#strangers from hell au

[menaasstuff]

Shadowed Halls

(Chapter 1)

Summary: For a girl who grew up in a small town in west Texas she'd never known an unfriendly face. People would greet each other with sweet smiles and small talk in the morning, always ready to lend a hand to their neighbor. Any would think this an ideal environment for one to grow and mature in, but as she ventures into unknown territory she'll see just how wrong she was and how much more cautious she should've been.

Word Count: 2.5k

I just finished rewatching Strangers From Hell and it left me wanting to write about it, therefore this was born. If you like it please feel free to leave a like and comment your thoughts <3

-

-

-

-

As the taxi rolled to a stop in front of the run-down cobblestone complex, you felt the excitement that had been sitting in your stomach fade slightly the longer you took it in. Your thoughts were cut short by the rough, hacking cough let out by the taxi driver before his eyes cut sharply to you in the rearview mirror. Without saying anything, it wasn't hard to get his message with the impatient raising of his brow. Glancing at the meter, you grabbed your wallet and pulled out some cash before handing it to the man with a timid smile. After he finished counting and deposited the money into the cash box, it was clear that any business he thought he had with you was over as he popped the trunk and unlocked the taxi's door locks. Not wanting to cause any more annoyance to the man, you flashed what you hoped came across as a grateful smile and chirped a goodbye before getting out to retrieve your suitcase from the back. Hauling the suitcase out of the trunk pulled a grumble from within your throat, the cab driver didn't seem to want to offer the same help he'd previously given when you'd loaded it in initially. With one final huff, you were able to get it out and place it on the sidewalk before grabbing your duffle bag. Slamming the trunk closed and walking back onto the concrete sidewalk was all the confirmation the cabbie needed as the tires let out a slight screech as he pulled off. The taxi's departure marked a definitive point; there was no turning back now.

Turning to face the building, a feeling of surreal disbelief flowed through you and left a tingly sensation from the tips of your fingers to your toes. The feeling of success was undeniable; making this move was something that you could only dream of doing while working on the farm with your father. Your parents hadn't exactly been thrilled with the idea when you proposed what you thought would be the next step in your young adult life. Hearing that you wanted to move from Texas to New York nearly sent your mother into cardiac arrest. It took weeks of explaining before they realized how serious you were about following through with your plan. While your mom tried to take the calmer approach, your father had no problem telling you how outlandish and ridiculous your idea was. The determination you had to follow through with your proposition eventually wore them down and got them to support their oldest daughter's dream to spread her wings in the "big city." A vibration from your jeans pocket caused you to jolt before reaching to grab your phone and look at the screen as a smile slowly spread across your face. Hitting the accept call button, you leaned onto one leg and raised the phone to your ear while holding the handle of your suitcase securely in the other hand.

"Hey mom, miss me already?" you greeted with a hint of teasing in your voice. Saying goodbye to your mother had taken the longest, so it wasn't a big surprise to you that she'd be the first to call.

"Hi Sugar, I just wanted to check on you. You said you'd call when you landed, but it's been 2 hours since your flight got in. You know I worry," the soft voice with a southern twang that could only belong to her mother rang through your ears.

"I'm sorry mama, you wouldn't believe how plumb crazy the airport over here is. I swear it took me nearly an hour to get my luggage and then another half hour to flag down a cab. I just reached the apartment complex; I still need to go get the keys," you explained to your fretting mom while people rushed by you on the sidewalk, smiling at the few that seemed to cast you inquisitive or annoyed looks.

"I warned you, city folk move like someone's lit a fire in their pants. You'll get the hang of it soon. Remember that papa's already paid the first three months' rent for you. Once you save money from your new job, you'll have to take it over yourself, but everything should be sorted with that---" Your mother's chirping faded out when your attention shifted to a man who walked out of the doors of the complex. He was dressed in a grey suit and held a black briefcase; you couldn't help but feel like he looked like he walked off the pages of those fancy fashion magazines they have at the doctor's office. In your daze, you couldn't help but find it odd that a man that looked as sophisticated as him would be walking out of the worn-down building you'd be calling home for the time being. As if he felt your steady gaze being directed his way, his narrowed gaze cut up to yours from where it'd previously been focused on scrolling through his phone. You held the contact for a second before it sunk in that he'd caught you more or less gawking and you looked to the ground in embarrassment. Manners had always been something that your mother and grandmother had stressed over drilling into your head; leering at someone was sure to get your knuckles rasped with the wooden spatula. When a respectable amount of time seemed to pass, you glanced back up to find the man gone and breathed out a sigh of relief before refocusing back onto your mother.

