Strange as IT Seems

Chapter 77: Fractured Fears

The first night of November was cold and crisp. The excitement of the night before had dissipated into an almost eerie stillness as darkness engulfed the town of Hawkins. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves and a few crickets clinging on to the last bits of warmth. A moment of peace.

A Camaro stood idling next to the abandoned building bearing the name Brimborn Steel Works, headlights staring as if at something enveloped in the early morning hours of darkness.

Inside the empty place, the sounds of rusting metal settling and rattling disturb the quiet.

Suddenly, Billy Hargrove bursts out of a door that led to the lower floors, barely managing to kick something from his leg. He's dirty and bloodied from what he'd been fighting. Some noise follows him, as if angered by his escape.

Hurrying to his feet and letting adrenaline take over, Billy runs for his damned life, fleeing from the doorway and stairs that contained... something... something that had attacked him. Away from what lurked in the darkness.

Once reaching the frigid November air, he stumbles towards his Camaro, parked where he'd left it and still running. No longer caring about the smashed windshield, he gets in and peels out of the area as fast as he can manage, gravel spraying under his tires as he goes.

His heart racing, Billy doesn't look back... he can't look back because he might see it again. He speeds away until he comes to the nearest payphone on the side of the road.

Some... some kind of animal... he thinks to himself, running from his car to the booth, desperate to reach someone. Anyone!

He rushes inside, grabs the phone off the receiver, and frantically dials 911.

His heart races as it rings in his ear, something normal... a normal sound. He glances behind him, worried the animal had followed him.

Finally, it clicks.

A woman's voice says: "911, what's your emergency?"

He can't get the images out of his head. Being dragged from his car, down the stairs within the building. He could remember the sound of animals... rats. Then some kind of gooey shape and being unable to breathe as the shape went around his face as he fought for his life.

It wasn't an animal... Definitely not an animal... but what else could it be?

No one would believe his story.

The light above him in the booth flickers rapidly.

"Is someone there? Hello?" the voice asks, but sounds distorted, likely due to the electric interference.

The light within the phone booth suddenly goes out, engulfing him in darkness once more.

Hanging up, he glances out as his eyes adjust to the dark. He cautiously steps out of the booth.

The street he's on looks different. Identical in some ways but different. It looked like it had started to snow above him, but all around him are these dark vines that snake down the street. Something that definitely wasn't there before. His headlights cut through the pitch black... until Billy notices that everything around him is suddenly covered in a blue haze.

Billy hears footsteps approaching from up the street.

The world seems even bluer now. In the distance and sudden fog, a group of what looks like people walks towards him. The sky appears stormy, makes sense if it was snowing, but... something wasn't right about any of this.

"What do you want?" he asks, trying to mask the fear in his voice. He prepares to stand his ground.

Bravely taking a few steps towards the approaching group of people, Billy can hear his heart racing and his breathing laboured as he battled how he was feeling inside. He couldn't show fear in front of these people, especially if they were there to jump him. However, they don't respond to his question and come closer.