A/N:

Helloooo readers! My god has it been a long time! But here it is, finally, the sequel to my first Creepypasta fanfic, Behind Closed Doors! I'm so sorry for the long wait, it's been stressful and busy at best around here. But still it's here now!

WARNING: If you haven't read the first one, then I suggest you do or else you'll be majorly confused. Please read that one first! Also, please remember that this is going to be a long story, so the first three chapters will be setting the stage for the actual plot, please be patient and stick with me!

Thanks again guys, I've missed you and I can't wait to hear from you again! And now, onwards readers! XD

Slender sat at his desk, long pale fingers drumming among the papers. No luck. For the past month, there had been no luck. Of course the routine and 'business' as it were continued as normal, there was no place for it not to be. But neither he nor his proxies were stupid, they all knew that a storm was brewing. The last discussion he had taken part in with Zalgo had not gone exactly as smoothly as he had made out.

Offers and deals. That is all it came down to. Business to one, a way of life for the other. Although after all this time, the distinction of who fell into which category had become blurred. Slender made deals to protect his proxies and continue his existence in the human world, Zalgo made deals to feed and control. And the deal still stood that if Slender gave a considerable amount of souls to devour from his own collection, he would be permitted to keep his proxies. But that offer was feeble and already fractured right down the middle.

One of the first rules when dealing with a demon, or a proxy for that matter, is that you never give your full name. And poor Jack, Eyeless Jack as the modern world liked to fictionalise him as; had broken that rule. Not that Slender blamed the boy, far from it. Jack was barely sixteen years old when he was recruited, and was not in the most stable of minds when found. He was scared, and trapped in his own personalised hell so to speak. It made sense for him to crack and seek help from the first that offered it. And unfortunately that had been Zalgo. The only thing to do now was to continue searching for him. Before Zalgo makes another move.

"Sir?"

Slender looked up from his desk to see a tall figure dressed in a dark cloak, the way it wisped and flowed giving the illusion that it could well have been the shadows he was dressed in. Dark hair was neatly tucked under a hood, milky eyes quizzical but respectful towards the mentor.

Yes, Shadow Lurker... What is it...? Slender asked, his smooth, powerful voice echoing telepathically into his lead proxy's mind.

Shad, as he had been nicknamed over the years, looked reluctant, but he had to ask, "Something doesn't feel right, Sir, I can't put my finger on it but... Have you found anything new?"

I'm afraid not... Jack is still hidden under Zalgo's Sickness... And as for the others...

"We can't be sure that Masky and Hoody are with him, you said so yourself." There was no denying the uncertainty in the half-demons tone.

Quite right... We continue the search as usual and something will change... Zalgo, as far as we know, only has Jack to work with and that is a factor we can manage... It is just a matter of waiting for Zalgo to get overconfident and slip up for us... Slender noted a flicker of something else in Shad's expression, You may speak freely...

"Thank you, Sir. I was just wondering that... You know I am not the sort to rush into something we are not completely prepared for; which is why I am thinking that perhaps there is someone we could talk to who would be able to help us. Forgive me if it's out of line but..." He braced himself, "But Rochelle has learnt so much about the Sickness realm in her confinement that it would be of use to us and-"

That is enough thank you, Shadow Lurker... Slender snapped suddenly, We are quite prepared as it is... And... You know that we do not speak of her...

Shad looked down, fully aware of what had happened all those decades ago. He felt ashamed for bringing it up, knowing how it hurt his mentor despite the attempt at covering it up, "Yes, Sir. I'm sorry."

Slender sighed, feeling a moment of guilt at the unintended harshness of his tone, Don't apologise, Shadow Lurker... Now, if you wouldn't mind I'd like you to send Beatrix to me with the latest targets and then see if Jeffery is finished on his job...

"Yes, Sir. And, Sir, I know I've spoken out of line once already, but may I just say one more thing?"

You may...

Again, he braced himself, "Please tell the others the full story. They chose to stay; it makes sense to let them know all of the reasons why."

Trixie's heart hammered against her ribs almost painfully. Why was she here? Why did she have to do this? It wasn't fair. As childish as that sounded, it really wasn't. The scenery was dark to say the least, the silhouettes of trees were just barely visible as she scanned through them, searching for a light, a sign, anything! This didn't make sense, but that's what scared her the most. The unknown. After what she'd been through in the past, after the couple of months staying with these people... The unknown shouldn't be this much of an issue. But it couldn't be helped. The sounds of grass and sticks crunching echoed in her ears, the occasional snap making her flinch. But she continued. Just a little further and it would be over. She just had to keep goi-

"GET OUT!"

