"Did you say blood draws this thing?" Joyce asks Nancy. You were all currently cramped into Hoppers office. After finding all of the 'monster hunting' supplies in Jonathan's car, Hopper had demanded for all of you to explain what you were doing.
"We don't know. It's just a theory." You respond, keeping your head down as to avoid Hoppers gaze. You watch as Joyce takes Jonathan out of the room to chat with him.
"Why aren't you with the kids? I thought I specifically told you to keep an eye on them. I made myself clear." He says strictly, and you cringe at his wording. "I have been watching them. I've kept them safe. They're smart kids, Hop. They'll be fine being by themselves for an hour."
"We don't know that! For all we know they could be in mortal danger right now. And we would have no idea." His speech was cut short by a shrill voice complaining to the other two officers from outside the office.
"Stay right here, you two. I'll be right back." He says to you and Nancy, exiting the room and leaving only you and your best friend together.
"I'm sorry." She says finally after a long period of awkward silence. "Sorry? For what?" You ask her. "For not telling you things anymore. I didn't tell you about this situation, I didn't tell you about Steve being a douche the day you were gone for the morning, I didn't tell you about Jonathan." You let out a sigh at her speech.
"I.. I haven't been completely open with you either. I can't explain it right now, there's way too much to go over, but I knew about the Upside Down before you knew of it, I knew a kid with superpowers has a very big key role in this whole thing, long story, I knew that Will wasn't dead." Nancy chuckles slightly at your monologue.
"Guess we haven't been very good to each other as of late. Hey... Let's make a pact that from now on, no more secrets between us." She says, putting out a hand for you to shake. You smirk up at her before taking it and shaking.
"Sooo... What's going on between you and Jonathan?" You ask, to which she slaps your arm playfully. "Nothing... We're just friends." You hum, tapping your index finger onto your chin.
"Heh, see, that's really funny, seeing as how the last person you said that about ended up becoming your boyfriend-"
"Shut... Shut up, Y/n." You laugh at her stutter and red face. "But... If you do really like Jonathan, more than a friend.... Please, break things off with Steve. He doesn't deserve to be played like that, thinking that you love him when in reality it's for another guy. And especially not being cheated on, nobody deserves that."
"Of course I would... Not that I even like Jonathan like... That... But nonetheless, yes, I will do that." You smile to her. "Even if he is being a douchebag right now, he did see you and Jonathan getting all cuddly together-"
"Oh, shut up Y/n!" She says, laughing at you to which you follow. Your banter is cut to an abrupt stop when Hopper barges through the door.
"We need to go. Right now."
———————-
You were all stood on top of a hill that overlooked Nancy's house, and you all saw multiple tiny men taking things from the Wheeler house, many white vans surrounding it. Hopper was talking to Nancy outside while you, Jonathan, and Joyce were seated in the car.
On the ride over to their house, Hopper questioned you about what all you knew. You told him everything, from Eleven to the Upside Down. He was rather furious that you for one didn't tell him of your findings, and that you let the boys go out to look for Will when that was exactly what he warned you not to let them do, and to be honest you couldn't blame him.
But right now, you were very worried about the kids. You really wished that you had stayed with them. You could be of help in defending them from the bad men. You just hoped that they were okay...
Nancy and Hopper entered the car once again, seeing a giant helicopter circle above them, looking for your group.
That means that they haven't found them yet. You reassure yourself. "We need to find them before they do. Do any of you know where they might have gone??" Hopper asks all three of you.
"No... I don't."
"I need you to think!"
"I don't know! We haven't talked a lot. I mean lately..." Nancy says. "The only place they usually spend their time at is Mikes basement... But we know that's not possible, since they're literally taking Nancy's home apart brick by brick." You say, sighing because you couldn't remember if there was another place the group usually hung out at.
"Is there any place that your parents don't know about that he might go to?" Joyce questions. "I... I don't know." Nancy responds.
"I might." Jonathan's unexpected voice sounds from beside Nancy. "What??" You all ask him.
