I'm frozen under the weight of 𝘪𝘵𝘴 stare. Not because the predator is probably imagining every single way it's going to kill and eat me alive, but because I'm not staring at a monster at all...it's Eddie Munson.
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𝘊𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯...
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Predator and prey. A game of chase, except this, isn't a game at all. This is life or death. It's almost laughable that I think that life is even an option. This is ending with me dying, but I just don't know how.
Even though death looms in the air, I still run. I run like the prey I am. Full of fear and desperation to live. A small ounce of hope fuels my bones to move.
Faster.
Run faster!
My breathing becomes louder as my feet move, the twigs and leaves crunch under my bare feet. There are no tears left to cry after I've used them all over the past few weeks being held captive by Vecna. I have nothing left. This is it. This is how I go out. Being entertainment for the devil himself. When Vecna says move, you move. You fucking run. Even if you know how it ends. It's either dying in the prison he created for me or dying in his game of fun where maybe —just maybe I can win.
I have no clue what's happening or who is chasing me. But I can hear it. The sound of movement behind me has my blood running cold. Whatever it is, it's not human and it's gaining on me. The last thing I want is to be someone's meal.
The illuminated red crack in the surface of the hell I've been stuck in catches my eye. A gate. The gate that will send me home, back to Hawkins. I've pictured it for so long as I rotted in the cage that Vecna held me in. The little prey that he kept fed, yet weak, ready for the day I would be used as bait. Well, the day has arrived. But, what Vecna didn't know is that I've imagined every single pathway to bring me back here. My ticket home.
It's so close. The hope in my chest blossoms. I can escape. I can go home. Be free from this tournament. It's right there! My feet push faster and harder now that I have my eyes set on freedom.
My heart is beating so loud in my ears that I can't hear the footsteps approaching behind me. I reach out my hand, desperate to touch the opening. A smile forms on my lips for the first time in weeks. Here we go. I prepare to hold my breath, imagining the next steps before it happens. I know what to expect.
Hold my breath. Jump through the gate. Swim through, up, and out of Lovers Lake. And then...FREEDOM.
This is it. I run the last few feet and jump! My body is consumed by the gate, the blinding red light surrounding me causing my eyes to squeeze shut as I hold my breath. A heartbeat later my body is submerged in water. It's cold, so fucking cold. It's a shock to all my senses. My eyes flick open in a panic it's dark, but a small white light ripples above my head.
The moon. My heart jumps at the sight of home. I have escaped The Upside Down and I'm finally home.
Almost.
Almost home, until I'm not.
A strong force pulls me back down, away from the surface of the lake. I'm backtracking. My arms reach out toward the moon as I try to kick my feet, but my right ankle is being dragged through the water. I panic as I see the gate coming closer. This is wrong. This is all wrong. I can't break free from the grasp on my leg. I'm pulled down further and further.
