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CHAPTER NINETEEN | WHY ARE YOU COVERED IN BLOOD?
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you are a weapon. and weapons don't weep.
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Covered in blood and slightly numb to everything, Jackie walked silently along the train tracks. Something inside of her was tugging and twisting, telling her exactly where to go. And she knew it was because part of her came from the labs, just like those monsters did. Part of her was just like them, just as feral and violent. Behind her, she could hear the kids and Steve talking about Dart and when he would molt next to become a fully grown demogorgon. Closing her eyes, Jackie tried to tune them out and let her feet take her to where she needed to be.
But then Lucas was saying her name.
"How'd you do that, Jackie?"
Jackie's throat was raw and dry and the words she needed to say couldn't find their way onto her tongue.
"You said you have history with the labs," Dustin spoke up hesitantly.
They were all scared of her, they had to be. They watched her make a creature explode, and now she was covered in that creature's blood. Of course she looked scary. She must look like she just walked out of a slasher flick.
"Don't worry about it, Dustin."
She looked down at her red-stained hands and flexed her fingers. She was nothing. She was made to be nothing... nothing more than a means to an end... a way to fight off the Russians. It was all bullshit, really. Clenching her jaw, Jackie thought of all the other kids that suffered under the labs' torment and whispered a quick prayer.
"You sure that was Dart?" Lucas asked.
"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt."
"He was tiny two days ago!" Max said accusingly.
Steve walked beside her, his eyes trained on her face. She couldn't look back at him, though. She couldn't look at his face, hers covered in blood, and face the look in his eyes.
"Well, he's molted three times already," Dustin said, his voice acting as background noise for Jackie's spiraling inner monologue.
"Molted?"
"Molted. Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms."
"When's he gonna molt again?" Max asked.
Jackie could hear the fear in her voice.
"It's gonna be soon," Dustin said. "When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it... and so will his friends."
"Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats," Steve scoffed.
"Wait," Lucas exclaimed, stepping in front of Dustin and stopping them. "A cat? Dart ate a cat?"
