Success...

Zero must have done it. I decided to make my stand after the Solstice rather than while it was going on to test the effects of the battle zero and the others raged.

Then Tall, dark, and faceless came for me with intent to kill after I shouted my challenge at the edge of his woods. He reached out with his tentacles. I dodged to the side and away and batted away the one tentacle that came to me with the crowbar I stole a while back. Then I ran for it, stripping off my (X) symbols. The very ones that once protected me

You see, I was testing him to see if he would be able to slenderwalk right up to me once I turned my back on him to run. I had informed Jared of this gave him the password to this blog if he didn't hear from me in one hour of this experiment. My plan was to see what slim could do to me once he attacked. I had a feeling I would catch him in just enough of a bad mood in light of the solstice for this to work.

Anyway, back to the happenings, I looked back and he was pursuing using his branchlike arm thingies to move himself along Doc Ock-style, but no faster than I was running from him. Then I sped up a little more and eventually lost him. Zero did it. I challenged him and lived. Alright, I may have run away like a little bitch, but I did so after tossing aside the (X) symbols that formerly confused him and kept him from slenderwalking after people. I laugh now. Zero did it. The bastard did it. Slim's been weakened. His proxies and agents won't have been weakened though, so we will al probably be seeing more of them in the future. But as for the creature himself, he has been weakened, and it seems like slenderwalking is now out of the equation.

Of course he could have just been jerking me off in light of the events, but I'm going to test this again. If you hear from me again, it will mean I managed to get away from him a second time. But I'm feeling optimistic. If slenderwalking is now out of the question, then life for us just got a lot easier and I'm willing to put my sanity and life on the line to prove or disprove it. I'm scared. Don't be fooled. I'm scared. If he was just trying to fool me and he can slenderwalk my ass onto a tree branch while playing surgeon, then I'm in for some pain. But someone has to double and possibly triple test this. I'm the one he didn't slenderwalk after the first time, so I guess I volunteer to go up against the devil again. Wish me luck.

Alright, I'm back.

Sorry for the long absense, but I decided to pay low after the whole Boston business. My last few hours there were not good. Tall and skinny followed me everywhere I went no matter how high I went for entirety of the last twelve hours there. I had one black out while there, but it was only momentary. I stumbled across some punks ganging up on Him and attempting to kill him.. All went blank, and when I came to, some of the guys were just missing, others were....messed up, with one who apparently joined Him and walked off with Him, holding hand. How sweet.

I got on the train and headed back West. I'll report everything as well as post the final notebooks soon. For now, Ron out. See you guys at the Solstice.

Crap!

Went to station. People were crowded around there, arguing. 'He' appeared. Panicked, rioting mob broke out. Gunfire, too. Very scared and hiding now.

Final Fantasy X and its odd connection with you-know-who:

There is a game that was released on the PS2 titled Final Fantasy X, it being the tenth installment of the mind-bogglingly popular series. In this game, there existed a sort of boogeyman called Sin who was a demonic death whale that would return to life after his various defeats to ravage the world the game was set in. This cycle of Sin tormenting the world would take place every ten years.

One of the theories in Robert's Core Theory was that these Constructs do not stay dead forever and that Der Ritter, the boogeyman of Germany, though defeated once before, will eventually return. Well, since slimjim and Der Ritter are both boogeymen, then it stands to reason that we will eventually kill Him. I'm going to set my eyes on Germany and watch out for any unusually activity like children disappearing near the Black Forest, and will continue to do so until I am either dead or it happens. If there are any German bloggers involved, please tell me of any odd News that you know of that involves happenings at the Black Forest. If we can prove that Der Ritter can and will return, then we will whether or not slim will.

