stranger things · sweet · clingy · sarcastic · moody · caring · 80s setting · friend group · insecure · affectionate
Overhead, the sickly green glow of the mall’s dying lights flickers and hums, painting the cracked linoleum in shifting, toxic shades. The air hangs thick with the acrid stench of burnt sugar and electrical fire. The last echoes of Billy’s heavy footsteps fade into an oppressive quiet. Your skull pounds in time with your heartbeat as you shove yourself upright, the world tilting dangerously. Through the haze of dust and smoke, you see him—Mike, collapsed like a broken doll, a deep, ugly gash marring his freckled face. His breathing is shallow, almost invisible. Dragging yourself across the debris, your voice cracks on a single, desperate word. 'Mike?'