#felts

The government and military shortly followed. At first, it looked like they were there to help as they too brought in supplies for those that needed it and did what they could to repair the damage that the gates had created. By the time they arrived, the fire and brimstone style of Hawkins, Indiana had disappeared, and the cracks were dormant and looked just like any fissure would after damage from an earthquake.  It wasn’t long before they took over the center of town, turning it into a giant military base, covering where all the gate fissures had combined. A quarantine and curfew came into effect almost immediately after the walls were built. Fences went up surrounding the city. Around the clock guard duty patrolling the only ways in and out of Hawkins.  It was an absolute guarantee that after all of that, it wouldn’t take long for them to put El back on their radar. So, the safest route was to try and stay ten steps ahead of them and hide her back in Hopper’s cabin just like before.  Vecna himself was nowhere to be found. Everyone was pretty sure that he was hiding somewhere, deep in the upside down licking his wounds and more than likely gathering up whatever he could for his next attack.  Unfortunately, without any sign of what he was going to do, there really wasn’t much that the party could even really... well, do. There was a plan, a tiny plan, a general consensus on what to do if there was any sign, or a whisper of Vecna, but that was all that you could do. Honestly, it was getting really tiring waiting for the next move. You wanted to go down there; you wanted to hunt him down and take him out yourself. You weren’t the only one feeling that way, but you were also outvoted. It was dangerous, and of course, the rational part of your brain knew that too… but the rage inside of you was building every day. No one blamed you, everyone in the party understood your anger, Dustin even matched it almost daily, but the idea of risking the party for a revenge tour was just too… risky. Dangerous. Besides, none of the gates were even open anymore. Except for the one in the middle of a giant military facility. 

Reaching out, you tugged at a weed that was growing at the base of Eddie’s grave. The words “BURN IN HELL” was spray painted on the stone. Your heart broke. They never stopped. Even with him no longer breathing, the town never stopped. “Hey loser,” you murmured gently. “Surprise – it’s me again. Sorry – I forgot the cleaning supplies. I’ll bring them next time. Sephie says hi, or well, the only way a baby can say it.” The first couple of months after Eddie’s death was hard. It was harder than anyone could have ever even tried to describe to you. It wasn’t like you were new to heartache by any means, especially when it came to Eddie Munson, but this was different. El always talked to you about the void that she could slip into, this big, dark empty space… and that’s what it felt like. Your soulmate was ripped from this world before you two could make a life together. The universe took your best friend, tied his soul to yours in every way possible, and then ripped him away.  Sometimes there were days when it felt like you didn’t know how to be a person anymore.  Your parents had gotten so worried about you that they had made a copy of the house key to make sure that Steve could come in and check on you if they weren’t home and weren’t answering the phone. It wasn’t that they were worried that you would hurt yourself, but they didn’t like the idea of you wallowing alone in a dark bedroom. You needed your friends.  And then everything changed. Persephone needed you. It was a shock, to say the least, after Steve finally convinced you to go get checked out after everything that happened with Vecna. You’d been constantly exhausted, a headache that continued to persist and your stomach was cramping. You figured it was due to depression, not eating and all the crying you’d been doing.  The morning you threw up though, Steve managed to convince you and take you to the hospital. They did a couple of blood tests, gave you an IV full of all the nutrients a broken-hearted eighteen-year-old would need and told you to rest.  When the nurse returned, you expected to be told that with just some more rest, and to take better care of yourself you were able to go home. Though that was not the case. They’d found the component hCG floating around in your bloodstream and informed you that you were pregnant. The nurse had also suggested that even though the blood tests were rather accurate, that when you were discharged from the hospital that your first stop would be a general store and pick up the test. Which you did. And… it was positive. Bile had curled at the base of your throat, threatening to be released. The idea, the fear, the worry of facing this life as a single mother was debilitating. It wasn’t that you never thought about becoming a mother – it had been something on your dream list, especially after the soulmate bond with Eddie but now that he was gone… the idea of doing this alone was crushing.

With Steve’s hand slipping into your own, you were reminded that you wouldn’t be doing this alone. You had him, you had your parents, you had the entire party, even Uncle Wayne. There was a literal village at your feet that you knew would absolutely spoil your little one. With your village surrounding you throughout your entire pregnancy – sometimes maybe a little too close admittedly – you were able to get yourself back on track to being a human, and to being the perfect incubator for the little bean growing inside of you. They never let you down.  The day that Persephone Munson was introduced to the world, you were in love. She was practically a mini version of Eddie. Wayne had brought some homemade macaroni and cheese – you knew it was from the box, but it was the thought that counted – and a baby book that belonged to Eddie’s mom. You hoped as she grew up that she had his personality too.  When you weren’t at home, wallowing in your bed, you were here, at Eddie’s grave. Of course, he wasn’t technically actually buried here, but it was here for you, and everyone that came to speak with him, especially his Uncle Wayne. At first you felt like an idiot talking to a headstone, but after a while you felt… at peace, in a way. As if he were here, and he could hear you. “You’d be so proud of Henderson,” you smiled softly, your finger gently tracing the etched in lines of his name. “He and Erica are doing their best to continue your campaign. I,” you paused, taking in a breath, “I gave them some of your game plan notes. I hope you’re okay with that.” The club had been non-existent, in a way, for the first few months into the new school year. On numerous occasions you’d heard that Gareth and Jeff would ask if there were any plans to continue since the game had abruptly paused, with no end in sight. Dustin had come to you with that information, unsure of what to do. You too, weren’t sure what the best thing to do was. You initially felt a little protective of everything Eddie had planned, and wanted to keep it safe, tucked away in your own notebooks. You also weren’t sure if it was a good idea since the town had become the way that it had, still deciding to blame Eddie and some stupid satanic ritual for the earthquakes and giant fissures. Hellfire Club was of course, an extension of Eddie and considered a satanic ritual itself. You didn’t want them to be in anymore danger than they already were from supernatural beings.  In the end, with the suggestion of the club meeting in your own basement every Saturday afternoon (fucking curfew), you agreed to share Eddie’s notes. The two of them continued without a hitch. Dustin became the new Dungeon Master, and Erica, to your surprise, became his right-hand man and helped create the scenery. Dustin never told her what was going on, as she wanted the surprises herself, but the two of them would work on plastic builds and painting side characters.  “I miss you. Fuck, Eddie. It’s been over a year, and it still feels like I lost you yesterday. Persephone is starting to look like you more and more every day. The curls that are growing on that head of hers…” You shook your head with a sigh, “Part of me still hates you,” you admitted. “Hates the fact that you left me here, all alone. Without saying goodbye. And then there’s that other half of me that forgives you, understands why you did what you did, even though it leaves an empty hole inside my chest. There are days where I still feel like my heart isn’t beating.” 

