MELANCHOLY [S.T. B. Hargrove]

36

I woke up nearly an hour later.

I jolted up off the floor, nearly headbutting Max and Lucas who were over me.

"He's coming," I gasp.

"What?" Nancy asks.

I fight to my feet as Max and Lucas scold me and warn me to take it easy.

"Mind Flayer.." I gasp, leaning over the couch. "He's coming."

"How do you know?" Will asks, gently.

Max rests her hand on my back. "Rocky, what did you see?"

"The army," I say, looking to Eleven. "Billy.. he was here. He talked to you."

El stands up with wide eyes. "You saw that?"

"The.. the thing. The monster," I gasp. "The one from the hospital. It's not just any monster."

"What does that mean?" Jonathan asks.

"Every flayed person.. They die and melt down into this like.."

"Goo," Nancy speaks up. "I saw that happen to Tom."

"Then, they merge together," I finish. "It's like.. combining the souls or bodies of everyone that got infected."

"How did you..?" Mike asks.

"I- I don't know. It's like I just.. I just know," I struggle.

"Like your body is falling from a rollercoaster," Will relates.

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Do you guys hear that?" Nancy asks, stepping to the window.

The room falls silent so we can listen to the booming noises coming from outside.

"It's just the fireworks.. The Fourth of July festival," Jonathan says.

"Billy.." Nancy remembers, looking at me and El. "When he was talking.. He was here, right? In this room?"

"How did he know about this place, though?" Lucas wonders.

A thought creeps up on me and burns my skin like an iron.

"Me," I blame.

"What?" Max asks.

"If our bond was strong enough for El to get in his head.. What if it was also strong enough for him to get into mine?"

"He crossed the bridge," Will says, remembering the analogy we used. "The Mind Flayer crossed the bridge between Rocky and Billy while El was getting into Billy's head."

"Oh, shit," Lucas curses.

"So.. that would mean.." Max hesitates.

Will slowly grasps the back of his neck. "He knows we're here."

Trees snap outside. I stand up straight and follow Nancy outside. The others fall behind just as quickly.

Through the dark, illuminated by fireworks, I could barely see trees waving back and forth. Then, the monster is visible.

Everyone jumps into action after that sighting.

We begin to barricade the windows and doors. Nancy and Jonathan search for weapons. Considering this was Hopper's cabin, there were plenty around. 

"Are you all right to fight?" Max asks as we shove a couch to block the door.

"I'm fine," I promise.

"You like.. almost died," she reminds.