"The way he looks at her. Like she's the most important thing in the world to him." "I think she is."
Experiment X - that's was she was known as. A dangerous weapon that belonged to a lab in the Soviet Union. An assassin. A spy.
A seventeen year old...
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— CRUCIFY —
JASON HAD FOUND an upper hand against Lucas. He had him pinned down and was repeatedly punching his face. Steve was quick to intervene though - no one hurt his kid and got away with it. Steve pulled Jason back by the neck, getting him in a chokehold while Lucas punched the shit out of him.
Vecna had both Eleven and Irina strung up with his tentacles now and Irina was only just gaining consciousness from when she was knocked out.
"There was a time when I hoped to have you by my side." Vecna said to Eleven. "But now I just want you to watch." He added, walking away from her and slowly making his way to Irina. She whimpered as she watched him slowly raise his hand to Irina's face as she begged him to stop. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her face fell straight.
"No!" Eleven sobbed.
Lucas winced as as Jason managed to kick him in the stomach. He stumbled back a little, giving Jason the chance to hardly elbow Steve in the ribs and get free. He punched Steve once before Lucas yanked his shoulder and punched him instead, but then his eyes widened.
"Steve!" He yelled and pointed to Irina, who was beginning to levitate.
"No!" Steve bellowed as his eyes alternated between Irina and Lucas in shear panic.
"Go!" Lucas yelled. "Try and help her! I've got this asshole!" He added, turning back to Jason, angrily. Steve stumbled to his feet and he sprinted to Irina, seeing how high in the air she was.
"No, no, no, please." He begged and ran his hands through his hair. He had never felt so helpless. Irina's arm twisted backwards, snapping with a painful crack, followed by her leg. "No! God, no!" Steve cried, but then her opposite arm snapped as well. "Irina!" He sobbed as she suddenly fell to the ground. Steve half caught her, but went to the ground with her anyway.
He immediately shuffled her into his arms, resting her on his legs and cradling her head. Her eyes were completely white and blood dripped from them all down her cheeks, and her arms and legs were bent in unnatural ways. Steve felt like he couldn't breathe and he sobbed with her in his arms, choking on his own breath. His chest was heaving and had never felt so heavy. Lucas rushed to his side, and at that moment, Erica and Max came running up the stairs.
"W-we need a doctor! Please, j-just call an ambulance! Oh, God." He begged and Erica and Max stared at Irina in horror for a moment before frantically racing back out of the attic to get help.
"S-St... Steve?" Irina's frail voice managed to choke out.
"I-I'm here, I'm h-here with you, b-beautiful. I've-I've g-got you." He cried with a snivel.
"I-I can't f-feel or s-see any-anything." She wept and managed to grip onto his hand with what strength she had left in her.
"W-we're getting help, o-okay? Y-you're gonna be alright. You're g-gonna be alright. Just... Just h-hold on, beautiful. P-please just hold on." Steve trembled, voice shaky.
"Steve, S-Steve, I'm scared, I'm s-so so scared." She cried, her voice becoming weaker. "I-I don't wanna die." She panicked.
"Y-you're not gonna die, beautiful. You're not, you're not gonna die." Steve sobbed, feeling the tears rushing out of his eyes. Lucas gripped onto Steve's shoulder and cried too.
"I don't wanna go! I'm-I'm not ready to die." She cried hysterically, squeezing Steve's hand a little firmer.
"Just... Just hang on, p-please, please, please, please hang on. I love you." Steve begged but saw the pain on her face and how she was slowly drifting away. "N-no, stay with me, Irina, p-please just stay with me! Stay with me!" He sobbed hysterically but fell silent when Irina's face softened and he no longer felt her body rack with sobs. "Irina?" He felt the panic rise in him as she placed his hand on the side of her face. It was cold. He began panicking more when he felt her hand let go of his. "Irina? Irina?! Irina, please! Please, please, please." He gulped, losing track of the amount of times he said 'please', and shook her body a little, but she was completely limp. "No... No!" Steve let out a loud, anguished cry and hysterical, uncontrollable sobs as he held her body close to him.
"Steve!" Lucas cried out as a gate to the Upside Down began opening in the floor. A huge gate. Steve didn't stop sobbing as Lucas helped him drag Irina's body out of the way. He barely acknowledged the giant opening. He just held Irina in his trembling arms, bawling his eyes out at the sight of her lifeless form.
Eleven had collapsed onto her knees as she knelt by Irina too, letting out pained cries of agony after watching her sister die. She was in shock. Utter shock. Denial, almost.
"No." She whispered to herself. She couldn't let her die. She wouldn't. "You're not going."
She inhaled deeply before placing her hand on Irina's chest and thinking of every memory she had with her older sister. From the time she first saw her in person in the Byers house to the time she helped Hopper style her hair for the Snowball. The times they had both tried to figure out how to do each other's make up from stupid little magazines and had sleepovers together, despite living in the same house. When Irina had taken herself and Max to Starcourt and listened in on the gossip about her and Mike breaking up. How Irina had helped comfort her after she dumped Mike. Saying bye when they left for California. All the letters.
El couldn't have asked for a better sister, and she wasn't about to let her die.
