THE FIVE HURRIEDLY raced down a set of stairs, running in the dark and empty hallways.

"How did they find us?" Lucas demanded in a
hushed voice, leading the group forward.

"I don't know, but they knew we were in the gym," Mike answered, glancing back over his shoulder.

Jasper couldn't help but fearfully look back herself. She expected an evil glare of flashlights and the thundering of feet to be following every time she did.

Her powers were certainly something to desire, especially if you were a crazy organization filled with human weapons. She could only imagine what would happen if they got their eager hands on her and her abilities.

"Lando," Dustin remarked, his voice trembling.

"El and I just finished finding Will in the Upside Down and now we have to run from the bad men?" Jasper scoffed, anger coating every syllable she spoke. "I mean, the disrespect!"

The two double doors, which had previously been the group's escape plan, suddenly burst open. "Got 'em!" A man's bellowing voice screamed. A huge flash of white blinded them as they spun around and began fleeing back towards the stairs.

El took the lead, dashing back through the door, only to find another patrol of agents. Everyone began screaming at everyone as they frantically tried to run down another corridor. Dismay filled their hearts as a group lead by a short-haired blonde women began marching towards them. They were completely cornered.

"Fuck!" Jasper screeched, automatically turning to face her friends. She pulled them all for a tight hug, using the energy from her adrenaline rush and the pudding to freeze time. "Go go go!" She ordered, shoving her friend forward.

The group continued yelling profanities at one another as they pushed past the frozen agents. After rounding another corner, Jasper began to lose the feeling of her feet pounding against the tiled floor.

The desperate cries of her friends began to fade away from her senses like water flowing down a drain. All she could hear was the huffs of her own breath, and the pattering of her feet. Blood began rushing down Jasper's eyes, pouring faster than she could catch the red droplets.

"Guys!" Jasper tried to scream, but it only came out as a muffled whisper. She wiped her eyes before looking down at her palms. The redhead was horrified to discover her hands were completely soaked in deep scarlet blood. "Holy fuck..."

"Jasper!" Dustin cried, whirling around sharply, his feet skidding on the floor. His arms caught her before she could fall, grunting with effort as he heaved her into his arms. "Oh my God, oh my God," he whimpered, tears burning in his eyes fiercely. The sight of the girl's face covered in blood and twisted in pain was too much to bear.

"I couldn't hold on," Jasper gulped weakly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Jas," Dustin whispered, not even able to recognize his own voice under all the agony it expressed. "It's okay. We'll be okay."

El stepped forward, standing next to Dustin. Her eyes landed on the redhead, who was slipping away to unconsciousness. "Jas," she murmured, giving her friend a comforting smile.

Everyone watched as El turned gradually to face the approaching group of agents. The blonde woman clutched the gun tightly in her hand, aiming it at the kids. Concentration was painted on El's face as she stared them down with hostility.

A frown spread across the woman's thin lips as she stood there, motionless. The other agents began shaking furiously as they couldn't move. Lights flickered throughout the hallway, revealing the dark color of blood dripping from their eyes.

The sound of bones cracking filled the corridor as every single agent hunting them suddenly collapsed, dead. It didn't take long for El to join them, falling to the ground.

"El," Mike gasped, kneeling down beside her. He placed his hands on her side, vigorously shaking her. "El, are you okay?"

"El!" The Wheeler boy raised his voice, not moving his eyes away from the girl. "Something's wrong," he looked up at the other two boys.

"She's just drained," Dustin wheezed, continuing to gaze sullenly at the sleeping girl in his arms. Every cell in his body ached for her to just wake up and be okay.

"No, no no, she won't wake up," Mike began aggressively pulling at the girl, trying to wake her up. "El, El, El!"

"We don't have time for this, Mike," Dustin begged, his voice cracking as he paced slightly. Jasper's hair cascaded down from his arms like a red waterfall. He had tried his best to use his jacket sleeve to wipe the blood off her milky white face. "Jasper and El are both hurt. We need to get them somewhere safe."

"She's barely breathing," Mike fussed, his hands still on the girl's arm.

"We gotta go," Lucas snapped, sharing the same urgency Dustin had.

"Leave her," a low, unfriendly voice demanded. Dr. Brenner appeared at the end of the dark hallway, a sinister look on his face. Agents followed behind him, the sounds of their guns clicking alarmed all three of the boys. "Put Jasper on the ground, and step away from both of the girls."

"No," Mike shook his head, getting back to his feet. "You want them, you have to kill us first."

"You're not gonna lay a damn one of your wrinkled fingers on her, you deformed walrus!" Dustin shouted angrily, tightening his hold on Jasper. "I'll kill you before you can even try!"

Dr. Brenner let out a small, ugly laugh. "It's quite adorable how much you care for her," the man placed his hands behind his back. "Despite everything that she is. I will have Eleven back and the daughter of One as promised."

The boys were slightly confused at his words, but it didn't stop them from glowering at the man. "Eat shit!" Lucas screeched, waving his arms in fury.

Dustin let out a pained cry as two bulky arms wrapped around him, another pair peeling Jasper out of his arms. "No! No!" He began jumping and kicking his legs in the air as the soldier carried Jasper towards Dr. Brenner. "Let her go you son of a bitch! Let her go!" Hot tears streamed down his chubby cheeks as he watched his best friend get taken from him.

Mike and Lucas wrestled against the restraining arms of the soldiers, continuing to shout profanities at them. The soldier holding Jasper calmly continued to do so as Brenner kneeled down next to Eleven, holding her face in the cup of his hands.

"Eleven? Eleven, can you hear me?" He breathed, shaking her face. "Eleven?"

