#chucksteinberg

[INSPIRED SLIGHTLY BY @jinxthequeergirl ‘s Panic Settles Click the link to check it out! It’s really awesome :).]

[To @jinxthequeergirl : if you are uncomfortable with this then please let me know! I’ll take it down immediately. Also I really liked your imagine :)]

I’m Afraid But Never of You

[Chuck Steinberg]

[Reader-Insert]

[Imagine]

[Part 1]

•THIS IS LENGTHY•

You could feel the cold of the hospital hallways and smell the chemicals, though you couldn’t see anything. You clutched tightly to Chuck’s hand as memories of your narrow escape from your story’s terrible ending flooded your mind.

You were sitting in your room, gazing at the ceiling when the lights flickered. You sat up immediately, the horror from earlier after seeing the scratch marks on Auggie’s floor returning in waves. Your severe fear of darkness made your paranoia skyrocket, as well.

Of course, there might have been no reason for you to worry, lights tended to flicker at times. It could have just been a faulty circuit, rats chewing at wires, a dying light bulb. Your mind ran through the possible reasons for the light flickering, praying and hoping it was faulty wiring but knowing that it wasn’t. It couldn’t be.

It was your turn, now.

The lights flickered again, continuously this time. You considered leaving your room, but you didn’t know what was out there, if you would be safe even. But then again, Auggie hadn’t been safe in his room either. Out of the house then, you decided, standing and heading to your bedroom door.

You were halfway there when the lights finally flickered out, you froze in terror. You sunk to the floor with a whimper as your eyes widened, trying to see in the pitch black with no luck. There was a crackle from your walkie talkie, you were too afraid to move but listened intently as your friend’s voices flooded through the small speaker.

“Y/n! Y/n, are you there? Ju-just hold on, we’re coming!” Stella cried, there was Chuck in the background screaming at Ramón to drive faster. You felt relief flood through you as your friends hauled ass to your house, but the relief fled as quickly as it arrived at a small scuffle from the corner of your room.

You didn’t let yourself stay frozen at that, exploding from your spot on the floor and towards your walkie talkie. You crashed into your nightstand in your haste frantically pulling a drawer open and feeling for your Dad’s heavy duty yellow flashlight, your other hand finding your walkie talkie.

A bright beam burst from your flashlight and you directed it around the room, shaking as you brought the walkie talkie to your lips.

“What does the book say? What’s in here?!” You shouted into the speaker, startling your friends. Stella jumped and blinked at her walkie talkie before quickly answering.

“Y/n, are you okay? We’re a minute away!” Stella answered, you almost burst into sobs, your eyes frantically searching your room.

“What’s. In. Here?!” You screamed, but Stella’s reply was lost on you as you heard something. A breath.

“Y/n! It’s Chuck, it’s Chuck and we’re gonna get you out of there ok?! I’m coming to get you ok, angel?” His voice cracked as he stared back at Stella and the page where your story was slowly being written, the red ink seemingly caressing your name as it was written out.

You froze as you felt hot air blow against the side of your face... from the other side of your nightstand.

Why did Stella have to go and read that damn book?

Stella and the boys had just pulled up to your house when they heard a bloodcurdling scream. Your voice filled with fear, Chuck’s name fell from your lips again and again. They were out of the car in record time and sprinting to the door, Ramón kicked it open with a cry and they scrambled into the house. The house was brightly lit, yellow light from various lamps and ceiling lights flooding each room and hallway. Stella clutched the book, tears in her eyes as she read the beginnings of your ending. Ramón grabbed a wooden baseball bat by the couch as Chuck took the stairs two at a time to get to you.

Your voice sounded raw when he finally got to your room, he slammed into the wood, screaming your name. The wood started to splinter down the middle and finally, with help from Ramón and Stella, Chuck stumbled into the unnaturally dark room.

