My Year ~ E.Munson

\16/

PENNY-

Dustin puts his hands on his head as he paces. "Fuck, why does he have to go play the hero?" He says.

I look around for things around in Eddie's living room that I can use to make a new rope or add to the torn one so I can go back into the upside-down and drag Eddie back here by his perm.

Dustin continues to pace. I flip over couch cushions and pull out drawers, throwing the items inside across the room. I walk back into Eddie's room trying to find anything long enough to use.

I walk back into the living room and look up at the gate. It's too high for me to straight jump through but if I can get something tall enough, I can push myself through and back into the upside-down.

I look around trying to find something but this man has no chairs or even a step stool in site for me to use. By the time I reach him, he'll probably be dead. Dustin continues to curse under his breath as he paces

I turn around huffing and grabbing his collar and looking him dead in the face.

"Listen here you no collar bones dip shit. You're going to stay here. You're going to call my mom and ask her to come alone, and to bring an ambulance. Tell her to keep the siren lights off, and to take the back roads. And you're going to keep your ass here until she gets here, then you will come to get me. But if these bats are still around when you come down then you come back here and you let my mom come get us. Capiche?" Dustin gulps and nods his head.

"Do not come after me," Dustin nods again and I let go of him. I look at the gate and look back at him. "Give me a boost," Dustin kneels and pats his knee. I put my hand on his head and put one foot on his knee.

I bounce on my other foot, giving myself leverage to push up. I push myself up and jump off of Dustin's knee. I grab the edge of the gate and pull myself up. I do a back flip into the upside-down and fall right on my ankle, foot first.

I fall screaming in pain and Dustin looks at me. "Penny!" He yells. I give him a thumbs up and roll over in pain as I push myself up off of my hands and onto my feet. I look up at Dustin before I move the mattress back to the center of the gate. "Go call my mom!" I yell. Dustin nods and scurries away to the phone.

I limp out of the trailer and to the porch. I can see a big tornado full of bats and I can barely make out Eddie's figure in the middle of it. He's swinging around his spear. It's like him and that damn oar all over again.

I make my way down the steps and towards Eddie as fast as I can. Which isn't fast enough with my now even more fucked up ankle. As I get closer, I can see his figure better. I watch him get grabbed by two bats. One around his hands and the other around his neck.

He falls to the ground and I can hear him screaming in pain. I begin to limp faster toward him as he continues to scream. Picking up my pace, I get closer to him.

Then suddenly, all the bats fall to the ground. Eddie moves slightly but doesn't get up. I take a deep breath and run to him, pushing all my pain to the side.

I reach Eddie to see him barely moving and gasping for air, I drop to my hands and sit next to him. "Oh my god Eddie," I say as I look at him. His shirt is torn and bloody. He has bite marks taken out of his side. His face is full of blood and his mouth bloody.

"That bad huh?" He asks me. I pick up his head and rest it on my arm as I feel my tears falling. "No, no, we just have to get you to a hospital okay?" I tell him as I look at him.

Eddie looks over at me smiling a bloody smile. "No, Penny, we both know I'm not going to make it," I look at his wounds and I press my hand on any that my hand can cover.