𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖑 || 𝘀. 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

S1E6: The Monster

My adrenaline induced body instinctively chooses flight in this fight or flight situation. My vision tunnels. Everything around me is a blur. The only sound I hear over my pounding heartbeat is Nancy screaming for Jonathan.

Both of us panic. We run farther and farther, getting turned around and lost. But we have to get away. We have to get out of here. Or else we'll die.

"Jonathan!" Nancy screams. Neither of us stop for a second, too afraid that if we did we'd get eaten.

There's a far away, echoey voice that belongs to Jonathan. He shouts our names.

"Where is he!?" I yell, on the verge of tears from fear.

"Nancy!?"

"Jonathan!" She yells through her heavy panting, looking around wildly.

"He's got to be here!" I say. "Jonathan!?"

"Jonathan, we're right here!" She screams.

"I'm right here!" His voice says. "I'm right here! Just follow my voice!"

We take off in the direction of his voice. He keeps talking. "Just follow my voice, y/n and Nancy! I'm right here!"

Red lightning streaks across the sky. We walk around a cluster of trees, still searching for Jonathan, when we're met with the monster. It stands way taller than us on two legs. Its head turns to us and it snarls.

Again, we take off running.

My calves burn, feeling like they're going to give out at any moment. Running isn't something I was made to do, I hate running—but here I am, running for my life.

Nancy grabs my jacket and pulls me behind a tree with her. Our backs are firmly pressed to the cold bark, the ridges digging into my spine more with each heavy breath I take.

From behind us, the thing lets out a low growl, on the prowl for us. Its heavy footsteps seem to shake the ground.

I hold my breath, tightly screwing my eyes shut and biting down on my bottom lip so hard the metallic taste of blood taints my tongue. Nancy keeps a firm grip on my hand as if I'm the only thing keeping her grounded.

The monster grows closer. Its low grumbles come from the other side of our tree.

"Follow my voice. Y/n, Nancy, follow my voice!" Jonathan's voice comes from the tree to our right.

The monster lets out a loud bellow, but sounds like it's farther from us now. Nancy and I meet eyes and she mouths the word, go. We run to the tree and drop to our knees in front of the hole. I push her in first. She starts crawling through quickly and I follow behind her.

Heavy footsteps sound from behind us, the monster charging at the tree. The dirt beneath my hands shake. "Nancy, go!" I scream. "It's coming!"

She breaks through a thick layer of goo and rolls out of the tree and right into Jonathan's arms. I tumble out next. She lies on his chest, panting heavily while he cradles her. I sit up and look at the hole we just came through, still hearing the low rumbling from the beast on the other side.

The mucousy membrane begins healing over. The bark on the tree shifts around until the hole completely disappears, leaving the tree looking like the portal never existed.

I am in way over my head now.

The three of us head back to Nancy's house. Since none of us are too keen on being separated right now after that, a sleepover is the mutual agreement.

Nancy attempts to climb up the side of her house first, not wanting to wake her family and them find out she's been out past curfew. She seems to know where the footholds are as she scales the walls, making me wonder if either she's done this before... or has seen someone else do it. I climb up next, then lastly Jonathan.