Charmolypi [S.H]

Chapter Four

Author's Notes:

Steve and Reader's first encounter :)

A little intense, but oh well. Who doesn't love a good first epic encounter ?

This is a very long and kind of intense chapter lol (I got a little carried away).

A little more than 8k words.
Hope you like it :)

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You were running.

Faster than you ever had before, your feet aching as you pushed through, weaving past rows of trees. The darkness was impenetrable, making it impossible to see where you were going, your heartbeat pounding loudly in your ears. The smell of damp earth invaded all your senses, suffocating and primal.

You cursed as your foot snagged on a vine. Crouching down, you winced at the sight—spikes covered the vine, digging deeply into your foot and curling around your ankle.

A snap of a nearby tree branch alerted you to keep moving. Looking back down at your predicament, you let out a deep exhale before firmly gripping the root, your hands slicing open on the sharp pricks, and crying out as you pulled it off with all your might, tearing it free.

Getting back up, you looked around wildly, straining your eyes to find the way forward. You felt your heart stop, a scream bubbling up from your chest as you noticed a tall figure with glowing blue eyes slowly making its way towards you. The trees seemed to have moved aside, forming a pathway for it. You dashed through a bush, ignoring the sharp pain in your hands and leg.

It felt as if the branches of the bush were pushing you back, but you pushed harder , breaking through to the other side and landing in front of a clearing. The moonlight shone down on it, creating a circle of light that momentarily made you think you were safe.

Right in the middle of the circle stood a small wooden picnic table, where a girl sat peacefully, her hands folded in her lap, looking almost as if she had been specifically waiting for you. She looked to be about your age. Noticing you, she stood up, showcasing her little green cheerleader uniform. A sweet smile graced her soft features as she extended her hand towards you.

"C'mon, silly, we need to get going," she said, wiggling her fingers for you to grab her hand. Your eyes flickered between hers, noticing how the moonlight illuminated her strawberry blonde hair. "It's okay, you can trust me," she urged, noticing the doubt on your face.

You weren't sure what it was, but something about her green eyes, perfectly matching the green ribbon in her hair, made you trust her and take her hand.

The sound of another tree branch snapping made you turn your head around fiercely once more, fear washing over you at the thought that it had found you. A gentle squeeze of your hand brought your attention back to the girl in front of you, her features faltering momentarily before that sweet bold confidence took over again.

"We're okay. We'll have to be a bit quicker, though. Can you run?" she asked, glancing down at your bleeding ankle. You nodded weakly, and before you could add anything else, she started running, pulling you along with her.

She kept running, never once stopping, effortlessly making turns here and there as if she had done this a thousand times before.

She let out a sigh of relief as you both made it to the edge of the woods. Stepping out, you noticed you were in what seemed to be a trailer park. You couldn't shake off the feeling of recognition as you tried to figure out why the place looked so familiar to you.

Her hand still firmly holding yours, she dragged you towards one of the trailers. "My friend lives here. He can help us," she told you softly before ascending the small steps of the mobile house. The park was engulfed in an eerie quietness, everyone most likely asleep. The lights were off, casting shadows that seemed to emerge from both the little houses and the trees. You felt a shiver run down your spine.