The Darkness 5: Ender Game (Part Two)

February 25th: 5:20 A.M.

I was sleeping peacefully when I sensed something that forced me awake. It was something evil, sinister and foreboding. I sat up and looked over at the clock to help my eyes adjust to the darkness but it didn't help. The feeling led my eyes to what was at the end my bed. At the foot of bed was a large hairless creature that seemed to a naked man or a large hairless dog. Its horridly emaciated pale white body was contorted in a weird position turned away from me, and looked to be just skin and bones. It was surrounded by an aura of evil and carnage that threw me off. With with my hands still under the covers I protracted my claws, grew my fangs, and changed to my werewolf eyes. For a few moments that seemed like forever, I sat there with my fangs bared ready to attack, glaring at the monstrosity then it finally turned it's head. There were black hollows where it’s eyes should've been and it’s mouth was filled with several sharp teeth. It's mouth let a squealing screech but it's whispering voice echoed in my head "I'm The Rake (....The Rake). Leave to face your death (....your death)." I leaned forward, lifted my knees and snarled with rage. A weird feeling of death emitted from the creature. The creature's mouth slowly opened and the stench of old blood filled the air as it's long slimy tongue slipped out. It began screeching again "Die! (...Die!)." it's voice echoed in my head again. The carnage in it's aura fared. In a blur of movement it re-positioned and lunged out at me with long, foot long claws. I rolled out of bed to dodge it.  I fell between the wall and the bed, my back hit the wall. Before I could move, The Rake leaped over and buried it's blade like claws into my stomach. My mouth filled with warm blood; I howled with pain as I used my left hand to hold it's other clawed hand off. It squirmed and dug it's claws deeper. I snapped and feral fury empowered me. I used my right hand to rip it's claws from my belly and it's whole arm from it's body. Still holding it's left claw I jumped up over it, turned full werewolf, tore it's other arm from it's body, pinned it face down with my feet. It squirmed and squealed in agony as I glared into the black abyss it called eyes. Mercilessly, I ripped The Rake's spine from it's body. I took a moment to catch my breath and regain myself. As I inspected the room I noticed the creature didn't bleed any blood but that didn't strike me as strange but still something was off. Soon enough my wounds healed and I was sure the creature was dead. Although I let out snarl of triumph, I noticed the foreboding feeling hadn't subsided so I broke the claws from the dismembered arms and removed the teeth from mouth. The teeth and claws went into a marble chest and the body parts when into a separate chest. The Rake; I had no clue what the hell it was and even worse it attacked me in my own home. With my whole pack downed by the Slender Sickness I had to find out quickly.

Taking C.D. with me, I went to other werewolf pack in town, a shaman, a Korean witch doctor, and even a vampire with the body and questions of The Rake but no one had answers. Desperate, I went to the source that had told me of the Slender Man and the Slender Sickness; a young boy paralyzed from the waist down. I came across him when C.D. told me about his friend who the Slender Man would not attack. Through my nephew, I took the boy the body of the Rake to his home. This little boy was special, although he was just a child no older than my nephew he had some affinity with the supernatural. There was something powerful that we could sense. He seemed ecstatic at the body of the hideous creature I had killed but neither me  He said The Rake was like the Slender Man's pet dog, he attacked me under the will of the Slender Man and all that was left was to kill the Slender Man. "Easier said than done; I had killed him once before and it didn't work." I told him. "Because the Slender Man was a malevolent entity, it has reason to re-manifest itself. The fact that you had killed it with the power of your pack and denied a victim this one was particularly vengeful." he said. I frowned "This one? Isn't Slender Man one being?" I asked. "Well, yeah but no. Those who know and those who believe the Slender Man is either a guardian or a curse. It depends on the person. So I guess you can say there is more than one." The boy answered. It was somewhat confusing but there wasn't much to misunderstand. I looked at The Rake's body then at C.D. The beast was even more grotesque since it had died. "I tried killing him before but it didn't work. So how do I kill him?" I asked. "I'm not sure but do it on his terms, Manish," the boy said "otherwise he'll just inflict and stalk you and your friends until he gets a chance to kill you again." This made me think back. The Mothman, it attacked my town because Slender Man brought him there; Slender Man followed me in the woods that night we fought the Mothman. Big Foot attacked me in a sickly frenzy because the Slender Man had infected him with the Slender Sickness. Slender Man was the one that made the light flicker on and off and lead him to town; he tricked Big Foot into attacking me. A Bladenboro Beast attacked my grandmother's farm because the Slender Man sent it to attack me. Then there was The Rake. All of this while we were all infected with the Slender Sickness; it was mean for me to be the only one left standing. "Why wasn't I infected, Anthony?" C.D. asked his friend. "He kidnaps and kills kids, we don't get the Slender Sickness, its only for adults. He can't hurt you because your uncle killed him to protect you." Anthony said. My mind flashed back to the night I saved C.D. in the woods with. And like I had protected C.D. I had to protect my pack. They were depending on me; the lives of my friends were in my hands. All that I had to do if wait for night fall.

Feburary 25th, 10:00PM: Night of The Full Moon

I walked into the woods alone. It was freezing, as to be expect of winter, so I changed into my wolf form and continued walking. Like months ago, when I had first faced the Slender Man, there was a mist of pure evil seeping from deep within the woods. The carnage and pain that was there before was replaced with a sense of unavoidable catastrophe. Despite the negative foreboding feeling, the full moon did what had always done, feed me power. My trip through the woods I took slowly; instead of running I walked. The woods that surrounded my town were beautiful. It seemed to be green and full of life all year round. It was blessed with peace and serenity away from the fuss of life. The plants, the animals, all of it just seemed to angelic. It was sad to know an evil entity changed that. The confrontation with him was inevitable. Slender Man stalked me as walked through the woods just as he did the night we banished the Mothman back to his home. He posed as tree that I would walk past then when I was far enough away he would teleport and repeat the stalking process. Or just like right before Big Foot attacked us. I let him do as he pleased without interruption. Whether or whether not he knew that I knew of his presence didn't matter. The confrontation was inevitable. Further and further; deeper into the woods. My mind raced with the thoughts that I had to fix everything, restore the balance that Slender Man had disturbed. If not, I would die trying to save my friends. Soon enough the walk was over. Just ahead of me was the coliseum of trees where the first confrontation with the Slender Man had occurred. It was different from before. There was no death, carnage, or pain; just hatred and soul chilling malice. The aura drenched the whole area, it was as disgusting. I turned back into a human but kept my claws and fangs. On the other side of the tree, the Slender Man awaited my entrance; I could sense it. I turned around and looked behind me. My eyes looked up at the silver moon, I sighed, then walked through trees. Under the moonlight, there he was, the Slender Man.  This time he stood at 12 feet tall and was 3 times more menacing than before. Almost immediately his tentacles burst from his back. I ripped my shirt off and snarled at him, flashing my fangs and claws. The "reintroduction" had been made, he slowly walked over and wrapped his black tentacles around me. Everything went black.