fight or flight (a finney x reader)

4.

"Bruce? Bruce Yamada?" Finney questioned. There was a silence and a bit of a stutter from Bruce as he tried to form words.

"Yeah, I think I'm Bruce," he said, a bit surprised. "Your arm is mint, you almost had me."

"Oh my god, we're never getting anywhere," I groaned.

"Did the phone ring for you?" Finney asked, ignoring my comment.

"It rang for all of us, none of us heard it," he answered. "Only one has, and is still alive." Finney glanced over at me.

"And has that one answered?"

"Multiple occasions. It's hard to get anything out though so, they've never heard us until now." I nodded. "The Grabber can hear the phone, but he doesn't wanna believe it."

"Why call us though?" he asked, and Bruce seemed to think for a minute.

"Your arm is mint. You almost had me." I held myself back from slamming the phone down. "I'm glad it's you."

"That sounds like a terrible compliment," I muttered to Finney and he nodded in agreement.

"Finney."

"Yeah?"

"There's a dirt section of the floor in the hallway where the tile is loose," Bruce told him. "Dig down underneath the foundation, I didn't have time to reach the other end."

"Will I have enough time?" There was a static then it clicked off.

"I know what he's talking about," I told him and ran to the hallway, ripping off the tile.

"You cleaned this up?" Finney asked, upset. I looked back at him and ignored him as I started clawing at the dirt. "Y/N, you can't keep ignoring me over this." He kneeled down next to me and dug at the dirt with his tile. I continued to ignore him as we dug. "You know, I used to like you."

"Yeah, duh, we were friends," I muttered, throwing the dirt to the side.

"No, like, really liked you."

"What in kindergarten? That's dumb, everybody liked everybody, why are you telling me this?"

"I meant all last year." I stopped digging and wiped the dirt off my pants. I looked over at him, who kept digging.

"And why not this year?"

"Why? Do you like me? Because I sure don't after last night."

"No, just, why?" He stopped digging at the dirt and threw a tarp over it.

"I didn't wanna ruin anything between us, y'know?" he asked and I nodded. "I thought if I, a total loser if you couldn't tell, asked you out, you wouldn't talk to me."

"Ok, Finney, one, you're not a total loser. I've known you for the longest time and you are in no way a loser, and two, it wouldn't ruin anything between us. I just keep talking to you how I usually do."

"Well, it's too late for that," he said, getting angry again. I sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," I told him, getting up and walking into the main room (if that's what you wanna call it, it isn't a nice room). I sat on the mattress and Finney curled up on it, falling asleep. I sat there, staring at the door and waited. I just waited for it to open, so I could run out. I shook my head. Was this how the other kids felt? Waiting for that stupid door to open so they could be free? I watched as the door opened and I ran right past my dad, making it up the stairs as fast as I could. I rummaged through the pantry and grabbed anything I could, tearing away at it.

"Looks like someone's hungry." I glared at him, my mouth full and I swallowed quickly.

"Why?" I questioned him. "Why the hell do you kidnap these boys? They did nothing to you!" He just looked at me, with his stupid mask. I hated it. I wish I could just rip it off his face and burn it. What does he need it for? To hide his shame? Because damn right he should be hiding it. "You know, you try being stuck in that stupid basement."

"You can't interfere with anything," he spoke and glared at me. "and you know why."

"You know, that basement seems way better than you."

"Then go down there." I stood there for a minute, looking down at the stairs and back at him. "So I'm better than that basement?" God. I had to help Finney. I couldn't let him die after I watched the other kids die. I ran back down to the basement and opened the metal door, struggling a bit to push. Finney looked at me, confused as he was on the phone.

"Another call?" I asked and he just looked clueless.

"Did you just get sent down here again or?" He seemed suspicious of me, clearly no sign of trusting me which I understood.

"I'd rather be down here then stuck with that psychopath," I told him, as I looked at the open door. "Why hasn't he closed it?"

"I was told not to go up there," he answered.

"Oh," I said, knowing why. "yeah, don't, please. Watching what happened to the other kids, I can't witness it happening to another kid." Finney nodded as I walked over and shut the door. I say against the wall as he laid on the mattress, still wide awake. I looked over at the window then looked down. "Hey, what'd you do with that grate?"

"Paperboy told me to."

"Billy?"

"Paperboy is what he prefers." I nodded and sighed, looking up at the ceiling. I was always convinced this basement could collapse at any minute then boom, evidence gone.

"Hey, about earlier," I started. "did you really like me or was that just to make me upset along with you?" No response came from Finney and I looked at him. "Finney? Were you joking or no?" No response. I got up and saw he had fallen asleep. I nodded to myself and sat beside him, watching the door. It was messed up for me to watch the other kids die just because I never knew them all that well. I should've stopped it when it started. I wasn't going to let it happen this time.