THE TOWER ━ stranger things

18.

chapter eighteen – the battle of starcourt mall and the sacrifice

Just about every curse word left from Irene's lip in a low mumble as she pushed the car alongside Lucas, her brother, and the rest of the group. Jonathan's plan, while clever in retrospect, had many holes in it. The muscles inside her arms felt like they were being pulled apart in a fiery game of tug-o-war; it was like an inferno had been ignited in her core (which she swore birthed a set of abs along her stomach). A low rumbling grunt came from her; her arms now shaking underneath the weight of the car which seemed to be getting heavier as stray curls stuck to her sweaty forehead. Soon enough, before they could pull any important muscles, they all took their hands off of the vehicle; panting as they leaned against it.

They shared looks of fatigue as El stood before them brimming with dim confidence, telling them to let her give it a try. Helplessness seeped into her gaze, but none of them wanted her to burn herself out any further. Irene shook her head, placing her hands at her waist, "No." She breathed, causing everyone's attention to snap toward her in shock, and then swallowed thickly, "You've lost too much of your strength so no. Thankfully as we were pushing, I actually came up with an idea that might work."

Once Mike caught on to the plan she was trying to execute he immediately broke down the laws of physics to the rest of the group so that they would be on board too. And with much effort from all of them, they used the theater's rope poles to push the car back onto its wheels. Irene shared an ecstatic and tired (she could hardly keep her arms up) high-five with Mike before they stepped down beside his older sister and Johnathan who were swift to get the hood of the car open. Mateo lingered right beside as he offered his help.

Just when they thought they escaped the clutches of evil a thunderous boom rang in the distance; the feeling of deja vu that overcame Irene had her stomach erupting with a flurry of butterflies. She glanced over at Will who had reached for the back of his neck and figured he felt it somehow, too. A jolt vibrated against the ground, shaking and cracking the malls' glass ceiling with every step that seemed to grow...louder. A sickly snarl made goosebumps rise along her arms and she felt the life leave her completely as her eyes trailed upward. 

Everything slowed around her and for a moment it felt like time had completely stopped and the world grew eerily silent. It was just her staring back at the thing she'd been trying so desperately to flee from. A lump formed in her throat as she stood frozen by both terror and grief.

This was the pinnacle of it all for her; the solidification of her nightmare.

Before the monster that peered down at her caved into the building, a rough yank to her arm jostled her out of her trance and she looked over at Max who was now pulling her along. She ran beside the red-head as a loud shriek pierced her ears. They quickly ducked behind a counter and it took everything in her not to vomit at the rancid smell that filled her nostrils. It stuck there, weaving itself into every part of her – the smell of death so potent...so haunting.

Max's hand was still gripped tightly onto hers and she looked over at her eyes and felt herself sink deeper into grief. She was terrified...They all were and the muffled sounds of Dustin barely trying to contact them frantically on one of the distant walkies wasn't helping their case. It only heightened their anxieties and Irene was both relieved and horrified that she turned her walkie off to save its battery earlier.

A part of her was still in complete awe over everything. She felt helpless and as if it were all her fault that it had gotten to such a drastic point – she could've said something before, right? She could've warned the group earlier–She should've warned the group earlier. Maybe then they wouldn't be standing at death's doorstep with so much as a flower bouquet and a smile. Maybe then the summer would have actually been normal or as normal as it could get in her life – she'd hang out with her new friends and have fun and life wouldn't be so scary after all. Unfortunately, this was her hellish reality and she couldn't help but feel responsible.