MONSTER HUNTING
PART 2
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THE SUN HAD SET AND THE DARK NIGHT HAD TAKEN OVER THE SKY, only adding to everyone's already growing anxiety. The darkness had a way of making everything much scarier. Maybe it was because you couldn't see the danger as it approached you.
After what felt like hours, the headlights of Hopper's car flooded into the room, making everyone spring from their seats and rush out the door. Outside Nancy enveloped Mike in a tight hug, gripping onto the boy tightly like she was making sure he wouldn't leave ever again. Joyce, like the wonderful mother she was, huddled the other boys into her. Andy didn't know any of them well enough to embrace them but the little girl with the shaved head shuffled over to her.
"Andy?"
She looked up at Andy with wide eyes that said more than her mouth ever would. "Eleven." Andy exhaled and opened her arms wide for the girl to move into if she wished. She did. Eleven fell forward and loosely wrapped her arms around Andy's waist. Even though they had only met fleetingly, Andy had shown such kindness to Eleven that she trusted her. She wanted the type of comfort only another girl could provide, like a sister.
"You know her?"
They pulled away and Andy opted to instead wrap an arm around Eleven's shoulders. She faced Hopper who stared at his daughter with an unimpressed expression.
"Yeah." Andy answered, giving him back an aloof expression of her own. "We met when she broke that mouthbreather Troy's arm."
Hopper breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled with his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. His signature look when it came to his daughter. Oh, how he wanted to yell, but it was so not the right time. Instead, he raised a hand and eyebrow at his daughter before storming back inside the house.
A short time later, they were all huddled around the coffee table inside the Byers' house. Andy sat on the arm of the chair her dad sat in while Mike explained the logic behind the Upside Down and the situation they were in.
"Okay, so, in this example we're the acrobat." He held an A4 piece of lined paper and pointed to a red stick figure who balanced on some type of tightrope that went from one side of the page to the other. "Will and Barbara, and that monster, they're this flea." He then pointed to a dot on the other side of the line. "And this is the Upside Down, where Will is hiding." He moved the marker to the area of open space below the line.
Andy nodded along as if she knew what Mike was talking about, but really she had become a little lost. She was good at science, but not other dimensions and tear in the universe good.
"Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space. A gate" Mike continued. "That we tracked to Hawkins Lab." Lucas added. "With our compasses."
The older bunch shared confused glances at how a group of twelve years old had managed to figure all this out, while the rest of them couldn't even understand it. Andy had even begun to feel a headache coming on.
"Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle." Dustin explained, picking up on that everyone else needed some further explaining.
"Is this gate underground?" Hopper asked, sitting up straight in his seat. "Yes." Eleven answered. It was so quiet and all were surprised to hear her speak up. It was the first thing she had said since she spoke to Andy and Andy alone.
"Near a large water tank?" Hopper asked again, but his question sounded more like a statement. Andy peered up to her father and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Yes." Eleven replied again and everyone exchanged another set of curious glances. "H-How do you know all that?" Dustin questioned. Andy now recognised the look on her father's face. He'd been before and suddenly it all made sense. During his outburst that left the trailer destroyed, he'd been muttering 'lab', and Andy now realised that is where he had been. Then after he'd been checking the trailer for mics and setups.
"He's seen it." Andy said and Hopper looked down at her and nodded.
"Is there any way that you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this-?" Joyce stuttered with her words and Eleven finished for her. "The Upside Down." And nodded.
Nancy edged closer to the table. "And my friend Barbara, can you find her too?"
Andy's stomach sunk at the thought of poor Barbara. If only she had stayed that night at the party and waited with her for Nancy, maybe she'd still be here today. The thought made her sick with guilt.
They set Eleven up at the head of the dining table with a black and white photograph of Barb and a walkie-talkie. Everyone sat around the table, watching the girl intently. Andy knew Eleven could do some crazy things, but this was something else. A static sound emitted from the walkie-talkie and Eleven closed her eyes, focusing in on what she was doing. The lights above flicked, plunging the room into darkness. Andy jumped and her dad placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder to settle her.
When the lights came back on Eleven's eyes opened, looking as if she was about to cry. "I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice wavering. "I can't find them."
Jonathan stepped away from the table in sorrow and Joyce covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to cry. It was becoming even more likely that Jonathan would never see his brother again and Joyce her youngest son. Andy felt a pit form in her heart but she tried to not let her emotion show and pursed her lips in a straight line.
The boys said whenever Eleven used her powers a lot she got weak and when she used them to flip the Hawkin's lab vans earlier she used the majority of her energy. As they discussed how to make Eleven better, Andy noticed that Eleven had in fact disappeared. From somewhere else in the house she heard the bathroom tap running.