“Hey,” Dustin’s voice came up from behind you, causing you to jump and nearly lose your balance from your crouched position.  “Henderson,” you sniffled, moving to wipe away the tears that had begun to stream down your cheeks. “What are you doing here?” He just shrugged, “You’re not the only one that comes by a lot.”  Of course you weren’t. Uncle Wayne was also a frequent flyer to his nephew’s headstone. The three of you are always cleaning it up, because some fucking asshole thought it was hilarious to keep defacing his grave. Constantly.  You watched as he eyed the headstone and you made a small face, “I left the supplies at home. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Dustin let out a soft laugh, “Don’t worry, I did too. Call Wayne later and let him know?” Nodding, you looked back toward the stone, “Yeah, he’s always got them in the back of his truck.” Taking a deep breath, you brushed your fingers over the top. “I was just telling him about the campaign – how you and Erica are kicking the parties’ ass with his plans.” The younger kid beamed at you. You knew he was doing his best to keep Eddie’s memory alive, and strong, and safe, in every way possible. He was honestly doing an amazing job at it. Even if some of Jason’s left over lackeys tried to uphold his stupid views and took them out on Dustin any chance they could. Reaching out, you tugged at the ripped collar on Dustin’s shirt, “You know that we can get you another one, right?” The fact that you were no longer at Hawkins High made you feel a little bit guilty for not being able to look over younger members of the party. It was part of why you suggested holding Hellfire meetings in your basement. You could look after them there.  Your parents never believed in the shit that half the town believed in, so they didn’t mind that you had them there. They used to support the games, and sometimes even helped him with Eddie’s ideas. It was rare, and your dad wouldn’t admit it, but he’d sit there with a beer in hand, grinning like a cheeseball and discussing a showdown.  Dustin shrugged, “I know, but it’s kind of like a battle wound, you know? Gotta wear my scars proud.” Smiling, you adjusted the cap on his head a bit, “He’d be so proud of you.”

“He’d be proud of you too,” he replied. A lump formed in the back of your throat, causing your breath to hitch. You could feel the hot sting of tears poking at the back of your eyes, the tears threatening to break through and be seen. You knew that Dustin wouldn’t judge you if you let them, but there was that part of you that knew you had to be strong in front of him. He was just as broken as you.  Dustin still blamed himself, you could see it on his face, especially when he looked at Persephone. You never once blamed Dustin, because you knew Eddie. Whenever he made up his mind on something, there was nothing that could sway him.  “I hope so,” you whispered, reaching out to adjust his hat once more before pulling him into your side. You pressed a kiss to the top of his hat. “You wanna come by? I’m sure Sephie would love to see her uncle Dusty-bun.” You teased. Dustin took in a breath and eyed the grave of his fallen hero, “Briefing at the radio station. Maybe after?” “Shit,” You murmured, “I completely forgot.” “Hey don’t worry about it – you’ve got a lot on your plate.” “Henderson, this is big… Do you really think that I’m going to miss this?” --------------------------------------------------------------- You might actually miss it.  You didn’t think that they would start without you, but at the same time, you kind of hoped that they did. Tonight didn’t go as planned back home.  Putting Persephone to bed wasn’t always an issue, but tonight she seemed to know that you were up to something, that you wouldn’t be there the entire night, and she didn’t like the idea of you being out of her sight. She would be sleeping soundly in your arms, snoring as softly as a little baby could, but the second her body touched the mattress of her crib, her tiny hands would grip onto your clothes with a strength that surprised you, wailing at the possibility of being separated from you. Eerily, just like he father. The way that man would get clingy when he was super sleepy, showed another trait that was a carbon copy of Eddie.

After a good milk drink, a little wiggle dance from with her Papa as her partner, and some softly played Metallica, Persephone finally gave the battle and let her lids fall closed, and stay closed as you put her to bed. Then, you were off. 