"I've just finished sending out your stuff; Bobbie down at the shipping office said it should reach you by the end of the week, and then you can get the movers to bring it over to your apartment. Don't forget you have to call them, bunny." She finished before you heard a garbled voice call out for her in the background.

"I'll call you back later tonight, sweetie; your brother needs me. You just get your keys and get settled in, okay? Love you!"

"Love you too, ma," you chirped back with a smile before hearing the telltale click which signaled that she'd hung up the phone.

Sliding your phone back into the safety of your back pocket, you readjusted the slipping strap of your duffle and made your way to the stairs that led to the front door of the apartment complex.

Opening the door and making your way in didn't leave a better impression than simply looking from outside did. The harsh fluorescent lights on the ceiling seemed to buzz from overuse and served mostly to highlight the light dusting of dirt that coated the floors. Straight across from the entrance was an elevator with a handwritten 'out of order' sign taped in the middle. To the right was a set of stairs that presumably would lead to the upper floors, and to the left was the front that you'd been looking for—a faded green door with the word 'office' labeled on it in equally faded gold script.

Breathing a slight sigh of relief at finding the office so easily, you hiked your duffle further up your shoulder and made your way over to the door. Raising your hand up, you rapped your knuckles against the hard wood next to the frosted glass windowpane and waited until you heard a croaked-out voice call to come in before releasing a rough cough.

Turning the handle and stepping inside with a smile, you were greeted with an older man sitting in front of a desk shuffling through a stack of papers with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, seemingly looking for something. He looked to be around your pa's age, his hair more of a receding line with splotches of grey mixed into what once was black. The clicking that signaled the opening of the door caught his attention and caused him to halt his search as his dull grey eyes scanned you from head to toe while a smirk hitched one side of his lips up. The smoke that filled the room burned your lungs the longer you stood in the room, and the slightly cracked window to the left of his desk did little to help.

Flashing the man another smile, you glanced at the nameplate on his desk before beginning. "Hello, Mr. Miller, I'm your new tenant and was told to come here to pick up the keys for my apartment. I just got in today; I'm Y/N L/N."

"Hello, darling, yes, I remember; welcome to Pinecrest Manor. Had I known we'd have a little doll moving in today, I'd have dressed up a bit more for the occasion," he responded playfully while standing to leer at you before walking over to the glass case on the right side of the wall that held numerous pairs of keys. As Mr. Miller sauntered over to the glass case filled with keys, you couldn't help but feel a mixture of discomfort and impatience. The smoke-laden air made your throat itch, and you subtly coughed again, hoping to avoid inhaling more of it.

He continued to talk as he riffled through the keys, his voice raspy and slightly amused. "Ah, you said Y/N L/N, right? Yes, your paperwork is all here. Pinecrest Manor isn't much to look at, but we do our best to keep things in order around here." He chuckled to himself, finding his own comment amusing.

You nodded politely, though you were eager to receive your keys and get settled into your new apartment. Glancing around the office, you noticed the outdated décor and the layer of dust on some of the surfaces. It wasn't exactly the welcoming environment you had hoped for, but it would have to do for now.

After what felt like an eternity of Mr. Miller fumbling through keys, he finally selected a set and turned back to you with a grin. "Here we are, darling," he said, extending the keys towards you. "Apartment 305, up on the third floor. Elevator's out of order, so you'll have to take the stairs. But I'm sure a young thing like yourself won't mind the exercise." He paused before raking his eyes up and down the length of you as you stood to receive the keys. "You need some help finding it; I wouldn't want a sweet girl like you getting lost on your first day here."

You took the keys from where he dangled them teasingly out to you with a polite thank you, managing a small smile despite the persistent discomfort of the smoky room. "I'm sure I'll be able to manage. Thank you, Mr. Miller. I appreciate your help."

Though he looked mildly disappointed by the rebuff, he nodded, his smirk widening a fraction. "Anytime, Y/N. And if you need anything else, you know where to find me."

With that, you turned to leave, eager to escape the stifling office and finally settle into your new home. As you closed the door behind you, you took a deep breath of fresher air in the hallway, relieved to be out of Mr. Miller's smoke-filled domain.

