voltage ; stranger things

twenty ; who you are

THE first out-of-focus thing Colleen sees when she opens her eyes is the towering shadow monster just feet from her, lowing and growling from deep within itself. Her head spins and throbs painfully and her thoughts are a jumbled mess as she tries to sit up on the floor of the food court. The Mind Flayer takes a step closer, and she scoots back, only to bump into something. Behind her stands Billy, his eyes glazed and jaw squared in resolute.

Colleen is barely able to feel the tears running down her cheeks and the blood soaking her hair as she trembles in sheer terror. She's frozen, a statue, as a long, slimy tentacle emerges from the Flayer's mouth and reaches for her. She raises a hand, shielding her face.

BOOM!

There's an explosion of sound and light as the Flayer stumbles back in confusion, looking upwards. Emitting war cries of their own and hurling handheld fireworks are the others - even Eleven and Mike and Max, and Jonathan and Nancy, and Steve and Robin; they came back.

"Eat this, you piece of shit!" Lucas yells as he tosses a crackler at the monster. It explodes in a display of red and blue.

"Leave her alone!" Steve cries and releases an attack of purple and yellow.

As the Mind Flayer begins to buckle and trip over itself, trying to pinpoint where the strikes are coming from, Billy groans and drops to his knees. They're connected; whatever hurts it, hurts him.

Colleen gasps for air and begins to scramble away, her ears ringing and entire body shaking. The store lights flash and burst in a hail of sparks as she crawls towards the exits. Then, as one, the lights all strobe as Billy snatches her leg and yanks her backwards, screaming out in strain. She cries, clawing at the ground as he drags her back to the Mind Flayer, then throws her down and climbs on top of her. His large hands find her neck and he throttles her, raising her body and then slamming her down again. She wheezes against him, kicking blindly and slapping his shoulders.

"St-op...!" she whispers, her voice croaky and small in his grasp. He does nothing, shows no signs of even hearing her, and slams her down again. As she feels her head begin to grow fuzzy, she reaches up with what little strength she has and touches his face.

The upside down is black and empty and void-like. The ground shows Colleen her own battered reflection as she kneels on the ground, gasping for air and dripping tears into the pool beneath her. Then, a deafening smack prompts her to look up.

Before her is a scene, a flashback, a memory. It's not hers - she doesn't recognize the people in the slightest. It's a kitchen table, a dining room, where a young boy watches his mother and father fight. The man screams at the woman, surrounded by broken plates and food that used to be dinner. She yells as he raises a hand and strikes her across the face, sending her sprawling.

"Mom!" the boy cries. He leaps from his seat and kneels beside his mother, then looks up as the man shakes his head.

"Always messing around when you shouldn't," he growls.

Colleen is able to see what's coming next. Summoning what strength and courage she has left, she pushes herself off the ground and forces her feet to move. She runs for the scene, her feet slapping the water beneath her, and reaches it just as the man goes to strike the boy. She raises her arm, shielding the child, and prepares to take the blow herself. But nothing happens. When she opens her eyes, she finds the man glaring at her with a fury so intense it sends a shiver down her spine.

"You are not welcome here," he sneers at her.

She lowers her arm and returns the stare, refusing to back down. "Enough," she says and stands tall. "Enough." The man stands frozen, his eyes wide, as if no one has ever stood up to him before. She takes the moment to look over her shoulder at the boy, but the boy is gone. Instead, Billy stands in his place, staring at her with wide eyes. Then, she understands.