47. Oh Death

Karmen's heart beat wildly in her chest as Peter stalked towards her, watching as their surroundings slowly disintegrated around them. In a matter of seconds, the mall was gone, a red mist curling around their feet, as Karmen's stomach churned. It didn't take her long to realise where they were. Where they had been all along.

The Upside Down.

Bright red lightning crackled in the clouds above them, making her flinch, as she pushed herself in front of Billy, who seemed surprised by this action. Vines crawled over the ground, wrapping around strange spikes which spread as far as the eye could see. Karmen's forehead wrinkled as she saw a grandfather clock flying above their heads, followed by what looked like a broken window. The objects seemed so out of place in the hellish dimension. She grimaced as vine slithered over her feet, stumbling back a step, as Billy reached out to grip her arm. She was quick to turn her attention back to Peter as he approached them, towering over them both due to his intimidating height.

"Who are you?" Karmen questioned.

"I'm sad that you don't recognise me...we used to be such good friends" Peter stated, watching as her eyes widened a fraction.

"You...you're from the lab" Karmen realised, as Peter's lips twitched into a small smile.

"Your memories are all still in there, Karmen. It's my fault I suppose, I shouldn't have played with your mind so much" Peter explained, reaching out to tap his fingers against the side of her head.

"Back the fuck up, freak" Billy muttered, pulling Karmen back a pace, not liking the way the blond was looking at her.

Peter seemed to bristle at Billy's words, his face hardening into an almost demonic expression. Karmen reached back to clutch onto Billy's shirt, terrified of what the man in front of her might do. She twisted around when she heard Billy let out a choking sound a second later, finding him claw at his neck, an invisible force cutting off his oxygen. She could see how his neck had become red, the force getting stronger and stronger with every second. Panic coursed through her veins as Billy's feet came off the ground all of a sudden, now hanging in the air, still trying to fight against the hold on his neck.

"Leave him alone! Peter!" Karmen cried, glaring at the older man.

Reluctantly, Peter's hands relaxed and the force against Billy's throat disappeared, as he dropped back onto his feet, his knees buckling underneath him. Karmen held onto him as Billy desperately tried to catch his breath, still clutching at his sore throat. Karmen sent a murderous look toward Peter, who appeared amused by her reaction.

"You used to like watching me squash an insect under my feet" Peter exclaimed.

"Why are we here? What have you done?" Karmen asked, not sure if she truly wanted the answer.

"I've been helping you. Showing you the kind of life you could have" Peter explained, confusing her further.

"This isn't real. None of it has been. How...how long have we been here?" Karmen frowned, as Peter pursed his lips.

"You're asking the wrong questions," Peter told her, hearing Billy scoff from behind her.

"And what's the right one, asshole?" He muttered, his voice hoarse.

"I suggest you keep that mouth of yours closed if you want to stay alive" Peter warned.

"...Where are we? This...this isn't the Upside Down Eleven talks about. It's different" Karmen realised, watching how Peter stilled at the mention of the younger girl.

"You're right. You're not. You're in my mind" Peter admitted, as Karmen gave him a look of disbelief.

"So, this isn't even real? These aren't our real bodies?" Karmen gaped.

She turned to see Billy's brow furrowed before he reached down to pull at the waistband of his jeans, letting out a sigh of relief when he looked down at his boxers. Karmen rolled her eyes at his reaction, placing a hand on her hip.

"Your fake dick still there, Hargrove?" Karmen scoffed, as he gave her a grin.

"As big as ever" Billy teased.

"Where are the others? Our friends?" Karmen pushed, turning back to Peter.

"Those pathetic humans?" Peter huffed.

"I think the concept of friends might be lost on this douchebag" Billy stated.

"People are disappointments. I learnt that a long time ago" Peter retorted, looking tired of the conversation.

"I swear to God, if you've hurt any of them—" Karmen began, but Peter cut her off instantly.

"You'll what? You're tucked away in my mind, Karmen. Nothing more than an afterthought anymore" Peter exclaimed, in a bitter tone.

