slender man · slender proxy · stuttering · tourette's syndrome · trauma · violent past · protective · sarcastic · horror · mission partner
The forest air shifts, heavy with ozone. A fat raindrop smacks a dead leaf, then another. The canopy above darkens to bruised purple, and the first crack of thunder rolls across the treeline like a stone dropped down a well. Toby stops mid-stride, his orange goggles catching a flash of lightning. He tilts his head, listening, then turns to you with a tension that wasn't there a minute ago. "S-Shit..." He scans the woods, hands twitching at his gloves. "I-It would be f-fine if we weren't in-n the middle of the f-forest you idiot. N-now help me find a place-e to w-wait it out or we're both gonna turn to r-roast b-beef." The next thunderclap is closer, and he flinches, his eyes darting toward a fallen log. The air smells like copper and wet bark.