TEENAGE NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN — PART ONE.
PLAN D.

         When the lights flickered back on, Franny felt a hand on her shoulder and she slowly opened her eyes to see Steve crouched down in front of her, a grin on his face as he told her, " I don't know what you did, but you did it. The lights are back on. "

Franny's face relaxed into a smile as she let out a small relieved laugh, and Steve stood, holding hand out to her. She took it and allowed him to pull her to stand as Jonathan headed towards the gate, running into the control booth. He pushed a button, but the gate didn't move. Dustin climbed into the booth beside him, insisting, " Let me try. "

Dustin just pressed the same button, as if he expected a different outcome, then exclaimed, " Son of a bitch! "

JP opened his mouth to suggest they try something else, but Dustin shut him down before he could, " I swear, guys, I think I— "

Then, as Dustin slammed his elbow into the button, there was a beep, and they all watched as the gate began to open. They all wore similar expressions of disbelief as Dustin grinned proudly, insisting, " Told you guys I would get it! "

Jonathan ran back to his car, and Nancy and JP moved to follow him. Franny's eyebrows scrunched together as she reached out to grab her brother's arm, pulling him back to face her, " Where are you going? "

" We have to drive up there. " JP told her, glancing back at Jonathan and Nancy before returning his reassuring gaze on Franny, " If those things break out of there and chase them, they won't have a chance on foot. "

Franny gave him a look, but JP insisted, " We're gonna be fine, you guys just need to be ready to go when we come back. "

" We will. " Steve confirmed, stepping forward and gently grabbing Franny's arm, making the brunette glance back at him. He gave her a nod, and she sighed, turning towards JP again, then looking at Nancy and Jonathan as well.

" You better come back. All of you. " She stated, and JP smirked at her, Nancy and Jonathan both sharing a small smile before nodding to her.

" Will do, sis. " He said, giving her a two finger salute as he backed away towards the car, opening the back door and sliding in, hanging out the window to give a final farewell, " See you losers on the flip side. "

               Then, the five were left alone outside the gate as the car pulled into the driveway of the lab. Lucas and Max busied themselves inside the control booth while Dustin and Steve sat around Franny, who'd sat crossed legged in front of the open gate, walkie in her hand as she tried to think of any other way she could help. Then, as if on cue, the radio crackled.

" The monsters. . " Charlie's voice sounded worried, " Franny, are you okay? If. . . If you can, we need you to keep them away. Okay? "

Her eyes locked onto the walkie as she held it up, and she closed her eyes as she set it back into her lap. She willed herself to go back to the state of focus she had been in when she first got through to them, but she felt it faltering rather quickly. Then, as if she was no longer in control of herself, she felt a shift in the atmosphere and could not open her eyes when she tried. Alarmed, Franny found herself again standing in a pit of blackness. Steve and Dustin were no longer sitting near her, talking about something she hadn't heard. She clenched her jaw and uncrossed her legs, moving to stand against the darkness.

As she took a short step forward, she called out into the void, her voice echoing against nothing, " Hello? Will? "

She continued walking, although it seemed like she wasn't even moving, and she added, " Will, if they need help, you have to show me what to do. I don't. . "

Her voice trailed off as she saw it. It was more intense than ever before, not only showing her a single fragment of the scene, but covering almost all of her vision. Several bodies were scattered along the hallway, blood pouring from their wounds and collecting on the floor. Franny could hear the Demodogs growling, but she didn't see them. She felt a presence behind her and spun on her heel to see Bob, slowly sneaking towards what she assumed was the exit as he left a room.

" Bob? " She asked, but he didn't seem to hear her as he continued walking, a cautious expression on his face; she reached out to touch his arm as he passed her, but her fingers went right through him, like she was a ghost. Then, she turned back around, eyebrows lowered in confusion as the doors to the exit formulated in her vision, showing Joyce standing near them with an anxiously hopeful smile on her face, Joseph standing at the door with an impatient look.

Bob smiled to Joyce, but Franny felt something off. Something was wrong, and the growling grew louder in her ears as she felt a javelin of pain shoot through her head, bursting throughout it. She lurched forward and grabbed either side of her head, and she just felt it, like a punch to her gut. Franny took a slight step forward, reaching her hand out again even though it was useless.

