Curious [Nancy Wheeler X Oc]

-9-

(a/n: hey y'all. long time no see, but i'm back and better than ever ig)

Jonathon's house was smaller than Lydia would've imagined- not that that was a bad thing, per say. But as he stopped the car in the drive away, she couldn't help but take in the one story curiously. It showed obvious damage from the doings of Joyce the year prior and the paint peeled in the way that gave away its age.

Nancy and Jonathon got out of the car first, barely leaving Lydia to stumble out of her seat and catch up. They were always in a rush somewhere and she grumbled as her hands found their way into her pockets. One of these days they were gonna accelerate a little too much and she would be left alone in their dust. The thought twisted her stomach in an uneasy way.

"What are we doing at your place, anyways? Literally neither of you have told me a single plan this whole time and it's really starting to piss me-" Lydia was cut off as she slammed into Nancy's back with a yelp. Nancy said nothing at first, hardly noticing the impact of the sudden collision. Lydia pushed her shoulder, irritated. She still got no reaction.

She took a step back and opened her mouth to say something else, but Nancy interrupted her. "What...is all of this?" She asked Jonathon softly, taking cautious steps into the living room. Lydia followed as equally slow.

The walls were covered in printer paper, the wax of crayons scribbled in random patterns and shapes throughout. It looked as if a child drew them, but everything was taped together into strange shapes and pieces. Lydia could feel her jaw dropped and caught herself, closing it again. "Holy shit." It was the only thing she felt she could say. It looked like a giant jigsaw puzzle had exploded into the room, and it spread from the main living room down the hallway to what Lydia presumed where the bedrooms.

"I don't know," Jonathon replied, turning on his heels and running towards the hallway near the end of the room. "Mom? Will?" His voice rang out and Lydia jumped at its pitch, her head still throbbing softly around her inevitable hangover. He disappeared into a room at the end of the hall, leaving Nancy and Lydia in alone in the front. Nancy moved towards the dining room, as it held the only light source in the dark house.

They glanced at one another in confusion, Lydia shrugging and spinning a finger around her ear. The joke fell flat as Nancy turned from her, craning her neck to get a better view into the room Jonathon had disappeared into.

Lydia broke the still between them first, finding her footing as she stalked down the hallway. "Jonathon? You okay, man?" She called out, turning slowly into the room. Posters hung over the walls, and a big stereo sat beneath the window. A cassette tape had been abandoned within it, and the bed was left unmade. Lydia came to the quick realization this was Jonathon's room- it felt oddly personal to take it in this way.

Jonathon stood silently, hardly acknowledging her new presence, another piece of paper in his hands. From what the light shone on, Lydia could make out a vague figure with a deep set face and many arms, or legs, sticking from it. It was almost like a human spider of sorts. She pulled her hands further into the sleeves of Steve's hoodie. "Creepy," she whispered as she moved beside him.

As she took a step, she felt something crack beneath her feet. Both her and Jonathon jumped, and he stared down at the ground. Lydia immediately jumped to apologize but Jonathon hardly stood to hear it. Before she could get the word "sorry" out he had scooped up the piece and walked back out of the room. Lydia followed, confused and eerily aware she shouldn't stay in his room alone.

"I don't shoot polaroid," Jonathon announced, holding up the piece so Nancy could see more clearly. She was stood at the dining room table, staring blankly now, the light casting a yellow glow on her sharp face. "What?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed. "It's not mine," Jonathon explained further, tossing the piece onto the table between them. Lydia moved to the head of the table, leaning against the back of a chair for support. She glanced between Jonathon's panicked expression and Nancy's that held confusion. 

"Someone else has been here."