So what's my point? Well, in Final Fantasy X, they eventually decide to take drastic measures and End Sin's cycle of death and rebirth once and for all. They succeed. At a very steep price. If there is a Cycle like Robert proposed, then we need to End it and we frankly can't be bothered to care what we will personally have to pay, because we are dealing with primal and supernatural forces here. You don't get off scot free while messing with them. Any fool can tell you that much. I supposed I could make a fruity speech about how we'd be doing it for future generations, but we also need to be committed to do this for ourselves. Because...supposed he returns before any of us pass of old age, and returns when we are old. Yeah...I don't think any of us would be in any condition to Run or Fight Him. We would be The Ones Who Lived. We would be too good to pass up even if we couldn't provide Him with the thrill of the hunt anymore.

Something Others and Myself Have Noticed:

Why does slim seem to exclusively target children and 20-something young adults? Simple. We're young, we're vital, we have prospects, ambition, strong wills, promise, and too stupid to know when to quit. In other words: entertainment for however long he wants or needs of us. Shaun, who is 18, could Run for many years to come and give slim one hell of a chase. Not so much a fifty year old man who has been in a cubicle for the last three decades. Yeah, you'll notice he never targets the Dilbert types. Its always the youngsters who have futures to worry about and will resist Him to keep them.

Something interesting.

He sure seems to like to send proxies in groups of four after me. Coincidence?

Anyway, as I make my way through this historical city, I think a lot of people can see Him here. I'm going to explore at ground level and observe the people around me when I can catch sight of Him. If so, perhaps He is just a very prevalent force in Boston right now and the whole train incident had nothing to do with me. If not, then this town is in trouble.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so open about going to Boston...

I know M wanted to know what I was up to, but now I'm thinking I should have kept my whereabouts non-specific. First, the "whole train witnessing slim's handiwork" affair happened. Since then, I've been on the run from four proxies, and a cop who turned out to be an agent. So now I'm wanted for resisting arrest and wounding a police officer (no nevermind he pulled his gun without just reason and I let him have it with the crowbar before he could shoot) and the bastard has me labeled as a suspect in the forementioned massacre. Yeah, like I'd be able to kill six men, eight women, and eleven children, then do....that, to them, and then get as far as Boston from there on foot scot free. Yeah, the local News told me the specific number of people. That's a tall killing even for slendy in one go. That's 25 people, for Peter's sake!

And zero's right. That is the most public killing slim's ever committed, and why to scare me of all people?! Shouldn't the big guns be saved for scaring former sages and whatnot? I'm just a guy with a blog that wasn't even started by me and some notebooks. Could it be the notebooks he wants? Could it be that I declared that I will be taking a stand on the Solstice? ... ... ...Hardly changes that I'm far from his biggest concern. Ugh. I know life is unfair but this is just ridiculous.

I don't get him. Or maybe I do. The way I've always interpretted slim is that he's a bully. A common schoolyard bully. Sure, he's big and tough, and its easy to be so when you're well...invincible, basically. So he picks on creatures and beings weaker than himself and formed himself a gang out of members he either brow beat into place or by people who joined him. What I wouldn't do to rattle his cage and make Him Run from me. Chase Him from His home, and make Him sleep in the attic of a church. Yeah, that's where I am right now. I could only afford one night at the hotel.

Someday, slim, I will kill you. You've take all but one of my friends (Jared) from me. I swear I will pay you back with ten fold interest someday. Count on it. You want a fight? I'll give you a fight, since you're obviously picking one with me. But I won't pull a Even on you, since his usteam showed that his bat didn't even connect. Everything has a weakness. I will find your's.

I was content to Run and not be a problem, but since slim has made it clear He's going to treat my Running with the upmost seriousness for whatever reason, I figure it's time to man up. To whoever on mankind's side who reads this: I'm with you. I'm a Runner, but I will also be a Fighter when I can get the opportunity without getting myself killed.

Officially in Boston now.

