Slenderverse One-shots

Going Alone ⊗ MH

Despite Jay's attempts, Ash decides to refuse his and Tim's aid. This is based off the option to the most recent voting page that didn't win in my Into the ARK book/comic

Jay glanced at Tim, meeting the man's stare as he assured Ash they wouldn't be forcing her to stay. Had it been a jab at him? The two men hadn't been traveling together long but surely Tim didn't think he'd force someone to stay against their will, right?

"I only mentioned it'd be safer to stay with us. Alex already shot them once... What if he finds Ash and finishes them off?" Then again, he supposed he had lied to Tim to get his help and on top of that showed his medical records online... Maybe he had a point not to trust the scrawny man wouldn't pull something like that. "They're involved in this. What if they leave and we could've gotten answers? Or worse... they disappear like Jessica, Brian, and the others."

"I'll be fine on my own. Won't be the first time I've had to find my way back." Ash dismissed his offer with a stubborn shake of her head.

"You sure?"

He frowned but made no move to stop her as she headed for the hotel door. Jay could still feel Tim's eyes burning into him as he fidgeted, forcing himself to stay where he was. He couldn't, however, hold his tongue and gave it one last attempt to change Ash's mind.

"Wait, you must be hungry, at least come get something to eat with us?" Their hesitation gave him a moment of hope and he pressed on. "After that we can go our separate ways."

"Are you going to keep asking questions? I already told you to stay out of this."

"Wish we could." Tim's mumbled voice barely reached Jay's ears.

"No questions. We're just... worried? You've been out for a while."

Tim had been about ready to take them to a hospital. Any normal person who found someone bleeding heavily and in and out of consciousness probably would have before several days had gone by. But Jay had been worried they'd be asked questions or get the police involved. They couldn't help them and the less people digging around places that thing in the suit lingered, the better. This was the most alert Ash had been and Jay was genuinely concerned if her strength would hold up; it had been a shoulder wound but she'd lost a lot of blood.

Ash was giving him a bewildered look, as if the idea that the pair of them held any concerns for her well-being was the craziest thing she'd ever heard. They cleared their throat, eyes darting downward at the worn green carpet. "Um, no... I shouldn't. Already wasted a few days. Who knows what trouble Ethan got himself into."

"Right..." The disappointment lingered in his voice.

"Thanks though."

Jay watched silently as the only person he couldn't tie back to the crew of Alex's film walked out. Ash had been a potential source to find more information. With how dangerous things could get searching for answers, it was hard to say if they'd run into each other again.

"This might be for the best. But you know... that advice might not be too bad to take." Tim said.

"Not until we get some answers. I need to know what happened to Brian... and Jessica."

"Well, let's just be careful. Don't want to get in over our heads."

Jay grabbed his camera with a sigh. "We already have Alex and maybe that guy in the hoodie. How much worse could it get?"

***

The proxy watched the apartment from a distance. It had taken Ash a while to return home since her last sighting at Rosswood hunting that Source. But finally she'd come back... Just in time for the gift their master had asked him to send her. He waited until the light went out before moving in, stalking the building as he waited for her to drift deeper into sleep.

Pulling out a spare key from his pocket, he slipped into the apartment and closed the door. A smirk appeared under the bandana he wore to hide his face at the sight of Ash lying sprawled out on the couch. They looked awful with the dark circles and paler than normal complexion.

"Source really did a number on them." A scoff escaped as Watcher inched closer, leaning over Ash, confident she wouldn't stir.

"You really shouldn't hesitate so much to kill people... things would be so much easier for you." His quiet words, even spoken within inches of Ash's ears, went unheard by them.

Two yellow eyes opened at his voice: the cat. Athena was loafed on Ash's stomach, staring back at him while giving a quiet 'mrp' of greeting before seeming to grow bored of his presence. Good. He didn't need the cat waking her up. "Lazy furball."

Watcher's gaze focused down on the jacket Ash wore and a frown wiped the arrogant smile off his face. This wasn't the normal black jacket Ash wore. The navy blue fabric was too big to suggest she'd simply worn a different jacket too. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was he overthinking it or did she receive help before getting back here?

"Sources don't help people. Let alone proxies."

He'd have to keep a closer watch for anyone else. Either they'd need to be disposed of or they could be kept around as leverage to keep Ash in line. After all, with this most recent failure, she might need more friends.

"Maybe a friend will help convince you."

Watcher pulled out the small box from his jacket's pocket and sat it on the coffee table. The cardboard was wet on the bottom, likely having leaked through after the object inside had been sitting and soaking into the material. He could feel the blood on his fingertips, which only made the smile return to his face. Oh how he wished he could stay and see the look on Ash's face when she found the gift.

Maybe he could witness it. The proxy chuckled. "...See you soon."