As you made your way down the hallway, the dimly lit corridor of Pinecrest Manor seemed to stretch endlessly. The faint buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead added to the eerie atmosphere, contrasting sharply with the relative brightness of the office you had just left. You glanced down at the keys in your hand, feeling a mix of anticipation and apprehension about what lay ahead.

The worn carpet under your feet creaked softly with each step as you approached the stairwell. With a slight hesitation, you gripped the handrail and began ascending to the third floor. The staircase, much like the rest of the building, showed signs of age and neglect. Faded paint, scuff marks, and occasional cobwebs greeted you as you climbed higher.

Finally reaching the third-floor landing, you navigated your way to apartment 305. The hallway here was eerily quiet, the only sound being your own footsteps and the distant hum of the building's ventilation system. As you approached the faded green door labeled 305, you inserted the key and turned the lock.

The door swung open with a slight creak, revealing your new home. Stepping inside, you found yourself in a modestly sized living room. Sunlight filtered through dusty blinds, casting faint patterns on the worn carpet. The furnishings were basic but functional—a worn couch, a small coffee table, and a TV on a stand in the corner.

Setting your duffle bag down with a thud, you took a moment to survey the space. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but it would serve its purpose as your sanctuary for the foreseeable future. You walked through to the kitchenette, noting the outdated appliances and the flickering fluorescent light above the sink.

The bedroom was similarly modest, with a double bed pushed against one wall and a small dresser nearby. A narrow window offered a view of the neighboring buildings, their own faded facades staring back at you.

As you unpacked your belongings and began to settle in, you couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over you since entering Pinecrest Manor. The interaction with the building manager left a sour taste in your mouth, and the first impressions of the building weren't fitting into what you'd pictured the whole flight over. Closing the drawer of the dresser after placing the last of your belongings inside, you glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and saw the time flash back at you—2:00 PM.

Suddenly, a new feeling rushed through you as you realized where you were and what you'd done. Walking over to the double bed, you sat down and scanned around the room one more time, a new light making everything seem so much better. In contrast to when you'd first walked in, you felt like there was so much possibility and hope to be found in your new apartment. Letting out a squeal of excitement, you fell back onto the mattress and let all the excitement rush through your body in the form of more squealing and tapping of your feet from where they still rested on the floor.

In your excitement, you failed to realize how loud you'd been until you heard three rough bangs coming from the connecting wall with your neighbor which jolted you back to reality. Snapping back up to sit straight on the bed, you went quiet and waited a minute to see if they continued; when they stayed silent, you released a breath of relief before falling back down. As you went back to quietly getting lost in your thoughts about how you'd decorate your new space and fantasizing about the adventures you'd have in this new environment, a ping from your phone sounded before it began to ring with a familiar ringtone that caused a smile to spread across your lips. Sliding the device out from your back pocket, you held it up in front of you to confirm what you already knew you'd see and sat up while swiping to accept the call and holding it up to your ear.

"Hello?"

[fifthnailinstevesbat]

thinking of a new steddie fic/au hmmm.

It’s just the classic, Steve buys weed from Eddie in season 1 era, he and Tommy meet him at the bench in the woods behind school. Steve and Eddie have some playful banter and clearly get along, but it’s dismissed as just a drug deal and they go on about their lives.

Next time they meet is when a frantic Steve comes and finds Eddie after he’s just fought off the demogorgon for the first time. He’s rattled, and skittish, wearing a nasty black bruise on his eye, and just overall not acting like himself. He snaps at Eddie multiple times to just ‘hurry up’ and ‘get him his stuff’, and sure he’s being an asshole, but more than anything Eddie is just concerned. He has never seen The King Steve Harrington lose his cool like this. So Eddie cautiously gives him the weed, making sure not to give too much, and lets him go about his day, but not before asking if he’s alright. Steve clearly wasn’t expecting this and brushes it off defensively, but that doesn’t mean he’s not thinking about it for the rest of his week. How the hell did Eddie Munson notice something was wrong, when his own parents didn’t? Nor his “friends”?

