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"ANYTHING?" DUSTIN ASKED LUCAS AS THEY MET IN THE WHEELER'S KITCHEN, THE SINCLAIR SHAKING HIS HEAD. "Nothing." He sighed, Dustin staring ahead. "You don't think they went through...?" Lucas urged, Dustin looking to him. "Through Watergate?" He asked, strongly disagreeing with the suggestion. "Without us? Without a plan? Without weapons?" Dustin asked, Lucas tilting his head slightly. "They have Seb-" "They wouldn't be that stupid." Dustin interrupted, not wanting to hear anyone call his best friend a weapon. "Yeah." Lucas hummed, Dustin shrugging. "They must be laying low 'cause the law got us." Dustin summarised, Erica scoffing. "'The law'? What is this, Gunsmoke?" She mocked, juice box in hand as she approached her brother and her friend.
"The stupid and the Ugly?" Lucas glared at Erica as she leaned on the kitchen island opposite him, Dustin looking between them both. "Should I round up the posse? Saddle the horses?-" "Erica. Please, just go away." Lucas got fed up with the girl, her ignoring him. "Here's the deal. Either you tell me what's happening, or," The girl glanced to Dustin. "I tell Dustin what I found under your bed." She challenged, this making Lucas straighten up more, Dustin's gaze whipping to Lucas. "Please, no." The boy begged his sister, the girl leaning forward. "Spill your guts, cowpuncher." She huffed, Dustin grinning. "What'd she find under your bed?" He asked quickly, Lucas huffing. "Nothing." He tried to defend himself, Dustin looking to Erica. "Is it gross?" He asked, realising she'll happily tell him. The girl nodded, Dustin intrigued.
"Scale of one to ten." He demanded, Erica not even putting in a thought before she said, "A hundred." This made Dustin look to Lucas, him mortified. "A hundred?" He asked, Lucas huffing. "The serial killer is a dark wizard from the Upside Down and the 'demon boy' is Sebastian." Lucas summed up, not wanting anyone else to know what's under his bed. "And we've been looking for the dark wizard, but he's in the Upside Down, which we can't reach. At least we thought we couldn't," Both Dustin and Erica stared at Lucas, him panicking as he ranted. "until we found a gate at Lover's Lake. That was the reason why we were there, but these stupid cops grabbed us." Dustin tried to quiet Lucas, him not having any of it. "And if you tell anyone about this, that's including Mom, and Dad," Lucas ranted on, mimicking the names as Erica slurped her juice.
"and Tina..." He stared at his sister, scowling. "especially Tina, I will smother you in your sleep. Do you understand?" Lucas asked somewhat breathlessly, Erica 'thinking'. "Erica..." Dustin watched Lucas meet his sister face to face. "Do... you... copy?" He asked, Erica standing up straight. "The smothering in my sleep part, but not much else. Why would they open up a gate at Lover's Lake?" She asked, Dustin and Lucas confused. "What?" The latter spoke, Erica shrugging. "The commies-" "The commies didn't do this." Lucas huffed, Erica doing the same. "Then who did? Sebastian-" "Nobody." Dustin thought as Lucas and Erica went back and forth, the girl confused. "So it just opened up for fun?" She asked, Lucas sighing. "Erica, you have no idea what you're talking about." He spoke, Dustin looking to his friend. "No, she doesn't, yet she raises an essential question. How did Watergate open up? Only two gates have opened, as far as we know."
Both the Sinclair siblings listened intently to Dustin. "One by El and one by the commies. But it's not the commies or El this time, so it... Holy shit." He realised, Lucas confused. "Wait, wait, wait." Dustin spoke, Lucas repeating his words. "'Wait, wait, wait,' what?" He asked, Dustin looking to him. "There's one thing we never understood. Which is why Vecna's killing people." Dustin rounded the kitchen island, Erica confused. Vecna?- "What's his motive? Killing teens? It always just seemed too random. Too prosaic. On top of that, how does the Mind Flayer figure into all of this? Maybe this is it. This is the answer." Dustin spoke as if the two he was speaking to understood. "What is the answer?" Lucas asked, the three going silent when Karen walked in, going for the fridge. "You sure you want water? We have Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper." She spoke, the officer taking the coke as the group moved to around the corner.
"Okay, just hear me out. How did El open the Mothergate?" Dustin asked Lucas, Erica looking between them both. "She contacted the Demogorgon." Her brother answered, Dustin nodding. "With her psychic abilities, just like..." "Vecna when he casts his spells." Lucas realised too, Dustin nodding. "Exactly." Erica looked between the two. "So it's Sebastian?" She asked, Dustin shaking his head. "No. Sebastian wouldn't kill people and haunt himself. If he wanted to kill everyone, he would've done it by now." Dustin spoke, Lucas staring at the ground. "What if Vecna isn't just killing his victims, he's creating a strong psychic bond with them. A bond strong enough to rip a hole through the fabric of time and space." Dustin continued his previous point. "He's opening more gates." Lucas asked, Dustin nodding. "Bingo." A police officer spoke close to them on his radio, causing the three to have to walk and talk.