Trixie jumped near out of her skin, having to slap a hand over her mouth to muffle a shriek of panic at the gruesome face suddenly screaming at her. The empty eyes glared in a murderous hatred, claws reaching for her maliciously. And then... Everything went silent and black. The woods faded from view, the face melting with it. And the bold red writing of a 'GAME OVER' flashed on screen.

She caught her breath and shut the laptop, eyes closed as she tried to steady her heart rate, "Jesus..."

"I think that's the sound of a satisfactory review." A sly chuckle observed at her side, belonging to a hovering figure with unhealthily pale skin and blackened eyes, red pupils alight with mischief, "So you think it's a keeper?"

"Ben..." She looked up at the ghost, his green attire matching a certain game character perfectly, a half scowl on her face, "I've said before, I don't like jump scares. Why on earth do you still give them to me?"

"Mostly because they're fun, but also because it's my job. Reactions are everything." He smirked, nodding to indicate her small case of the shakes, "And you're the only one who gives them to me. It seems everyone else here is too immune to the disturbing."

"That's not a good thing..." She sighed, arms folded and giving him a pointed look.

"Think of it as me trying to train you out of it."

"How kind." she muttered, pushing her sandy blonde bangs from her face only to have it flop back again instantly.

"Anyone would think you don't like playing with me." He said wryly, leaning in to deliberately invade her personal space.

Being used to this now after a few months in living there, Trixie simply turned the other way and stood up, collecting her sketches that she had been asked to deliver to Slender that afternoon. She was aware of Ben still watching her, she figured that was just his natural face and hadn't been proved wrong yet. Like Jeff's glower or Toby's grin, "I don't mind gaming, I just don't like being a test dummy on games like that."

"I know."

She rolled her eyes, knowing it was best to change the subject at this point. Mind games her his speciality, no point in dwelling on them too long, "Anyway... I uh, I've got to take these to Slender. Do you know if Jeff or Alice are around, some of these are for them."

A shrug, "Jeff's working and Alice is somewhere."

That didn't help, but she wasn't going to say that, "Oh, alright. Well if you see them-"

"I know the drill. I've gotten practice since we're down a few proxies as of late."

The bite in his tone didn't sit well with her for some reason, "That's not fair."

"It's honest."

"Yeah but... Forget it." She sighed, voice quiet.

As she turned to leave the room, he swooped around to land in front of her, eyebrow arched quizzically, "I'm listening."

One look and she knew he wasn't letting up on this, "I just don't think it's fair for you to make out like it's their fault..." she muttered, not making eye contact, "Jack didn't ask to be taken, he didn't know... I can't speak for the other two since I haven't met them, but don't blame Jack because he was scared and alone."

Ben didn't change his expression, and he didn't change his beliefs. If you were stupid enough to hand your name over to a demon then it was your own hard luck. But he could see where she was coming from. Jack handing over the name was his own fault, but his actions after were Zalgo's, "Everyone to their own, Trix."

Was he really going to just drop it? Of course he was. "I guess..."

She flinched when he poked her shoulder, delivering a static shock, "Enough with the dramatics, Trix, it's depressing."

"Will you stop that?" she asked, rubbing her shoulder with a semi-scowl, not wanting to push her luck.

He winked and moved around her to return to the abandoned laptop, not bothering to give her a second glance as he snickered to himself, "Nope. Enjoy your deliveries."

He confused her, but then again they all did for different reasons. But Trixie didn't want to stay to argue. As usual she took the escape opportunity when she could and gave a small nod of acknowledgment before hurrying out into the corridor. That was just part of the routine she'd fallen into in the past few months. You do your job, you put up with the others toying with you in some of their own twisted mind game, and you left to hide in your room. It was simple. Even if it did involve Ben being part of it more often than the others, but let's face it he was a ghost who was often deprived of outdoor experiences. He sought out any entertainment he could. Trixie had come to realise that she just had the poor luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and thus her position as the newbie and the group's plaything was still going strong.

