I had never dreamed I would see this faceless monster that terrorized so many others in their nightmares. At the moment, he didn't particularly look scary. But the dreadful feeling of horror that he simply expelled made me want to fall to my knees and accept death. I could see the mere outlines of his features twisting; first appearing shocked. Then narrowing in a confused, yet angry manner. His tentacles jerked in wicked angles behind his back, leaving me to wonder if he intended to strangle me with them. I didn't dare peek to my side to see Ben's expression. I was sure it matched my own.

"What is this?" Slenderman's booming voice scoffed, it coming from no visible source. It was interesting, just as much as it was terrifying.

"Well... you see-" Jeff murmured from behind, his pained voice reminding me he was hurt.

"Is this a human?" the tall man interrupted, leaning down until he was face to face with me. I could see Ben twitch out the corner of my eye, yet he didn't dare move.

I could only nod. Pushing my luck, I decided to not react to him with fear. It worked with Ben, after all. "Hi. I'm Winter," I choked out, forcing a smile.

Slenderman's expression twisted until it was once again shocked. Accusingly, his head snapped over to Ben, his empty gaze filled with fire.

"Why is there a human within these walls, Benjamin? I expected to see a new resident who misunderstood what I said about no killing in the mansion," he snapped, his voice lowering into a raspy growl.

Looking to Ben, I never thought I would see his face hold so much fear. I knew then, that I was far more than doomed at this moment. Ben might have spared me some time since the beginning... but that was all he could do.

"Darren was in here," Ben muttered, completely avoiding the question. "He was trying to kill Jeff, Winter and I... as you can see, Jeff is hurt," Ben chuckled, nodding his head towards Jeff.

"Yep, I'm bleeding over here," Jeff snarled, pressing down on his bleeding side.

"That isn't exactly what I asked. Jeffrey, go to Eyeless Jack so he can tend to your wound," Slenderman sighed, stepping into the room. Ben and I stepped back in unison.

Within a second, Jeff was out the door. The air continued to grow heavier as I counted down my last seconds.

"Why exactly was he trying to murder the three of you?" the tall man asked, although I knew that his gaze remained on me.

"Jeff killed him... that's why he came here in the first place," Ben shrugged, and I could tell he was trying his best to say as little as possible. "I don't know what the hell he had against me. Winter and I were just at the wrong place at the wrong time," he hurriedly spat, staring pointedly at the wall.

"We'll deal with him when the time comes, then. Although I recall him saying he had no memory," Slenderman hissed. "But as for the girl..." My heart sank as he returned his attention to me. I felt the tears gather within my eyes, but I held them back with all the strength I still had.

"I brought her here," Ben hurriedly choked, shifting until he blocked me from sight. My eyes widened, and the gratitude I felt was amazing. Anyone who would stand up to this being... "She's my responsibility."

"You know as well as everyone else that no human resides here," Slenderman spat, seeming to grow in size. "Now back away, Benjamin, so I can take care of her as you should have done."

"No," Ben growled, blood pouring down his face with fury. "I can't let you do that."

I hadn't expected Slenderman to laugh... but he did. "And why exactly not? She is no different than any other human. You are going against your duty."

"She's not the same. I can't explain it... but she's not afraid of us. She's interesting. I don't care what you do to me, punish me all you want. But I'm keeping her here. Hell, she could become one of us later on if she wants. You know as well as I do that she is not going to get out of here; she hasn't yet. I'm not letting you kill her," Ben seethed.

Never had I thought that the demon elf would do this for me. Whatever has changed this past while I have been here, I couldn't appreciate it more. I made a note in my mind, that if I lived, I would never be hard on him ever again.

A loaded sigh tumbled from the Slenderman. "I have enough to deal with besides you and your new toy, Benjamin, especially considering the problems our new resident is causing. If you are so intent on keeping her here, than I am in no mood to stop you. But I'll make things clear," he growled. "I am not protecting her from the others. She is your responsibility, so if she wanders off and another kills her, it is on you. If she gets out, it is on you. Remember that. And, as you know, you broke a rather important-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Punishment, whatever," Ben snapped, shaking his head. "Do whatever you have to do."

