chapter ten:
❛ the bite ❜

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wren sat there, stunned, his mind reeling from eleven's words. he couldn't believe it. he stole a part of him? how was that even possible? wren had he she was different, sure, but this? this was a whole new level of messed up.

"he said that you... you stole a part of him. you're more powerful than you know," eleven said, her voice soft but steady, as if even she was still processing the weight of what she'd learned.

wren blinked in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. "me? why?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

eleven looked down, hesitating for a moment before answering. "he said that... that part of him is attached to you. and he's building something. all of this... it's for you and me."

wren let out a small, sarcastic laugh, trying to hide his nervousness. "oh, well, great. that's just awesome," he said, running a hand through his curly hair.

"building something... is he talking about the flayed?" max chimed in, glancing around the room, her brows furrowed in thought.

nancy rubbed the back of her neck, her face twisted with anxiety. "he must be."

"so, he's building an army, just like we thought," lucas added, his eyes darting between everyone.

"yeah, but it's not just to spread destruction like before," mike interjected, his tone more serious than usual. he glanced at will, who was sitting on the armchair, nodding in agreement.

will looked up from where he'd been sitting quietly, his face pale but determined. "he's building it to stop eleven... and wren."

all eyes turned to wren, who let out a deep sigh. his fingers drummed nervously on his knees. "it's not my fault that part of him is attached to me," he said defensively. "wait... does this mean he could control me? like, if i have a part of him in me?"

his eyes widened in fear, the weight of the possibility sinking in.

mike quickly jumped in, trying to diffuse the rising panic in the room. "he hasn't tried to control you yet, right? and even if he does, we'll know what to do. we'll be ready."

wren glared at mike, clearly not reassured by his words. "i don't think you understand, mike. we're talking about him-the mind flayer. if he's attached to me, that means he could get in my head. it's not just a 'wait and see' situation."

"um, i don't know," max chimed in, her voice uncertain. "he's powerful, sure, but i don't think he can control you, wren. i mean, will broke his hold once. maybe the part of him that's attached to you... i don't know, maybe it's like a power thing? like a piece of his energy stuck to you? not like he's actually inside you."

"yeah, max is right," mike said, his voice shifting into the nerdy tone he got when explaining something scientific. "i think it's more like... okay, imagine it's like a circuit. you're a circuit, and he's a power source. when joyce got him of will, part of his energy got transferred to you. but that doesn't mean he controls you. you're still your own circuit. you've got your own flow of energy. he might have connected to you, but it doesn't mean he's overriding your system."

everyone in the room stared at mike for a moment, processing his explanation. max raised an eyebrow. "so what you're saying is... wren's got, like, his powers now?"

"sort of," mike said, adjusting his posture. "but it's not like he can just take over him like a puppet. it's more like... he's got a piece of him that enhances her abilities, but it's her powers now. his control."

wren's face twisted in confusion. "so you're saying... i could be like him?"

"not like him," mike corrected quickly. "more like you have access to abilities you wouldn't have had otherwise. but it's not inherently bad. it's about how you use it. you're not him, wren."

will nodded thoughtfully. "maybe that's why he's so fixated on you. you've got something he wants, but he can't control it."

wren took a deep breath, feeling slightly more grounded, but still unsure. "okay... so what do we do now?"

eleven stood a little taller. "we stop him. together."

wren glanced around the room-at his friends, his cousin, at eleven-and nodded. maybe mike's explanation made some kind of sense. maybe this power, whatever it was, didn't mean she was doomed.

"well," wren muttered, trying to muster a bit of humor. "at least we know i'm not totally screwed."

"last year, el closed the gate on him. i have a feeling that really pissed him off-and that part of him accidentally attached itself to wren. he's pissed at both of them," mike stated, his voice steady but tense.

lucas nodded in agreement. "like, royally."

"and the mind flayer now knows that el, and i guess wren, both can stop him. but if they're out of the way-" mike continued, his explanation getting darker by the second.

"game over," wren finished for him, sighing deeply. the weight of it all pressed down on him. he didn't like the fact that he might die. part of him was beginning to wish he was still in juvie, locked away from all this mess. the idea of the mind flayer coming after him? it was too much to process.

eleven suddenly broke the silence. "he also said he was gonna kill all of you."

wren clicked his tongue, frustration and fear mixing into a single exhale. he glanced over at max, who scoffed, her usual sarcastic shield going up. "yeah, well, that's nice," she muttered, rolling her eyes, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her nerves.

a faint screeching noise drifted in from outside, sharp and eerie, cutting through the tension in the room like a blade. nancy, always on alert, moved towards the window, her movements cautious. "do you guys hear that?" she asked in a low, almost trembling voice.

