𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 ⟿ s. harrington

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞

THE GREAT WAR

☀︎

ALEX HENDERSON'S IMAGINATION OFTEN RAN WILD. It was a way of escape that allowed her to forget the reality of the world around her. She used to believe that maybe being lost in her mind would keep her hidden long enough that soon her problems would run off to find someone else to attach to. That way she could forget and that spark of hope for the future would return.

Sweat dribbled down the side of her face when she rose from her bed. Looking beside her, Steve laid on his stomach, his arms tucked under the pillow and his face turned away. His long hair covered over his eyes and Alex felt a small sigh escape through her troubled breath.

It had to have been a nightmare, there was nothing else that it could be. The Mind Flayer was the only monster from the deepest pit of hellish nightmares that could ever come true. Not a man that twisted within people's minds, tearing them apart from the inside out due to his darkened soul.

She laughed within her mind that any of that could happen. Vecna— Henry Creel— he was just a twisted thought in her mind— a self-inflicted blame she placed on herself to deal with the trauma of Starcourt. The break up with Steve, the haunting visions, the fear of more monsters lurking within the shadows, the death of the innocent souls of Hawkins... it was all a dream— a nightmare. This was a nightmare she felt she could get over.

Running a hand over her forehead, she wiped the sweat away and let her hand fall back onto her lap with a simple smile. Her chest rose and fell increasingly slower as she calmed herself. Plans formed in her mind of how she could pull herself from her lowest point. Rather than push those away as this terrible nightmare showed her, she'd run to them, hide in their arms until she felt that nothing like the monster Henry Creel was could ever touch her. It'd be easy. Early morning, she'd leave a kiss against Steve's cheek to wake him up, going with him to work to say hi to Robin Buckley. At the video store, she'd call Jonathan, apologizing for staying away for so long, and make plans for after graduation to visit one another. Then the rest of the day would fall into place as she saw those she loved.

Alex could almost close her eyes and imagine such a day. It'd be refreshing to her heart. Then the heavy weight of the world around her resurfaced as her eyes found themselves staring down at the blood that covered her hand. A panic began as her heart rate found itself at the same quick pace as when she woke up and unforgiving thoughts swirled her mind as she used her clean hand to wipe at her forehead once more.

Holding her hand out, Alex felt the warmth of the blood cloud over her fingers, enough that even if she washed them, a slight stain of red would stay and her nail beds would be crusted over with blood that she couldn't quite clean away.

Lifting the blankets off of herself, Alex threw her legs off the side of the bed and rushed to the mirror above her desk to find what she thought was sweat had only been thick, red blood, so dark it nearly looked black if she hadn't taken her time to look herself over. Her face had been covered, the wet sticky feeling dripping down to her neck as blood found a new home in every crack and crevice it could.