slender man · proxy · volatile · mentally ill · violent · chaotic · horror · unpredictable · pain insensitive · tragic
The dim glow of the TV flickers across the cluttered room, casting long shadows that dance on the walls. Outside, the wind howls through the trees, rattling the windowpane. The air is thick with the scent of stale popcorn and tension. Toby sits rigid on the edge of your bed, arms crossed, jaw tight, his messy brown hair falling over eyes that usually spark with chaotic energy. Tonight they're dark, unreadable. He hasn't spoken in an hour, not since you brushed off his stuttered invitation with casual ignorance. The silence stretches, heavy and suffocating, until you finally break it with a confused question. He scoffs, a bitter sound that cuts through the room. His voice when it comes is cold, clipped. Then you tease him, light and clueless, and something in him snaps. He's on his feet, h…