan, seems like she's on edge too...She walks around with that shotgun even while all three of us are indoors. Note to self: Always announce my presence when walking into a room. Getting blown away by friendly fire is not on my to-do list for this round of existence.

The dreams of the box have stopped. On the very last night I had it, the only strange thing was a black and white mask...As the box disappeared, it appeared..Slowly at first, and very small, but it grew until it was the only thing in my field of vision. It was the only thing I saw the rest of the night. Needless to say, I don't think I slept very well that night..I keep dreaming of my family, though. We're always doing something, hiking, boating, playing football...Just the three of us. I can't feel Hypnos' presence in these dreams like I could the others, so maybe they're just me missing my life..Before father left, before Benny died of sudden cancer, before...before HE came along. Before I made the mistake of a little harmless internet searching that turned into..this.

Moments of hilarity and confusion

Skan was right, Hypnos' lackeys don't seem very bright. Today all but proves it. I woke up about an hour from sunrise feeling unusually kind, so I figured I would make Eternity and Skan breakfast for whenever they woke up.
I stepped outside for a moment just to clear my head of drowsiness, and what do I see? One of the lackeys, walking straight towards me. I figured the others were in the background, that this was some kind of assault or something. He appeared to be unarmed, but you can never tell with these people.. I slowly backed up towards the door, where I had my handgun stashed. But there was no one with him. He was alone.

At this moment, I went from thinking that we were under attack to thinking that this guy is insane. Does he NOT realize it's still dark, and the Rake likes to prowl around at night? Apparently not. Either he's an idiot, or Hypnos has kept him locked in a box  and conveniently forgot to tell him about The Clawed One.

What happened just after this made my head hurt for hours. The Rake pounced him as he approached the wards. It came out of nowhere like a creature from hell. The lackey immediately went down, the Rake on top of him. In the following flurry of activity I saw an arm go flying off into the woods behind them. I'm not entirely positive about what happened next, but I pretty much blinked and they both disappeared.  The Rake probably dragged him off somewhere. I hope there isn't a body on the perimeter again....

Hypnos is here

Eternity said she saw him yesterday. He really has guts doesn't he, standing out there in the middle of Rake territory.
Well, I saw him today. Staring at the window to the room I just happened to be in. I don't know how he could have known I was in there.

On another note, I had another dream last night. It wasn't anything weird, like the dreams Hypnos likes to plant.
This one was about my father and my brother. My brother died when he was twelve years old, but in this dream...In this dream, he was grown. He looks exactly like I thought he would-The spitting image of my mom.
My father looks the same as the day he left home and never came back.

Yes, if it isn't obvious, my family is gone. All taken by various things-cancer, disappearance, and cancer. I hate cancer.
On second thought I can't post this right now. It'll come later.

Oh and I agree with Eternity-Proxy deathmatch. Take her up on it.

Dream pillows

Skan was right, they don't keep Hypnos out completely. But, I think they're working. The dream seems fragile, like if I were to take a hammer to the dream itself it would shatter into a million pieces. Things also seem to shift around a lot more. Nothing is solid..Nothing but that damned box. No matter what happens to the rest of the dreamscape, the box is always in the same rough location, and it is always solid.
I keep trying to open it, but nothing has even dented it so far.

On to happier matters. Eternity and Skan are cooking venison out there. I think it's almost done, because the smell coming from the fire is ungodly good.We'll be eating good tonight. :D

Soon now. All things will come to pass quite soon. Make your decision, Black Hawk.
Friends of Hawk, I urge you not to get in the way. You are not my concern. You belong to others. Do not make it worse for yourselves with your useless interference.


Eternity, you were right in what you saw today.
Too late will come very soon.


~I Have Spoken~
Hypnos

Stop disappearing.

First Shady..And now maybe Lucas. I really hope Mystery and the gang find him before anything else does.
I don't know either of these people beyond their blogs, but if they're against Him, then they're friends of mine. Come back, safe, both of you..

Sometimes, it seems like the pile of crap that happens is never-ending. There really is no rest for the weary in this life. I think I'm starting to understand what my father meant when he used to say that he would rest when he was dead.

Glass boxes

 There is a glass box in the middle of a desert landscape. I walk towards it. I see people inside. People I know. Eternity, Skan, Mystery (not sure how I know that one..), my best childhood friend, and...one person I didn't know. A teenage boy.

 I try to take control of it at this point. It's sluggish at first, trying to get a grip on my own actions. I've been out of practice for a while. Hypnos stopped coming around my dreams for a while after that incident with the tree. It's a lot more difficult than I remember at first, but then I remember how.

