(Ep. 9: The Gate)

Barb's funeral had finally taken place once the lab's involvement was exposed. The Hollands were able to get closure as well as bring some ease to Gwen and Nancy's guilt. Of course, nothing will ever get rid of it completely, but this was definitely the first step.

Soon after the funeral ended, Gwen knew it was time to tell Nancy everything about what happened in her brief time at the Upside Down. She knew it could cost her their friendship, but it was a risk she needed to take in order to not lose herself to her secret.

Nancy walked alongside Jonathan while Gwen fell behind. She was dreading telling the truth, but with everything coming out, her secret needed to as well.

"Nance," she began, bringing her attention to her. "Can we talk?"

"Everything okay?" Jonathan asked while switching glances in between his girlfriend and best friend.

Gwen nodded and started walking over to her car, hoping Nancy would follow and not question her in front of the others.

Steve stood by his car just watching as the two of them walked off. It's nearly been a month and he hasn't spoken to Gwen since the gate was closed. Despite everything they went through, neither were brave enough to face their feelings so they settled on living their lives away from each other.

She walked past him since his car was parked right beside hers. It took everything not to look at him just once, but they had decided to ignore everything so it's only best she goes through with it.

Nancy got into the passenger seat in complete silence. Worried that something was definitely wrong and with everything that happened, she's not sure if she can handle anything more.

"What is it?" Nancy's voice came out lower than intended.

Gwen swallowed hard, feeling regret and dread as she gathered her thoughts, "Last year when I got stuck in the Upside Down, I- I saw Barb."

Nancy felt her body turn cold. The voice of El telling her that her friend was dead filled her mind. Since then, she's been wishing to have had an opportunity to see her one last time and to hear that Gwen did, just made everything worse.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was afraid as to what you would think. I didn't want to lose your friendship so I thought I should-"

"Nothing you do will ever make me not want to be friends with you, okay?" Nancy gave her the smallest smile as she placed her hand on top on hers. "Why would you even think that?"

"Because I saw her get killed by that monster," the car turned silent, neither knowing how to continue. "I was in Steve's house when I got stuck there. I tried hiding when I heard her voice..."

November, 1983

Gwen immediately gripped onto her bat and held it in front as she slowly opened the back door. She felt quite stupid since this was the part in all of the horror films where the character ends up dying, but something was telling her this wasn't a trick and it was very much real.

The door opened and Steve Harrington's pool stood right in front. Only instead of being filled with water, there was nothing but monstrous vines along with a few branches from the fallen trees.

She took quick and careful steps forward, checking every corner before officially making it out of the house.

"I need help! Please!"

"Barb!" Gwen exclaimed when confirming that it actually was her.

The redhead turned in her direction and squinted her eyes since she wasn't able to see from having lost her glasses. "Nancy?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Holland, but it's Gwen."

"Oh, my god! I'm so glad you're here!" Barb let out a breath of relief, but turned quiet when realizing how wrong her words sounded. "Obviously I'm not glad that you're trapped here. I just meant-"

Gwen chuckled as she inspected the entire area, "I know what you meant."

Now standing in front of the pool, she wasn't sure how exactly she was going to make it to the other side. One wrong step could alert this thing, but she couldn't just stay here and do nothing so it was a risk she needed to take.

"Be careful!" Barb warned her.

Gwen took careful steps on her tiptoes, stepping on the places the vines didn't touch, and it only took a few minutes, but she managed to reach her in time.

"Okay, stay very still," she gave the nailed bat a quick spin before bashing it against the slithery vines. She found herself at a loss when the hits only worsened things by tightening itself even more.

"It's not working!" Barb panicked and started trying to shake the vines off. "Why isn't it working?!"

Gwen ignored her hysterics and continued striking. The vines began agonizing, letting out a gooey substance that covered Barb from having moved carelessly. The creature finally began loosening its grip on her and freed her at last.

Immediately, Barb got on her feet and held her in a tight embrace that nearly took Gwen's breath away. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Never did Barb think Gwen Henderson would be the one to save her life. From only speaking in class and exchanging hellos in the halls, being in her debt never crossed her mind, but now, she was alive thanks to her.

"Don't thank me just yet. We still need to find a way out of here," Gwen pulled away, slightly uncomfortable since she's not much of a hugger, especially with people she's not close with.

Barb nodded, her eyes wandering all around as she worried how they were going to get out of here. She took a deep breath and reached out to Gwen, but noticed that she was already walking away.

"Wait for me!"

Gwen stepped carefully around the vines, ignoring her fear that there's no way out and they'll have to stay hidden in that terrible house. She stopped for a split second to check where else to step, when the sudden feeling of Barb's hands on her shoulders caught her off guard.

"What are you doing?" she questioned.

