episode 18 - a proxy's fall from grace (1)

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Daisy felt everything around her move in slow motion as she took in her surrounding for the second time. She checked left and right, back and front, to make sure nothing was coming after her and the others.

The night was cold and windy, and they stood outside Ramere Reserves ready for a battle. It was the first time in a while she was worried of not walking out of there alive or in one piece. 

The bushes rattled and she reached for her machetes, grabbing the hilts but waiting to see what caused the noise, before drawing them out. They were surrounded by thick forestry on three sides, and behind them was the long, unfinished road - they were far away from the city. 

Knowing what they were getting themselves into, they chose that specific location to prevent mass casualties. The city had suffered enough loss.

"Where are they?" Jojo asked, anxiously. She appeared nervous, though she was the one who came up with the plan. Beside her was Sly, bounded by rope as he sat on the ground unconscious. 

"They will be here, soon," Joe replied. He was the most giddy of the group, wanting to get over with it fast. Daisy couldn't blame him. Ramere Reserve was rumored to be home to unknown monsters, and the plan involved them luring themselves into a death trap.

Bright light shun as a car drove towards them. It was a Mercedes Benz, belonging to Bush and Susan. It parked on the side of the road and the two got out, each parking multiples guns and bullets.

They were all ready.

Then someone else stepped out of the car. "Dad?" said Daisy, unsure. It was dark and the only source of light they had was from the moon. She moved close to the individual and saw Clint smiling at her.

"Hey, there, baby girl," he said, opening his arms and embracing her in a hug. 

"Hey, Dad. Where have you been?" she asked, leaning against his chest. He smelled of lavender, as usual. She looked into his eyes and saw the pain of losing his beloved was still there.

"I had to go out of town for a bit. But when I came back, your grandpa filled me in on everything that happened." He grabbed her cheeks and gently pinched them. "You shouldn't blame yourself for the children's deaths. It wasn't your fault."

Daisy looked at the ground. "Then why does it feel like it was?" There was a burning sensation in her chest whenever she thought of all those dead bodies on the road. It was one of the cruelest things she had ever seen. 

"Because you want to save everyone by getting rid of all the monsters. That's why you blame yourself. But we can't always be there for each and every one of them. As hunters, our job is to protect the masses, even if it means at the cost of a few."

Clint always knew how to make Daisy feel better. With those words, her spirit was lifted and she was ready to fight for her people. From a young age, she had sworn to protect her city and that was what she was going to do. And no monster would be able to get in her way.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Jojo asked, one of her hands on Sly's shoulder, while the other held a small tube with viscous liquid in it. 

Daisy checked. There's Joe, Moon, Mindy, Somo, Grandpa and Grandma, and Dad. If only Mom was here too. Then we would have been unstoppable. "Yes," she answered. 

Jojo slapped Sly's cheeks repeatedly while saying, "Wakey, wakey, sleepy head." 

Sly opened his eyes slowly and peered at everything around him. When he caught sight of Joe, he stared at his best friend in confusion. "What is going on?" he asked, innocently. 

Joe gulped, then opened his mouth wanting to say something, but decided against it and turned away. 

"Joe," Sly called. "Joe, please, tell me what's going on? Why am I tied? Did I do something wrong?" Sly sounded as clueless as a pirate wearing two eye patches. 

Even Daisy felt bad for what they had done to him. Using Sly to draw out Slenderman was a perfect plan in any book, but after he confessed to Jojo and Somo, was he really still under the influence of the creeper? 

Daisy noticed the guilt in Joe's eyes. He wanted to free him, he knew that. But his need to catch Slenderman outweighed his morality. 

"Joe, please, help me," said Sly. "Joe. Joe. Joe," Sly's voice started changing. It went from soft and honest, to harsh and monstrous. "Joe, you stupid bitch. Release me!" His scream resonated throughout the woods, causing the bats hiding in the trees to flee.

"And I nearly believed you were him," Jojo said, grabbing Sly by the chin and staring into his eyes. "Tell me what you've done to him, Slenderman."

Sly started laughing, while the rest stared at him quietly. It went on for about five minutes, making Daisy unease with the whole situation. They had him trapped, but yet he acted like he was the predator in that situation.

"For how long have you known?" Sly asked. 

"Long enough," replied Jojo. The girl stood straight and spread her hands. "Look around, we are here waiting for you. How about you come out and fight us?" 

Sly started laughing again. But this time it was guttural. "I had underestimated you, hunters. But even with everything you have done, you are still not worth my presence. But since you wasted your time and resources thinking you had the chance of beating me, I'll give you an opportunity to show me if you are truly worth even a second of my time."