As those who have been keeping up know, I decided to Run by way of Amtrak from Chicago to Boston. Well, it was a few day journey even with how fast these loud, comfounded metal boxes can go. I met another Runner named Robbie. His destination is not Boston, though. Sure, he was going to the same city as I, but from there he hopped onto a bus which will take him to another town as he intends to go to Maine for reasons I did not ask (and yes, I know he wasn't a proxy or agent, I saw him get on the bus he said he would as I followed him to make sure he was the real deal and that I didn't have one of His keeping tabs on me in town).

But that's not the most notable thing. The tracks passed by some woods, with some of the trees fairly close to the train. No, I didn't see Him, but the entire train got a good look at His handiwork. The train passed by a tree which had...I don't know how many corpses impaled on its branches, but there were a lot. I could also faintly see the plastic bags hanging from the branches from the Amtrak. It... It wasn't pretty, as you all know. Worse of all, there were children who had I seen insisting on the window seat while traveling with their parents. I will never forget their cries in horror and disgust at the sight of It's...work. There were police at the scene of the crime who were desperately trying to cover up the view from the railroad, but weren't quick enough to stop my ride from getting the message.This was the between the last stop and Boston. It and It's minions are somewhere in Boston waiting for me.

Right now I'm on the highest floor of a nice, big mall at a food court. I'm not particularly hungry after seeing that, but I know if I don't keep m strength up I'll die, so down the hatch. I've also managed to get myself set up a REALLY cheap hotel where I know the sheets haven't been watched. Fortunately I was able to pass myself off a bum convincingly enough to get enough change for the Laundromat so my own sheets and blankets will at least be clean tonight. I may sink pretty low, because I've been eyeing a homeless shelter's soup line, but holding off going there. I may yet as money keeps getting tighter.

As per zero's suggestion:

My new user ID, The Roninator, but still just call me Ron. I don't know if being able to post from a train is normal or allowed, but wherever we are has good reception for this thing.

Ooookay, changing the password:

Ron here:

For those who have been following my replied to M and zero, you will know I've decided to just get up and Run for it. I'm on my way to Boston from Chicago by way of Amtrak. Drew in a previous entry told me to Run, so I am. Now it seems he's still fighting off slim off. Given that he's posting, he must be somewhere a computer is, but in America that narrows it down very little. I wish I could help him, but I would have no idea where to look if slim has Moved him too far along.

I'm still about a day away from Boston, and at a station right now. Still no sightings or further attacks and so far I haven't been feeling the Hallowing effects since I got here. So that's good at least.

NO RUN

DONT LISTEN TO ME LISTEN

RUN

122110

IGGDRASIL

WODINAZ

THE OTHER SIDE

DARK ON THE

DIZ HFS

heheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh

STAY AWAY

RUN RUN RUN

AS FAR AS YOU CAN

HE WILL CATCH YOU

HES THE SLENDER MAN

FIRST SAM

THEN STEPHANIE

THEN ELIJAH TOO

JOSH RAN

SO DID JARED

NOW ME

NEXT YOU

AND JARED

............................................................................................................................................dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

come come

andplaywithmeron

cometous

comecome

come

wewonthurtyou

wereyourfriends

heheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh

cantyouseethebueatyofHIM

HEjustwantswhatsbestforyoumyfriend

nowcomeoffthattrain

andenterthesafetyofthewoods

ron

safetyinthetrees

youllneverbealoneagain

yeslistentodrewmyboy

drewisgone

drewisours

YoU aRe BeInG wAtChEd RoN -DREW

hehehehehhehhehehehehehehehehehehehehehehheheheheheheheheh

SEES YOU SEES ME SEES ALL
youwillnotlivetoseethesolsticeronitscomingforyouand

I CAN DO NOTHING TO STOP IT heeheheheheheheeheehhehhhehehehehehehehhehehehheeheheheheheh
RUN RUN AS FAST YOU AS CAN RON YOU CAN'T ESCAPE HES THE SLENDER MAN

ado

Late April to the end of May:

Late April we continued our search for Drew's Mountain Man bearing the wooden (X) sign (we have got to find a nickname for this guy). I'll just call him Davey since Drew compared him to Davey Crockett.