"it's just the fireworks," jonathan tried to reassure her, his tone more hopeful than certain. but even he didn't seem convinced.

nancy didn't move from the window. "billy..." she whispered, her voice trailing off, something dark crossing her features. she spun around to face eleven. "when he told you this, it was here, in this room?" nancy's voice came out quickly, the urgency clear.

eleven nodded, her eyes distant, replaying the moment in her head.

then came a deeper thudding noise, reverberating through the floor. wren felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He instinctively put his hand there, his fingers brushing against his skin-and then he noticed will doing the exact same thing. they both froze for a second, realizing what was happening.

"he's here," wren and will said together, their voices low but filled with the same cold certainty. they were both still connected to the mind flayer, whether they liked it or not.

the group erupted into motion. chairs scraped the floor, and everyone rushed outside, fear and adrenaline taking over. as they burst through the door, their eyes locked on the treeline, and there it was-an enormous, monstrous silhouette moving through the woods, its massive form pushing through the rustling trees like a nightmare come to life.

it was coming for them.

they had only minutes to prepare.

"oh shit," wren muttered, his voice barely a breath as he stared at the creature. his heart pounded in his chest, and for a split second, he thought about running, about hiding. but there was no place to run to, no place to hide from something like this.

they were going to have to fight.

everyone stood in the middle of the cabin, forming a tight circle, the walls around them shaking from the force of the attacks. the once-cozy space now felt like a trap, its windows rattling, doors barely holding under the weight of the chaos outside. wren's heart raced, adrenaline flooding his veins as the air thickened with dread. he could feel eleven's small hand slip into his, her grip tightening. her presence calmed him for just a moment before a loud, bone-shaking crash echoed through the room.

a tentacle, larger than anything they'd seen before, crashed through the wall with terrifying speed, its target clear: wren. he yelped, stumbling back instinctively as he thrust his arm out. shadows erupted from his hand in a torrent, slamming into the tentacle and sending it flying backward through the hole it had just made. the force of it shook the cabin to its core, but there was no time to think about what had just happened.

"what the fuck?" wren breathed out, eyes wide in disbelief, his breath coming in ragged gasps. his heart was still pounding, his mind racing to process the dark power he had just unleashed.

before he could react, the tentacle returned, moving even faster this time, aimed directly at eleven, who was backed against the wall. she had her arms out, shielding max and mike, her focus entirely on them. wren watched in horror, unable to move, as jonathan darted forward with an axe, his face twisted in desperation. with a loud grunt, jonathan struck the tentacle three times, the sharp sound of metal against flesh filling the room.

but the mind flayer retaliated. the tentacle swung back, hitting jonathan hard in the chest. the force sent him flying across the room, where he slammed into the wall with a sickening thud. jonathan collapsed to the ground, the axe slipping from his hands. the tentacle, relentless, turned its attention to him.

"jonathan!" nancy screamed, her voice cracking with panic. her hands trembled as she raised her gun, firing two shots at the tentacle. the first bullet hit, but it wasn't enough to stop the creature. nancy squeezed the trigger again, but her gun clicked-empty.

the tentacle advanced on her, looming closer as she pressed herself against the wall, her chest heaving in terror. wren's pulse quickened. without thinking, he threw his arm out again. shadows, thick and dark, spilled from his hand, wrapping tightly around the tentacle and squeezing it with all his strength.

nancy stared at him, wide-eyed, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "oh my god," max whispered, her voice barely audible over the noise, her eyes glued to wren as she watched in disbelief.

a small trickle of blood dripped from wren's nose, the effort of using his powers taking its toll. he released his grip, gasping for air, and the tentacle recoiled, retreating with a sharp screech. it swung wildly as it left, nearly striking max. wren's instincts took over. in a flash, he teleported to her side, grabbing her waist and yanking her out of the way just in time.

