chapter twenty-six
cow printed bandaid
✧
THE BUBBLES POPPED SILENTLY , and the water was nearly at the rim of the bathtub. It was warm and relaxing, and Rue wouldn't have it any other way. She leaned back on the tub, humming along to "Isn't She Lovely," by Stevie Wonder. Even though the music wasn't in the volume Rue wanted it to be, it was late, and Will, Lucas, and Alex were sleeping in the room across the hall. She enjoyed the instrumentals and quiet singing.
"Isn't she pretty? Truly the angel's best . . ."
Rue had one hand out of the tub, her fingers brushing on the soft rug next to the bath, and the other was held up slightly, following the movement of the razor. She had a leg up on the tap, where the razor would brush over her tan skin, shaving away the hairs. Maybe one good thing about powers was how Rue no longer had to use her hands for everyday activities. Bright hues of gold and blue slipped from her fingertips, and they lit up the small room.
"Boy, I'm so happy. . . .We have been heaven blessed . . . ."
She tilted her head back, staring up at the roof. The scent of cinnamon filling her nose, and the bubbles reached up to her chest. Rue could lay there forever, forgetting about her worries and enjoying the warmth that replaced the one Max used to give when they cuddled to sleep.
Rue frowned at the thought of Max. She missed her a lot even though it's only been one day. The whole summer they've seen each other every day. Everyday! Even before summer, they had school together, and they'd go to each other's house after school to finish homework, and on the Weekend's they'd go to the arcade, or Max would watch Rue's baseball practices.
She missed her, and Rue worried in the back of her head that maybe Max was hurt. She's in danger, and she couldn't call for help. What if she's dead!?
Rue shook her head. She was overthinking, and she had to stop for her own health.
She's fine, Rue told herself. But. . . what if she's not?
No, no, she's fine.
She didn't even call you today.
Maybe she did — I wasn't home anyway.
Maybe she doesn't want to see you.
What? No. . . that would be stupid.
But. . . what if — maybe she had a reason she embarrassed you at the mall.
No way.
She didn't even apologize. . . you must have done something to upset her.
But what have I done wrong?
Do you really want me to start? I have a list. . . fine — number one: remember when you killed —
"Ouch!" Rue winced and the razor stopped moving on its own and dropped into the water with a small splash. She brought her leg up to eyesight and frowned when she saw the bleeding cut on her knee. Maybe she shouldn't overthink while using her powers. . . 'you learn from mistakes' they say.
（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）
Rue sat on the kitchen counter now, brushing her hair. This time, she wasn't using her powers. Rue stared off into space as the comb softly scratched her scalp.
She was waiting for Joyce to come home. Rue could hear the boys snoring from down the hall, and she worried about what happened to Joyce. It was late, really late. Joyce should be home by now, and Rue needed her, she needed to tell her the Mindflayer was somehow back, and as she sat in her pyjama shorts and one of her dad's old shirts, she began to wonder where she could be. Not at work, her shift ends at five. . . it's one in the morning now.
Rue looked at the clock on the microwave; it was one fifteen. She picked on the cow print bandaid on her knee before she hopped off the counter and walked towards the fridge, where they'd usually have numbers to call on a piece of paper. But who to call? Who might know where Joyce would be?
Rue smacked the palm on her hand to her forehead. Hopper! Jim would know where Joyce is! How could she be so stupid?
Out of habit, she reached to pull the paper from the magnet on the fridge door but frowned when it wasn't there. Nothing was on the fridge door. The colourful magnets that held up Will's drawings and Jonathan's photos were gone.
Rue looked around and found all the papers, photos, and drawings on the counter next to the fridge. But no magnets. She wondered where they'd gone, but brushed the thought away as she grabbed the paper she needed and walked towards the yellow phone.
Everything seems louder at night, and with every step she took, anyone could hear the creak on the flooring. Rue pulled the phone out of the ringer, and she looked at the number on the paper. She pressed on the numbers and waited for someone to pick up the phone.
Rue leaned on the wall, her fingers getting tangled with the curly cord as she waited. . . and waited . . . and waited . . . no answer.
She tried again.
No answer.
Rue groaned in annoyance, punching in the numbers again. So what if it was one in the morning? Who cares if they were sleeping? This was urgent, and it was keeping her up. Rue needed comfort from an adult, and she needed it now.