They cross paths again a year later, the beginning of season two. Steve is still with Nancy and has freshly dumped his old douchebag crew of superficial friends. He is still sitting quite comfortably on the higher ranks of popularity, but there is no denying his status is not what it used to be. He comes to buy weed from Eddie in the first week back at school, and it’s a casual interaction. He’s still as charmingly stuck up as he ever was, but now without Tommy there to judge his every move, he seems a little more at ease when making casual conversation with Eddie. Eddie doesn’t mention the year before and Steve is so glad for it, secretly very embarrassed that he went to Eddie for some refuge after arguably his most traumatic experience to date. He gets his stuff, giving Eddie a smirk when he notices he’s dropped the price significantly for Steve when it’s just him alone. Eddie gives him a challenging smile back, almost daring him to call it out, but he doesn’t. They both just laugh and part ways.

The next run in is tina’s halloween party. They notice eachother when Steve first arrives, making eye contact and giving a polite nod. Maybe Eddie lifts his drink up to Steve in a silly salute. They don’t speak at all or make any effort to hang around eachother. That is, until Steve storms down the stairs in a rage after he’d gone up there with Nancy Wheeler. But then are those- tears? Eddie was standing on the front porch smoking a cigarette, trying to discreetly hide from one Billy Hargrove to avoid having to sell him anything, but staying visible enough that he won’t lose all chances of making any money tonight. Steve storms right past him and hits his shoulder. Eddie whips around and is about to call him a dick before he sees who it is.

Steve tries to quickly wipe his face, he won’t make eye contact with Eddie, and he’s clearly trying to get out as fast as he can. Eddie doesn’t let him, though, since he’s obviously not thinking very clearly and is most likely about to do something emotional and stupid. He asks if Steve’s alright, and his answers are all short and rushed, so he’s definitely not. They’re not really friends, but Eddie’s not an asshole.

— “Did you drive?” Eddie asks

“Yeah”

“Well, you’re drunk, Steve. You can’t get behind a wheel right now. And if I knowingly let you, then that makes me an accomplice. I’ll take you home.”

Steve tries to protest, attempting to push past him, but Eddie interjects. “Yeah, yeah, alright! Don’t thank me yet, Steve’o. This is not for you, see, I’m not trying to get a criminal record, here. I cant go to prison, Steve. Do you know what they’d do to a pretty guy like me in prison? Nope, let’s go hot stuff.” —

Eddie takes Steve home. They don’t talk much. By the time they reach Steve’s drive way and Eddie has put his van in park, Steve is making no attempt to exit the vehicle just yet. Eddie doesn’t know what to do, he didn’t really plan this far, so he’s just tapping away awkwardly at his steering wheel while Harrington stares down the dashboard so clearly lost in thought Eddie fears his head might explode. Steve tells Eddie what happened, says it’s ‘relationship troubles’, and he’s not quite sure what compelled him into being so honest with Eddie Munson, but he’s blaming the alcohol. Eddie wasn’t expecting that. They chat for a bit, Eddie makes Steve laugh and considers the whole night a success after that. Then they start cracking jokes about their shared hatred for Hargrove, and Steve looks and sounds a bit more ok to go inside. He thanks Eddie, quite sincerely actually, and it throws him a bit. He stutters a ‘yeah, for sure. It’s no problem.’ And Steve goes home.

After that, it’s a little different. Steve, doesn’t actually really have anyone, anymore. When they go back to school he’s now greeting Eddie here and there in the hallways, making conversation when they find themselves alone together, in the lunch line or at the bathroom sink. He doesn’t approach Eddie when there’s too many people around, though. As much as he’s grown, Steve Harrington still carry’s some prejudice in him about how certain things may make him look. But it doesn’t bother Eddie too much. It’s not like they are really friends, they’re just like, strange acquaintances. And Steve would never deny that they get along, that really Eddie’s ‘not so bad’. So that’s a win.

Steve finds Eddie again not long after the party to buy some more weed, a plan that sparked purely out of boredom. Eddie says yes, of course, but tells him if he wants it today he will need to wait till after school and meet Eddie at his place, since he was busy. So Steve takes a trip to the Munson trailer to make his deal. Eddie invites him inside and they sit together on the couch as he gets Steve’s bag ready. They end up making quite pleasant conversation, joking around and ultimately finding they are really enjoying each other’s company. They enjoy it so much so, that Steve ends up smoking there, with Eddie. So now they are kind of like, hanging out? And it’s fun, so they do it again. Still they’re not, friends friends, they just get along. Eddie just sells Steve weed sometimes and they keep it civil.

