Into The Fire~A Stranger Things fanfiction

Nightmare/Helping Hand

I found myself inside of a dark, terrifying place that oddly reminded me of an alleyway in Russia, but knew there was no possible way I was back home without anyone noticing and shooting me. I jumped, hearing the crashing sound of thunder, and slowly stood up, shivering in the cold air. I found it strange, knowing I'd had my jacket before, and not to mention, where the hell had Robin gone? Panic began setting in, as I wondered if she'd been captured, or worse, killed, and I began running down the alley, shouting her name. There was no reply but the booming thunder, and, as I rounded the corner, I froze, my heart racing against my ribs. Terror that I'd never felt before, creeping and cold, paralyzed my body, locking me in place, as I slowly looked up at the sky. Black, ominous clouds blocked out any ray of sun or moon light that might be there, and flashes of reddish orange lightning streaked through them, illuminating them like some sick version of Jack o lanterns. I didn't know why I was so terrified, until my gaze lowered, and I found myself now on a long stretch of beach, waves crashing against the sandy shore, drenching my clothes.

A tall figure hidden by the dark shadows cast by the clouds walked towards me, and I could just make out that it was a male, though whether it was a boy or a grown man I couldn't tell. My legs turned to jelly, and my nerves felt electric, like I'd just downed twenty cans of Coke, and every instinct inside of me told me to run from that figure, but I couldn't. No matter how I tried, my body stayed where it was, as the figure came closer and closer to me. I soon saw that it was a boy, about a year or two older than me, and I dimly recognized him, knowing I'd seen him somewhere before, but not quite sure where it had been. He wore a white muscle shirt, blue jeans, and black combat boots. His hair was long and curly, reaching to his shoulders, a faint mustache ghosted across his face, along with five o clock shadow, and I saw an earring dangling from his right ear. That wasn't what really caught my attention, though; Black veins seemed to run through his skin, as if his blood were oil or shadow itself, and his eyes were filled with burning hatred, as they stared into me. I finally managed to force my legs to move, though they felt like they weighed a hundred pounds, and, like in slow motion, began running in the opposite direction from him.

It wasn't enough, sadly, as I felt a strong, warm hand wrap around my neck, and within seconds, my back hit the sand, the breath whooshing out of me. It was then, as the familiar feel of a boot smashing into my ribs hit me, that I realised that the figure was none other than Billy Hargrove. My head made a slight cracking sound, as it was painfully yanked back by my hair, and I was almost a hundred percent certain everything I was feeling was real, though from previous experiences and pain, it could also very well be a nightmare. Either way, I wasn't going to let him beat me to death without a fight, so, as he continued tugging on my hair, I slammed my fist backwards into his face. He instantly let go of me, and I climbed to my feet, running yet again, my clothes coated in wet sand. I raced down the beach as fast as I could, fear racing through my veins, and for the first time in a long time, I was terrified of a man; Not even my father scared me as much as whatever the thing Billy had become did, and I wasn't prepared to find myself suddenly free falling through darkness, landing hard on a wet, yet solid surface, darkness all around me.

That was the moment when I began realising it wasn't a nightmare, or at least, not one created by my mind, though it was always a nightmare to me, traveling to that place. A room began forming around me, dark and desolate, appearing to be an abandoned warehouse, and my heart pounded in my chest, echoing loudly in the silence. Suddenly, screaming erupted, shattering the stillness, and I ran towards it, not knowing who it was, or what I might find, only that whoever it was needed help. I found myself watching in horror, as Heather, one of the lifeguards at the pool, was attacked by some large, shadowy monster, and I gagged, the stench of death and rotting meat assaulting me painfully. The monster seemed distinctly familiar to me, and then, I remembered having seen it a year before, before my father had brought me to Hawkins with the other agents, in the dark, cold place, which I had began calling The Shadows. I saw Billy watching Heather and the monster coldly, his face void of any expression, as she screamed his name, and then, he whirled around. I spun to see what he was staring at, and came face to face with none other than El Hopper, her terrified breaths matching mine, as our eyes met. Her eyes widened, as she saw me, and then, tears fell from them, as she looked at Billy. He glared between me and her, then seemed to just disappear in smoke. El took one last look at me, and then, disappeared, leaving me alone in the dark.