Unnatural Disaster #wattys2018

Panic

Okie doke my dudes this chapter has been edited. July 2020
*WARNING* graphic description/ mentions and references of violence, abuse, and blood.
     Steve shot up in a panic. He didn't bother for a light switch, sprinting down the hall, scurrying blindly down the stairs.
     "Steve!" the voice cried again rapid pounding echoing in the quiet foyer. He thought he recognized it, the voice. He nearly hit the door ripping it open. The sharp biting wind rushing in making him shudder. The frantic redhead with freshly bruised knuckles stared up at him anxiously. He had never seen her so panicked, tears in her eyes.

     He hadn't realized she was speaking to him all he could see were her wounds.
     "Jeez max what happened? did Billy do this to you?" Steve found himself completely awake now, not that he slept well in the first place.
     "No Steve-" Max protested.
     "Where is he?" Steve could feel this wave wash over him fear maybe, adrenaline.
     "Steve! We need to help him," her voice sharp drawing his attention back to her face.
     "Neil's gonna kill him!" She began pulling him to the car by his wrist. He barely shut the door behind him.
     "Okay, okay," he tried wrapping his head around the situation.
They ran down the driveway max dragging him to billy's car that was wildly parked halfway off the curb, door wide open.
     "Jesus, You drove here?" he pressed slamming the car door behind him. She ignored him clicking her seatbelt on. He tossed the gear into drive and it wasn't until then he realized he had no shoes.
    
      He looked over to her as they made the first curve in the long road and audibly winced at the forming bruises on her neck and temple. Steve thought back to the day on billys porch.
     "T-this... Neil did this?" Steve thought aloud.
     Steve was starting to piece things together as the small redhead next to him dug her fingernails into her knees. He gunned it down the road hitting gravel at the curve.
     "Did you call the police?" Steve asked with more urgency than he would have liked. Calm Harrington.
     "He.. We didn't have time he.. He told me to go I didn't know where to go so I remembered you-" her voice shook prompting Steve to put a consoling hand on her shoulder. He stroked her cheek with his thumb not taking his eyes off the road. It had begun to rain but his fear of the situation made him throw caution to the wind and he sped up the car.
     Max was shaking under his touch he tried to be as comforting as possible. She wasn't crying but she was shaking almost vibrating she was scared and angry and now so was Steve taking in her wounds every glance he could spare. He squeezed her shoulder putting his hand back on the wheel.
     "We need to hurry Steve," Max whispered almost under her breath.
     "I'm going as fast as I can babe but we'll be no help to him if we're dead," Steve chuckled. She let out a nervous giggle and sighed staring at her feet.
     "I'm sorry I dragged you into this," she said solemnly.
     "No, no it's okay I told you if you ever needed anything I would be there. Here I am," He grinned breifly
"Thanks," she smirked but it quickly faded.
     It was tense silence the rest of the way serging with nervous energy as he focused on the road and hoped nobody would be coming the opposite direction.
     Steve whipped the car Into the hargrove driveway, nearly taking out the mailbox. The front door was open and before he could put the gear in park max flew from the car.
     "Max! wait max!" Steve called as she disappeared into the house.
Steve fumbled with his seat belt collapsing out of the car onto the gravel. He launched himself up sprinting to the house and stopped in their kitchen unsure where to go.
There was broken glass and ceramics covering the floor, blood splatter here and there no sign of anyone. furniture was flipped over the fireplace still burning and the phone ripped from its place on the wall. Shit.
     "Max!" Steve, called horsley.
     "Steve!" He could hear the tears in her voice. shit. He stumbled over a broken table in the hall and he froze in the doorway of a small room as he took in the sight. The overwhelming feeling of fear and making him heave in a breath.
     "Oh my god," he muttered.
Max sat on her knees cradling billy's head in her hands. Billy laid there, still and covered In his own blood still. His face nearly unrecognizable bleeding and swollen turning purple. Steve rushed over dropping to his knees beside her.
     "Okay, okay, max? Hey max!" He cradled her cheeks trying to calm himself more than her in the moment as his hands began to shake.
     "Go get me some towels and something to tie it up with". She sobbed rising from the ground running from the room.
     Steve stared down at what he assumed was Billy's dead body. He took some shaky uneven breaths as he reached to take a pulse his freezing pale fingers pressing the equally as pale skin on Billy's neck. It was there. Steve sighed or nearly sobbed in relief taking in Billy's wounds. He would have cried if he could have but something was stopping him. Billy's jaw layed awkwardly most likely broken. His eye swollen shut the other covered in red from the gash above it. Billy's arm curved at an unnatural angle and a shard of glass stuck deeply into his right thigh blood speedily leaking from the wound. Shit.
     Max fumbled back into the room collapsing on the other side of Billy with a wince spilling towels and a belt onto the floor.okay.
     Steve thought he could hear a siren in the distance either it was far off in the distance or he was imagining it.
     "Max do you have another telephone?" Steves voice was thick and trembling.
     "No," she said shakily.
     "Okay, okay," steve hovered his hands over Billy's broken body unsure where to start. Max returned to her place, propping billy's head up. Steve could hear Billy's struggled breaths he couldn't hear before and he paused hands shaking hard.
     Steve had no idea what he was doing but he had to do something. He tied a belt tightly above the shard of glass covering the base of the wound with a kitchen towel
     "We can't pull it out or he'll bleed more," He explained max bowed her head tearfully. Billy making crackling breathing sounds Steve hadn't noticed he had started to cry involuntarily, it was more of an adrenaline thing but that didn't matter. He kept moving, flipping Billy onto his side away from the badly broken arm watching some blood seep from between his lips.
     "So he can breathe," he attempted a smile but failed miserably the sirens had gotten closer and Steve prayed it was here they were coming.
     He checked for other wounds checking billy's other leg and torso then his back lifting his shirt that clung to it. Steve whimpered at the fresh markings there bleeding red and hot. He placed another towel there pulling his shirt back down holding the towel in place
     "Okay, he's- it's gonna be okay max," max had stopped sobbing staring down at the lifeless head in here arms tear tracks illuminated by the toppled over lamp.
     "I shouldn't have left he wouldn't have done this to me," She sniffed,
Steve swallowed hard staring at the hand shaped bruise forming on her neck. Yes he would have.
     "No you did the right thing, you're scared I know" the sirens had finally pulled up and Steve prayed for hopper.