I try to break down a wall with a hammer first. I beat the glass again and again, to no avail. I try to shoot it out, but the bullets rebound and I have to stop. I try fire to melt the glass, but no matter how hot it gets, the glass won't budge. It seems like I try these things for hours, until I am too weary to try again.
And then the laughter comes, and I wake up.

The only way out is through the mask.

Leave them out of this Hypnos. Skan, Mystery, that boy... They haven't done a damn thing to you. Your mission is ME. I'M the one you're after. Not them. I swear to god if you so much as try to come anywhere near them for any reason at all, I'll rip your head off.

I had almost forgotten what real food was like until we stopped at some random small airport on the way out. Hawk and I have both spent months on the road eating camp food, and apparently it has taken its toll on both of us. Hawk a bit more so than I, but..I think there is something more eating away at him, aside from the lack of food and sleep. I can't place it. Hopefully he will recover some soon. I am shocked to hear myself say this, but I do worry about him. Ever since he met up with Curtis, he has not been completely..here. I hope that it is just the news he received, and not something more sinister that he has not revealed.

Whew..

It feels so good. To be on board this 'copter right now. No sign of Him, no sign of Hypnos. I can't shake the feeling that there is going to be some serious retaliation for this. I've been on the border of paranoid since we got to the airport. But maybe now it will go away. I hope so. Eternity and I look and feel like hell. We can't thank Skan enough for coming and bailing us out of there. We're looking forward to the possibility of some rest now.

Eternity keeps telling me I should put the gun down. Perhaps I should listen.

Arrived at the airport about three hours ago.. No sign of anything unfriendly yet. We hid in a maintenance shed to avoid being sighted, but I can't shake the feeling that They know where we are.. I hope Skan gets here all right. Hypnos, leave her out of this, got it??

That Bastard.

Eternity here. Apparently Hypnos has seen fit to hijack my blog and post his threats there. Hawk has graciously allowed me to join him here, which makes sense anyway seeing as we have no plans to be come separated again in the near future.


How did he do it, is what I want to know. Hawk thinks he may have broken into more than just my external computer, if you follow.


Because I am having the dream now. The man in the wilderness, atop the hill, beckoning. Except this time, he has scars on his hands and neck. As if now, he can no longer hide them.
Yes. That is right. Hypnos was the man in Hawk's dream all along. Which means he likely has access to this blog as well. We apologize for anything he does or says in advance.


That's all for now. Hawk and I need some time to process this new twist. And we'll be leaving as soon as we coordinate with our ride. Your threats are nothing, Hypnos. We will not stay here just because you want us to. We will not fall into your plans like lambs led for slaughter.

DAMMIT HYPNOS

The bastard shot me in the foot. Why the foot. If you had a clear shot why not just go for the head and end this?

Also, Skan brought up a really good point. Hypnos? God of dreams? You sure you want to go with that? Might piss off some of your fellow proxy idiots. I know of at least one who seems like they could destroy your world in about five minutes. Arrogant, sick, proxy BASTARD.

If I get the chance I'll rip your head off.

Newspaper

I did what Mystery suggested. I went out and combed the area for something written, any shred of evidence that my memories weren't completely false and fabricated. I didn't hold out much hope for finding anything. With all the hell that's been going on, I figured this would just be the next thing to worry over. Well, I was right and wrong at the same time.
It took several hours, a lot of subtly asked (I hope) questions and even more walking, but I finally found the old man I was looking for. He's been ancient for as long as I can remember, but his memory is as sharp as ever. He also has a serious obsession with newspapers, events, articles, books... Think of a pack rat and scholar combined then add in a mix of mad scientist, and you have this guy. If anyone knew or had anything about the day of the accident or the day my house burned it would be him.
When I finally found his home, I hesitated. I didn't want to bring him into this. Chances are, if someone is trying to keep me from figuring out the real story, they would follow me and...No. I don't want to think about it. I finally knocked though, because I had to know.
He let me in and offered some coffee, which I gladly accepted. Of course, he didn't recognize me. I wouldn't expect him to even if the world hadn't gone to hell. He was more my father's friend, and I stopped seeing him when I stopped seeing my father. Years and years ago. He's not much of a talker, never was. A very hospitable man, but not a talker, and especially not to strangers. So we got right down to the point. I told him I was looking for a lost friend, that I wanted to get back in touch with him. I asked about myself, and that's when the old man started looking worried and not a little bit afraid.