Early May Josh, Elijah, and Stephanie also became haunted. By this point on the parts of Drew, Jared, and myself, it had gotten bad enough that he actually started Moving us.  So the three of us decided to do some short term Running by way of the hotels in the local towns, but staying the same area as before.

May 10th, slim attacks Jared's family. They survive, but Jared sends them off on a extensive cruise (according to Jared, his family hasn't seen it since) ad Jared officially went on the Run.

On May 7th, Josh, Elijah, and Stephanie joined us and we used a public library as a hub of sorts during our meetings from thr 11th on, which were held only during the day. We tried a night meeting once...once, on the 8th. That night was our first encounter with agents and proxies. We were in Drew's dining room when we received a knock at the door. Drew did not answer. He instead just hollered the question of who it was out.
The answer was Chuck, a local gamer who was in our DnD group. Drew opened the door and took the butt of a shotgun to the face when he did.
Chuck declared himself willingly in the services of the "Great Man" and ordered us outside where a bunch of maskies waited. Unfortunately for him, Elijah was also armed and put a slug in Chuck. Honestly, Elijah's gun was out and ready the instant the door was knocked on. Well, Chuck always was an arrogant one.
Jared, who was not far away from Drew, slammed and locked the door while Josh and I dragged the dazed the latter away as the proxies began viciously attacking the front of the house.
On Elijah: Elijah was Drew's friend and cousin. Also a born hunter, basketball player, and all around fitness nut on levels which the EverymanHYBRID guys will never be.
On Josh: all around weirdo who not only enbraced his strangeness, he absolutely bathed in its glory.
On Stephanie: nice girl. Never said much and never harmed anybody else. Did not deserve to be turned into a mindless drone. We had no idea there were ways to fend off the Hallowing effect when she attacked us. To our knowledge at the time, only a well placed bullet in the brain was the way out, so Drew administered the blow himself because only his and Elijah's hands were already dirty by that point.

Anyway, we tried to go out the back, but slimjim was ready and waiting for us so we retreated and went out the front way where we fought about ten proxies to our seven Hunted, with Drew already being wounded. This is why Elijah's athletic nature and good aim were such a blessing back then. If anyone can take credit for how we got past them and reached Josh's pick-up before slim could stop us, it all goes to Elijah that night. Stubborn, bull-headed, short-fused, abrasive, and damn good at what he did.
Elijah downed three the instant we burst through the front door with his six-shooter, Drew downed one with a fireplace poker he snagged on the way out, and the rest of just rammed or tackled our way through because the proxies were dumb enough to be standing right there and we had the advantage of momentum since Elijah got ahead of us enough that we didn't have to stop when he opened the front door and dashed out guns blazing. Then in our wake Elijah kicked and punched the shit out of a few more before hopping into the back on the pick up as Josh drove us away. I think one proxy was left standing in our wake. The others were either dead or wishing they were because I know I heard bones break when the one I pushed over hit uneven ground and landed in an ackward position.

We escaped to a hotel where we took up a couple of spare rooms. Stephanie got one to herself and one guy ended up on a floor while two beds shared two guys each (not fun). I almost envy Jared for getting the floor. Drew tends to kick in his sleep. This was the 8th,

A couple of days later the attack came on Jared's parents, who were fortunately quick in fleeing their burning home. They saw it and Jared was able to convince them to just get the hell out of dodge and went on the Run before any of us could talk him out of it.

From the on, it was just Josh, Elijah, Drew, Jared, Stephanie, and myself. Because Elijah was highly dubious of the hunt for Davey, and we weren't able to convince him to help us, we had to drop the search for the time being and justed focused on trying to stay alive and perhaps shake the damn thing. In this time, we decided no one was going to be live alone (we all did prior to this, which is probably why slim targeted us over others).

