𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞

Ⅰ 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

FRUIT TUNES, THE STARTCOURTS CD AND VINYL STORE. It was never the busiest, but the people who came in always took their time. A teenager had spent nearly an hour consulting Chris on whether to get the latest Metallica album or the new David Bowie album. Chris had finally asked if he was into Metal music and when he scoffed at her telling her it was the devil's music, Chris took the Metallica album from his hands and her co-worker, Dylan Ward rung him up.

Dylan waved him out, his eyes slowly moving to Chris. "My god, he was an idiot," Dylan complained slumping over the counter. Chris laughed softly, sliding the album into its original spot. "I wanna take a break!"

"I don't think you do," Chris teased nodding over to the taller skinny boy walking through the front door, three smoothies and a lunch bag in his hands.

"Hey guys," Brandon called. Dylan straightened up before rushing over to help him.

"Hey man," Dylan smiled taking the drinks from him. "You spoiling us?" Dylan joked, sliding Chris her drink.

"You know me," Brandon smiled, leaning against the counter with the two.

The three finished their lunch and Chris tossed the rubbish away. "Alright, I'm going for a smoke, be back in ten," Chris informed taking the smokes from her pocket.

"Those kill you!" Dylan shouted after her.

"Doesn't everything?!" Chris shouted back before leaving through the shop's storage room and the staff doors. Chris ran to the roof, resting against the stone barrier wall as she lit her cigarette. Chris looked up from her smoke and saw a mangled version of Miya standing unsteady in front of her. She was missing an arm and her face was barely recognizable. Her skin was a pale grey and the veins were visible all over her skin. "Chris please..." It rasped wobbling on its feet, or what it had left of them.

Chris spun around, staring out over the staff car park, taking a drag from her smoke. Chris toyed with Alex's ring on her middle finger, spinning it to try and calm her nerves; a trick her school councilor, Ms Kelly, had taught her.

Chris raked her fingers through her hair, trying to steady her breathing. Chris's nightmares had only gotten worse over the past months. It went from nightmares of seeing Miya in the tunnels, small things that reminded her of Miya, to now, a fully formed version of Miya that followed Chris around, haunting her mind.

Chris slapped the side of her head, trying to shake away the thoughts of Miya.

෴

"CHRISANNA! CHRISANNA HELP ME PLEASE!"

Chris darted awake, throwing her sheets from her body, sweat dripping down her neck. Chris swallowed hard, whipping the hair from her face, parts of it sticking to her forehead. Her lips were chapped and her breath was rigid and shallow, her hands shaking slightly as she gripped the sheets. Chris closed her eyes hanging her head and letting her legs dangle off her bed.

A light knock sounded off her doorframe and Chris's head shot up seeing her mother standing in her doorway. "Hey, Anna," Claudia smiled sweetly, looking over her sleepy daughter, "I'm going out with a few friends and then I have to run a few errands, I should be back by mid-afternoon. Will you be at work?"

Chris nodded, flinging the blanket off her completely and sitting sideways on the bed, looking up at her mother. "Uh, yeah should be late though. Dylan's going out so I gotta close," Chris explained stretching her arms up a small crack going off in the bottom of her back.

Claudia nodded, her hair bouncing as she did, "Okay, don't be late for work. Okay, I love you, honey, goodbye." Claudia waved backing away from the door, shutting it as she did.

"Bye Mom! Love you too!" Chris called out rubbing her hand on the back of her neck. "Jesus." Chris groaned pushing herself to her feet and stepping into the hall and walking to the bathroom. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, a small split in the corner, one of many victims of her last outburst. "Christ. Gotta get a new one."

Chrisanna parked her black Camaro outside of Starcourt mall in the employee's parking lot. One of her many aunties bought it for her on her nineteenth birthday a little over a month ago. Chrisanna stepped out of the car, looking around at all the many teen employees who took the last few minutes to bludge and talk before heading for work. Chris joined them, hopping onto the hood of her car and pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a matte black flip lighter. She barely got two puffs in when a rusty old red car pulled in next to her.

"Jesus piece of shit," She heard the person mumble hitting the steering wheel, and it made a loud noise that it shouldn't have.

"Good morning Dyl, have a nice ride?" Chris teased hanging the cigarette between her lips. Dylan looked out the window, his hair bouncing slightly as he flicked a piece of plastic from his broken steering wheel toward her, but it stopped short and Dylan groaned.

"Oh hush it, Grey," Dylan scolded, holding the handle and banging his shoulder against the side of his car door to make it open. He stumbled out, slamming the door close curing it out as he did. "Just cause your miss fancy."

Chris chuckled at him finally taking another drag of her cigarette letting the smoke exhale from her nose. She held it out in front of her tapping it twice to clear it of ash. "Why don't you just call me and ill drive you?" Chris questioned bringing the cigarette back up to her lips. "Your car ain't gonna last much longer."

Dylan smiled at brushing his black curly hair from his eyes, he shoved his hands into his rust-colored leather jacket, "I'll take that into consideration." Dylan looked around seeing the teens start to make their way indoors. "Let's get going then." He pulled Chris from her car tugging at her black shirt. He plucked the nearly finished cigarette from her fingertips giving it a once over. "These small disgusting."

Chris laughed at him shoving her hands into the back of her torn red pants, licking her still dried lips, "You say that every time," Chris laughed walking towards the back entrance Dylan at her side.

"Yeah 'cause I mean it," Dylan scolded.

