ANGELA [STRANGER THINGS]

three.

" ONE DAY, I PRAY, I'LL BE MORE THAN MY FATHER'S SON. BUT I DON'T OWN A SINGLE GUN "

—

The woods was a place Angela tried to avoid.

It's not that the forest was creepy or unsettling – alright, it is –, it's just that it brought back unwanted memories.

Angela could remember being in this very section of the woods. It was so long ago, and she was so young, but the memory was so fresh in her mind that she could almost feel it and see it in front of her.

She wanted to turn back. God, did she want to turn back so bad. Just hearing the leaves crunch underneath her shoes was enough to make her jump. Every time she heard the slightest sound, Angela could have sworn someone – or more specifically, something – was after her. But the thought of an innocent twelve year old boy shivering in the cold dark world Angela was so familiar with brought her back to reality and helped her persevere.

Even if this was a boy that she barely knew, Angela had to save him. No one took the time to save her, and she couldn't just stand by and leave Will to that same fate.

It was getting darker by the minute, and even though it was quite beautiful how the sunset shone through the tree limbs, Angela knew that once it went over the horizon, she could very well meet her doom.

Mumbling to herself, Angela turned around to head back to the tree line. She travelled a few miles out, having been in the forest since eight in the morning.

It was completely dark by the time she heard a loud splash. Looking over, she found the Harrington household. She was close to the edge of the road by now, but even with that thought, she still felt as if something was breathing down her neck.

Then it was silent.

Angela stood still in the clearing, looking around at the darkness that surrounded her. The breeze picked up just the slightest, causing a nauseous feeling to settle in the pit of her stomach.

She heard leaves crunch from behind her, making her turn around in fear. She saw it. It was just for a millisecond, but she saw it.

Without having to think, her feet took off in a sprint away from the horrid creature. The memories were almost overwhelming, but she continued to run, praying for her life and apologizing to Will over and over again.

In the midst of running, she tripped on a tree root, falling face first into the dirt. She held her arms out to break her fall, which could have been the worst mistake of her life.

Looking down at her bleeding wrist in horror, she became paralyzed. Dirt covered every bit of her, and the blood that dripped steadily down her arm contrasted against it.

"Angela?"

She didn't look up, her grey eyes still trained on the blood that continued to spill from her wound. Jonathan walked closer to her, his camera hanging loosely from his neck.

"Are you okay?"

Finally snapping out of her trance, she looked up at Jonathan with wild and afraid eyes. He then took notice to her wound on her wrist.

"Woah, you're bleeding." Jonathan let go of his camera, ripping off a piece of his shirt to cover her cut.

"No, don't," she hissed, throwing the cotton far away as soon as it touched her. "It's coming."

"What? What's coming?"

Angela ignored his questions, taking his hand and pulling herself up.