Downside Up [W.Byers]

003

"I've always wanted to be a ballerina." Ruby chuckles as she fills the bucket with the river water. "A ballerina? Really?" The boy beside her laughs.

"Yeah, what's so wrong with having a dream?" She places her hands on her hip, glaring at him. "Nothing. I just can't picture you in a pink tutu." He chuckles.

"Well, I'm sorry that all I can possibly wear is this ugly, dirty dress. It's an embrassement." She sighs. "Have you really worn that for a whole year without it showering?" He asks in disbelief.

"You're unbelievable." She scoffs, rolling her eyes. "That's not what I meant..never mind.."

Ruby looks off to the side for a moment as she sets the first bucket down. "You know what? Sorry, I overreacted." She exhales and spins around, finding no sound of the boy. "Will?"

Ruby rushes through the eerie forest, shoving through vines and tress, searching for the boy who had strangely disappeared on their way to fetch water.

She trips, but quickly shoots up. No time to waste. The only things she heard before losing him, were the growls of those horrible monsters. Demagorgon, will had called them as they resembled the D&D beast.

She struggles to continue running, sighing as she collapses onto the damp leaves beneath her. The silence is cut off by her soft sobs. Her sobs may have been quiet, but she hadn't noticed the low growls of the treacherous creature lurking behind.

With a small crunch of a snapped twig, Ruby turns around, sniffling. There it is, a demagorgan, right ahead of her during her most vulnerable moment.

"Go away." She nearly whispers, lightly shining her fire. The beast doesn't move an inch, and simply watches the blonde. "What! Honestly, what!" She shouts, getting back up on her feet.

The monster motions towards the right, as if showing the girl direction.

"Where are you leading me to? Some secret base where you can eat me alive? Because I've got powers that I'm not afraid to use. How much longer until we're there?" Ruby rambles as she follows the monster through the forest.

Frustrated with her voice being the only thing heard in the entire area, the monster turns around, roaring loudly. Ruby, quite frightened, shuts up, then sighs.

"I guess I know how Will felt now." She mutters. "Do you know where Will i- no way.." She stops speaking as she stands behind a large rock, hiding behind it. Ahead of her, a pack of demagorgans, feasting on what seems to be a deer.

"Why'd you take me here?" She whispers, looking over to the beast beside her. It doesn't reply. "Oh, right. I don't speak monster. Silly me." She rolls her eyes.

The beast nods its head over, leading her to a gate like structure, only built with rocks. "You know, since you're probably the last thing I'm gonna talk to ever, seeming as I'm about to be eaten alive, I'm gonna call you faceless. I think that name is pretty self explanatory, faceless." She chuckles, only to be ignored.

Her nerves are getting the best of her. With a loud roar, the rocks all fall, causing ruby to jump back, frightened.

Walking side by side with a demagorgon feels quite strange to the girl. She's been spending the past year running away and fighting them. "Is there any way that you can tell me where you're taking me, Faceless?" She questions, hoping for an answer.

The creature turns around, motioning to the blanket around her neck. Ruby scrunches up her face in confusion, before realizing what it had meant.

"You know where will is?"

Sorry about the short chapter, I have big ideas for the next one :)