twist of fate.
CHAPTER SEVEN

' Do you really think I'm an idiot? '

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     Cindy Newby hated the dark.

     When she was a little girl, Cindy could never sleep in total darkness. She was terrified of the dark and what was lurking in the shadows that she couldn't see. It got worse after her mother died. Cindy would refuse to go to bed as she was so scared of being alone in the dark. Bob tried everything to convince the young blonde that she was safe and that nothing in the dark could ever hurt her, but Cindy didn't believe that. In the end, Cindy would only fall asleep at night if Bob was near by. He would sit in her room and wait till Cindy fell asleep before quietly sneaking out and returning to his own bedroom.

     As Cindy got older, she stopped needing her dad to sit with her at night, but some nights she would purposely leave a light on in the room to help her fall asleep. Last night was one of those nights.

     Cindy's study session with Steve didn't exactly go to plan. The main reason for that was because Steve never showed up. The blonde had sat in the library for hours, but Steve was a no show. To say Cindy was pissed was an understatement. Cindy had walked the distance back to her house and waited for her dad to show up so she could rant about her day, but he never showed up either. He had told Cindy when they were at the Byer's house that he would be back and so Cindy waited up for him — with the lights on. She had tried to call the house, but there was no answer so all she could do was wait. The teen must have dozed off because she woke up the next morning still completely alone.

     It wasn't like Bob not to come home when he said he would or not to call to let Cindy know he'd be late. Cindy was a worrier, like her mother had been, and Bob knew that. He used to call Cindy from work to let her know if he was going to be even a few minutes late so she knew not to worry. This is what stressed out Cindy the most about the situation. The radio silence was killing her.

    The abrupt chime of the phone ringing made Cindy jump. She moved with haste as she climbed off the sofa and jogged to the phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen, mentally praying to hear the sound of Bob's voice telling her everything was fine. Instead, she heard the familiar sound of the eldest Byers boy, Jonathan.

     "Hello, Cindy? You there?" Jonathan asked down the phone. He sounded slightly concerned which only added to Cindy's anxiety.

     "Yeah, I'm here," Cindy replied, her fingers twisting around the phone cable.

     "Is my Mom there? Or Will? I tried calling home but no one is picking up," Jonathan continued.

     "No. They're not here. I was actually hoping you would know where they were. I left my Dad with them yesterday and he never came home," Cindy informed Jonathan. He stayed quiet on the line, as if he was deep in thought, so Cindy continued. "Jonathan, something weird is going on and I—" Cindy was cut off by the sound of the line going dead. She tried to redial the number but there was nothing. It was almost as if the line had been disconnected. Cindy placed the phone back in the wall, but within seconds it started ringing again.

     "Jonathan?" Cindy asked, grabbing the phone after only one ring.

     "Cindy? It's Dad." Bob's voice filled Cindy's ears and she let out a sigh of relief.

     "Dad, where are you? What's going on? I was so worried when you didn't come home last night," Cindy rambled, hoping her dad could give her all the answers she needed.

     "I'm fine. We're all fine. I'm with Joyce and Will," Bob said, reassuring Cindy. He paused for a moment as he tried to think of what to say next. "We're at the hospital. Will had another... episode. He's fine, but I want you to stay home, okay? I will be back as soon as I can just stay there Cindy." Cindy could tell Bob was trying his best to sound as calm as possible, but there was something he wasn't telling her.

"What? Dad, I don't understand—"

"I have to go. I'll explain everything later. I love you, Cindy. I'll see you soon," Bob said quickly before hanging up the phone, not letting Cindy say anything else. Cindy was now even more confused than she had been that morning.

How was she supposed to just sit at home and wait patiently for her dad to return to tell her what was going on? And why was he now keeping secrets from Cindy? Bob was the one person in the world Cindy trusted to tell her the truth and now he was choosing not to confide in her and that hurt more than anything. The thoughts in her head were swirling and Cindy couldn't take it anymore. She needed a break and some fresh air to clear her mind, so Cindy decided to take a walk. She didn't have a clear path in her mind, she was just walking as she thought about everything that had happened in the last few months. She was hoping maybe something would spark in her brain and she'd be able to put the pieces together herself and work it out, but she had no idea what she was looking for exactly.

     Cindy found herself walking through an old junkyard not too far from her house, mumbling quietly to herself as she tried to rationalise everything that had been going on over the last few crazy weeks. She often cut through the junkyard on her way into town as there was never anyone there and she liked the peace and quiet away from the busy roads. Cindy hadn't noticed how late it had gotten as she was so transfixed on her thoughts, the only thing that managed to snap her back to reality was sound of crashing metal coming from up ahead. Cindy stopped for a moment, listening to the loud crashes a few paces in front of her. It was only when Cindy spotted the top of Dustin Hendersons head that she let out the breath she had been holding and continued walking towards the noise. As she moved towards the old broken down bus where the boy had just walked away from, Cindy's eyes widened in surprise.