"I don't know where he is... But I think there's a way to get in touch with him." Your eyes brighten up at knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Walkie-talkies."
————————
You all enter the Byers house hold in a hurry, Nancy stopping to admire the lights, you almost doing the same but stopping last minute because you had more important matters to attend to at the moment.
You follow the group into Wills room, all scouring the area separately in search for his device. "I got it!" You say, pulling the radio out from under his bed.
Nancy immediately takes it from your hands, talking into it clearly. "Mike, Mike are you there? Mike?" Static. "Mike, are you there? Answer!"
"Mike, we need you to answer. Dustin? Lucas? El? Anybody? Please, this is an emergency, over!" You say urgently. Nothing.
"We need to know that you're there, Mike! This is an emergency!" Nancy tried again but to no avail.
"This is a code red guys, I repeat a code red. Please answer." You say, but Hopper suddenly snatches the radio from your hand.
"Listen, kid, this is Hopper chief of police. If you're there, pick up. We know you're in trouble, and we know about the girl. We can protect you, but in order to do that we need you to pick up. Are you there? Do you copy? Over!"
Still nothing. You sigh. "Any other ideas?"
"Yeah, I copy. It's Mike. I'm here. We're here."
"We're at the junk yard, come quick, they're onto us." Hopper nods his head, before heading out. You follow him.
"Kid, get back inside."
"I can help!"
"I know you can. But right now, you need to be in there. I need you to trust me, I'll get them home safe. Just... Hang tight." You reluctantly nod. You trusted him. And with that, you return inside.
———————
You had all been waiting on the same couch for the past 30 minutes. 30. Minutes. Needless to say, you were being plagued by your worried thoughts. It all stops, however, when you see a familiar car light, and hear car doors opening. You race outside, Nancy hot on your heels.
"Dustin! I was so worried about you, don't ever do that again." You say, first slapping upside the head before wrapping him into a hug, to which he returns.
"Yeah... You too." He responds.
"Hey... Is that my dress?" Nancy questions, looking over to Eleven. You chuckle. "Long story." You respond.
You all safely get into the house, and sit down at the table while Mike got a paper plate and pen to use the Acrobat and Flea analogy again.
"Is this gate underground?" Hopper finally asks. "Yes." Eleven responds. "Near a large water tank?"
"Yes." She repeats. "How did you know all that?"
"He's seen it... Right?" Hopper nods to your question. Joyce suddenly turns to Eleven. "Is there any way that you could... That you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this-"
"Upside Down."
"-Down. Yeah." Eleven nods, and you rub her back encouragingly. "And... My friend? Barbara? Could you maybe find her too?" Nancy asks, to which she nods again.
You go get the radio, turning it on and tuning it until it reached a static channel. Eleven closes her eyes, concentrating. You sit back down next to her. The light above your group suddenly flickers, and your hand immediately goes to her shoulder blade, drawing small shapes onto it.
She suddenly gasps, opening her eyes again. "I'm... Im sorry." You all look to her with concerned gazes. "What is it sweetie?" You encourage her. "I.. I can't find them." You take in a sharp breath.
"It's... Its okay sweetie, just go wash up real fast. We'll figure something out." You say, to which she nods, and takes off in the direction of the bathroom.
"Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak." Mike explained to the group once he was sure Eleven had left the room. "The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets."
"Like, she flipped a van earlier. It was awesome." You look over to Lucas in awe. "She flipped a van???"
"Yeah, if you were there you would know." Damn. You see how it is. "But, she's drained. Like a bad battery." Your brother continues.
"Well how- how do we get her better?" Joyce continues, to which you shrug your shoulders. "We don't. We just wait for her to recharge and then try again. Everyone has their limitations." You say to the group, to which Nancy sighs. "Well, how long would we have to wait??" She asks.
"I don't know."
"The bath." Eleven says, just outside the bathroom door. "What?" Joyce asks her. "I can find them... In the bath." Joyce looks over to you in confusion, hoping you would get what she was saying.
