The Monster

DESPITE HOPPER ONCE AGAIN INSISTING EVERYONE REMAIN BEHIND AGAIN, NO ONE LISTEN. First Joyce went with him to the lab. Then the teens decided they wouldn't just let the two walk into a trap.

The monster was still out there. All four of them knew it. Even if Hopper and Joyce could somehow get into the lab and through the gate, they would quickly be hunted down by the monster. No one would be saved. They would just have two more people killed and be left at the mercy of Hawkins National Laboratory's evil schemes.

Which was why they left soon after the adults did. Their first stop was the police station. Jonathan's car was still parked outside. It was easy to get to it and into the truck, since the station was closed and no one was around to stop them. Moses was relieved. The last thing he needed right now was to be shouted at for "illegal activities" while they were attempting to hunt down an interdimentional monster. His parents would do plenty of that when he got home, any way. 

Given the fact that the Byers were the only family who entirely knew what was going on, their home was the easiest option for where to set their trap. It was already partly set up. The lights that Joyce had used to talk Will were quickly refitted (having been taken apart earlier, for reasons Moses hadn't been told.) Lights reacted to the Upside Down, Nancy explained, so they would warn them when the monster was approaching. 

After that they got to work preparing. A bear trap was set up to catch the monster and gasoline poured on the floor around it so they could burn it. They gathered as many weapons as they could.  Jonathan hammed nails into the baseball bat Nancy had brought, while Nancy was given a gun on account of being the only one who could shoot it accurately. Moses got the ax they had bought and...Bonnie showed up with a kitchen knife.

"What?" Bonnie looked between the others, who were giving her a confused look, and the knife in her hand. "It's all I could find, okay?" 

They supposed it was some sort of defense. Still, Jonathan went to get the shotgun from the shed just in case. Bonnie wasn't the best with a gun, but it kept her from having to get in close with a monster that had massive claws and twice their reach. 

With everything done, they gathered together with knives to their hands. They needed blood to draw in the monster. Jonathan began to count down.

"Wait," Moses suddenly interrupted. "Why are we all cutting our hands again?"

The other three blinked at him. Apparently this wasn't something any of them had considered. 

"Maybe I should do it," Bonnie offered. When the others started to protest, she explained, "Listen, you'll need both your hands to hold weapons and, let's be realistic here, there's no way I'm using a shotgun in here without shooting one of you guys."

"That's...true..." Nancy admitted reluctantly.  "But stick close to me, okay? I can't..."

I can't lose another friend. The four fell silent. This could be it. If the monster appears, they could really die. Bonnie took a deep breath and slashed her palm. 

Now they could only wait. 

°。°。°。°。°。°。

IT TOOK THE CHILDREN A MOMENT FOR THEM TO REALIZE THEY WERE ALL ALONE. El had revealed the teens had gone to fight the monster, but that was all they knew. Eve was nervous. If they had stayed at the school, they could all protect each other. Instead all they could do was wait. Because no one had taken a way to communicate, they wouldn't even know what was happening to the others. 

But what would he do, Eve realized. After the bath, he and El had to be lifted out of the pool. Towels were wrapped around their shoulders. Once they were dry enough, they were given coats to keep them warm. His entire body felt like lead. Just lifting his head made it throb and his vision swim. Eve wanted nothing more than to sleep. Preferably back in Mike's basement, in the fort that had been their home for the last week or so. They couldn't go back, though, so the hard benches they sat on would have to work. 

Lucas sat next to Eve, allowing the boy to rest his head on his shoulder. Eve noted that he had been notably kinder since they reunited. There were no more sudden moments of anger. He hadn't even asked for his coat back, instead keeping it dry so Eve could use it after the bath. 

"Lucas." Eve raised his head so he could look at the other boy.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked. "Feeling any better?"

"A little," Eve admitted. "If the bad men come...don't fight them. Promise?"

"What? We're not just going to let them take you."

"Have to. Promise," Eve insisted. 

Papa wouldn't hesitate to kill all of them. Eve didn't know what he would do if his new found friends died for them. There had been rough moments. They hadn't always been perfect. But in the end, they had done their best to help and protect El and Eve. They didn't deserve to be trapped into this. Besides, even if their deaths bought them a little time, the lab was too close on their heels. Either they escape the lab entirely, or they would have only a few more days on the run before being captured again. 

