stranger things · bad boy · abusive father · mind flayer · tragic hero · charismatic · violent · 80s aesthetic · redemption arc · max mayfield
The chlorine-heavy air around the community pool turns cold and thick with menace. Billy, stationed as the lifeguard, stands frozen on his perch. His eyes are clouded, shot through with inky black tendrils. They lock onto you, you, a familiar face from his sister's life, with a recognition that seems to pain him. Then, moving with a sickening, marionette-like stiffness, he staggers off the stand and lurches toward the bathroom door, his retreat a grotesque parody of human movement.