" Run! " She shouted, watching as Bob seemed to move in slow motion before her. Then, the growling in her ears ceased and she glanced over her shoulder to see a pack of Demodogs rounding the corner, claws scraping against the slick floor. Her warning was drowned out in silence as she watched the creatures sprint right through her, and lunge for Bob. She tried as hard as she could to try and redirect the Demodogs, trying to imagine something in one of the other halls to bring them away, but she felt frozen, body and mind. When she realized that she couldn't do anything, she tried to open her eyes, tried to break out of it before she saw whatever was about to happen.

It didn't work, and she got the sinking feeling that it was the shadow monster's form of taunting her. Realization quickly hit her, right before Joyce's eyes widened in horror, and the Demodogs jumped on top of Bob, tackling him to the floor. This was her fault.

And then she could hear everything. The sound of ripping flesh as the Demodogs torn into Bob's body. The agonizing screams that poured from Bob's mouth. The horrifyingly bone chilling one that came from Joyce. The desperate pleads of Hopper and Joseph as they told Joyce to get out. Hopper had rushed in at some point that Franny hadn't noticed, and he was practically dragging Joyce out of the building. Franny turned her head and stared at Bob as his final scream died in his throat, and the life began to drain from his eyes. She felt sick, like she was going to vomit inside her own head— then she remembered that this wasn't her head anymore. No, it was just a tool for the shadow monster to use as he had used Will.

A loud car honking outside snapped Franny out of it, and then she was grabbing Steve's arm as her eyes flew open and she gasped deeply. Steve's face faded out of fuzziness as he sat in front of her, eyes wide in alarm, searching over her face as he asked, " Fran, are you okay? What happened? Did you see something? "

Her eyes snapped to his, and she suddenly became hyper aware of the aching pain in her hand and the ever spreading heat throughout her body as she realized she was gripping his arm so tightly that she was digging her nails into him and released him. Then, she began to move to stand, Steve not releasing as he said, " Woah, woah, slow down, Franny, something happened, didn't it? "

She answered him without looking at him, her eyes now glued to the building as she heard the sound of a revving engine in the distance, " Bob. . . They got him, I. . "

" You're crying, Franny, " Steve told her, his concerned eyes having never left her face, even as she turned back to look at him when he lifted his hands to either side of her face. Her eyebrows scrunched together, and she lifted her own fingers to her face to feel a wetness on her cheeks. She hadn't even realized. Steve was looking at her like she was going to collapse right on the spot.

As Jonathan's car pulled up, headlights gleaming, Franny placed her hands over Steve's and began to lower them, her voice threatening to break as she admitted breathily, " I think. . I think I killed him, Steve, I–I killed him. I killed Bob— "

The doors all opened nearly simultaneously as Joyce, Joseph, and Hopper climbed into their respective vehicles. Franny looked past Steve at the sound to see Charlie and Mike sitting in the back with JP, and she managed to also see Will's ghostly pale face as he laid unconscious across the trio. Hopper pulled up in front of them first as Jonathan's tires squealed before he took of down the road. Franny absentmindedly wondered where they were supposed to go— these things would find them no matter what if they had both Franny and Will.

" Hey, someone needs to ride with Joyce, " Hopper ordered, arm hanging out of his window as he pointed to the trio of kids standing with Franny and Steve, " Dustin, go with her. You two get in now. "

They did as he said, then Hopper's cruiser was gone, Joyce close behind him as Joseph honked at the two teenagers, shouting to them, " Franny, let's go! "

The two got in the backseat after that, and then they were driving out of the lab, following behind the line of cars on the empty road throughout the trees. Franny made a move to pull her seatbelt across her chest but she paused as flashes of Bob's bloodied body flitted across her vision. She felt her chest tighten and she bit down on her bottom lip as she tried to prevent herself from throwing up or letting out an ugly sob. Steve stretched his hand down to hers as they both sat on the outer seats, and her eyes flickered to him, not bothering to try and fake a smile as she interlocked their fingers, squeezing tightly with some hope that it would make her feel even slightly better about the situation. Joseph adjusted his rear view mirror and his eyes darted to his daughter's distraught face, then to the boy's expression of deep concern, and he vaguely recognized the face and hair but couldn't remember a name. That didn't linger on his mind for too long, though, as his eyes quickly shifted to the pair's hands practically glued together and he lifted an eyebrow. In any other situation, Franny would've been slightly embarrassed, but she couldn't pull her hand away from him even if she wanted to. She felt frozen, stuck.