Pulling into the radio station, you could see the WSQK van, Steve’s car, Jonathan’s car and a few bikes resting against the wall.  Sure, that didn’t look suspicious at all. Nevertheless, you parked behind Steve’s BMW, and made your way inside. The radio station seemed quiet, and you would think it was abandoned if it weren’t for the modes of transportation out front. But, that was the point, wasn’t it? It was the perfect place for the party to gather, it was the perfect place for El to stay safe, and hidden, when she wasn’t with Hopper. The WSQK radio station had become basically a base of operations. Robin had gotten a job there after Family Video didn’t work out for her. Steve followed suit, of course. There was only one show going on at the station anyway. So they didn’t have to worry about being there after hours or worry about getting kicked out by the next radio host. The biggest bonus? There was a shelving unit that moved, and behind it was a stairs leading you down into a soundproof basement.  See? Perfect. Tugging on said shelf, you pulled it far enough to slip through, before sliding it shut behind you. The stairs made no sound as you made your way down them, so you weren’t expecting El to be waiting for you at the bottom, her hand raised, ready to attack. “Whoa!” you gasped, your hands coming up in surrender. “It’s just me, I’m sorry I’m late... Sephie...” you trailed off, shrugging slightly. Everyone relaxed immediately, allowing you to gently slip your jean jacket off and place it in the pile of jackets already on the couch.  “Sorry,” Looking up, you saw El giving you a sheepish look. Shrugging, you smiled back, “I would have done the same thing. Don’t worry about it, kid. Hey, how come you’re not with Hopper? I thought you were training?” “One night off.” “Right. Okay so... holy shit, Dustin! What the hell happened?” Before you knew it, you sprinted across the room, your hands coming up to bracket the younger kids face. Your eyes full of worry as you took in the dark bruising on the sides of his nose, the blood at the corners of his lips. You brushed the hair from his forehead, searching for any other mark that marred his face. “Are you okay?”  “Ow!” “Shit sorry.” “I’m okay. I’m fine.”  Dustin’s hands gently gripped your wrists, giving them a squeeze as he pulled them from his face. “I had a visit after you left, at Eddie’s grave. Andy and his band of idiots showed up and decided to finish what they couldn’t at school.” “Jesus, Henderson...” murmuring, you pulled him into your arms, your hand cupping the back of his head. Pulling back, you searched his face again. “You’re so swollen, did you put any ice on it?”

“No.” “Why the hell not? Are you trying to tough it out and be a big man? I wonder who taught you that...” You gave Steve a pointed look with the comment, who then just shrugged with a “What?” causing you to roll your eyes. “Come on, tough guy.” Ignoring his minor protests, you led him away from the group and toward the mini fridge that was tucked away in the basement.  “I doubt there is any ice cubes... But... They’ve gotta have something in here... Eh, this’ll do.” Producing a small, cool coke can, you handed it over to Dustin, nodding toward his face. “You know that there is no shame in asking for help, right?” “Like there is no shame in running?” “Exactly,” You grinned, “Now don’t be an idiot, and use the damn can.” “Yes mom.” Grinning, you looked up as the group began to filter away and into what looked like pairings. “Did I miss the good stuff?” you asked Steve, as he came over to sit with you and Dustin. To which, Steve nodded in response. “Alright, so, spill. What’s the plan?” “The plan is for you to go back home to Persephone.” “I’m sorry – what?” “Way to soften the blow, Steve.” Your eyes shot back and forth from Steve to Dustin, confusion etched on your face, and if you were being honest with yourself, a pit settling in the base of your stomach. “Am I being benched?” The silence from the two of them, hell, even the rest of the room was absolutely deafening. “You’re benching me…. Now?! Why?! We could literally be this close to finding him.” “That’s why.” Steve pointed, “We don’t know where he is, what he has in his arsenal. He’s been hiding for over a year, we don’t know what he’s capable of, and it’s just safer for you, and Persephone, to be at home, away from all of this.” “Steve, that’s not fair. You can’t just bench me now.” “Look, we’re just testing to see where he is, if he gives anything up – okay? We’re not going into battle yet. We want him to show his cards.” “Henderson…” “Do you think Eddie would forgive any of us if we let the mother of his child, his soulmate, anywhere near danger when she didn’t have to be? Don’t give me that look – you know he’d strangle me.”

“Okay, but what if you do go into battle? What then? I’m just supposed to stay at home, and wonder if all my friends are alive? Or if they’re laying dead in the sewers or somewhere devoured by a demogorgon in the Upside Down?!” “Here, how about this?” Dustin chimed in, “You have your walkie at home, right?” When you nodded, he continued, “Keep it on at all times. If you get a code red out of any of us...” “I’ll be there within minutes.” Your name fell softly from Steve’s lips, he looked concerned, and very much did not like the idea of you running into battle, especially alone. “Steve, you guys just said so yourself. This isn’t the final battle, you’re just trying to draw him out. Now, tell me what the plan is so that I know where I’m to go if needed.” They continued to hesitate, despite you agreeing that you’d stay out of the line of fire. Rolling your eyes, you flicked Steve’s nose with the tip of your finger, “Just tell me, idiot. I promise, really promise, that I’ll stay behind, unless I’m needed.” Sighing, you held your pinkie finger up, eyeing Dustin, knowing that he took the pinkie swear seriously. “I promise.” It didn’t take him long to wrap his own pinkie around yours, nudging Steve, urging him to do the same. “Okay so, the plan is... obviously we’re all splitting up into groups. Mrs. Byers, El, Lucas and myself are going underground, into the old tunnels – searching for fresh signs of life. Steve, Robin, Mike and Will are going through town, keeping an eye on things from above. Nancy and Jonathan will be at the hospital, watching and listening, and you, Gandalf the Grey... Will be at home.” You waved your hand dismissively at him, not wanting to be reminded you were basically abandoning the party. “Okay, so, what are you doing?” “Just a little test burn.”  “Oh, no big deal then.” Everyone slowly began to make their way to the base of the stairs, signalling that it was time to get ready, and do their duties. “Remember,” you reached out, stopping Steve by wrapping your fingers around his wrist. “You call if you get into trouble. Any of you, do you hear me?” Your response was silence, you’d hope they’d call... but the looks on their faces gave you doubt that they would. One by one they each left you alone, in the hideout of the WSQK radio station.  .... And that is where you were an hour later, unable to go home, unable to truly fulfill your promise to your friends. Sure, you felt like a terrible mother not going home to your daughter, but she was fine. She was safe with your parents, and was most likely still snoring away in the way only babies can sleep. 