     "What the hell?" Cindy asked, looking at Steve Harrington who was holding an old sheet of scrap metal. Her focus was solely on him, as he whipped his head around to see the blonde staring with a look of utter confusion.

     "Cindy? What are you doing here?" Steve quickly said, dropping the piece of scrap metal which landed on Dustin's foot with a thud, and turned around to face the girl. Steve ignored the young boy's profanities as he tried to act natural.

     "Me? You're the one out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of middle schoolers," Cindy said, her arms folding across her chest as she took her eyes away from Steve for a moment to see Dustin, Lucas, and Max all watching her.

     "I'm uhh... helping them with a project," Steve quickly replied, but it sounded more like a question than a definitive answer. Cindy didn't believe a word of it.

     "Really? Were you helping them yesterday too?" Cindy asked. Steve furrowed his brow.

     "What?"

     Cindy rolled her eyes. "Yesterday. The library? Our study session? Ringing any bells?" she questioned, growing impatient with him and just everyone in general at this point. Even Steve was starting to lie to her.

     "Shit," Steve muttered under his breath. "I'm really sorry, Cindy. I totally forgot. I should've called. Look, I'll make it up to you, I promise, but right now you've really gotta leave."

     Cindy's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" she questioned and everyone tried to avoid eye contact at the blonde who was growing more furious as the minutes passed. "No. I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me what the hell is going on," Cindy demanded. Steve was quite taken aback by Cindy's outburst, and if she was honest, so was Cindy. The young girl had always been so good at keeping her cool and letting things go, but the build up of lies and secrets over the past week was all getting to much for her and if she didn't get some answers soon, Cindy really would snap.

     "No way," Dustin spoke up, noticing Steve was about to cave and tell the girl everything she wanted to know. He grabbed Steve by the arm and pulled him down to his height. "Too many people already know," he told the older boy. Dustin's eyes darted in Max's direction as he said this last bit, but Steve shook him off.

     "We can trust Cindy. I trust her," Steve said, trying to reassure Dustin. He looked back up at the blonde girl who was impatiently waiting to hear the truth. "Fine. We'll tell you, but we need to get inside. It's getting dark," he finished, pointing back at the rusty old van. Cindy didn't particularly want to go in but if it's what it was going to cost to get some answers, it was a price she was willing to pay.

     Once inside, Steve, with the help of Dustin and Lucas, recounted everything that had been happening in Hawkins. They started with the night Will disappeared and ended with Dustin's pet, Dart, shedding his skin and running into the woods, the same woods that now surrounded them. Cindy listened intently, showing no emotion or reaction to anything they said until they had finished explaining everything. Once they were done, Cindy sat up and looked right up at Steve.

     "Do you really think I'm an idiot?" Cindy asked, feeling hurt that Steve would be so cruel as to lie to her this badly. "You know, I wanted to believe you were different than everyone said you were, Harrington, but you're not. You're such an asshole."

Cindy stood up to leave, but Steve grabbed her wrist. "Wait, please. I know it sounds crazy, but I promise I'm not lying," Steve blurted out. Cindy searched his eyes for any sign that he could be telling the truth, but all she could see was a look of innocence mixed with pure fear. It was a look she had never seen before, especially not from Steve Harrington — the guy who, from the outside, appeared to be fearless.

Cindy considered her options for a moment. She could either pull her arm away from Steve's gentle grip and trek through the pitch black woods — and she hated the dark — back to her house alone. Or she could stay, wait for the so called monsters to show up, and learn the truth for herself which was that either everything Steve and the kids had told her was true or that Steve was just another liar with a pretty face. Whatever option she chose, Cindy was in for a rough night.

"Fine. I'll wait," Cindy finally said, pulling away from Steve and taking a seat in the old bus. She folded her hands across her chest as she waited for whatever it was that was supposed to happen.

The group sat in silence for a while as they waited. Max and Lucas had gone to the roof to scout out their surroundings while Cindy, Steve, and Dustin stayed downstairs. Cindy played with the ends of her hair while Steve flicked open and shut his lighter, out of pure boredom. Dustin kept pacing back and forth, anxiously awaiting the return of his pet.

"So let me get this straight," Cindy said, finally breaking the silence. "That weird little lizard thing you guys had at the school the other day is now way bigger and extremely dangerous?"

Dustin continued pacing but still answered. "Yes, exactly."

"And it's the same creature that you guys fought before, right?" Cindy continued. Steve furrowed his brow as he listened to the blonde's question.

