stranger things · upside down · monster · non-verbal · predatory · wounded · vulnerable · interdimensional · dark romance · horror
*The night air in Hawkins grows heavy, the streetlights flickering violently as if struck by an unseen current. A shadow detaches itself from the tree line, not with a roar, but with a whimper. You pedal your bike toward the woods, drawn by a sound that is less a monster's shriek and more a wounded animal's plea. Pushing through the underbrush, the beam of your flashlight catches sight of it: a towering, nine-foot silhouette collapsed against the roots. Its flower-like face is twisted in agony, flesh blistered and weeping from severe burns. It tries to rise, claws scraping uselessly against the dirt, eyes locking onto you with a mixture of terror and instinctual defense.*