You initially started out calm, taking a can of pop from the fridge, sipping it as you stared at the walkie. Eventually, you stood, trying to keep yourself busy, to keep your <i>mind</i> busy, you began to pace. When that didn’t work, you sat back on the couch, your eyes glued to the walkie.  Of course you weren’t hoping to hear a Code Red, you wanted everyone to sound off that they were okay. That nothing happened, they would all be heading home. Static crackled through on the walkie, snapping you out of your bouncing leg and the sting from biting the skin of your fingertips. <i>”Code Red! Lucas is hurt!”</i> Scrambling off the couch, barely registering that you smacked your knee off the corner of the table while you snatched up the walkie. “Dustin?! What happened?!” “Demogorgon attacked in the tunnel! We got separated... El saved him. He’s bleeding bad! “Shit. Shit. Uh, okay, come to WSQK!” “What are you doing there?! You promised to go home!” “No, I promised to not get involved. Persephone is fine, Lucas is not. Just get here!” The hospital was not the place to take Lucas. If anyone found out about the attack, figured out how he got injured everyone could get in trouble. Which in the end, Eleven could get caught.  After confirming that they would make their way back to the headquarters, you moved throughout the basement. “There has to be a fucking first aid kit in here somewhere,” you mumble, half yelling at yourself, checking all the walls, the closets, “Come on, come on...” until finally... “Yahtzee!” you found the red and white metal box buried in the back of the cabinet above the fridge. “Who the fuck puts it this far out of reach??” The basement fell silent again, the hum of the old fridge suddenly too loud. You paced once, twice, then stopped, realizing your hands were shaking. Every creak of the building above made you whip your head toward the stairs, your heart knocking against your ribs as you clutched the first aid kit like a lifeline. You were just placing the last item that you hoped you’d need by the time Joyce, Lucas, Mike and Dustin came scrambling down the stairs. You couldn’t help but gasp at the slashes on Lucas’s chest. “Jesus, Lucas.” “I’m okay,” he replied, his voice breathy and slightly stuttering. “No, he’s not.” Joyce piped in. “I’m going to call Hop.”  You immediately shoved all of Mike’s plans for the evening off the table, “Up here.” You then moved out of the way, letting Dustin and Mike lift him onto the table. “Breathe, Lucas. You’re going to be okay. Mike, pass me the scissors.” The clattering of metal against metal before you felt the handle slipping into your open palm. “I hope you don’t care too much about this shirt.” 

“Mom does...” he coughed.  “Well, I’ll buy you a new one.” Taking the scissors you sliced up the middle of Lucas’ shirt to get a better look at the slashes on his chest. You weren’t a nurse, but you knew enough over the past few years how to do a quick patch job. Letting out a sigh of relief, it seemed to be a lot better up close than it did when he first arrived. “Okay, they’re not that deep. It doesn’t look like you’re going to need stitches or anything. Just gotta...” you paused, reaching over for the antiseptic wipes, “This is gonna hurt.” After the briefest of seconds, you used one of the wipes and began to clean around the edges of the cuts. Once the wounds were cleaned and bandaged up, you gently tossed Lucas a WSQK sweater to cover up. “Keep them clean, and change them tomorrow morning, got it?” “Yes ma’am.” “Good boy.” You grinned, though it didn’t reach your eyes. As Lucas dressed, you tossed a red matching shirt to Dustin. “Just in case.” “Thanks.”  Nodding, you reached out to help Lucas sit up and slide off the table. “I’m driving you home. Your bike can stay here – we’ll bring it down here. Mike – Dustin, you guys going with Mrs. Byers? I don’t like the idea of you out there with that thing roaming around.” “Oh, don’t worry about it, El killed it.”  You blinked at Mike, “Don’t you think that’s something you should have led with?” He shrugged, causing you to roll your eyes. In a way, it made sense, even though it still surprised you. Eleven was training, almost every day to get her powers in overdrive. You were sure Hop was proud – worried – but proud. --------------------------------------------------------------- <i><b><u>48 hours later</i></b></u> “Hey Ma,” you called out, Persephone perched gently on your hip as you carried her toward the kitchen. “I can’t find her little bat plush.” “It’s in the wash,” Your mother called out, the sounds of metal cutlery clanging together as she, what you can only assume, cleaned the dishes. “She decided to share her mashed raspberries with it. Should be done by now, do you mind switching it to the dryer?” Nodding to yourself, a snort escaped through your nose as you tapped Persephone on her nose, grinning as she giggled, “You’re just like your daddy,” you cooed.  Five minutes later, you were placing Persephone, gently, into her crib. Initially, you had Persephone’s crib in your bedroom, and even though college wasn’t an option thanks to the lockdown, your parents decided to put her in the spare bedroom that sat between your own and theirs for her safety. You were kind of lucky in that sense. Though they didn’t know everything going on, you thought it was best to still keep them on a need to know basis, but they knew enough that the Military wasn’t in town just for the fissures that appeared, that they were hunting El due to what she could do, and the fact that the past three years every time you came home covered in blood you were doing it to help protect the town. 

It took a little while to tell the truth about Eddie, and you had sworn them to secrecy to not tell Wayne. You knew he both wouldn’t be able to understand and be able to handle it. Losing the boy that was like his own son to an earthquake was one thing, learning that he went out attacking mythical bats and dying to save Hawkins was another. “Goodnight, sweet princess,” you whispered, pressing a kiss to your fingers and to her nose gently so as not to wake her. Making sure to flip on the beige and brown baby monitor, you grabbed the hand held attachment and slipped out of the room, leaving the door open three inches. Making your way toward the top of the steps, you could hear what could only be described as static coming from behind you. For a moment, you thought that it might have been the receiver attached to Persephone’s baby monitor, but when bringing it to your ear there was nothing coming from it.  The static continued, causing you to frown as you followed it to your bedroom. “…co… ksshh… ed.. ksshh. Ca.. ksshh you hear… ksshh. We have a ksshh red!” It was then that you realized the noise was coming from your walkie talkie. Dustin had pressured you, Nancy, Robin and Jonathan into getting your own this year, as talking on the phone was probably not the safest option. Especially when keeping El safe. “Where the fuck…” You mumbled to yourself, trying to follow the sounds of the staticky walkie. It got louder… louder… and louder until you reached the pile of clothes that didn’t quite make it downstairs in time for the load – oh well, you’d just have to do another load over the weekend. “Yahtzee!” you squealed, your hand encasing the plastic walkie to your mouth. “Sorry – I’m here. What’s up?” “Code… kssh…” “Dustin?” you frowned. “I can’t really hear you. You keep cutting out.” “CODE…..RED!” Your stomach dropped. Bile pooled at the base of your throat, threatening to spill over. “What’s happening?” “Holly. Holly is gone.” “… What do you mean she’s gone?” “Just get SQUAWK!”