Trixie wondered down the corridors of the warehouse-like building that she now lived in along with the terrors that so many people assumed were just stories. Killers, ghosts, demons, and things she was sure she hadn't even come across yet. She just thanked god, if there was one, she wasn't sure anymore; that she had turned out to be a Passive proxy rather than Active. As a Passive, it was her job to track down the targets that the Active's would then go out to kill. The Sickness in her system, along with the brand of the Slenderman embedded in the skin of her left shoulder, enabled her to get unfortunate images flicker into her mind. They painting pictures of victims and it was her job to draw them in detail before handing them to Slender. Active's took over from there.

As was the life of a proxy. And some days Trixie found herself wondering if her old life had been nothing but a dream. One day she was just your average nineteen-year-old girl in college, the next her parents and younger brother had been brutally if accidentally murdered by none other than internet fictional killers. Since she was unfortunately witness to these murders, that meant the Sickness was passed to her, and she had the choice to either go insane from it with the world believing her to be her families killer, or accept the Sickness and become a proxy to a demon. Slenderman. Wanting to prove mostly to herself that she was innocent, she accepted. And here she was. Sickness, a demons' influence, could make you relive your worst nightmares in a personal hell with no escape. But if used correctly, it stopped your aging process and bound you to the demon it came from, and you belonged to them. Of course, after past experiences, Slender had given then all the choice to leave. But no one took it. The outside world had no place for the proxies now. Either too fond of the kill, scared of the norm, or just plain undead; this was the safest place. Ironic, she knew, but she was grateful for it.

"Incoming!"

"Wha- Oh!" She gasped and backed herself against the wall just in time as a large dog sprinted down the corridor. Black fur patched around its strong body, revealing large amounts of burnt, raw skin around its muzzle and belly. Large, unnaturally human teeth held something orange and round, "Smile? Smile, come he- And you're gone..."

"Hey Trix!"

She turned her head to see a boy about her age skidding down the hall to stop by her, a mess of brown hair sticking out from under a green hood, his mouth hidden behind a metal mask or sorts, but eyes bright and on show, "Hi, Toby. Um, does Smile have your goggles?"

"Yeah! We were playing tug-of-war and... Well you saw what happened next." He chuckled, pointing in the direction Smile was running. His shoulder gave a sickening crack, but he didn't seem to notice. What Ticci-Toby did notice though, was the small pile of papers in her hands, "Oooh, anything for me?"

Sometimes it was hard to believe that Toby was a killer. But Trixie had seen him in action, when his hatchet was embedded in her little brother's chest. But that seemed like such a long time ago now, and she had learned to come to terms with it. It wasn't a deliberate kill, it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time on his part. As well as Jeff's... Although Toby no longer scared her, Jeff still did. And everyone knew it.

She shrugged, "I'm not sure, Slender sorts them out now, not me. Since... you know."

His shoulder slumped a little, neck twitching out of an uncontrollable tick, "Yeah. But Slendy will get Jack back soon. Zalgo hasn't got anything on us, we got away from him before so no big deal."

Trixie had to smile, she admired his optimism even if she didn't fully agree with it. Not that she doubted Slender, not by a long shot, but she knew that things were not as simple as beating up the bad guys like in comics and movies, "I guess so."

"Well, I got to get my specs back before Smile chews them out, again. Let me know if Slendy picks me, okay?"

"Will do." She waved him off, feeling her old sense of humour rising again, "Go get him, boy."

He gave a salute, again not flinching when his ligaments cracked, and was off. Almost as fast as the dog he was chasing. Trixie sighed, shaking her head. It turned out that she had to walk in that direction anyway towards the common room and then Slender's office. She couldn't wait to get rid of these and then return to her room. Although she didn't have to see the deaths or murders, drawing the criminals that were soon to be killed by people she lived with really took it out of her. And she often feared that if she didn't take time away from it often, she may truly go insane. But she had to take a leaf out of Toby's book, she'd lasted this long after all.

She tried to make a mental note of how many drawings she'd done and who was putting them to use. Alice had been given three yesterday which were already taken care of, Jeff had a couple lined up but at that moment was on the trail of someone Ben had found. Hmm, looks like it really would be Toby's turn this time. Unless it would be Kate. But then again Kate hadn't been heard from since... Since Jack ran away back to Zalgo. That wasn't really anything to be too worried about. Kate was mostly a freelance Active, as she liked to call herself, staying away for weeks or even months at a time. Big jobs, multiple targets, that kind of thing. In fact, if Trixie hadn't have read Kate's back-story, she would have envied her freedom.

