Love Is A Battlefield (A Stranger Things/Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: It Got Me, Mom

"Run!"  We turned the corner, booking it down the hallway and out one of the doors until we were outside. The feelings that the smoke was exhibiting seemed to only grow and get stronger the closer to us it got. We took off running across the recces field, making a break for the forrest. If we could just get there, we'd at least have the cover of trees and maybe we could find somewhere to hide, if that's even possible. I looked over at Will to tell him what I was thinking when  I realized that Will was no longer beside me. I stopped running, whirling around to see Will standing there, facing the giant shadow spider as at appeared in the sky. "WILL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? RUN!"

"Go away!" He shouted. "GO AWAY!"

"WILL!" I took off running across the field towards him again. What is he doing?!

"GO AWAY!" The smoke monster extended a giant arm, a claw forming at the end of it that he extended towards Will, who just stood there staring at it and screaming. I started to run faster. 

"RUN, WILL! RUN!" 

"GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY!"

Suddenly a tornado of black smoke surrounded him and I stopped, unable to see him anymore.

"Will?!" I called. "WILL!" 

Another hand formed and began coming towards me, the satisfaction of finally catching Will seeping from the monster. I had no idea what it was doing to him, or what it wanted to do to me and I didn't what to do. I couldn't just stand there and let it get me, because I knew whatever it wanted with us had to be anything but good, but I couldn't just leave Will there either.

So I did the only thing I could think to do in that moment, which was run into the tornado of shadow and tackle Will to the ground, wrapping my arms around his head and hiding my face in the grass, attempting to shield us both from the monster.

The second I did, I felt hands on my arms and I opened my eyes, sitting up and crawling away from Will to see the kids, now joined by Joyce Byers, standing in front of me. Joyce crouched down beside Will and I brought my knees to my chest, pushing my hair back with shaking hands.

"Riley, what happened?" Joyce asked. I shook my head, unable to get myself to speak. She wrapped her arms around her son, pulling him into her lap, and Lucas and Mike were dropping to their knees beside me as I attempted to will myself to stop shaking or to say something, anything at all. But I couldn't. It was just like before, my heard was beating so fast and so hard that I was worried if I opened my mouth and tried to speak, I wouldn't be able to stop the panic attack from overwhelming me. So I just sat there in silence for a long time before allowing the boys to pull me to my feet and lead me back towards the Middle School parking lot. 

"Are you ok to drive?" Joyce asked. I nodded. "Follow me to our house. I want to talk to both of you." I nodded again, walking to my truck and getting inside, starting it up and letting the tears begin to stream down my face as I pulled out of the parking lot.

~~~

I got there at the same time as Joyce and Will did, and we went inside and sat at the kitchen table. I looked at my still shaking hands, which were folded in front of me, still trying to find the courage to speak again, but thus far having no such luck.

"What happened?" Joyce asked.

"I can't remember." Will answered, causing me to furrow my eyebrows.

"I need you to try."

"We...we were on the field and...and then it...it all just went blank, and...and then you were there."

"Will, I need you to tell me the truth." She whispered, seeing right through his story. The kid was trying to put on a brave face to avoid scaring his mother. 

"I am." She sighed, standing up and walking into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of wax paper and putting it on the table in front of us. My eyes widened as I saw a rough crayon drawing of the creature.

"This shape, I saw it on the video tape from Halloween night. Its the same shape as...as your drawing. These episodes that you two are having, I think Dr. Owens is wrong. I think they're real." I shook my head, standing up and abruptly pushing my chair back, walking away from the table. "Riley..."

"I...I can't do this." I forced out. "I...they were bad enough when we thought they were just flashbacks, but knowing that they're real? I..."

"We can figure this out, ok?" She told me. "But...but I can't help you, either of you, if I don't know what's going on. So you have to talk to me, please." She turned her attention back to Will. "No more secrets, ok?" He nodded. "Ok. Did...did you see this thing again on the field?" She looked up at me.

"Yeah." I said, running a hand over my mouth.

"What...what is it?"

"We don't know." Will answered, his voice shaking. "Its almost more like a feeling."

"Like the one you had that night at the arcade?"

"Yes."

"Well, what does it want?"

"We don't know that either," I stated, "But I think it wants us. I don't know why, or how, or for what purpose but its coming after us for a reason."

"It came for us...and I tried. I tried to make it go away." Will began crying, and Joyce put a hand over her mouth. I walked over, sitting down again and putting a hand on his shoulder. "But it got me, Mom."

"Well, what does that mean?"

"I felt it...everywhere. Everywhere." He told us.  "I-I still feel it. I just want this to be over." He broke down and his Mom hugged, him, looking at me over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered, "I turned around and he was gone. I was across the field by that point, and I couldn't get to him in time-"

"This was not your fault, Riley." Joyce said, reaching across the table and putting a hand over mine. "Hey, listen, look at me, both of you." She pulled away, putting one hand on Will's face and keeping her other pressed over mine. "I will never, ever let anything bad happen to you two ever again, and I know your dad won't either." She turned to Will. "Whatever's going on in you, we're gonna fix it. I will fix it. I promise, I'm here." She hugged him again and I stood up once more.

"I gotta get home, but um...call if you guys need anything, ok?" I said.

"What about you, honey? Are you ok?" I nodded.

"I don't think I was affected the same way he was, I'm just...I'm freaked out, is all." She nodded.

"Talk to someone, ok? Don't try to deal with this all on your own." She told me. 

"I won't. Bye, guys." I left the house, and found that my anxiety was coursing through me stronger than ever. My eyes were searching every corner as I walked to my truck, and then even once I was inside I didn't feel safe. 

I don't know if I'm ever going to feel safe ever again.