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(season two, episode one)
CANNIBALISMEXPOSES THE RAW EDGES OF HUMAN NATURE, showcasing the duality of our instincts; survival versus depravity. Prey or predator; eat or be eaten; the laws of evolution.
Having two choices. Going against your morals, the very thing that defines if a person is desperate enough, to do the heinous act of devouring another person.
Desperation.
It compels individuals to contemplate drastic measures in their pursuit of saving, revealing the depths of human vulnerability in the face of adversity.
And, God, was Astrid Reed desperate right now.
Her hands clung to the wheel as if her life depended on it, knuckles turning white from the strength she was utilizing. It was also a method to attempt and steady her trembling body.
Thoughts spiraled all through her mind. Millions of tiny bits of her past flooded Astrid's brain; images appeared; vanishing merely a few seconds later. This move had to be good, it simply had to be.
Astrid couldn't handle another place packed with losses and disappointments. She would argue her terrific humor and charming personality made up for her crippling trust and abandonment issues but for sixteen years she'd been on this planet and for sixteen years she'd failed people around her, over and over again.
The only people left in her life were her sister, Hayden, whom Astrid would give the world for without a doubt, and her bizarre uncle, Ben.
They were going to begin a 'new chapter' as her uncle had explained it. After everything that had happened, they needed a fresh start; they didn't exactly have a choice either, seeing as their options were this or ending up in foster care; the latter didn't seem as appealing.
The siblings had been forced to relocate to the mysterious town of Hawkins, where they were almost complete strangers to everyone and everything.
Astrid let out a hefty sigh, dragging her palm down her face, an unsuccessful effort to wake her dissociated intellect. She pulled the car up to the parking lot. Outside kids were heading to their appropriate classes.
Her gaze looked over toward the teen sitting in the passenger seat of their beaten-up vehicle. Astrid placed her hand on Hayden's shoulder, a small gesture to try and reassure the presumably terrified girl.
"You okay?" Astrid asked, receiving a prompt eye roll from Hayden.
"I'm fine," Hayden responded her fingers firmly enclosing her backpack straps. The older girl gave her a sharp glare. "Seriously, I'll be fine."
