Stranger Things 3~ 000

Ch1- Tunnels

"Help!" I screamed, my voice shaking and weak.
I was nearly covered with vines, being strangled and trying hard to breathe.

Unexpectedly, they let go and started shriveling up and shaking. I took my chance and ran away, but what was the point? I was lost in these tunnels anyways.

I came to the center where all the tunnels met. There were flames left and right. I spotted one tunnel that had no sign of fire, so I ran to it.

There was a red gallon container with a spout at the end, the only modern thing I've seen in a while.

I quickly ran through the tunnel, noticing the lack of vines swatting at my ankles. I came to a moonlit hole in the top of the tunnel. A rope was left there along with a food wrapper.

Nougat...
I read it and shoved it in my pocket.
I grabbed the rope and climbed up, my elbows and knees were bruised and bloody.

At the top, there I stood. I soaked in the thought that I was finally free. I saw trees surrounding a field with decaying, orange spheres.

The land was deserted but I saw some type of tire marks in the dirt. I followed them and they led me to a street. I walked downhill and came to a small town.

It was quiet and dark, I hadn't seen sun in a long time. The only source of light was the moon. I came to some type of house.

I had seen this house before, in the underground. This time, it had a car in the front and a nice look to it. The door was closed, but unlocked. I walked inside and saw a mess. There was glass everywhere and a man laying on the floor, a needle sticking out of his neck.

I should have stuck to my instincts and ran away, but I slowly walked up to the body on the floor. I took the needle out and stared at him for a while.

He didn't look decomposed and dead.
I started to shake him, trying to wake him up. I didn't know why I was doing this, but I've been through worse.

He slowly fluttered his eyes open, looking around.
"What the fuck," he whispered.
My eyes widened; I didn't know what to do.
"Max?" He questioned, his voice getting lower and louder.

I crept backwards, and managed to get behind a chair. He struggled to get up, but groaned in pain. He massaged his head as he straightened his red collar. He headed towards the direction I had gone, carefully.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna to hurt you." He said as he saw me hiding behind the chair. I peeked out and he was standing in front of me with a hand out.

"Bad?" I asked him, with the small vocabulary I had.

"Me? No, I'm not bad." He said with a hurt grin on his face.

I stood up and faced him, he was wearing jeans and a deep red, unbuttoned shirt. He looked at me with concern and confusion, and I hung my head down.

"What's your name?" He asked.

I held out my arm, refusing to speak, and pointed at the imprint on it.

"A kid, with a tattoo! What does triple zero mean?" He exclaimed.

"Me. Zero, me." I said pointing back at myself.

"Oh okay, Zero... why are you covered in blood?"

My eyes started to water as I was overwhelmed, scared, and tired.
He noticed this and grabbed his leather jacket from a longer chair (couch).
He held it out to me and I put it on. He looked through some drawers in the kitchen, and pulled out a yellow food.

He handed it to me, but I just held it in my hands, not knowing what to do with it. He took it back and peeled it for me. I then ate it very fast, like a starving animal.

"Banana," He said, pointing at the food.
I nodded and smiled.

"C'mon lets get out of here before, um, well, just come" he stuttered, while opening the entrance door.

I followed behind him and he walked towards the street. We walked all the way to another house. It was dark and small.

He took a key from under a mat and unlocked the door. I followed him inside. He put a finger up to his mouth. "Shhh..." he whispered, quietly walking to another room.

There was a small bed and clothes on the floor. "Wait here," he whispered.
I sat on the bed while he walked out of the room. It smelled like smoke, but I didn't really care. He came back, "Okay, my parents are asleep, I want you to quickly take a bath... 'cause you're a mess." He said quietly.

"I can't." I told him.

"Why not?" He demanded.

"I don't know how," I said, turning away from his glance.

He walked out again and into a cold white room. It had a tub and a sink and a toilet. He turned on the tub's water for a little while, until it was halfway full.

He gave me a towel and a change of clothes.

"Here, these are my sister's, but you can have them 'cause she's a bitch."

I nodded and he closed the door. I slowly undressed myself and locked the door. I got in the bathtub and felt the warm water swallow me up.

I laid there while blood and ooze floated off of me. I closed my eyes and ended up in a black, empty dimension. There, I sat down on the wet floor and looked into the never ending darkness.

I woke myself up and realized the water was now cold. I finished bathing myself and dried off. After putting on the clothes, (that fit me too big) I took a look at my reflection. There I stood, my brown pixie cut hair, my dark eye circles, and  my pale skin. Yet, I was free and better than ever.

I walked out of the bathroom and back into the man's room. He had laid out a quilt and pillow for me on the floor.

"There you go." He said, already changed into a T-shirt and long pants.

I nodded and laid down. I tried to close my eyes, but once he turned off the light, my eyes stayed open for the rest of the night.