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Post by Nancy Wheeler on Mar 10, 2018 10:47:04 GMT -5
Nancy walked into Benny’s Diner clad in her pink winter coat over fashionably faded jeans and high-top sneakers. A few heads turned as the door closed a little too loudly behind her and she smiled. It was that or be embarrassed.
The place wasn’t quite packed, but it was bustling. A sign by the door exclaimed: Please Wait to Be Seated! Nancy waited patiently to be acknowledged by a hostess. To her surprise, she was greeted by a girl she went to school with clad in a Benny’s uniform.
“Hey, Nancy,” she said.
Nancy searched her mind for the girl’s name as she smiled.
“Hey,” she said. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
“Yeah. Just started,” she said.
Linda. Her nametag said Linda. Nancy felt a pang of guilt. Lately people seemed to know her more than she knew them. It was easy to blame Steve and his popularity for that, but not really fair. Nancy had gotten forgetful - neglectful - with everything going on.
“Is it just you?” Linda asked.
“I’m meeting someone, but they’re not here yet.”
“Table for two. Got it,” Linda said.
She grabbed two menus and led Nancy to a booth against the wall.
“Someone’ll be right over to take your order,” Linda said.
Nancy smiled.
“Thanks, Linda.”
Nancy removed her coat, shoving it beside her in the booth. She wore a pale blue sweater and a subtle bangle bracelet. She felt uncomfortable sitting by herself, her eyes sweeping over the other patrons as she searched for someone she knew. She caught the eye of a guy she recognized as one of Steve’s friends. He was with a few other people. Nancy smiled and gave a wave. He scowled and went back to his Coke. Nancy looked down at her hands and tried to shrink into the seat. Of course. Waving pleasantly had been stupid.
Suddenly she wanted to be anywhere else in the world but that booth in that moment.
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@will
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2018 0:01:18 GMT -5
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The cold was perfect for it. It ignored the boy’s anguished cries for help, his pale skin caked in a thin layer of ice from a long night in the freezer. It had complete control over him and it refused to let go, not after the boy had lost his shirt to another. All he had on were the pajama pants that he had nearly lost in that same fight, which the monster ended very abruptly. It knew that if Will was to be spotted walking through town in the nude, there would be no chance of escaping the meddlesome humans. It knew that a few were learning about it, and in due time, they would discover its weaknesses. It had underestimated the humans before.
Through the boy’s eyes, it observed the boxes it hid behind. Some waitress kept coming back to get supplies, which added to its annoyance. Humans were such pests. Why couldn’t the ignorant girl just grab the entire box of those yellow crinkly sticks and leave? It didn’t understand yet how humans handled their food, but it was studious of the environment. It only came out when it was cold enough, and so dark that no one could lay an eye on the boy. The door swung open again and the boy jerked his head to the side suddenly. He had been sitting still so long that his neck cracked from the sudden movement. The monster regretted its mistake very quickly – the bothersome girl had heard.
“Oh, my god!” The girl exclaimed in fright. The monster immediately formulated an idea to keep her from escaping. It had observed a man coming in earlier and gathered from the human’s behavior that he was of importance to the establishment. Using its resources, added to what it had learned from the boy’s mind, it used Will’s voice and said piteously. “He won’t let me go.” Its plan had worked when the words pained the girl so much that she entered the freezer altogether. Humans were so weak that it was utterly easy to toy with their emotions. “Who’s he?” She had asked. Come closer. “Do you need help?” Closer still. It felt Will protesting but ignored the feeble attempts. “How are you even alive?”
There it was, the perfect moment to strike. Will’s arms popped as the monster reached for the girl’s arms, a deafening roar only barely audible through those steel walls echoing within the freezer as the monster handled her, violently shaking the human before it would toss her aside like a rag doll. From outside, a loud clanging noise would be heard barely, and the monster knew it would have to go, immediately. The boy stood upright as the monster stared at the door. It was prepared to run. A couple of shoves would pave the way for it. It would have to find another cold place to hide, since the hot summer air would be unbearable for it. At least the boy didn’t wear much.
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Post by Nancy Wheeler on Apr 1, 2018 10:46:54 GMT -5
Nancy sat at the booth, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the table top. She smoothed the napkin under the silverware, even though it didn’t need any smoothing. She felt as if everyone was staring at her, even though they probably weren’t. Her cheeks felt hot and she knew she was blushing.
