A/n: I hate but also kinda love that I know exactly what you guys are gonna comment this chapter 😑😆

+ There is a CRIMINALLY underappreciated Dustin moment near the end when he gets spit on by the spores, and yeah I just love Gaten. Thank you for making me laugh till my sides hurt, my dude ♡

||3rd Person POV||

The truck comes to a gradual halt before shutting down altogether. Hopper is the first to exit the car and is soon followed by El. Her heart plummets all the way down to her stomach when she gazes up at the building in front of her. All of her fears that had accumulated during the car ride over now manifest itself into a hole that swallows her up. In an instant, she's a prisoner again. A weapon.

[FLASHBACK]

The cat began snarling, and it quickly turned to whimpers of pain. Eleven was freely crying now as she looked between the frightened cat and Papa.

《•••》

Eleven struggles to break free from the men's hold as they carry her by her arms down, back into the room.

Sobs racked her body as she uses all her strength to turn and look back at Papa.

"Papa!" He steps out into the hallway and remains standing, doing nothing to help her, yet she still calls for him.

《•••》

Eleven's stomach sinks lower than she does as the platform she stands on descends into the tank. Her hands grip the rails tightly, knowingly her only connection tethering her to reality as she becomes one with the water.

《•••》

The very world begins to shatter around her as it collides with the Upside Down. All the while, she is still held captive in her mind, her body fights to be free and her arms bang furiously on the glass of the isolation tank.

Her horrified screams blend with the cracking of tile and asphalt as the lab begins to crumble.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

A thud rips her from her thoughts and she turns to find Hopper stepping away from the trunk, gun in hand. Her breathing is shallow but she manages to calm it for the time being. The screeches of the Demodogs ring continuously into the night, and Hopper scans the area.

"Alright," he assures, gesturing to the lab. "You let me do the heavy lifting up front, alright? You save your strength 'till we're below."

She does not answer, and Hopper knows it is not her usual silence. He sees her hesitant expression and feels a pang in his heart for her.

"You okay?"

Again, she does not answer. But her previously frightened gaze quickly molds into that of intense determination and she stalks off towards the lab with Hopper on her heels.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The first thing Steve notices as his brain begins to stir is the overwhelming amount of pain in his face and abdomen. There isn't a spot on his head that isn't throbbing, and as his face begins to twitch he notes his face is stained in blood that crusted and tightened his skin.

His hearing returns next and was that... sloshing he heard? He let out an involuntarily groan as he turned his head. His vision is still wildly out of focus but he swears he can make out the words, 'GASOLINE FILLER' on a large red canister. His vision worsens as he cranes his head up to look at the person holding it, and his brain tries desperately to make a connection.

"Nancy?"

Mike's brows knit together in an unsettled and puzzled frown as he looks at Steve unpleasantly.

Another groan escapes Steve as his head moves back to a more comfortable position, and shakily he struggles to bring a hand up to his face. He hisses in pain when he touches one of many injuries.

"No, don't touch it." Dustin's voice echoes several times in his ears.

He feels a hand gently pull his arm away from his face, and suddenly he's aware of an ice pack on his forehead. He turns his head the other way, still wincing in pain as every movement only intensifies the throbbing in his skull. Dustin sits beside him to his right, he realizes and in the back of his mind - the part that is still waking up - is trying to piece together where they all are right now.

Dustin smiles down at him.

"Hey, buddy..." he coos softly. "shh, shhh, shhh."

Steve tried to make sense of his surroundings and Dustin's words. His voice was echoing over his shushing and Steve tries desperately to listen.

"It's okay. You put up a good fight," a fight? Billy, he remembers. "He kicked your ass, but you put up a good fight. You're okay, you're okay."

Steve grasps limply for the ice pack and takes it from Dustin as he tries to find his bearings. He hears another voice echo in his ears, still overlapping itself as his senses adjust.

"Okay, you're gonna keep straight for half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai."

It was Lucas. He was in the front seat. Wait, the front seat? It finally registers that he is in a car, but who the hell was driving?

Sluggishly, his head turns to the front seat, and who he finds only confuses him even more. Was he hallucinating? Dreaming? Hell, he sure hoped he was.

"Whas' goin on?" He slurs.

Max gripped the wheel nervously, she sits up a bit straighter than normal to see across the dashboard. Upon hearing his voice, she spares a moment to glance over her shoulder and studies his reaction.

"Oh, my god!" It comes out in a frightened chuckle and he begins shifting around.

"Steve," Dustin eases. "Just relax. She's driven before."