One by one, the others left the bench. Mike was first, pacing around the large room since they found out the teens left. Eventually the other boys went to calm him. Soon enough it was only Eve and El on the bench, huddled together. 

"Guys, guys! This is crazy," Mike argued. "We can't just wait around."

"Mike, in case you forgot, we're still fugitives. The bad men are still looking for us," Lucas said.

"Yeah, and we don't even know were your sister is," Dustin agreed.

"Well, they're probably at the Byers. It makes the most sense," Dan admitted. Then they seemed to remember they were supposed to be stopping Mike and quickly added, "But that doesn't matter. It'll probably put them in more danger if we show up."

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked.

"I mean they already have to defend themselves. They don't need to defend us, too."

"Yeah. No offense, Mike, but what do you want to do?" Benny asked. "Talk the Demogorgon to death?"

"El and Eve could fight them!" Mike argued. 

"Mike, look at them!" Dustin motioned at El and Eve. 

Eve raised his head to see the group turn to look at him. He tried to look brave, but he knew Dustin was right. They wouldn't be fighting anyone right now. 

"I still think we should stick to the chief's plan," Dustin continued. 

"Exactly," Lucas said. "We stay here, keep El and Eve out of sight, and keep them safe. That's the most important thing, remember?" 

The most important thing? El and Eve shared a look. Papa would have never said that. When had keeping them safe ever been the most important thing to him? It should have made Eve happy to hear, but it only made him feel worse. Clearly, despite his warning, their friends intended to dedicate everything to their safety. 

The problem was, they didn't seem to know what exactly that entailed. 

"Besides, she's okay. She's with three other people," Lucas said. 

"Yeah, and she's kind of a badass now, so..." Dustin added.

With that, Dustin turned and started to walk off. Eve frowned as he watched his path, confused where he was going after just telling Mike to say.

"Well, where you going?" Mike snapped. "You just said stick to the plan!"

"I am. I'm just gonna go get some chocolate pudding!" Dustin called back to them. "I'm telling you, Lunch Lady Phyllis hoards that shit."

"Are you serious?"

"El and Eve need to be recharged!"

The two shared a confused look. Eve was pretty sure he had seen the words "chocolate pudding" before in the store, so at least he knew it was food. That was a good thing. Despite eating at the Byers house, it felt like his stomach was attempting to eat itself. But maybe that was just the nerves. 

°。°。°。°。°。°。

BONNIE'S KNEE BOUNCED AS SHE WAITED. They had wrapped her hand as soon as it was cut, and the pressure left her with a dull ache. Despite their best attempts, blood still seeped through the bandages. She supposed this was a good thing. The Demogorgon hadn't show up yet, so they would still need the blood. 

The house was unnaturally quiet. So quiet that even the slightest sound seemed terribly loud. Bonnie jumped when the house creaked as it settled, then again when a car flew past. Neither of them were the monster, but it was hard not to think it was when they were searching for them in every shadow. Bonnie was just glad they had taken Chester to a neighbor's house. she couldn't imagine how anxious she would be if she heard his little claws pattering around the house every five seconds (or, she supposed, how much danger the dog would be in.) 

"Did you hear that?" Nancy suddenly asked.

For a moment, they all listened in silence. Just in case. 

"It's the wind," Jonathan concluded.

Nancy only frowned in response. 

"Don't worry," Jonathan said. "My mom, she said the lights speak when it comes."

"Speak?" Moses asked incredulously. 

"Probably light up," Bonnie said. She turned to look at the lights above them. "Like how when El and Eve were searching, then lights flashed." 

That seemed to comfort Nancy. At least until there was a loud banging on the door. 

The four jumped. For a moment, Bonnie thought it was the monster. Then she noticed the fact she could see the outline of a man's fist hitting the glass. 

"Jonathan?" A voice called. "Are you there, man? It's...it's Steve! Listen, I just want to talk."

Moses scoffed, and Bonnie found herself equally unconvinced. If he 'just wanted to talk,' why was he pounding on the door and screaming Jonathan's name? Nancy started to stand, but Bonnie quickly stopped her.