"holy shit," max gasped, her voice shaky, her wide eyes meeting wren's. before they could process what had just happened, another tentacle shot through the wall above them.

eleven, her face set in determination, stepped forward. she threw her arm out, freezing the tentacle in mid-air. it writhed and twisted, suspended by her powers. but then, another tentacle broke through the wall on the opposite side of the room, lunging for her. without missing a beat, eleven extended her other arm, halting that one too.

wren, still holding max, watched in awe as eleven stood there, holding both massive tentacles at bay. her entire body shook with the effort, beads of sweat forming on her brow. her arms trembled, and wren could see the strain in her face. with a final, guttural grunt, el snapped her wrists, and the tips of both tentacles shattered, breaking off and falling to the floor with a sickening thud.

the room fell silent for a brief moment as the tentacles retreated. wren grinned at el, pride swelling in his chest for her strength. but the victory was short-lived. a massive crash shook the entire cabin as a new, even larger tentacle burst through the wall, wrapping itself tightly around eleven's leg.

"no!" wren shouted, his voice cracking with panic. before anyone could react, he teleported to her side, grabbing her arm with both hands. "i won't let you go, jane," he said, his voice trembling with fear as tears welled up in his eyes. eleven screamed, her body jerking violently as the tentacle pulled at her, trying to rip her from the ground.

mike, max, and will ran forward, their faces pale with fear as they grabbed hold of eleven's other arm, all of them pulling together, trying desperately to keep her from being taken. jonathan, bruised and battered but still determined, staggered to his feet and joined them, gripping eleven's wrist.

"nancy, shoot it!" wren yelled, his voice filled with urgency.

nancy, her hands shaking, reloaded her gun as quickly as she could. she took aim at the mind flayer's massive form, her fingers trembling on the trigger. bang! the gunshot rang out, followed by an ear-piercing screech from the mind flayer. lucas, seeing the opening, grabbed the axe jonathan had dropped earlier and swung it with all his strength at the tentacle.

the blade sank deep into the thick, fleshy tendril. the mind flayer let out another screech, and the tentacle snapped, breaking off and releasing its grip on eleven. she collapsed into wren's arms, her body shaking as sobs wracked her chest.

"jane, i've got you. you're safe," wren whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he held her close. eleven was trembling, her face wet with tears as she looked up at him with wide, pained eyes.

"wren... wren, it hurts," she whispered, her voice breaking as fresh tears streamed down her face. her body was shaking from the strain, and wren could feel the heat radiating from her skin.

wren's heart broke at the sight of her pain, and he struggled to keep his own tears at bay. he pressed his forehead gently against hers, his voice soft and shaky. "i know, jane. i know it hurts," he whispered, his throat tight with emotion. "we'll stop somewhere soon, okay? we'll get you help."

eleven clutched onto him, her fingers digging into his jacket as she buried her face in his chest, her sobs muffled against him. wren held her tightly, his own tears slipping down his cheeks. he could feel the weight of everything crashing down on him-the fear, the exhaustion, the overwhelming need to protect her.

mike, standing just a few feet away, watched the scene unfold with a sharp pang of jealousy twisting in his chest. he clenched his jaw, his hands balled into fists at his sides as he watched wren comfort el. it wasn't that he didn't want her to be safe-he just hated that he wasn't the one holding her, wasn't the one she was leaning on.

jonathan's voice broke through the heavy silence. "we need to get out of here. now!" he shouted, glancing warily at the looming shadow of the mind flayer outside.

wren nodded, pulling himself back to the moment. "come on, jane. let's go," he whispered, helping eleven to her feet. she stumbled, her legs weak beneath her, but wren held her steady. max quickly moved to support her other side, and together, they helped her outside.

they ran as fast as they could, the night filled with the sounds of distant screeches and the rustling of trees as the mind flayer thrashed behind them. the car was waiting, its engine still running, and wren gently helped eleven into the back seat.

she winced, her hand clutching her side as she leaned against the door. "it'll be okay," wren reassured her, though his voice wavered with uncertainty. he climbed into the backseat beside her, keeping her close as she curled into his side, her breathing ragged.

as mike slid into the passenger seat, he couldn't help but glance back at them. eleven was still clutching wren's shirt tightly, her face pressed against his chest. mike's heart sank, jealousy gnawing at him, but he forced himself to focus. there were bigger things to worry about right now-much bigger.

ASH SPEAKS!

next chapter is gonna be fun to write🤭 just a few more chapters ago and then we're onto season 4!!

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:)