(1st person.MC)
My eyes fling open, only to reveal the same vine-covered upside-down library break room. But I felt weird, like I couldn't move, my body wasn't responding, no matter how much I tried.
Cerk cerk cerk cerk!
'A door, the door!!!'
ca clank ca clank!!!
My heart stopped. The sound was coming closer—I could hear its claws tapping on the floor, moving on all fours. Suddenly, it stopped. I saw it rise to its full height—a Demogorgon.
Its grotesque, flower-petal-shaped face loomed just a few feet from me, staring down with its eyeless head. I couldn't do anything.
Screeeeeeach!!!
It screeched at me and lunged. Its sharp claws are coming right for me. Everything was so slow, I could make out every detail, its sharp teeth in its mouth, saliva flung in all directions. It was about to kill me, and all I could do was.
'AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!'
....
I sit straight up on the couch, my clothes soaked in sweat.
"Huf huf huf. Just-just a nightmare, right?"
I quickly looked over to the door.
'Still closed, still barricaded. Dang, I haven't had a nightmare in a long time, and of course it had to be about a Demogorgon, I guess it fits the theme.'
I start to get up, only to now notice the books I brought back with me are gone.
'Wtf, the books weren't a dream, right?'
I quickly dismissed the thought, as my eyes started to drift over the break room, landing on the backpack still filled with all the shit I found, still leaning against the couch next to me.
'Few, I guess that part was real, and getting attacked was just a dream.'
crack rumble!!
'Ok, that's enough of that, no more death flag bullshit, I'm already having nightmares, and now there's fucking thunder, I'd better get out of here before shit gets worse.'
I put on my backpack and checked the time, only to realize that the time hadn't changed. I checked the Snoopy watch, which I put around my wrist, and it's the same too, and as a last-ditch effort, I looked at the calendar and saw it's the same. I don't even know why I thought it would change.
'Ok ether all the clocks are broken, or time doesn't work in the upside down, probably the former.'
I sigh and walk over to the window, only to see that the black fog is a lot closer, like a couple of feet away from the window, looking more and more ominous as time passes.
'Me and my big fucking mouth.'
I sat back down on the couch and took out the Coke I still had in the backpack.
'If everythings going to shit, might as well find out what the new coke tast like.'
As I reached for the can.
Booom Booom!!!!
My hand jolts from the noise, hitting the Coke can, making it fall to the floor. After it hit the floor, the realization sank in that the sound came from the breakroom door, and I just revealed to the demo right outside that I was here.
The demo that somehow made it in the library without me realizing, and worst of all, it was right outside my door.
'Shit!!'
I sprang to my feet, making my way to the window, my only escape. I looked out to see if jumping down was a viable option. Looking down, I realized it wasn't; the only option I had right now was to jump to the other room window to my right that was open.
While I tried to measure the distance between the windows,
Crack thud!!!
The demo, it made it in. I only had a split second, but I caught a glimpse of the demo searching for me, and for better or worse, it's a demo dog, then I jumped as the demo lunged for me. Risking everything for this hail merry.
I was in the air, one third of the way to the other window, only to realize I came up a little short with the backpack weighing me down. slamming my shin, causing one of the worst non-lethal injuries a man could bear, third in line next to stubbing your pinky toe or getting kicked in the balls, on the window ledge, causing my momentum to stop.
As I begin to slip, I manage to cling to the ledge by the skin of my teeth, and the blessing of a god I don't believe in. I made it to the other side, pulling myself up as I watched the demo dog that lunged for me go flying towards the black fog.
Screeeeeech!!!
I could hear it screaming in pain as it entered the black fog.
'Note to self, black fog is dangerous.'
Entering the next room, I looked around and realized that it was one of the rooms I couldn't enter, the only room that was locked. It looked like an office, which, strangely enough, has no pictures or even a single decoration except what looks like a cheap-looking baseball bat hanging on the wall.
'can't take that, it'll probably break after one swing, maybe a chair leg would be better.'
Making my way to one of the chairs in the office, testing if there are any loose ones. I eventually found a loose leg and tried to break it off, but I guess the world really didn't like me cuz the second I pulled the leg off.
Bang!!
'There's no way, another one, really, why don't you just throw a third just for fucking shits and giggles!'
Boom!!
It broke the door open; its head immediately turned to me and charged, leaping towards me. I don't know if it was skill or just plain luck, but I dodged, swinging the chair leg at the same time, clocking it in its head.
I bolted, didn't look back, cuz I guarantee I can't beat it one on one. Maybe if I weren't a child right now, I could stand a chance, or I'd just end up like Bob. I left the room, slamming the broken door behind me to buy me some time. Unfortunately, it barely bought me two seconds, maybe three, just enough time to reach the stairs.
But then I felt it swiped at my back leg, causing three gashes on the back of my left leg, causing me to stumble down the stairs, hitting a small table near the steps full of pencils and pens. It hurt all over, but I couldn't stop. If I did, I'd die, so I sprinted as fast as my legs could take me towards the bookshelves. And like Lady Luck was finally on my side, the demo dog slipped on the fallen pencils, buying me enough time to slip between bookshelves to hide.
I'm in the clear for now. It doesn't know where I am yet. I got some time right.'
I guess time waits for no man cuz the second I thought that, I heard it leaping on top of the bookshelves searching for me, but then it hit me, I could use the bookshelves, I silently made my way to the end of the bookshelves and tossed one of the marbles I had in my backpack to distract it. Causing it to leap down between the bookshelves, and that's when I struck. I pushed the large bookshelf with all I had, toppling it over like dominoes, crushing the demo dog underneath.
Screach!!!
"Just fucking die already!!!"
