Bound By Shadows 3 | Will Byers x Reader (Fem)

~ 33 ~

The road stretched forever.
Black trees whipped by like walls, the car roaring through the dark so fast the world outside barely existed.

The Mind Flayer was still there. I could feel it. Its weight pressed through the air behind us—the steady, horrible rhythm of limbs slamming into asphalt, every sound a reminder it was gaining again.

Jonathan didn't let up on the gas. "It's still on us," he said, voice tight.

Nancy's eyes flicked to the mirror. "I see it. Keep straight."

The headlights cut through the empty stretch ahead. The speedometer was almost in the red. The air inside the car felt thick with heat, fear, and gasoline.

My head throbbed with every vibration of the wheels on the road. The bandage at my temple tugged when I blinked too hard. The ringing that had dulled for a while started up again—a high, painful hum that made the edges of my vision pulse white.

"Easy," Will murmured, tightening his hold around me. "Just breathe through it."

I nodded weakly. My chest ached, but the air didn't burn anymore. The fever heat had cooled to a low simmer. I could think again, even if everything inside me still felt like it was made of lead.

Steve leaned forward from the back seat, watching me like I was glass. "How's she doing?"

Will didn't look away from me. "Better," he said softly, but his tone was careful. "Still really weak."

"She's pale," Robin said, her voice small from beside him. "Like... ghostly pale."

"Thanks," I croaked. "Love that visual."

"Still cracking jokes," Steve muttered, half a smile ghosting his face. "That's a good sign."

"Don't encourage her," Will said automatically, but his mouth twitched.

The car jolted; the monster screamed again. It was closer. Jonathan's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles white.

"It's getting faster," Lucas said, twisting around. The reflection of the headlights caught his face—wide-eyed, terrified. "Oh my god, it's right there—"

"Don't look at it!" Nancy snapped. "Keep your eyes forward!"

But I didn't need to look. I could feel it—the heavy, sick pull of it behind me, like a rope tied to my chest. It wasn't chasing them. It was chasing me.

My stomach twisted. "It's after me," I whispered, voice barely there. "It still knows where I am."

"We know," Steve said, jaw clenched. "But it's not getting you. You hear me?"

My throat burned. "If it catches us—"

"It won't," Will interrupted sharply, the panic in his voice disguised by certainty. "It's not going to."

The look in his eyes—wide, bloodshot, terrified but sure—was the only thing keeping me from unraveling completely.

The road curved, trees flickering by like a strobe light. Jonathan slammed the wheel, the car fishtailed, everyone shouting over the noise.

"Jesus, Jonathan—" Steve started.

"Do you want me to slow down?" Jonathan shot back. "Because I'm pretty sure that's not an option!"

The engine screamed as he corrected it, the tires catching again.

The Mind Flayer roared, furious, somewhere behind us. The sound carried through the trees and right through my chest.