No Surrender | Eddie Munson

Chapter Twenty: The Mind Flayer

CHAPTER TWENTY: THE MIND FLAYER

EARTH — SLEEPING AT LAST

Meanwhile, my family's taking shelter
The sparks send the fire down the wire
A countdown begins
Until the dynamite gives in

TW// Panic attack

——————

My body is on fire. I can hardly move without another wave stabbing right into my stomach. I don't bother to fight against Steve's help, an arm slung over his shoulder as I limp with them down the midnight tracks.

We had made an attempt to clean and bandage my wound but not even our flashlights could provide the right light. I just have to pray that I haven't been infected by anything — from this dimension or another.

"You're positive that was D'Art?" Lucas asks, finally breaking the tense silence.

"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt."

I glance back, catching a glimpse of Max's bewildered expression. "But he was tiny two days ago."

He shrugs. "Well, he's molted three times already."

"Malted?"

"Molted — shed his skin to make room for growth, like hornworms."

"When's he gonna molt again?"

Dustin's flashlight searches the wooden slats. The meat we had dropped is gone now and smears of dried Demogorgon drool mark where they had been. His brow furrows. I can feel his hurt, his worry, but my nose doesn't even sting this time. I block it out. "It's gotta be soon," he bitterly replies. "When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it. And so will his friends."

The grip on my waist tightens slightly. "Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats."

The group comes to a sudden stop as Lucas rushes to block Dustin's way. "Wait, 'cat'? D'Art ate a cat?"

"No. What? No," he stammers.

"What are you talking about? He ate Mews."

Max looks to Steve, confused. "'Mews'? Who's Mews?"

"It's Dustin's cat."

"Steve!"

Groaning as another bout of pain cuts into me, I weakly pat his shoulder and whisper, "Dude, read the forest."

"I knew it! You kept him!"

The boy hurriedly shakes his head but there is no point in denying it. "No! No. No, I— No, I—" Guilt takes over. "He missed me. He wanted to come home."

"Bullshit!"

"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?"

Lucas scoffs incredulously, "Oh, so now you admit it?"

"Guys," Max interrupts, "who cares? We have to go."

But it's not enough. Anger burns the air. I can't hold out for much longer. "I care!" Lucas' shouts are growing more and more faint and I stumble closer to Steve, blinking to clear my swimming vision. "You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!"

"So did you!"

I can feel it now. My hands are starting to shake, my throat burning. I want to scream. I want to hit something so much that my fingers itch for it.

A bright light pierces my eyes as Dustin turns his flashlight on Max. "You told a stranger the truth!"

"'A stranger'?" she angrily protests, storming towards them.