I realized it wasn't enough to kill it, so I did the next thing that came to mind: burn it. I reached into my backpack and got one of the matches and sparked it against the container. I tossed the match towards an open book in the center.
"For the Emperor!!"
fffwom!!
screeeeeeech!!!!
'Dang, that was fast, guess the emperor heard my call, hehe.'
But jokes aside, it was burning to death, and all I could do was stare at that flame consuming the bookshelves. I was ok, or as ok as you can be after having back-to-back near-death moments, which can't be good for a young mind.
"Hopefully this doesn't spread, kind of don't wanna go to jail for arson. But I guess it doesn't matter, right? I'm in the upside down, who gives a fuck."
I make my way towards the entrance of the library, only to notice the fog, it was right there, a couple of inches from the entrance. I reached out to see how bad the fog could be, which, in hindsight, wasn't a good idea, but I was battered, broken, tired, and that's a bad combination for mental clarity.
"Aahhh, fuck that hurt, what the hell is that shit?"
I checked my hand, only to see that I was fine. It hurt like hell, but no damage was done. I figured that it probably wasn't a good idea to enter the fog, at least unless I had to. But what I didn't realize was that after touching the fog, I felt a little better. The bumps and bruises that I had healed just a little. The bleeding from my cuts slowed down just a little.
I made my way back towards the stairs, figuring that if I'm stuck here for a while, I might as well finish my coke I dropped. But then it came, another one, another demo dog, I didn't see it, didn't hear it over the crackling of the indoor bonfire I made. It struck me hard, tearing up my back, sending me face-first into the stairs.
'What did I do to deserve this. First, I get killed by fucking truck Kun, only to get sent to hell's adopted cousin, the upside down, only to then get chased and attacked by a bunch of fucking demo dogs. What did I do wrong?! '
As I was getting turned into sashimi by a demo dog, the fire caught my eye, a burning flame reflected in my pupils, and then I snapped all the pent-up rage from my situation, from getting beaten down again and again by the world for reasons I don't even know.
"BURN IN HELLL!!!!"
I turned around grabbed a fistful of pencils and pens scattered on the floor, and jammed it down the demos through, and at the corner of my eye I saw the chair leg I was using earlier right next to me on fire, and I grabbed it ignoring the pain form my now fucked up hand and slammed it against the demo dog again and again and again.
"Die Die DIE!!"
But I knew it wouldn't do much. The fire hurt ya, but that's about it, so I thought of a plan and made my way upstairs as fast as my bleeding body would take me. I made it to the railing right above the flaming bonfire I made that was still burning.
I turned around to see the demo right in front of me, my blood still dripping from its mouth; it looked almost pleased, like it cornered me, and I had nowhere left to run. But it was surely mistaken cuz I'm not going down without a fight.
"Come at me, you piece of shit!!!"
It lunged at me, and I swung the chair leg, slamming it right into its head, sending it toward the railing. It broke, sending the demo dog plummeting towards the bonfire. The demo landed on a broken part of the bookshelf that splintered while it was on fire, impaling it there.
"See you in hell."
All I did was stare. I dropped the chair leg, not cuz I wanted to, but the blood loss was starting to get to me. I didn't even know how I was still alive, but I sat there near the railing and pulled out my first aid kit, trying to bandage what was left of my hands.
I somehow made it to the break room, where I dropped my can of New Coke, picked it up, and opened it.
"Sweater, bolder, better, well Lucas, you better be right, cuz this will probably be the last drink I ever drink."
I gulped down the soda like my life depended on it, and I don't know if it was the blood loss, how tired I was, or the fact that I was a kid again, but, GOD damn it tasted good like running a marathon and drinking ice cold water good, like 3:am water type good, like fucking heaven in a can.
After drinking it all, my body finally gave up. I dropped like a sack of potatoes on the couch, and if another demo fuck came around, there's nothing I could do about it, cuz the next second, my eyes were shut.
Next thing I know, my eyes open again, and I'm right outside the library entrance, but it's not the upside-down one; at least, there's no vines anywhere. I look around and see a white fog surrounding the library, with a clear blue sky right above. It was so beautiful, it almost made me cry.
"Guess we're not in Kansas anymore."
I look down at myself.
"Well, I don't look like a ghost, so I guess I'm not dead, probably, and that's as good a start as any."
I make my way to the doors of the library, only for them to open up for me like automatic doors.
"Neet."
Revealing rows upon rows of empty bookshelves, except for one, which held the 5 books I had before the demo dog attacked. I take a step forward, fully entering the library, then a shining light appears right where the reception desk was supposed to be, revealing a white marble lectern, holding 3 books with familiar symbols.
Except for one, which looks a little different, at first, it looks like the umbrella logo, but now it's like the symbol grew wings. I reach towards it with my hand, just lightly touching the cover. Then woosh, it flips open, shining bright. And I felt the feeling earlier, the one when I touched those books in the library.
[insert image]
But this time was different, like knowledge and experiences I've never had flowing into my mind. If I could see my back, I would see a symbol, a symbol I know very well, appear like a tattoo just for a second and fade away, leaving a warmth I wish would last a lifetime.
****
(author's notes)
Hey guys heres another chapter. It took me a little longer than I expected, not gonna lie. i satrted writing and i just couldnt stop i ended up writng like over 2000 words this chapter i think im gunna try to stick to at least 1000 word chapeters i reall just dont like makeing chapter shorter than that and my max might be 2000 cuz of how long it take me to write and edit this stuff, scince i dont use AI unless you count Grammarly autocorrect or Microsoft Word spell cheack, so i gotta re read all my shit like i have to reread my shit 3-4 times totatl and switch between grammerly and word so my spelling and grammer isnt trash, cuz i hate when authors dont really proofread their stuff
ps. i dont spell check authors' notes