Escaping the lab had felt like a luxury, one that hadn't ever seemed possible but now they had done it they felt powerful and indestructible. However, it wasn't for long because just as they had reached the elevator to exit the building, everything shut down and the hallway they were in turned pitch black. The last flicker of the light seemed to represent the last bit of hope that Nellie and Henry had had of escaping because now they didn't stand a chance. The guards would arrive any minute and with no other way out they were stranded.
Nellie turned to Henry and shook her head, "that's it, we are stuck and are gonna be killed for disobeying the rules that were made by papa.." she whispered to him, disappointment and worry now evident on her pale white face.
Henry seemed to be muttering something to himself and pacing around the room, not paying any attention to what Nellie had been saying. He tried to think of a plan, another solution to their problem but there wasn't one. They were well and truly stuck now and like Nellie had said they'd be facing serious consequences when returning to the laboratory.
"This is your fault.. all your fault! I said we shouldn't leave!" She spoke a little louder, her insides boiling.
However it wasn't entirely his fault at all, she just chose to blame him because she didn't want to blame herself. In all fairness, they both shared the shame of disrespecting Dr Brenner's rules because although it had been Henry's idea in the first place, Nellie had still decided to go along with him. It wasn't as if she was forced to, that was her choice and the mistake she had made.
Henry furrowed his brows, "how is it my fault!? I have been working hard to try to get us out of here for months now! I deserve a thank you if anything." he snapped, his eyes dark.
"A thank you!? You are almost getting us ki-" she stopped mid-sentence and before she could say the word 'killed' her face formed that of someone who was in deep fear...
"What!? Go on! Spit it out!" Henry shouted, only to be silenced by Nellie who had placed one hand over his mouth.
"Shh.." she whispered quietly, her eyes drifting towards the hallways where a single light once again flickered.
At the light flickering, the shape of some deadly-looking creature made an appearance. It was a colossal and demonic blasphemy with razor-sharp teeth, and it held out hooked talons, a thing that was only known to belong to some strong animal. Its position was a kind of crouch, and as one looked one felt that at any moment it might drop its deadly stare and seek the two morsel's in front of it. But, it wasn't even the fiendish subject that made it such an immortal fountain-head of all panic—not that, nor the face that resembled some lethal fly trap with its non-existent eyes, and drooling lips. It wasn't the sharp claws nor the scaly, bony body- none of these, though any one of them might well have driven an excitable person to madness.
They'd seen this monster a few times before when trapped in the basement for wrongdoings by their papa but up close it was more than a nightmare, not that they could call for help or anything, it wasn't a possibility anymore and this felt like the end.
Nellie's breath hitched, "Henry.. don't move."
Henry was frozen to the spot and for once a speck of fear could be seen on his usually cold, straight face. Normally he wasn't scared of anything but this, this was something else. "We can't just let it stand there.." he spoke quietly, his heart racing in his chest. He didn't know what to do, none of them did. How were they supposed to defeat some demon?
Two kids against one creature. Sounded easy. But with a creature like this it most certainly wasn't, it would take many more people to take down this dismal, inhuman, beast-like, brute.
Soon, however, they had no more time to make a decision. The Demogorgon's head turned to them slowly, pausing at the sight of them as if questioning what he was going to do next. For a while, everything was silent apart from the trembling that came from the two youngsters but suddenly it bolted straight at them, running on all fours with its speed rapidly increasing with each stride that it took.
Henry watched the scene play out, his eyes widening as the monster got closer and closer to them. Still glued to the spot he couldn't do anything but accept his fate until Nellie stepped out in front of him, her pupils bright red and her eyes twitching.
"Nellie stop!" He shouted out, not wanting her to end up hurt but she didn't listen, instead she continued walking and stopped right in front of the Demogorgon, as if some power had taken over her.
She held out her hand and turned back to Henry, "I must save you... you saved me." She told him and then smiled, tears running down her face.
"Goodbye Henry..."
Henry shook his head and started to run towards her as her hand began to shake and her scream echoed throughout the entire hallway. It was the only way to destroy this monster... the only way to save Henry as he had her. He'd saved her in many ways, been her friend and made her happy and now he was to be repaid, whether that meant her leaving or not. The Demogorgon slashed its arm towards her, just missing but still managed to swipe Henry out of the way. He fell to the floor and looked up at it, a hole which contained a bright light suddenly appearing in its chest as a strong deafening sound could be heard. It all seemed to happen so slow until black particles filled the air, taking everything in it, including Nellie herself...
All that was left was a mysterious red hole in the wall, a hole that seemed to contain fire inside of it. An unknown place...
Henry stood up and looked around, shaking his head repeatedly. "No... No.." he said to himself. "NELLIE!?" He shouted for her. "NELLIE WHERE ARE YOU!?" He shouted again, tears welling up in his eyes.
Moments later, footsteps could be heard running down the halls, Dr Brenner and the other guards stopping dead in their tracks as they noticed the scene in front of them. Dr Brenner rushed over to the young boy that was now standing up and staring at the hole in the wall. All that was left now was a wall, an ordinary wall like before.
"What did you do?.." Martin Brenner asked, his tone full of anger.
"I didn't- 002.. she-" he tried to speak but nothing was making sense to him. What had just happened? Where had Nellie gone?
"Do not lie to me! You know that friends don't lie to other friends don't you?..." he spoke, grabbing the boy's arm. "You have harmed your family! 002 is gone because of you! You led her here... didn't you?"
Henry stared at him and shook his head, "I didn't do it!" He shouted out but just looked at the ground. "She wanted to come with me... she wanted to leave as well.."
Dr Brenner signalled the guards over to the Demogorgon and then turned his attention back to Henry. "001, you are responsible for this and you will be punished.." he told him as two guards grabbed him and took him up to the testing room.
He didn't try to fight them off as most did, he didn't have the energy anymore and so just went with them. His only friend had been consumed by darkness and over time he decided that she'd been selfish and left him. That's how he saw it anyway. Everyone seemed to do that to him throughout his life but he didn't need friends. He didn't need anyone. His family had let him down and now so had Nellie. She promised to stay with him forever, never leave him and she didn't break a promise but now she had. He would get his revenge one day... revenge for abandoning him. Though, his hatred was very unusual, why did he now hate someone who he had loved entirely? Someone who had tried to save him by sacrificing them self? It made no sense but he was looking past that, using his own side of things as he always tended to do and it only made him worse within himself.
Of course 001 or as you know him Henry Creel had been evil anyway, killing his family due to a rising power that he couldn't control but he was only going to get worse.
However, he'd gotten an injection after the incident with 002. A needle which had been used to prevent him from using his power so destructively again, even though it hadn't been him at all. He'd also been distanced from everyone for years until becoming a worker at the lab, he'd never even been able to see a touch of the sun again, darkness becoming his best friend but little did the doctors know, that one day, many years later, another young test subject named Eleven would do the inevitable and release his inner demon once again...
A/n:
Do not fear! This is not the end :) I have many more ideas on the way to follow the plot of stranger things 4!!
However, please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter! I'd love to have feedback and when I do get it, it really motivates me to continue writing.
Also if you have any assumptions about the questions I'm about to ask, do answer in the comments! I want to hear what some of you readers think.
What happened to Nellie? Where did she go? Will she return and if so how?
As always thank you for reading this chapter and I shall see you in the upside-down! :)