Hawkins Unraveling

CH 12 : The Upside Down

The most disorienting thing to June about the Upside Down wasn't that she was climbing out of the very thing she'd just pushed her way into, nor was it the fact that now there was no water when previously there had been. It was how thick and bitter the air here seemed to be, and how it was currently filled with the sounds of screaming and screeching.

June gasped as she collapsed onto the cold ground beneath her. She tried to catch her breath as she rolled over onto her back, fear choking her at the sight of the unending darkness and the particles that swirled like ash above her head. She'd never been here before, but already she knew she never wanted to come back.

Another gasp like hers sounded from out of June's line of sight, so she twisted quickly to see what was happening. It was Robin pouring out of the gate next, her hair matted to her face and neck and a wild, breathless look in her eyes. "June," Robin gasped, staring right at her. "Where are they?"

Before she could answer, Eddie appeared with a string of muttered curses. "What the hell is going on?"

The screeching and screaming that June heard earlier intensified suddenly, and she remembered why they had all jumped in the first place. "Steve."

Stumbling to her feet, June followed the sounds with Robin and Eddie right behind her, careful to dodge over the debris and the vines that blocked their paths. Up ahead June could see frenzied movement– something was writhing on the ground while something else– no, multiple things– took turns spiraling down for the attack before flying away. To June's amazement, she saw a figure come charging in from the side, swinging haphazardly at the things in the sky– Nancy. How had the other girl moved so fast?

"Oh my god," Robin choked out, just as shocked as June was. Eddie's string of curses had intensified.

"Steve!" Nancy's fearful scream echoed her rage as she swung again at whatever tried to divebomb her from the sky.

The others hurried to her aid, June's gaze focused mainly on the still-writhing figure on the ground– Steve. He was struggling to breathe, all of his energy focused on trying to fight off one of the things that had looped itself around his neck. It had him in a chokehold while two others took turns biting and scraping at his exposed flesh as Steve kicked and flailed.

"Steve!" June raced forward, not thinking, and immediately had to duck when one of the things– what looked like a giant bat— swept forward for her. It narrowly missed, but she knew it was turning, wheeling back around for her, Steve, or both of them. A swinging oar came out of nowhere as Nancy struck down the returning bat, hardly even glancing at June before turning back to Steve.

Robin had made it to him first and was now desperately trying to stomp on the one that was wrapped around Steve's neck enough to make it release him. "Get it! Get it!" she screamed.

"Christ, kill it, kill it!" Eddie chanted, swatting away another bat that darted right for him with his own oar. June missed when he had grabbed one.

As Nancy jabbed her oar at the bat Robin had pinned down, trying to sever its body, June had to duck again when another bat from Steve's body rose and moved right for her. She had no weapon, so the best she could do was duck again and thump its body with her arm. This time her ducking trick didn't work. The bat wrapped its strong tail around the length of her arm and pulled, so hard it brought June to her knees, and turned to sink its fangs into her side. June shrieked in pain, burning heat racing through the right side of her body.

Eddie smacked the bat with his oar until it detached itself from June, flapping up to the sky for safety. June stayed on her knees, her side in agony, even as Eddie reached for her to pull her to her feet. "Shit, shit, shit, are you okay?"