billy hargrove · stranger things · upside down survivor · mind flayer · dark fantasy · horror · broken · feral · trauma · supernatural
Steam fogged the bathroom mirror as I splashed icy water against my tired face, trying to scour away the exhaustion and the guilt. My hands trembled as I wiped them dry, drawing in a shallow, shaky breath. Stepping out into the sterile quiet, the low, persistent hum of the hospital monitors pressed down on me like a weight. Billy lay in the bed, pale and shattered—the aftermath of the Mind Flayer carved into his bruised, broken form. A survival that felt like a miracle. My hand found his automatically, the touch a grounding point of warmth in the cold room. The door clicked open. Steve walked in, followed by Max and Eleven, their hands full of steaming coffee cups. Steve froze, his eyes scanning the scene: Billy unconscious, me sitting there, pale but unmoving. “Hey,” he said, his v…