𝐈𝐍𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 | 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬 ¹✓

[06] ROCK WAR!

"No-"

"Yes. You sent me out on my own, and then, I died... You killed me," 

Verity inhaled sharply, black spots dancing in her vision. For he had spoken aloud what she had been thinking all this time. The thoughts that had swirled around her mind like a choking fog, all of those sleepless nights spent staring at the ceiling, too numbed even to cry, as she blamed herself. She had sent Isaac on his way, had told him he was able to make the errand on his own. And he was dead because of it, because of her.  She felt as though all the air had been removed from her lungs, leaving nothing but emptiness in its wake. 

"No, don't say that, please," she gasped, knees going weak, hardly noticing as he crept closer, teeth bared. "I didn't know-" 

He charged at her, arms outstretched. Without thinking, she threw the flashlight at the creature, which hit his forehead before clattering to the ground. Without looking back to see if she was being followed, she raced down the ladder, banging her knee on one of the rungs. She fled to her room, slammed the door shut, and burst into tears.

◇

"You okay, Verity?" Bill asked. "You l-look kinda tired,"

"Huh?" She looked up from the road. After the events of the night before, she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Instead, she had stayed frozen in bed until the sun rose, clutching an old umbrella to her chest in a desperate attempt to defend herself, lest the creature returned. Dark circles lay like purpled bruises beneath her eyes, her face wan and pale. 

"I didn't get a good night's sleep, that's all," she said quietly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Stan asked, moving his bike to cycle next to her.

"I'm fine." she said firmly.

He looked at her doubtfully. "If you say so,"

"So why'd Beverly ask us over anyway?" Verity asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yeah, what'd she say exactly?" Eddie added.

Stan frowned. "She didn't say anything, she just said 'you guys need to hurry over'"

"Oh, okay,"

As they approached the old redbrick apartment building, Verity could see the red-haired girl in question perched on the back stairwell, smoking a cigarette listlessly and looking around for her friends. Coming to a halt, they parked their bikes on the grass behind the apartments, as Bev ran down the rickety metal stairs. 

"You made it," she said breathlessly. "I need to show you something."

"More than we saw at the quarry?" Richie asked suggestively.

"Shut up! Just shut up Richie!" Eddie snapped.

"My dad will kill me if he finds out I had.. boys in the apartment." Bev said, looking at the ground.

"Then we'll - we'll leave a lookout," Bill gestured behind him. "Richie,
s-stay here,"

"Whoa whoa! What if her dad comes back?" The other boy protested.

"Do what you always do, start talking!" Stan said exasperatedly.

"It is a gift!" Richie called after him.