ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʟᴀꜱᴛꜱ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ ☆ ꜱᴛᴇᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀʀɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ

008.

[1983]
008. what the hell

Shortly after Annabelle got home she was already leaving again. Her Walkman attached to her jeans as she pulled down the sleeves of her sweatshirt more. The sound of Fleetwood Mac played through her ears as her feet took slow steps towards the Harrington household.

Steve had said he was going back to the game but she realised after that her jacket was still there from the previous night that had her Bowie cassette tape in.

Nearing the gate to the Harrington backyard, she bumped into someone, quickly holding the person steady so they both didn't fall. Looking up, her brown eyes met blue, Nancy wheeler stood ahead of her, grabbing the blonde's arm to.

"Shit. You cared me, Wheeler."

"Sorry." Nancy took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself, looking away. Annabelle looked up at her, noticing her uneasiness. "You good, Nancy?" The brunette just nodded in return.

"I left my jacket here the other night. If you need to get something you can come with." Annabelle stuffed her hands in her pocket, finding the key to his house.

"Um, yeah, I was just trying to find Barb." Nancy smiled slightly to the blonde as Annabelle opened the gate. They peeked there heads in first to make sure none of the Harrington's were home.

"I didn't know you had a key." Nancy asked as they set foot into the backyard. "Mrs Harrington gave one to me ages ago. It was encase I needed a place to sleep or eat when my mom was working." Annabelle mumbled, shutting the door behind her.

Everything looked the exact same. Trees to the forest, the pool, chairs. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Barb?"

Annabelle didn't question why Nancy was calling for her friend in her boyfriends house. Liam wasn't anywhere near and Annabelle was getting more concerned, especially since Will Byers and now Barb Holland was magically gone.

"Are you sure you checked her house, car?" Annie asked, "Yeah. Not there." Nance replied but he duo's attention went to a rustling in the woods ahead of them. Neither said anything as the teens followed the path outside the back.

"Barb?"

"Liam?" Annabelle shouted, hoping it was just one of Liam's pranks and that he was oaky. He was just getting back at her for ditching the other night.

Another sound of rustling caught the girls attention again. Nancy quickly grabbed Annabelle's arm, making sure to keep each other close.

"Barb?" They both called out in hopes it was someone. "Steve?" Annie thought maybe he was joking around and was messing with them cause they snuck in, even though his car wasn't here.

A growl appeared behind them, a figure running past. Quickly, the two rushed away from the trees and towards the house. Nancy stumbled on the floor but with Annabelle's grip, she steadied herself and they both ran. Ran for their life.

Once outside the gate, Annabelle quickly shut it behind, leaning her body against it encase the... thing was following them.

"What the hell." She breathed out, panting in between words.

"I'll... Do you want a ride?" Nancy asked in between her own breaths, trying to figure out what the hell that was. The brunette was also not gonna leave behind Annabelle for her to get hurt, or worse.

The two drove back in silence, only words where when Annabelle said where she lived, which wasn't that far from the Harrington's. Only a goodbye was exchanged before Nancy rushed off again, wanting to get to her own home.

Night approached and She had asked her mom when she returned home, to drive her to Jonathans, needing some comfort of a friend and also needing to talk to him. What she didn't expect, was for her to be standing in the middle of Jim Hopper telling Joyce and Jonathan that they found Will's body.

Annabelle couldn't quite process it. She never really did when it came to danger or death or loss of any kind. She kinda just ignored it. Annabelle never really dealt with the effects of her twin dying. Her dad leaving. Friendships falling apart. She just focused on something else.

"...Accidently fell in. The earth must have given way." Hopper explained to Joyce, yet she wasn't listening. She was very much in her own head just like Annabelle.

"Joyce? Do you understand what I'm saying?" Hopper put a comforting hand on her arm, trying to get her attention.

Jonathan was leaning against the couch, processing what happened. Annabelle was just kinda... frozen. It felt like this. This was just the same exact thing from ten years ago. The words from Officer Brown echoing there old house away from Hawkins. The sound of her mom breaking down in the kitchen. Newly turned seven year old, Annabelle hearing everything from the stairs. That night, the first three minutes of being seven, she lost her world.

The sound of a door slamming made her break out of the memories and into the horror that was real life. She looked around to see only Jonathan was missing. " I'll, uh. I'll go see him." Sending a small sad smile to Hopper, she walked away to her friends room.

Not even letting him know she was there, she opened the door and walked in. His headphones was on his head, lying down on his bed. His arms hugging himself in comfort.

Annabelle wasted no time getting into the other side of his bed, wrapping her arms around the boy. Soothing words left her mouth as she rubbed his arm, trying to get him to calm down so the tears wouldn't turn into gasps of breath.

Jonathan didn't respond to her at all. He kept the music of Should I stay or Should I go blasting in his ears and focusing on the celling. A few tears ran down Annabelle's face as she realised that someone she knew had died. again.

Jonathan buried his head into the crock of Annie's neck, letting his tears out as she hugged him, rubbing soothing circles onto his back. Neither spoke. This was just something that could never be put into words.

So that was how the rest of the night went. Joyce was sat in the living room with an axe. Jonathan cried onto Annabelle before falling into a slumber and Annabelle kept a tight hold on her friend, not letting go once and just stayed there, letting herself fall into a sleep also.