Moonstruck - Stranger Things

Darkness|3

I pedal to school faster than what should be humanly possible. My mind keeps telling me that monsters are chasing me, that I need to get out of here. Another part of my mind tells me that I'm going insane. I feel the sweat poor down my face, and I taste the saltiness of it as it soaks in past my lips. Tears emerge from my eyes. A scream threatens to escape. Monsters are all around me. Everywhere I look, I see nothing but pure nightmare. It's like the demons in my head have escaped, come to life, and are now after me.

When will this stop?

When I get to school, I spot my friends in our usual spot by the big oak tree. I jump off my bike and let it crash to the ground, not bothering to park it. I come up to them, and they all just stare at me in shock.

"Dude, you look like you've just been chased by a monster and thrown into a pool. What happened?" Dustin asks with a slightly worried expression on his face. Will and Lucas look me up and down. I can't look that bad, can I? I look down, and see that my clothes are completely drenched in sweat. I knew I was sweating, but I didn't know that it was enough to cause a tsunami. The different parts of my mind fight on what I should reply to them, and I decide that I should just try to relax and let he words flow out of my mouth.

"I was actually chased by monsters, tons of them. They were after me, and my family is still at home. Maybe they are trying to capture us, like they did to will. We- we have to move now. We have to go, before they kill us all. Come on guys!" I say, beginning to run away from the rest of the boys. They don't follow. Why aren't they following. They're in danger, we have to save our families. We have to save ourselves. We hav-

We don't have to save anyone. This is all just my wicked mind playing tricks on me. I can't listen to it. They are not in any trouble.

Yes, they are. We're all going to get killed.

Mike, focus. Does any of this seem real to you?

Save your friends, Mike! This is your chance to be a hero.

I strain myself hard enough to push the voiced to the back of my head, where I can still feel the pain, yet hear nothing but small mumbles. I try to sound normal as possible. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm just joking. Let's get to class," I say, turning around. They all look at me with confused expressions, and I'm a bit confused myself. I turn around and walk towards the school doors before they can say anything else. The voices in my head start to slowly make their way back to the front of my mind, where I can hear everything they say pound up against my skull. It's painful, not as painful as losing El, but it comes close. All I know now is that whatever is happening to me has no diagnosis. I'm not sure I'll be able to fix it, not without El.

"Please, God," I silently pray. "Make it stop. I don't know if I can handle this anymore."

Classes go by, and all I do is sit and stare blankly at the wall. None of the teachers seem to care, because none of the 8th grade teachers are anything like Mr. Clarke. I guess it's good, or else I would be forced to pay attention. And that's something that I really don't feel like doing today.

I try to avoid my friends as much as possible. I don't want to have another attack of whatever disease I have in front of them. They'll ask too many questions, and probably get scared. It's probably best if I just keep the dark and changing thoughts to myself. I don't want to drag my friends into this like I did my sister. They've been through a lot, and they lost El too. Even though she meant a lot more to me, she was still a friend to them.  They deserve better than to be worrying about what's going on in my sad life. My friends mean a lot to me, and I don't deserve them. It would be best if I just stayed out of their lives for now. So, today, I sit alone in the empty Audio Visual room as I eat my lunch. I spend free period in here too, with the door locked and the lights turned off. We haven't really had any AV club meetings since the night Will came back and El left, and I don't think that we'll ever have a meeting again for that matter.

The only time I'm fully aware throughout the whole day is when the bell rings, and I'm set free. The entire school begins to flood out of classrooms, and I feel myself growing anxious. I look around, and I'm suddenly met with some students having faces of things I can't even describe.  They look like monsters. I'm surrounded by monsters.

I start seeing little dots floating everywhere. I begin to feel dizzy. I see the doors, and as soon as I step outside, my vision goes black and I am met with the un-welcoming ground.

. . .

"Mike, wake up. Please man, you can't just pass out and leave us like this," I hear from Lucas. I open my eyes, and notice that were under the oak tree again. I recall everything that I've seen, and my demons start to argue again. "No, no..." I mutter, grabbing my head and closing my eyes. No one says a thing. They must all be so confused.

And that's when I start to reach my breaking point. The voices in my head are now releasing heart-wrenching screams. I cry out in pain, grabbing my head. "Get out of me!" I scream. "Please..."
I don't know what's happening now, but all I know is that there was so much for trying not to drag my friends into this. I get a glimpse of each one of their faces, as well as the small gathering of concerned students around us. Dustin looks more worried than I've ever seen him, Lucas looks shocked, and Will just looks scared. I try to calm my breathing, wanting to reassure them. The beating dies down.

"I can't do it anymore, guys," I say, and my head begins to pound again.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
It's like someone is in there, banging on my skull with a sledge hammer. It keeps getting worse, and before I can react, it turns into a wrecking ball.

"Oh god, help me!" I scream. "What is happening-"
I feel blood emerge from my ears. My brain feels like it could implode any second.

And that's when I hear her voice.

Everything goes dark. I hear the frail yet beautiful sound, that is so familiar, yet has changed so much over time. I know that voice, but it is different than I've ever heard before. Her voice is so unique, so delicate, so perfect. It's nothing I could ever make up in my mind. That is how I know this is real.

"Mike, I'm here. I'm alive. Come find me."