There and Back Again

Amy wandered the back roads of Hawkins, down to the woods, she needed to find shelter and clean herself up before someone could spot her, It was now closing in around noon and the woods would fill with high schoolers who left early and couples looking for secluded places to make out.

Looking up at the sky, Amy could see the clouds forming unnaturally in the distance and wished they'd been over her. "A rain shower would make my life easier right now," she uttered to herself.

Amy sighed, She couldn't stop thinking about what happened to the girl at the Ford's house. She couldn't mark why, but she felt responsible for her. "she had to have gotten away." Amy thought to herself. "though they did far worse to her."

Dark grey eyes bore holes into Amy's memory. She couldn't quite explain it well, but she felt as if she'd been looking through a gateway looking through those eyes.

A sudden wave of pain rushed through Amy's temples, "n-not again!" Amy gasped clutching her head. Making a fist she started to beat the side of her head, "stop it! Stop it!" she yelled collapsing in the trees.

A trickle of blood rolled down from her left eye and out of her nose. "they're hunting even still." She whispered, opening her backpack. Reaching in she pulled out a half-filled bottle of water. "great, this is the last one, I'll need to pinch another one from somewhere." she murmured.

A loud crack of thunder shook the skies, Amy looked up in a panic, it was still far off but it was odd. "it's supposed to be scorching this week." Amy thought as the air felt fairly chilly.

"Leave him alone!" Myrtle shouted, standing over her brother in the school parking lot. This wasn't how she foresaw the day carrying on. Fing herself surrounded by two larger boys, they hardly even looked like they were in high school, Myrtle tried to hold her ground. Patrick sat on the ground, trying to stop his nose from bleeding.

"This is a warning from Mr. J you speak to anyone about, you know what and it's your family." said one of the attackers. Patrick spat out the blood in his mouth, "Man I don't know what the 'you know what' even is!" He argued. "Oh I think you do, you see Mr.J says the McKinney's are a real tight family." said the other boy taking a step closer.

"you stay right there." Myrle growled, though inside she was quaking, "I can't take on these guys, and neither can Patrick." she thought. Most of the students had left the parking lot and had gone home. A few stayed for various clubs and after-school meet-ups inside the building but that wasn't going to do either of them any good now.

Clouds rumbled as Myrtle's anxiety grew, "Look Pat doesn't know anything I promise, alright. and My lips are sealed." she spoke quickly. "just leave him alone. You can tell Ford he's got nothing to worry about." Myrtle said, "I'm good with secrets." If she could talk any faster she would have won a world record.

The two overgrown boys smirked and seemed satisfied, "you'd better or you'll be getting a visit from someone not as nice as we are." One boasted. The other spat down at Patrick's feet and turned to follow the other as they headed towards a rusted red pickup truck.

Seeing them head up the road, Myrtle relaxed and stumbled, a new wave of exhaustion taking over. She lightly touched her chest as a dull pain lingered deep. The helplessness she had mashed down finally bubbled to the surface as a light shower of rain started to fall.

"are you ok Pat?" Myrtle asked turning to her brother. Patrick got up quickly and pushed myrtle away from him, "I'm fine, why'd you do that!?" He shouted. Myrtle's brows knitted together as she shook her head, "they would have beaten you into a hospital bed. You couldn't take them both. I was trying to help." she reasoned.

"Yeah, well no thanks." He barked, "now everyone is going to think that I need my sister to fight for me." Patrick snapped, snatching his bag off the ground "you're the cause of half my problems, kindly don't try to help now." he added walking off down the road leaving Myrtle speechless.

With a heavy sigh, Myrtle held out her hand to catch the soft drops of rain. When to her surprise, instead she caught a spider. Another baby widow at that. With another splash of a raindrop on her skin, landed another.

Confused Myrtle turned her face up towards the falling rain, holding out her hand again, she could feel lots of tiny legs crawling about in her palm.

