𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒 • Robin Buckley

XX: NIGHTMARE

TRIGGER WARNING
this chapter includes mentions of self harm, abuse, and similar topics. although this chapter doesn't go into great detail (in my opinion), i think it's necessary for me to put a warning for anyone who may be affected by any of these things. put yourself first, thank you.

"Her body just, like, lifted up into the air and, uh, and she just like hung there. In the air. And her bones... uh... her bones started to snap. Her eyes, man. It... it was like there was something, like, inside her head, pulling. I... I didn't know what to do, so I... I ran away. I left her there. You all think I'm crazy, right?"

"No," Dustin said, "We don't think you're crazy al all."

"Don't bullshit me, man!" Eddie shouted, "I know how this sounds."

"We're not bullshitting you," Max said.

"We believe you," Robin added.

"This. We've seen it before. Well, not this, the whole bone snapping eye bursting thing is new, but supernatural shit? We're practically pros," Claudia said.

"Look," Dustin said, "What I'm about to tell you might be a little... difficult to take."

"Okay," Eddie said shakily.

"You know how people say Hawkins is cursed They're not way off. There's another world, a world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours."

"Like ghosts and shit?"

"There are some things worse than ghosts," Max said.

"Like Russians," Claudia added, Robin hit her arm.

"These monsters from this other world, we thought they were gone. But they've come back before, and that's why we needed to find you."

"If they're back again, we need to know."

"That night, did you see anything?" Robin asked.

"Dark particles, maybe?" Max asked.

Eddie shook his head. "It would almost look like dust," Dustin said, "Swirling dust."

"No, man, there was nothing you could see or, uh, or touch. You know, I tried to wake her, man. She couldn't move. It was like she was in a trance or something."

"Or under a spell."

"A curse."

"Vecna's curse."

"Who's Vecna?" Claudia asked.

"An undead creature of great power."

"A spell caster."

"A dark wizard."

That night, Claudia decided to stay at Robin's house. If she went home so late, her mom would think she was out doing drugs or something, if she didn't go home at all, she's just assume she was with Robin or Steve, AKA her only friends.