The Overcomer, Stranger Things

The monster and the superhero

Gwen let out a gasp as her feet were suddenly swept out from under her. The girl flailed her arms out helplessly as two vines wrapped around her feet and pulled her backward. She dug her fingernails into the floor, letting out a cry as they slowly scratched the hardwood while she kept being tugged back against her will. The Byers girl got the breath knocked out of her when two more tentacles sprouted out of nowhere and swathed her wrists before she was pulled back once more against the wall.

The 10-year-old struggled, her heart beating out of her chest, as she tried to get free from her bonds. She could hear footsteps slowly squelching toward her, causing her to wriggle even harder. A cold hand suddenly grasped her chin, forcing the girl to look at the person. Gwen's big blue eyes bore into the man that started it all, Henry Creel, otherwise known as 001. The first test subject at Hawkins Lab.

"You can't hide from me anymore, Gwen," he stated as his eyes pierced into her soul, causing the girl to stop struggling for a second. "Your time has come... to an end."

"Please," Gwen wheezed, not being able to breathe properly from the panic coursing through her veins. "Please, I'm not ready. I'm not-"

"You are," Vecna replied slowly as Gwen tried to think of some way to buy more time. "You are ready."

"Please," Gwen tried again, desperate at this point. "I'm only ten!" She began to tell random facts about herself, hoping it would distract him long enough for her friends to get to him. "I was born on January 21, 1976. M-my mom works at Medevial's general store and my d-dad is the chief of police." She shook her head as her voice started to shake and Vecna tilted his head to the side. "Hawkins, that's where we live. Their-their names and Joyce and Jim." Gwen's talking began to speed up as Vecna slowly raised his claw-like hand. "I have three siblings! Will, Johnathan, and El. I'm the youngest in the family. I haven't got to see them for a very long time."

"I-" she shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. "Please, I haven't got to be a normal kid yet. I just want to live. I'm not finished yet." As she kept talking, the girl didn't realize that the restraints around her wrists were slowly loosening. "Please," she hiccuped as tears fell down her face freely, nearly hysterical at this point. "Please. I'm someone's child! I'm a person!" The vines around her ankles began to unwind before breaking off.

"I'm a person!"

After uttering her last exclamation, Gwen let out a grunt when the vines holding her snapped and she fell to the ground. She wasted no time jumping to her feet before running over to the door. Gwen pulled it open, not even noticing that it was no longer the entrance to the Byer's home but the Creel house before stepping through. Gwen looked around, letting out a whimper when she realized where she was.

There was an unnatural red hue encasing the atmosphere, making everything more dark and sinister. The ground was slimy and it stuck to Gwen's bare feet and stained her clothes like mud. The air was thick and the small girl felt like she had to swim through it to get anywhere. Gwen jumped, putting a hand over her mouth to contain her scream when a flash of red lightning lit up the scene and thunder roared in the distance.

Gwen tensed, raising her forearms and trying to activate her powers when she heard footsteps walking towards her. A loud chittering noise filled Gwen's pounding head as she clenched her eyes shut and allowed the energy to flow through her. Blue sparks of electricity slowly came from the silver metal cuffs on her wrists, invigorating the girl. When she opened her eyes again the bright blue orbs were blazing with a fire that had not been in Gwen Byer's eyes for a long time.

She was ready...until she wasn't.

All the anger and malice seemed to run right out of Gwen's body when her eyes landed on the person in front of her. It was her mom. Her mom was walking toward her. She watched as Joyce tilted her head to the side a soft smile appearing on her face.