SEE YOU LATER | stranger things

THE FLEA AND THE ACROBAT

“So, what have we got?” Charlie asked, looking between the other two.

Jonathan cleared his throat, taking a sheet of paper out of his pocket and unfolding it. It showed a small map of Hawkins, red-marker crosses showing on certain parts of it. He passed it to Charlie so she could hold it, seeing as she was in the middle and that meant everybody could see it clearly.

“This is where we know for sure it’s been, right?” Jonathan said, pointing to each of the crosses, Charlie furrowing her eyebrows to tell where they were pointing to.

“So, that’s…” Nancy started, bringing a finger to one on the west of the map.

“Steve’s house,” Charlie stated, being able to recognize it purely on the side of Hawkins it sat on.

Jonathan nodded and then moved his finger to a cross just below it. “And that’s the woods where they found Will’s bike and…” He switched to point to a cross further to the south. “That’s my house.”

“It’s all so close,” Nancy said, surprised, bringing her coat tighter around her as the wind blew past them. The girl, unconsciously, brought herself closer to Charlie and the brunette was hyper-aware of her position, swallowing down some nerves that creeped up from her stomach.

“So, what does that mean exactly?” Charlie asked, distracting herself.

“Well, it means it’s all within a mile or something,” Jonathan explained, looking up at the two girls. “Whatever this thing is, it’s… it’s not traveling far.”

There was a bit of silence before Charlie breathed out, knowing what they were both thinking. “Before either of you say anything, I just want to say how stupid this could be.”

“Yeah, if we aren’t prepared,” Nancy said, giving the other girl a pointed look.

“Jesus…” Charlie groaned into her hand, raising her head after a few more seconds. “Okay, you know what? Fine. Fine, let’s do this. Let’s go and hunt this thing.”

“We might not even find anything,” Jonathan frowned, not seeming that convinced of the other two’s hopeful tones.

“We found something before,” Nancy told him. “We can do it again.”

“So, it’s decided?” Charlie asked. “We’re gonna kill this thing?”

She looked between the other two and they nodded, and the brunette was slightly bemused at the situation she was in. She was about to go and kill a creature in the woods with the help of Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler.

“Alright, then,” Charlie said as she got up, patting off her dress. “Well, I’m gonna go get some things from my house. And get out this stupid dress. I’ll meet you two behind Jonathan’s house at, like… 3:00, yeah?”

“Sounds good,” Jonathan agreed, getting up as well, Nancy doing the same. “I need to get some things, too.”

Charlie nodded and started walking across the graveyard, silently thanking herself for not wearing heels, knowing that they would be sinking into every hole in the mud. As she was about to get to her car, there was a hand on her shoulder, Nancy appearing beside her.

“Could you give me a ride?” Nancy asked, giving her a small smile before briefly looking over to where her mom’s station wagon was, it having driven off to the reception a while ago. “Uh, I don’t really have any other way to get home.”