"Papa?" She murmured weakly, her voice drowning in confusion.

"Yes," he nodded with a creepy smile. "Yes, it's your papa."

"Let her go!" Mike shouted, still fighting the man holding him back. "Let her go you bastard!"

"Jasper! Jasper, can you hear me? Jas!" Dustin called to her, sobs building up in his throat. "Jas, please!"

The sound of her best friend crying out to her in desperation was enough to make her blue eyes flutter open again. She opened her lips, surprised to find how difficult it was to utter any words. Her vision was distorted, but she could see the man holding El and preventing her from looking at anyone except him.

"Shh, you're sick," he mumbled to El. He almost sounded believable for a small second. "You're sick, but I'm going to make you better. I'm going to take you back home, where I can make you well again."

The soldier holding Jasper let out a loud gasp as he looked down at his empty arms in bewilderment. Jasper had suddenly teleported, holding a long, shiny gun in her hands. "Not today, you cock," she hissed, using the butt of the gun to hit Dr. Brenner in the head.

The old man let out a scream of pain, releasing El and reeling back a few feet. Jasper teleported again, knocking each soldier holding back her friends unconscious. "God damn," she shook her head, panting and giving the boys a frail smile. "How many more times am I gonna have to save your asses?"

"Jas!" Dustin ran forward, wrapping his arms around the redhead tightly. Her feet lifted from the floor as he held her closely to his chest, too afraid to let go.

Unfortunately, the hug ended when the sound of electricity crackling and lights flickering caused jasper to pull away. "Blood," she uttered in realization, her blue eyes as round as full moons.

"What?" Lucas huffed, his head snapping towards the redhead.

"Blood!" Mike repeated Jasper's word.

An injured Dr. Brenner turned to the wall in horror, moving his hand away from the wound on his head. The white bricks of the wall began to poke out, sending dust spraying everywhere. A long, grimy hand reached out the wall, followed by a unnaturally shaped head and a series of growls. It was here.

"Demogorgon," Dustin murmured faintly.

Sheer terror erupted in the souls of the kids as they sprinted into a classroom, feet pounding against the floor. Gunfire echoed off the walls as soldiers appeared, attempting to fight off the deadly creature that had emerged into their dimension.

Dustin was solely focused on Jasper, the girl leaning onto him for support as they hurried into the classroom. His arm tightened around her waist as he helped her onto a lab table, lifting her up slightly. "Thanks, Dusty," she sent him another weakened smile. "You really are my best friend, you know that? And I know we might not get through this—"

"No," Dustin cut her off solemnly, shaking his head. His hands wrapped around hers and his fingers laced over the bruises on her knuckles, a gesture driven by pure instinct. "We will make it through this. And we'll get to go back home," his lip trembled at the word home. "We'll watch the Star Wars movies again, and eat a lot of junk food. You'll come by Mike's house with pizza again and make fun of us as we play D&D. We're gonna live, Jas. We'll be okay."

Even though his entire speech was drenched with assurance and confidence, something in Jasper's heart pooled with worry. She believed that her curly-haired best friend was wrong, and that soon the light in his ocean blue eyes would die like the flicker of a candle.

The door suddenly flew off its hinges, the demogorgon pinning it down like its prey. All three boys began screaming mercilessly, Lucas struggling to pull out the wristrocket and load it with a pebble. Jasper slid off the counter, landing steadily on her feet. She watched as the first two rocks bounced uselessly off the creature's grimy chest. The third rock, however, sent him reeling back several feet and slamming into the chalkboard, shattering it.

A sudden buzz erupted in Jasper's veins, the familiar recognition of power surging in her body. Her head turned just in time to see El emerge from behind the boys, approaching Jasper's side. Blood poured from her nostrils and her ear lobes, the same unnatural occurrence happening to Jasper.

Her blue eyes stared at the dark liquid, her own blood, in horror as the realization snapped upon her.

Whatever happens to El, happens to me.

"Jasper?" Dustin piped up, noticing the terrified look on the redhead's face. Mike had already been sent flying back against a pair of cabinets, preventing him from stopping Eleven.

The two lovers met eyes again, their different shades of blue joining as they held gazes. Lights began flickering at a much slower pace until they stopped all at once, basking the room in a brilliance whiteness. Jasper had stopped time, but only for a short moment to allow herself to join El's side. Time had already began moving again as El lifted one hand, prepared to kill the demon-like creature.

Jasper glanced over her shoulder one last time, pure agony ripping at the four chambers of her heart. Her eyes found Dustin's one last time, hot tears spilling down both their cheeks.

She recalled the question Dustin had asked her. Have you ever fallen in love? And now, hardly thirty minutes later, she knew the answer was yes. She was thirteen, and perhaps maybe she was still too young and ignorant to know all the true meanings of love and soulmates. But in that intense moment of passion, she knew that she had fallen in love.

She could hardly bring herself to say the next words, but she wouldn't miss the opportunity to say them. She may never seen Dustin, or any of her friends again. Right now was as good as ever to say them.

"I love you, Dustin Henderson," she whispered painfully before whirling around again. Her eyes met El's tired ones, the two girls firmly grasping each other's hands.

"Together," El nodded, and Jasper repeated the words softly to her. Both of them lifted one hand, using all the energy left in their body to fight off the demogorgon.

Black specks and earsplitting screeches covered the mass of the room, and the three boys shielded their ears. Dustin couldn't remember when he ended up falling to his knees, but he could taste the salty tang of tears on his lips.

He listened to the torturous sound of Jasper's screams, mingled with El's and the Demogorgon, drowning himself in the murderous flashing of the lights.

Until, suddenly, it all went white.