"Yeah, in a parking lot." Mike retorts in his other ear.

"That counts." Lucas defends.

"They were going to leave you behind," Dustin says irritably.

Steve is not listening to their jabber, the panic far too overwhelming. He's still shifting in his seat, unable to stop his squirming as he tries to process not only his current situation but the memories that continue to come flooding back from before he blacked out.

"Oh, my god."

"I promised that you'd be cool, okay?" Dustin says, trying again to soothe the young man.

"Oh, my god! Woah, woah, woah, woah. What's going on?"

Desperately he grasps at the shoulders of the two front seats as the car rapidly picks up speed. Max's foot presses harder on the small cardboard box on the gas pedal. The engine grows louder, and so do Steve's horrified screams.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah! NO! WHOA! StOp the car! SLOW down!"

"I told you he'd freak out," Mike snarls at Dustin.

"Stop the car~!"

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" Max roars. "I'm trying to focus!"

Lucas about jumps in his seat, his eyes grow wide and frantically he points just up ahead.

"Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai! Make a left!"

"What?"

"Make. A. Left!"

"Shit" she mutters, jerking the wheel to the side.

The car hits a mailbox as it swerves to the other side of the road. Using the momentum, the car lurches to right as it swings a sharp left. Screams fill the car, and a tearful Steve clamors after Dustin. But eventually, the car redirects itself and they disappear down the road.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Three figures are sat around the still unconscious figure of Will, each of them already drenched with sweat. Much like themselves, hair clings to Will's forehead, and his clothes hold many dark stains of sweat. The temperature inside the cabin quickly began to climb thanks to the many space heaters and the full fireplace. Y/n sat waiting in the other room, her hands interwoven as she wrung them together.

Y/n feared things would escalate had she been one of the first people "Will" had seen. It was obvious the Mind Flayer was most threatened by her, hence her presence in what she could only guess to be El's bedroom.

She was going to wait. Only a bit longer. Not only was her strength still returning but she knew it would be a long and difficult process. She wanted to save her energy for when she needed it most. As it would seem, the wait would not be lasting much longer. Everyone's heads were picked up from the ground at the sound of a small gasp.

Her head whipped to the door, keeping her ears peeled. Will was definitely awake, she could hear his heavy breathing and she jumped to her feet nervously.

How would she do this?

Could she do this?

She only had so much practice.

Joyce's offer returns to mind, and immediately she dismisses the option of opting out. Y/n intended to keep her word, and her best friend.

Her motives are only confirmed when she hears Will begin to panic.
It's not Will, she reminds herself.

But even that still manages to feel like a lie.

"What's happening?" She hears him pant fearfully. "It hurts."

Y/n hears shuffling, and she can picture him fighting against the restraints. Her mouth runs dry, and her throat sore as she hears the desperate and fearful cries of Will.

She knew this would not be easy, using her powers to this extent. But Y/n had been so worried about that, she forgot how painful it was to hear him in pain. And now she was going to be the one inflicting it.

"It hurts!" He screeches. "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"

At his bedside, Jonathan rises to his feet. His eyes widen at the sight of his little brother, and all pain he had felt previously inside the shed at home, was dwarfed in comparison to what he saw now before him. Jonathan's hand clasps tightly around his mother's.

Will was writhing on the bed, his face contorted in a terrified expression.

"Let me go! Let me go! It hurts!"

Now as Joyce stares at her son, he's more Mind Flayer than Will. Anger rises in her chest as she thinks of all the things this monster was ripping from her. All that he had ripped from her already.

What little happiness, peace, and sense of mind she had managed to scrape together after the prior year.

And it had already taken Bob. She wouldn't let him take Will too.
With a determined glare, she throws her head over her shoulder at El's door calling out in a growl.

"It's time!"

Will's attention flies to the door, and for a moment, whips frantically between it and his mother confused. But his limbs still move, and he does not stop screaming.

"What's going on?! What's going on?! What's going on?!"

The lights flicker as they did in the shed, and when his eyes fall on the doorframe, every ounce of panic inside is multiplied and his struggle only intensifies.

"NO! NO! GO AWAY! NO! GET THE HELL OUT!" He screams. "GET OUT! GET AWAY! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

Y/n steps into view, her face hardened, fists clenched and chest heaving in shallow, nervous breaths. Her eyes are locked on Will and already, two or three spidery veins begin to appear around her eyes. They're faint, and hard to see without the thick layer of sweat illuminating her s/c skin and accentuating the usual faint bumps and indents of her strain.