"Please tell me you are not practicing being a turkey," called Robin, exiting the school with her Band uniform in tow. Myrtle turned to look at Robin and held out her hand, but as she did so, she noticed the little critters she had wished to show Her had vanished.

"what?" Myrtle asked herself quietly.

"When did it start raining?" Robin asked looking around, the drizzle soon came to an instant stop, and the dark clouds above them started to thin and brighten. Myrtle looked back up to the sky and then to the palm of her hand. "I'm losing it." she thought. "I dunno blame it on lack of sleep." Myrtle said to Robin.

Robin gave a faint smile, "probably. let's go to my place and you can nap while I practice my presentation for Biology." she said. "....but if I'm sleeping how are you practicing?" asked Myrtle. Robin chuckled as the two girls headed for Myrtle's car. "Please everyone will be asleep the moment I get up there anyway." said Robin, "how thrilling can frog blander function be anyway?"



Robin set her notes down on the coffee table and walked to where myrtle rested on the couch, she pulled the knitted yarn blanket over her and sighed. "must you be so cute." Robin thought smoothing out the flyaways from Myrtle's perm. As she stirred Robin quickly drew back her hand.

Myrtle's arm slipped, dangling now from the edge of the couch, Robin tiled her head to get a better look at the oddly colored patch of skin peeking out from Myrtle's sleeves. But as she reached out, she noticed Myrtle's eyes moving rapidly behind her eyelids.

"oh no another nightmare?" Robin asked quietly, kneeling on the ground she rested a hand on Myrtle's shoulder, giving her a light shake. "hey, hey wake up." Robin called gently.

Myrtle however was far off into the dream, the ground beneath her feet rotating slowly. The Ford's house flickered with bright blinding lights before everything went black. "is it snowing?" Myrtle asked, her voice bouncing off of the world around like an echo. Reaching out she grasped a fist full of the strange snow, but rather than melt or feel wet it dissolved into her hands, like ashes or fungi spores.

"Something about this stuff feels familiar." Myrtle shuddered, wiping her hands clean on the jeans.

Taking a step forward a sickening squelch was enough to make her stomach flip over. Down at her feet, thick slippery vines slithered and inched about. "why is everything always red." Myrtle questioned eying the vines which oddly enough looked the color of blood.

Trying to avoid the odd plant life, Myrtle slipped. She landed on her back, even the floor felt wet and it was making her ill. The whole place was making her ill. It was getting harder to breathe by the second like her lungs were filling up. Myrtle tried her best to get to her feet, though the vines would not let her go.

"Don't be afraid, let it take you." called someone softly.

"w-who's there?" Myrtle asked, "Can you help me out?!" she called into the darkness.

"But I am." the voice answered, then like a blanket myrtle found herself being covered slowly in spiders, spiders of all sorts. legs ticking her skin and getting lost in her hair. "what's happening?" Myrtle wondered quietly, daring not to make a sound so as not to frighten the arachnids.

Closing her eyes Myrtle exhaled, "you're dreaming again, that's all, it's another nightmare, relax...you can wake up." she told herself quietly. "focus." she said taking a deep breath in.

As Myrtle exhaled and opened her eyes, she found herself not in Robin's living room, but looking through another's eyes, and she was running, wildly so through the woods.



As Myrtle exhaled and opened her eyes, she found herself not in Robin's living room, but looking through another's eyes, and she was running, wildly so through the woods
"holy shit! Myrtle!" Robin shouted, Myrtle felt a stinging on her cheek as she sat up. Looked at Robin with tear-filled eyes. "I-I didn't want to hit you I swear you...you were just sitting there staring into - into nothing and I..." Robin stammered as Myrtle started gathering her bag. "I should go home..." Myrtle whispered, "no wait come on I really didn't mean to-" As Robin reached out to Myrtle she recoiled, and Robin's hand fell to her sides. "honest, you didn't see yourself, what else could I have done...I tried water, ice.." Robin explained quietly distraught as she watched Myrtle flee for the door.

