𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄
JULY 4TH, 1985

Scarlette gasped as her eyes shot open, her breath ragged and uneven. The world around her came rushing back—the dim glow of the cabin, the hum of static on the television, and the worried face of Henry hovering above her. His hands were gripping her shoulders, gently shaking her.

"Scarlette," he said, his voice low but laced with concern. "Are you okay? You just... zoned out. What happened?"

She blinked at him, still trying to process what she had seen. Her heart raced, but she forced herself to push it all down, to swallow the truth she wasn't ready to share. She gave him a faint smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'm fine," she lied, her voice soft. She reached up, placing her hand over his to steady him. "I just... spaced out, that's all."

Henry didn't look convinced. His brows furrowed as he searched her face, his eyes lingering on the hint of fear she couldn't quite hide. "Are you sure?" he pressed. "You were out of it for a while."

"I'm fine, Henry. I promise," Scarlette said, squeezing his hand for reassurance. She tried to sit up straighter, to shake off the lingering dread curling in her chest. "Nothing happened."

Before Henry could say more, a sharp, gut-wrenching scream cut through the tension in the room. Both of them snapped their heads toward Eleven, who was sitting cross-legged in front of the TV, the black cloth still tied around her head. She tore it off with trembling hands, blood dripping from her nose as her body shook violently.

"Eleven!" Mike was the first to rush to her side as she sobbed uncontrollably, collapsing into his arms. Her cries echoed through the cabin, raw and full of terror.

The rest of the party froze, their earlier conversations forgotten as they all turned their attention to her. Scarlette and Henry exchanged a tense glance before they scrambled to their feet, joining the others.

"What did she see?" Max whispered, her voice barely audible over Eleven's cries.

Scarlette's stomach twisted, her own unease multiplying as she watched the girl cling to Mike, her hands trembling as she gripped his shirt. Whatever Eleven had witnessed, it was enough to unravel her completely.

Henry instinctively stepped closer to Scarlette, his hand brushing against hers as if grounding her in the chaos. She didn't pull away, her fingers curling slightly against his. But as her gaze remained fixed on Eleven, Scarlette couldn't stop the nagging thought in the back of her mind: whatever had just happened to El, it wasn't over. For any of them.

a/n
quick filler, new chapter soon. i wanna start season 4 tonight.