"Maybe I should talk to him. Since...you know..." Bonnie paused awkwardly. 

They all knew what she meant though. She was pretty much the only one Steve wasn't mad at at this point and, considering the fact he had just accused Nancy of cheating with both Jonathan and Moses, maybe it was a bad idea to reveal she was at one of their houses. 

When Bonnie opened the door, she could see the side of Steve's face through the crack. He looked like shit. His lip was still split and bloody, and a bruise was forming below his eye.

"Oh, Bonnie -" Steve started.

"Hey." Bonnie tried to force a smile. "Sorry, not really isn't the time."

When she tried to close the door, Steve quickly pushed back. Bonnie winced. She wished she had thought to lock the chain. At least then Steve wouldn't be able to just barge in. 

"I'm not trying to start anything, okay?" Steve said. 

"That's great, Steve. But still not the time," Bonnie said.

"No, no, no, wait. Listen, I messed up, okay? I messed up...I messed up," Steve said quickly. "Are Nancy and Jonathan still with you? I want...I just want to apologize. Make things right." 

Bonnie tried to stammer out a response. She wanted Steve to leave, she really did. But she couldn't exactly think of a reason why he wouldn't be allowed to apologize. They were still mad at him, maybe? Wait a bit until they calmed down? It had been earlier that day, so it would make sense if they didn't want to talk to him.

Before she could say that, however, Steve looked down at her hand. 

"Hey, what happened to your hand?" Steve asked. "Is that blood?"

Shit. Without even thinking about it, Bonnie had used her wounded hand to block the door. She should have known, given the sharp pain it had caused, but it had been most practical at the time so she didn't think about it. Before she could pull her hand away, Steve grabbed her wrist so he could get a closer look.

"Let go!" Bonnie yanked her hand away. "It's was just an accident, okay?"

"What's going on?" Steve asked. "Wait a sec, did they do this to you? Is Nancy okay?"

"No, they didn't do it, yes, Nancy is okay. Now will you leave, Steve?" Bonnie snapped. 

Instead, Steve shoved past her. His face fell when he looked around and saw their set up. Especially when he saw Nancy still sat on the couch with the boys. Before he could start anything, Jonathan leapt to his feet to try to push him out. The two struggled for a moment. Steve, stunned, refused to listen to anything. Jonathan couldn't exactly shove him. If he did, Steve might start a fight, and then they would really be screwed.

A click interrupted them. They turned to see Nancy had aimed her gun at Steve.

"Steve," Nancy said. "Get out."

"Wait. What? What is going on?" Steve stammered.

"Would you believe monster hunting?" Moses asked sarcastically.

"No!" 

"You have five seconds to get out of here," Nancy warned.

"Okay, is this a joke? Stop. Put the gun down," Steve pleaded.

The two continued to argue, but Bonnie zoned them out. The lights had started flickering, which could only mean one thing. The monster was here. At once the four ignored Steve and huddled together. 

"Hello? Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going -" 

"Monster hunting!" Bonnie shouted, interrupting Steve. 

There was a violent thud above them. Chunks of plaster rained from the ceiling. It bulged as something tried to break through. At once they all turned towards it, prepared for the monster to break through. An arm reached through and Nancy began to fire at it. When that didn't work, Moses grabbed her and dragged her back as they all began to run. Bonnie barely managed to grab Steve by the wrist, as he froze and stared at the monster instead of fleeing. 

Jonathan shouted for them to jump as they ran down the hall. It was the only way Steve avoided sticking his leg right into the bear trap. They fled into Will's room and slammed the door shut. Things seemed to be going...as planned. Unfortunately their plan was chaotic, even without Steve busting in on it. 

"What the hell was that?" Steve shouted.

He was promptly told to shut up by everyone else. 

A screech echoed down the hallway. Nancy aimed her gun at the door while Jonathan held up a lighter. The monster was chittering right outside the door...but didn't come any further. Bonnie would have thought it had been trapped and they just missed the sound due to Steve's shouting, but it didn't sound pained, nor had the yo-yo string been pulled like it was supposed to when the trap when off. 

