Adolescence, m. mayfield

014. you can't save him

He was running, pushing back out through the woods towards the direction they had come, images flashing over his eyes of a boy his age running away from something— his lungs were starting to hurt, but he had to get there before the monster got to the boy. The back of the school had a large grass pitch, Tom broke through the dark forest right onto it. Tom had always hated the way this world looked, it made everything normal go dark, stole any happiness right from you.

"Go away!" The voice was clearer now, Tom could see the boy standing alone in the big field. He started to run over but his feet failed him as he just got to standing beside the boy. Up in the sky above them, standing out from the crashing red thunders in the sky behind it, there was a monster. Large and terrifying, Tom wished he would never have to see it again— not once he was rescued from the lab.

Tom came back to himself and placed a hand on the boys shoulder. "You have-" his voice was hoarse and it took a lot for Tom to pull his eyes away from the monster. The boy was looking at him with wide eyes, hopefulness deep inside. Tom recognised him now— it was Will, Mikes friend, the one that got lost in the upside down last year. He still looked the same as he did from the picture in Mikes bedroom last year, only his face was no longer smiling, instead full of pain and exhaustion.

"You have to go" Tom found himself saying, both of his hands now on Will's shoulders. Will looked from him to the large shadow behind Tom's shoulder, "No, stop. You have to run, Will!"

Using his name got the boys head to snap to his, Will stared at him, mouth forming around lost words. Tom shook his lightly and pleaded more with him— he could hear the monster getting closer still, the whirring of its longs legs soaring through the sky. Will gasped and went to take a step back but fell over his own feet and landed hard on the ground, "Watch out!"

Tom spun around, the shadow monster was much closer now but it stopped as the boy faced it. He rolled his shoulders back and set his face with a fierce expression.

'Let me to him'

The voice in his head growled at him as the shadow monster stood taller itself. But Tom wasn't scared, not now, he had someone to protect— Will had already been through enough and Tom was determined to not let any of Mikes friends suffer anymore. "No" The shadow monster reeled it's large, pointed head backwards. A tense waiting passed, Tom's heart was pounding in his chest but he made himself act taller than he was— Will was still on the ground behind him, stunned into a silence as his chest heaved with scared pants.

Something changed within the shadow monster and it started moving forwards again, heading for Will. Tom faltered in himself slightly, scared eyes watching the overbearing shadow approach, but he pulled himself together and stared at it. His feet dug into the ground, determined to hold his ground as Tom focused on the shadow, remembering all the times El had stayed up late with him to help him practice his powers.

And the monster stopped suddenly. Tom gasped as it did, he was really doing it— he was stopping the shadow. He wasn't sure he would ever be able to do something like that, but it when he helped his friends by the cliff side last year, Tom became determined. It was all working out now.

But the shadow overpowered him quickly, pushed through his defences and Tom felt himself start to get pushed back. "No!" He took a glance to Will, to his scared face and turned around again— his hand raised shakily, copying what El taught him to do, focusing solely on holding off the shadow. Memories flashed through his mind, the lab, Papa, the collar around his neck, his friends getting hurt, the voice that kept taunting him. It was working, the shadow had stopped again and seemed quite furious as it couldn't push past.

'You are too weak, you can't hold me off forever, Ten'

"Let him go!" Tom shouted back, his voice strained as he continued to hold off the shadow. His left hand coming up as well to help stable his powers, and the shadow even started to get pushed back just a little bit. Tom groaned as he felt himself getting tired, struggling to hold on. He gasped and looked around at Will as he felt his knees starting to buckle, "Run! Run and don't-"