෴

CHRIS SWORE HER FINGERS WERE BRUSING. Chris groaned as she picked up the final box from the back storage, using her knee she hoisted it up to her hips. "Jesus Christ," Chris complained finally getting a hold of it and starting to walk back to the music store. She used her backside to push the door open to the music back room where dozens, upon dozens of records and headphones and other music accessories were kept. She dropped it on top of the stack of boxes she had already created. Chris turned to the shelf where she thought she had left the box cutter, however it had gone.

Chris pushed the door open stepping into the store and seeing Dylan leant against the scuffed black tabletop of the counter. "Hey Dyl, you seen the box cutter?" Chris asked stopping by his side and leaning a hand against the counter.

Dylan gave her a cheeky side glance and a small smirk crawled onto his face, "Leant it to Harrington," Dylan chuckled seeing Chris drop her head in annoyance.

"God I hate you," Chris mumbled jogging across to Scoop Ahoy. "Hey Buckley," Chris greeted the girl ruffling her hat as she passed by her.

"Hey Henderson," Robin smiled scooping ice cream for a small family.

Chris pushed the back door open seeing Steve scrambling to his feet knocking his hat off in the process. "Jesus Chris," Steve gasped gripping his chest, "I thought you were Robin."

"Why? You slacking off?" Chris teased fitting his hat properly. "You got the box cutter Dylan leant you? I need it for the new deliveries." Chris smiled seeing Steve nod reaching over to a box in the corner. Steve tossed it in his hand before handing it over.

"There you go," Steve smiled trying to use his flirty voice but failing. "You heard from Dustin?" Steve asked, sitting back on the table.

"He should be back tomorrow," Chris nodded turning back for the door.

"Hey um," Steve called, stopping her from her leaving. "How have you been? I saw your mom in earlier buying paint."

"Oh, um, just a nightmare," Chris shrugged off. "Just charred up my room a bit, it's nothing."

"A nightmare isn't nothing," Steve pressed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Steve just leave it, please, it's nothing I promise," Chris insisted. "I'll see you later." Chris pushed through the staff doors, waving goodbye to Robin and making her way back to the music store. "I hate you," Chris aggressively whispered to Dylan as she walked past him. Dylan sent her a kiss and a teasing wink and Chris rolled her eyes, pushing open the door to the staff storage room. Chris managed to get through two boxes of new records when the lights overhead flicked off. Chris hummed in question to herself, looking up at the lights and expecting them to come back on. Dylan pushed open the door, looking at Chris.

"I do not know," Chris shrugged looking between Dylan and the lights. Dylan reached around, playing with the light switch. "I don't think that's gonna work."

"Got a better idea?" Dylan asked, pulling his hand away from the switches.

"Wait," Chris offered, turning back to the records. Just a few moments later, the lights came back to life. "Told you so," Chris snarked, throwing a glance over her shoulder at Dylan.

"Ha ha, you're so funny," Dylan joked, flipping her off. "Hey, um, Anna?"

"Yes I can pick you up," Chris answered, writing down what records they had on a piece of paper on the side.

"You are the best, thank you so much," Dylan smiled, and slipped from the storage room.

෴

CHRISANNA PULLED DOWN THE GATE TO THE STORE, LOCKING IT FROM THE INSIDE. Chris wove her way through the staff tunnels and exited the mall to the staff parking lot, one of the last people to leave for the night. A worker from another store with boxes staked on a trolley strolled past waving at Chris. Chris waved back, smiling softly as she opened her car.

Once Chris got home, she fell back on her bed, groaning as she sunk into her covers. Chris's mind wandered to her nightmare, the voice that was calling to her.

It couldn't be El, she could take of herself. Will was a no as well; when the Mind Flayer caught Will something blocked their contact. Steve, Jonathan or Nancy would actually call her first. Alex..? It could be Alex but after Miya, Alex made it clear she didn't want to speak with Chris again. It might be Dustin but he was at his camp, if something happened Claudia would have gotten a call.

Was it even someone she knew? Had it even happened? Was it too late to save them? Save them? Why would she need, want, or have to save them? She didn't even know who it was, or if the message was even for her. There would be tons of Chrisanna's right?

Chris asked herself too many questions it gave her a headache. Chris pushed herself up onto her elbows and kicked her shoes off, her mind too fogged to come up with a coherent answer. Chris tossed her jacket and over top to the side, before peeling off the black undershirt. Chris ran her fingers across the fading pink scar of the Demodog's teeth on her forearm.

Chris could see the same marks sprawled across Miya's torso and legs, scratches up her arms, and blood smeared on her face. Chris winced, looking away from it, shaking her head.

That night, the same nightmare replayed in her mind, still just as jolting as last time. Chris shook her head focusing as she sped down the street half a cigarette hanging from her mouth. Just as Chrisanna had promised, she stopped and picked up Dylan that morning. Dylan continued to complain about Chris's speed from the moment they had left the driveway. "Just slow down a little please Chris," Dylan pleaded with a tight grip on the handle above the window.

Chris shook her head with a dry chuckle, "You needed your special socks, which might I add, are plain black socks with cherries on them," Chris teased as the smoke poured from her lips and nose. "So if I don't hurry, we will be late." Dylan rolled his eyes glancing down at his shoes, more importantly, his socks, with a sad pout. Chris glanced at him a small smile tugging at the edge of her lips, "I like your socks." Chris smiled, and Dylan smiled back a light laugh escaping his lips.

෴

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