0 0 1 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟽: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗

"James!" she screamed out again.

"One!" James' faint voice called back. He was getting farther away.

In one last desperate plea, One called forth as much electricity as she could muster. A blue sphere of lightning enveloped her, shielding her from the attacks of the demogorgons. They shrieked in pain as their arms passed through the electricity, but in their madness they still continued.

The energy it took to hold out her power began to numb the pain she felt in her back. She tried to push herself off the ground but she fell right back down. The demogorgons were still above her, trying to fight their way to her through the shield. It was looking like the end for both of them.

But then the fireworks stopped.

The demogorgons staggered back as they slowly regained control over their bodies. Their growls became less angry and more confused. One capitalized on their moment of bewilderment and pushed away the shield that was encapsulating her. It exploded around them, striking the demogorgons and nearly knocking them over.

One held her breath as she waited for them to stabilize. She pressed her eyes shut and hoped with everything in her that the crazed faze the demogorgons were in was over and that her power would once more be effective.

Still unable to move, One watched the demogorgons stumble away in the same direction that James and the other demogorgons had gone. She had done it! Her victory didn't last long, however. Silent tears began to work their way down her cheeks as she thought of James. She was so useless. How could she let them take her best friend?

How could she let them take the man she loved?

After several tried and failed attempts to get up, One was finally able to flop over onto her back. The gray, cloudy sky above taunted her as she faded in and out of consciousness. Her fingers found some mobility and wriggled until they felt the smooth leather of James' jacket. Five words escaped her lips before she fell into the darkness:

"I will find you, James."

After a long and eager drive back to the Byers', Hopper and Joyce finally pulled into the driveway and parked. Once Hopper turned off the ignition, Joyce opened the door and was halfway out when she noticed that Hopper wasn't moving.

"Ready to go inside?" Joyce asked. Hopper's eyes were fixed out the window at nothing in particular.

"Not yet..." Hopper answered faintly.

Joyce climbed back into her seat and shut the door behind her. She turned to look at Hopper, who tried to ignore her knowing gaze. "Want to talk about it?"