>>Look, kid, I'd love to help you find your friend. But there's some strange things happened with that boy, and he's gone now, so I can't help you. Best run along.
> What happened to him? Gone? 
>>You heard me he's gone. I don't know what happened. But there's an investigation and I'm not to talk about it until the case is cleared up. Go or I'll call the sheriff. Get!
> Wait, wait. Curtis. Talk to me please. You know something and I need to know what it is.
>> How the hell do you know my name? No one knows my name! Who gave it to you? Are you one of them? I already told you, he hasn't come here! I haven't seen Brendan since he was a child and that is that!!!!
He started becoming very agitated. My suspicions were confirmed. Someone had already been here asking and threatening. Shit, shit shit.
>Please. Curtis, it's Brendan. It's me. I know something is going on. Something isn't right. I need your help to find out what is going on. 
His eyes opened wide, like something had snapped into place. I hadn't noticed, but they looked slightly foggy before.... >>Brendan? My God boy, it is you! You need to go from here. Why are you here anyway? HE is after you. HE wants you. THEY want you. You have to run.
>I know. I know they want me. But I can't go until I figure out what they're doing to me. I need to know what you know about the accident I was in, or the night my house caught fire. You're my last resort. I'm sorry I came here but I need your help. 
>> Well, all right. I'm not sure you want to know, but since you asked, I'll go get the paper. THEY asked for it, you know. I gave them two other copies but I managed to keep one. 
He went into his back room and a few minutes later came back with a tattered newspaper that had a different front and back cover glued on. He opened it to the news of record and handed it to me. The look in his eyes said everything, but I read it anyway.
   Tuesday, May 03: News of Record
   A house fire in the northwest section of [town] has resulted in the death of one of its residents, Brendan August Johnson. The fire is believed to have started in the owner's bedroom on the second floor. Fire crews reached the scene in time to save the southern section of the home, but were unable to save the resident, whose body was found near the window. Electrical surge is suspected, though an investigation is still pending.
>> I'm sorry kid. I know this wasn't what you came here to find. But you have to go now.
>Who is it that came? When did they come?
>> A man came in late yesterday afternoon. He gave me the name Hypnos. Typical proxies, choosing the names of gods.. He was burned in several places and appeared to be wounded in the leg. He demanded that I give him all evidence of your existence. I have known about HIM for many, many years Brendan. I thought that when the proxies came rolling in, that they'd be coming for me. It was shocking to me that they asked for you.
>Holy shit, Curtis..I'm sorry. I'll go now. You should too. They'll come, and they'll know. They'll hurt you. 
>>I'll be taking my chances here kid. I've lived here for 72 years. My old body couldn't take running. I'm glad to see you alive kid. Now get.




I'm dead. Dead. Not missing. Not even presumed dead...I'm DEAD. They found a body. Whose body. They killed someone and substituted them for me. The first of the people to die because of me.

'Hypnos' is alive. Hell of a name. Stay the hell away from us, or I'll stab you myself next time.

We're leaving in the morning. I'll carry Eternity if I have to.

Skan, I think I'll take you up on your offer. Tell us how to get to you and get past the Rake, and we'll get there.

Events, Part 3: Final Chapter

Eternity flat out pounced on the guy. I have to hand it to her...She's fast. She didn't even give me time to respond to this proxy's demand that we surrender. Not that either of us intended to, but...Instead of words, she leaped at him with a knife. They both fought like cornered cats...Despite being crippled, he still fought like the soldier he claimed he used to be. They went back and forth, knife versus cane. If this wasn't such a serious situation, I'd say the fight was pretty damn awesome. She slashed him across the palm and a few minutes later, across the shoulder. Then he connected with her wrist, knocking the knife to the ground..then he hit her across the face with the cane. She dropped to the ground, and he just kept beating on her. Screaming the whole time, some (mostly incoherent) words involving revenge and pain. I felt frozen to the ground. I couldn't move. I don't know how she did it, but she managed to get up and shove him through a first-level window. She jumped through after him..I didn't see what happened next. All I know is that shortly after, I heard him yell and then everything went silent.

And then, as if things couldn't get any worse, his buddies show up. Three of them. I came out of my frozen state just in time to dodge an attempted hammer blow to the skull. At this point I figured that they had given up on capture and were aiming to kill. I retreated through the back door, throwing any sort of object I could find to slow them down long enough for me to reach my objective.  To the immediate left, into the workshop. I prayed (to what or whom, I have no idea) there was still spare gasoline for the lawn mower...and if not, at least there were things I could defend myself with. I wasn't disappointed though. There were still three full containers.

 I did the only think I could think to do. I lured them into the workshop area and for the second time set fire to the building. I didn't look back to see if I was being chased. All I wanted to do was find Eternity and outrun the flames.
I found her barely conscious by the window, blood streaming from her head, holding a piece of bloody glass in her hand. The proxy was also there, not moving. I didn't bother to check if he was dead or alive. I didn't care. We had to get out. Too hot...the backyard area was already consumed by flames that spread much too quickly. The wall was collapsing inward, dropping hot pieces of wood and siding on top of us. I grabbed Eternity  and made an awkward stumble to the basement door, which is luckily fireproof. Opened it up, tossed her in, and collapsed to the floor.