"I- I don't have my glasses so it's hard for me to tell where it's safe to step on," Barb rushed through her words, her hands tightening onto Gwen's shoulders as her eyes kept looking down at the ground.

Gwen sighed, refusing to believe this is what she had to deal with. "Can you, maybe, not squeeze my shoulders and let go of me, please?"

"But I can't see..."

"Okay fine. Just don't press too tight," Gwen stretched her leg towards an empty space, ignoring the tight grip Barb has on her.

It was taking twice as long to reach the pool's edges, but after lots of careful steps and overbearing shoulder holdings, they managed to finally reach the small set of stairs.

Gwen leaned forward and placed her hands on the railing, but Barb was still holding on to her and made it hard to climb up.

"You can let go now."

"Right, sorry," Barb dropped her hands and stood back. She placed them into her pockets and waited until Gwen got out.

"Come on!"

The second Barb's gaze fell upon the stairs, the memory of how she got dragged from there took over.

She froze in her tracks as she remembered how she screamed for help and no one came. What if she gets taken again? What if she becomes lost for good?

"What are you doing? Come up," Gwen motioned her to start climbing, hoping she could see the movement she was making.

"I'm- I'm scared," Barb whimpered.

It took everything not to snap at her right then and there. She took a deep breath before reaching out to offer her hand, but Barb stood completely still with a blank expression as she continued remembering.

"We need to go right now," Gwen demanded.

"I got taken from those steps."

Gwen was starting to lose her patience. She understood being afraid, but now was not the time to panic, especially when standing at the snake's pit.

"Listen, I get it. You're scared and I am too, so get scared up here with me," she calmly said in hopes it'd bring her back, but not even her gentle tone was enough to break off her trance. "Look, the vines are not going to drag you back, but if they don't, then I will if you don't give me your damn hand!"

That was enough to bring Barb back. She hastily reached for Gwen's hand and began climbing up, both of them taking a breath of relief once making it out of the pool.

"How are we going to get out?" Barb asked.

Gwen ignored her question and headed back inside. She started looking inside the kitchen cabinets for anything Barb could use. "Use this if needed," she told her while handing her a kitchen knife.

Barb immediately took it without thinking twice and followed her. She was hoping they'd get to hide here and wait for help, but she was surprised that Gwen opened the front door and walked out.

Barb ran after her and asked, "Aren't we going to stay and hide?"

"Help isn't coming, so we need to find a way out ourselves," she quickly said while walking away from Steve's house. She made sure to check every corner and the ground for any vines as well as constantly looking back to make sure Barb was still following.

They walked in complete silence. Neither wanted to make a sound in fear that anything could pop up at any second and they'd be forced to fight.

Barb wasn't a fighter, so having to clutch tightly to a knife felt extremely strange and terrifying. She looked over at Gwen, who appeared to be calm despite the situation they're in. She started thinking that maybe all the fights she's had have prepared her for this and maybe that's why she wasn't so afraid.

"Darlin' you got to let me know. Should I stay or should I go?" Gwen sang to herself all to try and ease her nerves. She's had that song stuck in her head all thanks to Jonathan playing it on loop on the way to school.

After the most eternal minutes, Gwen recognized the tree that brought her into this dimension. She sighed in relief and peered behind her shoulder at Barb, but before being able to let her know, she felt something wrap itself around her ankle. Before she could even attempt to fight back, the creature started dragging her away at the most rapid speed.

The ground felt harsh against her back and the cold wind struck her face as if it were hitting her. She tried holding on to anything, but the vines were much stronger and resilient in preventing her escape. Barb's yells could be heard and she felt a small sense of relief when seeing her running in her direction with the knife in the air.

Gwen managed to hold on to a fallen tree trunk, but the vines managed to loosen her grip as if it were the simplest of things. She pressed her nails against ground, leaving behind scratch marks and making her fingers bleed. It was getting harder to fight, but she couldn't allow this world to take her away. She needed to do something, to fight, to not make it so easy.

The vines tightened themselves around her arms and slammed her into a tree. The harsh collision took her breath away and just when she believed she had a chance to escape, the vines tightened themselves around her ankles and throat. She gasped for air and flailed in its hold, but her movements only infuriated the creature and made it tighten its grip on her even more.

Despite wanting to fight, Gwen knew it was useless. She was going to die and never see her loved ones again. She couldn't even save Barb and take her home. All of this had been in vain, so like a fallen soldier, she surrendered to her demise. Her eyes closed as she awaited death, but that's when she remembered the pocket knife Jonathan had given her earlier.

She wasn't going to die. She was going to live.

Her eyes fluttered open as her fear vanished and determination took over. She reached into her pocket, ignoring the heavy grip of the vines as she needed to escape.

With every hit and every puncture, the monster started loosening its grip, giving her the advantage of rushing to the bat that Barb was finally able to hand to her once reaching her.