Why did she have to be so punctual? If Ally had arrived first, Nancy would have somebody to talk to and she wouldn’t feel so awkward.
A waitress came over to her table with a nametag that said Lisa. She was a little older than Nancy’s mother and she had salt and pepper hair coiled into an impressive updo arrangement. Nancy thought it was a shame it was being wasted here.
“Hi there. I’m Lisa. I’ll be taking care of you.”
“Hi,” Nancy said.
She was, perhaps, a little too enthusiastic in her eagerness to have another person to talk to who didn’t hate her guts. The woman held a notepad and pulled a pen out of her apron pocket.
“Can I start you off with something to drink, hun?”
Nancy considered it.
“Could I have a cup of coffee?” she asked.
Nancy didn’t normally drink coffee. She was tense enough ordinarily. But, she was feeling a little down in the dumps. Maybe a coffee would perk her up.
“Sure thing,” Lisa said.
The waitress trotted off to the counter and Nancy caught the eye of Steve’s friend. Now the others were looking at her and whispering to one another.
With a sigh, Nancy stood from the booth and made her way toward the kitchen in search of the bathroom.
The sound of a clatter distracted her and her eyes strayed to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure where the noise had come from, but she saw a waitress walk into the freezer with a funny look on her face. Nancy frowned and hovered in the doorway. Had the freezer conked out?
There was a slight clattering sound and something else she could barely hear. She furrowed her brows, listening. It almost sounded like an animal. Nancy stared at the freezer, wondering if anyone else had heard what she had. The man at the grill went about cooking his burgers. Someone bustled to the sink with a bucket of dirty dishes. Maybe Nancy was the only one close enough to the freezer, but far enough from the general kitchen noise to have heard it.
She watched the freezer for what felt like a long moment, waiting for the waitress to emerge. When she didn’t, Nancy took a few slow steps toward the freezer, her eyes darting around in case anyone tried to stop her.
Nancy was just a few steps from the freezer when a voice called out and startled her.
“Hey! You can’t be back here.”
Nancy turned, startled, to see a haggard looking man she took for a chef. He had jowls and his face was purple-red. Nancy managed to point to the freezer.
“I… I think something’s going on over there,” she said.
The man frowned.
“What the hell’re you talking about?”
But as he spoke, he turned and saw the freezer door open. His expression was alarmed, but quickly turned angry.
“Who left this open?” he demanded, to no one.
The man walked over and put his hand on the door. Nancy followed close behind him. Then he backed away a step.
“Oh my God!”
Nancy cried out as the man bumped right into her in his haste. He shoved her aside, muttering something she couldn’t quite make out. A lump in her throat, Nancy made herself walk over to the door, her hands balled into nervous fists at her sides.
What she saw in the freezer was far from what she’d expected.
Will Byers. He was freezing clad in pajama bottoms and a sheen of frost.
“Will?”
There was shock and disbelief in her voice. Without even thinking, she walked into the freezer and crouched in front of him, ignoring the cries of protest she heard from the kitchen.
“Will, what are you doing here?”
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@will
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2018 22:47:17 GMT -5
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It stood so still as the boy’s eyes stared into the young woman’s. There was something about her that seemed ever so slightly familiar, but the creature didn’t understand why. A guttural growl emitted through the boy’s pursed lips. She was in its way, blocking its only chance of escape. Yet, somehow, the boy had mustered up what remaining willpower he had left to keep it from lashing out at her. Clearly, this woman was of value to him. Was she family? Friend? Lover? No, she was much too old for a boy like him, though the creature didn’t understand how love worked, not even in its own world, which was completely void of many an emotion. For now, it considered her foe, and weak.
No longer able to contain the monster from within, Will watched in horror as his clenched fist shot up to hit the woman across the face. The creature’s sheer strength would appear evident in the force, if the impact struck true. It would have sent the girl back a few feet if it didn’t knock her out, but it would have provided the creature enough space to slip through. Will knew that if the creature tried to harm the girl any further that it would only end up getting it trapped longer. He knew from its mind that it did not want him detained. Whatever the creature wanted with him could not be good, but Will wouldn’t know. While it had control of his mind and knew whatever he thought, he had none vice versa. He was literally in the dark within his own head, unable to call for help.
