fight or flight (a finney x reader)

5.

I looked up to the Grabber standing in the doorway, looking over at me then Finney, who was still fast asleep. I just kept staring at my dad before he spoke.

"I know you're not sleeping." Finney sat up, looking at him.

"I'm starving." He held a tray with eggs and soda, his mask barely visible.

"Tell me your name."

"Why do you care?"

"I usually don't, I find out in the paper," he answered. "They always print a nice, big photo with all the details I could ever want." He paused. "All the things you boys lie about."

"What's different this time?" I looked at the grate and thought about smacking him in the head with it then we're outta here. Too risky.

"Oh, it's complicated, too complicated." Finney glanced back at me then my dad. "Everything's different, nothing's going right."

"You could let me go," he said.

"I'm thinking about it."

"I promise I won't tell anyone. You can blindfold me, drop me off in the street, and I'll walk home."

"Well, tell me your name," he asked again. I looked at Finney who hesitated.

"Taylor. Taylor Mullen." He stepped out of the shadows, having some sad face on his mask as he threw the tray to the ground.

"You know, there's still a witness, Finney," he said, a growl in his voice when he said "Finney". He threw the newspaper on the floor "I almost let you go." He shook his head and walked out, closing the door. I walked up to the door and looked at the little crack , opening it carefully to see the stairs. I looked back at Finney, who seemed interested and a bit relieved to follow behind me. I looked out and looked up the stairs. The phone started ringing and I ran over to it, picking it up. I didn't need it, but maybe in case the ghosts gave up on calling. I don't have their mindset. There was a static as Finney inched closer.

"Hello?" he said, and we both waited. Nothing but static.

"I think I might be driving them away," I joked and he looked at me. "Too soon?"

"You don't have much time." We both seemed startled by the voice. "The Grabber hasn't been sleeping. He thinks that this might be it. That he's gonna figure it out."

"Figure what out?" Finney questioned.

"His brother upstairs." The kid just started laughing and I sighed.

"Are you Griffin?" Finney asked.

"Who?"

"Griffin Stagg."

"Probably." He sounded very.. uninterested. "It's all a little hazy but I imagine you know all our names. Every kid does."

"I didn't know you."

"Nobody did." My heart sunk a little at that response and I glanced over at Finney. "You spend so many years invisible, and then every kid in the state knows your name." He paused. "You don't have much time."

"Why hasn't he killed me? Or Y/N?" he asked.

"Why would he kill me?"

"Why would he even keep you this long? You know how dumb it sounds for him to have a child?" he said. "Do you even know your mom?"

"No, she left after I was born."

"Did she though?" he asked. I looked at him and shook my head, going back to the call.

"Why hasn't he killed either of us?" I asked.

"Because you won't play the game. You have to play the game. If you don't play, you can't win."

"What game?" Finney asked, and my eyes widened. I looked at the door and sighed.

"Naughty boy? That's the game, right?" I asked Griffin.

"Mhm. If you don't play, he can't beat you and go to the next part."

"And the next part is his favorite," I said. "I would know."

"From the other kids?" Finney asked and I hesitated before nodding.

"Yeah, other kids," I muttered.

"What even is the next part?" Before I could say anything, Griffin just started laughing and we both stood there, confused.

"You. Don't. Have. Much. Time," he said sternly.

"God, he's like Bruce," I sighed.

"He's not been sleeping."

"Exactly like Bruce."

"Yeah, he's sleeping now though." My eyes lit up as I turned to the door.

"You can't get out though, there's a bike lock," I said.

"My bike lock."

"What's the combination?" I asked him.

"Isn't this your house?" Finney asked me.

"He never told me."

"Why?" I ignored him and went back to Griffin.

"The combo?" I asked.

"I don't remember." I groaned and pushed the phone to Finney.

"God, we'll never get out."

"How do you get out then?"

"He only puts the lock up depending on situations. If the basement door's unlocked, it's up there. If if's locked, I'm free to walk in and out."

"I wrote the combo on the wall," I heard Griffin say and I grabbed the phone.

"Where?" I asked.

"I carved it with a bottle cap in the wall-"

"Where?!"

"The one on the right, shoulder height sitting down." Finney grabbed his rocket and shined it towards the wall and started muttering to himself. He raced back to the phone.

"23317?"

"If you say so."

"Is it 23-3-17 or 2-33-17 or 23-31-7?"

"I can't remember."

"Griffin.."

"I can't remember! You'll have to try them all." I sighed. "And you have to be very quiet about it." I nodded.

"Thank you, Griffin, and I'm sorry," I said and there was static before the line clicked. I handed the phone to Finney and opened the door slowly, fitting between the crack in between the wall and the door. He followed behind closely. We saw my dad sleeping and we crept by him, getting to the door.

"C'mon, Finney," I whispered as he did combos quickly.

"I'm trying!" he whispered back, shouting a bit. The lock clicked and the sound of Samson's barks made us both jump.

"Go, go!" I said and pushed him out the door, running to find Samson. The gray dog was barking wildly as I bent down next to him, petting him. My breath was shaking as I heard the van start outside. "Damnit, Samson!" I cried, as he was growling lowly. I was praying under my breath that Finney had made it out, back home and the Grabber gone.