"What's it doing?" Nancy asked. 

"I don't know," Jonathan admitted.

Suddenly, the electricity jolted. It all went silent and the lights stopped flickering. The group stepped out into the hallway to find the monster...gone. Just gone. No matter how they searched the house, nothing showed up. 

Of course, Steve's constant shouting wasn't helping. 

When Steve went for the phone, Nancy yanked it out of his hand. Then threw it across the room.

"What are you do - what are you doing?" Steve demanded. "Are you insane?"

"It's going to come back!" Nancy shouted. "So you need to leave! Right now."

And Steve did. He fled and ran for his care. Bonnie sighed. She didn't know what she expected, but a part of her was glad he was gone. Especially when the flashing started again. Even more so when it went pitch black. 

The four looked around. There was no sign of the beast. No shattering. It didn't break through anywhere. It was only when Bonnie heard the low chittering that she realized something had gone terribly wrong. 

"Jonathan!" Nancy shouted. 

Bonnie whipped around in time to see the monster had risen right behind Jonathan. He only had time to turn around. The monster leapt on him. His bat was knocked from his hand, but it didn't matter. That close, there was no way he would have been able to use it. 

Moses slammed the ax into the monster's shoulder blade. It earned a pained shriek and the monster turning away from Jonathan. But that was only long enough to bat Moses into the couch. It didn't even seem to care the weapon was still buried deep into its flesh. Bonnie ran to his side, relieved to find he was only slightly dazed, bruised at most from hitting the couch's arm. Nancy continued to fire on the monster, but there was little she could do. Especially with Jonathan pin below it.

The monster stood. The bullets didn't pierce its skin, but clearly they annoyed it. It slowly approached Nancy. From behind it, Bonnie could no longer see her friend. But she could hear the click of her gun as it ran out of bullets. 

Steve burst through the door with a scream. He grabbed the bat and slammed it into the monster's side. Somehow he managed to dodge the monster's attacks while landing some of his own. 

There was a click. The monster had backed into the trap. Bonnie dove for the lighter and, before she could think better of it, light it and threw it into the gasoline. 

A flame exploded in the hallway. The monster screeched and thrashed in the flames. Jonathan ran for the fire extinguisher and unleashed it on the hallway. They were left coughing, both from smoke and the extinguisher fumed. When the fire died out, all that was left was a scorched hallway and some of the monster's flesh, sizzling in the metal trap. 

Well, that and an opening in the ceiling. 

Slowly, the lights on the wall began to flash. Not as they had been before, but a slow path, walking through the house. 

"Mom," Jonathan whispered. "is that you? Mom."

The flickering continued outside. Not the monster, Bonnie realized, but Joyce and Hopper. They were really in the Upside Down. 

°。°。°。°。°。°。

DUSTIN HAD BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE HIDDEN PUDDING. Which was embarrassing for the lunch ladies, who constantly lied about being out. Even it was on the lunch menu. Dan sat with El at one of the tables and tried to explain the food to her. She looked deeply unimpressed with it.

"I know it doesn't look that good, but it really is," Dan said. "It's just for now, anyway. Once this is over, you can eat whatever you want."

"Eggos?" El suggested.

"Well, yeah, waffles. Eggos is the brand," Dan explained. "Or, well, I guess you can try their other stuff, too."

"Good?" 

Dan nodded. They smiled slightly. It was funny, how much El had enjoyed to Eggo waffles. They supposed they couldn't judge, though. According to their parents, they had gone through peanut better phase when they were little. Wouldn't eat anything without peanut butter on it, and occasionally just ate it straight with a spoon. Even if Dan had been four at the time, they supposed Eggo waffles were a less weird obsession. 

"It'll be really cool once you and Eve don't have to worry about the lab anymore," Dan said. "You'll be able to get a real bedroom, and a real bed, and you'll even get to get your own clothes instead of wearing Mike and Nancy's old stuff. I mean, you can keep them if you want, but you won't have to." 

"Stay in with you?" El asked.

"Well, it would probably be better if you stayed with the Byers, because my dad's kinda obsessed with the government and stuff, and you'd have to hide some stuff," Dan admitted. "But we'd see you all the time. You might even go to school with us!"