As the light flew into the room, it cut through the darkness like a knife through hot butter and surrounded you like a spotlight. You were sprawled on your back, your eyes were dark and wide as you screamed, you held a hefty flashlight in one hand and your walkie was by the nightstand.

But while they were happy to see you alive what truly caught their attention was the figure clawing at you. It had six arms, all of them wrapped around various parts of your body. It’s hands seemed unnaturally large as they grasped at your frame. It had luminous green eyes and the darkness was like a fog around it, obscuring all but its arms from view.

Two of its hands were clutching at your face, one holding your right eye open, the other had only it’s thumb and forefinger engaged and poised above your eye. It turned its gaze from the group (who were frozen in fear, though Chuck was ready to run in and barrel this fucker over) and back to you, it’s bright eyes glaring into yours.

Your screams had died down to small cries, your voice raspy and shaking with sobs. It slowly unraveled itself from you, still holding your gaze before it disappeared, vanishing without a trace. The lights eased back on, the transition smooth as the heavy darkness dissipated.

Chuck didn’t waste any time and ran into the room, sliding to a stop next to you. Your eyes had been fixed on the spot where the creature had been but they quickly snapped in Chuck’s direction as your screams came again. You struggled against his hold, sobbing and hitting at him.

“It’s me! It’s Chuck, angel. It’s just me! Y/n!” Chuck cried brokenly as he pulled you closer to him, you stopped screaming as tears spilled from your wide eyes. Your tears were still falling at a steady pace, you were still struggling but not as violently as Chuck’s words started to register.

“It’s just me, angel.” Chuck whispered, releasing one of your wrists to wrap an arm around your waist and pull you further into his space. Your hands shakily trailed up his arms to his shoulders, and then to his neck and face. You sobbed in relief, slumping against him, Chuck felt a sob of his own bubbling up.

Stella and Ramón, seeing you relax quickly made their way over to you. Stella fell to her knees beside you, dropping the book to the floor and hugging you from behind. Ramón eased himself down to his knees as well, still holding the baseball bat just in case.

“I’m so sorry, Y/n.” Stella whimpered, she felt so guilty. You, Chuck and Auggie has been her best friends for so long. You all had already lost Auggie because of her curiosity, and they almost lost you to a fate just as horrible. You didn’t reply to her apology, you didn’t exactly blame her, how could she know this would happen? But at the same time you had almost been killed, and you couldn’t... see anything.

“I-I can’t see, Chuck. Chuck, I can’t see.” You whispered, your voice getting more frantic as you gripped Chuck. Chuck shushed you gently, trying to control his tears so he could look at your face. He smoothed your hair from your eyes and looked at them, they were empty and darker than usual and seemed to stare past him.

“I think, I think that was the price. Whatever it was left and in exchange it took your sight because it felt cheated.” Stella said, wiping her nose on her sleeve and turning to the book. Your head turned to where Stella’s voice had come from and you clutched at Chuck as he leaned closer to the book’s pages, you heard Ramón shuffle closer as well and flinched in fear at the sound.

“The story. It changed when we got here. It used to say... something different.” Stella said, scanning the words on the page and skipping over what the original ending had said.

“Well, what does it say now?” Ramón asked, his eyes moving from the page to Stella. Stella took a shaky breath before starting to read.

“The creature had Y/n within its grasp, its large hands caressed Y/n’s face as it reached for its treasure. But the door was flung open, the creature had been seen. A damning action for the creature, to be seen spelt certain destruction for it. It hunted in pitch black for this reason. By now, little Y/n’s screams had quieted to sobs and raspy cries. The creature felt robbed of its prize but knew better than to stick around, or ever return, though it made sure it would be remembered. It stared into Y/n’s eyes and took from Y/n what would surely be missed. For if it could not have Y/n’s eyes, it would take Y/n’s sight. For the creature, the consequences of being seen were to never be seen again. It seemed only fitting that its last victim would never see again. An eye for an eye, if you will. After all, it’s only fair, don’t you think?”