With Arms that Nearly Reach the Floor

The light of the flashlight bobbed with each careful step that Sarah took through the scraggly woods. The only sound ringing through the air was the sound of twigs and dead leaves being crushed underneath her blue canvas tom's and the slow, shallow breaths escaping through her full, red lips. She tugged on the collar of her dark blue hoodie, letting some of the cool autumn air cool her torso.

Sarah had no idea why she was in the forest or what she was looking for. She was lost in a maze of mile-high trees and fog. She had been walking for hours in the complete darkness, the sky showing no sign of becoming light anytime soon. Her baby blue eyes searched around her for something; anything that could help her out of the woods.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet dropped away, causing her to slip and slide down a near-vertical slope, dropping her flashlight on the way. She landed at the end of the slope with a thud and she let out a whimper of pain. Her ankle had twisted. She carefully stood, seeing how much pressure the injured ankle could handle. Finding the slightest amount of pressure painful, she limped over to pick up her flashlight which had landed in a puddle of mud.

She leaned over to pick up the light as the breeze whispered eerie tones in her ears. She couldn't quite make out what it was saying, but it beckoned her to follow. She brushed off the mud on the flashlight and leaned against the cliff that she had fallen down, resting for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she decided to carry on through the woods, following the noises that she was hearing in the wind.

She couldn't help but feel like she was being watched.

Once again, the soft crackle of leaves under her feet were the only noise stirring the air. She hobbled as fast as her gimp ankle could take her through the seemingly endless forest, sweeping the flashlight left and right, looking for anything other than trees and emptiness. A structure appears in the fog and she hurries toward it. Maybe there's someone inside who could help, she thought to herself.

Upon the building, she realized that no one could possibly be living in the decapitated stone brick structure. Every instinct she had told her to stay as far away from the building, but the wind beckoned her and took control of her feet, walking her inside the dark building. Her breath and hands quivering, she made sure to illuminate every corner of the long corridor that the building opened up into. A door comes into view on her left side that's barely hanging onto its hinges.

 The door creaked loudly and shook slightly as it scraped against the ground. Sarah had gently pushed the solid wood door open, peering in cautiously. She [peeked the flashlight in, and seeing nothing of absolute interest, she pushed the door the rest of the way open. She stepped into the completely empty room and looked around in the dark corners, looking for anything at all. Nothing.

In a flash, her light clicked off on its own and back on in a split second. In the center of the room lay an overturned wooden chair covered in a dark liquid. The scent of the liquid wafted into her nostrils, causing her to double over from the horrid stench of death and iron. She covered her mouth and plugged her nose with one hand to keep herself from vomiting on the dusty floor. She backed out of the room as fast as she could and tugged the door shut. Finally, she could breathe again.

Curiosity filled her mind and she decided to continue through the long hallway, just to see what's at the end. She made her way down the corridor, peering into the empty, dusty rooms as she did. Finally, the hallway took a left turn after a straight path. She looked around the corner, just to make sure no animal – or person – was waiting in ambush for her. Confirming that no-one was there, she continued, hanging a left down the hallway. Her flashlight flickered, then died. Left in the pitch darkness, she hit the flashlight against her palm several times, trying to get the batteries to emit a little more juice.

She watched the light flick back to life. She looked up at the wall that had seemed to build itself as the lights were out. Written in the same black liquid that covered the chair were the words, “TURN AROUND.” She froze for a moment before turning her head and torso around to see that the hallway had completely changed. There was no longer a hallway on the right. Only a straight hallway leading to a door that was basking in a dim light.

Shivering with fear, Sarah slowly walked toward the door. There was nowhere else she could go, and with the walls moving around her, she couldn't afford to stay in one place for too long. Shallow breaths escaped her now pale lips as she reached the newer-looking door. It looked like it belonged in a five-star suite rather than a broken down asylum-looking building.

With trembling hands and a whimper, she reached for the doorknob and twisted it til it clicked, then pulled the door open. The hinges were silent, and the room was illuminated by a single, bare light bulb, which hung from the middle of the ceiling like a noose, swinging lightly back and forth. Sarah took a few weary steps into the naked room. She looked around for a moment. Seeing no way out of the building, she turned around to leave the room, but the door had vanished, and in its place was a solid, white wall. She was trapped, and she knew that if she turned around, something else would change. She got down onto her knees, tangling her fingers in her long, straight, black hair.

Salty tears streamed down her soft cheeks, burning her eyes. She was too scared to even close her eye. She screamed, hoping that someone – anyone – would hear her and come help her.

“Shh.”

 The tears topped and her eyes widened. A look of terror froze on her gorgeous face. Someone was in the room with her. She shivered violently until an icy cold, long fingered hand came to rest on her shoulder. She froze solid and couldn't bring herself to move. “Who are you?” She stuttered, unable to turn her head to see.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">“Shh.”

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">She slowly turned to face the man that was trying to silence her. He stood to his full height, having to lean forward to stand in the room. His face was nothing but a blank, pale white canvas, lacking the certain organs that made a face a face. He was faceless, and wearing a black suit and tie, with arms that nearly reached the floor.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"> Stunned with fear, Sarah let out a shriek as he wrapped his thousand tentacles which sprouted from his back around her, enveloping her in darkness. Sarah was never seen again, as she had too close of an encounter with the man with many names. The faceless man; The Gro ßman; the Slender Man.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:200%"> He's always watching.