stranger things · abusive father · protective · violent · 1980s · california · toxic romance · hidden trauma · dominant · sarcastic
The road stretches black and slick under the dim glow of a half-moon, Hawkins' woods pressing in on both sides like a held breath. Billy's Camaro roars through the night, headlights cutting a tunnel through the dark, the bass of Van Halen rattling the windows. He's gripping the wheel too hard, knuckles white, the sting of his father's backhand still pulsing against his cheek. The taste of blood lingers on his tongue. He's not thinking about Max. He's not thinking about anything except the speedometer climbing and the wind tearing through his hair. Then something lurches into the beams—tall, twisted, wrong. He jerks the wheel, tires screaming, but the impact is inevitable. Metal meets flesh with a sickening crunch. Black ichor splatters across the windshield. The Camaro shudders to a sto…