"either way, we're not alone..."
In which Sophie Hargrove struggles to close off her heart, especially when she starts to let Steve Harrington in.
STRANGER THINGS
SEASON TWO - SEASON FIVE
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
***
(tw: violence and blood)
He could probably take one down. Two, at the very least. But more creatures kept popping up, all being led in by the delicious stink of bloody cow meat and human flesh. And they preferred their prey to be eaten alive -- they put up more of a fight. The monsters couldn't wait to lavish on the rushing, hot blood spilling from their veins.
They liked the taste of fear too, and, lucky for them, Steve Harrington was dripping in it.
From their temporary sanctuary, Sophie watched the creatures approach from all sides. They were going to do more than chew his face apart -- they were going to rip him limb from limb, tearing his skin straight off the bone. By the time they finish, Steve's remains would look a lot like the pile of bait the creatures rejected.
"Steve!" Dustin cried, jogging over to the front of the bus.
"You haven't been breeding them, have you?!" One was enough, but there were at least five or six out there -- maybe more? Their view limited them significantly, and the fog was too dense to see the ones on the ground.
In its time away from the others, Dart had formed some sort of pack, and like wolves to their prey, they snarled and grunted at Steve, preparing their strike.
Dustin pulled the lever, and the door flew open, its shutters crashed against the wall of the bus as he yelled. "Steve! Abort! Abort!"
The teenage boy whipped his head around, unsure which of the creatures he needed to be most wary of. Thick saliva dribbled from their gaping maws, their lipless mouths quivering. Steve steadied his feet, ready to make a run for it. The bus wasn't too far away, he could make it. But, then again, he had a sinking feeling that they wanted him to run -- some beasts enjoyed the chase.
Sophie raced over to the open door, Max following behind her. "Shit -- what do we do? What do we do?!"
Lucas descended from the rooftop, joining the three as Max asked him. "How many are there?"
"Too many!" he responded.
Steve's foot skidded against the ground, scraping some dirt into his shoe. One of the creatures sensed his slight movement and went in for the kill, charging at him. He rolled out of the way, landing on the hood of a dented car. Steve didn't have time to relax, narrowly spotting another sprinting towards him. His lower back slid off the metal, dodging the untamed beast and landing back on his feet. The car window smashed behind him, incapacitating the creature.
He straightened up, facing a third creature. Steve twisted his bat and swung, deflecting its attack. It splattered against the ground but soon found the strength to get back up. The others called for him on the bus, their voices overlapping. "Steve! Steve, run!"
They couldn't do anything to help him. All they had was a lighter and a few torches on hand -- it wasn't enough to fight these things. Besides, they appeared to be quite outnumbered. Steve could barely catch his breath, his muscles straining under the weight of his bat.