"Hopper... You said that the gate was next to a huge tank, right?" You question. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"I think... I think that was a sensory deprivation tank."
"How the hell are we gonna sneak into the Department of Energy without being caught though?" Lucas questions, to which you bite your lip. "Maybe... We don't have to."
———————
"Mr Clarke? It's Dustin." You were all currently surrounding the phone that Dustin was using. You figured that if anyone knew how to build a sensory deprivation tank, it would be that guy, so you told Dustin to take out the phone book and call him.
After some convincing on Dustin's part, Dustin hurriedly grabs a pen and pad from next to him and start to write down the instructions. "Yeah, we'll be careful. Definitely. Alright, see you Monday Mr Clarke, bye." And with that he hung up, and slammed the notebook onto the table.
"Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?" Dustin asks Joyce. "I think so, yeah." Jonathan responds.
"Good. Then all we need is salt. Lots of it."
"How much is 'lots'?" Hopper asks your brother, to which your brother hesitantly tells him. "1,500..."
"Well, where are we gonna get that much salt?" Nancy questions. Your face brightens up with an idea.
"I think I know a place."
———————
Hopper pulled the crew up to the Hawkins Middle parking lot, and lets you into the school to go set up the kiddie pool with Lucas and Dustin.
You knew that the school used lots of salt for the times when it frosted over. You figured that the 'worst' that this deed would lead to is them canceling school, which when faced against the death of a kid, you preferred the latter.
It took all three of you, Dustin, and Lucas hauling the damn kiddie pool with all the strength you could muster to get the pool into the gymnasium. "This damn thing is so heavy!" Your brother says.
"Huh, you don't say." You say sarcastically back. You finally got it into the center of the gym, but now came the real challenge. Setting it up.
"It's upside down!"
"No, this way!"
"How does this damn thing even work?"
"Try that side!"
"Son of a bitch!"
"Pull it back! Pull it back!"
"I am!"
"Okay, one, two, three!" Finally, you got the damn thing up, but at what cost? Well.. A lot of chunks of your sanity was now lost.
You all clap hands, before sitting down for a break. It wasn't long after that before Mike and Nancy came back, carrying the two hoses that was required for this to work. For this to go smoothly, the temperature had to be accurate or else this wouldn't work.
Once Nancy hooked them up to the faucets, you started the operation. "Colder!" Lucas yelled across the room.
"Warmer!" You then yelled seconds later.
"Right there!" Dustin suddenly says just when Jonathan and Hopper get back from getting the salt. Bag by bag you went through. You tested if it worked with an egg. If the egg floated, it worked, if it sunk, it didn't. Pretty simple.
It took the group a few tries but eventually... It was ready. Eleven walked into the gym, goggles that were taped over the eyes over her head. You and Joyce help lower the girl into the pool, while you give her a reassuring pep talk.
"If it ever gets to scary for you, just tell me. I will get you out there. You're going to be okay, it can't hurt you here. I love you, El, you can do this sweetie, then I'll take you to get ice cream just like I promised."
She smiles at the promise of ice cream, before nodding, putting the taped goggles over her eyes. The plan was then finally put into action. You were going to get both Will and Barb back.
The electricity surges, a clear sign that Eleven was now in the Upside Down. "Barbara?" She whispers. You and Nancy lean in in apprehension. The electricity pulses again.
"What's going on???" Nancy asks, to which you shrug your shoulders. "I don't know..."
"Is Barb okay??? Is she okay?!" Nancy asks El, panicked. "Gone.... Gone! Gone gone gone!" Eleven starts saying under her breath repeatedly, the lights acting up much worse than earlier. You immediately grasp her shoulder gently, rubbing it comfortingly while Joyce encourages her.
"We're here for you sweetie... You're safe." You reassure her as well. Her breathing calms down slowly after the reassurances from the both of you. "Castle Byers." She says after some moments of silence.
"Will?"
"Will?! You tell him... Tell him I'm coming." Joyce says hurriedly to the girl. You suddenly turn around upon hearing Wills voice come in through the walkie-talkie. "Hurry..."
