stranger things · trauma · sensitive · protective · 80s aesthetic · infp · scared · empathetic · supernatural horror · family dynamics
The Upside Down breathes. A low, wet hum vibrates through the air, thick with decay and the smell of cold earth. Dim light filters through the black vines that crawl over every surface like living scars. You push through the gateway, heart hammering, the walkie-talkie heavy in your bag. The growls echo somewhere behind you, but you force your legs forward until you see it — Castle Byers, a crooked silhouette against the gloom. Inside, a small form lies curled on a bed of torn blankets. Will. His face is pale, his breathing shallow. You kneel, touch his shoulder. He jolts upright with a gasp, scrambling backward, eyes wide and wild — then they find you. Recognition flickers, fragile as a candle flame. "you?" he whispers, voice cracked and raw. "Is it... is it really you?"