little boxes \\ stranger things

oo4. will byers & rebecca hopper

I opened my eyes to see nothing, but darkness. I pressed my fingers to my eyes to check if I had actually opened them. My fingers traveled to my head where I found an open cut just above my temple. I sucked in air as my finger brushed a little too close, making a stinging sensation. I sat up slowly and looked around, just to realize I was still outside my house, but something was different. It was more eerie, darker.

I stood on shakey legs and wobbled over to the door that was open a crack, and walked inside. Dad still wasn't home, but that wasn't weird. What was weird was that the inside of my home had turned a dark purple, everything looked like it was dirty and broken. I quietly examined my living room, scared to pieces.

I heard a truck door slam and I flinched at the noise. It wasn't loud, I just didn't hear the engine approaching or anything. Something was very wrong. I turned to face the front door, that swung open, with no one on the other side.

"Dad?" I called out, my voice echoing in the empty darkness.

"Becca?" I heard in return, my dad's voice was steady, but concerned. I saw him, almost. It was like a puff of smoke, but I saw his outline.

"Dad!" I yelled, hoping he would just show up and hold me close. This was too much, too scary.

"Becca?!" I heard him yell back, I felt warm air push by me, as if he ran past. He must have went to check the house for any trace of me. I was so cold, so scared. It was so dark and empty.

Was I dead? Did I die? I ran outside the front door, slamming it against the porch railing. I searched the front yard for a body, my body. Blood or anything. I found nothing.

I heard a gurgling growl from the trees behind me. The sounds got closer and more fearsome. I quickly ran to my father's truck and slid my body underneath. I held my breath as a shadow circled the truck and sniffed the air around my yard.

Fresh blood dripped from my forehead and slowly ran down my face. I covered it with my hand and tried to keep from crying as the monster circled the truck once again.

A cry in the distance called the monster away from my hiding spot. I pushed my face in the grass and cried.

&

I don't know how long I had been under the truck. I prayed that I would open my eyes and I would be in my bed and this would all be just a bad dream.

No such luck.

I opened my eyes to see the grass that had consoled me as I wept. I glanced around me, I didn't see any feet or hear any angry growling noises. I slipped out from under the truck carefully and stood there for a moment.

What do I do? How do I get home? This is obviously not my home. So, where am I?

I heard small noises coming from the end of the driveway, sniffling and shuffling of feet. I went toward it curiously, is there someone else here?

A small boy was wandering past my driveway, the floppy hair and his red and yellow vest were too familiar. He was shivering and dirty. I walked slowly toward him, afraid it was some kind of trap.

"Will?" I whispered, hearing my own voice in this quiet place was scary in itself. The boy turned, and his eyes filled up with tears that matched mine. Familiarity in a world of fear. He ran to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, I returned the hug graciously.

"How did we get here?" I asked him, still keeping my voice quiet.

"The monster brought us here." He responded, wiping his dripping nose on his sleeve. I wiped a tear from his face with my thumb, smudging some dirt on his cheek.

"Let's try to find a way out, where were you when you got here?" I asked, kneeling down to tie his shoe which must have come undone when he was running.

"I came home from Mike's house, and mom and Jonathan weren't home..." Fresh tears sprouted in his eyes, my heart tugged with guilt, "I went to the shed, but-"

"Hey, it's okay." I cut him off, seeing as he looked as if he would crumble if he continued. "We're gonna get out of here, Will. I promise."

He nodded his head, feeling reassured. I wasn't so confident though.

&

Will and I made our way to his house, or what looked like his house. His hand squeezed my hand tightly the whole way there. We walked up to the front door and I looked down at him, Will gave me a small nod and i pushed the door open.

"Jonathan?" I whispered into the despairingly empty house. Will released my hand and wandered into the house and down the hall, most likely to his room. I quietly walked into the kitchen and glanced at the phone on the wall. Maybe I could call someone...

I picked up the phone and held it to my head. The line was crackling, like there was a storm going on, but it was dead quiet outside.

"Hello?" I spoke through the phone, I heard my voice echo through the phone till it didn't sound like my voice anymore. "Jonathan? Anyone? Please." I pleaded to no avail.

Will came down the hall and tugged on the sleeve of my dirty tattered waitress dress, he held his other hand out for the phone. I handed it to him and let him call out to his mom on it.

"Mom! Mom! It's me! Please help us!" He yelled, his voice shaking. He got frustrated and threw the phone to the floor, where it crackled with electricity and fizzled out. I kneeled down and wrapped my arms around him again, trying to comfort him.

Though, no one could comfort us enough except the people who weren't wit us. We were just alone in the dark.

&

Will had fallen asleep while I snooped around the house and yard. I was looking for an exit so we could leave this place. We needed to leave. This place, it's sucking the energy from us. I had slept not even two hours ago and I'm already exhausted. I told Will it was just from stress, that we are gonna be okay. White lies.

I find myself in the Byer's back yard, a shovel in my hand to use as a weapon if the monster shows up. I inch myself closer to the shed, where Will had told me he saw the monster the first time. I hold the shovel up, ready to swing, as I reach for the shed door handle. I open the shed to find nothing, another waste of the precious energy I have left.

A loud growl in the distance made me jump almost out of my skin, I swung around with the bat in hand, looking for the predator. I slowly move toward the house, hoping it wasn't inside with Will sleeping peacefully in his bed.

I make my way inside and carefully shut and lock the door behind me, pushing a heavy cabinet in front of it, blocking whatever would try to come in.

I race down the hall to Will's room to find him asleep and safe, a sigh escapes my lips as I sit beside him on the bed. I placed my shovel on the floor at my feet, keeping it close by.

Another growl in the distance stirs Will awake. We look quietly at each other, and wait for more sounds that will tell us what's happening. Suddenly the wall above Will's bed stretches out with a menacing claw and faceless head. I grab Will up from the bed and run out of his room, slamming the door behind us. Forgetting all about the trusty shovel.

We hide ourselves in the small closet in the bathroom at the other side of the house. We pray that the monster won't find us.

The bathroom door creaks open, two large clawed feet make their way across dirty black tile. A large howl is emitted from the other side of the door, I slap my hand across Will's mouth as he starts to cry. Silent tears slip down our cheeks, and the monster exits.

While we wait in the closet, making sure the monster is gone, we both fall into a light sleep. Huddled together in a bathroom closet, hiding from a monster in its own dark and twisted world.