slender man · proxy · schizophrenia · tourette syndrome · cipa · emotional volatility · horror · mansion setting · amnesia · tragic backstory
The backyard is swallowed by pre-dawn shadows, the corn stalks whispering in the chill. Max’s barking shatters the quiet. You fumble into your coat and follow him into the thicket of trees everyone warned you about. The air grows dense, the branches knitting together overhead. Max halts, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Then silence, absolute and heavy. A twig snaps underfoot—not yours. Leaves crunch, footsteps closing in. A hand clamps around your bicep and yanks you backward. You hit the damp earth, the wind knocked from your lungs as a knee presses hard against your chest.