The ropes around Sly's body untied themselves and the boy got on his feet. He began rising up and stopped eight feet in the air. Looking down at the hunters, he shouted, "Proxies, kill them!"

Movement could be heard coming from the forest and in minutes Ellen appeared from the shadows first, then Len and Erman came and stood by her side. Not long after, a number of bairns, gathered in groups, coming from each side and surrounding them. 

"Well, well, well, what do we have over here?" Ellen asked, with a smile. 

"Looks like fresh meat," Len said.

"I bet they taste sweet, these hunters," Erman chimed, licking his lips. 

Ellen raised her hand and changed into Rouge. Len and Erman did the same and changed into Masky and Ticci respectively. 

Daisy glanced at the others. They each had their weapons drawn, ready to attack. She closed her eyes for a moment and remembered the dead bodies. This time she wasn't feeling guilt, but rather a need to avenge them. 

Their deaths won't go in vain. "Hunters, attack!" 

She swooshed forward with such speed, two bairns were caught off guard. She decapitated their heads with one slice through the neck, before they burst into flame and only sprinkles of fire remained.

Three more came. She kicked one of them on the chest and sent him tumbling to the ground. Then she tore off the second one's limbs and pierced the third one's head with one of her machetes, before decapitating it. 

She walked to the limbless bairn and cut off its head with one swoop. Losing her focus on the first one, it jumped on her back and dug its claws in her skin. "Argh!" Daisy groaned, but she had no time to waste. She thrust one of her machete on its left eye, causing the vampire to squeal in pain as it fell to the ground, writhing like a wounded snake. 

"Bye, bye." With one clean swipe, she cut its head and watched it roll away before it burst into flames. 

On the other side of the road, Clint was banging the head of a bairn through his father's car's window. "You're going to pay for that!" Bush told him, as he put his gun in a bairn's mouth and fired.

"I'll buy you a new car," Clint said, shooting the bairn in its temples. Another one tackled him to the ground and aimed to bite his head off. But he held his gun between its sharp teeth, drool falling on his face. "Argh!"

He punched it away and rolled to his feet. When the bairn pounced, he shot it between its eyes. Smoke oozed out of the barrel as he stood there staring at the chaos around him. "Dad!" he screamed after seeing a bairn sneaking up on the old man. 

Bush turned just in time and avoided it. For his age, he was still very agile. But it was nothing impressive as they were fighting creatures who were supposed to be an easy kill. 

He had his back against Susan's as the pointed their weapons at a group of five bairns who decided to surround them. "Who is controlling them?" asked Bush, confused, but still focused.

"I don't know," Susan replied. "That's a question for another time." She shot two of the five bairns in the head, pulled a knife from her thigh strap and stabbed another in the heart. 

"Hey, leave some for me," Bush moaned, childishly. 

Before she could kill the remaining two, Susan stopped and said, "They are all yours."

Smiling, Bush stretched his arms and clotheslined the two, knocking them down. They stood up quickly and screamed at him, their saliva hitting his face. He rubbed it off with his shirt and waved at them. 

The two ran manically at him, bloodlust controlling their emotions. She jumped at him at the same time. Seeing he couldn't kill them both in one move, he bent backwards and they flew over him. But Bush also fell to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Susan asked him.

"I cracked my back," he replied.

"Old man." She shook her head, then killed the two bairns.

Daisy had attracted Masky's (Len) attention. She was blocking and dodging his strikes. But he was too quick and powerful for her, and her body began feeling the effects immediately. Her arms ached and her legs fought to keep her on her feet.

She had to stand on her feet. If she fell, she knew she had no chance of surviving his wrath. 

Masky snarled as he kept kicking and punching. It seemed Daisy's blocks only made him more stronger, and his need to kill her grew. 

He repeats his fighting technique, Daisy noticed after a while and smiled. 

Masky saw the smile and got angry. He used all his strength to kick Daisy in the chest, sending the young woman tumbling to the floor. She rolled and stood in a second. Rubbing off the blood on the corner of her lips, she called at him.

"Aaaah!" Masky shouted, before attacking her again.

This time Daisy avoided everything he threw at her and kneed him in the gut. Masky stumbled backwards, before he came to a halt. He coughed out blood, then got even more angry. 

This is it, Daisy thought. 

Masky dashed towards her at the speed of light. Daisy circled around him the moment he threw an arm and cut off his head. She watched his body turn to stone (it had never happened before), then it turned into a pile of ash. 

That's new.  

An ear-piercing cry came from behind her. Turning, she saw Rouge glaring at her. "You're going to pay for killing my husband!"

"Bring it on, bitch," said Daisy.  

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