"I'll um...I'll see you later Robin," Myrtle whispered closing the door behind her.

"oh!" she gasped face with darkness. For a moment Myrtle thought she was back, that the dream had never stopped. "but that was real for sure, Dreams don't hurt." Myrtle murmured holding a hand to her cheek. "did I sleep that long?" Myrtle asked herself rushing to her car.

Driving down the road, Myrtle reflected back on the vision she had of the woods. How stranger the feeling of being within the body of another...."person?" she questioned, though oddly enough, "it hardly felt human, and worse....it was hungry." Myrtle thought.

Headlights appeared behind her, the car nearly nose to bumper with her own. "who could that be?" Myrtle murmured. Trying to stay calm she flicked on the car radio, turning it down low "welcome to denizens of Hawkins! Dodo's hit list on HN 106.9! we've got a chance to win a couple of tickets to Motorhead's No Remorse tour, ticket dates may vary! If you haven't snagged your yet don't Fret my pretties We'll have more after the break and remember to tune into HN 106.9 for your Heaviest metal set list 'around! Take it to Neck!" Dodo the radio personality cheered before a string of commercials started to play.

Myrtle's eyes glanced up at the rearview mirror, the car was still tailing her, light blaring. bitting her lip Myrtle tried not to panic. "It might just be Ford trying to freak me out like he did Patrick." She reasoned. Yet, somehow that didn't quite fit did it? "but isn't that overkill?" she wondered.

At the street sign up ahead, she took a left, turning down the commercial district, "I can stop and get something to eat, get into the public eye, and then I won't have to worry much." She thought.

Parking close to the door at the Aracade, Myrtle watched as the car stopped at the stop sign. The windows were heavily tented and she could not make how who was inside or how many there were. Even still she could feel them watching her. "they're trying to see if I'm bluffing." she murmured.

Myrtle stepped out of her car and walked to the Arcade, "don't look back at them." she told herself walking inside.

Instantly her ears were filled with all sorts of chimes, dings, bings, and high-pitched musical sound effects. Myrtle relaxed slightly and looked around, "Patrick used to beg me to walk here with him." she thought, spotting his favorite game in the back of the room she could remember an eleven-year-old Patrick running towards the SOS shoot'em up machine. Begging her for more quarters when he finally ran out.

"well, well, I haven't seen you in here for ages. Long time no see." Keith said, munching away with a box of Giggles Cookies. "Keith!" Myrtle gasped, "that you?" she asked wide-eyed. she remembered the bumpy-faced child from middle school who she sat to sit with as he cried all day his first year there, and he hadn't changed dup at all. "you got giant." said Myrtle. Keith laughed, "Yeah I got tall," he said with pride.

"What happened to you that year? Patrick said you weren't there the year after?" Myrtle asked. She didn't know what made him easy to talk to. Maybe it was because even back then Keith wasn't the kind of person who ever took anything seriously and never really had expectations of anyone or anything.

"maybe it's because you desperately need whoever is following you to believe you aren't aware of them." myrtle thought.

"My mom pulled me out to home school me. After you left It got rough for the chunky pimplie kid." He said with a shrug.

"oh." Myrtle breathed, "I'm sorry." she said. "It's ok, the baby fat fell away for the most part and I'm seeing a good dermatologist." He said with a smile, and Myrtle returned it. "it's good to see you." she said. taking a good look around the rows of games, myrtle felt lost, "this place has changed a lot." she said.

"look at all these new games." Myrtle mused.

"come check this one out," Keith said leading her down a separate aisle. Myrtle followed him "Spy Hunter?" she questioned. "I remember you used to love cars." He replied. "what's it about?" Myrtle asked. "well you see you're a spy using this sports call loaded with weapons to take out enemies," He said. "huh sounds fun," myrtle said stepping up to the machine.

"It's been so long since I've used one of these," she thought, slipping her change into the coin slot.



