Radical | A stranger things story

37: Wounded

"He said that he was...building something. That is was all for me," El explains to the rest of the group.

"Is he talking about the flayed?" Max questions.

"He must be," Nancy says.

"So he's building an army just like we thought," Lucas says.

"Yeah, but he's not building this army to spread," Mike adds.

"He's building it to stop Eleven," Will states.

"Last year, El closed the gate on him. I have a feeling that really pissed him off," Mike says.

I nod, trying to stay focused on the conversation, but I can't seem to stop thinking about that strange man El mentioned when she saw Billy. She said he was around Billy's height, maybe a bit taller. She also mentioned he had brown hair. I want to ask her more questions, but I can't pull her away from the group again.

I look up to see El staring at me. I give her a small smile, and she returns it.

"Still thinking of him?" she mouthes.

Nobody catches it and continues with their conversation.

"Yeah," I mouth back.

She pats the spot next to her, and I walk over and sit there.

"Can you give me more of a description?" I whisper to El.

I look around to ensure nobody is looking at us, and she nods.

"His hair... had some curls, and it was kind of fluffy," she whispers.

"So he had slightly curly hair?" I ask.

She nods and turns back to their conversation about the Mind Flayer.

"He also said he was going to kill all of you," El tells the others.

Their eyes widen, and I can't lie I'm a bit scared too.

"Yeah, well, that's nice," Max sighs.

I hear a faint screeching noise, and I stand up. The strange man I was thinking about just seconds before has entirely left my mind.

"Do you guys hear that?" Nancy asks.

"Yes," I whisper.

"It's just the fireworks," Jonathan says.

"Billy. When he told you this,  was he here, in this room?" Nancy asks.

Eleven nods and I feel my heart drop. I know I have to face Billy again, but I'm not ready. I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready, but I'm especially not ready right now. 

I see Will reach for the back of his neck, and I sigh.

"He knows we're here," Will says.

We all make our way out of the house and look into the woods where the fireworks are being lit. We see a monster making its way toward us. It's bigger than the monsters at the hospital. It's huge. It knocks down trees as it makes its way toward us, and I shudder.

Nancy runs to the side shed, and I follow her. She looks around, and then I see a shotgun. She loads it, and we make eye contact.

"I know last time I had the gun, so did you want to..." Nancy starts.

"I mean- I- You know what? You take it," I say.

"Are you sure?" she asks.

"Yeah, of course," I respond.

We make our way back into the house and start barricading doors and windows. I grab a bat, and we circle up, ready to fight.

Things start to shake around us.