Royal Pain || Stranger Things

thirty-four || cabin fever

The cabin walls ripped apart as a gangly limb of the Mind Flayer forced its way inside, squealing and squawking like a bat out of hell as it searched for a meal, sending the group spiraling to the edges of the home.

Bearing a face much like those of the Demogorgon's and the demo-dogs, it opened wide as it stopped short of Eleven's face.

But it's moment of curiosity proved to be a downfall as Jonathan raised his axe and swung down hard, nearly severing the limb from its master.

The room echoed with shouting and panic, both from the Mind Flayer and those it was terrorizing.

Jonathan took another swing at the disgusting limb, only to be slammed into a nearby wall in retaliation, the axe clattering too far for his reach.

But Nancy was having none of that.

Sending shell after shell at the thing, Nancy successfully drew it's attention away from her boyfriend, only to be left with an empty gun and a box of bullets clears across the room.

El lurched out a hand as the bared teeth were a moment from Nancy's face, stopping it cold in its tracks. She snapped her hand to the side as blood began to drip from her nose, severing the head from the limb and sending it shrieking out of the cabin.

But it wasn't over.

It wouldn't be over for a while.

"Holy shit," Max said, voice in her throat as her chest heaved.

El knew better than to be relieved so quickly, hand arising before another limb of the Mind Flayer could attack and stopping another, new head in front of her face.

Impulsively running to El's side, Tatum stood back to back with her as a second limb burst through the cabin, shattering the glass windows and apprehended by the force that had been gifted to the girls.

Two more holes were punctured through the cabins, El and Tate extended beyond belief with a limb apprehended by each hand.

"Now!" Tate shouted, she and El donning matching nosebleeds as they pulled their arms in in synchronicity.

All four limbs were severed at the heads, sending the gushing arms shooting back out of the cabin wailing.

And in a split second of silence, part of the roof was torn from the cabin and a new, fresh limb shot down into the space, knocking Tatum onto her back and snatching Eleven by the leg, raising her into the sky.

"No!" Mike screamed, bolting to her without thought and grabbing El's arms, a train beginning to form to keep them all grounded as the Mind Flayer pulled its enemy ever closer.

Albeit sprawled out on her back with a nasty headache and the taste of iron on her lips, Tate shouted in pain as she sent her hands up towards the hungry mouth full of teeth so close to gaining a meal.

The Mind Flayer recoiled in agony as the entirety of the limb was ripped from its head, taking a handful of teeth with it, allowing El to down into the grasp of her friends.

Tatum stood as Eleven collapsed to the ground on top of Mike, blood pouring from both sides of her nose as she stared up at the glowering face of the thing she hated most. "Get that thing off her leg," she quietly ordered Mike without breaking contact, still able to hear the gripping of teeth around Eleven's calf.

The Mind Flayer snarled in acknowledgment, mouth opening wide as he howled with animosity.

The sound was so crippling to Tate that it brought tears to her eyes.