It dialed again, and it went on longer than the last two times. When Rue was about to hang up and give up, someone picked up the phone. She beamed, "Hops!" she called, "Hey, it's Rue! Is Joyce there? If not, it's fine — I guess — but I need to tell you something — and I'm sorry If I woke you up, but this is serious. . . I — I can't say it over the phone, because — who knows if anyone's. . ." Rue trailed off in her sentence. She gripped the phone tighter, feeling herself panicking slightly. "Hopper?" she asked, her voice a lot quieter than before. "Hopper, are you there?"
It was like a wind blowing in her ear, and Rue jerked away from the phone. Her green eyes stared at it, and the sounds of blowing winds became louder.
She hesitantly put the phone back to her ear, "H-Hopper?" she childishly stuttered. "Hello?"
Rue nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the crashing from the kitchen. She squealed and dropped the phone, which hung from the cord, almost hitting the floor.
She stepped towards the kitchen, her shadow shrinking as she got closer. Rue stopped before the sink and sank to the cabinet under it. The doors struggled to open, and thumps were coming from inside.
What could be in there? She had no idea. Joyce usually kept her cleaning supplies there.
Rue opened the small doors, and a black rat jumped out. She jumped to her feet and stepped away as it stumbled onto the tiled flooring. Rue cringed. She thought mice were cute, but rats were not it.
She looked around for a broom, but they were in the closet in the hall. Rue didn't want to let the rat out of her sight, in fear it would go into the food or their rooms. So instead, she impulsively tilted her head and the rat shrieked as it floated in the air. She hurried towards the back yard, the rat floating behind her surrounded by a glowing belt of blue and gold.
Rue pushed the screen door open and slowly lowered the rat to the grass. It was still raining, but the storm was beginning to calm down. And as rain droplets fell from the sky, the rat ran in the wet grass.
She wanted to throw up. A line of rats was running towards the woods in her backyard. "Gross," she huffed, shaking away the gross shivers that crawled up her spine as she walked back into the house, making sure to lock the door behind her.
Rue picked up the phone from where it hung and shut it quickly, missing the hushed whispers that spoke to her.
She yawned, making her way towards her room. It was a long day, and she had a feeling tomorrow won't be promising.
（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）
"Max, do you copy?" Lucas spoke into the super-comm, a hint of annoyance in his voice. The Wheeler's basement was cleaner and didn't smell once Rue and Mike had pushed open the windows, and they had thrown everything in the garbage. "Max, do you copy? This is a Code Red!"
"Are you messing with me, Will?" Alex's voice suddenly became the loudest in the room, and Mike and Rue froze at what they were doing. The two shared a glance and stepped towards the bathroom, where Will and Alex were.
They had made a group decision to let Alex in on everything that has happened in the last two years. Will chose to tell him, despite Rue saying she could do it. But he said, "No. . . I have to."
"Maybe it was a bad idea," Mike told her, stuffing the two-day-old pizza box into the black bag in her hands.
Rue shrugged, "Maybe. . ." she said, leaning closer to the door.
"'Lex, I'm not messing with you!"
"Well, it sure sounds like it! What movie did you take this story from?"
"Just listen!"
"I have been listening!"
Mike and Rue turned around to give them privacy, and Mike said, "How'd you believe it?"
Rue snorted, picking up a can of Coke from under the table, "My best friend was possessed, my dad was killed by demo-dogs in front of me — I was nearly killed by said demo-dogs, and my mom — um . . ." she trailed off, her eyes wide as she gazed at the carpet.
Mike leaned closer, a knowing look on his freckled face, "She what? What did —"
"Nothing!" Rue said quickly, shaking her head. God, she wasn't thinking straight. Hell — she never did. "It's . . . nothing," she muttered, wondering if she should tell Mike. His sister knew. . . no, Hopper said not to tell anyone until it was safe.
Mike was smirking and he nodded as if he had figured something he's been questioning for years. "I knew it," he snickered, nudging her shoulder and wiggling his eyebrows.
Rue pushed his elbow away, "Mike, shut up before I punch you again!" she huffed, pointing to the purple bruise on his cheek. And once Mike frowned, Rue instantly felt bad, "I'm sorry about that. . ." she told him, "Did you put ice on it? Do you want me to get ice?"
Mike grinned, shaking his head as he stuffed another pizza box in the bag in her hands. "No way, I look kinda badass with it."
Rue chuckled, "Just wait until people find out you got it from a girl half your size."
"So funny," he rolled his eyes.
