THE PLAN WORKED. 

After a few minutes of Eddie flashing three dots and three dashes in a pattern, Dustin managed to understand and realize what was happening. While his voice came through muffled, he managed to speak a few words to them, instructing they blink once for yes and twice for no. After a few questions and knowing it was his friends, the Henderson quickly instructed that they go back up to Nancy's room—for what, he didn't exactly state. 

But, Carla trusted Dustin. He'd help them. 

Steve, Robin, Carla, Nancy, and Eddie all sit crouched in front of Nancy's bed waiting for their next cue. The Harrington boy shines a light atop the bedsheets. 

".....you guys seeing this?" Dustin's warped and echoing voice comes through the walls.

As the Henderson speaks, the same orange glow from the chandelier appears atop the bed, sparkling. A smile breaks out on Nancy's face as she outstretched a hand and moves back and forth within the particles, signaling to the boy that it was working.

"Holy shit!" Another voice, Erica Sinclair, cuts through, her exclaim mixing in with Dustin's excited cackles.

"We're not moving it but we're gonna unplug it. Stand-by." Dustin announces, the group watching as the orange glow dimmed down. "Try it now!"

Nancy moves her hand away from the glowing light. She turns to look at her sister, offering, "You want to do the honors?"

Carla doesn't argue, outstretching her good arm towards the bed where Steve's flashlight is shining down. Her fingers lightly touch the particles, which glow a vibrant orange at the sudden contact. Her fingers buzz with the feeling of the glittery substance. 

Eddie squeezes her good shoulder and Nancy offers a nod of confidence. For a moment, she thinks on what to say, before tracing out a simple 'H-I.'  The letters glow a deeper orange than the rest of the particles, and Carla pulls her hand away, hoping it worked. 

"Hi!" Dustin's voice echoes through the walls, a childish laugh falling from his lips. "That worked!"

All of the teens start cheering and sighing in relief, patting shoulders and smiling like they've been told the best news in their lives.

"Yes!" Steve exclaims, "Yes!" 

Eddie leans forward, "Hi!"

Robin placed a hand to her heart, laughing. Nancy lets her shoulder slump for the first time since they started this whole Vecna chase, smile breaking out on her face. 

 Carla lets a real smile cross over her lips—for the first time in forever. Steve presses a kiss to her temple in excitement.

"Okay, uh...." Nancy trails off, moving her hand in front of her sister's so she could write out the next phrase for Dustin to see. She starts by tracing out S-T-U, letting it vanish before finishing the word off with C-K. Stuck. 

Eddie nods up and down. 

"Yes." Steve nods.

"Yeah, we are." Robin clutches her hands to her chest.

Dustin questions, "Uh....you can't get back through Water-gate?" 

Everyone's eyes narrow at the name, Steve looking at the rest of his friends, "What the hell's Watergate?" 

Robin leans forward to meet her best friend's gaze, eyes narrowed. "'Cause it's in water, and it's a gate."

"Oh." 

Tilting his head to the side, Eddie admits, "That's cute."

"Leave it up to Dustin to find names for everything in this hellhole." Carla sighs, thinking back to the Henderson creating the name demo-dogs back in '84 for the new-found creatures. 

"Um, no. Uh....it's..." Nancy speaks aloud as if Dustin can hear her, trying to figure out what to say. It wasn't the gate itself that was the problem, more so the creatures guarding it. Her fingers nimbly work to write out G-U-A-R-D-E-D. Guarded. 

"Okay! Uh, Watergate's guarded?" 

Carla has never been more thankful for the Henderson's smart mind and easy ability to understand things. "Yes." 

Eddie claps his hands, as if applauding Dustin for understanding them. Steve nods, "Perfect. Yes, yes—yes!"

"We think we have a theory that can help with that!"

Robin sighs in relief, "Genius child." 

"We think Watergate isn't the only gate!" Dustin echos, explaining his prior statement, "That there's a gate at every murder site!"

There's a pause of silence between the teens, brains working to comprehend the information that's been thrown at them.

"Does anybody understand what he's talking about?" Nancy asks, though she knows the answer. If she didn't get it, she doubts the remaining four do—minus her sister, who was relatively on her level at figuring things out.

Steve shakes his head, "No."

"No idea." Eddie agrees.

"I....maybe?" Carla offers, hesitant. Patrick died at Lovers Lake, and there had been a gate hidden there. If Dustin's theory is correct, that means there should be a gate in two other spots—Eddie's trailer, and a little further away in the woods. If she's understanding him correctly, he's basically telling them that Watergate isn't their only way out. "

At her sister's hesitance, Nancy draws a question mark inside of the glow, urging Dustin to try and repeat himself.

