Noctis Custodes

With the guy who was supposed to be tailing us dead, I’d thought we would begin moving again. But 330 wants to stay in Chicago for a while longer; make sure that no one else is going to pick up our trail. Keep our heads down, try not to attract attention, that sort of thing. We’ve already changed hotels a few times just to be safe.

“Safe” being a relative word, I suppose.

330’s still got me on her training regime. Since apparently she thinks being able to run seven miles is vital for this life.

I really hope I don’t ever end up being chased by something for seven whole miles.

Some of these runs take us by the Lakefront trail. There’s usually people out there, either working out like us or just relaxing by the water. Even a few families out for the day.

And when we went out today, standing to the side of the trail, head turning to follow a little boy as he ran ahead of his parents, was the Slender Man.

330 stopped running to watch it. It didn’t seem interested in us. The head steadily stayed on the child, as he stopped running to let his parents come back alongside him. The kid was saying something excitedly to both of them, and they laughed; none seemed aware of their observer. 330 was focusing on it with a hostile intensity; I on the other hand, was merely grateful for an opportunity to catch my breath. As I was bent over gasping for air, I noticed that 330 wasn’t the only one glaring at Slender Man. A young Hispanic man, maybe a higher schooler, was looking at it from further down the trail. Pointed him out to 330.

“Interesting….” She broke off staring at Slender Man to walk in the direction of the young man. “You know, we’ve got words for strange people who watch children.” She called out to him.

He seemed surprised at being addressed, and started to walk away without responding. 330 had to run to catch him, leaving me behind once more. She quickly jumped in front of him, blocking his exit. “Slenderstalked, for one.”

That definitely caught his attention. Looked straight at 330 and asked what she wanted.

“Just curious. I’m I-330.” She held out her hand.

He didn’t take it at first. “Is that a name, or are you just screwing with me?”

“It’s a name.”

Slowly, he shook her hand. “I’m Brandon…. You can see him too?”

330 was nodding when I finally caught up. Was trying to catch my breath (again) when 330 put an arm over my shoulder. “And this is Lisa. Isn’t she adorable when she’s breathless?”

Failed to fight the oncoming blush that happened, but did manage to mutter a hello. Brandon nodded in response, eyeing me suspiciously.

“Alright, so we ran into Slendy here by chance.” 330 said. “What’s your excuse?”

“I’m supposed to be observing it, and keep tabs on its current target.”

“Who for? The government? One of the paramilitary groups?”

“The Noctis Custodes.”

I quickly caught the change in 330’s attitude. Muscles tensed, smile started to show too many teeth, and her posture started to shift so she looked ready to pounce. Shit. She was getting ready for a fight. I started looking around for cover to dive behind.

“Ah, that would explain the smell of hypocrisy in the air. You people must be having a hard time finding members; I wasn’t aware that they were recruiting from grade schools now.” 330’s venom seemed to take Brandon by surprise for a moment.

“You’ve got something against us?”

“Oh, now what gave you the hint?”

“330,” I broke in. “What’s the Noctis Custodes?”

“A cult that sacrifices people to Slender Man.”

Brandon bristled at the remark. “We save people from that monster!”

“You kill innocent people following a stupid idea that you can satiate the thing.”

“We do what we have to in order to save people!”

“Um… guys….” Their shouting was starting to draw attention to us. Tried to say something to get them to stop, but they didn’t pay attention to me.

“Brandon!” A fourth voice entered the conversation, belonging to a middle aged woman, who looked like she belonged at the wheel of a minivan full of kids. “There you are! I knew I’d find you if I followed the shouting.”

Brandon’s aggression fell away in an instant. “Sorry, Miss Sieppe. I lost my head.”

“No need to apologize, dear. Just try to keep your emotions under control next time.”

This woman stepped between 330 and Brandon; 330 eased up, but only slightly.

“My name is Jane Sieppe. I see you’ve already met Brandon. We’re the Noctis Custodes in this region.”

“What, just the two of you?” 330 said.

“There used to be more of us.” Sieppe said. “An exchange went bad a while back, and until Brandon joined a year ago, it was just me.”

Thus far this woman appeared to be the only levelheaded person participating in the conversation. I instantly took a liking to her as a result. “What do you mean, exchange?” I asked.

She smiled at me. “You’re the girl who was asking what the Noctis are, weren’t you?” I nodded. “We’re an old group. I’ve heard that we go back as far as ancient Egypt, but I’ve always been fuzzy on the history. We keep an eye out for the Slender Man, in all its incarnations. And when we find that it’s targeting someone-”

“You sacrifice people to it.” 330 said.

Sieppe didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, you could call it that. It’s not a nice thing we do. We take a group of people, usually around twenty of them. People from prisons, nursing homes, or hospitals. Ones who don’t have anything left in their lives. Then we take them to the exchange point, and let the Slender Man take them instead of the child.”

“You mean…” I said, “you let him-it, you let it… kill those people?”

“Only rarely does it outright kill them. Usually, they just disappear. But after that, it stops following the child. We give up those without a future in order to save someone who still has theirs.”

“That’s… horrible….”

“Yes. It is. I don’t ask anyone to approve of it. But it’s the only way anyone has found that can save someone after the Slender Man’s taken interest in them.”

330 stepped towards Miss Sieppe. “You’re planning one of your sacrifices to save that boy back there?”

Sieppe nodded. “Yes. Arnold Brooks. Seven years old. Likes dinosaurs. Wants to be a basketball player when he grows up. Unless we do something, he’ll be taken within a few weeks.”

“You do realize, if you try to sacrifice anyone to Slendy, I will have to stop you.”

“Surely you see what we’re trying to do. If you stop us, the child will be taken. I can understand you’d disagree with our methods, but if you actually try to interfere… it will be the death of the boy.”

“Fuck that!” 330 yelled, lunging towards Miss Sieppe until their faces were almost touching. “Don’t any of you understand?”I’ve seen your conspiracy trying this for millennia, letting people die because you think you’re saving someone! Centuries of stupidity, and you still haven’t realized that it can’t be negotiated with! You can’t bargain with it, can’t satiate its hunger! If it kills a carload of inmates you got from the local prison instead of some kid, that’s because it was planning to kill those inmates the entire time! All you’re ever doing is giving up more victims to it!”

Brandon looked like he was about to start shouting at 330 again, but Sieppe held him back. She stayed remarkably calm for someone who had just been the target of such a verbal assault. “You aren’t the first person to think that. And I’m aware that it may be true. But this is the only thing anyone knows that has a chance of saving people. So we have to try.”

330 spun around and started walking away. “We’re going back, Lisa.”

Walked in silence with her until we were out of sight of the two Custodes. “We you serious back there?” I said. “About stopping their exchange?”

“Yes. I won’t let anyone sacrifice someone to that monster.”

“But what about the kid they’re trying to save?”

“I’ll save him. I’ll save all of them. I don’t care what any ancient conspiracy says to me. No one is going to get taken by the Slender Man. Not while I’m here.”

-Lisa