Within seconds, the creature had already moved onward, pushing out anyone who would dare to stand in the boy’s way as it hurried out of the diner. Once outside, the hot and humid summer air hit the boy’s body so quickly that it melted the frost. Yet, the drops of water helped maintain a cool layer even if only for mere seconds. The creature knew it needed to move fast. The quarry was its destination, the cold water beckoning to it. While the boy wouldn’t be able to hold his breath for long underwater, or keep his body in there long enough without it getting all wrinkly, it would help. The creature had no idea how long it would need to hide there. Every moment counted for its survival, and it needed the boy to live too. Otherwise, it would have no access to this world, and no power either.
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Post by Nancy Wheeler on Apr 30, 2018 19:17:50 GMT -5
At the sight of Will in that alarming, frozen state, Nancy hadn’t seen the limp body in the freezer, hadn’t stopped to think. On instinct, she’d gone right in to see if he was okay. Will stared back at her with that odd blank expression she’d seen before. Too late, she realized this might not be Will at all.
The inhuman growl that came from his throat confirmed her suspicion. Nancy’s eyes went wide and she leaned back a few inches.
The blow came so fast she didn’t quite know what had happened. A quick motion, a bloom of pain in her cheek, another flash of pain as she hit the floor. Nancy lay there for several seconds, tears springing to her eyes as the pain flared in her face where he’d hit her impossibly hard, and in her shoulder where she’d landed.
She heard a commotion, yelling from the kitchen. Nancy managed to force herself to sit up, a faint ringing in one ear. It was then that she saw the waitress lying on the floor next to her. Nancy put a hand to her mouth in alarm.
“Oh my God.”
She tentatively reached out a hand to touch the other woman.
“Hey,” she said.
She gave her a small shake in hopes of waking her up. Then she realized maybe she couldn’t wake up. Was she dead? Nancy scrambled backward, panic rushing through her. She screamed as someone took her under the arms and hauled her to her feet.
“Come on, now. You can’t stay in there.”
It was a uniformed man she took for a waiter. Nancy looked around for any sign of Will – or the thing that looked like Will.
“Jesus,” the man muttered. “Alright, why don’t you come sit down? We’ll call someone, get you looked at. You here with your parents?”
Nancy barely heard him, her eyes scanning the place.
“Will?” she called.
The entire place was a murmur of alarmed conversation.
“Hey, did you hear me?” her rescuer asked.
Nancy looked at him, having a hard time making her vision focus.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I… I think I have to go.”
She staggered toward the door, her steps unsteady as her head swam and throbbed. She’d already shoved open the door, the air on her face, when she remembered her coat was back at the table. But, she didn’t have time to go back for it. If Will was still nearby, maybe she could find him.
Nancy looked left, then right, picked a direction and started walking, her eyes searching for the boy.
@will
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2018 18:54:43 GMT -5
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Where else would the creature go? It needed the cold, and it only knew of one place it had already been. Unfortunately, the boy couldn’t stay underwater for long, but the creature would have to adapt. That was its best option if it wanted to survive. But this humid summer air was too much for the creature to handle, and the sunlight was too piercing even for the boy’s unshaded eyes. The forest would provide shade but it wouldn’t provide the cold air that the creature savored. But then suddenly it had realized something. For vegetation to thrive, it needed a reliable source of water.
Will knew the young woman who had tried to help him but it hadn’t worked out in her favor. He hated that he hurt her, even though it was all the creature’s doing. Still, he couldn’t help but feel that it was his fault. If he hadn’t done what Bob told him to do, he would probably still be himself. He went and got stupid, trying to confront a monster that towered over probably even New York City, though he had never been there. He hated being so helpless and unable to control his own body. The creature knew it.
It sensed the boy’s anger and only smirked at the child. What a pitiful human. It had no power over him, at least not right now. It knew not to underestimate the boy, since there had been a time or two he managed to take control. Not now, and not for a long time, if the creature had its way. As the creature forced the boy to walk barefoot on thorns and thistles through the woods, its theory was soon proven right. Deep in the denser part of the woods, there was a little creek. Without warning, Will was shoved into the cool water and pushed onward until his shoulders were submerged. This would do for now, a perfect hideout.
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