"Okay... Listen, you tell him to stay where he is. We're coming, okay? We're coming honey. Just, hold on a little longer." Eleven then starts whimpering. You and Joyce then pull her up a bit out of the water, she grasps the two of you as if if she were to let go you would disappear. She was hyperventilating.
"Hey, hey, you're safe. I've got you sweetie, you're okay."
"It's okay, hun. We've got you. You did so good honey... So good." Joyce says, stroking the young girls head as she whimpers silently into your arms.
———————
You wrapped a towel around Eleven, rubbing her shoulder softly, trying to get her to calm down a bit until Mike and the others got over to her.
Once they did, you went out of the gym to search for Nancy. You eventually found her seated a few feet away from the exit of the school, and sit down next to her.
She looked so... Numb. You didn't feel all that hot either. You then let out a pained sigh, before starting. "Remember... That one time we all went to the beach? I think it was for your 15th birthday. It was horrible, we got attacked by jellyfish and Barb got bit by a crab... But... We still had so much fun together. We got food at a fancy coastal restaurant afterwards, and slept in a hotel that night, we swore that we witnessed a drug deal happening right outside our window." Nancy laughs slightly at the memory, before bursting into tears.
"I miss her so much. It's like a piece of me is missing." Nancy says, to which you pull her into a side hug. "Me too... Me too Nance."
"Do... Do you remember how we all met? It was fifth grade year, and I absolutely hated your guts when you first showed up. You were a new pretty thing and I wanted nothing to do with you... But... Barb wanted so badly to be friends with you, because she... She just somehow knew that you would be a great friend. So, one day during recess, she went right up to you and demanded you be friends with her. You looked so shocked, but laughed and accepted." You break after that story. You sobbed into Nancy, and Nancy sobbed into you. It was.. A nice moment. To just get everything out into the open.
You both go through your favorite memories with Barb for what felt like hours. From sleepovers, to mall trips, to first boyfriends, to birthday parties, from crying to laughing, from your highest of highs to your lowest of lows, to truth or dare, to hide and seek in the dark, to stupid school drama. It was bitter sweet. It felt like she was still here. And she was. In your heart. In both your hearts. Barb had made an impact on both of your lives, for the better.
It all came to an abrupt stop when Jonathan came back from wherever he was. "We... We need to go back to the station." Nancy says finally. You nod in agreement. "What?" Jonathan asks.
"Your mom and Hopper are walking into there like bait... That thing is still in there. And we can't just sit here and wait for it to get them too... Not like Barb." She takes in a short breath. "We can't." You bite your lip to stop your eyes from watering up again. Jonathan sighs at her speech.
"You still wanna try this plan out?" He asks her. "I wanna finish what we started. I want to kill it." She says, a determined look on her face. "So this is your plan?" He questions her. "Worked for me before, didn't it?" She asks. "Well, didn't it?"
"Come on. Trust me." You nod your head to her, fully on board with this plan. Only one word present in your mind.
Revenge.
———————-
You enter the police station with the other two, sneaking past one of the officers who was currently watching some... Russian documentary? You didn't even want to know.
You finally get to Hoppers office where all your supplies was located. It was locked of course. "Here, I got this." You say confidentially, taking a bobby pin from your hair, and proceeding to pick the lock.
You open the door and walk right in, getting your precious axe from the stack.
"Now." You say, turning to the others, putting the axe over your shoulder. "Whose ready to kill this son of a bitch?"
———————
hey guys!!! this one was real fun to write :) and omggg next chapter is not only the last chapter of this season, but ALSO we get some one on one stevie and y/n time. it's that scene. sure hope you guys know what i'm talking about 💀
also yesterday was fun, i had a great time babysitting, we watched the star wars prequels and it was legendary
ALSO ALSOO I AM SO EXCITED FOR VOLUME TWO LIKE AHHHHHHHH IMA BINGE WATCH IT
istfg if steve dies i am literally quitting the series. /srs
todays question is : what's the most crazy dream you've had?
word count : 3353