𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 ➵ stranger things

v

➵

CLAUDIA WOKE UP, HER BODY felt uncomfortable and weak. She let out a sigh once she realised that she was laying on the now wet grass in the woods.

Eleven wasn't with her.

And she hoped to God that she ran to the boys as Claudia hid somewhere away so that Dustin, Lucas and Mike couldn't find her. Claudia wasn't just ready to see their reactions yet. She wasn't ready to see them. She didn't know if they even cared anymore.

One by one, Claudia's limp body slowly rose from the ground, her knees trembling as she tried to find her balance. She took a step, having some weird feeling that where she was going looked familiar to her. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but she continued.

The past day was crazy. She saw Benny get shot, she met another runaway by the name of Eleven AND she nearly encountered her best friends. But now, she can hear faint voices of people in the woods shouting a name that Claudia still couldn't quite get. Ever since she woke up, her hearing hasn't been quite the best except for the fact that there's an ear piercing ringing sound echoing in her ears, which is quite irritating.

Claudia stopped in her tracks.

Not just because when she stared at the house in front of her, she realised it was the Byers'.

But also because she felt her bare toe touch the side of an object on the dirty ground. Looking down, she saw it was a walkie talkie.

And she felt like breaking it.

Just the exact same way she broke hers.

Until her subconscious screamed at her to pick it up in which she obliged.

Channel 6. Channel 6. Channel 6. It was their go to channel if anyone ever needed to talk to one another. Claudia could remember it so easy. It had been two years ever since she used one so she could feel a sense of excitement when she had picked it up. But she was nervous as well. What if one of the boys were there? What if one of the boys actually needed to talk? Would she answer?

"Will? Will, can you hear me? Over."

Claudia nearly screamed and dropped the walkie talkie when she heard a voice come through Channel 6.

And of course it had to be Mike's.

"..."

Claudia took a deep, shaky breathy. It was loud enough that the boy on the other end could hear it.

"Why aren't you picking up? Over!"

And then, Claudia spoke.

"Probably because this isn't Will. Over."

"Then who is this? Over."

Of course he didn't know who she was. Of course! It had been two years ever since they heard from each other.

"Claudia. Over."

Claudia could feel her insides burning with worry and anxiety. She was so nervous that the way he reacted could change the way he would see her.

And that scared her.

"Did you just say Claudia? Over."

"...Yeahhhh? Over."

"Claudia as in my best friend who's been missing? Over."

God, she hated that word.

Missing? Missing?

Running away is completely different to missing but obviously everybody else didn't know that.

"I wouldn't say missing. More like the one who ran away. Over."

Claudia waited and waited. She could hear how Mike's breathing fastened and how he was cursing under his breath. It was loud and clear that he was in denial that the person he was talking to was Claudia Parker.

"W-Why? Where have you been? What are you doing? Are you okay? Why do you have Will's walkie talkie? Over."

She could hear his voice tremble, she could hear him sniffle and with an instant, she broke down.

She was sobbing as she longed to be heard. She was sobbing at hearing how upset Mike was. She was sobbing because what she did was selfish. She shouldn't have done it, she felt so bad for him.

It took a couple of minutes where Mike had to calm Claudia down, telling her that she was okay and that he was happy to hear from her again.

And so Claudia continued.

"I just found it. It was left on the ground near his house. Over."

Oh god. She didn't mean to say that.

"YOU'RE IN HAWKINS?! OVER!"

Claudia knew that Mike was probably already riding his bike to the Byers' and it never took long. She had to run.

"Oh no. I-I mean, I uh have to go! Over and Out!"

And Claudia ran away from the Byers' house with Will's walkie talkie in her right hand.

This is why she didn't want to encounter any of the boys just yet.

/////

Oh meh gerddddd

Why am I still up I should be sleeping

Whyyyyyyyyyyyy

Anyway! Hope you all have a great day!

Byeeeeeeeeeee!

-Indiana