"Yeah. Well, Steve did. It was pretty badass," Dustin replied, a proud smile on his face.

"Right. And so when you discovered this mini version, you didn't have an inclination that things would go horribly wrong by trying to keep it as a pet?"

The smile faded from Dustin's face as logic set in. He hadn't exactly thought it through before moving the creature into his house.

Steve pointed at Cindy. "See? Someone else who agrees with me, Henderson." Steve said, also baffled by Dustin's decision to keep Dart in the first place.

Dustin threw his hands up in defeat. "Well, what was I supposed to do?!" he almost yelled in frustration. At this point, nobody was on his side.

"I don't know, maybe tell someone instead of keeping it in your bedroom and feeding it candy bars," Steve shot back which made Cindy giggle. She still didn't fully believe the stories they had told her, but it was fun to see the two boys bickering.

"Look, I had a lot going on and he seemed friendly... Well, he was until he ate my cat," Dustin shrugged nonchalantly. Cindy's eyes immediately widened.

"He ate your cat?! Hold on, you guys completely missed that out of your story," Cindy exclaimed. It was just getting more and more absurd as more details were added.

"Because it's not important, what's important is—" Dustin began but was cut off as a loud roaring growl sounded from deep in the woods. Cindy immediately shot up out of her seat and took a step back from the window as Steve and Dustin rushed to take a gander at the outside. Cindy could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

There was no way this was really happening— was there?

"You see him?" Dustin asked and Steve shook his head. "Lucas, what's going on?" he then called up to the hole in the roof where the two kids had climbed up before. A muffled hold on from Lucas reached their ears as they continued to try and spot the creature lurking in the dark.

"I've got eyes! Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock!" Lucas yelled down. This time, Cindy moved over to the window beside Steve and peered out through a small gap in the metal.

"There," Steve pointed. Cindy's eyes followed and she saw a shadow in the mist. It was hard to tell exactly what it was. A wolf or coyote, maybe? But the noise it made. Now that was something Cindy couldn't brush over with logic. She's never heard anything quite like it, not in person, anyway. It sounded more like something she'd hear on TV or in one of the terrible horror movies Natalie and Matthew would drag her to against her will. Whatever it was, it was getting closer.

"What's he doing?" Dustin asked to which Steve shrugged.

"Are you sure that's not a dog?" Cindy asked, mentally praying it was. At this point, she was starting to hope Steve was lying. Steve shot her a sympathetic look. This was the last thing he ever wanted her to be a part of.

Steve looked back out of the small window and the creature lurking in the mist. "He's not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?" he asked, concerned their plan was starting to fall through.

"Maybe he's not hungry?" Dustin suggested, but a look of realisation washed over Steve's face. It was a look that suddenly made Cindy even more concerned.

"Maybe he's sick of cow," Steve said as he stood back and walked towards the baseball bat by the front of the bus. Cindy's eyes followed him as a sinking feeling in her gut formed.

"Steve? Steve, what are you doing?" Dustin asked frantically, hoping what it seemed like Steve was planning was not about to happen.

"Steve?" Cindy asked, but it came out as more of a whisper when he didn't answer Dustin's question.

Steve turned back to face them. "Just get ready," he said, throwing Dustin his lighter. He turned to open the side door, but this time Cindy was the one to stop him. She grabbed his arm as she stepped closer to him.

"You're not going out there," she told him, her eyes wide with fear as they search his face. "If what you have told me is true, then you are going to get yourself killed going out there alone."

"I'll be fine," Steve said, trying to reassure the blonde that everything would be okay, but the slight waver in his voice told another story. Cindy shook her head.

"I'm coming with you," she stated as she walked over to Dustin. "Can I borrow that?" she asked, pointing at the lighter Steve had tossed to him moments ago. Dustin nodded, holding it up for the girl to take. She pulled it from the boys hand before walking over to her bag that was sitting on the floor, and rummaging around inside. After a few seconds, Cindy pulled out a can of Farah Fawcett hairspray and shook it. Both of the boys noticed the name on the can and Dustin gave Steve a knowing look. Cindy had no idea what it was about so she just brushed it off.

"I like our odds better when it's two against one," Cindy said, walking back over to the door where Steve was standing. He seemed hesitant now to open the door, but he didn't have time to stand around and protest Cindy's help. It was now or never.

The two teens jumped out of the bus, Cindy's heart racing at being confronted by almost complete darkness. If it hadn't been for the light from the moon in the sky, she'd have chosen to wait in the bus.

"Stay close, and keep your eyes peeled," Steve whispered to Cindy and she nodded. He didn't have to tell her twice.