" Franny, you okay? " Her father asked, and he waited for her to meet his eyes in the mirror. She felt her stomach drop even further when she saw the splatters of blood across his stubbly jaw.

" I watched him die. " She whispered, and her father's face shifted at her answer. " I. . It's my fault—it's my fault– "

Steve turned in his seat, his fingers slipping from hers as he gently placed his hands on either side of her face again, just slightly lower so he could pull her towards him an inch. He gave her the most serious look she'd seen him possess in all her time of knowing him, and assured her, " It is not your fault, Franny, you didn't do that, you didn't do anything, it wasn't you— "

" Yes, it was, Steve! " She exclaimed, now fully aware of the new tears that were falling from her eyes, blurring her vision as she wrapped her hands around his wrists, " It saw him through me, it found him because of me, I led them right to him— they ripped him apart, Steve, because of me! "

She could barely finish her sentence as her breath quickened, lungs feeling like they couldn't get any oxygen as she felt her hands trembling around Steve's. In the front seat, Joseph wore a look of pure confusion as he frantically asked, " Wait, what? How'd you know—what do you mean? What is she talking about? "

Steve gave him a look that told him they would explain later, then he lightly pulled Franny towards him, moving one hand to wrap around her back as she leaned into his chest and held her arms tightly around him, a quiet sob vibrating against his body. His other hand stayed near her face, at the spot where her jaw met her neck, and he spoke under his breath, but just loudly enough for her to hear it as he tilted his head to rest atop hers, " It's not your fault, Franny, none of this is. It's gonna be okay, Fran, I promise. "

She wanted to tell him that he shouldn't make empty promises, ones that he knew he couldn't guarantee, but she couldn't make out any words as she soaked his shirt with her tears, so she didn't try. As nice as it would be if she believed his comforting words, she knew that what she said was true. It didn't make sense any other way.

Joseph finally put a name with the face and came up a bit confused at the fact that Steve Harrington was sitting in his backseat comforting his daughter as she cried about somehow seeing Bob Newby die. He was more annoyed, though, that, not just a teenage boy, but Steve Harrington had most likely been with his daughter all day doing god-knows-what, and, while he knew it was an inappropriate time to put on the whole 'big-bad-dad' facade, it still made him frustrated how out of the loop he was in all of this. Last time he'd heard about Steve Harrington was Franny's freshman year, but here he was in his car, trying to soothe Franny. Maybe he wasn't entirely the douchebag that he'd sounded like in freshman year anymore.

Then, he heard the faintest humming of a song that he almost instantly recognized: Crazy Little Thing Called Love, it was Franny's favorite song, but he knew it wasn't her humming it. He again took his eyes off the road briefly to glance up in the mirror, seeing Steve's mouth pressed to a thin line. Joseph cocked his eyebrow at the boy, and he gave him a questionable look in return. Steve had come to notice that Franny hummed songs as a mild distraction, so he assumed that he could at least try to do it now. If anyone asked, he'd never admit to it, though.

So, the three of them drove to the Byers' house in complete silence save for Steve's quiet humming and Franny's sniffling cries.

X X X

The first thing Franny Walker did when she stepped foot inside the Byers' house was hug her little brother. She had to crouch down to his height but she didn't mind, relieved to see him okay, especially after what she had just witnessed only moments after he'd made it out of the lab. Charlie was hesitant for a second, a little surprised, but he quickly hugged her back.

" You got my song? " She asked, and Charlie let out a small, muffled laugh as they began to part.

" Yeah, I did. " He confirmed, nodding with a small smile, and Franny shook her head lightly, hands on his shoulders as she stood straight.