The Henderson doesn't do that, instead going off on the group with, "Okay, seriously? How many times do I have to be right on the money before you guys just trust me?! "

"Jesus Christ," Steve tsks, giving the walls a dirty look as if Dustin will see his annoyed expression. "This kid's gotta get his ego in check."

Eddie leans forward to look at the Harrington, understanding—he's gotten his fair share of attitude from Dustin the past year. "It's his tone, right?" 

"I know."

"If Dustin isn't going to give us any more help, I think I get it." Carla speaks up, not wanting to be screamed at by the high schooler again. "If his theory is right, there should be a gate at Eddie's trailer and a little outside the trailer park itself. And if those gates are just like Watergate, we should be able to cross back to our world." She turns to look at the Munson, "How far is your trailer?" 

Quickly, Eddie replies, "Seven miles."

Carla frowns. That was too far to walk, being in the Upside Down with unknown creatures and threats all around them. Besides, the Wheeler isn't even sure she wants to walk that far in her condition, as selfish as it sounds.

"Uh, Wheelers?" Both sisters turn to look at Robin as she speaks up, "Uh, I know your house here is, like, weirdly, creepily frozen in time and shit, but haven't you guys always had bikes?"

Steve, Eddie, and Robin all look at the two Wheeler sisters, hopeful that there was a shot of them getting to Eddie's trailer. Carla doesn't think Robin is wrong—they did always have bikes, and they surely had enough between the three elder Wheeler kids and their parents through the years. She looks at Nancy, who gives a curt nod of agreement.

In seconds, the group is writing E-D-D-I-E'-S T-R-A-I-L-E-R into the lights and rushing downstairs, Nancy leading her friends to her garage. Low and behold, bikes sit, waiting to be pedaled down the street. There's enough for all five of them, but Carla doubts she'd be able to steer the bike with the pain shooting through her shoulder—she'd rather be stable when they got to Eddie's trailer than in immense pain from trying to move—and strays at her boyfriends side to ride along with him.

They all roll out bikes to the driveway, hopping and steadying themselves upon the seats. Carefully, Carla gets onto the back of Steve's bike, wrapping her good arm around him to stay steady. 

Bikes creaking, the five teens ride into the desolate streets of the Upside Down. Bats chirp and chatter above, and the sky thunders and flashes red. The air was full of particles, which probably weren't great to bike through and breathe. 

Not having to bike, Carla watches as the decayed scenery shifts as they turn different corners and pedal down empty streets. Everything within the Upside Down is rotted, yet somehow, the Wheeler can make out what everything building and tree is supposed to look like. It's laid out just like Hawkins, just more deserted.

They pedal past the Creel house. The once eerie but familiar house now looms like a decayed nightmare, bathed in the sickly red glow of the Upside Down. The rotting wood, the broken shutters, the bats swirling in frantic circles—everything about it feels wrong. The very air around the house feels heavier. Evil. 

Carla can feel it in her bones. She can feel him lurking near. It's suffocating. 

Carla's fingers clench harder onto Steve as they pass by the home, feeling an eery feeling wash over her. She's glad they're on their way home.

Steve seems to get the memo as her nails pierce his skin and pedals even harder away from the home. He wasn't liking the vibe he was getting from it, either.

After a solid amount of time biking, they make it to the trailer park and Eddie pedals forward to take the lead. All the trailers are covered in thick black vines, just like how the Wheeler house had been. The cars are practically strapped down to the ground by them. 

Eddie let his bike roll towards one of the trailers, "It's right here."

The Munson is the first to get off his bike and let it fall, the others falling suit in dismounting their bikes and steadying themselves. Steve helps Carla off the back of his bike, hands lingering on her waist for a few seconds to make sure she's steady before he lets go.

"That's gotta be a Guinness World Record." Robin tries to lighten the mood, "Most miles traveled interdimensionally."

"Just inhaled a bunch of that crap." Steve coughs, particles from the air stick within his throat. "It's stuck in my throat."

Eddie opens his door, leading his friends inside. Carla's face is immediately painted in a fluorescent red and her eyes slightly widened when she looks up at the ceiling, eyes caught on what was displayed.

Just like the Wheeler home, vines cover every surface. But, in the center of it all, on the ceiling, is a gaping red gash. Particles float all around it. There's low ominous hum vibrating from it. The vines around it squelch. 

It looks exactly like the gate that Carla saw underwater. Dustin was right. 

"This where Chrissy died." Eddie breaks the silence with his admission, never breaking eye contact with the gate above. "Like, right where she died." 