"At least I got the Sharpie off my face,"
"You did? How? I can't let El see me with Frog face on my head,"
"I think it'll make her feel bad enough to get back with you."
"I repeat —! This—is—a—Code—Red!" Lucas yelled into the speaker.
A hint of hope grew in their stomach when they heard Max Mayfield's voice, but the hope was gone as soon as it came when she said, "Shut — up!"
Rue laughed while Lucas scoffed. "She turned it off!"
They looked over to the phone. It was Mike's turn to try and contact them. He and Rue quickly finished cleaning up and took the bag upstairs before Mike hurried towards the phone. He punched the numbers in. "This is Mike — Do not hang up," he said strictly "Something happened —" Their conversation didn't last long when Mike shut the phone, scowling "She hung up on me."
Rue sat on the now clean couch next to Lucas, picking up the Captain Marvel comic book she didn't get to finish. When she turned the page, she began to fidget with the collar of her Polo — well it wasn't Rue's Polo — it was Max's. One of the shirts she had left at their house for sleepovers. She had matched the polo with a yellow plaid skirt.
If Rue was honest, she did not like her outfit that day at all, she preferred the nature hippie style, but Alex had chosen her outfit and she had chosen Alex's, who wore flared white denim pants and a pink and blue Polo shirt.
Rue looked up from her comic book when she could feel the longing stares from Lucas and Mike. It went silent besides Will and Alex's muffled voices from the bathroom. They were both staring at Rue, who quickly looked back at her comic book, her hair covering her face.
She was shaking her head no. Rue's heart was beating at her chest, she knew it was her turn, but a part of her didn't want to. If she was honest, she was scared because Max might be mad at her for something Rue still hasn't figured out yet so she could apologize.
"Rue. . ." Lucas said slowly and Rue huffed, putting her comic book down on the table.
"Fuck! Fine!" she got up from the yellow couch and fixed her skirt as she walked towards the phone. Rue glared at Lucas for a second before pressing on the numbers in the pattern she had memorized from how many times she's called Max. She leaned on the wood pillar in the middle of the basement, which held the phone. It rang for a few seconds before she could hear Max's voice on the other side.
"Stop fucking calling me!" Max yelled and Rue flinched. "I already told you, boys —"
"It's Rue. . ." she said shyly, nervously tangling her fingers on the cord. The silence on the other side of the phone stressed her, "Um, p-please don't hang up on me,"
". . . I won't hang up on you." She heard Max's voice say, much softer than it was before now that she knew who she was talking to.
Rue sighed in relief, and a delicate smile grew on her lips. "Max, something's going to happen, and we need your help."
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
Rue sucked in a breath, trying to find a way to say it without saying it. Mike had told her anyone could be listening through the phone, and even though the lab was shut down, he warned her that she still had to be careful. "It's, um, just — come over to Mike's house. We'll explain everything, I promise."
"Rue. . " Max breathed, "I have something to tell you. . ."
She panicked, not wanting to hear Max say she didn't want to be friends anymore. Rue already knew her feelings towards Max weren't returned but she loved being Max's best friend. Even though she might be overthinking again, she didn't want to hear it. "Just hurry, okay?"
Rue slowly lowered the phone from her ear and put it back. Her heart raced as she turned around to face the boys who had a hopeful look on their faces. "She'll be here," she told them confidently, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Try calling Dustin, again. Or call Steve, Jonathan, Nance, Joyce, Hops. . ."
"Dustin's not answering," Mike told her.
"Then try him. Again," She said sternly.
Lucas sighed, going back to his super-comm, "Dustin, do you copy? I repeat; This. Is. A. Code. Red."
（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）
She's been chewing on her lip a lot lately. It was plump and bright red, and it was hard to tell if the red was from the pressure of her teeth sinking into her skin or the stained blood from her biting it so hard all the time. Rue licked her lips, tasting the warm metallic and right after she chewed on it again. Her shaky fingers were playing with the ends of her hair, and they wouldn't leave the amber locks as her foot bounced up and down.
Rue was scared. Will said the Mindflayer was back, yet there was no proof of it. Even though a part of her trusted Will with her life, she couldn't help but question him. She was in denial. Rue was in denial because the last time she was involved with paranormal activities that had monsters, she lost her dad. She almost lost her own life.