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

She has joined Joyce's side, unaware heat has already begun radiating off of her tightly clenched fists. Her eyes are locked on Will's, and the closer she gets the more frantic he becomes.

The more frantic the Mind Flayer becomes.

The lights continue to flicker, and her breathing grows more shallow. Shakily, one hand rises out and her hardened expression cracks when Will's eyes go wide. His legs kick even faster, and using the restraints around his wrists he tries to pull himself as far away as he can from her.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! NO! NO! ENOUGH! STOP IT!"

Y/n hesitates, only briefly to lock eyes with the others and her gaze lands on Joyce. Joyce's lip is curled up in a furious pout, and she nods determined, giving the okay. Y/n turns her head to look back at Will, shuffling on her feet only briefly, and out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Joyce crank up the heat on the space heaters.

"Mom," Jonathan whimpers.

Jonathan looks on in terror at Will's reaction as Joyce circles the room, reaching every heater. She calls out in protest, shouting out encouragement to Y/n. His unease and pain grows with every second until he can no longer bear it. He whirls around on his heel and into Nancy's arms. Sobs rack his body as he weeps into Nancy's shoulder. She is crying too, an equally disturbed look fixed on her face as she cradles Jonathan close.

Y/n, all the while, takes a deep breath, trying desperately to tune out his horrifying screams and her eyes flutter closed. And while it wounds her greatly to do so, she lets the sound of his pain fuel her anger and in no time she feels the heat coursing through her veins and into her fingertips.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The vicious roar of an engine booms across Merrill's Pumpkin Farm followed by the crunching of wood. The tires of Billy's hijacked car barrels over the welcome sign leaving it in pieces. After many moments, the car comes to a screeching halt when Max finds them at the large hole that had been dug.

The sudden halt throws each body forward, and a rather petrified Steve rockets back into his seat.

"WOAH HELlo!"

A large puff of air inflates his cheeks, enunciating - and hurting - his crooked nose.

Gasps of surprise and awe ripple throughout the car, including Mike.

"Incredible," he breathes.

"Told you." Her gaze remains fixed ahead, but she quirks a brow and rips the keys from the ignition. "Zoomer."

The party wastes no time climbing out, and heads straight for the trunk where they had placed their many supplies. Steve, meanwhile, kicks and squirms in the backseat not unlike a ladybug stuck on his back as he tries to find his balance. He was still horribly woozy but given the unfolding events with the unruly kids he had no choice. His hands find the edge of the car and he pulls himself out, his legs unable to catch him in time. His hands and knees find the ground and it knocks a groan loose.

As Steve pulls himself up on his feet, he looks on in worry at what he sees them doing. A variety of bandanas and goggles are pulled from the trunk and wrapped around their faces.

"Guys," he slurs, draping himself against the door and car. "Oh, no. Guys,"

His swollen eyes widen a bit when he sees a now completely masked Mike struts around to the front of the car with the canister and some rope.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

He neglects to answer, infuriating Steve even more and kneels before the front bumper.

"What are you, deaf? Hello?"

Max is the next to follow suit, once again engaging the panicking babysitter.

"We are not going down there right now," he orders, his pointing finger once again plummeting towards the ground. "I made myself clear!"

Max heads for the pit, and Mike fastens the rope to the car.

"Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, all right?!"

Lucas walks past him without a word or a glance in his direction and joins the others. Steve stumbles to the trunk where only Dustin remains, ripping what few things he holds and chucks them back into the trunk.

"Steve!" Dustin calls, tugging swiftly on Steve's sleeve to keep him from chasing after them. "you're upset, I get it. But the bottom line,"

One by one, with Mike in lead and rope in hand, the party marches to the bottom of the pit where the hole resides.

"a party member requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance. Now, I know you promised Nance that you would keep us safe."

He reaches into the truck, pulling out Steve's backpack he had brought with him to the junkyard, complete with the spiked bat sticking out from the pouch. Dustin thrusts the backpack forward for Steve to take.

"So, keep us safe."

Steve glares at the kid, shaking his head with great distaste when a great sigh escapes.

He was cornered.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The drop is not as far as Steve had anticipated, but it still manages to take his breath away by the time he gets to the bottom. His mouth sits agape behind his new makeshift mask as he takes in the unusual setting he finds himself in. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"Holy shit," he breathes.