A day or two later I woke up. I was amazed to be alive. I thought we were dead, for sure. Thank god for fireproofing...If by some random chance I ever meet the original owner of the house I will thank them profusely. Amazingly enough there was still quite a bit of food and water left over from my last basement adventure. Nothing in the way of real first aid though. I made do with water and scraps of old t-shirts.

I ventured out a few days later to clear away some rubble and survey the area...Get this. My pack survived, as did the phone I stole from the boatman a few months ago. I guess the fire didn't reach out that far? No clue as to whether or not any of our attackers survived. I hope not, as horrible as that probably sounds. 

Events, Part 2: Meetings

There was something that felt entirely wrong about my house. From the moment I walked in, I could feel all sorts of...bad things. Everything I had come for was in the same room, a supply closet of sorts on the first floor, opposite from the burned area.I briefly considered walking into my room, but..I couldn't make myself do it. Something..something was preventing me from it. I felt as if there was a wall there. I'm not sure...what was causing it, if it was just my own misgivings, but..I didn't go in. I went to the closet, gathered everything I wanted into a couple of packs, and left. Something was getting more and more wrong by the minute. Time to get the hell out of here. Darkness....I'd already overstayed my time limit.

I don't know why I left through the back door. But it probably saved my life.As I walked out, the front entryway collapsed in on itself. I dismissed it at the time as instability caused by the fire, but looking back..I think it was a trap. Some sort of thing designed to fall in when a door was opened. And then I saw her. Eternity. Crouched behind an old rusted car that I do not remember owning. From the moment I set eyes on her...she looked haggard. Worried. Not the Eternity that was intent on making me one of her sick and twisted games.

E: Hawk. Thank God. I was afraid he'd found you first. When I heard that collapse...
Me: He? Who? You mean...HIM?
E: No...No, the man..The man with the scars, and the limp?
Me: What man? Is someone else here?
E: Oh yes. Yes..He has been here for two days now. I saw him arrive. I didn't know how to get a hold of you..And even if I tried, the filter..
Me: So he's looking for me. One of His minions.

A voice cut me off then. "Soldier. Not minion. Chosen by Him to find you. Both of you. Stupid little Eternity, sticking your nose in places it did not belong. Now you are His as well. We would have left you alone, you know. He would have made me, though I never would have forgiven you for what you did to me"
He stepped out of the shadows then. A man with a cane. And scars on his neck and arms.
  He continued speaking. "It started that night you know. That night you crippled me with your stupid sword. I thought I was useless to Him then. I was a soldier, built for hard living. I was used for this purpose. I asked Him to kill me then, but...No. He is good to me. He taught me things. How to walk in dreams. How to manipulate the mind, the senses.. My first real test was your filter. It seems I have failed. But no matter, you are both here now, and you will both surrender at once."
Hawk: "I know you. You...You....You are the man in the street. The broken cane. That was you."
 Him: "Ah yes. So kind of you to remember me. I never lied to you, Hawk. I told you it was a war injury. That I received the wounds the same night."
H: "Manipulations that might as well be lies. Eternity should have killed you that night. She could have, easily."
Him: "But she did not. Her first sign of weakness. I grow impatient of the small talk, children. Submit to Him now, or I will force you to."

To be continued when I get back. Eternity has finally woken up..And I have a newspaper to read.

Events, Part One: Home

Two Fridays ago. The 8th. That was my set mission date. I left the hotel after 'cleaning' up the area to make sure it looked every bit as nasty as it did when I found it. Just in case I guess. My mission: Get home as soon as possible and get the hell out of there even faster. It took a full week to get there by water and walking. I considered trying to get a ride, but I figured a guy hitchhiking with a small boat wouldn't stand much of a chance. Fast forward through all the boring details of the trip: No Slendy, no dreams, no muggers, not even a wild animal.  Which, now that I look back, ought to have been clue number one.

 The following Friday I showed up in the old neighborhood.(I use the term loosely. Seeing more than 20 people in one day around here is unnatural.) I have to admit, I did something (probably dumb) when I arrived. I walked around in the town's center..I guess I wanted to see if anyone remembered me. I wanted to know what the people I grew up around had to say about the certainly strange events surrounding my leaving town a few months back. But no one said a word. No one mentioned the missing person or the half-burned house even if I mentioned it first. I wasn't popular by any means, but you'd think someone,anyone, especially in a small town setting, would have remembered SOMETHING. That someone, like the grocer, or the manager of my favorite restaurant, or the town gossip even, would have at least recognized me. It's not like it had been years. Surely some news would have been left floating around, right?  Clue number two.

