end zone | STEVE HARRINGTON

forty-three

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C H A P T E R    F O R T Y - T H R E E

Vecna Vs Anastasia

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ANASTASIA ENTERED HER OLD HOME, she looked around, remembering all the times where she laughed, cried and yelled in the home. She was starting to feel emotional just by being in the cabin but she shrugged off the feeling and went into her old bedroom. Because of the Mind Flayer her bedroom was completely destroyed, her window was smashed and the roof above her was falling apart. She sighed, reaching down to the unbalanced floor board under her bed, pulling out the small box that she hid when she first got her own room.

Anastasia hesitated before looking inside, but eventually she managed to open it. Her heart stopped for a moment when she took out the old picture of her, Eleven and Hopper, brushing her finger over to picture she smiled to herself, remembering the time when she was genuinely happy. Her eyes moved over to another picture in the box, it was one that was taken by Olga - her Nurse - it was of Anna and Dmitri. She had never told anyone about her past life because she never wanted to speak of it again, but now Vecna was using it against her and she hated him for it.

Everything that Maxim had done to her and her brother destroyed her and made her into a villain, but now after all the lessons he had given her on how to defeat someone or something, she was going to put it to use. Anna had remembered what Vecna looked like and pictured him in her mind, steading her breathing and listening to the sound of her heart beating as she felt the wind picking up around her.

She felt a sharp pain in her chest and she knew she was getting closer and closer to where Vecna was and his lair. And then suddenly, everything went silent. Anastasia hesitantly opened her eyes, her pupils dilating as she looked around. She wasn't in Hawkins anymore, she was in a much darker place. She rose to her feet, duking quickly when something flew over her head as she got the chance to look around.

Anastasia was in an alternate dimension and she didn't know how to get back out. The sky was a dark blue, mixing with a shade of a dark red that made the place more eerie. Vines littered the ground along with the shilling sounds of what seemed to be bats surrounded her. Anna felt goosebumps rise on her skin as she stood in the middle of the Upside Down. She didn't know what to do, Vecna wasn't there and she was surrounded by forests and then....nothing. Anastasia was alone with no way of getting back home.

She hissed, feeling something sharp digging into her stomach as she looked down, throwing away the bat that had attached itself onto her, blood immediately began to seep from the wound and onto her jumper but she was more worried about the numerous number of bats that were making their way to her. Anastasia froze, her eyes widened as she saw a flock of birds coming her way quicker than she could react. Turning her head, she spotted the woods, it was her only option in getting away from the bats so she ran, her legs moved quicker than she could process and her hair wiped back and forth behind her as she hurried into the woods.

Once she made her way inside, she hid behind one of the decaying trees and held her breath. Listening into the sound of the bats, once she was unable to hear them she took of running again. She tripped, falling to the ground with a loud grunt as a vine wrapped itself around her ankle, pulling against her. Anna raised her hand, emitting the red orb that broke apart the vines connection to her leg as she tried to get up. Her plan failed as a swarm of bats came down onto her, attacking her stomach and her ankles as she cried out in pain.

No matter what she did, she couldn't get them off her as the pain consumed her. The feeling of the bats sharp teeth sinking into her skin made tears roll down her cheeks and the blood spilling from her was making her feel nauseous. She needed someone or something to save her as she couldn't do it herself.

"Get up." A voice called out, Anastasia opened her eyes more tears spilling down her face as she saw her brother standing in front of her. She knew it wasn't real, and that he wasn't really there but she was loosing hope as more time went on. "You have to get up, Stassia. Come on! Get up!"

"I can't." Anastasia whispered in defeat, the girl had already excepted her defeat and she was ready to die.

"Yes you can." Dmitri told her, "Steve is waiting for you, remember?"

She cried out, another bat attacking her stomach. "Help me, Dmitri!"

"You know I can't." He said solemnly, "Remember what Maxim always told us, if you ever find yourself stuck, just figure out a way to get out."

"You know what he said was wrong and that advice was bullshit! I can't do that right now, Dmitri!" Anastasia gasped, feeling herself loosing more blood as more time went on.

"We don't have time to argue, just do what you do best." Dmitri told her, just as she was about to reply to him, he was gone. Anastasia was left alone again with Dmitri's last words replaying on her mind. She needed to do what she used to do best.

Anastasia took in a deep breath, and then she let it all out. The trees fell to the ground and the bats exploded around her as she released a deadly scream. All the pain the bats had caused her was finally being let out and she was able to get them off her. Red flashed around her as she let it all out, and then everything went quiet.

Anastasia sighed, tears falling down her cheeks as she groaned, attempting to sit up. She managed to stand, wobbling from side to side as she held her hand to her stomach, her ankles were nearly entirely chewed off and she could see the bone beginning to peak through as she wandered back through the woods. The sound of the bats were no longer heard but as she drew closer and closer to where she originally came from she frowned, she spotted a broken boat that was no longer there and five figures standing around.

She immediately noticed who two of the figures were as she walked quicker, ignoring the pain she was feeling. "Steve. Robin."