When the others had spoken of tunnels beneath Hawkins, he had a hard time picturing anything but a tightly packed space. With walls compacted of damp earth littered with the towns undergrowth that smelled of dirt. He certainly had not expected a vast shaft the size of an average hallway. Instead of dirt, all one could see was a wall woven out of hundreds of vines of varying sizes under a thick coat of slime. And as the beam of Dustin's flashlight dances in the air, Steve understands why the need for goggles and masks.

The air was heavier down there, and not in the sense that there was less of it seeing as they were underground. But it seemed... otherworldly. Everything felt heavier, even the gravity oddly enough. Steve was also quick to catch on to the thousands of little flakes that hung in the air around him.

The end of Mike's flashlight lands on the crudely drawn map of tunnels they had procured in their limited time.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way." His words are slightly muffled from his mask, and his flashlights shift down one end of the tunnel.

"You're pretty sure, or you're certain?" Dustin asks.

"I'm one hundred percent sure," Mike yells, whirling around. "Just follow me and you'll know."

Mike turns back around to start the journey, only to halt in tracks when Steve begins yelling at him.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hey, hey, hey, hey," Protests Steve, walking up to the boy.

Mike throws his arms out in frustration despite his full hands. "What?"

"I don't think so. Any of you little shits die down here, I'm gettin' the blame. Got it, dipshit?"

He rips the map out from Mike's grasp and turns to the others. "From here on out, I'm leading the way. Come on, let's go."

One by one like ducklings, they fall in line behind Steve and they disappear deep with tunnels.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Two sets of feet scurry through the halls of Hawkins lab, their steps light and quick. Hopper and El now find themselves in one of many stairwells, and Hopper remains in the lead, gun drawn. What they find does not ease their already troubled minds. A trail of blood paints the railing and floors, continuing around the corner and down the stairs. Their trip through the hallways has already been littered with dead bodies around every corner. The carnage left over from what the Demodogs didn't finish. But this looked more like a crime scene than an animal attack.

And Hopper had a sneaking suspicion the person responsible was nearby and near-death if they weren't already gone.

"Stay here," he orders softly.

The poor kid had already seen enough. He had better scope it out, he figures. Especially if one of those dogs was still around. Softly he descends the first set of steps, his grip growing tighter around the gun as he inches around the corner. The tension melts away altogether at what he sees on the next landing.

"Oh, shit," he gasps, immediately descending the stairs.

He discards the gun off his back as he kneels to the floor beside a dying Dr. Owens. "Hey, Doc,"

The man sits propped up against the wall, his face drained of color and he is stained with blood. On his chest, is a sizable gouge that has turned a portion of his white shirt crimson, and one pant leg is ripped open to reveal a tremendous gash on his lower thigh.

Hopper sighs as he examines the man's wounds. "Those suckers got you pretty good, huh?"

Weakly, the doctor begins to gesture through a pained look on his face, and he tries to speak through shallow breaths. Hopper shakes his head and pats the man's uninjured shoulder.

"It's okay, don't talk. Don't talk. I got you, I got you, I got you," he reassures.

The man had already lost too much blood and was only loosing more with every second. Hopper had to act fast, and he knew the quickest way to slow the bleeding was to cut off circulation. Quickly, Hopper undid his belt and began fastening it just above the wound.

He hesitated only once, and quite briefly when he saw a funny look cross Owens's face. He glances over his shoulder to see El had joined them and was now quietly observing. Hopper returns to his work.

"Oh, yeah," he grunts, looping the belt around the man's leg once more. "I've been meaning to tell ya'. This is Eleven. Eleven, Doc Owens. Doc Owens, Eleven."

He can't believe his eyes as she stands before him, one of two missing pieces at the very center of the conspiracy he had been tasked with protecting. He had heard of her of course, and Brenner, and the other kid the madman was obsessed with getting his hands on. But it was strange knowing - seeing - the proof staring him in the eye.

He doesn't blame her as she stares at him wearily, in truth her heart is pounding being so close to him. Another labcoat from this place was the last person she would trust. Yet she lingered, only because Hopper seemed to trust this guy. Somewhat it seemed.

"She's been staying with me for about a year," Hopper continues. "and she's about to save our asses."

His eyes land on Owens, and he makes sure the man knows it. His expression hardens.

"And maybe when all this is said and done, maybe you can help her out, too, you know? Maybe you could help her lead, like, a normal life."

Owens listens, his breathing still slow and shallow and his eyes return to the young girl watching intently. She's studying him with an unreadable expression, and it suddenly sinks in all the things she was capable of doing. But so do Hopper's next words.

"One where she's not poked and prodded and treated like some kind of lab rat, you know?"