Clue number three came shortly afterwards, when I decided that it was time to make a move. I walked past the site of the car accident. There were no signs of it. I broke a fence, dented the hillside, snapped tree branches..But none of that was there. It was like all the evidence had been erased somehow. For some idiot reason though, I decided to go through with it. I think walking up the driveway was the hardest part. Knowing that I was now a stranger here, an intruder to my own house. Evidence of the fire still covered the part of the house I set fire to when I ran for it and lit the place up with our Slender friend still inside. That was apparently the only part that burned...I dismissed that as the fire department being good at their job. I neglected to remember that the closest firehouse is 15 miles away.

We're alive...maybe not kicking so much right now, but alive. Eternity found me, and so did he. I'll explain everything soon. She hasn't been conscious for more than twenty minutes in over six days....

Mystery, I'm sorry we worried you. Right now we're hunkered down in my basement. I set fire to my own house for the second time a few days ago..This time the basement is all that is really left. We're relatively safe for now I think. I haven't been thinking clearly enough to post anything until today. But I promise I'll make a post very soon with the whole story.

Getting Ready to Roll

The mission is close to being underway. I'm going through with it in a few days. Going home that is. I've packed up some supplies, cleaned up the room a little bit. I know it sounds a bit like I'm putting my affairs in order, but...Maybe I am, a little. I know what I'm doing isn't the safest thing I could do. But nothing in life is safe anymore.

I have a few things I want to say, just in case. I hope I'm not bringing in bad luck or whatever by doing this, but..Well it is what it is. Thank you to everyone who's been a speck of sanity in the incredible craziness. Just a quick note: I lit off a firework or two in the mystery man's face the other night..He reached out (we were in a city this time..I guess the landscape in my head changes with the landscape in real life?) and without thinking I just bombed the guy. I haven't had the dream since-I think he might be a little mad, wherever he might be. Eternity I know you might not read this (DAMN FILTER!!!) but just in case, I'm glad you figured things out even if it's too late to escape Him completely. I'm back down to one stalker. Hah. Maybe someday we can meet on friendlier terms, eh?

 Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and do this without running into tall and faceless. It's always possible right?

Sometimes, people really get on my nerves. Today I saw an older-seeming man in the street break his cane while crossing..did people stop their cars to help? No. Did someone on foot come out to help him up? No. Did anyone pay him a second glance? Course not...Most didn't even give him a first.
I ran out in the crosswalk and helped him to his feet and over to the coffeehouse. I've seen him before a few times, making his way to the drugstore or sipping coffee from an old red mug on the outdoor patio.
This is the first time we've made eye contact though...And then I noticed something. He can't be any older than 30. How odd...So I decided to ask him about it.

Me: Pardon me for asking, but how old are you? Seems like you're really young to have a limp like that..no offense meant of course.
Him: Nah, it's fine, trust me I get it all the time. It's a war injury. I fought for my cause for three straight years, and one night I got a little too cocky and got stabbed in the leg. Never been the same since then. Got a new job though, and I'm good at it. My command's been good to me.
Me: You do what you have to I guess. Did you get those scars on your neck and hands the same night?
Him: Oh these? Yeah..Yeah I did. Little bastard. Wasn't supposed to happen like that. It was supposed to be a smooth operation. Wasn't supposed to fight back. Anyway thanks for your help kid. Stay safe and be watchful.

And that was it. He hobbled away, presumably to buy a new cane. Should have asked if he wanted help, but he didn't really give me a chance. The end of it struck me.. "Stay safe and be watchful" ...How fitting considering my circumstances. It was odd..I feel like I know him from somewhere. But before here I'd never seen him before. I do feel bad for him though...only a little older than me, and crippled up and scarred for life. Makes me feel for everyone who's been injured fighting for their cause...Or in this line of work, fighting to stay alive. Like that friend on Anonymous' blog. Drake, I think. Permanently damaged, just trying to make it through. It's terrible.


I've probably said this before. But I'll say it again. Fuck you Slendy.

Cities & A Mission

I've never liked cities. They've always made me feel uncomfortable. Too many things that could go wrong at a moment's notice, too many things to watch at once, too many eyes watching.  But they have heights, which is what I'm aiming for. I'm testing the theory that Slendy doesn't do anything over four stories or so, which is why I've holed myself up in a ramshackle hotel on the top floor.  It hasn't been maintained in years, but the water works and it still has a bed (Though, I bought a bug bomb and washed everything first) I've hidden the boat as close by as I could get, just in case a mad dash by way of water is necessary.