Gwen took the bat and held a firm grip on it. She raised it in front and watched as more vines began to run at them. She glanced over at Barb, who had fear and courage in her eyes.

This was her time to avenge herself as well. This monster took her here so she would make sure it remembers how she's going to beat its ass.

The vines jumped at them, causing the both of them to injure it as much as they could. Their pain and anger consumed them, giving them the courage to face the demon of their nightmares.

There's this funny thing on the way fear works. The way the smallest of things can scar one's soul for life, and make time run slower, feeling as if the world has stopped turning and focused on bringing suffering to one's being.

Time freezes and there's nothing but the choice of deciding to stay or if one should leave. Every decision, every path one takes, leads to the final round. Those final moments where you need to decide to continue fighting or stop altogether

It was clear which path they're taking.

They were going to fight to survive.

With every puncture and every swing, the creature got angrier, making the rest of his friends awaken as the forest shook in rage. The trees swayed back and forth, leaving behind trails of rotten branches and leaves.

Once the ground stopped shaking, there was an eerie silence left behind. The girls stayed silent and listened to any signs of danger.

A minute passed and nothing was happening, which brought a wave of relief as they began taking a few steps back. Nearly a few feet away from the scene, the growl of a monster was heard.

Both girls didn't need to say anything as they knew what needed to be done. They needed to run and hide if they wanted to live.

Gwen led the way, looking back in hopes Barb wouldn't fall behind. She started thinking that maybe Barb was right and they should have stayed at the house, but her need to figure things out made her too stubborn to accept any other ideas, and now look at where they are.

She searched for any good place to hide in, but they had gone too deep into the forest that there was nothing left to do other than just hide behind the trees.

Gwen closed her eyes and leaned her back against the tree trunk and looked beside her to find Barb doing the same.

The forest turned silent again. Only their shaky breaths were heard as they prayed this monster would leave them alone and there'd be some kind of escape from this world.

But the worst happened in the wake of a minute.

It seemed the creature had missed its prey and wanted her back. The vines encircled Barb's ankles and dragged her away from her hiding spot, but instead of tightening itself around her, they chose on taking a different route.

Gwen wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't witnessing the vines go through Barb's stomach. Her painful screams filled her ears and for just a brief second, her flight or fight response took the worst possible turn. She remained frozen as she watched the monster levitate her friend into the air and then toss her to the ground as if she were nothing but disposable.

She needed to save her and bring her back to her family and best friend. She owed it to her since all of this was happening because of her. If they had stayed at the house just a little longer, maybe this could have been avoided.

Gwen tightened her grip on her bat and pushed through her fear. She jumped over the lingering vines and ignored the monster starting to approach them. Barb needed her, so she was not about to abandon her.

Just as she struck the vines surrounding her, the monster finally reached her. Its claws dug deep into her shoulder, causing her blood to spill all around as if an open faucet had been opened. Screams escaped her, but even then, she managed to smash her bat deep into its skin.

The monster let out an agonizing shriek and tossed her against the trees. Gwen tried resisting from screaming in pain, but the dislocation of her shoulder was preventing her bravery from remaining. Through her blurry vision, she could see the monster heading to a struggling Barb, who kept waving her knife as a way to attempt protecting herself.

Taking a deep breath, Gwen applied grand pressure on her shoulder until hearing it pop back into place. The pain became slightly more bearable, allowing her the opportunity to dash toward the monster.

One strike, two strikes, three strikes.

The creature launched at her arm, but she ignored every ounce pain coursing through her.

Barb was turning unconscious, but was able to make out that her friend needed help. Despite the pain running through her, she slowly got up and reached for the knife. Her injury was weakening her with every step she took that the realization of not making it finally hit her.

Knowing she wouldn't survive, she was determined that her friend would. One of them had to come out alive and it would be Gwen.

Before Gwen was able to realize what Barb was doing, the creature had thrown her once more into the trees. She heard Barb's screams cut off and the sound of the steel weapon dropping.

The monster had struck her again. Only now, it was inside her chest, having stolen Gwen's hope of taking her friend home. She screamed her name until the creature dropped her friend's lifeless body next to her.

Barb's eyes were still open and staring into her soul. A mixture of terror and sorrow were lingering in them and as much as Gwen tried looking away, she couldn't find herself to move. Her heart pounded against her chest and her ears were ringing as if a piercing siren had turned on. Nothing she did made her look away, so all she could do was continue staring like the tortured bystander she had been.

Her breath hitched as tears streamed down her face. She trembled uncontrollably and felt her hands digging deep into the ground as she slowly started moving back.

Barb was dead and Gwen was still alive.

None of this was right. It shouldn't have been her to survive. It should have been Barb.

