[ 𝚂𝚞𝚗 & 𝚁𝚊𝚒𝚗 ] ~ 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝙱𝚢𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

XII - What is that?

"What the fuck is that!?" Justin yelped, stumbling back into Jonathan.

"Shit-" He breathed out. "Run!" He hissed out, grabbing Justin's hand and sprinting out of the hospital room they were in. The creature was right behind them, Justin could've sworn she felt it's hand, or foot, or leg, or claw, or whatever the hell it was, dig into her shin. 

Justin tripped, dropping Jonathan's hand, but she kept running. They must've gotten split up because when Justin dodged into a room and slammed the door shut, she couldn't see him. It took the creature all of five seconds before it melted and started seeping through the ventilation on the bottom of the door. She could see the door handle shaking and heard Jonathan yelling "Justin!"

"What the fuck- What the fuck- What the fuck-" Justin yelled as the goo of melted human flesh formed back into a monster. Its head reared at her before reaching up an arm and throwing her back into a wall. Her head slammed into the drywall once again and she yelped in pain.

Jonathan was throwing his body against the door on the other side. "Justin! God damn it! Justin!" He screamed. 

The spider thing screeched, prowling closer to Justin who lay on the floor. She pushed herself to her feet, scampering back into the wall as the thing stalked closer. It got right up in her face, opening its mouth and roaring. The door flew open and in rushed Twelve, Jonathan and Rylie. The creature's attention was stolen by the new presences and Justin was quick to get out from behind it and instead ran over by the other three people. The spider thing screamed again and Justin grabbed for Twelve and Rylie's hands, pulling them out of the room.

"Oh shit." Rylie breathed out, her eyes widening ever so slightly. 

"What the fuck- What the fuck- I'm never listening to you again about a story, Byers!" Justin yelped, tripping over her own feet as she stumbled back from the room. Twelve pulled her hand from Justin's, yanking her hand into the air in a claw like grip and heaving it like she were throwing a ball. Except, the monster lifted into the air and slammed against the wall. "Holy fuck-" Justin hissed, blinking as if trying to clear her mind of whatever fog was getting her so mixed up that she was seeing a ten year old throw a literal monster into a wall. Maybe she was on drugs. Maybe there were drugs in the air that some old person had used before keeling over in the hospital. The creature was thrown off one wall and into another as Twelve yelled. Then it hit the roof before being slammed against the ground. It started running toward the four of them and Justin didn't notice Jonathan step slightly in front of her as Twelve threw both her arms up and the monster flung back through the window. Glass shattered everywhere. 

"Go!" Twelve yelled, pointing down the hallway. Justin didn't hesitate to listen, running for the stairwell doors with Rylie, Jonathan and Twelve. They raced down the stairs before breaking out into the night air. The creature was a puddle of mush on the pavement, crawling its way toward a grate in the ground. Everything but a few bones squelched down, bubbling into the sewer.

Rylie huffed, pushing all three of them toward the car where Nancy sat in the front. Twelve, Justin and Jonathan all slid into the second row as Rylie hopped into the passenger seat. "Go." Rylie hissed out at Nancy, glaring at the brunette. 

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Word Count - 604

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Published - February 2, 2024

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