I've also been thinking on another mission. Home. I need to resupply, gather some things I left behind when I was chased out by Him. I have a lot of useful stuff in that house. Trouble is, He knows it too. But as I said to Skan a few days back, it can't be any more dangerous that any other place right now. It seems like He follows me wherever I go anyway, so going back for a few hours probably wouldn't hurt, right? At least I hope. I'm going to wait a few days though..I'll wait for Mystery's ideas on mobile wards for sure, and I'll try to wait and see if Eternity figures out what's going on with this filter. I'm not sure if I trust her completely yet, but the least I can do is try to help figure this thing out. Just in case.

Oh, Damn...

The police found my boat a few hours ago while I was away..I came back to the campsite and they were on me like a pack of sharks attack a bleeding animal. I'm so glad I didn't read Eternity's blog post before this happened. I had no idea about the kid, or the witness..
I'll just post an account of the conversation, after the initial "FREEZE, GET ON THE GROUND, DON'T MOVE...bit"

Officer: What are you doing out here? How long have you been here? Where are you from? ((Keep in mind..These guys probably thought I was a killer...))
Me: I'm from (Insert City and State), I'm just out vacationing, getting away from home for a while. I've been here a week or so. Same campsite the whole time. Like i said I'm just vacationing-What's going on?
Officer: Local kid went missing, then the only witness we had to his disappearance drowned in the river a day after. Know anything about it,  son?
Me: No. I don't know either of those people.Never seen them before-I only go to town when I really need something.
Officer: So no one there would know you?
Me: Not likely, but you can try the owner of the corner grocery, he might recognize my face. That's really the only place I've been.
     {They took a snapshot...I couldn't really stop them.}
Officer: Well son, we'll take your name and address if we have more questions. But as of now you're free to go. Might want to find another place to vacation. This area is considered a crime scene now.
Me: I'll be leaving now, then. Or just as soon as you're done searching my stuff.
Officer: Should only be a few more minutes. Your boat there looks just like the one stolen from a boat dock some weeks back, by the way. Odd case, that. We never could find any leads.
    {At this I froze solid..Oh shit, they're going to bust me on that..Fuck...}
Me: That boat's been mine since I was a little kid. Got it for my birthday. I'd give you a number or something to verify it on, but it's long since been worn off by trees, rocks, the like.
Officer: No need for that. We're not interested in your boat. Just finding this kid. Looks like we're done, and since no one's found anything you're free to leave. I don't want to see you here again though, all right?
Me: I won't be back, trust me.


I packed up and left as fast as I could. I'm only stopping to update this blog. I intend to get as far away form this place as possible.

A missing kid. Sleepwalking in the dead of night. Out into the woods. There is no coincidence here. Something's going on.

A Dream

I'm in the woods..It's dark..The trees are unnatural...They have no leaves..The bark is peeling..The bushes are dried up and thorny.. They bend slightly and move even though I feel no wind..The shadows are unnaturally long, the light itself is wrong...All wrong..The mist and fog is all around, creeping.. Yet I can see where I'm going. Something tells me I shouldn't go there, but I can't stop my feet from walking.  There's a cleared path ahead of me, going up a hill..I don't want to go there, but I keep going..I feel heavy..This place is so wrong...There's someone here. At the hilltop. A silhouette..a...person? It's not Him, too short, too human... They turn towards me. They have no face, no features.. They stretch out their arm towards me..Inviting.. I feel compelled to go...I take another step..
NO. MUST FIGHT. I SHOULD NOT GO. NO NO NO.

And then I wake up. This dream happens every night. And every night I get a step closer to the man (?) on the hilltop.

Back in action

Sorry, been a long time, been taking a break and trying to shake the demons. I haven't seen Eternity since the night of the incident. I dunno what's happened to her. More important I don't know why I care. That bothers me. I hope it's just because no one else deserves to fall to Slendy. I mean the woman wanted to kill me right? Fuck. Speaking of Slendy. Nothing but dreams. Horrible nightmares more like, but nothing of Him. I'm scared. I feel like something's gonna happen soon. I guess I'll keep running, nowhere to go but..I'll go because if I stop I know He'll get me. Or she will. I guess.

Damn that Woman

She left a fucking severed rabbit's head in my bag. What the HELL. Out of all the things to leave, a severed head? At least it wasn't a human head...Dammit Eternity.
Well anyway, short rant about getting all my stuff bloody over...She came to me last night. I was sitting by the campfire (I figured both Slendy and Eternity knew where I was anyway, so what the hell right?) and all of a sudden I get this horrible paranoid feeling. And then there was a shadow in the trees..I made a run for the water. I thought it was Him, I really did..hey it was dark and it was a shadow in the trees. Gimme a break.
She stepped out with this smug look on her face, like she was impersonating Him on purpose..Who knows, she might have been. She came to the fire, sat down on the other side.

