My watch says I've been walking for an hour. The logical side of my mind says it's right, but the other side believes that I've been walking for years. Everything is dark, and empty, and so....cold. Everything looks the same, and it's hard to convince myself that I'm not walking in circles. Every tree has the same eery glow. Every stretch of ground I walk is dark and dirty. The sky doesn't change, and neither does the amount of chance I have of survival. As time passes my stomach churns with hunger, clearly a nutty granola bar wasn't nearly enough to nurture my growing body. I want to give up, to just fall into a heap on the ground, but quitting isn't who I am, and no matter how much I know it is impossible for me to get out of here, I still know trying is worth that sliver of hope.
So I continue to trudge through the gloomy, dank woods. Every step sinking me deeper into the realization of the complete and utter hopelessness that is my chance of survival. Another hour passes, and another.
And another.
Soon, even though I know it's just my brain, I feel like the sky is getting darker and darker. It's exhausting, just walking, but I know I will never get any sleep, so I don't stop. I lose track of time, not having enough energy to lift my wrist up to my face anymore.
My feet slow down, and I drag them across the forest floor, wanting to cry. The hunger is unbearable, every movement triggering a sensation of weird cramps that clench my insides and hold them tight, squishing and twisting them until it hurts. I feel my limbs losing life, my legs feeling like lead and my arms hanging limply by my sides. My feet feel like they're a hundred pounds, and they make long tracks in the mud as I don't bother to pick them up off the ground.
I fall to the forest floor. I fall to my knees.
My hand shakes with weakness as I run it through my hair, not letting the tears come. I collapse onto my side, feeling all my energy drain out of me like someone stomping on a metal can. My limp body heaves up and down on the forest floor, and I close my eyes, wanting death.
I know it won't come, and neither will sleep. Images of that horrible monster flash through my brain, and I drearily open my eyes. I feel as though not just my hope is lost, but everything is. My friends, my home, my family. All gone. I don't see a reason to exist anymore, but I know that there has to be one somewhere.
Then my eye catches a light as I shift my head onto a tree root. I gasp slightly, and try to move my head in the same way I had before.
I see it again. It flashes as I move my head. I stop, and slowly retract the way I came, focusing on a florescent light through the dense trees. It's a building, it has to be. I try to get up, but my limbs don't cooperate. I get myself an inch off the ground before collapsing again.
I can't get up.
This is a matter of life an death, and the only thing holding me back is the fact that I can't get up. I can't pull my lifeless body off the ground, and it's pathetic.
So I think. I think of my friends. I think of how, if Mike and Lucas and Dustin, and even El were here, they would help me off of the ground. I think of how I wouldn't even have to say anything and they'd rush to my side. I imagine them pulling on my hand. I imagine Dustin almost falling too, and Lucas shaking his head. I imagine El smiling at me as I laugh along with the others. I even imagine Mike offering me his hand, and pulling me up.
As if my thoughts give me strength, I lift my arm and place it on the trunk of a nearby tree. I shift my feet underneath me, still imagining me hugging Mike in thanks. I push, as hard as I can, off the ground, my legs wobbling. I catch myself before I fall, and lean into the tree. I imagine myself then teaching Eleven how to high five, and laughing as she pokes my palm curiously. I grind my teeth together and let out a grunt of pain, finally straightening my legs. I lean on the tree for support, and take deep breaths of pure exhaustion. I smile at myself, proud that I was able to do it, and thanking my friends for being there for me even when they can't physically help.
I turn my head back and forth until I find the light again. There it is, tinted duller than I know it should be, but still brighter than anything I've seen in the past day. I lock my eyes on it, and push off the tree, stumbling once again through the forest. I walk and I walk, the light growing nearer, giving me newfound hope. My heart leaps as more lights appear, and I can make out the dim outline of a building against the night sky. I break through the trees, seeing a huge, stocky concrete facility in front of me. It's gigantic, with lights here and there and chunks of cement chipping off. Those weird pieces of fluff float around it, taunting me with their freedom. I huff and walk forwards, stopping at a fence that blocks my path. I look left and right seeing a huge hole in the fence and sighing in relief that I don't have to do any climbing. I trip over my own feet as I walk through the hole, carefully avoiding the sharp edges. I want to run to the building, but I can't. I walk, as fast as my legs can carry me, towards the hunk of stone. The glass doors are broken, so I climb through them carefully, steering clear of the sharp shards.
My watch reads 11:18 p.m.
So I begin my journey through the maze of hallways, the lights flickering above me as I walk. I peer around each corner as I go, expecting the Demogorgon to jump out at any second. I reach a plastic enclosed hallway that is zipped open, and I climb through it. I continue walking, struggling to find energy left in my body. I feel it slowly seeping out of me, draining me of power and leaving me feeling as dry and pathetic as a raisin. Soon I'm clutching random things for support, my legs threatening to falter at any moment. I walk through a pair of metal doors, and arrive at an elevator. I don't know where to go, and it seems like there is no other place to go, so I hop in. I grasp the metal railing and press the first button I see, waiting as the lift takes me down. It opens, and I almost fall again when I walk out, my knees failing for a second before a grab the wall. I walk slowly, my stomach making me groan in pain. I rub my face tiredly, but I don't stop.
Eventually I turn a corner, and walk through a doorway.
My blurred vision takes a minute to adjust, but when it does, I still can't see clearly. I blink a bunch, and squint through the odd change of lighting. My eyes finally return to normal, and I gasp.
"Holy shit." My voice is croaky, and talking makes my stomach spasm suddenly, making me lurch forward.
It's another portal, but much bigger. It's the same gooey cobwebs that string across. It's the same faded orange light, but amplified. I wonder if I'm imagining it, but I don't care either way, and I stagger towards it.
I take short, gasping breaths as I tear desperately at the goop, pulling it out and trying to push through. I hear movement on the other side, and I try to shout out. I try to scream, but my throat is scratchy and dry, useless in terms of making any noise except a strangled cry. So I result to ripping out the cobwebs, shoving my hand as hard as I can into the mess. It gets caught, and I push it forward, willing it to break through. I use my other hand to tear away at the other pieces, the movement changing on the other side. I push, one more time, one more desperate attempt as the last of my energy drains.
And my hand breaks through.
I collapse onto my hand, and open the gap bigger, the goop sticks to me, and I gasp. I fall through the hole, and into someone's arms. I don't care whose they are, but I wrap my arms around his body, keeping myself from falling over.
"Kid?" His voice strikes my brain, and I make a strangled cry. "What happened to you?"
I know I can't talk, so I just don't let go, and eventually he wraps his arms around me too. I know I'm a filthy mess, and it gives me some comfort to know that he doesn't care.
"I'm so sorry." Hopper whispers and I know exactly what he's talking about. I want to tell him that I forgive him, that I was being irrational and impulsive. But I have no voice, no energy, and it wouldn't matter anyways, because something sharp is stabbed into my neck and I black out.
AUTHOR'S NOTE~~~~~
All right folks,
Another chapter done. I'm sorry they've been slow lately, but Wattpad's being a jerk and deleting all my chapters. Anyways, please tell me if you have any suggestions or if you catch any mistakes.
My question today is: Who's your favourite animal or non human being from ST?