Moonstruck - Stranger Things

Trapped|6

Dustin's pov

"This can't be good," I say for the 100th time, pacing the floor of Mike's basement. "We're in deep sh-"

"Would you shut up?" Lucas says in his normal sassy tone. I sigh and sit down on the couch, looking over at Will. He's just staring at the wall, like he's in his own little world. I'm pretty sure he has been for the past year now.

"Where could he have gone?" I ask, finally calming down. I've been through a lot with Mike, and he's my best friend. I just can't help but worry about him. "He's just seemed so much different lately, like he was moonstruck or something. And I think we all know the reason."

"He can't have gone far," Lucas replies. "Even if he's going insane, he still has some of the old Mike left in him. He'll have to realize what he's doing at some point, hopefully before he gets himself hurt."

"Yeah," I say, trying to give myself some silence so I can get rid of all the stress. I look over at the fort that still stands, and I'll admit, I miss El too. If I were in love with her like Mike was, I don't know what I would've done. I remember the first night we brought her in, and how much I didn't trust her. And then, one week later, I found myself crying myself to sleep because of her death. I don't blame him, because I would've gone insane too. I just want him to be okay.

"What do you think, Will?" I ask him, trying to get my mind off of the sad memories, and my growling stomach. I really need some pudding right now.

He is still staring at the same spot on the wall. He has dark circles under his eyes from little sleep. I'm still wondering when the light will return to his eyes, but I think he's too broken for that to ever happen again.

He looks up at me, and I see his eyes gloss over with tears. I see him shutter, like he just saw the demogorgon. One tear slips, and he doesn't bother to wipe it. For a second, I swear I can see a little bit of blood coming from his nose. And then he says something, something that changes everything. Something that makes my heart stop, something that makes me feel almost empty inside.

"He's in the upside down," he mutters, just loud enough for us to hear. "They both are."

. . .
Mike's pov

This can't be happening.

For a whole year, I was depressed, wouldn't eat, became insane, and started seeing monsters. I thought I had it hard, but for El, it was a whole different story.

She was brought back to the place that caused her to have nightmares, that ruined her chance of ever having a normal life. And they just tortured her and trapped her here. And now, I'm sitting here, with her asleep in my arms, wondering how we're going to get out of here.

There is no gate, and El opening another one would just cause more problems. Yes, she did bring me here, but she never said that she could transport us both back out. For all I know, we may be stuck here forever. I don't mind being here with El, but I know that we both will have to suffer every day that we're trapped here.

I stare at El's beautiful features, wondering how someone could have been through so much yet still look so perfect. I'm propped up against a tree, and she's laying on top of me with her head resting on my chest. She shivers even though she has my jacket on. I look at her closed eyes, and they start to move around. She becomes uneasy, and her breathing gets heavier. All of a sudden, her eyes shoot open, and she lets out a scream.

"El, calm down! It's just a dream, you're okay. It's just a nightmare." I say, grabbing her shoulders and trying to calm her down. She still squirms, taking short and quick breathes, and I just pull her in close. She immediately stops, and I stroke her hair.

"I'm here, you're okay," I say to her, and feel her tears soak through my shirt. She probably went through this every night, but had no one to comfort her. I wonder what she dreamt about, but I should probably not ask right now. I think that all she really needs right now is someone to comfort her.

"I'm hungry, Mike," she says, and her voice sounds so broken. I completely forgot that she hasn't had any food. Okay, so she needs two things: someone to comfort her, and food.

"What have you been eating?" I ask, wondering how she's stayed alive this whole time.
"Eggos that I found in a box," she replies, and although it's very strange, I decide not to question it. After all, I've seen stranger things in my life.

I grab my backpack and pull out a box of eggos that I brought when I was trying to find her. I hand the whole box to her, and before eating any, she pulls one out and gives it to me.

"No, it's okay El, I can wait until we get out of here," I say, attempting to hand back the waffle, but she just shakes her head.
"You need food too," she says, and she's right. I haven't eaten in almost a day, but I would have been okay, as long as she's here. I take the eggo without obliging, because I know that she really wants me to eat it.

After she finishes the whole box, which takes approximately 2 minutes, she lies back down and puts her head back on my chest. Before she falls asleep, I ask her, "How are we going to get out of here?"

She raises her head up from my chest and sits up. More tears start to come from her eyes, and I just keep wiping them off.

"We can't," she says, letting her head fall. "I brought you here, but I thought we could get out. We can't. I'm sorry."

I let tears fall down my face, and I look up at the sky. There are no stars, no moon, nothing that will light this place up except for the small floating bits of toxic debris. I look at El, as she still cries with guilt. I look around me, wondering how we're going to spend eternity in here.

IM SORRY GUYS OOPS
THANKS FOR READING
I KNOW ITS EMOTIONAL JUST BEAR WITH ME
IT WILL GET A LOT MORE INTERESTING

Lauren