Eternity> Well, hello Black Hawk. We meet face to face at last. Do not look so afraid, I am not here to play, this time. I merely wish to talk.
Me> Forgive me if I don't trust you at all, in the least. Everything you do is part of some sick game. Following me while I'm being followed by Slendy, you have serious nerve, I'll give you that.
Eternity> Ah yes, the Faceless. Why does he frighten you so, Hawk?
Me> He's the epitome of fear, terror, paranoia. He's the thing kids see in their nightmares, except this nightmare is real and it's out for blood.
Eternity> Out for blood. That is a thing I understand quite well. I have been many people's nightmares, you know. Never children though. I do not like being near children. There is something very disturbing about them.
[[I'm storing this for later. It might be helpful]] Me> Why are you here. How does this fit into your game. I can't imagine small talk is something you are interested in.
Eternity> Well. My usual goal is go get the victim feeling comfortable. But I suspect you know that. But on a serious note, do you know how long it has been since anyone has looked me in the eye and spoken to me? Well. Other than pleas for their lives that is. So an inquiry then. Your name. I wish to know it.
Me> You already do. Black Hawk. My parents were tradition followers. I obtained my name through the traditions of my people. And I don't want to know your name. I'll stick with the name you've given yourself.
Eternity> Why?
Me> I have my reasons. I think you can guess at most of them.
Eternity> I can indeed. In fact, I ......


She cut off and stared directly into the trees opposite the shoreline. She pulled a sword (out of nowhere, might I add. I never saw the thing when she walked up) and sliced at the darkness. A body fell at her feet. It rolled over and looked up at her with a grin. I instantly knew: A servant of Him. He wasn't dead. Disabled by a very well placed cut, but he'll heal eventually. Surprised she didn't kill him actually....

And then there He was. It seemed like he just appeared out of nowhere, just this side of the trees. My God, the voice AGAIN. It hurts... She just stared at Him. Not moving, not even blinking, just staring. I wondered what was going on inside her head, if she was hearing Him, if He had her in some kind of..trance or something. And then I did something odd. I grabbed her and threw her to the ground. He didn't like that, not one bit. I could FEEL his anger...My god, my god, my god...I took off then, diving headfirst into the water, swimming like a madman. I heard a splash behind me, but I didn't stop to look. When I got to the other side, she was nowhere to be seen..The proxy was still there, on his feet now, leaning on a tree branch..I don't know where He went. I'm alive though, and I have a (horrible? relieved? I don't know!) feeling she is too.

Running

I've been on the move constantly since I got that little post from Eternity. I never stay more than a few hours in one spot. I've been sleeping in the boat, on the water, just out of eyeshot of the shore. I managed to obtain a water map at a small town store, and that's helped a bit. I can't shake the feeling she still knows where I am though. I can't help but wonder if I'm being too predictable with my movements, but then again if she's as smart as she claims she'll expect and unpredictable move. Rendering it useless. Hey Eternity, question. How did you find me so quickly? Play my game for once.
I saw Slendy again too. First time in a week. I wasn't dumb enough to think He gave up on me, since He's been hunting other, much more elusive Runners for a lot longer than me. I thought He might have lost me though, but, I guess not. How the hell does he do it... Anyway it wasn't much of an encounter compared to the last ones. It was right after I bought the map, I turned around and He was standing by the entrance. I walked by Him this time, instead of running. God it was HARD. I still have a lasting headache from His Voice. Just cometomecometomecometomestoprunningstoprunningyouaremineyoubelongtome over, and over..This is the first time He has added anything other than "come to me" though, it's a little bit worrisome..Fuck this. Fuck Slendy. Fuck Eternity. And Fuck these games.

I'm a bad kid

I stole the boatman's phone on the way out. I had to knock the guy out to keep him from sounding an alarm, luckily for me I know a touch about phone technology and was able to disrupt, maybe even disable, the tracking system. I didn't plan to be seen but I'll give the guy credit he's got eyes like a hawk. Ha, ha.. I swam my way into the marina at about one in the morning, didn't figure on the sailor man staying up all night watching. He opened his mouth to yell and I clocked him with...something, I don't remember what I grabbed to be honest. Since he was out I grabbed his phone and the keys to the locks..I threw whatever I hit him with in the water. I grabbed a kayak and set out for the open water..a motorboat would have been nice, but noisy, and those run out of gasoline. Not to mention, hard to hide and hard to maneuver just anywhere. I had a plan of where to go but I still got lost for a while, nighttime is a bit disorienting with no map or compass and that weird as fuck fog drifting around. That Kay girl is right, it smells awful. This was nothing though, it dissipated soon enough. Nothing like that hell.I hope she's going to be okay~First person to wish me luck avoiding Slender after all. First person who hasn't wanted to kill me, too.
I haven't seen Him since I landed this morning. I am afraid to go to sleep...I think I might sleep in the boat. Whoever it was that says He doesn't really do water is right. Did I mention He watched me leave? Oh yeah, forgot about that. Slender was there at the shore shack too, but I didn't see Him until I pulled away. What a grim and terrifying send-off for a lone Runner.