Andy couldn't imagine how scared the young girl must have been feeling. Surrounded by a bunch of strangers with the pressure of saving lives baring down on her. Knowing this Andy dismissed herself to check on her. She reached the bathroom where Eleven stared into the mirror, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Eleven." Andy said softly not to spook her. Eleven turned from the mirror and to Andy, tears still streaming from her eyes. Andy's heart broke as her small sad expression faced her. "Oh dear." She cooed and dropped into a crouch to be level with the girl. Using her hands Andy gently wiped away Eleven's falling tears.
"This isn't your fault." Andy said, removing her hands and placing them on her shoulders instead. "You've done so well and you should be so proud. You're an amazing little girl, Eleven. No one is mad at you. I promise."
The girl's sunken mouth turned upwards into a small smile. "Promise?" She questioned eagerly. "Promise." Andy repeated nodding her head.
They continued smiling at each other until Eleven's focus shifted past Andy and to the bathtub behind her. Her doe eyes widened in realisation at what she could do to help. Andy noticed the change in her face and looked over her own shoulder to see what the girl was looking at.
"The bathtub?" Andy queried, looking between the tub and the girl, confused to how it could be of any interest. "Can you use it?"
She nodded and hastily grabbed Andy's hand and walked back out to the living room to tell the others what they could do to make it work.
Eleven spoke of a bathtub, that Dustin reiterated as a sensory deprivation tank, that the bad men from Hawkin's lab would put her in to use her abilities. The water aided them to work, so to speak. Now all they had to do was make their own tank and Eleven would be strong enough to find Will and Barbara in the Upside Down, the only problem was they had no idea how to make one.
Dustin came to the rescue though.
Using the yellow wall phone he called up his physics teacher, Mr. Clarke, and interrogated him on how to build one. The whole conversation was more of a guilt trip. Dustin referencing something about doors of curiosity that got him the answers he needed. For a split second Andy felt bad for the middle school teacher who had his Saturday night abruptly interrupted, then she remembered he was some huge science nerd and probably wasn't doing much anyway.
They grabbed the equipment and ingredients they needed from home, which strangely enough consisted only of a kiddie pool the boys use to bob for apples in, and then headed to the middle school where they could find the 1500 pounds of salt they required.
In the outside shed where the school kept the equipment for the winter season, Hopper passed his daughter bag after bag of deicing salt and Andy loaded them into a wheelbarrow. Her bare arms and legs sported goosebumps from the cold and she cursed herself for always forgetting to wear a jacket.
"So," Hopper said, chucking Andy another sack of salt. "How did you get involved in this?"
The weight shook Andy off balance, but she briskly gained composure before her dad could see. The sacks of salt were really heavy, but she gritted her teeth and got on with it, determined to help in any way she could.
"Well, I was just minding my own business," Andy stated, but Hopper quickly cut her up. "Like hell you were."
He had come to know his daughter far too well and therefore knew minding her own business was something she was far from capable of. Andy had a way of sticking her nose in and finding out everything she could.
"Alright, fine." She groaned and started again. "I got suspicious and decided to do a bit of investigating and detective work." She left out the part about the distraction that was Steve Harrington. Hopper would not like her spending time with a boy for sure.
"But it turns out I wasn't that good at it really, and then I actually was minding my own business!" She exclaimed and got hit by another sack of ice. "And just stumbled across it all. I was shopping at the supermarket and met Eleven who then took me to Mike and Dustin. It was a dominos effect really."
Hopper chuckled, exhaling his breath. "That's quite a story, kid."
"Even if we find Will and Barbara in there what are we going to do about that thing?" Andy questioned about the monster that had now come to be known as the Demogorgon by all. They could find Will and Barb but if that monster was still alive the terror would never cease.
"We're not going to do anything." Hopper responded, emphasising the fact Andy was not to be involved. "I don't want you anywhere near this, all right?... I can't lose you too."
Andy nodded slowly, feeling a swell of love for her father. It wasn't often, or ever, she would willingly do as she was told but she couldn't bear to see him upset, it would just about break her.
"Okay then." She agreed and they got back to work. Another sack came Andy's way, but this time she missed the catch and it went hurtling to the floor. The bag must have landed on a sharp rock because the salt contents flooded out onto the gravel.
"Oops." Andy muttered down at the mess. Hopper sighed in annoyance. "Maybe you should go help the boys inside."
Andy wasted no time in getting out of there. Despite the sweet encounter they just had, she had no intention of facing her dad's wrath.
In the gymnasium Andy found Dustin and Lucas trying yet failing to set up the pool. They pulled the edges every which way but the walls would continue to flop down into the middle.
"It's upside down, morons." She laughed from the doorway and both boys jumped in her direction at the sudden new presence.
"Son of a bitch!" Dustin yelled, throwing the pool away from him and tossing his hands up in the air in frustration.