Cindy followed closely behind Steve. She held the can of Farah Fawcett spray up in one hand and Steve's lighter in the other as the pair slowly crept further into the surrounding mist. Steve began whistling out to the darkness as the two teens approached the pile of meat Steve and the kids had set out earlier that day to lure Dart out into the open and away from the town.

     "Come on, buddy," Steve called out in a soft voice. "Come on. Dinner time. Human tastes better than cat, I promise."

     Cindy whipped her head around towards the boy beside her. "Steve," she warned, not exactly liking the idea of becoming monster chum to whatever was making the weird growling noises just ahead of them. Steve gave the blonde a small smirk before he started waving his bat around in front of him. Cindy's focus turned back to her surroundings and that's when she saw it. It was real — whatever it was — and it was staring right at them. Not that Cindy could see it had eyes, but it was as if she could feel its stare going right through her. Its slimy skin reflected in the moonlight as it crept on all fours in front of her. The creatures face was closed up, but Cindy could see the lines where its mouth connected and she hoped she'd never have the displeasure of seeing what it would look like when it was open.

     Cindy was frozen in place. Her feet felt like they were cemented in the ground as all of her worst nightmares came true. Her whole life she had been scared of the dark — mostly of what was hiding in it — and she had been told countless times that there was nothing to be afraid of. It was all in her head. Her overactive imagination. A bad dream.

      There was no such thing as monsters... Right?

     And yet here one was. Waiting for Cindy and Steve to drop their guard so it could pounce, rip into their flesh, and end their lives prematurely. All Cindy could do was stare, beads of sweat dripping down her face as the only sound she could hear was her heart trying to burst its way out of her chest.

     It was all true. All of it.

     Cindy was so caught up in the moment that she hadn't even heard the sound of Lucas bellowing out to warn the pair of more of the monsters creeping up behind them. Cindy stood completely still in a trance like state, her eyes never leaving the face of the creature staring back at her.

      "Steve! Cindy! Abort! Abort!" Dustin called out. Cindy hadn't even realised a tear had escaped her eyes until Steve placed his hand on her cheek, trying to pull her back to reality.

     "Hey, hey, Cind, we gotta go," he said quickly. All Cindy could do is nod as she finally mustered the strength to move her feet again. As she did so, the creature ahead of them let out a growl, opening its grotesque mouth and snarling at her. It was only then that Cindy had noticed the pair had been surrounded on all sides.

     Cindy had two options. Option one: Stand around and get eaten by the terrifying monstrosity in front of her. Or Option two: Put up one hell of a fight.

     Cindy chose the latter.

     Steve had already sprung into action. Lift my his bat, ready to fight anything that tried to get near them. Cindy lifted the lighter, flicking it until a flame appeared. She then lifted her can of hairspray and began to spray the lighter causing large warning flames to spread out in front of her. She could feel the heat on her face, but it was better than one of those on it instead. It seemed fire was not something the creatures liked and clearly Cindy had pissed them off because as soon as the flames disappeared, they began charging at the two teens.

     "Run!" the kids yelled from the bus. Steve immediately grabbed Cindy's hand and pulled her towards the door to the bus, pushing her in first once they reached it. They both fell inside, Steve landing on top of Cindy as they both gasped for air.

     "Are they rabid or something?" Max asked, still not sure what it actually was out there. The monsters kept trying to fight their way in as Steve tried to keep the door shut with his feet.

     "They can't get in. They can't," Lucas repeated, more to reassure himself than anyone else.

     "Oh, my god. Oh, my god," Cindy muttered to herself, her head in her hands as she struggled to process what she had just seen.

     Dustin grabbed his radio as the growls and screeches continued outside the thin walls. "Is anyone there? Mike? Will? God! Anyone!" Dustin frantically yelled into it. Cindy shook her head.

     "Will's not home," Cindy told him, remembering her short phone call with her father that seemed so long ago now.

     "What?! Where is he?" Dustin yelled. Before Cindy could reply, a loud thud sounded over her head. Max moved next to her as they looked up at the skylight overhead. The monster approached the hole in the roof and opened its mouth wide, growling down at Cindy and Max as they screamed, paralysed with fear. Steve rushed over, pushing them behind him.

     "Out of the way! Out of the way! You want some? Come get this!" Steve taunted, thrusting his studded bat up at the monsters face. It screeched one last time before it heard something in the distance. Seconds later it was gone, along with all of its friends and the old rusty bus became silent once again.

     Cindy was breathing hard. She hoped it was finally over, but a part of her also had a bad feeling that this was just the beginning. Cindy turned to Steve and lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him. He had saved her and most importantly, he hadn't lied. Cindy could feel Steve's chest rising and falling as she held on tight. Steve let go of his bat and wrapped his arms around the terrified girl who was shaking in his arms. He was just glad she was safe.

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