STAY AWAY.

13 : Fight

Baba O'Riley - The Who

Nancy grabbed the red phone hanging from the wall, and immediately called the reception.

"- It's ringing !" She yelled

We were out of breath, waiting for a sign of life on the other side of the line, but nothing happened.

"- Come on, pick up !" She yelled in despair
"- Fuck !" I shouted while rubbing my face.

The lights started to flicker again, and a hand smashed the door window. Bruce's head appeared and we yelled.

"- Hi there." He said manically.

He reached his bloody dance through the window and unlocked the door while I tried to think about a way to gain some time.

"- I'm here for you, Nancy Drew." He said in a playful tone that sent shivers down my spine.

He started to walk towards us and I grabbed the phone to hit him in the face, but he grabbed my throat to lift me in the air. I wrapped my hands around his, suffocating, trying to loosen his grip.

"- y/n !" Nancy screamed and tried to help me but bruce shoved her into the wall behind us.

As his grip was tightening, I took all of my strength to push my fingers into his eyes, and he groaned before throwing me across the room.
I felt my body ache, and I coughed hardly trying to catch my breath. I felt the shock in every bone of my body. As I tried to get up, i heard Nancy screaming for me to watch out.

I looked up and saw Bruce with a metal stool in his hands, ready to smash me, so I rolled over and he missed. He tried again but I rolled over again. That's when Nancy stabbed him in the back with surgical scissors.

He dropped the stool and turned around to face Nancy.

"- you bitch." He growled and threw the scissors on the floor.

Nancy was looking at him, terrified.

"- Nancy ! Run !" I screamed and she ran towards the door.

Bruce started to chase her, leaving me alone in the room. I struggled to get on my feet, my body still hurting like hell. I tried to help myself to stand up using the metal stool, but someone kicked it away from me. I fell right back on the floor.

"- Where are you going, pretty thing ?" Tom grinned watching me.

Tom lifted me up by my sweater and threw me on a cabinet; Fuck, that hurt even more. I was exhausted, but i had to fight.

He grabbed me once again, his eyes deep in mine. I kicked him the strongest i could, and he let go of me for a minute. I tried to run away but he grabbed my hair and pulled me on my knees in front of him.

He punched me, making me fall on the ground, and I stayed down, thinking it was over for me.

I saw the scissors in front of me. I grabbed them discreetly, and Tom crouched down above me. He wrapped his hands around my neck and started squeezing, making me suffocate again.

Suddenly, he stopped, like he had been hit by something in the face. Black blood started running down his face. He looked knocked out. I knew Nancy hit Bruce.

I took the opportunity to stab him in the throat with the scissors. Black veins spread across his face while he fell on the floor, lifeless.

I exhaled loudly, trying to process that i almost died. Suddenly, the operating lights started to flicker again, but harder. Tom's corpse started to shake like crazy. His skin and flesh were detaching from his body.

I took some steps back, horrified, watching Tom's body decompose into a big puddle of goo. It seemed alive, and moved away slowly.

"- Jesus fucking Christ." I mumbled to myself, unbelievably disgusted.

I started to follow it through the corridor, and i looked up to see Nancy on the other side of the hallway. The two puddles of goo were crawling into each other. The two gelatinous piles then met, and the lights went off.

"- Y/n ? What's happening ?" Nancy's voice said shakily in the dark.
"- I have NO idea." I said, feeling fear invade my mind.

The lights came back on, and we screamed as it revealed a amorphous fleshy monster. It was huge, and groaning loudly.

***

The monster blocked Nancy's path to me, and it started looking at her.

"- Shit." She said.
"- Nancy ! Run !" I said once again.

She didn't leave a second to run towards the exit door, but she couldn't open it. The monster was approaching her, while tried desperately to get his attention. But nothing would work.
I couldn't let Nancy be killed or eaten or whatever this monster wanted to do.

She finally succeeded to pass through the door and she closed it behind her. I clutched a metal rod, and walked my way towards the exit door. I arrived in another corridor, and noticed the human goo slipping into the room Nancy was in. Fucking Hell.

"- No ! Nancy !" i screamed trying to open the door.
"- y/n !" Nancy screamed on the other side of the door.

The goo was fully in, and I couldn't open the door, no matter how hard I tried. I started kicking in the door, but nothing succeeded.

"- Goddamn it !" I shouted still trying to open it, slamming my body on the door.

Suddenly, the kids ran towards me. They seemed worried of my state but I didn't notice and looked at El out of breath.

"- Nancy is inside, with this ... thing !" I said and Jonathan looked terrified.

El slammed the door open with her powers and entered the room. the kids seemed disgusted watching the monster.

She fought with it, and finally threw it out a window. The kids took off, and Jonathan ran over to Nancy. I looked at her and he helped her to stand back up.

"- Stay with kids, I got her." Jonathan said
"- Okay." I said running towards where the kids left.

I burst through the doors, and saw the little squad standing, looking at the goo slipping through a barred tunnel.

Nancy and Jonathan arrived behind us. The kids started asking what happened, and Nancy told her the story.

"- Bruce was flayed. He attacked us." She said
"- Tom also was, he tried to kill me but we stopped them. Definitely." I said and Nancy slightly smiled at me.
"- Thank you for saving me several times." She told me and I shrugged.
"- Without you i'll probably be a part of this fleshy goo." I said.

***

We were at Hopper's cabin, waiting for him to come back with Joyce. I tried to call home a few times, but Steve didn't pick up. Neither at work. I was genuinely scared. El was using her powers, in front of the TV.

What if something happened to him ? What if Billy flayed him ?

My leg was shaking while I was nipping on my nails.

"- Hey, you ok ?" Will asked, sitting next to me.
"- Well, we all almost died, I killed a man, and i don't have any news from my brother. So, i've already been better." I said sarcastically
"- Yeah, I know. But it'll soon be over." Will said trying to comfort me and I smiled slightly.
"- Do you think Billy will soon come back ?" I asked him.
"- If it worked for me, it will for him." He said and I sighed.

I stood up from the couch to go over to the kitchen where Nancy and Jonathan were flipping through the yellow pages, calling newspapers to get some informations about missing people.