The monster menacingly stepped forward. His claws were sharper than any knife and his mouth opened, revealing its sharp teeth and desire to fulfill its hunger. There were two prey in front of it now and while one was already in the grim reaper's hands, it didn't mean he would allow it to go to waste.

Gwen wanted to run away, but she was paralyzed with fear. Her friend's eyes were staring into her as if blaming her for her end, and in a way, Gwen knew she was to blame. She was the reason as to why Barb wouldn't reunite with her family or Nancy ever again. She was adamant on leaving the house and now look at what happened.

Barb was gone and it was all because of her.

She glanced up at the monster and knew this was the end of the line for her. Death's carriage was waiting for her and instead of resisting her destiny, she looked down and closed her eyes.

A torturous silence filled the forest. The seconds turned to minutes and she wondered if perhaps the monster was torturing her. What was he waiting for? She was ready for death, so why wasn't he doing anything?

Gwen slowly glanced up and was shocked when realizing she was alone. The monster was gone. Not a sight of him and the vines were present.

Why did he spare her? What did she do to deserve this?

She should be dead. She shouldn't have survived.

Barb should have.

"Gwen!"

A familiar voice sounded from afar and as much as she wanted to follow it, she instead headed towards Barb. Her once lively eyes were deserted and filled with loss. The girl that deserved better was gone and it was all Gwen's fault.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered and gently closed her eyes, her cries unable to prevented now.

"Gwen! Where are you?!" Jonathan yelled and as if his voice had been her strength, she pushed herself off the ground and started running faster than a bolt of lightning. "Gwen!"

Her best friend was waiting for her on the other side. She couldn't stay here when he needed her just as much as she needed him. She needed to find her way back to him, so despite the pain coursing through her, Gwen followed the sound of his voice.

"Where are you?!" Jonathan yelled once more, his voice breaking and becoming more tremulous.

Gwen noticed a tree with an opening getting nearer. She pushed through and hurried in its direction, relief overcoming her when kneeling in front of it. She would get to see her loved ones again and that was all that mattered, but deep in her heart, she knew she couldn't speak about what happened to anyone.

Nancy would blame her for her best friend's death. She would despise her for an eternity and while they were barely becoming friends, Gwen couldn't envision losing their connection.

This was a secret that she would take to the grave.

"Gwen!" Jonathan became more terrified as he was afraid of having lost another person again. First it was his brother and now his best friend. He wouldn't be able to survive if he lost them both. "Please answer me! Where are you?!"

"Jonathan!" Gwen placed her hand inside the tree despite the substance burning the long gash on her arm.

Relief and ecstasy consumed him at hearing her voice. He kneeled down and grasped her hands tightly to pull her out. Once she was out safe and sound, he didn't waste time in holding her in a tight embrace.

She was alive. She was safe. She was here.

"I thought I lost you!" Jonathan cried, holding her tighter and burying his face at the crook of her neck.

Gwen breathed heavily, her gasps becoming louder and more intense. She held onto him as if he were her lifeline and felt grateful that she found her way back.

"I'm here. I'm still here."

December, 1984

Nancy was silent for what seemed to be forever. Hearing that her best friend gave her life so that Gwen could live, made her love her even more and miss her a million times harder. She glanced her way and recognized the guttering pain of having kept this secret for so long. All this time, Gwen's been comforting her when she also needed someone to do the same.

How could she ever be angry and blame her for something that wasn't her fault?

"I'm so sorry," Nancy's eyes were filled with tears as her voice broke. "I should have known there was something more. I should have known."

Gwen refused for her friend to blame herself. Nancy had been a great support despite not knowing the truth. "No, don't do that. Please don't blame yourself for not knowing."

"Did you tell Jonathan?"

"I tried, but I figured if I was going to tell one person, it had to be you," Gwen's voice was barely a whisper. "And I know this will change everything-"

"It won't," Nancy placed her hands on hers with gazed at her with gentle eyes. "You're one of my best friends and I'm glad that you survived."

I'm glad that you survived.

Those were the words she didn't expect to hear, especially from Nancy.

As much as she wanted not to burst into tears, she was unable to contain herself as she was finally able to let everything out after so long.

Nancy held her in a tight embrace, letting Gwen cry everything out just like she had done for her countless of times.

All this time, Gwen had kept this to herself and had to listen to her express how much she missed her best friend. She had questioned her as to why she came to dinners with the Hollands, and now, she finally knew why.

Gwen had ignored her own pain for her, which was more than anyone had ever done.

"I know I don't say this often, but I love you," Nancy told her, earning a light chuckle from her.

Gwen pulled away, composing herself before saying, "Look at you getting all sappy."

Nancy shrugged, smiling as she reached over to embrace her once more, "Well, I mean it."

"I love you too, Nance," she said, feeling more at peace that everything was finally out.