𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 // 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

1-8: The Upside Down

Jonathan pulled his car up to the Byer's home and abruptly stopped in front of the house. The three of us got out of the car and circled around to the back where Jonathan lifted up the trunk and Nancy and I grabbed the boxes and the fire extinguisher that Nancy decided to steal from the station. 

We brought it all inside and set it on the ground, exchanging glances before we all went to adjust and fix the Christmas lights that were dangling from the ceiling. We needed to screw them back into place properly in order for them to work again. After maybe half an hour of fixing the lights, we worked on setting up the traps. Jonathan nailed down a bear trap in the hallway by his door as Nancy and I watched, crouched on the ground. Jonathan finished up and nodded at us, letting Nancy know to begin loading her gun. Jonathan and I grabbed a box of large nails and began hammering them into a wooden baseball bat. Once Nancy's gun was loaded, she took the red gas canister and began pouring out gas along the hallway floor and stopped at a chair. Nancy then set up a string-like trap made from a yoyo with the end of the yoyo hanging off of the same chair. 

Once everything was properly set up, we took a sigh of relief and exchanged glances between one another, acknowledging that this was going to be a fight for our lives. Jonathan went into the kitchen, then came back with three knives in hand and handed us one each. 

"Remember..." Jonathan began, but Nancy repeated the plan. 

"Straight into Will's room. And--" 

"Don't step on the trap." I reminded them. 

"Wait for the yo-yo to move." She began again. 

"Then..." Jonathan flicked open his lighter, showing us the flame before putting it back down. We nodded and I took a deep breath. "All right. You ready?" He looked Nancy up and down before glancing over at me. I nodded, and Nancy did too. 

"Ready." The three of us held our hands out and placed the knife against our palms.  

"On the count of three." Jonathan told us. "One..." The three of us began wincing in anticipation, knowing this was going to hurt like a bitch. "two..." Jonathan said again, almost trying to delay the plan. He looked at Nancy and saw she was scared. "You don't have to do this--" He began but was cut off.

"Jonathan, stop talking." Nancy mumbled. 

"I'm just saying, you don't have to--" Jonathan began again.

"Three." She cut him off, not listening, and almost by instinct, the three of us sliced our palms with the knives. I didn't realize how deep of a cut I had made it as thick red blood trickled down my hand. I held it in pain and dropped the knife, Nancy doing almost the same. I winced and shut my eyes, making little groans in pain as Jonathan went to grab some bandages to help with the open wounds that we all gave ourselves. 

Jonathan helped Nancy and I with putting on our bandages, and Nancy helped Jonathan with his. The three of us sat on the couch, jumping at any little creak and noise.

"Did you hear that?" Nancy asked when a small creak could be heard in the house. We were all silent for a second before Jonathan tried to reassure her.

"It's just the wind." He told her. "Don't worry. My mom, she said the lights speak when it comes." He tells her, his voice quiet. I watched the two as they stared into one another's eyes. It was pretty obvious to me that something was there between them, but I knew if I brought it up they'd just deny it. 

"Speak?" She asked.

"Blink." He shrugged. "Think of them as alarms." The two went quiet again with Nancy not giving Jonathan a response. I picked at my fingernails, anxious for this monster to appear. Nancy continued wrapping up Jonathan's hand in bandages.