Slenderman nodded his head. "Good. Come with me, then." His demonic voice eased into a more velvety tone. Turning to me, he seemed unsure of what exactly to say. "Do not cause trouble, Miss. If you do manage to survive here, then you must be as intriguing as Benjamin made it seem. Welcome to Slender Mansion."

With that, he turned on his heel, Ben following him as if a death toll was ringing behind him. "You know where my room is. I'll be back later," he stated, his voice monotone as he passed me.

I felt as if I had been frozen into stone, unable to move as I stood in the empty room. I had just faced the Slenderman... and survived. Thanks to a certain elf who was facing certain pain at this moment. I couldn't help it as a couple tears trickled over, the gratitude I felt pushing them over. Taking a wobbly step forward, I headed out into the hall. It took everything I had to ignore the wails of pain that echoed through the air.

Stepping into Ben's room, I slammed the door behind me. Rushing over to the bed, I collapsed before curling into a small ball. Part of me wished that this entire thing was a dream. That I was home, sleeping like a baby. Darren would wake me up soon with several annoying rings to my phone. My only worries being school. That I was the same Winter that I was then. Winnie, the smart-ass gamer who didn't give a shit about anyone or anything. All of that has changed since I threw a shoe at an elf who crawled through my computer screen. The odds.

I was losing myself, and I knew it. I felt so weak-so feeble as I tried to get my thoughts in order. That fearlessness was long gone. But who couldn't be afraid at a place like this? I couldn't think of a smart-ass remark at this moment if my life depended on it. My fingers clenched into fists as I tried not to scream. This place was changing me. Ben was changing me. And I didn't like it one bit.

It felt like years that I waited on that bed, contemplating the current situation and how to fix it. But by the time that bedroom door opened, I came up with nothing. As the door squeaked open, then shut, I shot up from the bed onto my feet. Every last bit of stitching that held me together fell apart at the sight of him. He was drenched, from head to toe. Now, I knew Ben didn't like water. Even his name said so. When he appeared soaked in fighting mode, he seemed oblivious to it. But now... he was anything but.

The elf man was holding himself together, shaking like a leaf. His eyes were wide, staring so far away. Without a second thought, I sped forward, crashing into the broken man who saved my life. I heard him gasp as I wrapped my arms around his soaked form, paying no mind to it.

"Thank you," I breathed, tightening my arms. It felt like a miracle when he wrapped his arms around me, showing he was still in there. "I'm so sorry, Ben."

I didn't know too much about him. But I did know that water was his biggest fear. And for that to be his punishment... the cruelty of it, all because of me. He shouldn't be hugging me right now, he should be beating me with a stick. I owed him now, far more than I could ever imagine. Old words from his story still haunted me. I just remember being submerged in water, chains around my wrists and ankles, then dying. I was drowned. Ben Drowned. The fucking end.

Pulling away, I ignored his eyes as I hurried to his bathroom. Grabbing a few towels, I returned to see his broken form hasn't moved. He stared at me with those empty eyes as I lifted a towel to his head, drying his hair without a word. Brushing the towel over his face, I ignored the blood that stained the towel from his eyes. His expression seemed confused, yet tender now as he shook his head.

"You don't have to do that," he murmured, taking the towel from my hands. He stepped away, grabbing a spare set of clothes before walking to the bathroom. As the door shut, I changed out of my dripping clothes as well. I'll admit, I had to steal one of his t-shirts and sweatpants. By the time I was done, he was walking out, completely dry besides his damp gold hair.

"Ben-"

"Don't make a big deal out of this, please," he sighed, shaking his head. "It's bad enough I had to do it. I don't need pity on top of it," he scoffed, coming to sit next to me. I could tell he was trying to act himself again... but that haunted look in his eyes didn't falter.

"You did that for me, though. I don't know why, and you'll never know how much I appreciate it. Just... thank you, Ben," I whispered, pursing my lips.

He nodded, throwing me one of his usual smirks. "No problem, doll. Just do me a favor, would ya?" he asked, his red pupils locking with mine.

"Yeah?"

"Try not to get killed since you officially live here now. Don't make me regret that," he sighed, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

I chuckled, unable to help leaning into him. "I'll do my best."

He laughed, shaking his head as he tightened his arm. "I'm in for some trouble, then."

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