DESOLATION [ 1 ] ↠ STRANGER THINGS

5. STRANGE FACES

DESOLATION
CHAPTER FIVE

➝ STRANGE FACES

        STANDING BEFORE COLLEEN WAS A TALL, YOUNG MAN WITH DARK BROWM HAIR AND PIERCING BLUE EYES. Blood was smeared along his skin and he turned his head, his eyes locking with hers for a brief moment. A lump lodged in her throat as she took a few steps away from the intruder, and she noticed the knife that being securely held in his right hand.

"Who are you?" Her voice was meek. And she was unsure if he even heard her, but when his eyes met hers and he placed the knife down on top of the counter, she had come to the conclusion that he must have. His eyes wandered around the kitchen, and it looked as though he was searching for something.... anything.

He looked completely lost.

He scratched the top of his head with a slight head shake. It was like he was trying to rack his memory for anything to piece his mind back together but he was coming up with nothing. His eyes met hers again, "Where the hell am I? How did I get here?"

She placed her bag down on the counter and raised her eyebrows at him, keeping her chin raised slightly. Her brown eyes never leaving him as she maneuvered closer to the stranger, "I believe I could ask you the same questions. I— um, I'm Colleen. Colleen Cartwell. You're in Hawkins, Indiana. You know that... right?"

He scrunched his face up, "Cartwell?"

Colleen nodded her head as she watched a familiarity light up across his features, and her heart skipped a beat, "Yep. Did you, did you know my dad? Did he send you here? Is he-"

"I don't know your dad."

Colleen snapped her mouth shut and her eyes drifted towards the floor. Well, it was a nice try. She shook her head quickly, and refocused her attention on him as he wandered around the kitchen. He stopped in front of the sink, catching his reflection off the window. He finally noticed the blood that was smeared across his skin.

He swallowed hard, he looked terrifying. How the hell did this girl seem so calm? He turned back around towards the young girl, who didn't seem to be scared at all. She was wearing more of a curious expression than anything else. He let out a deep breath, "I remember escaping. I don't know where from, or how I managed to. But I remember running. I ran. I ran far, and I was being followed. There were men in white suits. I had to do it. I had to kill them. They wanted to bring me back there, to that place— and I couldn't. I won't."

She nodded her head, walking over to the sink and he instinctively took a step away from her. She put her hands up in surrender and offered him a small smile, grabbing a fresh towel out of the bottom drawer, "Why don't we clean you up?"