I Know The End ✸ Steve Harrington

vi. punk!

The Henderson girl was flipped onto her back, the clicking of the Demogorgon pierced into her ear-drums as she stared at it's mouth opening up above her. She let out a panicked gasp feeling like this could be her last day alive, the face of her younger brother burned in her mind and to her surprise, she found herself gripping the bat in her hands, finding the energy to knock it into the side of the Demogorgon's head, making it screech in pain and give her enough time to leap up from the ground and start running to the hole.

She didn't waste anytime before practically throwing herself through the tree, she fell right in front of Nancy and Jonathan's feet, feeling someone throw themselves into her only to realise that Nancy had pulled her into a hug with a relieved sob, happy that her friend was alive. The trio turned back to watch the hole now sealing itself back up, leaving the evil within the dimension behind for the time being, but Josie could only think about how long would the peace last until the storm would hit.

"You can just drop me off here." Josie said, her voice barely above a whisper as the car came to a stop. The whole car ride the girl stayed silent, sitting small in her seat and slightly quivering in fear, the feeling of her pinned to the ground underneath the monster as it kept looking down at her like she was its prey still itched into her mind.

While Nancy offered for her to stay at her house for the night, Josie was adamant to go to her own home. Climbing out from the back seat, Josie ushered a quick, "See you tomorrow." Without noticing the worried looks Jonathon and Nancy had exchanged, the girl walked away from the car.

As soon as Josie had swiftly climbed through her bedroom window, her feet landing onto the floor, she didn't realise she started to weep, her chest heaving up and down in rushed breaths. She felt as if she was having a heart attack, covering her mouth to muffled her wails, she slid down the wall onto the floor, clutching the small teddy bear Dustin had got her for Christmas the year prior to her chest as the flashbacks of the night hit her like a ton of bricks.

Her cries eventually quietened down. Sniffling, she got up from her spot on the floor, stripping out of her filthy clothes and dumping them into the hamper by her desk. She scurried down the pitch-black hallway to the bathroom, grabbing a towel from the cabinet and going under the hot water.

Even a shower seemed like torture, it's all Josie could see when closing her eyes, washing the grime and dirt off her pale skin. After her shower and changing into a fresh pair of pyjamas, Josie lied in her bed, not making any movement to turn her lamp off or even considering closing her eyes any time soon.

After a few hours of staring blankly at the wall, Josie watched as her bedroom started to get lighter, she realised she hadn't even had a minute of sleep. The girl got up from her lying position, getting dressed to meet up with Nancy and Jonathan to go shopping for their incomplete monster hunt.

A hunting and camping store seemed more than appropriate for everything they needed. Unfortunately, the three had tried digging up extra change, only coming up with 13 dollars between them which meant they weren't able to afford much. Exiting the store with their bought items, Jonathan grinned, "Monster hunting?" Both him and Josie were surprised by her answer to the guy at the register.

Nancy stayed silent for a moment, a soft smile on her face. "You know, last week...I was shopping for a new top I thought Steve might like. It took me and Barb all weekend. It seemed like life or death, you know? And...and now-"

"You're shopping for bear traps with Jonathon Byers and Josie Henderson." Jonathon finished her sentence, breathing out a chuckle.