"I don't know," A protective and hostile glare is sent Owens way in the form of a greatly exaggerated sarcastic smile. "just a thought."

He yanks the belt tight assuring the man understood his threat. He flinches in pain and lets out a small groan. Once the belt is tied, his right hand comes to rest on Owens' shoulder and gives it a harsh squeeze.

"But, uh..." Hopper throws one last spiteful, and knowing look at him. Reminding the man silently of all she was risking by doing this. "think about it."

He doesn't let go until Owens nods feverishly, and his expression softens when he detects sincerity in the man's eyes. Hopper reaches for his holster and pulls out his revolver.

"Don't go anywhere," he says, handing the man his gun.

Owens' chuckles weakly at the man's words and winces immediately in pain. But he nods nonetheless and Hopper rises to his feet knowing he has done all he can for the time being. El's soft and widened eyes meet with his briefly, and the two disappear down the stairs.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Their journey to the hub was a tense and dubious one, and it was far too easy to doubt one's sense of direction. It was a maze, with danger lurking around every corner. Consciously, they knew the Demodogs were called to the lab and would most likely remain there to protect the gate. But that didn't encourage a single one of them to let their guard down. After a while, when hope had just begun to dwindle, the tunnels began to blend together and they knew instantly they were close.

None of them were prepared for what they saw next.

"God," Lucas gasps.

Surrounding them were several engorged, purple spores that spit more flakes into the air around them.

"What is this place?" Max wondered aloud.

"Guys, come on." Steve orders, marching on. "Keep moving."

The party obeys, happy to get the task over. All except the last party member who lingers at the back. Dustin reaches the small alcove last as his friends continue on, his attention captured by one of many pods on the ceiling. Completely perplexed, he finds himself fixed on the odd plant as it begins to breathe.

"What the hell?" His mouth hangs open behind his mask in a small gasp.

The pod continues to grow in size while simultaneously shrinking in on itself. In seconds, it spews a fresh batch of spores directly into the boy's face, sending him into a panic. He collapses to the mucky ground in a screaming fit, and he writhes around for a moment as he tries to stumble to his feet. Finally, he finds his footing and runs after the others screaming and sputtering.

"Help! Help! Help!"

"Dustin!" Mike cries out.

The others have already turned around and made their way to him at fast as they can. All the while, Dustin sprints across the alcove before his face plants in the ground when his foot snags on a vine.

"Dustin!"

"Dustin?!"

They scramble around him, trying to get a good look at him to find out what went wrong when Steve roughly shoves them aside to check on the boy.

"What happened? What happened?!"

Dustin is now doubled over on his hands and knees, coughing and sputtering as high pitched screeches tumble out of his mouth.

"It's in my mouth! Some got in my mouth!" He takes a deep breath. "SHIIIIIIIT!"

The others watch as more coughs shake his body, and quickly he begins spitting in a desperate manner. Finally, he begins to calm and that is when he feels all eyes still watching him. He looks up at them slowly, panting as he comes down from his panic attack.

"I'm okay," he says softly.

Everyone lets out a sigh, both overwhelmingly relieved and frustrated. They do not skimp put on giving him a quick scolding.

"You serious?" Max hisses.

"Very funny, man," Steve grumbles, standing up and resuming the journey. "Nice. Very nice."

"Jesus. What an idiot."

The party follows after Steve in a buzz of anger and Dustin scrambles to his feet in fear of being left behind. "Hang on, wait. Wait!"

The journey does not last long after, for within minutes they find themselves at the entrance of an even larger opening. They at once know this is the place they came for when they gaze upon the cavern they now find themselves at the edge of.

"Alright, Wheeler," Steve clicks his tongue as the others pool around at his side, gawking at the scene. "I think we found your hub."

Stretched out before them was a vast area roughly the size of the Byers kitchen and dining room combined. It was quite spacious. The ceiling had doubled in height and arched into the center to form a dome. Giant, purple spores identical to the one Dustin had encountered dotted the ceiling. And just as the map had predicted, multiple pathways connected all around them.

"Let's drench it," Mike orders.

The team sets to work divvied up amongst the hub. Each of them carries their source of fuel for the fire they had brought along with them. The stench of mold and decay was quickly buried under the gallons of lighter fluid they began dispersing. Lucas - who had been smart enough to snatch up the pesticide sprayer back at the house - covered the ceiling whiles the others secured the walls and ground around them.