"Nice keep going!" "no way I bet she tanks this round!"

"shu tup you'll break her concentration!"

Myrtle giggled as she found herself surrounded by a bunch of kids, It had been well over an hour and she was very sure whoever had been following her had left long ago. Still, Myrtle couldn't stop, not only because she had gotten pulled into the need to get more points, but because she was hemmed in by a pack of preteens.

"look out!" A small girl with vivid red hair called, leaning closer to the screen from beside Myrtle. Unfortunately, Myrtle didn't react fast enough and her player was destroyed. the crowd awwed. "alright kids that's enough," Keith called out breaking them up. "Will you try again?" the little redhead asked Myrtle.

She gave the girl a smile, "I might." She said.

"I'm gonna try to beat you while I'm in town." the girl said with a smirk, her eyes wandering over every game in the aisle, "I'm trying to beat everybody's high score." she said smugly. Myrtle giggled "oh is that so, then I'll have to check back and reclaim the leader board." she said. The Girl beamed. "yeah, you can try." she said.

"I'm Myrtle" Myrtle said introducing herself holding out her hand. The little girl shook it but squinted, "anyone ever tell you your name kinda found like Turtle?" She asked. Myrtle gave a sheepish smile, "I might have been called Myrtle the Turtle when I was your age." she admitted.

The girl laughed, "oh no!" she said. "Yeaaah." Myrtle sang. "I'm Max." the girl said cooly. Myrtle wanted to laugh, it seemed like she was trying hard to be like the older kids. "well it's good to meet you max." said Myrtle, as she placed the rest of her quarters down on the machine. "there...good luck trying to beat my high score." said Myrtle.

"sweet! thanks!" Max cheered.

"it was good seeing you, McKinney." Keith said in passing, "maybe I'll see you around?" he asked. Myrtle paused, "maybe, it was fun here and I've got a feeling I'm gonna need to put a lot of work in to reclaim my spot on Spy Hunter" She laughed, stepping outside and letting the door swing closed behind her.

Looking around in the darkness, Myrtle no longer saw the strange car and breathed a big sigh of relief. "thank you, I wonder if I should tell dad or just not mention this." Myrle pondered. "it might very well be a trap or a test." she thought walking to her car.

Across the street, Myrtle spotted a thin girl running down the street. Police sirens sounded a few blocks down. "It's you!" Myrtle gasped. Hopping in her care she quickly peeled out of the parking lot.

Slamming on the breaks, Myrtle reached over and rolled down the passenger window, Her eyes locked onto a startled Amy. "get in!" Myrtle called, Looking back at the approaching police lights, Amy tossed her backpack into the car and hopped in herself. Myrtle sped off as fast as she could up the rural tree-lined road, keeping the distance between the police, slowing down to a steady speed, she took a right.

"Thanks for that." Amy panted.

"I owed you, this is hardly enough," Myrtle said, glancing at Amy and then taking another turn.

"where are we going?" Amy asked, "just for a drive, if they see me riding around, they won't know you might be in the car right?" Myrtle replied. "oh...yeah I guess that works." Amy said, digging into her backpack.

"did they see your face?" Myrtle asked. Amy gave a deep goofy giggle, "nope, much too fast for that," she said. Silence fell between the two girls, Myrtle focusing on the road as she continued random turns.

"well this is awkward," Amy whistled from her seat. "sorry I've never been good at keeping conversations," Myrtle murmured. "Yeah well....back when I had people to be around, people said I talk too much so." Amy said with a shrug.

"why were...are, the police chasing you? was it about last night?" Myrtle asked. "What happened last night?" Amy asked, in mock confusion. Myrtle looked at her in disbelief and Amy pointed at her, "exactly that. If you don't want to be in shit up to your eyeballs you play dumb and blind." Amy warned.