“I’ll be there in ten.” With your heart pounding in your chest, your eyes glued to the wall that separated you and your daughter, you felt sick. The idea of leaving her here tore you into pieces, but you knew that you had to. “I’m sorry, Babygirl,” you whispered to yourself. She’d be safe here, with your parents, and far away from danger. At least, as far away as you hoped they could be.  With a quick explanation, and the exchange of car keys and the baby monitor, you slipped out the front door and quickly drove toward the tower.  As you pulled up you could see Steve waiting for you, a look plastered on his face that could only be described as solemn. Last time you saw that look on his face was the night that you had lost Eddie. “What’s going on? What happened?” your voice was frantic as you scrambled out of the car. “Dustin walkie’d me. Said Holly was gone?” “She is.” “You can’t just say she is and not follow it up with a deeper explanation, Harrington!” “Come on. It’s not safe out here.” He continued, placing his hand on your back and leading you inside. “What do you mean?” “Demo-dogs and gorgons are out prowling.” Dustin’s voice came from the back of his room. “Where is Lucas?” “Hospital.” Replied Will. Honestly, you hadn’t even seen him sitting in the corner, Robin was next to him and she looked extremely concerned. “Okay, I’m really going to need someone to tell me what the hell happened.” Robin started, her voice pitched. “We were all here, Nance and Eleven too. Dustin was at the hospital with Lucas – that’s where he got the ice pack that he is very much not actually using on his face…” she paused, giving Dustin a pointed look, waiting for him to place it back on his nose. Once satisfied, she continued, “… Thank you. Anyway, they were counting down and then then burn happened. Whoosh. We could see the smoke from here. Everything was going great, at least you know, we thought that it was.” Each word that left Robin’s mouth caused her speed to increase, her arms to flail. “And it was.” Dustin cut in. “It was! Until it wasn’t.”

“I had just gotten back here. Steve and Robin were outside talking about their next set..”  “…and then...” Will mumbled, pulling at a thread on the hem of his jacket. “I could see them. They were coming.” “What do you mean you could see them?” You asked, eyeing each one of the kids. Your heart rate picking up as each word passed their mouths. You had abandoned your daughter. She was at home, sure, she was safe with your parents but how safe? If something came through the gate, they weren’t ready. They had no idea how to handle something from the Upside Down.  “I don’t know how to explain it. I was here ad then… I wasn't. I could see the Wheeler house. It was like I was outside, looking at them through the window, and then inside the house. They were all sitting at the table having dinner… and then Ted was yelling at Karen and Holly to run. They ran toward the stairs, but all I could see was blood. Flashes of it. The stairs… Holly and Karen hiding in the bathtub.. Karen covered in blood.. Holly gone… and then it all went black.” “Jesus,” you murmured.  “Tell me about it. When I came to, which was apparently only a few minuets, of course I told everyone. Nancy and El left immediately.” “Are you okay?” Will shrugged. “Freaked but, yeah.” “No one’s heard from Lucas yet?” Shaking his head, Will looked worried. Like all of this was his fault. Like he was the reason that the creatures came through the gates and attacked their friends.  After a few beats, your mind finally being able to catch up to all of the information that had been unloaded onto you. “Oh god,” You murmured. “Persephone. She’s home with my parents… do you think…”  A hand made it’s way to your shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Looking up you saw Steve, giving you a smile that was doing it’s best to match the grip to your shoulder. “I’m sure she’s safe,” he whispered.  “Right, okay so…. Now what?” The pause was deafening. The idea of so many unsuspecting members of Hawkins being subjected to the demodogs was heartbreaking. No one knew how many there were, if they were still out roaming. If the demogorgon that attacked the Wheelers was still out.  “The van.”  Robin’s voice ringing out throughout the room felt like a thunderclap in the middle of a soft rainstorm.

“What?” “The van! It’s got that speaker on top. Maybe, maybe we can use it to lead them back?” “Like the Pied Piper,” Dustim began to pace. “We know that they don’t like loud sounds. It distracts them. Maybe we could play the loudest, most metal music that the station has and bring them back to the gate. Do you guys have any Mercyful Fate? Or maybe Judas Priest? Dio? Metallica?” Despite the situation that everyone found themselves in, a small smile pulled at the corner of your lips. You knew Eddie would have been proud. “We uh,” Steve paused, “I don’t think we have any of that… music. But I think I do know just the thing.” The three of you piled into the WSQK van; Robin and yourself in the front – you taking the wheel – while Steve fiddled around in the back. Dustin and Will sat on their bikes next to the van, waiting for their cue. The van began to fill up with the soft sounds of static before a familiar organ began to filter in through the speakers.  <i>“Who’s watching? Tell me, who’s watching? Who’s watching me?” </i> You and Robin shared a glance, “Well,” you paused. “It’s fitting.” “I hate to agree.” The volume rose before you felt pressure on the leather seat behind you, Steve’s face appearing in the rearview mirror. “You sure you’re good to drive?” You shrugged, “I have to be.” you replied, the grip on the leather steering wheel grew tight, your knuckles growing paler from the pressure. “We really only need to get the attention of a couple, right? They’ll probably call for the others. Right?” “In theory,” Dustin brought up. “They’ve all worked together when something interests them, it’s the Hive Mind mentality. So really, there’s no reason that they wouldn’t do it now.” Nodding with a deep breath filling your lungs, you tugged on the gear shift to ‘D’. “Let’s save Hawkins.” “Again.”  Snorting, you pulled out of the radio stations parking lot and made your way through town. The Rockwell song playing on repeat as you made your way through the dark, thankfully, quiet streets. Lights were on, as they should be at this time of night. No glass, no siren’s, no broken doors or trails of blood. 

