Into The Vale of Shadows // Max Mayfield

x. 007

chapter ten
007

     THE HOUSE OF Byers soon came to sight, and as it did, a feeling surfaced inside Raven's guts, a feeling that's telling her to get gone and go far away from the residence, far as possible. But Raven didn't give it a mind for she and Mike got off his bike and approached the house's porch, looking at each other as though communicating with their stares, debating who should ring the bell and announce their presence.

     I have a bad feeling about this, the voice within her uttered. She felt like backing out, but she fought the urge, she shifted from one foot to another, anxiously waiting for someone to make a move.

     "What if he kicks me out?" Raven blurted out.

     "You were the one to insist coming with me here, now you have to face it," Mike sassily said, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms on his chest, tapping on his feat and turning his head to Raven. "What made you think he'll kick you out?"

     "I don't know . . ." She just felt it, like that feeling knowing that you're in trouble and your mother finds out, that kind of feeling is what she has right now, it was too overwhelming that she felt like vomiting everything she ate from lunch earlier today.

     "I don't think he would do that," Mike suggested, landing his eyes upon the girl that showed a glint of reassurance. He raised one of his hand, as though giving Raven a pat on the shoulder and as he was about to land his hand on her shoulder, he moved his hand away, forming it into a fist sending it to knock on the door instead. With the same hand, he scratched the back of his neck, waiting for someone to open the door before them. "He's you're best friend, I'm pretty sure he won't be able to do that."

     "We'll see." Mike nodded at her as response, he was then about to knock again when Raven called for his name. "Mike," he turned to her, face resembling a look of confusion. "Will you take care of him for me if he does kick me out?"

     He looked at her puzzled, soon nodding as he mutter small 'Yeah's under his breath. "Stop over thinking it." Mike hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder, a thing he's been planning on doing. "He won't kick you out, I promise."

     "Okay, yeah . . . Yeah, yeah, he won't — he won't kick me out." He gave her a reassuring nod before letting go of her shoulder and knocking on the door

   A few minutes passed and they still stood there, no one has yet answered the door and the feeling from Raven's gut hasn't yet gone away. In those very little minutes that passed, the feeling grew and Mike slowly became impatient, he started pounding on the door, calling for anyone that might be in the house. Yet again, no one answered. A thud was heard from inside the house, building up worry inside the two.

     "Hello?" Mike called after another pound on the wooden door. Raven heard shuffling from the other side of the door, muffled footsteps that grew louder, as though coming closer to the door. "Will? Mrs Byers?"

     The door moved ever so slightly, followed by rattling sounds from the door's lock, and then it opened but not fully, just enough for someone to take a peek of what's inside or what's outside. Mrs Byers' head poked out of the small gap on the door, face ready to tell the unexpected visitor to get gone, but instead she saw two familiar teenagers standing on her porch, face softening at the sight of the two, opening the door slightly wider to slip herself into the gaps.