The Battle of Starcourt: Pt. 1

                                    

                                          
El was still screaming in pain, her wails echoing all around us. The thing in her leg moved with more intent, causing her skin to bubble and shift wherever it went.
"What is that?" Erica gagged, pointing to El's leg with disgust.
"There's something in there," Mike stated matter-of-factly.
I watched the thing more closely, a horrible and disgusting idea started to form. The thing kept poking at the surface of her skin, almost like it was trying to get out...
"Keep her awake," I ordered, running off to the burger joint across the room.
I rummaged through the cabinets, praying I'd find all the materials I needed. Plastic gloves? Check. Wooden spoon? Check. Knife? Check. I grabbed said knife and held it over a gas stove top, killing any harmful bacteria that might have been living on it.
"Hurry up, dammit," I mumbled, knowing it would do nothing to speed up the tedious, yet necessary, process.
Finally, when the knife reached a scorching temperature, I removed it, running back to the group. They had moved El so she was a little more comfortable, if that was even a possibility with her condition.
"Ok, El, listen to me," I soothed, pulling on the gloves. "This is going to hurt, ok? We need to get this thing out, but if it gets too painful, let me know, and we can take a break, ok?"
She tearfully nodded, blood dripping from her nose. I handed the wooden spoon to her and instructed her to bite down on it, hoping it would take her mind off some of the pain.
I grabbed the knife, holding it right above El's skin. I hesitated, the severity of the situation starting to crash down around me.
Dammit Henderson, c'mon! I silently scolded. You've stitched yourself up, you've killed demogorgons, and you've dissected animals in Biology! You can help El out! Get over yourself!
My heart thudding in my chest and sweat beading down my forehead, I pressed the tip of the knife against her skin, just enough to make an indent, not enough to cut. My stomach began churning, and if there was anything left in my system, it would've come up right now.
You've got this.
Without another thought, I pressed the knife harder, cutting through El's delicate skin.
Blood and puss oozed out, a tell-tale something that something was, indeed, living underneath her skin. I dragged the knife down towards her calf, creating an incision wide enough for extraction.
Woah, you're not actually gonna do it, right? I thought. Maybe the thing will just leave now, by itself.
My mouth went dry, terrified at the thought of what I was gonna do next.
You've done enough, I urged. Let someone else take care of it-
I plunged my hand into El's wound without a second thought.
Everyone gasped, both from horror and shock. Bile crawled up in my throat, but I quickly swallowed it back down. Everything was already gross; we didn't need puke to enter the mix.
"Y/n!" Steve yelled.
"Stop!" I scolded. "You're not helping!"
My fingers felt around inside the wound, yet it was like the thing disappeared. But I could still see it under the surface of El's skin! Where did it go?
"Dammit," I mumbled, trying to keep my mind off the task at hand and focus on something lighthearted.
"Stop!" El cried, spitting out the wooden spoon. I quickly stopped, grateful to be done. "I can do it."