There's No Place Like Hawkins//Stranger Things. SH

SIXTY EIGHT

Cat nodded her head, bringing her hand out of her pocket. "Yeah, no. You heard correctly." She held up her hand, closing her eyes while she conjured a fireball in the palm of her hand. Opening her eyes, she threw the fireball in the direction of the lake to extinguish it. "But I don't have total control over it. And alone, I'm not strong enough to defeat this Vecna dude. We really would need El's help." She raised her hand, wiping away the blood that always appeared whenever she used her powers.

Eddie blinked as he tried to process what he just saw her do. "El? Who's El?"

"She's the girl Steve mentioned. The other girl with superpowers." Max answered.

"She's sort of like my sister." Cat added at the confused look on Eddie's face. "Look, it's sort of a long story and I don't know half of it myself. I was some sort of lab experiment as a baby or something." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Anyway," Robin spoke up. "We're technically in more of the-"

"Brainstorming phase." Max nodded her head.

"There... There's nothing to worry about." Dustin stuttered. Steve scoffed as he nodded his head in agreement. Eddie looked like he was going to say something in response- Cat guessed whatever it was would have been sarcastic- but the sounds of sirens wailing cut him off.

"Tarp." Robin reminded the boy as the sirens grew louder. "Tarp." She pointed to the boat and Eddie didn't hesitate to dive under the plastic sheet. Steve grabbed Cat's hand as the group raced to the windows. Cat's heart race picked up, the sirens beginning to sound too close to Eddie's hiding spot. Had they figured out where to find him? She wondered. What would happen if the police found them with Eddie? How much trouble would that put them all in?

The group watched, wide eyed, as several police cars and an ambulance sped past. Cat blew out a sigh of relief. They weren't stopping, which meant they weren't on their way to arrest Eddie. The older teens all shared a worried look as they came to the sudden same realisation- someone else must have died. Steve led them all to his car, driving them to the scene.

They reached the scene not too long after the police cars did, and Steve pulled to a stop just behind a car owned by one of the reporters. Cat held her hand over her mouth as she took in the scene. There were police barriers blocking off the road with the police cars stopped halfway across the road. Cat's eyes fell on the bed covered with a white sheet, watching it be wheeled into the back of the ambulance. Slowly, the group climbed out of the car and their eyes scanned over the many people until they fell on Nancy. She was being interviewed by the police, the look on her face one of distress. The brunette lifted her hand slightly and waved at her friends. Cat sent her a small smile in return while the others sent her small waves.

***

"So, you're saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it's from the Upside Down?" Nancy asked. Once the police had finished interviewing her, the group had moved Steve's car to the trailer park. Cat rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder as they sat at the picnic table in the middle of the run-down area. She pulled her jacket closer to her for comfort, as well as to shield her from the cold breeze.

"If the shoe fits." Steve said.

Dustin nodded his head. "Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse." He shrugged his shoulders. "Now, whether or not he's doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don't know."

"All we know is this is something different." Max added. "Something new."

Nancy shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

"It's only a theory." Cat said to her, tapping her foot against her friends in attempt to bring her some comfort.

"No, Fred and Chrissy don't make sense." Nancy elaborated. "I mean, why them?"