"Why would he be opening gates?" Dustin asked, Lucas humming. "To take over the world." He answered, Dustin huffing. "Who do we know that wants to take over the world?" Dustin asked, Erica following mindlessly. "The Mind Flayer." Lucas answered, Dustin nodding. "So if the Demogorgon was just his foot soldier, Vecna's his five-star general. A five-star general with the power to open gates. He's not 'haunting' Sebastian..." Dustin spoke, Lucas' face dropping. "He's trying to recruit him." He spoke softly, Dustin hesitantly nodding. "Holy shit." Lucas spoke, holding his head as Dustin did the same. "Holy shit. That was incomprehensible. You lost me at 'Mothergate'. Please be kind. Rewind." Erica ordered, no one noticing the light above the front door flicker from the outside.
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"CAN YOU PROTECT ME?" EDDIE WHISPERED, SEB LOOKING TO HIM. "Uh- okay?" The boy answered, Eddie nodding relieved. Nancy opened the door to her home, the place full of vines. "Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler." Robin spoke impulsively, Seb watching his feet as they stepped over the vines. "Come on. I don't want to stay here longer than we have to." Nancy ignored Robin, urging the group upstairs. Everyone followed, Steve being the last before he heard a voice downstairs.
Dustin?
Staring at it, he saw no one else around, Nancy and the rest of the group watching her get her guns out from her closet. Placing them on her desk, Seb watched her open up a box of shoes. "Those aren't guns." Eddie spoke, Nancy staring at them as Robin hummed. "These heels are pointy but I was hoping for some deadly projectile." She nodded, Nancy confused. "I don't understand." She spoke, Seb shrugging. "Maybe they're somewhere else?" He suggested, Nancy shaking her head. "There's a six-year-old in the house. I know where I left my guns." Nancy assured softly to Seb, him nodding slowly. "Also, I threw these away years ago." Nancy looked at her shoes, glancing to other parts of her room. She flicked through revision cards, everyone watching her silently. "I get that grades are important to you, but perhaps studying can wait until we get out of here?" Robin asked, Nancy huffing.
"These are from sophomore chemistry." She informed, Seb not knowing if that was good or bad. He never studied the education system. "And this... this wallpaper, this is old wallpaper." Nancy pointed to the wall, Seb blankly following her finger. The girl carried on, naming all of the things in her room that aren't in her room. "This mirror went to a yard sale." She picked up a stuffed animal from behind Seb. "I gave you to cousin Joanna two years ago." She spoke to the object, the three awkwardly watching her. Picking up her diary, the last date recorded was- "What is it?" Eddie asked, Nancy staring at the book. "Nancy? You're freaking me out." Robin advised the girl to act somewhat normal, her ignoring the two. "I think the reason that my guns aren't here is because they don't exist yet." Nancy spoke softly, Seb's face scrunching up.
"They don't... exist?" Eddie asked, Nancy turning around to face the three behind her. "This diary should be full of entries. It's not. The last entry is November 6, 1983. The day Will went missing." Nancy spoke, Seb's eyebrows raising. That's why the room has never changed from the last time he was here. "The day the gate opened. We're in the past." Nancy informed, Eddie and Robin glancing to each other. Seb stared ahead. So when he was living in the Upside Down... he was living in the past? "Dustin! Dustin!" Seb looked to the door at the sound of the name, everyone following him follow the noise. "Can you hear me, Dustin!" Steve continued to yell, the group reuniting as they watched Steve yell around the kitchen and wave his arms about like a madman. "Dustin, hell-Hello!" Seb flinched back, Steve suddenly screaming for the Henderson.
"Maybe he really does have rabies." Robin whispered, the group still watching Steve prance around the kitchen. "Steve, what are you doing?" Nancy called, Seb squeezing his eyes shut and slapping his hands on his face to cover his eyes from Steve's torch. "Hello!" He spoke to the three, nodding to Seb. "He's here. Henderson. That little shit, he's here. He's like..." Steve spoke, Seb adjusting his eyes as he stared at Steve. "in the walls or something. Just listen." Steve spoke, Seb's face dropping. "You hear them too?" He asked, the group looking to him. "Yes! You hear him?" Steve asked quite threateningly, Seb shaking his head quickly. "I heard people when I was here but they didn't hear me." He spoke, Eddie looking to him. "What?-" "You don't hear Dustin?" Steve held out a hand for everyone to be quiet, seeming to be the only one hearing the boy as Seb stared at Steve's state.