Andy walked towards the centre of the gym to help. "I can't believe I've been demoted to the same level as you two. Maybe I wasn't much good at lugging ice around, but I'm definitely worthy of the hose committee at least." She moaned.
"Welcome to the losers club." Dustin joked. "Population of three. Membership requires basic skill and knowledge on how to put up a children's pool. Welcome."
"Thanks." Andy huffed. "Do I get an honorary t-shirt?"
Both boys laughed at her comment and found themselves looking at Andy like they were seeing her for the first time. A pretty girl, who was actually funny, and kind of cool. The boy's fixed gazes didn't go unnoticed by Andy who felt amused at their attention. "Are you going to keep staring or help me put this damn pool up?"
The younger boys cleared their throats awkwardly and stuttered. Their cheeks blushed a bright crimson red and they ran a hand either up their neck or through their hair to regain composure. Oh the difficulties of being a prepubescent boy.
"Right, let's do this." Andy stated, clapping her hands together in determination.
After some bickering, and finding out the pool wouldn't stand straight until it had water in it, they were finally done. The water was the right temperature with the correct amount of salt and ready to use. Eleven wore a pair of lab goggles covered with dark tape to block out all light. She slowly stepped into the full pool and rested to her knees. Her dress formed an air pocket, which she pushed down before laying on the surface of the water on her back and floating calmly. Above them, they could hear the buzz of electricity surging and Andy looked up just in time to see the lights flicker on and off.
"Barbara." Eleven mumbled, making Andy's attention turn back to the girl. Andy's heart rate picked up pace at the name of her friend. Had she found her? Was she okay? She went to ask but Eleven's breathing increased in speed and volume. She was panicked.
"Is Barb okay? Is she okay?" Nancy demanded out of concern for her best friend. Andy wanted to speak too but her voice felt silent and stuck in her tight throat.
"Gone. Gone. Gone." Eleven repeated her voice tinged with fear. Andy felt her stomach drop and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop herself from crying.
Barb was gone.
If only she had waited that night at the party.
Joyce comforted Eleven, who thrashed about in the water terrified. She held onto the child and whispered soothering words of comfort. Eventually, Eleven calmed down due to Joyce's support and she carried on. "Castle Byers." Eleven whispered and everyone edged forward at the sudden hope.
"Will?" Joyce exclaimed, grabbing onto Eleven's hand desperately and leaning so far into the pool her arms were soaked. "You tell him I'm coming. Mom is coming."
"Hurry." Came Will's muffled and frightened voice from the walkie-talkie that sat next to them all. Joyce gasped, holding back a sob and Eleven shot up straight, sending drops of water flying everywhere and ripping the goggles off her eyes. She fell backward into Joyce's arms and she rocked her soothingly as she cried.
Will was alive.
And they knew where to find him. Castle Byers. A fort in the woods behind the Byers' house. All they had to do now was go into the Upside Down and search for him.
Andy sat with the boys on the bleachers and had wrapped a towel around Eleven who shivered from the cold. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her dad suddenly storm out the gym doors, followed by Joyce and Jonathan.
"I'll be back in a second." She said to the kids over her shoulder before jumping up and running after the three who had just left.
"Dad, wait!" Andy called as she pushed through the fire exit doors towards her dad who had yet to get into the car. Hearing her voice he froze and turned to her. "Go back indoors, Andy."
"Where are you going?" She asked and stopped when she reached him. "To the lab, to find Will." Hopper answered and a sudden fear took over Andy. She couldn't let her dad go there and do that. It was too risky. "But-"
"No buts Andy, I have to do this."
Her lashes batted slowly and her mouth fell ajar as she looked over her dad's determined face. "I can't lose you too."
Her words perfectly reiterated the ones Hopper said to her earlier. Hopper couldn't lose his daughter and Andy couldn't lose her dad, the only difference was Hopper was not giving in as Andy had. He clasped Andy's shoulder and looked her dead in the eyes. "I'm coming back to you, I swear."
Andy swallowed and nodded. She believed him. He gave her shoulder another squeeze before pushing it back to the direction of the school. Hopper and Joyce got into the car leaving Andy to watch them reverse out the car park and drive away with screeching tires.
Andy didn't hang around outside in the cold for long. She returned to the middle school to see Nancy and Jonathan sitting on the floor in the corridor with their backs pressed against the wall. They both seemed deep in conversation but looked up to Andy when they heard her enter and included her in the talk.
"Your dad," Nancy addressed and then turned to Jonathan. "and your mom are just walking in their like bait. That thing is still in there and we can't just sit here and let it get them too."
"What do you want to do?" Jonathan asked, but Andy didn't need to wait for Nancy to respond. She knew what she wanted to do - no - what she needed to do.
"Kill it."