The Sanctuary
Billy turned off the Camaro, staring at the cabin in apprehension. The last time he’d asked for directions he ended up getting into a fight with Steve Harrington. But now he’d needed to ask directions on where to find said man. It wasn’t like he came to apologize or anything, he just wanted to know why Harrington moved outside of town all of a sudden. So he’d asked, and Little Wheeler reluctantly told him that Harrington had moved out to an used cabin that Harrington’s parents had but never used. Billy didn’t like it out here, it was unnerving in some way. It was sunset because it had taken him so long to find this place and now the trees were dark and casting shadows.
“Asshole.” Billy murmured to himself, “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He got out of the car but stayed behind the open door. Harrington was gonna ask why he was there for sure and Billy was trying to think up an excuse. His fingers tapped the top of the car door, hitting against the window. He could just say that he just wanted to check out Harrington’s new digs. It was the perfect place for a house party, being out in the woods and all. Now set on his excuse, Billy nodded to himself and moved away from the door. He froze when he heard the tree branches rustle. He glanced around, anxious. The branches moved again. Billy edged closer to his car, glad the door was still open. Then he heard chirps, but they didn’t sound bird-like. Then suddenly something flew out from the trees and Billy yelped, dropping into his car. The thing landed on the roof of the car and Billy slammed the door closed. He panted as he heard it scratching at the roof of the Camaro and then it poked its head down to look through the window. It was bat, and looked pretty big too. Billy swallowed.
He’d never admit this, but he didn’t like bats. He was afraid of them, actually. When he was a kid, he and some friends had tried spelunking a cave near his hometown. They ended up getting swarmed by bats flying out of the cave. Billy had been left alone during the swarm and it had freaked him out. He’d been nervous around bats ever since, couldn’t even approach a bat house at the zoo for fear of the creatures. And with one so close to him, he was starting to hyperventilate. He covered his head and tried to calm down, closing his eyes to block out the sight and of the little monster just outside.
There’s nothing there, there’s nothing there... Billy continued to repeat the mantra to himself. Slowly, his breathing was going back to normal. As long as he didn’t think about it or look outside, he was okay. He took deep breaths to help steady himself. Then, out of nowhere, a sharp whistle broke through the air. Billy’s head shot up. There, on the cabin’s porch, was Harrington. In one hand was a banana and the other was at his lips, likely having been used to make the whistle. There was some scraping and then the bat on top of Billy’s car flew over to Harrington. It was the size of Harrington’s chest. It hung from his shoulders as the brunette fed it the banana. Billy swallowed. He tried to keep taking deep breaths as he got out of the car, leaning on the door for support.
“You babysitting bats now, Harrington?” Billy was glad his voice stayed steady and didn’t give him away. He eyed the creature with some anxiety, which thankfully wasn’t climbing as long as he stayed away from it. Harrington didn’t seem happy to seem him. The feeling was mutual.
“Yeah.” Harrington gave an uneasy smile as the little monster munched on the banana in his hand, “Welcome to the Bat Sanctuary of Hawkins, Indiana.”