Myrtle gulped and turned her eyes back to the road. "I was looking to get revenge for my sister last night. That's all. But I was one person short. So I couldn't do it and unfortunately...Ford called for help. You see the police chief hasn't realized yet that Lexion has half his officers in their pocket." Amy said in a bitter chuckle.

"Lexion does? That's the company my Dad's trying to sweet talk into some deal with the power plant." Myrtle said. "and I officially unofficially did not hear that either." Amy said glancing up at Myrtle. "maybe there's a reason we met after all." she murmured.

"what are you talking about?" Myrtle asked. Amy shook her head and looked out the window. "doesn't matter....it's not like I know if I can actually trust you or not." Amy said.

Myrtle sighed, "I know that feeling," she said. Amy frowned, "yeah...yeah I bet you do. probably more than any person should." she murmured, leaning back into the seat. "I got caught stealing some things from the gas station," Amy confessed.

"oh..." Myrtle couldn't find anything else to say. Raised by her very religious father to be a "proper lady" she was lucky to get away with cursing without being sent to see Pastor Alvin.

"so where am I taking you?" Myrtle asked. "I dunno pick a roadside, any roadside." Amy said. ".....you?" Myrtle asked. "I wander, for good reason too," said Amy. "I can't leave you on the side of the road surely." myrtle said. "any better ideas? trust me when I say I can't stay anywhere public long." Amy muttered.

"actually..." Myrtle said with a small smile, "I think I might." She said.

Myrle pulled to a stop in front of a sparcley-occupied neighborhood, large lots were completely empty now or contain old big houses that had seen better days. "you're kidding me right?" Amy asked as the two girls peered out the windows at the towering Blue victorian home.

"nope"Myrtle breathed opening her car door, Amy grabbed her backpack and quickly followed after her.

"I used to be obsessed with this place," Myrtle murmured, a glass haze filling her eyes as she focused on the stained glass rose window. Heading carefully up the long steps to the walkway. "It's bored up." Amy pointed out.

"There's another way in, I followed a trail of spiders once, nobody knows it, but there's a board loose on a broken basement window," said Myrtle. She lead Amy around the back of the home, stooping down to the daylight basement windows. "it looks nailed shut to me." Amy said stooping as well. Myrle smiled and effortlessly lifted away the board. Flipping the wood over she let Amy get a good look at the backside. "everything but the nailhead rusted off...." Amy murmured, looking to Myrtle confused.

"How does that even happen? what kind of shit nails did they use?" Amy asked.

"be glad for shit nails, they gave you the key to your new hotel." Myrtle said.

"I mean it's better than sleeping in the dirt I guess... but how do you know no one will come here?" Amy asked. "most people think it's cursed. I never believe in such things." said Myrtle, "but you know,"

"Hawkins in a shithole that will believe anything it's bottle fed?" Amy asked. "that's your favorite word isn't it?" Myrtle asked. Amy tossed her a wide cheesy smile, "shiiiit yeah!" she said. causing Myrtle to laugh, before crawling into the busted window and into the basement.



Dusty was an understatement when it came to the inside of the place. many of the old boxes and furniture stored there remained. "Jesus this shit's gotta be older than me." Amy said dusting off a box.

"I mean it could use a clean...but you should be safe here," said Myrtle looking around. "I'm going to earn your trust," she said turning to Amy.

Amy looked to Myrtle, "to be honest, I don't think we have a choice. you know the Fords have a whole file on your family?" Amy asked. "why would they have a file on my family?" Myrtle questioned back. "well I guess it's more like a file...on you." Amy said.

"I didn't have time to take it with me, Ford had a room full of filing cabinets and videotapes. I had to leave before I could get a solid look at everything." Amy explained. "haven't you heard the rumors about the Lexion corp?" Amy asked.

Myrtle shook her head, "no, my dad said that he wanted to impress Ford for work purposes. that's the first time I've heard of them." said Myrtle. "pull up a dusty chair then, because I've got a good campfire tale for you." Amy spoke dryly.