He doesn’t hear from Steve for a while, and the next time he sees him it’s from a distance, in passing. The man has the most roughed up face Eddie has ever seen, bruised and swollen in multiple areas, stitches and bandages all over. It’s really, concerning? completely metal, but alarming. This is the second time Eddie has seen the guy all beaten up like that. He knew that boys fight, but surely not that bad? As worried as he was, Eddie doesn’t approach him to ask questions, because they don’t know eachother like that. So he goes on about his day, and he doesn’t see Steve again after that for quite some time.

Then it’s summer, Eddie isn’t graduating again, and he’s not really sure what to do with himself over the break. The new mall has just opened up, and there’s a cool music store up on the second floor that he likes to visit sometimes with his band friends. And wouldn’t you know, working at the Scoops Ahoy located directly across from his favourite store, is Steve Harrington. The guy hasn’t come to Eddie for any weed since last year, and then there was that sighting where he looked like he’d just fallen face first into a flying fist or two, so it’s been a minute since Eddie’s seen him. And he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t a nice surprise. He only goes into scoops once. He’s curious, okay? Sue him. And, he knows the girl who works with him, Robin. So he plays it off like he had no idea he’d see Steve there. And to his surprise, Steve actually acknowledges him. He doesn’t act like Eddie is a total stranger just because they’re not in school anymore. The interaction is quick, they make very casual conversation, Eddie says hi to Robin, grabs his milkshake and goes home. That’s all. He doesn’t go back, and he doesn’t really plan to. Steve’s nice, and he knows Eddie’s around if he needs to buy from him again, and that’s really as far as their relationship goes. That’s all it ever was. It’s been fun getting to know Steve Harrington a little bit better, even if it was just for a short time. Eddie liked having the chance to see in past the quaffed hair and pressed polo shirts to learn that Steve was really just a person under it all. He never thought he’d say it, but Harrington wasn’t so bad. It was a nice little eye opening experience for Eddie.

Eddie was ready to write off his little blips of interaction with Steve Harrington as a thing of the past, no hard feelings, and move on with his life. That is, until he gets a knock at his front door in the middle of the night afew days after the big mall fire. And it’s Steve on the other side. And he looks awful, his face is the worst Eddie’s ever seen it. And he wasn’t really knocking, more like pounding. He says he needs Eddie’s help.

What the fuck?

[scarefox]

Why is this korean GL starting like Strangers From Hell? 😂

Plus

just light parallels but it makes me more intrigued

Edit: ALSO

[drowzeeartist]

did anyone ask for vampire mjjw?

[ougiba07734]

EVERYONE WILL BE FORCED TO LOSTEN TO ME YAP ABOUT MY STRANGERS FROM HELL X SQUID GAME AU. #JAGIYA

[mrmoriartea]

Vampire husbands 🧛🩸

[sijssjsbssjsnsnnskbskwns]

Hell of a summer (what songs I think match the vibe) (part 2)

Movie summary…

Y/n L/n

[jentonic]

i have such a strong. STRONG urge to write a stupid sfh pass the bottle kiss kiss scene in college AU (everyone wants to kiss jongwoo which drives moonjo insane but this girl wants to kiss moonjo which drives jongwoo psychotic) and sadly they dont get the bottle so they can’t kiss but they have a heated argument afterwards because jongwoo is mad that some girl kissed moonjo and moonjo is perplexed because why would you be mad about that, if we’re nothing? and jongwoo slams moonjo against a wall and they fuck nasty

[armandofnowhere]

AU: Devil’s Minion + Strangers From Hell

Daniel Molloy is a young man who has just moved out of his hometown and into the big city. Short on money and in need of a roof over his head, he finds himself a rather shady apartment to stay in. Unfortunately for him, it comes with some even shadier tenants.

[howlettloki]

the amount of jeong jinman, seo moonjo, wang yeo, and more (dongwook characters) fan fiction in here and ao3 is heartbreaking. this is the time in my life where i really wish i could write

[clownakai]

Akam Princess Mononoke AU with Shuuichi as Ashitaka and Rei as San. That is all

[motherdanger]

beyond hell

[raspberry-rampage]

still learning how to draw characters so here's some silly siblings doodles

[drowzeeartist]

normal mjjw shenanigans

[ougiba07734]

hellsquid animatic wip #ilovemyAU

[scarefox]

I am sorry but it got imprinted now in my head that they are perfect for fem / genderbend Moonjo x Jongwoo elite girl-school AU. Makes me go a bit insane tbh. So far till ep2 it fits too well (maybe it will change later idk but for now let me go insane).