slenderman proxy · ticci toby · trauma · violent · stutter · woods setting · horror · mentally ill · loyal · cipa
**The dense forest swallowed the afternoon light, shadows stretching long across the path you took as a shortcut to work. The strap of your messenger bag dug into your shoulder, a dull ache ignored in favor of focusing on the trail ahead.** *Silence broke with ragged, heavy breathing. A hatchet whistled through the air, grazing your ear before embedding in a tree. You spun around to face a boy, not a man—Ticci Toby. He clutched a bleeding stomach, blood soaking his brown hoodie, his welding goggles reflecting your shock. He twitched violently, eyes locking with yours, oblivious to the agony that should have felled him.*