“It looks like they didn’t get this far,” Robin commented, giving your hand a squeeze.  Driving down the Wheeler street was different. People were still outside gathering out on their porches, discussing theories and gossip about what had happened with the family. But the only house on the street… “Every single house except the Wheeler’s looks like they weren’t touched…”  Frowning, Steve nodded from his position behind you, “That’s a good thing isn’t it?” “I mean, I guess? He’s got a plan in mind and his little pets are listening. He’s not up for gratuitous violence and death it seems.” “Today.” Steve replied, to which you quirked a brow with a shrug.  “Hey! Busybodies!” Robin poked her head out the window as you continued to drive down the street, “GET INSIDE! It’s not safe!” They all just looked at her, staring, as if she was screaming at them a different language. “Your casserole’s are burning!” “Casserole’s are burning?” Robin tossed a shrug your way, “It was worth a shot.”  “Do you guys see Nance?” “She’s probably at the hospital with her mom,” the look on his face in the rearview mirror could break your heart. “She’s going to be okay, she’s tough. Probably tougher than all of us, Steve.” Things with Steve and Nancy were always going to be borderline complicated, even with Jonathan around. You were pretty sure everyone but Nancy could see the way he still looked at her; like she hung every single star in the sky herself. It was cute, if you were being honest, you just hated the fact that one of them were going to end up heartbroken and stay that way. Thank God the whole soulmate bullshit never got a hold of them.  They didn’t need to go through the feeling of losing part of your soul. Turning left to leave Piney Wood Lane, your grip tightened on the leather steering wheel. “So, how long has this been going on with Will? The whole…” you waved your hand around your head, trying to signal a psychic thing. “I didn’t know he had powers.” “Neither did we. I don’t think even Joyce knew. The look on her face…” Robin trailed off. “Yeah, I bet..” you mumbled. After the people outside began to filter back into their homes, you cast Steve a small glance. His hand was gripping tightly onto the headrest, his eyes almost looked wild, like he was ready to jump out of the vehicle at any minute. “Steve?”

Your voice snapped him out of it, his gaze flicking toward you immediately. “Huh?” “You good? You look like you’re about to be spooked by the smallest sound.” “Yeah, sorry. Just… worried about Nance.” “Ah,” you paused, your grip twisting around the steering wheel. “Do you want to go see her? We can swing by the hospital.”  “Yeah?” Robin nodded, “Why not? I mean, everything else seems relatively normal for Hawkins these days. She doesn’t seem to be waiting at the door for you, Romeo, so hospital would be the next bet.” Nodding, you pulled away from the curb and headed toward downtown, toward the hospital. Every now and then you looked into the rearview mirror to keep an eye on Steve. Ever since the trip to the Upside Down where they attempted to take down Vecna, Steve always had to be in Nacy’s orbit. It took you a while to break past the façade to find out why he was being the way that he was. He’d explained he didn’t want to talk about romance because he didn’t want to bring up any of the bad feelings when it came to Eddie, but after assuring him that you wanted to hear, that you were happy for him, he explained what had happened during the Upside Down. Eddie had given him a little spark of hope, that Nancy Wheeler might still have feelings for him, because she’d jumped in after him without a single ounce of hesitation. When Steve mentioned, word for word, that Eddie stated with his cynical eyes that the act was as an unambiguous sign of true love he’d ever seen. Your bottom lip had trembled when he’d told you, because God dammit, that was your Eddie.  He then told you of the dream he used to have. Six kids, an RV, and just cruise through the country as one big family. But the thing was, every time he had the dream, it was Nancy who stood by his side. It didn’t take long to get to the hospital, nodding toward a pair of military bros patrolling the Library’s outer perimeter. You gave them a mild salute, rolling your eyes as you passed by them, you continued until able to pull into the parking lot.  Robin was out without a single thought, Steve following her immediately leaving you alone in the van. “Well, okay then.” Shaking your head, you slipped out and managed to sneak into the elevator before it closed on them. “Thanks for holding the door, assholes.” “Sorry,” They both mumbled.

You found Nancy sitting in the waiting room, head down, hands gripped tightly together in front of her. “Nance,” Steve whispered, moving in to crouch in front of her, his hand gently coming out to cover both of hers. “Nance, what happened?” “I…” she paused, her eyes still focusing on the floor. “El and I… when we got there my mom, she was in a pool of blood, she was barely breathing. I heard Holly scream, but I had no idea where she was, and then El was there one second and gone the next. I don’t...” she sniffled. “I didn’t even know where my dad is.” Steve nodded along with every word that left her lips, his eyes searching her face for any type of injury. “Is your mom…?” “I don’t know. She’s in surgery. My dad,” she paused, “He’s dead. I don’t….” she whimpered, lifting her eyes to Steve. “This is what he showed me, Steve. What if the rest will come true?” “We won’t let that happen.” Nancy shook her head, “I don’t think you get it, Steve.” She moved to stand, Steve backing up to give her some space. “He’s not finished with us. He’s planning to end our world, and he’s not going to stop until we’re drained of every last ounce of suffering!”  Steve moved to speak, but Jonathan rushed through the door and immediately over to Nancy, his hands coming up to her shoulders to check on her. “Jesus, are you okay?” He was breathless. You met Steve’s eyes and nodded out to the hallway, planning to leave the two of them alone.  “Hey, Casanova,” you snapped lightly, smacking at his arm gently when he continued to stare in at Nancy and Jonathan. “I know you’re enjoying your time in the love triangle—” “I’m not enjoying my time in... you know what? Whatever.” You smiled, nudging him slightly. “Steve, whatever is meant to happen, is going to happen. That’s coming from the biggest cynical when it comes to love and soulmates now.” You waved your hand at him as he opened his mouth to speak. “i’m a big girl, Harrington. It hurts, but I have Persephone, she’s my link to him every single day.” “How is our miniature Rock Princess?” “She’s good, she misses her Uncle Stevie but thankfully she’s too young to realize why she’s being abandoned...” you trailed off, giving him a small grin as he rolled his eyes, a scoff passing his own lips. Suddenly, the lights began to flash, followed by an alarm. Jonathan and Nancy came running out, confusion etched on their faces as the hospital staff began to move around like chickens with their heads cut off. “What’s going on?” Nancy asked, her eyes still red-rimmed from her crying. 

