More Than The Upside Down - An IT (2017) & Stranger Things Crossover

Salt Bath

Eleven

An hour later, they were all arriving at Hawkins Middle School after they had figured out a way to contact Will. The plan involved Eleven being emerged into a salt bath and attempting to reach out to Will through what Mr Clarke had called the Upside Down on the phone. As she walked towards the school, she couldn't help but enjoy the sensations she was feeling.

The night air froze her skin and caused it to erupt in goosebumps. The glittering stars in the night sky were accompanied by the almost full moon. Pine floated in the atmosphere but the smell of dog was a lot stronger. The smell caused her to look down at Mike who was walking beside her, still a wolf.

Empathy stung Eleven's chest as she was still shocked at the thought of other kids being experimented on. She could accept that she was one, she had to face facts after all. But even thinking about the fact that the badmen had experimented on other kids, especially her friends, made her nauseated to think about it.

The group walked into the gymnasium and began to set up the salt bath. Mike sat beside her as Bill helped hold the hoses into the pool. Once that was done, Lucas and Richie helped test the temperature of the water until it was suitable for Jonathan and Hopper to pour salt into it.

The closer the got to finishing the bath, the more Eleven's heart began to pound in her chest. By the time they had finished, she could hear her own heartbeat loud and clear. She fastened a pair of scientific goggles over her head. They were covered in duck tape so as she put them on, she was swallowed by darkness.

She felt two hands hold her own as she stepped into the tank, one was soft and felt small and the other was dry and rough. Cold water surrounded her ankles and lower legs as she began to wade through it. She eventually began to sit down and lie until she could feel herself floating.

She was standing in the darkness now, completely dry with her eyes not overshadowed by the goggles. Her reflection cast itself as if it were a shadow underneath her as a body appeared beside her. The colour of its skin was a sickening grey and Eleven couldn't make out whether it was a boy or a girl due to the amount of hollow, thick plants covering the person's body.

A dark green slug slithered from the person's mouth as Eleven's blood grew cold from the sight.

"Is Barb okay?" Nancy's voice echoed through the darkness. "Is she okay?"

"W-W-What about G-G-Georgie, can you s-s-see him in there?" Bill's voice followed after hers.

Eleven couldn't find a way to reply though. The mere sight of the body made her breathe rapidly and scream out, "Gone! Gone!"

She ran away from the body in terror, covering her eyes with her hands.

"It's okay, we're right here honey, we're right here," Joyce's shaking but a soothing voice whispered through the darkness.

The soft words calmed Eleven and allowed her breathing to fall back into somewhat of a regular pace.

"Don't be afraid," Joyce continued to whisper over and over.

"We're here for you Eleven, just stay strong for us," Eddie's voice added through the darkness.

Once she was calm enough, she removed her hands from her eyes and opened them. Before Eleven stood a tent covered by blankets and a sign hammered on the top that read CASTLE BYERS. She slowly began to walk towards the tent, her heart in synch with the rhythm of her footsteps.

Once there, Eleven gently brushed aside the blanket that covered the entrance and stepped inside. At the other end of the tent lay a small boy covered in one of the blankets. His skin was almost as grey as the body's and his wet, dark brown hair stuck to his forehead.

"Will," Eleven whispered.

"Tell him that Momma's coming," Joyce instructed through the darkness.

"Mum, she's coming for you," Eleven relayed to Will.

He looked up at her weakly, "Hurry."

Joyce's voice rang through the darkness again and Eleven repeated the words: "Just hold on a little longer."

Will didn't respond.

"Will?" Eleven called, shaking him gently.

She repeated his name again until she noticed that the tent was starting to disappear. Parts of it began to float in the air like smoke, until the whole of it disappeared completely, as well with Will's body. Eleven looked around desperately, calling out Will's name, but with no response.

She curled into a ball and covered her eyes with her hands once again. She felt as if she failed and panic rose from her chest to her throat, attempting to strangle her. Eleven burst out of the water from the bath, releasing the goggles from her eyes.

Eleven felt Joyce's arms wrap around her and whisper reassurances into her ear. A small cry rang out throughout the gymnasium and Eleven turned her head to the sound of it. Mike lay hunched on the ground, his bones cracking and breaking as he struggled to stand up on his paws.

His fur shrank back into his skin as his tail disappeared. Mike's snout shrank back into his face accompanied by his fangs turning into their regular human canines. Within a minute, Mike lay on the ground, completely naked and shivering violently.