Harringrove prompts

Trauma

The nightmares started after that night in Steve's pool.
When barb went missing.
They were normal at first. Infrequent. Someone chasing him down.
A human.
Not a monster.
But after that November at Byers house, the nightmares got worse. Multiple nights a week, a monster, with a flowered head and rows upon rows of teeth, would chase him down, successfully kill him and then he'd wake up.

They became nightly after Starcourt.
First they'd be Russians, he'd be back in that room. The room with the bone saw. And he'd look, he'd look around for Robin. But she wouldn't be there.
The Russians would ask him for information, grilling him, just like before. Then their bodies would spill out and combine together to create the mind flayer. Whom Steve had known the look of all too well.
But before the mind flayer could get him, there was a crash.
Metal clashing with metal. Glass breaking, hoods dented.
And he'd see Billy Hargrove staring him down, a flash of blue eyes.
Then he was back in the Byers house again. A jab at his jaw.
Steve was folded over, grabbing a plate. Lifting it up to smash at Billy's head.
And then.
He was staring into the water of his pool.
The lights cast blue against the dark shadows.
Wind blowing faintly across his ear.
And then a scream.
He saw a flash of red curls.
Barb.
Sitting on the diving board. Her feet swimming in the water.
She saw him. Looking scared.
She screamed out for Nancy.
He'd reached for her.
But was pulled down in the water that was no longer blue. But black. Black water. While hands pulled him down.

And then he woke up. Sweating. Scared shit less while the lights from the pool reflected into his room.
And he felt still trapped.
It was the same dream every night after Starcourt.
So Steve stopped sleeping.
He'd lay awake, coffee in his hands. Fear gripping his every bone.
He couldn't fall asleep. He wouldn't let himself.

Those next mornings, Steve would haul ass to Hawkins Video for his shift.
It had been three months since Starcourt.
He hadn't slept fully in a month.
He'd take naps when he could.
His nightmares only going a far as crashing into Billy's car.
But no matter how tired Steve was, he was scared. Too scared to let himself fall asleep.
So he didn't.