Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its characters. All rights go to their respective owners.
PROLOGUE
THE TAKEN
Monster...
That was the best way to describe the creature before. A hideous beast straight of the mind of H.R Giger. A tall and pale thing that was humanoid in shape but far from human. Its limbs were lanky, and its claws were razor sharp, but the most horrifying thing about its appearance was everything from the neck up. It had a head but no face. Instead, it was just a mouth, a mouth that opened wide and spread out like fleshy flower petals filled with knife-like teeth. So many teeth. They were just endless.
Gloria Lovejoy had never seen something so horrible brought to life. This thing, this creature, this monster, was an anomaly. Something that shouldn't exist but clearly did since she was looking directly at it. It didn't belong in her world; she didn't know how she knew but she just did. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears and hopes that the beast will just leave and go back to whatever hellscape it came from and spare her. She wasn't an animal, but she could sense the danger. This thing was a threat.
An apex predator.
Gloria could feel her breathing becoming erratic as the creature slowly began to lower its neck. There was a small hiss, then an unholy roar that made the girl's eyes widen. Her fight or flight instincts took over and latter was the dominant one. The raven-haired girl turned on her heel and sprinted back towards the party she just left.
Inwardly she cursed as the ungodly sounds or grunts and snarls followed close behind her. She had to move faster. She couldn't let this horror catch her. If it did then she would die. She knew those claws and teeth weren't just for show. This thing would rend her flesh and crunch her bones.
Unfortunately for her the monster was quicker and she could feel its pale and slimy form slam into her back and pin her to the concrete. She struggled and screamed but because of the town curfew no one was around to see or hear her pleas. She tried to reach into her jacket pocket but was swifty cut off by a blow to the back of the head.
She was seeing spots now and all of a sudden, her body felt lighter. This monster was dragging her off somewhere. Oh no! She tried to struggle again but the blow to her cranium had left her limbs feeling like jelly. She could put up any sort of fight at the moment. All she could see was the world moving in a circle as she was dragged off the pavement and guided into a strange red light.
It was all too much to take in at once.
Gloria felt exhausted and with no other options available, she promptly passed out. When next she awoke, she would be in for the shock of her life as she took in the veil of shadows.
