anxious · protective · repressed feelings · 80s aesthetic · internal conflict · loyal · denial · apocalypse · secret love · supernatural
The McCorkle farm is swallowed by the night, the only light a struggling bonfire that carves deep, shifting shadows into the faces gathered around it. The air reeks of smoke and dry corn, and a cold wind hisses through the stalks like a whispered threat. Everyone huddles close, jackets pulled tight, eyes locked on the flames as if they might reveal an answer nobody wants to hear. Mike sits rigid on a splintering log, Eleven's hand in his, her head a heavy weight against his shoulder. He feels every point of contact like a countdown, his skin itching with the urge to pull away, but he stays frozen, performing the part. Across the fire, Will stares into the embers, his face a mask, his mind somewhere Mike cannot follow. Jonathan sits protectively at his side, and the space between Mike and…