May 10th-20th was a chore. More agents and proxies started hassling us. Let me lay out the outline:

May 11th. Josh and Elijah were at Stephanie's house. Two agents and nine proxies show up and lay siege to them. The trio managed to keep them out long enough for Drew to show up the following day and run over any proxies who got in his way. He then gave the trio a lift to safety.

Oh yeah, I should probably mention that we were disposing of their bodies by way of trash burning. Its a regular practice around where we lived. We'd just drop the body at the bottom of the fensed in area where we actually do the burning and then pile the trash on top of the corpse which we'd then light. It seriously reduced the chances of the cops ever finding them since they wouldn't actually be buried somewhere on our property. We made the decision since we knew the cops would never believe the story about slimjim and we'd be facing some hefty charges if they ever caught wind of our confrontations with its pawns.

May 13th, slimfast sightings, but no hostile activity to speak of. Oddly, our lucky day.

May 14th, one proxy attacks Drew in his house, but ended up with her head smashed in with a pan.

May 15th, no proxy or agent activity, but about six kids disappeared from a park shortly after I left it.

May 16th, I was Moved from Stephanie's house to my own. Stephanie disappeared for the first time that day.

May 17th-24th, search goes for Stephanie with no luck until one of the police also investigating her disappearance disappred herself. Where she vanished was the dead giveaway and we pursued the avenue which led to an abandoned shed (why does it always have to be one of those).
We found Stephanie, and...what was left of the poor police officer. Stephanie....was not herself, but just enough was left that she didn't attack us and willingly fled with us  once it appeared and chased us through the shed. The shed was only big enough for one room, but when we exited the front door we somehow ended up in a series of underground tunnels pursued by it at every step of the way.

May 24th-28th. We did not leave the dark and cold place it sent us to in that time. We did find an upper leve with windows, but it was four days of night before we were allowed to leave in which time the effects started to get to us.
Stephanie was speaking broken words and writing the standard madness on some disgarded papers she found. (X) signs, pictures of him. You know the deal.
Elijah became increasingly aggressive to the point where he almost strangled Josh during a shouting match. At one point he grabbed his gun and knife and rushed head long after it. It ended as well ass you could imagine. Once he actually reached slim, we couldn't even perceive what it did to him. Just that Elijah ended up unconscious.
The effects it ws on Josh were minimal. In fact, he was the sanest of us by the time it let us go.
Drew became increasingly paranoid and wouldn't even sleep when it was his turn.
I kind of fell somewhere between Drew and Elijah. I became more aggressive and angry, but not so much that I actually attacked one of my own, but I was also feeling it everywhere I went. On top of that, I just kept hearing this screaming sound like a lost child. I didn't want to know and still don't.
On the fourth day, a door opened with light streaming out from it. Now, the windows clearly showed a night sky outside, but sunlight was streaming through that one door. I can't make shit like that up. We walked out and found ourselves back in the woods. We turned around and saw the front door of the shed we entered to go find Stephanie. We ended up held at gunpoint by the angry and confused partner of the officer who was killed in there who had apparently just been in the small shed and had exited right before we did. Yeah, we had fun trying to come up with an explanation for that.

Things went unsettlingly quiet outside of it staring in our windows for the remainder of May. It only maddened us more and Stephanie wasn't getting any better, but we weren't willing to do away with her just yet.

That's all I've got for now.

EDIT: Oh hey, look, I haven't gone off in any slimjim fueled proxy-tangents. That's a good sign.

The hell?

Alright, so to recap, I start feeling the hallowing effect after I get word of my dear, dear friend Drew's disappearance and then suddenly Nessa "resurrects" and Jeff falls to the dark side. Alright, I've decided to get my shit together before the same thing happens to me. You'll find crosswords puzzles are excellent for keeping the conscious mind active.
Anyway, I'm in another town now and on the third floor of a big library which I hid in 'til closing. Now I just have to stay hidden until I slip out after opening.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I could go to another, but I'm also within a bus ride back home where I could take up Drew's role int he search he was going to go on with Jared. What do you guys think? Should I?