Bloody Negatives {Stranger things}

Chapter Thirteen

《Chapter Thirteen》
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"What's the bandana for?" Tally asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Your eyes," Dustin said confidently, a wide smile on his face.

"I'm not following..." Tally said, blinking with confusion.

"Here," Dustin sighed, ranking Eddie's black bandana out of Tally's hands and shifting to sit behind him. "We'll wrap it around your head. So you can focus."

Tally's chest shook with the effort it took to hold back the disbelieving words he wanted to spout. He was still convinced that this whole idea was going to be completely a shot in the dark.

Being able to contact some girl in a whole different state because she supposedly had... superpowers? The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous.

"Don't look so hopeless," Dustin said in the same tone Tally had heard his mother use. Dustin tied the bandana around Tally's head tightly.

"Ow," Tally coughed, hearing Eddie chuckle again. That's all Eddie seemed to be able to do. Laugh at Tally's misfortune.

"Now what?" Eddie asked, his smile audible in his words.

Dustin didn't say anything for a while. It made Tally uneasy, not being able to see.

"I'm not sure," the 15-year-old admitted at last, causing both Eddie and Tally to let out large sighs of disappointment. Tally reached up to tug off the bandana, but Dustin slapped his hand away. "That doesn't mean we're giving up."

Tally groaned at the boy's stubbornness. What if he wanted to give up? Was that such a crime?

"Just take a deep breath Tally," Dustin said with such determination it would have broken Tally's heart to disobey the order. "Focus on what you want to do. Who you want to see. You can do this."

Tally squeezed his eyes shut, even with the bandana obstructing his vision. He wasn't quite sure what position he was meant to be in, though crossing his legs was uncomfortable, and sitting any other way felt wrong, so he lay down, his head by Eddie and his feet by Dustin.

Tally could feel the air channeling in and out of his lungs with each breath.

His entire body was buzzing with anticipation.

"Nice and easy," Dustin cooed. In all honesty, he was more distracting than he was helpful. "Now, find El."

The words were said like they were meant to be some kind of inspirational demand that would strike power and courage into Tally's heart. In reality, they did absolutely nothing.

Tally clenched and unclenched his fists. He tried to focus, though anxiety was beginning to overcome him.

He was reminded of a trick the school counsellor taught him. She'd called it the Five Things trick.

Five things he could see. Well, that was the most difficult one, he couldn't really see anything other than his eyelids. Though he supposed if he opened his eyes he could see the bandana. And if he squinted he could see the boathouse's dim flickering lights. That was three things. Three was close enough to five.

After naming five things he could see, he was supposed to name four things he could hear. Eddie breathing next to him. Dustin muttering affirmations every once in a while. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights above him. The quiet splashing of the lake outside the boathouse.

After that we're three things he could feel. The black cloth over his eyes. The sweat dripping down his face. The hard, uncomfortable wood floor he lay on.

Two things he could smell. Damp, somewhat moody wood. That smell hadn't left him since the moment he'd stepped into the boathouse. Scent number two was... something iron-y that he couldn't quite place.

The final step was one thing he could taste. He thought long and hard about this one, before it occurred to him.

Blood. He could taste blood.

Tally's eyes flew open in shock, although he quickly realized that he was no longer in the boathouse.

In fact, it didn't seem like he was in Hawkins at all.

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