Miss Perfect | Nancy Wheeler

Surgery + singing

Eleven leans her head back and screams from the pain. Your mind races as you think of what to do. A dark idea formulates in your head "what if we cut it out?" You look around the group seeing panicked faces staring back.

Your hands tremble far too much to preform surgery so Johnathan steps up "keep her talking and awake okay?" You nod in response as he vaults into an empty store searching for something to use.

"EL deep breaths" you say trying to soothe her, she doesn't hear you over her own screams.

"What's in there?" Max gags looking at the bump seemingly living inside the wound.

Robin rambles about how she once saw a girls knee break and six inches of bone came out, Steve promptly tells her to be queit. Sprinting back, Jonathan holds a large kitchen knife "this is gonna hurt like hell okay?"

El cries but manages a response "okay"

"Give her something to bite down on" you command not wanting broken teeth to add to the list of injuries.

John nods having thought ahead he hands her a wooden spoon. She takes it between her teeth and everyone holds their breath. Slowly he raises the knife over the lump "do it" Mike instructs.

He drags the blade down making a deep incision, using two gloved fingers he reaches in attempting to pull the thing out. "Jesus Christ" you groan but can't bring yourself to look away. Eleven is thrashing about trying to speak.

Spitting out the spoon she shrieks "stop stop it!"but Jonathan doesn't seem to hear her. Nancy pushes him catching his attention and he drops her leg. "I can do it" El whimpers pushing herself up on her elbows.

The smell of blood and iron taint your senses making you feel queezy. Reaching out a hand she focuses on the thing inside her leg and rips it clean out with more screaming. A slug like creature crawls across the floor from where it had landed. It reminds you of Dart when you had first seen him in Yertles tank except this one was made of human flesh. You're shaken beyond belief and can't move to stop it however you don't need to when a dark shoe crushes down killing it. Dragging your eyes up you see Hopper.

///

Everyone sits around the malls food court catching Hopper up. Mike tells him that the mind flayer built a monster to destroy El, his expression is stoic as always.

"How big is this thing?" He asks.

"Huge" Lucas interjects "and it sorta wrecked your cabin"

"Yoohoo, YOOHOO" a familiar voice calls out in the near distance. Murray?

"This is what Alexi called the hub" he says slamming down a sheet of paper. Who the fuck is Alexi?

"So what you're planning on waltzing in there like its commy Disneyland or something?" Erica sasses.

Murray looks at her astonished "excuse me who are you?"

"Erica Sinclair and you?"

"Murray... Bauman" he stammers.

"Listen Mr Bumman" Erica steps closer holding her pink helmet "I'm not tryna tell you how to do things but I've been in that shit hole for over twenty four hours"

"Im sorry why is this four year old speaking to me?" Murray waves around the group.

"Um I'm ten you bald bastard"

You snort out a short laugh earning an elbow in the side from Nancy.

Dustin steps forward "excuse me may I?"

Murray huffs but nods "why not?"

He draws circles on the storage room explaining that there's a ventilation system that they can use to navigate to the gate. "It's a bit of a maze down there but me and Erica can show you the way"