She choked, forgetting how to breathe for a moment. Rue couldn't tell if her face was pale and lifeless or red and filled. She struggled to breathe as she remembered the Demo-dogs. Those little monsters that took her dad from her. The dogs that nearly killed her. She stared at the flooring — her hands shook as she remembered the lab. She remembered hugging her dad — one last time. He had pushed her away so she wouldn't get hurt. Rue wanted to save him, but he wouldn't let her. And when she tried, she was pushed down by a Demo-dog. Its claws sinking through the soft fabric of the old baseball uniform Rue has never worn again. She remembered her own cries — she remembered the scars the Demo-dog had left that hinted her of that night every time she looked in the mirror. Rue could recall its teeth — its growls. She would never forget. The memory might get pushed back, but it always came back in her dreams.
Rue was in denial, and she had the right to be. Rue was scared, and that was understandable. She had PTSD and it would be shocking if she didn't. Rue frowned, picking on the white and black bandaid on her left knee as her brother briefly explained everything.
"I didn't think it was anything at first," Will spoke from Rue's right. His nose was runny and his eyes were slightly red and puffy from crying. He kept looking at his shoes, "I mean — I think I just didn't want to believe it . . . the first time I felt it was at Day of The Dead,"
"The power went out the night too," Mike added from next to Lucas.
Will sniffed, nodding, "And then I felt it again . . . at the field near the Nelson farm the next day. . . " he said, "Then again — yesterday outside Castle Byers."
The room went silent besides the tapping of Rue's bouncing foot. She looked around at her friends, Eleven and Max had come like promised and they were listening to everything Will said. Mike and Lucas were nodding, adding on to back up what Will said. And Rue just sat next to her brother, nervously playing with her hair, her heart beating at her chest and her lips bleeding.
Alex had left. He said he needed air, and Will begged him to stay, saying that it wasn't safe. Alex didn't say anything to him as went up the stairs, Will chased after him but came back alone with tears rolling down his face and not wanting to talk about it at all.
Max was the one to break the silence. "What does it feel like?"
Will let out a shaky sigh, "It's almost like — you know when you drop on a roller coaster?"
"Yeah," Max nodded.
"Sure," Mike said, and Lucas agreed.
Rue was too lost in her thoughts to answer and El frowned. "No," she said.
"It would be like everything inside your body is just dropping, right? Like you're falling," Will explained to her, "But this is worse. Your body — it goes cold, and — and you can't breathe. . . . I've felt it before, whenever he was close,"
Max shook her head. "Whenever who's close?"
"The Mindflayer," he sighed.
El perked up at this, leaning towards Will. "But I closed the gate," she said slowly.
"I know but . . ." Will rubbed his eyes, "what if he never left? What if we just locked him out here with us?" He thought out loud, and he stared at his shoes for a while before standing up.
Rue looked up when she felt the shift on the couch, and she watched Will grabbing a piece of paper and black oil pastel. He went to the table where they played D&D, motioning for them to follow.
Everyone got up from their spots and stood around the table. Rue placed both hands on the edge, gripping it tightly in a way to keep herself steady.
"This is him," Will scribbled the shadow-like monster. "All of him — but that day on the field back at school, a part of him attached itself to me," He explained, passing his hand across the fresh pastel, smudging the black on his hand and the paper. "My mom got it out of me . . . and Eleven closed the gate," Will flipped the page so it would be blank again. "But that part that was still in me, what if it's still in our world?" he questioned, pressing his hand on the paper and leaving a black handprint. " — In Hawkins."
"That's just great," Rue scoffed silently to herself, shaking her head.
"I don't understand," Max shook her head. "The Demo-dogs died when El closed the gate. If the brain dies the body dies."
"We can't take any chances," Mike stated, "We need to assume the worst - the Mindflayer's back."
Will nodded, "Yeah, and if he is. He'd want to attach himself to some again. A new me."
"A new host," Lucas said.
Max and El shared a glance. "How can you tell if someone is a host?"
（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）
3840 WORDS
tysm for reading and all the support in this book
i feel like i don't say it much but it means a lot to me
that people actually enjoy my writing or whatever.
and i really love reading all your comments and
replying to as many as i can
oh look at me being a big mush pfft.
but seriously:
ilysm <3
update: ^^ i wrote that over a year ago when
this book only had about 2k reads and now
it has over 100k and i am in shock????
its weird idk how to explain it bcz
i'm not that good at expressing my feelings
but it makes me feel really happy and writing
is my escape from the world and i'm
so grateful people like my amateur writing and
are willing to read more lmfao.
anyywaysss i think you'll like the next chapter.
it'll have something you've been waiting for
because slow burns are all about the yearning