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THE BOY HEAVED, COLLAPSING IN SOMEONE'S KITCHEN. Not one he recognised before. This wasn't Bennys. Nor Mike's.
Where was he?
The boy heaved, that being the last thing on his mind as he gulped, awaiting the growls to get further and further away. He was exhausted. He couldn't use his powers at this state. He stared at his hand, wondering at what had just happened. Part of it disappeared. That had to be something important. He felt no pain when it ended, his hand back perfect as it was before. The growling came to a halt, Sev peeking his head up, seeing nothing around and hearing nothing. Taking this chance, he scrambled up, past the vines and towards a cupboard. Mike got out those pancakes from here that Sev liked so this house had to have them too, right?- "Mom, what happened?" He turned around quickly, hearing a little girl's voice. Who was that? Glancing around the room, he saw and heard no one, except the girl's voice beg for her mother to tell her anything.
"Go to bed, honey." A man's voice spoke, Sev quickly tripping away from the spot next to him.
He was going insane.
"But, Dad-" "Erica, go to bed. Your brother needs rest." The woman spoke, Sev greatly confused. "Erica?" He asked, feeling the collar scratch his neck more. Ignoring the now numb feeling, Sev glanced around before he spoke. "Erica?" He called louder, hearing no one. "Erica!" He called louder, stood in the middle of the kitchen as no one seemed to hear him. "Erica..." Sev spoke, not having one single clue who this person was as a tear ran down his cheek.
The adult voices carrying on mindlessly in the Sinclair kitchen.
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SEB INHALED SHARPLY AS HE WATCHED EVERYONE SEARCH THE KITCHEN FOR DUSTIN. "What do Vecna, El and Seb have in common-" His head whipped to the left, seeing Eddie open the curtain. "Dustin!" Robin called, Steve huffing as Seb stared up at the ceiling mindlessly, wondering where his best friend is. "All right, either this kid can't hear us or he's being a total douchebag." Steve spoke, Seb humming. "He can't hear us." Seb announced, everyone looking to him. "What?" Steve asked, Seb sighing. "I tried calling out to people for help when I was stuck here and they couldn't hear me." He spoke, Eddie huffing. "So we can't communicate with Dustin? Oh, my God-" "Will found a way." Nancy spoke, Steve looking to her. "What?" Steve asked, Nancy realising her solution. "He found a way to speak to Joyce through the lights."
The group watched the girl switch a lamp on and off quickly. Seb's eyebrows raised watching Nancy try the light switch on the wall. "It's not working." Nancy huffed, Steve looking to the table. "Guys." He called, Seb watching small particles of light fly around the light above the table. "You seeing this?" Steve asked, Seb walking forward slowly. Dustin's voice became more prominent, Seb holding his hand up to the light. None of the three realised the light brightening where Seb's and was, the particles seeming to flutter bright around his hand. "Whoa." Eddie spoke, moving forward as Seb brought his hand back, the light dimming lightly. "You're not using your powers, right?" Eddie asked, Seb shaking his head as he stared up at the light. "No." He spoke softly, everyone gradually holding their hands up to the light.
"It... tickles." Eddie muttered, Seb feeling himself get sandwiched between Nancy and Eddie. "It kinda feels good." Robin smiled, Nancy pulling her hand down. Seb wiggled his fingers, the light bringing light to his cheeks as he smiled softly. This was fun- "Does anyone know Morse code?" Nancy asked, Seb looking to her. "No." Steve and Robin spoke up, everyone putting their hand down. "Does SOS count?" Eddie asked, Nancy huffing. "Is that... Is that good?" Eddie asked awkwardly, Seb shrugging as Nancy glanced between them both. "So our working theory is that Vecna makes remote contact from his attic." Dustin spoke, walking around the table as Erica's face scrunched, watching the light. "We don't know why. We assume he can do it from anywhere." Dustin halted, noticing Erica's lack of attention. "Are you even listening to me?" He asked, sitting down and facing her.
"Yeah, I'm listening. It's just, you said you followed Vecna through lights, right?" Erica stood up, noticing the light shining irregularly. The two boys looked to her, completely oblivious. "Yeah, why?" Dustin asked, Erica sighing shakily. "Because I think he's here." Those simple words made the two boys shoot up, the three watching the light start to flash in a certain rhythm. "It's working." Robin spoke as Eddie flashed the only thing he knew how. "S." Dustin stepped forward, the Sinclair's watching him. "O. S." Lucas inhaled sharply, Dustin gulping. "Hey, remember when I said they wouldn't be stupid enough to go through Watergate?" Dustin asked, Erica's eyes widening lightly. "Yeah?" Lucas asked, Dustin inhaling shakily as he turned around.
"I overestimated them."
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Is this a fun chapter? Maybe lol
[2559 words!]
Hope you enjoyed!!!
Byeee!