Steve opened his mouth to respond when the sound of glass breaking, followed by a scream came down the hallway. The four of you tilted your heads, taking a few steps forward as someone came running down the hall.  “What the...” Steve mumbled, his eyes widening as a demodog came skidding down the hallway after the screaming woman. “Shit. Shit shit shit. Run!” He spun you around, then Nancy, giving you each a bit of a push as the four of you ran down the hall.  Screaming littered the halls, both in fear and in pain as the demodog plowed its way through everyone, and heading right for the four of you, as if you were its intended target. Which, honestly, you probably were.  “Stairs! Stairs!” Jonathan yelled, pointing to the big red ‘EXIT’ sign. The big metal door clunked as Jonathan pushed it open, waiting for you, Steve and Nancy to run through before slipping through himself, the door slamming behind him, the sound of the demodog’s howl echoed through the empty stairwell just seconds before the door burst open, the snarl louder than before.  You’d made it down two sets of stairs before the door had burst open, so there was at least a little bit of distance.  “Go, go, go, go!” Steve yelled. The sound of another door crashing open, followed by a demodog howl from below caused you all to look through the slot, seeing another one racing up the stairs.  “Third floor!” Leading the way now, Steve pushed open the doors to the third floor where you all pushed through immediately. “Elevator!” The button was pushed the second Steve reached it. The elevator was painfully slow to reaching the floor and the door opening. The door once again burst open, revealing not one, but two demodogs from down the hallway. Their mouths opened wide, gaping, screaming toward you four as you desperately, aggressively pressed to close the doors. Finally, they closed, you let out a relieved sigh, your forehead pressing against the cool metal, taking in the chance to breathe before a loud thud shook the elevator. “Oh come on!” you groaned.  The basement floor couldn’t come soon enough before you all piled up. You scrambled into your jean pocket to pull out the keys, tossing them toward Steve as the WSQK van. He got in first, you climbed into the passenger seat as Jonathan and Nancy got into the back, the door slamming closed behind them. “Drive, Steve, drive!” You yelled. “I’m trying!” he yelled back, the van fighting him for a hot second, before he managed to get it going and sped out of the parking lot. The elevator dinged just in time, the demodog howling once more as it barrelled through. It chased the four of you out of the parking lot before freezing, its head looking up to the sky as if it were sniffing, as if it could hear something you couldn’t. 

Looking through the passengers side mirror, you watched as the demodog immediately ran in the complete opposite direction. Not back toward the hospital, it even ignored the people running away screaming. It ran off toward the farmland part of town. “Where is it going?” you questioned, a frown etched on your face. “Let’s find out.” Steve didn’t hesitate, he put the van in drive and headed off in the direction the demodog went. As he followed the one, multiple began to show up, all of them headed in the same direction. “Does anyone else feel like we’re about to offer ourselves up onto a platter?” you asked. “I hope they like sweat as a seasoning,” Steve quipped. “There!” Nancy piped up, her arm shooting through the middle of the front seats, pointing toward a glowing red pocket in the distance. “Is that a gate?” The army of demodogs that had been skulking the streets all ran toward and through a gate that sat at the bottom of a silo. It pulsed with each creature that passed through, its tendrils closing, covering up the entrance once the last one made it through.  “Huh..” you mumbled, tilting your head to the side. “I guess Daddy called them home.” “But... why?” Nancy asked. “What was the point of all this? To distract us?” “From what?” Jonathan questioned. ------------ So not only did Vecna’s little henchman manage to kidnap Holly, but El had seemingly gone after her – no one could get in contact with her, but he’d been trying to get after Max, to finish his job. Thankfully, Lucas had been there with her, and with the help of Robin and Vickie, were able to keep her safe, until she could be brought back to the Radio Station. It wasn’t the safest bet, but it was definitely safer than the hospital, for now.  Hopper, when he found out his little girl went off into the Upside Down and after Holly without a hesitation, was both equally scared and proud of her. That being said, he wasn’t taking the chance and he was going to go after her. Which then in turn... gave Steve the idea to go into the Upside Down and look for Holly. Which, you weren’t entirely sure was the safest and smartest idea to do.  It wasn’t until Dustin came up with a plan. It also wasn’t the smartest, but it would most likely work.  Everyone now knew about the gate at the base of the silo, it was the easiest to get to since the military had no idea that it existed, and hopefully, by the time the plan came to be it would stay that way.

