Chapter Twelve: Nikki's Boot Camp

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  How did I get here?
   I was standing in the middle of the woods. The woods where Will got lost two years ago, the woods where Nancy disappeared into the Upside Down. Nobody else was there- no Steve, no Dustin, no anyone. It was dark, and there was an eerie feel to this entire situation.
   "Anyone out there?" I whispered, clenching my fist tightly in case I had to punch whatever came at me.
   Rustling came from the bush behind me, and I knew this wasn't going to end well. I searched the pockets of my jeans for anything- a knife, a pen, anything- but they were empty. When did I change into jeans?
   Grrrr.
   "Dustin?" I asked in a small voice, although I knew that sound wasn't made by my boyfriend.
Grrr.
   The Displacer appeared before me in all of its spider-cat glory, its tentacles flailing out of the shoulders. I knew I couldn't beat this thing, but I had to do something. I began to run, though I knew it could most likely outrun me. When my legs started to get tired, I realized I was in a whole different place, the field where that run-down school bus is, the Displacer gaining on me. As it bounded toward me, I knew I was in trouble.
   The beast came at me so fast, it knocked me to the ground. But rather than my back cracking or my injured arm stinging, I felt nothing. My fear suddenly increased; if I couldn't feel anything, I might be dead already. The beast raised its huge paw to strike. There was no Max to save me this time, nobody to help me. I was all alone. Closing my eyes, I wanted for the end.
   But again, there was no end. Keeping my eyes closed in case it wanted to take me by surprise, I listened to it's screeching...
   Wait, no. That wasn't the Displacer.
   My eyes popped open and I shot up, watching the Displacer bound away from the crumpled up body on the ground. When I got closer, I recognized the flannel shirt on the body. And the curly brown hair.
   "Dustin!" I screamed, running to him, kneeling at his side. "Dustin? Dustin, wake up!" I shook his bloody shoulder, going into complete and utter panic.
   Dustin didn't move. His eyes were open, but I knew he wasn't all there mentally. "I told you I could protect you," he muttered weakly, a pained smile on his face.
   "N-no," I whispered, holding his head in my hand. "You can't die on me, Henderson, you're going to be okay. You have to be."
   His head turned to the side, his eyes beginning to close. "Mon..." He trailed off, his eyes finally shutting, as he became completely still and lifeless.
No. "This isn't happening." My lip quivering, I screamed into the distance. "Mike, Lucas, Will: if this is some kind of sick prank, I swear to you, I'll kick all of your asses, you bastards!" 
   No answer.
   "Dustin," I said, turning back to the body next to me, touching his already cold cheek. "Please. Don't you dare quit on me." Tears were dropping from my eyes onto his limp face, making it shine in the moonlight, a once-beautiful light that now made me sick to my stomach. "Dustin!"

   "Mon?"
   I felt a hand on my forehead, freaking the shit out of me before I realized it. I had been wearing jeans instead of pyjamas, I was magically teleporting: it was a nightmare.
   My eyes fluttered open to be blinded by a flashlight in me face, a warm hand touching my face.
   Dustin, Nancy, Will and Steve were kneeling around me, everyone else watching carefully from behind them as Nancy shone her flashlight in my eyes. I sat up and pushed it away, along with the hand that turned out to be Dustin's.
   "What the hell, Wheeler, are you trying to blind me?" I asked, squinting at her in annoyance.
   Nancy lowered the flashlight, revealing the digital clock on the mantle. 3:24 am. "Sorry, Nikki. You were fidgeting and screaming in your sleep."
   "Yeah, what the hell was that about?"
   I turned to face the voice that had just addressed me. "Dustin!" I gasped, hugging him so forcefully that he almost toppled over. "You're okay," I whispered into his shoulder.
   "Yeah, I'm fine," he laughed, patting my back in concern. "What were you dreaming about?"
I couldn't tell them the truth. They'd think I was some freak or something. "I- I don't remember," I lied.
   "Then why were you so relieved when you saw Dustin?" Will asked with a raised eyebrow.
   I glared at him. "Shut up, Will."
   Steve looked at me with concern. "You okay, kid?"
   I nodded. "I'll be fine. Sorry I woke you guys up."
   "Yeah, it was a real inconvenience," Mike scoffed, but I saw the worried look in his eyes. He was worried about me, too.
   Rolling my eyes, I laid back down, trying to get the image of Dustin's corpse out of my mind. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again. The blood. The pained smile. It made me involuntarily whimper.
   "Come on," Dustin whispered, grabbing my hand and leading me through the dark, stopping at the first-floor bathroom and pulling me in. When he switched on the light, I saw my face in the mirror. Shit. My eyes were puffy and my face was completely red and sweaty. "What happened?" he asked.
   "Nothing," I lied.
   He gave me a stern look. "Mon, come on. You can tell me."
   I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine." I told him about my nightmare, about what happened to him, and how I couldn't stop seeing it.
   When I was done, his ever-present smile faded slightly. "Mon," he whispered, pulling me in for a hug. "Hey, don't worry about me, okay? I'll always be here."
   "Not if you keep trying to protect me," I said, not letting go of him.
   Dustin laughed slightly. "I'll always try to protect you, Mon."
   "I don't need you to-"
   "I know," he cut in, "I know. But that doesn't mean I'll stop trying."
  This was exactly why my plan with Mike had been set into motion: Dustin would go to Hell and back for me. Which was why I had to make sure he never had to.
   "Come on, you should go back to sleep," I said, walking out of the bathroom and back into the living room. As I laid down, Dustin once again put his arm around me. But this time, I hugged him around the waist, worrying deeply that my nightmare could come true.

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