Bloody Nose {Max Mayfield x OC}

Pursued

    Hey guys. So this is going to essentially be like the first of two chapters that are going to close season 3. I tried to wrap it up in one, but this chapter it nearing 3000 words, and I usually aim for 2000 words per chapter. Also, I've been busy and struggling with my mental health so I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to finish this. Some things may be slightly out of order as I started writing this before I rewatched the last episode and I don't feel like rewriting what I've gotten down.

    It's a scary feeling, being at the mall this late in the night-or early in the morning-I'm not quite sure of the time to be honest. El is writhing on the tiles that make up the floor, the lights reflecting in the whites of her eyes.

    I feel my lip quiver as I watch the bulge in her shin begin to move underneath her bruised flesh. She begins to scream, her finger nails clawing and scraping against the ground.

    "There is something moving in her fucking leg!" I shout with grinding teeth, and my jaw grows sore.

Jonathan, who was originally knelt a few inches behind me, staggers to his feet and leaps over a table to a hot dog stand. Pieces of silverware clang and shift and he slams open every drawer, eventually clamping his fingers around a fairly-sized chef knife.

He returns to the group, the large knife gleaming in his hand.

"What the actual hell are you doing!" Max shouts, her eyes becoming a storming ocean. Her knuckles and knees were adorned with bruises, a mix of skateboarding and upside-down related injuries.

"I'm cutting that bastard out of her-THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING," Jonathan shouts, his voice cracking violently revealing his overall fear. He takes the shaky knife and lines it up with El's leg. "This," He says with a slight jolt in his voice, "Is going to hurt like a bitch."

As the knife is embedded into El's leg, the bulge begins to frantically squirm. She screams so loud my ears ring. I hold in a sharp breath, tears stinging at the corners of my eyes, a nauseating feeling catapulting around my stomach.

"YOU'RE HURTING HER! YOU'RE HURTING HER!" Mike screams at Jonathan with tears streaming down the sides of his face, his nose turning an angry red.

Jonathan stops, placing the knife on the ground with a cling. Everything is silent except for El's hysterical sobs.

"I can..," El gulps a breath of air and wipes away blood stained tears, "I can do it myself."

Suddenly, El's arm is raised above her leg, her fingers contorting in a tense manner. She screams once more, blood dripping from her nose and down her lips. A writhing tumor of purple and red breaks through the surface of her skin, levitating in the air for a few moments. Then, El violently jolts her arm and sends the slug-look-alike flying off into the distance. It eventually hits the floor with an echoey squelch.

    Foot steps ring out a few yards away, causing the group of us to immediately scramble to our feet. Mike helps El up just in time for four individuals to appear in the distance:

    One of them I immediately recognized as Steve, who I remembered from our theatre escapade when I first met Max. He was still even wearing the iconic "Scoops Ahoy" uniform. The blonde girl that had been working with him was also there, matching attire wise.

    Then there was Dustin who I had only met once, still wearing the colorful base ball cap as he did when I met him. (God, these people need to spice it up a little). Next to him was girl who couldn't have been more than twelve carrying a My Little Pony backpack.