"School?" 

El sounded unsure about the idea, and Dan didn't blame her. They were a little nervous about it themself. Dan knew how quick children were to get bullied. With El and Eve being so behind in knowledge, along with speaking and looking different, they would be easy targets for bullies. El likely knew that herself. She had heard all of the talk about the party getting bullied, and always at school.

"We'll help you. It sucks when you're alone, but it's not so bad when you have friends, " Dan said. 

El nodded slightly. Dan wanted to add that Will and Jonathan would be their brothers, and that they would always support them as well. Before they could, however, a light passed across the window. For a moment Dan thought it might be the teens or Joyce and Hopper. They hoped it was them. Especially when Mike went to check.

Instead, Mike returned moments later in a panic. 

"They found us," Mike said.

Ignoring the pile of pudding, they group ran from the room. They had one advantage, and that was the fact the agents didn't know exactly where they were. So they slipped along the side and tried to go around them.

"How did they find us?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know," Mike said. "But they knew we were in the gym."

"Lando," Dustin said.

Except instead of Nancy, it must have been an adult. Joyce would have never given them up, which meant...Hopper. Dan felt their stomach sink. Sure, they had said that it was always the person you least expected, but that didn't meant they wanted to be right. 

A door at the end of the hallway opened. The group was forced to turn and run. After that there was no path. Every turn they took resulted in a dead end. They were cornered. One ground came around in front of them, led by a woman who aimed a gun in their face. Another was behind them. Also armed. El and Eve stepped to the front, so they stood between them and the woman with a gun. 

Silently, the two lowered their heads. The flashlights the bad men held began to flicker. Unbeknownst to the boys, the two were once again working in tandem. Eve froze the guards minds, keeping them unable to retaliate. He destroyed it from the inside out until there was nothing left by a husk. El did the rest. She built pressure inside their skulls. The woman in the front only managed a whimper before they collapsed, dead as their brains exploded. 

El and Eve crumbled as well. 

The group ran to their sides. Dan began to panic. No matter how they shouted their names, they wouldn't wake up. They wouldn't wake up. 

°。°。°。°。°。°。

EVE COULD HEAR SCREAMING. It sounded very far away, as if underwater, but he was faintly aware this should scare him. His friends. There was a slight buzzing in his ears as he struggled to open his eyes. Someone's face swam in his image. Eve couldn't quite make out who it was, but he knew it wasn't one of his friends. He didn't like it. 

"Eleven? Seven? Can you hear me?" The face said.

His words barely broke through the haze that filled Eve's head, but the voice was recognizable. Papa. Papa had found them. Eve tried to move away from him, but none of his limbs seemed to be responding. 

"Papa?" El murmured beside him. 

El was here. Eve weakly turned his head to look at her. Blood ran from her nose just like his. Past her, he could see their friends struggling in the grasp of guards. Run, Eve wanted to say. Run or they'll hurt you. But he couldn't. 

"Yes, yes, it's your papa." When El began to whimper in fear, Papa stroked her face. "Shhh, shhh, you're sick. You're sick, but I'm going to make you better. I'm going to take you mack home, where I can make you well again. Where we can make all of this better, so no one else gets hurt." 

"No," Eve protested weakly. "You hurt." 

He wouldn't take them home. He would take them back to the lab, but that wasn't their home. Their home was with their friends. With Lucas, and Mike, and Dan, and all the others. With Eggos and biscuits. Home was their little basement fort, filled with comic books and radios. Eve had a home now, and it didn't involve Papa. 

"Bad," El agreed. 

They tried to call for their friends, but it did no good. The boys couldn't get out of the guards grasp any more than they could get out of Papa's. 

Above them the lights began to flash. Something began to thud against the distant wall. The monster, Eve realized. It smelt the blood of all of the dead guards and was coming to feast. The wall bulged as he broke through. 

The guards let go of the boys so they could fire at the monster. Papa stood and approached the monster. Eve could only watch in terror, until Lucas ran forwards and scooped him up in his arms. 