The gate squelched. A tentacle of kinds started to squirm onto the bright red section of the gash. Robin's lip curls upward, "I think there's something in there."

The gate squelched and stretched forward as whatever was on the other side tried to poke through. It strained heavily under the pressure upon it. 

"What the hell is that?" Eddie asks, lowly. 

Carla counters, "Do we want to know?" 

Whatever was inside pulled back for a few seconds, before suddenly piercing right through the red of the gate. Robin shrieks and the remaining four teens all flinch back, pulling each other backwards as the red section of the gate dangles downwards, the ominous glow replaced by a bright light. 

Goo and black decay fall out of the hole. Carla's eyes are wide in horror and confusion because what the fuck was happening right now? 

A stick—which had been the thing poking around the barrier before it broke—clears away the material taking up the middle of the gate, before disappearing once the hole was cleared a decent amount. Liquid continues to pour out of the gaping hole, Carla cringing at its sound. 

Cautiously, Steve starts to move towards it. "No way."

At the sudden exclamation, Carla comes forward too. Tilting her head, she comes into the small pool of light the gate offered, and her mouth opens in awe as she sees Dustin Henderson, Erica Sinclair, Max Mayfield, and Lucas Sinclair staring right back........down..... at her. 

They aren't facing the same direction at all. From Carla's view, the kids are hanging down from the ceiling, but from their view, she's sure they're doing the same thing, given they're technically the ones in the Upside Down. The perception is off, but Dustin, Lucas, Erica, and Max are there nonetheless. The group is being saved.

Eddie, Robin, and Nancy join the couple in the center, sharing similar reactions as they see the younger kids. 

Dustin's familiar chuckle echos as him and the other teens all offer waves, "Hi there!"

Weakly, the five teens all chorus, "Hi."

Smiles break out on everyone's faces, laughs of relief and shock falling past lips. Carla offers an awkward wave to the four above, never more thankful for the kids. Max is the one to reciprocate it, a small smile on her own as she spots her sister-figure.

"Holy shit," Robin breathes, looking at the kids. "This is trippy."

Dustin cheers, "Bada-bada-boom!"

For a moment, they all just stand staring at one another in awe, relief, and shock.  They were getting out of here. 

Eddie is the one to break the moment with the realization that just because they had an exit didn't mean they knew how to use it.  "Now, how are we getting up there?" 

"A—a rope?" Steve suggests, unsure. He was never good at creating ideas.

"A rope would work. But, since they're opposite of us, I'm assuming that if we climb through, their gravity will effect us and we'll start falling." Nancy theorized, trying to understand the laws of physics in the Upside Down. "So, we'll need something to soften the landing." 

"Mattresses?" Carla offers. 

"Yeah, I have those. Just use my—" Eddie can barely nod before Dustin, Max, Erica, and Lucas are all scurrying off through his home in search of something to make a rope and a mattress. The Munson quickly runs right under the gate, eyes wide as he realizes they're gone. ".....uncles." 

Eddie drops his hand, which had gone up to try and get the attention of the kids. Nancy and Robin wait patiently in front of the gate, watching as Dustin and Erica come back with bedsheets galore. The momentary relief fades into tension once more.

Carla shifts uncomfortably where she stands. A wave of nausea rolls through her, her stomach churning as if something inside her was trying to twist itself into knots. She presses her hand against her abdomen, her head bowing slightly as a faint pounding begins to throb behind her eyes.

The adrenaline associated with biking and seeing the gate had pushed the pain to the back of her mind, but now that she'd had a moment to relax, it was hitting her hard. Maybe worse. 

Steve notices immediately. "You feeling sick again?"

"I'm fine." Carla isn't sure whether she's trying to reassure herself or Steve. She doesn't feel good at all, but they're almost there. In five minutes, she can be not okay, but until then she had to push through. "It's just the adrenaline wearing off."

"You don't look fine." Steve steps closer, concern etched into his expression. "Is it your shoulder?"

"I don't know." the Wheeler admits in a sigh, lips pursing. Yes, her wound does hurt like it had been all night, but it wasn't just that. Everything felt off about her. She just felt sick. "Everything feels wrong. My head hurts, my stomach hurts, my wound has been burning all night...."

Steve comes to stand in front of her, eyes glancing between her own and the blood stained fabric around her shoulder. "Can I check?"

Carla offers a weak nod. She doubts that Steve checking her wound is going to do much, but she knows he feels bad about not being able to help her. 

Steve steps up to her, his hands steady despite the anxiety flickering in his eyes. Carla uses her good hand to pull down her sweater, revealing her shoulder. Carefully, his fingers brush against her shoulder and peel back the makeshift bandage. The sight of the blackened veins spider-webbing out from the wound makes his stomach turn.