Not a drop was left over.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Pain ripped from Y/n's throat in the form of a strenuous battle cry. Bursting forth from her palms were great billowy waves of heat, veins began to spread to her cheeks and jaw. Her cries end only to gasp for air. Her chest begins heaving at an alarming rate as her lungs swallow as much oxygen as they can take. A whimper breaks out though it is hard to be heard over Will's terrifying screeches.

Jonathan's hand around Nancy grows tighter, and he turns to her still fearfully. "It's not working."

He shifts attention to his mother. "It's not working! Mom, are you listening to me? It's not working!"

"Just wait!"

Y/n cries out once more, it has lost most of its anger and it sounded more wounded than anything. Jonathan's eyes fly back to her before hardening at his mother.

"We can't! Look...! Look at him!" He sputters, storming his mother's side. "Look at her! You're killing them! Y/n, stop. That's enough!"

"Jonathan, wait!"

Ignoring his mother, he calls after the girl as he marches for the heater ready to turn it off. His mother pries him away from the heater, but he does not go down without a fight. His mouth parts to argue, but Y/n quickly recaptures everyone's attention.

A grunt brews in her stomach and erupts from her chest. She shakes her head, her attention never leaving Will.

"N-no! I..." she whimpers again, and she feels her cracked and dried lips dampen with blood that dripped from her nose. "I can... do it!"

"Y/n, no!"

Will's head whips to his side in and urgent and unnaturally rigid manner, his now completely back eyes zero in on Jonathan.

"GET HER AWAY! GET HER AWAY! GET HER AWAY!" Jonathan's eyes double in size at the horrific sight, and what he says next is enough to paralyze him. "KILL HER! KILL HER!"

His head never moved, but his body never stopped. His fighting grew more intense and forceful, now breaking away at his skin as his wrists and ankles began to bleed.

"KILL HER, DAMMIT! KILL HER! KILL HER!"

The words buy a single moment's worth of shocked hesitation among the others, all apart from Y/n. She still had one more thing to try, and she knew she had to act fast. While the Mind Flayer's attention was diverted she had slipped to the other side of his bed, and reached for his arm.

The skin of her heated palm nearly made contact with his, but before it could she heard a snap, and she was out on the floor less than a second later.

"Y/n!"

"Will, no!"

Will's left hand had broken free from its restraint, sent flying through the air and into her face. His knuckles burrowed into the side of her head, throwing her back with a surprising amount of force. On her way down, a horrible screech left her throat that was soon cut short with a dull thud when her skull hit the cast iron fireplace knocking her out.

In the immediate moments that followed, they saw Will throw himself to the side of the bed. Joyce lunged after him, fearing he was trying to pry himself free from his other restraints, but to her horror she found his nails raking into Y/n's face, repeatedly.

"Will, stop! STOP! NO!"

Joyce and Nancy both run to the girl's aid as quick as they can. Joyce jumps at her son to restrain him while Nancy manages to drag the unconscious girl out and around the bed, safe from the Mind Flayer's reach. Joyce fights hard against her struggling son as he tries to reach after Y/n, but quickly his attention snaps to his mother. He whirls on her in seconds, his free arm shooting up at her and his now bloodied hand clamps tightly around her throat. Her hands fly to his wrists, now pawing at him as she tries to pry herself free from his grip.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The deeper they venture into Hawkins Lab, the closer they get to the heart of it all; the gate. Already, the familiar spores of the Upside Down have leaked into the atmosphere, the air cold and stiff. Hopper's flashlight journey's down the hall, finding the end marked by the two giant elevator doors. The very same himself and Joyce had entered the previous year to find Will.

What they heard next only confirmed the gate was just around the corner. It was the horrific howls of the Demodogs, and they were closer than ever as their shrill echoes bounced down the barren tiled hall.

"Stay here," Hopper repeats.

El stands rigid with her eyes fixed on the hall ahead, the closer she got the more vivid the memories grew. She watches studiously, not daring for a second to take her eyes off of Hopper as peers around the corner. Even if he did have the gun, even if he did tell her he would take care of them for her. That he was there to protect her, she'd knew now she'd never stop looking out for him.

Hopper's attention never strays as he slowly inches forward towards the lab. Just hours ago he had been in this very room when they broke through. As far as he could tell at that moment, the entry was clear but he knew the room itself was far from that. When he approaches the door - his footsteps still light and silent - he takes cover in the corner up against the door. He pulls his large pocket knife from his pocket, unfolding it, and slowly brings it into view.

Sure enough, in the slim and shakey reflection he spots several dozen Demodogs, all packed around the entrance to the gate.

They were guarding it.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

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