the year of el | mileven

ch. 1 | black forest

"EL?!"

"EL! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Mike ran through the dark brooding forest as fast as he could, searching for her. The gloomy sky seemed to reflect the hopelessness he was feeling at that very moment.

He called for her once more.

"ELEVEN!"

Suddenly he heard a faint whisper "Mike.."

He grabbed his flashlight, and ran to where he heard the small voice. It seemed as though he was running forever, as miles of black trees lined his view.

"I'm here El!" "I'm right here!"

He finally saw her.

She was curled in a ball on the forest floor as though she was hiding from something.

She turned to him, her face pale and gaunt "Mike, stay away."

"It's okay, El. I'm here for you. You're safe now." his voice quavered.

He then grabbed her hand.

As he held her hand in his, he noticed that it was freezing and tremoring.

Suddenly a monster like shriek plagued the night sky.

That's when her hand slowly started to disappear from his own.

"No! El! Don't go!" he shouted, as she began to slowly fade away.

Mike ran as he heard the monster coming closer.

The footsteps of the monster smashed heavily against the ground as the creature let out another blood-curdling screech.

He sprinted as fast as he could, desperately trying to remember his path out of the dark woods.

He had left his flashlight back where El was and he was struggling to make it through the ever present darkness that surrounded him.

Guilt gripped him though as he realized that he had left her behind.

He couldn't help but to turn around to see if El was somehow or some way still there.

As Mike turned swiftly to peer behind him, he came face to face with it.

The Monster. The Demogorgon.

✧

Mike jolted from his bed, struggling to catch his breath. His heart raced rapidly, as beads of nervous sweat formed on his head.

"Just a dream, it was just a dream" he repeated breathily

Mike had nightmares like these when he was a kid, but for some reason they were suddenly resurfacing. After Eleven had vanished that day at the school, he never saw her again. He often thought about her though and at first he was even hopeful of her return. He left the fort he made for her up for a while, but days soon turned to months and then months to years, so he eventually took it down.

Unable to fall back asleep, he stared at his ceiling.

He didn't understand why out of nowhere he was dreaming of her again.

When she first left, It took him awhile to come to terms that she was gone. He didn't know if she went missing or if the worst had happened to her. He would often mourn in silence for his friend, turning to his sister Nancy for comfort. She understood perfectly because she too had lost someone close to her, her best friend Barb.

The hurt eventually turned to numbness after four years and he learned to cope and move on. However, it didn't stop him from thinking about her. He never forgot that strange girl with the superpowers that saved him and his friends. He never forgot how vulnerable she was and how he just wanted to protect her. He never forgot her sweet smile and her desire for normality,

but then again, how could he?