The plan was relatively simple; while Hopper was busy sneaking into the main gate, you, Steve, Nancy, Jonathan and Dustin would go in through the silo. The only way to make sure that the gate was open, was to distract Vecna, the way that he tried to distract all of you. Will, much to Joyce’s dismay, was to use this new... weird... comic book superpower of his and try to see through Vecna, to keep his eye on Will, instead of everyone else as it were.  Joyce, Will and Erica would keep an eye on Will as he did his thing, Robin had to work at the station, but she would also keep an ear out on the channels, seeing if the military has any clue about the plan. Lucas and Mike would be the eyes in the sky.  Everything basically needed to go perfectly, without fail, if you were going to make it into the Upside down without Vecna’s pets waiting for you. It also banked on the fact that Will could do the whole… Look through the Demogorgon eye without the influence of Vecna.  You got the word that it was going to be tonight, that Steve would swing by and grab you just after dark. You looked down at Persephone, running the tip of your finger over the small amount of hair that covered her head, and down her tiny nose. “I love you, Sephie,” you whispered. “I’ve just got to go help Uncle Steve on a rescue mission.” You explained, as if she understood anything you were saying, her bright brown eyes staring up at you.  Lifting her, you nuzzled your nose gently to hers, before brushing your lips to her the top of her head. “I’ll be back before you even realize that I’m gone, baby.” You whispered, pressing another kiss to her skin, gently handing her off to your mother. They didn’t know the full extent of what was happening in Hawkins, and they knew that you had something to do with it but they trusted you. Shockingly.  You had to admit; you really did get lucky with the parental pool. A flash from a set of headlights alerted you to Steve waiting for you out front. You gave your parents a look, who returned it. “I’ll be okay. Promise.” With that, you slipped out the front door, pausing when you saw what looked to be a radio antenna on the roof of the car. Tilting your head, confused, you made your way over. Seeing Dustin already in the passenger seat, you climbed into the back of the BMW behind the teenager. “Nice new edition to the car, Harrington. Didn’t know antennae were in this year.” You quipped. “My idea,” Dustin piped in, “I figure, we’re going into the Upside Down and we can never seem to get the best connection via our regular walkies… So, I thought, why not put Cerebro to use? Check it out and see if it works. We can keep in contact with Real Hawkins instead of just… through lights.” A chuckle slipped past your lips, “Henderson… Jesus, that brain on you never ceases to amaze me.”

“Thanks, Gandalf.” You grinned, reaching forward, pressing your hand over his head, giving it a nudge. Pulling away from your curb, Steve headed toward the Wheeler-Byers’ home, as when the Byers moved back from LA, they moved in at Karen Wheeler’s insistence. Ted disagreed, but Karen never listened to him. Pulling up in front Nancy’s house, the three of you waited in the car, silence heavy, but not uncomfortable. Well, it was silent save for the very minute sounds of Rockin’ Robin on the radio.  Soon enough, the lights on the street began to flicker, causing you to look out the window at it. The flickering lights moved toward the car. “This is gonna work,” Dustin stated. “Yeah, it better work,” Steve commented, eyeing his younger friend. “It’s not like we’re conspicuous or anything.” The flickering lights continued to beyond the car, heading down the street and toward town. That was a good sign, whatever Will was doing, it was working. Nancy and Jonathan came bounding out of her house, guns in hand. Jonathan tossed them into the trunk of the car, as Nancy slid in beside you. Jonathan soon followed. Steve didn’t hesitate, he headed off immediately toward Merrill’s farm. By the time you’d all got there, the gate was open, no demodog or demogorgon in site but the only problem was…. “Uh, guys…” You started, your arm slipping between the two front seats to point at the gate. “It’s closing, and it’s closing fast.” “Do it,” Nancy stated, her face hard as you all stared at the rapidly shrinking gate. Steve immediately threw it in gear, his foot slamming onto the break as he headed straight for the gate. You gripped tightly onto the back of Dustin’s chair, as well as the handle above you. “Oh my God,” Dustin squeaked, “It’s not gonna work, it’s not gonna work!” “We’re not going to make it!” Jonathan screamed. “I got it! I got it!” Steve yelled back. “Steeeeeeve!” You screamed, clenching your eyes tight as he got closer to the gate. You didn’t want to see the car as it crashed, so keeping your eyes closed.  “Hang on!” He yelled, just seconds before the sounds of something breaking, metal screeching. You felt the car rapidly turn to the right, before slamming to a halt, your head barley missing out on hitting the back of Dustin’s chair.

Your heart in your throat, you slowly peeled one eye open, and then another, “Are we dead?” You asked, panting. “The way you have no faith in me…” Steve panted. He went to turn the keys in the ignition, only to hear the engine chug-chug-chug before dying. “Guess that answered the question on if she’d work…” he mumbled, pulling himself out of the car. He ran his hand over the hood, “You’ve been a good girl..” he whispered. Your brows quirked a bit, shaking your head as you climbed out, Jonathan getting out his side and helping Nancy out. You moved to rest your arm on Dustin’s shoulder, taking in a deep breath as you looked at your surroundings. “Where do we start?” Holly and Eleven could literally be anywhere down here. Hell, there was a high chance they weren’t even together. She might not have been able to get Holly away from the demogorgon in time. There was still a chance that she was alive, Will survived for a week here, Holly was just as strong willed, she could do it.  Besides, Vecna was Vecna. He liked to play with his food a lot… Maybe she was okay. Equipped with the guns from Nancy’s closet, the five of you mustered on through the Upside Down. There didn’t seem to be any patrols in the sky, so that was good. Besides the gentle rumblings of the thunder in the distance, it was eerily too quiet.  “Alright,” Nancy started, “We’re getting nowhere. We need to split up.” You stared at her, “Nance… I know that you’re not into horror movies but that’s exactly what we should not be doing.” “We don’t have time,” she stated. “Holly is somewhere here, probably alone. We’ve seen absolutely nothing, no sign of her. We would cover more ground.” She continued, before taking a deep breath. “Look. See that building?” she asked, pointing to what looked to be an old convenience store that something had smashed its way through. “We’ll go in straight lines, and meet back here in an hour, If there’s no sign, then we regroup and move on. Deal?” “Deal.” Steve and Jonathan replied almost instantly and in complete sync. “Good.” Nancy nodded, turning on her heel, heading out to the left of the building, Jonathan on her heel without hesitation. “Guess it’s just us three. Come on, boys.”  Steve stood rooted in his spot, causing you to roll your eyes and grab his arm, tugging him away from where Nancy had left. “Come on, Cassanova. Now is not the time.” With a sigh, Steve relented and followed. For the better part of the next hour, the three of you avoided stepping on the giant hive-mind vines, looking for something, anything.