"Jesus," the Harrington mutters under his breath, his jaw tightening as he examines the inflamed, sickly skin. The black veins haven't gotten any better—they've gotten worse. It's spreading, pulsing, up her neck. He's sure it's going down to her scars, too. "It's spreading."

Carla winces at his words. "Great."

The Harrington tightens the bandage back around it, knotting it into place. "I'm taking you straight to a hospital when we get out of here."

She should see a doctor, for the wound at least. But, what are they going to do when they see the black veins pulsing around it? Carla legally can't explain the Upside Down to anyone, not like they'd believe her anyway.

"And they're gonna do what, Steve?" Carla bitterly chuckles, voice laced with exhaustion and a hint of irritation. "Hook me up to an IV and give me antibiotics for an inter-dimensional creature's curse?"

They didn't even know what this was, really. Carla just felt something when she got bitten by the bat, and now there were flayed-like veins crawling around her body. Nobody else knew about the Upside Down like they did—a doctor wouldn't be able to fix this, scary as it sounded.

 "This isn't exactly in the medical textbooks." the Wheeler adds. 

Steve's fingers clench at the edge of the makeshift bandage he tied. He doesn't respond immediately, his gaze lingering on Carla's arm. It's like he's searching for an answer in the inflamed, sickly skin, even though he knows she's right. What could a doctor possibly do for this?

"Okay, well, someone's gotta know how to deal with this." Steve snaps, louder than intended. He knows that as far as they know, they're the only ones who know about Vecna. They barely know what he can do. Who the fuck would know how to help Carla?  "I don't care if we have to find a witch doctor or the damn Ghostbusters or someone miles away. I'm not—" He cuts himself off, running a hand through his hair, his voice softening. "I'm not losing you, okay?"

Carla looks at Steve, her heart tightening at his words. The intensity in his voice, the raw fear he's trying so hard to hide—it hits her hard. Every year, the entire group fights for her life, but knowing Steve is fighting for her feels different. 

If Carla died, she'd probably be doing herself a favor. But, she'd be doing the complete opposite to Steve. She'd be ruining his future, their future.

Sometimes, Carla wishes she could care about herself the way he obviously does. She wouldn't make so many people hurt. 

The Wheeler meets her boyfriend's gaze. There's a part of her that wants to push him away, to tell him that he shouldn't waste his time on trying to save her, but another part just wants to lean into him, to let him keep saying those things, keep promising her the impossible. 

She might have accepted her fate with Vecna. But listening to Steve, she sure as hell doesn't want to believe it. 

"You'd really find the Ghostbusters for me?" Carla tilts her head slightly to the side, voice soft as she attempts a light humor amongst the situation. 

Steve's eyes are soft with affection. "I'd do it all for you, baby." 

A mattress thumping upon the ground interrupts their moment, and the couple looks up to see a mattress laying on the floor above them, the mattress covered in an abundance of browned-with-age stains. 

"Those stains are, uh..." Eddie clears his throat, trying to peel the groups eyes off of the suspiciously darkened areas of the mattress. He looks at the group, notices Robin's side-eye of disgust, and quickly looks back up. "I don't know what those stains are."

Robin's lip curls upward, "Mm."

Carla isn't sure she even wants to know what the stains are. 

Dustin steps forward into the center of the opening, holding a rope of knotted together sheets in his grasp. "Not quite sure how these physics are gonna work. But, uh...." He knots the sheet-rope together, "Here goes nothing."

With effort, he throws the rope up into the hole. It falls through and lands right into front of the five teens.

"There we go. And if my theory is correct....." Dustin slowly lets go of the end of the sheet-rope, and all the teens watch as the rope stays locked in place, floating. Suspended right in between worlds, fighting for which gravity is right. "Huh. Abracadabra." 

"Holy shit." Max mutters in disbelief.

"Alright, pull on it! See if it holds!"

In the Upside Down, all the group looks at one another, almost playing not-it over who's going up first. Steve puts a hand on Carla's good shoulder, speaking with just his actions that she wouldn't be the test subject—selfish as it was, he was letting her get hurt if this backfired.

He glances towards Robin and nods. The Buckley steps forward and grips onto the makeshift rope, pulling on the sheets as hard as she can with a strained grunt. To their luck, then rope doesn't move at all. It stays firm. Workable. 

Dustin lets out a chuckle. Erica admits, "This is the craziest shit I've ever seen in my life, and I've seen some crazy shit."