They ran down the corridor. Eve hung awkwardly in Lucas's grasp. He was just slightly too big for him to carry, but the boy refused to put him down. Even if it meant he was in more danger. Gun fire exploded behind them, along with screams and inhumane screeches. The monster was busy fighting the guards now, but Eve knew it would be their time eventual. If they weren't able to escape the school, the monster would eventually hunt them down. 

Finally, they could no longer run and were forced to hide in a room. Eve was laid on one of the tables. He could see El opposite him. The boys were trying to say something to them, but Eve wasn't focused on them. He was focused on the fact the guns were getting closer. The fact the monster was approaching them. 

A little part focused on the fact Lucas was holding his hand, though. 

Then the monster burst through the door. 

The boys did try to fight it, to their credit. They never would have done anything else. Lucas launched rock after rock at the monster. It wasn't enough thought. El and Eve shared a look. It would never be enough.

They climbed to their feet. When Lucas launched his last rock, El threw out her hand. The monster was launched across the room. 

The two approached the creature. Mike ran to stop them, but Eve force him to step as El threw the tables back into their path to keep them from coming forwards. To keep them safe. 

Eve didn't know what they were trying to do. It was almost on instinct. A memory, hidden so deep that he couldn't even remember where it came from, told him what they needed to do. All Eve knew was he wanted the monster gone. He wanted it away from his friends, back where it came from, far, far away.

For a moment, they paused. Eve looked over his shoulder at their friends. 

"Goodbye..." Eve whispered. 

Then, he and El took each others hands and extended their free ones. They needed finish this. 

With all of the force they could mange, they pushed the monster away. Far, far away. Eve pulled from a source that he hadn't in awhile, not sense Papa decided he needed to focus on his mental abilities instead of his physical one. A scream was torn from his throat from the effort. The Demogorgon raised an arm, but couldn't reach them. Instead it began to dissolve into nothingness.

Eve could feel himself doing the same.

In the end, only a cloud of black particles remained. 

°。°。°。°。°。°。

THEY WERE FIND WILL, CLEM, AND BARB. Will and Clem were in a terrible state. Unconscious, dehydrated, and underfed. Their lungs were clogged with gunk. When they had been found, they could barely breathe, and had been coughing things up since. They had survived what seemed like impossible: a week in a place where even the air was toxic. 

Will woke up later that day. Jonathan and Joyce brought him games and music, so he wouldn't get bored. His friends hugged him as soon as they were allowed in, though with him laying down it was closer to piling on top of him. They rambled on and on about what had happened since he was gone. They told him about his funeral, and about Troy peeing himself, and the adventure they went on. About the two kids with superpowers who helped find him. El and Eve. Their friends. 

They were gone now. Will would have loved them, though. They were certain of it. 

The doctors said Clem was in a coma. Moses couldn't get them to tell him much, because he wasn't her parents, and their foster parents refused to allow anything to be shared with him. Yet who was the one who sat with her every day? Moses. Though Jonathan, Bonnie, and Nancy would come to visit sometimes. 

It was Nancy who came the most often. She seemed entirely confident that Clem would wake up. A part of Moses suspected it was because Barb. Unlike the other two, Barb hadn't survived. According to what they over heard, she had been dead for a long time. Maybe since she disappeared. It gave Nancy some kind of comfort to hope that they wouldn't lose another person.  Maybe Barb was gone, but Clem didn't have to be. 

A month later, and it seemed like the world had moved on. Hawkins went back to normal. To some extent, so had those who suffered through that horrible week. But something hung over them like a curse, because unlike everyone else they remembered the little girl still in the hospital, and the children who had been vaporized before their eyes, and the laboratory that would never suffer the consequences of their actions. 

Will Byers was finally home, but he still wasn't safe. None of them were. 

In all forms but physical I am SCREAMING. I can't believe we're actually done! I know I cut the ending D&D game, and I don't plan to shorten all the endings, but I felt this one gave the proper vibe. If I continued as I was I wouldn't have written the part with Will throwing up the slug, and that totally changes the vibe from "bittersweet and foreboding" to "pretty much positive." Which I don't like. 

Anyway, the season 2 cast lists will be posted right after this! The actual start of season 2 might take a bit longer, though, as I need a bit of a break between seasons to hammer out all of the details.