voltage ; stranger things

nineteen ; the weak will crumble

THE group has barely locked themselves inside of the mall for five minutes, attempting to come up with some sort of plan, before the ground begins to shake. They all stop where they are, halt in their tracks. It happens again. The fake plants along the fountain shake in their pots and the trash cans rattle in place.

From where she sits cradling her sister, Colleen raises a hand to her temple. Goosebumps rise along her skin and her head throbs with a painful bang, like someone has smashed a hammer into the side of her skull.

"What's that?" Max asks.

No one answers her. Instead, they all lift their heads as a gigantic, sinewy form moves across the skylight windows overhead, blocking out the stars and looming above them. Then, it lifts one of its several shapeless legs and begins to pound on the glass.

"We have to go!" Lucas exclaims. The creature pounds again; fissures and cracks appear in the skylight.

"Come on!" Tony grabs Colleen and helps her carry Eleven away from the center of the food court. Just as they duck down behind a display shelf, the glass shatters and the massive being crashes down into the atrium. The Mind Flayer. It turns its head and shrieks deafeningly. Then, for a moment, everything is dead silent. Everyone cowers in their hiding spots, the creature attempts to listen for even a shiver that could give away their positions.

The Flayer huffs and stomps forward, crushing the rubble and floor tiles beneath its feet as it searches for its prey. What a convenience they both decided to stay in the same place. Its head snaps to the side when a piece of glass breaks behind one of the shelves. It growls low, starting towards where the teenagers hide.

With Mike and Eleven clinging to her arm, and Max and Tony holding their breaths, Colleen focuses and reaches out into the darkness behind her eyelids. She finds something and grasps it.

Behind the Flayer, one of the store lights blows out, spraying sparks and creating a loud burst of sound. It roars angrily and turns around, charging for the empty store.

"Come on, come on, move!" Mike whispers. He and Max lead the way through one of the emergency exits as the elder teenagers help Eleven walk, stumbling down the dimly-lit hallway towards the door. They're almost free.

The small group bursts back into the outside, inhaling the night air and the freedom it brings with it. They begin to hurry through the electric security gate on the mall's side, set on escaping the back way. They skid to a stop at the sight of what awaits them just beyond the gate.

Silhouetted against the bright orange flames that now engulf his car, Billy watches them, waiting to pounce. Blood seeps down his temple and he sways on his feet; the Flayer forced him to crash his car so they couldn't use it to escape. Upon seeing them at the gate, he clenches his fists and starts towards them.

"Go, go back!" Tony yells. "Get back inside!" He takes Eleven in his arms and backs away, Mike and Max following him, while Colleen stays behind.

Her eyes fading into a pale white, she waves a hand and the electric gate begins to close. Billy quickens his pace, and just before the metal snaps shut, he catches the edge and strains to keep it open. She takes a step forward, and they snarl at each other. He shakes as he forces the door open enough for him to slip through. Colleen, beside herself, stumbles back before racing the way the others went. He pops his neck, then follows her.

Inside the back hallways of the mall, the group races to shake him. "Split up, split up!" Tony cries. He hands Eleven off to the other kids, then grabs Colleen's wrist and begins to lead her off in the opposite direction. Just as they turn away, the door leading outside bursts open and Billy emerges, his head swinging this way and that to watch the girls separate. He growls in frustration, then sets off after the elder sister. Cut off the strong, and the weak will crumble.

Tony and Colleen race through the blank corridors, hearing his footsteps get closer behind them. They slam into a door at the sudden end of the hallway; the handle is locked tight. Tony pats his pockets for his work keys before realizing he doesn't have them - the Russians took them. He looks back, his eyes widening.

"Look out!" He leaps in front of Colleen just as Billy reaches out to strike her, hitting him instead. Becoming more and more furious by the second, Billy hisses and grabs Tony by the shoulder, ramming him face-first into the wall and bringing his foot down hard upon his arm. Tony screams out in pain as a deafening crack fills the air, then silences when he's kicked upside the head.

Colleen trembles in fear as Billy snaps his head around to look at her. Dark, black veins crawl up his arms and face, moving just as the monster in Eleven's leg did. She can barely raise her hand in a feeble attempt to protect herself before he bats it away and smacks her hard across the cheek. Her head slams into the wall and in an instant, the world around her is gone and replaced with nothingness.

Not bothering to waste a moment, Billy bends down and grabs her under her shoulder blades and knees, then hauls her into his arms. He huffs, obviously in pain, and hefts her up before stalking back down the corridor. He leaves Tony behind him, arm cracked in two and glasses shattered on the floor. Blood stains the wall and the lights flicker, following him as he carries her away.

A slave to the will of the monster in the atrium, Billy looks down at Colleen as he stomps back the way he came. She hurt him, she hurt them. So he's going to destroy her.