Continuing on her way, Trixie, opened the common room door and found Shad just leaving Slender's office. He blinked at her, "Oh, Beatrix, I was about to go looking for you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be late or-"

"No need to apologize, Slender was just hoping to prepare for next week's schedule."

"We're that far ahead?" That surprised her, normally the schedules for the others were made before a new week started, not planning ahead. Then again, with the extra searches and security amendments, things were getting more efficient, "Is Slender still waiting for me?"

"He is, although I would tread carefully if I were you." He advised, looking unsure if it was alright so say so, "He's under strain. And I can't quite put my finger on the true reason. We all agree that there are many."

She nodded, "Honestly, I'm worried. He's focussing so much on keeping us safe and trying to keep things moving as usual that he's forgetting that he can get overworked too."

"I'm sure we all are worried in some form or other. Even if some refuse to admit it." He sighed, "Speaking of, I have to go and collect Jeff, he's slacking again."

He'd been doing that a lot lately, but Trixie didn't feel the need to point that out, "Okay, well I'll see you later."

"Perhaps." He nodded his goodbye.

And before her eyes, he seemed to dissolve into the very shadows that swarmed around him. Vanishing from sight and leaving no trace that he was ever there. She waited a moment, always cautious in case he chose to return suddenly and bumped into him. When he didn't come back, she carried on her way into Slender's office. She didn't understand why she cared about this tall, faceless demon. But then again, he had kind of taken her in after everyone had thought she was insane. The same could be said for everyone else here. Instead of abandoning them, leaving them to die, or even killing them himself; Slender had taken them in, made them his proxies as a form of protection against the Sickness. She didn't like to be too sentimental, especially in a place like this. But she couldn't help worrying. And unfortunately, there was a lot to be worried about.

There is a place that is made of the openings and closings of Sickness. Where demons lurk and feed on the souls of sinners and the weak. Sickness hung thick like fog, dense and would catch in your throat like sand. It would infect your mind, seeping into your worst fear, your defining moment of insanity and force you to relive it. And there was no escape. Unless you handed over your one defence. Your name. There was power in a name, and once someone else had it for themselves, you belonged to them.

Zalgo watched as those in his control fought one another violently. He sneered, enjoying the show. Blood trickled down a young boys face. The boy wore a black hoody, his complexion so pale and sickly that it was practically blue. Eyes empty, black and pouring with liquid Sickness.

"That's enough, my boy, you don't want to hurt yourself. You two, continue."

The others, older and stronger in stature, obeyed blindly. One wore a mustard yellow jacket, a white mask covering his face, the other in an orange hoody, face hidden in darkness. They were once so strong in mind, body and loyalty. Now, they were just as pathetic as the others. And good old Slender wouldn't even see it coming. The two threw punches, grabbing at each other's clothes and trying to cause some serious harm. Not that they were aware of what they were doing. They may as well have been puppets, empty shells of what they had once been.

Zalgo laughed cruelly, watching Jack collapse onto the Sickness, gasping for air, "Such a good boy... Don't you think so, dear?"

Behind him, a female voice giggled just as cruelly. Disjointed and not quite natural, "He's fun to watch. Such a baby though."

"He'll grow stronger in time. Don't you worry."

"What about me? I want to grow stronger too. I want to go and see your friends you've told me so much about."

"In time, you will." He answered knowingly, "And you'll have so much fun..."

The female giggled again, clapping her hands in a disturbingly child-like way, "I can't wait. I'll hurt them, I promise, just like you taught me."

Zalgo reached out a long, misshapen limb, made from darkness and dust, embers burning from his core, patting her head, "I know you will, and why is that?" He asked rhetorically.

"Because I want to make you proud."

He sneered darkly, stretching out his legs to use Jack's motionless body as a footrest while he watched the others battler mercilessly, "And you have done thus far, my dear, so very proud..."

Another giggle, "Thank you, Daddy."

A/N:

So... That was chapter 1 of many! And I hope the questions are building. Who is calling Zalgo 'Daddy'? Will they get Jack and the other proxies back home? How are Jeff and Alice doing? Will Trixie manage to get some answers from Slender? All the questions! Hopefully... Maybe... Remember it's just setting the stage at the moment so please stick with me!

Can't wait to hear from you all again! I've missed you! XD