" I knew you would. " She insisted, squeezing his arms before her gaze switched to JP, whose forehead was creased in confused concern as he noticed her reddened eyes and the streaks of tears clearing paths down her dirt-ridden cheeks.

He didn't say anything, he didn't have to. Franny just took a step towards him and he held his arms out for her to embrace him like she'd done only thirty minutes ago, but this time it was different. It wasn't a relieved hug full of warmth, rather one filled with sadness and dread as she tightly held him. JP's hand went to back of her head as he wondered what could've possibly transpired over the few minutes that they had left he group at the gate to get Joyce and the others.

" I killed him, JP, I killed him, " She mumbled, and that only furthered his confusion.

" Who? What are you talking about, Franny? " JP asked, but another voice interrupted before the girl could explain.

" Bob. . " Joyce's brittle voice said, and Franny released JP at the sound of the woman, backing away from him to see her standing across from her with a heartbroken expression on her face.

Franny stepped forward, a deep frown on her face as she felt tears well up in her eyes again, not entirely sure how that was possible when she felt like she'd cried out her weight in tears the past week. The brunette parted her lips, a shaky breath passing them before she insisted, " I'm sorry, Joyce, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear. I was trying to help, I was. . I'm sorry, I. . "

The entire room seemed to go silent at the scene before them. Hopper had laid an unconscious Will on the couch, where Nancy and Jonathan kneeled beside him. Then, Hopper had gone to the phone, relaying all the information about what had just gone down to someone on the phone, sounding aggravated with them. The others all stared from their spots in the kitchen with baited breath.

" How. . . How did you do it? " Joyce managed to choke out, and Franny subconsciously closed her afflicted hand into a fist as she lowered her eyes to the ground briefly.

" I. . I saw him, I saw him at the exit, and. . " She shakily explained, swallowing as she tried to keep from crying anymore, " those things— they. . they saw him through me. They knew where he was because of me. "

Joyce didn't say anything in response, her lips pressed to a thin line as she looked at the guilt ridden girl with utter sadness in her eyes. Franny gave her a pleading look, " I'm sorry, Joyce, please. . "

She couldn't continue, she didn't know how continue. She felt like her entire body was going to just give out on her, and then Joyce closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her tightly. Franny reciprocated the hug, closing her eyes as she whispered more apologies.

" It's okay, Franny, it's okay, " Joyce assured her in a small voice, rubbing her hand up and down the girl's back.

Hopper came back into the room with an angry look on his face, slamming the phone back with a loud huff. The kids in the kitchen all lifted their heads expectantly. JP had taken to sitting on the arm of the couch where Will's feet were, eyeing the boy wearily as Jonathan gripped onto his hand, murmuring apologies to his brother. Charlie joined the others at the dining table, looking to Hopper for an answer.

" They didn't believe you, did they? " Dustin asked, standing up from his seat. The answer was written on Hopper's face, and everyone's faces fell when they realized it.

" We'll see. " The man commented plainly, making Joyce and Franny separate. His lackluster response made Steve stop pacing and Mike slam his hands against the table, startling everyone in the house.

" 'We'll see'?! We can't just sit here while those things are loose! " He shouted, giving Hopper an incredulous look at the suggestion. Charlie would agree, that just sounded ridiculous knowing what they knew.

" We stay here and we wait for help. " Hopper declared firmly, then went to follow Joyce, who had gone down the hallway to one of the other rooms after hearing his answer.

Charlie waited until he was out of earshot to mutter, " Help isn't coming. "

Franny stood near the dining table with Steve, whose arm was draped over her shoulder in some form of comfort. Charlie spared a glance between them and he had the idea to tease his sister, reminding her of their conversation the last time they were at the Byers', but decided against it seeing how distraught she still looked. The house was silent until Mike promptly stood up, chair squealing against the floor as he walked over to a stack of games and brain teasers Bob had brought for Will before he was told what was going on. Franny's eyes had followed Mike, and when they landed on the boxes of games, her heart sunk in her chest. She leaned further into Steve, wishing she could just disappear, while his hand hung from her arm, fingers fiddling with the end of her shirt sleeve absentmindedly.

" Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV? " The dark haired boy said, turning away from the games and looking to the others as they watched him uneasily. " He petitioned the school to start it and everything. And then, he had a fundraiser for equipment. Mr. Clarke learned everything from him. Pretty awesome, right? "

" Yeah. " Dustin and Lucas agreed with faint smiles, but Charlie could see that Mike was getting at something else.

" Mike. . " Charlie trailed off, not sure what he was trying to do. The boys shared a look before Mike gave him a firm look.

" We can't let him die in vain. " He declared, and Franny found herself looking at the boy, a determined look settled on his face as he met her eyes. They shared a silent agreement.

" Well, what do you want to do, Mike? " Dustin asked, throwing his hands up exasperatedly, " The Chief's right on this. We can't stop those Demodogs on our own. "

" Demodogs? " Charlie asked, and Dustin looked to him with a small nod.

" Demogorgon. Dogs. " He held out one hand for each word, then clapped his hands together, " Demodogs. It's like a compound, a play on words, you know— "

" Okay! " Max exclaimed, making Dustin promptly shut his mouth as she sighed. Then, the curly haired boy looked to Mike.

" I mean, when it was just Dart? Maybe. "

" But there's an army now. " Lucas stated, and Dustin nodded again.

" Precisely. "

" His army. " Mike muttered under his breath, and Charlie raised an eyebrow at him questionably as the former boy repeated it louder, " His army. "

Steve shifted slightly from beside Franny interjecting, " What do you mean? "

Mike glanced at the various confused expressions looking at him, and explained, " Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army. "

As if something suddenly clicked within him, Mike's head shot up and he ran down the hallway, turning into Will's bedroom. The others all stood up, giving each other cautious looks before they followed after Mike, who turned to face them as they entered, holding up Will's drawing.

" The shadow monster. " Dustin observed, taking the drawing from Mike.

" It got Will that day on the field. Same time it got Franny. " Mike insisted, his eyes flashing to the girl briefly, her hand flexing as she remembered the encounter. " The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected them. "

" So, this virus. . " Max said slowly, trying to understand, " It's connecting them to the tunnels? "

Mike nodded frantically, " To the tunnels, to the monster, to the Upside Down, everything! "

" Woah, slow down, kid, slow down, " Steve insisted, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to follow what Mike was insinuating.

" Okay, so, the shadow monster's inside everything. And, if the vines feel something, like pain, so do Will and Franny, right? " He asked, knowing that when they burned the tunnels, Will had seized.

Franny nodded slowly in agreement, remembering the pain she'd felt when they were going to find Dart at Dustin's house.

" And so does Dart. " Lucas added, and Charlie nodded.

" It's like what Mr. Clarke taught us last week: a hive mind. " Charlie stated, and Steve cocked an eyebrow.

" Hive mind? " He repeated, and Dustin looked over at him.

" A collective consciousness. It's a super organism. "

Franny was following loosely, just a tad bit more than Steve was since she understood most of what they said but was still missing Mike's point. The boy tapped the drawing as he said, " And this is the thing that controls everything, it's the brain. "

Dustin's eyes suddenly widened, " Like the Mind Flayer. "

The others seemed to understand what that meant, but Steve and Max didn't get it at all, staring at them with confused looks as Lucas snapped his fingers at Dustin with a proud grin. Franny felt like she'd heard that before, and she had an educated guess on what it was since she had spent most of her tutor sessions with Will asking him about Dungeons & Dragons; it was one of his favorite things to talk about, and Franny loved watching his eyes light up whenever she asked about it.

" Wait, is that a D&D thing? " She asked, earning quizzical looks from Max and Steve, to which she dismissively shrugged.

" Yes! " Charlie confirmed ecstatically, and then, as the boys searched the room for Will's D&D books, the brown haired boy looked to Steve before saying, " Go get the others, we're only gonna explain this once. "

The boy's arm left Franny's body as he left the room, and Dustin pulled out a huge, golden brown book from a stack near Will's bed, a wide grin on his face as he declared, " Time for Plan D. "

" Plan D? " Franny asked, wondering where Plan C went while Dustin lifted his grin to her.

" Plan D&D saves the day. "

X X X

note.

as always, all comments, questions, predictions, and feedback are greatly appreciated.