Song Of Mercury 2: Facing the music

A new proxy, Andy, hunts on his own for the first time. His heart races with excitement, from the chance to please Slenderman, as he enters a farmhouse. He sees his prey in the kitchen, a young woman who looks scared and confused. Her hands tremble as she reaches into her pocket, and Andy hears his master's voice in his head. "Be calm," he says softly.

Andy nods. He draws his knife, ready to strike. The girl doesn't notice him, and Andy begins to walk toward her slowly.

Suddenly, a young voice speaks from the hall, addressing the woman. "Mama, I can't sleep."

Andy strikes the woman, then turns to do the same to her daughter. But before he can reach the child, he hears an eerie song. He pauses, startled, and the little one runs to the barn.

When Andy reaches the barn he hears the little girl crying, but he also hears a feminine voice with a thick Russian accent. "I'll protect you, Rebecca. The proxy will pay for his crime."

Andy is frozen, unsure what to do. Then he hears the Russian girl again, closer. "Andy, come dance with me."

He sees a ballerina prance and twirl around him.

"Come, Andy," she whispers. "Let go of your body. Let me lead you."

Andy shakes his head. He's learned to have a strong will against anything that isn't Slenderman. He goes to the barn and finds the little girl. He raises his knife and plunges it into her. He hears the screams of both the little girl and her ghost friend. After this, he returns home.

***

Andy tells Slenderman of his encounter and his master is clearly worried. "You must be more careful," he warns. "She might have been a hallucination, or maybe she was sent by another being. Either way, you should not have let her go."

Andy feels a pang of guilt at this, but he knows his master is right. He tells Slenderman about the song he heard and his master instructs him to keep an ear out for any other sounds like that. If he hears the song again, he's supposed to run away fast. "It's called the Song of Mercury. It's a weapon more dangerous than anything physical. Don't even think of trying to kill it, Andy," Slendy says. "The song is too powerful. It would consume you in seconds."

Andy is disappointed but he understands.

***

That night, Andy hears the song in his dream, and the voice of the ballerina. She seems to call to him again, and he follows her through a dark forest, down a path lined with tall trees. As they approach a clearing, he sees a shimmering silver door standing open. He backs away, then runs. He has to get away from her.

Andy wakes with a start. He stares at the ceiling, listening. Nothing.

He gets up and walks to the bathroom. He splashes cold water on his face. "Slenderman," he murmurs, "you were right. Who is that ghost, though?"

"Her name was Sasha Lebedev. She committed suicide, rather than be killed by one of my proxies." Slenderman informs Andy. "If you ever see her again, no matter what, abandon everything. Run."

Over the months, Andy's encounters with Sasha become more frequent. He hears her sobbing every night. "I'm so sorry, Rebecca. I broke the one promise I made. I failed."

  He sees her eyes, one silver, one aqua, in every reflection. He lashes out whenever someone mentions music, or dancing, or Sasha. One night, he even slashes Wilson's face. He is breaking down, slowly dying.

One night, Andy sits on his bed.

"Andy, come dance with me!" Sasha calls.

Andy rises. "Is it the only way to stop this madness?"

Sasha nods and the proxy gives in. He takes her hand and his body collapses. She takes him away, and he dances at last. Forevermore, he calls out to the other proxies for help, driven mad by the Song of Mercury.