The Fate of Hawkins; A Stranger Things Fanfiction

Chapter Six: The Monster

Y/n's POV

"Nancy! Nancy!" I yell and continue to search the woods. "Where are you?!"

"I can't find her," Jonathan claimed.

"Well she's gotta be here somewhere. Look harder," I order. Just then, I spotted Nancy's jacket on the floor at the foot of a tree trunk. I dropped my bat to the floor and got to my knees, peering into the hole in the tree. There was a weird web like substance strung throughout the hole, and it also looked like it was pulsing. "Nancy! Are you in here?!"

"Yes! Y/n I'm right here!" Nancy shouted.

"Jonathan!" I call out and wave him over. "She's in here!"

"Nancy, follow my voice," Jonathan instructed. "We're right here. Y/n and I are right here." At that moment, a hand stuck through the slime, and I grabbed a hold of it, tugging on it to pull it through. With Jonathan's help, we managed to pull Nancy from the hole, and she fell on top of us. She was covered in the weird sticky substance, but I wasn't worried about that. I was just worried about her. "You're okay, Nancy. We've got you."

.........................................

"Hey. I know you sent Jonathan home because you said you're okay, but I can stay if you want," I offer.

"We haven't had a sleepover in ages," Nancy pointed out.

"Then one is long overdue," I put forth. "So it's official. I'm staying. Can I borrow your phone to call my mom?"

"Sure," Nancy replied and gestured to her telephone. "It's all yours. I'll find some pajamas for you to sleep in."

While Nancy went to dig through her dresser, I approached her phone and plugged in the number for my house phone. I had known the number by heart since I was little, my mother insisting I remember it in case for emergencies. After ringing for a few seconds, my mother answered the phone.

"Hey, mom. It's Y/n. I'm gonna stay the night at Nancy's house. The two of us were going to get some studying done and maybe watch a movie," I lie.

"Sounds good," Marilyn approved. "Thank you calling. And say hi to Nancy for me, would you?"

"I will," I confirm. "Thanks mom. I'll talk to you tomorrow." That night, it was pretty easy for me to fall asleep. But when I woke up, I knew the same couldn't be said for Nancy. "Hey. Couldn't sleep?"

Nancy shook her head. "Every time I close my eyes, I just keep seeing that thing. Wherever I was, that place, I think that it lives there. It was feeding there. Feeding on that deer. If Will and Barb are really there, that means they're trapped. We have to find it again."

"You wanna go back out there?" I ask.

"Maybe we don't have to. When I saw it, it was feeding on that deer, meaning it's a predator, right? And it seems to hunt at night, like a lion or a coyote. But it doesn't hunt in packs like them. It's always alone, like a bear. And remember at Steve's, when Barb cut herself? And then, last night, the deer...it was bleeding, too," Nancy rambled.

"Hold on a second," I interrupt. "You're saying it can detect blood?"

"It's just a theory," Nancy stated. "We could test it. But if it works, at least we'll know it's coming."

"Honey!" Karen chirped and twisted the door knob, which was knocked. "Nance? Are you and Y/n up?"

"Yeah. We're just getting dressed," Nancy responded.

"Okay. I made some blueberry pancakes. They're waiting downstairs," Karen announced and walked off.

I laughed. "I almost forgot that your mom doesn't knock. Remember when she used to come in every morning and wake us up by banging on pans?"

"Oh yeah. I remember," Nancy validated.

"I really have missed this," I reveal. "I mean, we've been so busy with school, and you've been hanging out with Steve, so we haven't really hung out in a while."

"Maybe we can have another sleepover next weekend," Nancy proposed. "And we can pull out all the stops. Pizza, a movie, popcorn, candy, face masks, the works."

"That sounds amazing," I admit. "I can't wait. But first things first, we've gotta defeat this monster. So lets call Jonathan and get to work."

.........................................

"How weirded out was the cashier when you guys checked out?" I quiz as Jonathan and Nancy exited the Army Surplus store.

"Pretty weirded out," Jonathan answered. "He asked what we were doing with all of this stuff, and you know what Nancy's answer was? Monster hunting."

I chuckled. "What? Seriously?"

"It's the first thing that came to mind," Nancy confessed.

"Hey, Nance! Can't wait to see your movie!" a teen commented as he drove past in his car. 

"What the hell was that?" Jonathan questioned.

Nancy shrugged. "I don't know."

"Uh, guys? Look," I direct and point to the movie theater down the block. Written in red paint on the marquee were the words 'Starring Nancy The Slut Wheeler'. "Who the hell wrote that?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Nancy declared and jogged across the street. Jonathan and I were right behind her, and we followed her to the side of the theater. There, spray painting more words on the wall were Steve, Tommy, Carol, and Nicole. Nancy stalked right over to them, and without a second thought, she smacked Steve across the face. "What is wrong with you, Steve?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Steve countered. "I was worried about you. I can't believe that I was actually worried about you."

Nancy frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I wouldn't lie if I were you. You don't want to be known as the lying slut now, do you?" Steve implored.

"It's official. I'm gonna kill him," I mutter to Jonathan and walk over to join Nancy.

"Speaking of the other devil," Tommy said.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Harrington? You told me the other day that you were trying to win Nancy back. I gave you advise," I bring up. "What happened to that?"

"Oh, I apologized, just like you said I should. And it worked. But then I saw her with Jonathan last night in her room," Steve explained.

"Well, whatever you saw, it's not what it looked like," Nancy claimed. "We were just..."

"Finish that sentence," Steve demanded and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's right. You can't. Go to hell, Nancy."

"Come on, Nancy," Jonathan urged. "Let's just leave."

"You know what, Byers? I'm actually kind of impressed," Steve shared. "I always took you for a queer, but I guess you're just a little screw-up like your father. I mean, your house is full of screw-ups. You know, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. With you and your mom...I'm not even surprised what happened to your brother."

I scoffed. "Really? Brining up his brother? You're such a dick, Harrington."

"I'm sorry I have to be the one to tell you, Jonathan, but the Byers, their family, it's a disgrace to the entire-" Steve didn't even get to finish his sentence, because Jonathan whipped around and punched him right across the face. And of course, being the teenage boy that he is, Steve came back by tackling Jonathan to the ground. The two exchanged a few punches, and as they did, the sound of police sirens hit my ears.

"Shit!" I curse and turn to Nancy. "My mom will kill me if she finds out I was somewhat involved in this."

"It's okay. I'll handle this," Nancy assured me. "Get home. I'll call you later."

"Got it. Talk to you later, Nance!" I call out and rush out of the alleyway.