"Guess I'm the guinea pig." Robin states as she tightens her hold on the sheets, using all of her force to tug her full body weight up upon the rope—as if she were back in gym class. Nancy and Steve hold out hands in case the Buckley needed help, but Robin manages to heaven herself upward with a few sounds of strain. "Oh my God!"

Dustin, Erica, Max, and Lucas all step off the mattress. Carla watches as Robin goes from climbing up, to hanging down. The gravity shift causes her to fall right onto the mattress. 

"Oh, thank God."  Robin's face breaks into a smile as she sits up. "That was fun."

Carla lets out a relieved sigh at the knowing that she would be getting out of the Upside Down.

The remaining teens all eye each other for a few seconds of awkward silence, waiting for someone else to step-up. 

"Maybe you should go, Wheeler." Eddie states, glancing at Carla. "With your whole shoulder thing."

"No, I'm just gonna slow everyone down. I'll need help getting up." Carla shakes her head. While she wanted out, she'd rather be the second to last to go so she wasn't holding anyone else up. She needed to make sure her friends got out. "You go." 

"Alright," Eddie shrugs. He wasn't gonna fight her—he wanted the fuck out of this hellhole. "I guess I'll go."

With a little more ease than the Buckley, Eddie manages to pull himself up the rope, falling right down onto the mattress like the prior. 

"That was fun." Eddie sits up, "Shit."

Carla glances at her sister, "Nance, you go."

"No, Carla, you should have gone first—"

"Nancy, go." 

The smaller Wheeler decides not to argue with her sister, and hops onto the rope. She strains her way up and lands on the mattress, the others helping her onto her feet again.

Carla steps forward, her good hand brushing over the rope as she eyes it warily. She can already feel the strain it'll put on her shoulder.  Before she can even reach up to start, Steve is at her side, his hands gentle but firm on her waist.

"Let me help you," He murmurs, his eyes locking onto hers.

Carla offers him a weak, tired smile and loops her bad arm over the rope. She seethes as she clutches it, the sharp sting shooting down her arm. "Okay, let's just... do this."

Steve nods, ready to hoist her up when he feels her body tense under his hands.

The Harrington's brows furrow, and he cranes his neck forward to look at her. "Carla?"

Her eyes.

They're the first thing Steve sees and he doesn't think he's ever seen anything worse. 

They're rolled back, glazed over as they blink rapidly. They're gaunt compared to the rich chocolate irises he adores. Her entire face has gone slack, her lips slightly parted as if she's trying to say something but can't. 

She's just frozen. Stuck. 

Steve's stomach plummets, a wave of cold dread crashing over him. His hands tighten around her waist as if he can anchor her back to reality. He knows what's happening. He knows. He wishes he didn't. 

"Carla?" He repeats, stammering to get her name out. God, it's happening. His worst fear is happening right in front of him and all it took was one fucking second. "Hey! Carla! Carla—fuck!"

Carla just stays locked in place, lost in her head. The sight of her—frozen, unresponsive—sends a sharp, unbearable pain through him. For a second, he swears the world has stopped turning. His gut feels like it's just been kicked. 

It's worse than anything he's ever felt. Maybe worse than seeing her dead body last summer. 

She's gone. She's gone. Vecna fucking has her. 

"Carla!"

mara's misc!

um.

sorry!!

you guys already knew carla was gonna get flayed sooner or later. sorry to keep you guys on your toes. 

BUT lucky for ya'll today is my birthday and i'm feeling nice so you guys get a double update (you're WELCOME)

yes today is my birthday. having a december birthday is the biggest crime of the century but i've made it work for over a decade so ig it'll have to do. i got a shit ton of birthday spams and messages and got sang to twice at school, and to top it off i have over 100%'s in 2 of my classes as of today, so today is great???? my parents are also getting me a new phone for my bday so????

now on another topic other than myself, i just wanna talk about the new leaked photos of steve in s5

GUYS IM MEOWING OH MY GOD

whoever is joe's stylist PULEASE he looks so good like the jeans???  the sunglasses??? the 90's-esque shirt i'm actually going crazy over here. you should have seen my face when i originally saw these images.

if this isn't serving dad steve than idk WHAT is. like idk that man in that image has a kid on the way i don't even know how to describe it seriously i'm going crazy like  i NEED 90's steve to keep going and this photo made me crave a happy ending for starla so bad like they need to get married and have kids and be happy and all that jazz. 

 i say that like i'm not the author but like steve dies and carla isn't getting a happy ending at all so i'm literally depending on the duffers as much as ya'll. 

anywho!!! happy birthday to me <3

see ya'll back with chapter 17 <3 hope you enjoyed!!