Through The Strangest Things || Steve Harrington x Reader

6. The Monster

"Nancy! (Y/N)! Where are you?" Jonathan's voice echoed around the atmosphere.

I was right behind Nancy, sprinting with her away from the monster.

"Jonathan. Jonathan!" I screamed, trying to pinpoint where his voice was coming from.

"Jonathan!" Nancy repeated. "We're right here!"

"Nancy! I'm right here! (Y/N)!" Jonathan yelled.

I stopped running, looking around a familiar clearing, and spotted the tree we crawled through.

"Nancy! Over here!" I called to her. Her ponytail whipped around her shoulder as she looked at me. The panic in her eyes lessened as she spotted the gooey portal and sprinted back to me.

As soon as she was next to me, she looped her fingers through mine. I glanced over at her and squeezed her hand before diving into the tree. The goo soaked into my clothing for the second time as I pulled myself and Nance through the tunnel.

Her scream almost burst my eardrums. I stopped crawling and turned my head to the best of my ability to look at her.

"Go go go go." Nancy used her free hand to push on my ass to shove me forward. I knocked my head against the top of the tunnel as I fell forward.

"Nancy, what the hell?"

"That creature thing is right there," Nancy whispered urgently.

My eyes widened and I tightened my grip on her hand. The closer I got to the other side of the tunnel, I stretched my hand out in front of me, breaking through the goo film covering the entrance to the tunnel.

I felt someone grab my hand and pull me out. Nancy's grip was slipping, and I held on even tighter.

"Hold on Nance!" I yelled in her direction. I felt her fingers squeeze mine in response.

Jonathan finally pulled us out, and I collapsed on the ground beside him onto my back. Nancy fell right on top of my brother, and they clung to each other for dear life.

I could hear a crunching sound, and lifted my head just in time to see the tree closing up, removing any evidence that there was another dimension on the other side.

+*+*+

Nancy's shower turned off as I moved the knob all the way to the right. I grabbed one of her towels and ran it down my body, soaking up all the water droplets.

I untwisted the small towel holding my hair up and draped it over the shower rod. Grabbing Nancy's brush, I combed through the tangles in my hair.

The sweatpants I had left here after a previous sleepover were covering my legs, and one of Nancy's big t-shirts concealed my torso.

I walked back into the room to see Nancy rifling through her drawers and Jonathan sitting on her bed watching her.

"Thank you for letting me use your shower, Nance," I told her.

She smiled at me. "Of course."

She grabbed a pair of baby blue pajamas and exited the room with a blank expression plastered on her face. I frowned in the direction she went, knowing that she was never going to be able to forget that monster creature thing.

"There's a thick blanket and extra pillow in her closet. It should be right there, next to the winter jackets." I pointed at Nancy's closet doors, gesturing for my brother to get the stuff I listed.