Nightmares - Lucas Sinclair

The Hellfire Club (Part 1)

September 8, 1979

Nine sat in her room staring at the locked door with her knees up to her chest. She was tired due to all of her tests that day but her mind wouldn't let her sleep. Something in the back of her mind gave her a weird feeling but she couldn't place what was causing it.

She had started feeling weird when she had left the rainbow room with Brenner. All throughout their testing, she had been feeling this weird chill within her. Like a shadow had casted over the entire place, making the temperature drop ten degrees in two seconds.

And no matter how hard she tried to ignore it or shake it off, it wouldn't go away. 

What was happening to her was all she could think about. Her mind asked a bunched of questions she didn't even know how to get the answers to. Was the temperature turned down? Was she sick? Did she need to go to the doctor? Was she dying?

The alarm above her blared, getting her to snap out of her head as she let her body take over. She ran for the door and tried to open it. No luck.

She could hear footsteps and screams on the other side, making her panic rise within her. A sinister laugh came from the hallway as she looked around her room for anything that could help her.

She looked at the opening under her bed and ran to it. Rolling under her bed, she thought quickly as loud booms echoed from outside her door. She grabbed the sides of her bedframe with her hands and one at a time got her feet on it as well so she was hovering above the ground. Invisible to those that are taller.

A loud crash was heard as her door flew off its hinges. Nine pressed her mouth shut and steadied her breathing to stop herself from making any noises.

Heavy footsteps stomped their way through her room, no doubt looking for her. After a few seconds, the footsteps started to retreat back to the doorway as Nine's arms started to shake from straining herself.

The footsteps faded down the hallway, giving her the all clear to release her grip from the bedframe. All she could hear was the screams down the hall. She wanted to go help however was in danger. But that meant needing to fight someone who clearly had bad intentions. Someone who clearly was strong. Strong enough to kill and feel no remorse.

How could she find enough strength to fight them?

"Nine?" Papa's soft voice made tears come to her eyes. He looked as frightened as she felt. Only he looked wounded as she laid unharmed.

"Papa," she let out a quiet sob and ran to his arms, for the first and last time in her life feeling safe in his arms. She let go of him and pointed down the hallway, towards the place she heard the most screams. "Screaming."

Papa stood up straight and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight for reassurance. The two walked hand in hand towards the rainbow room, taking in all the dead bodies around them along the way.

Who could do this? Nine thought as Papa opened the door to the rainbow room.

There stood her sister, Eleven, facing a broken mirror with the bodies of their siblings surrounding her.

"What have you done?" Papa asked, putting his hand in front of Nine protectively. Eleven turned to face them and Nine couldn't help but take a step back by the state her sister was in. 

She had blood all over her and an angry look. But the most frightening thing about her sister, was the blood that started to drip from her eyes.

"What have you done?" Papa repeated himself, sounding angry.

Nine and Eleven shared a brief glance, but that was enough to tell her that Eleven didn't do this. She just happens to be one of the three survivors.

***

March 21, 1986

Lucas could hear the crowd cheering with the cheerleaders as he and his teammates waited out in the hallway for them to make their grand entrance. The marching band was playing some upbeat songs as his team started to get themselves excited for the pep rally.

The band finished their song getting the crowd to cheer louder as they anxiously waited for the arrival of their team.

"Let's hear it for your Tigers!" the announcer cheered through the speaker as the basketball team raced one by one into the gym, where everyone stood clapping and screaming for them.

Lucas looked among the crowd, immediately noticing his friends standing in the bleachers looking not as peppy as he hoped. Still, as he lined up with his team in front of the school, he smiled and clapped his hands as a way to cheer one his team as well.

"Good morning, Hawkins High!" Jason, the captain of the team spoke into the microphone, gaining yet another cheer from the eager crowd. "First off, I'd like to thank each and every one of you. Without your support, we wouldn't be here. Give yourselves a big hand."

The crowd cheered as Lucas looked towards his friends again, who all looked like they had better things to do than be here.

"And of course," Jason started to speak again, quieting the crowd down, "of course, I have to give a special shout-out to the best and the prettiest fans of all time, the Tiger Cheer Squad."

As the crowd got loud once again, Jason's eyes stayed focused on one cheerleader in particular.

"Chrissy. Chrissy, I love you, babe."

The crowd swooned as Lucas looked down at his feet, starting to think of Nikki and how he wanted her to be in the crowd as well.

Ever since the fourth of July, everything in Lucas's life has gone down hill. He lost his girlfriend, some of his friends moved away, and the friends he has here are more distant than they have ever been.

Lucas had found it hard to adjust after Nikki's death. Throughout the year he had been having nightmares about Nikki and whatever horrifying stuff his mind makes him see whenever he closes his eyes. He constantly sees her when she's not there. He knows it's his mind playing tricks on him but it still hurts to see her disappear every time he looks away.

He just wants her to stay, even for a few minutes. That way maybe he could get some closure.

"You know," Jason started to speak again, making Lucas's attention turn back to him. "I think I can speak for all of us when I say it's been a tough year for Hawkins. So much loss."

Well, thanks for making me go back to thinking about it, Lucas thought.

"And sometimes I wonder, how much loss can one community take? In dark days like this, we need something to believe in. So, last night, when we were down by ten points at half to Christian Academy, I looked at my team, and I said, think of Jack. Think of Melissa. Think of Heather. Think of Billy. Think about our heroic police chief, Jim Hopper. think about each and every one of our friends who perished in that fire."

A picture of a blood stained Nikki, laying on the mall floor flashed across Lucas's mind.

"What did they die for? For us to lose to some crap school? No. For us to return home with our heads hung low in defeat? No! No. Let's win this game. Let's win this game for them. And that's exactly what we did!"

The crowd cheered but Lucas didn't feel as happy anymore. He didn't know how to feel about Jason using all the deaths as ways to pump up the school with pride. Something about it made him sick to his stomach.

"We embarrassed those candy-asses in their own house, and now tonight, we're gonna bring home the championship trophy!"

Lucas put on a fake smile as he joined the rest of his team in celebration of getting into the champion.

This is going to be a long, interesting day, Lucas thought.

Authors Note

First chapter done and I am so looking forward to writing this book! Can't wait!!!

Love ya!!❤️❤️❤️