Rhiannon // Max Mayfield

11: Corruption

Alex looked at herself in disgust, why was this happening, one this was over she was never doing it again. Fuck whatever attacks Hawkins next, the rest of them can deal with it, or leave it to the adults, she is out. Alex unzipped the jacket again. 

Shit.

It had gotten way worse, her chest was covered in those black lines, her veins. They all expanded from her bite last year from the demodog, was the mind flayer somehow getting to her via it, through the bond he implanted on her that day on the field.

Alex wet a cloth to wipe the blood from her face, her hands were shaky and it was like they were controlling themselves. She looked in the mirror again and it nearly broke her, the girl she was facing was unrecognisable, her eyes used to be a vibrant green, like a gemstone but now they were dull, almost lifeless. Her skin had paled considerably although that was probably because she was scared. Dark bags were forming under her eyes as she hadn't had an opportunity to put makeup on in two days. Bruises covered her cheeks and neck.

It wasn't Alex looking back in the mirror, No. Alex was the queen bitch of their year, the captain of the baseball team and the girl who made all the boys in their girl fall hard. The girl looking back was a living corpse, drained of emotion and putting on an act when other people were close by.

She was already cracking but the sauna incident made her shatter.

Alex slumped against the door, everything was just too much for her. She hadn't caught a break for nearly three days now, yet it all blurred into one, a mess of Billy at the Holloways, then the pain she felt in that sauna, the hospital and everything, it was one. She should be having fun, it's the morning of July fourth for fuck sake, she should be asleep and planning to go the the carnival with her team, or watching a firework display from her house with her brothers while they sipped stolen alcohol. 

But she was in a cabin in the middle of the woods, trying to find people infected by an interdimensional monster with her friends, while figuring out a way to send a fucking D&D monster back to it's world.

She put her head in her hands and let out a muffled sob, everything just felt wrong, her body didn't feel like her own, everything was aching or broken. Her chest felt tight like something was latching onto it. Her smile wasn't genuine, she had only laughed once and that was with Max in the hospital. She was still confused about her feelings because she is in love with Max, she's not trying to hide it from herself but the girl had betrayed her so badly, Alex would have nightmares about it for months, years.

Her clothes felt wrong, the fabric was scratchy even though she'd changed outfits before they came to the cabin. She replaced her old outfit with a different pair of shorts and a sweatshirt to cover the veins on her chest, it was ridiculous that Alex couldn't find a t-shit that was full length.

The worst part of it is that Alex wants to tell someone how she feels, how everything is just wrong and she can't even enjoy simple things without being paranoid, without wanting to just throw herself off the cliff's. But they wouldn't understand, some kid spouting about monsters coming to life and targeting a child with superpowers. It would be a one-way trip to the asylum.

~~

The group outside were still arguing. Mike and Max couldn't agree on anything and El couldn't find Billy in the void. Everything was falling apart before it even started. The group was growing distressed and the tension rising with it. Mike doesn't think it's safe for El in the void. El trusts herself, Max trusts El knows her limits. Everyone else tried to keep out of it.