Oh and before I forget. Morningstar. Eternity. Fuck off, both of you.

mygodthatwasfuckingclose. I saw Him, I signed out, I RAN for the back door of the coffee shop. He was there just outside the door. I ran back through to the front, people looking at me like I was mad as the hatter, I bolted through the front door and thereHewasagainfuckfuckFUCK. I remember reading on a blog not to look directly at Him because then He would be able to connect my mind to His mind or something like that. So I actually ran straight at Him looking right to the left of His..face? Anyway I felt surprise and then He just vanished like He was never there. I've been hearing sirens ever since though and I'm pretty sure the cops are looking to haul me out to an asylum. I can't let this happen because then there would be no escaping, no running, no gettingawayfromHimHewouldhavemecorneredwithnowayoutnowayoutOHGODNOWAYOUT. I have to get out of here. I was thinking of a boat. I could steal one from the marina, it's only a mile away. Wait for the cover of darkness slip out into the Water and be gone. Just sail until I found land again. I know my way around here pretty well, used to kayak it as a kid, not too far from home..I have to leave tonight.

Apologies and a New Start

I fucking ran for it. And He didnt stop me at least not really. I read a few blogs, read up on how to run from Him and how to stay alive. I dont know how long its going to last but im going to give this a shot. I figure its better option than just sitting around my house letting Him torment me into craziness. That last run in was too much for me, it broke me. I stole my neighbors car, waited for Him to come inside...I set my house on fire jumped out the window and drove for all I was worth. I know He's not dead, I'm not sure anything can kill Him, but since I got to the water I haven't seen the Faceless Abomination anywhere. I saw a guy in a mask but he didn't see me and I up and ran again. I guess I'm just another Runner now eh? Another Runner out for survival and who knows, someday I might find another to Run with.

FUCK YOU SLENDY GET OUT OF MY HOUSE GET OUT OF MY LIFE GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!! NO MORE BEING BEHIND ME IN THE MIRROR OR STANDING ON MY DOORSTEP OR IN MY YARD STARING AT ME WITH YOUR BLANK FACE. NO MORE MINDFUCKS AND RANDOM SHIT HAPPENING THAT I JUST KNOW YOU CAUSED.
God I feel sick all of a sudden... :o

The Mirror

He was in the mirror. I looked up from the computer and happened to glance in the mirror and he was in the reflection. In my house. The goddamned slender man. Was in my house. I ran for it and he didn't follow at least not this time.

I got in a car accident today..Somehow.

 I'm not sure what happened, honestly one minute I was driving like mad down my driveway and the next I'm in a ditch on the other side of the road. This was in the exact same spot I saw HIM yesterday. Legitimately.He was just fucking standing there on the side of the road like a hitchhiker. Except, you know, it's the Slender Man and he's following me around. I didn't see him today though, not once, but I know he did this to me somehow. I've heard people black out sometimes around him, could that be what happened? Am I succumbing to whatever powers he has over people? Or maybe it was just the crash that made me forget what happened directly before. But why would I just...not turn, and drive straight into a ditch? It makes no sense unless you add in Slendy. Then it makes all kinds of sense sense. I say again, DAMN YOU YOU SLENDER BASTARD. LET ME GO OR LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY. Tthere's no way to go now except on foot, and with woodlands all around.... I mean I'm experienced in survival, but with HIM stalking around.. I dunno how or if there's a way to survive that.

WELL SHIT. THERE HE IS AGAIN.

WHO ON EARTH...

Well..I guess I'll start this off with a name. Black Hawk. Call me that..It's safer than my real name I guess.. Second. Who in the name of heaven and hell is this 'Slender Man'? A few weeks ago I get this invite to watch a few harmless paranormal-activity style videos on YouTube. I am not normally the type to be scared by some videos, no matter how well made they are. Next thing you know, I can't sleep, can't focus clearly, keep hearing noises, seeing things out of the corner of my eye...

      About a week later the strangest thing happened.. I'm hiking the woods around my house like I do every day. I suddenly just get...freaked out...I ran back home and buried myself in my room, trying to drown out the unnatural fear. Next day I get curious and walk to that same spot again and I see this (X) drawn onto a tree with chalk. I poured my water bottle on it, and it disappeared.
 The next day, same thing. Day after that, it's carved deeply into at least six trees in this small area.  What the HELL. Is going on. I watch some videos for fun, then the same sign shows up carved and drawn into trees near my house? How did they get there? What IS it?

Dammit.