I Think We're Alone Now • Lucas Sinclair

Chapter Seven: The Gate

Dustin did the grrr-ing sound again and El gave him another weird look.

"I love it when he does that," Gabby says with a smile causing Lucas to roll his eyes.

Lucas shakes his head at Dustin when Max walked over and said, "Eleven? Hey. Um, I'm Max. I've heard a lot about you." Max held out her hand for El to shake but El just walked right past her and over to Joyce.

"It's okay Max she's like that with new people," Gabby says as she pats her on the back.

"Hey, sweetheart," Joyce whispered as El gave a slight sob.

Gabby walked over to the two when El asked, "Can I see him?"

Joyce looked at the two before she walked El and Gabby to the bedroom. Will was still unconscious.

"He's not going well," Joyce tells her as they all sit beside him.

El sighs, "I know. I saw."

"What else did you see?" Gabby asked her.

El looked at them and walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. On the kitchen table was the sign that read, 'Close Gate.'

"You opened his gate before, right?" Joyce asked El as she looked at the sign. El looked up and said, "Yes."

"Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?" Joyce added and El nodded.

"With help," El says as she looks at Gabby.

A while later Mike and Hopper joined again.

"It's not like it was before. It's grown. A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs." Hopper informed as everyone crowded the table.

"Demo-dogs." Dustin corrected.

"I'm sorry, what?" David sighed.

"I said, uh, Demo-dogs. Like Demogorgon and dogs. You put them together and it sounds pretty badass.." Dustin clarified.

"How is this important right now?" Hopper snapped.

"It's not. I'm sorry." Dustin apologized.

"We can do it," El spoke.

"You're not hearing me." Hopper sighed.

"We're hearing you and we can do it," Gabby replied.

"Even if El and Gabby can, there's still another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies." Mike interjected.

"I thought that was the whole point," Max questioned.

"It is, but if we're really right about this... I mean, if El and Gabby close the gate and kill the Mind Flayer's army.." Mike began.

"Will's a part of that army," Lucas added.

"Closing the gate will kill him," Gabby said as everyone looked down.

Joyce took everyone to Will's room and noticed the window before saying, "He likes it cold." Joyce trailed.

"What?" David spoke.

"It's what Will kept saying to me. He likes it cold." Joyce said and shut the window.

"We keep giving it what it wants," Gabby added.

"If this is a virus, and Will's the host, then.." Nancy spoke.

"Then we need to make the host uninhabitable."
Jonathan finished.

"So, if he likes it cold.." she carried on.

"We need to burn it out of him." Joyce seethed.

"We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time," Mike commented.