"Then why bother keeping us around?" Karmen argued.

"You mattered to me once. You could matter again" Peter told her.

"You and me...we were really friends once?" Karmen frowned, not sounding convinced.

"Would you like me to show you?" Peter suggested, taking a step closer to her, watching how her shoulders went rigid.

"Why can't I remember you in the first place?" Karmen inquired.

"Because you weren't ready. You were too young, too naïve to see the truth of this world" Peter went on.

"Which is?" Karmen questioned, as a bright light suddenly blinded her, causing her to place her hands over her face to shield her eyes.

When she pulled her hands back, she found she was no longer in the mall. A long corridor stretched as far as she could see, the walls white, illuminated by flickering lights on the ceiling. Her stomach dropped as she turned to see the door she was standing beside, her memories starting to flood back. The number on the door made her stomach twist, feeling as if she was about to throw up at the mere sight of it.

Six.

Karmen pushed the door open with a shaky hand, finding a small bed and table inside, a stuffed animal beside the pillow. As she took a step forward to enter the room, she realised she was now wearing a hospital gown, a chill going down her spine. She had spent so many years in that room. So many years she had been desperate to leave, to run away. She stumbled towards the table, finding a messy drawing of two young girls, both with buzzed brunette hair. She vaguely remembered making the picture, how the brown crayon stained her fingers for days after. She had given it as a present to Eleven, to hang on her wall when Karmen couldn't be there. So, they'd always be together.

"It all comes back so easily, doesn't it?" Peter spoke, suddenly appearing right behind her.

"Where's Billy?" Karmen asked, realising her friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Safe. For now. I thought we needed some time alone" Peter told her, making her skin crawl.

"And my other friends?" Karmen insisted, noticing he was evading the subject.

"All in good time, Karmen. You need to remember first. Remember who I am, who you are" Peter pushed, as her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"I know who I am" She retorted, watching as he tilted his head.

"Do you? You've been running from me, from this place for so long...I don't think you have any idea who you are anymore" Peter explained, making the younger girl scoff.

"I know what you're doing, trying to get into my head, manipulate me. It's not gonna' fucking work" Karmen stated.

"We'll see. Are you ready?" Peter questioned.

"To get my memories back?" Karmen replied, feeling fear taking a hold of her once again.

"To relive your past" Peter exclaimed, before reaching out to cup her cheek, as pain ripped through Karmen's head, her vision going black in an instant.

April 7th 1979

Karmen hated training. She hated how Papa pitted her against the other kids, how hard he pushed them, and more importantly the way he would pick his favourites. While everyone else watched as Two caused the circle of lights in front of him to illuminate, Karmen was focused on Papa. He had a smile on his face, almost smug. Two was the most powerful out of all the kids, and he made sure they all knew it. Two's face had contorted into pain, a large vein pulsing on his forehead, as blood dripped down from his nose, the same colour as his flushed cheeks. She knew he couldn't keep it up for much longer, his hands beginning to shake at his side.

"Stop" Papa announced, waving a hand in the air, as the lights instantly dimmed.

Two let out a shuddery breath, before turning to them, as cocky as ever, sending a wink towards Karmen. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes in response, knowing Papa wouldn't like it. Papa didn't like it when she did anything.

He did well. You'll have to do even better.

The familiar voice echoed through her mind, as her eyes flickered over to where Peter was standing, his hands clasped behind his back. She quirked an eyebrow at him, knowing it was dangerous for them to communicate with Papa present. Even though she knew it wasn't possible for him to hear them, it still put her on edge.

He looked like he was about shit himself.

Peter tried to hide his laughter at her response with a cough, but the smile on his face made his amusement clear. All the bad words she knew, he had taught her. Papa's eyes darted over to him for just a moment, giving him a warning look. If there was one person Papa disliked more than Karmen...it was Peter. He hated him.

"Now, which brave soul, would like to follow that?" Papa inquired, holding a sweet up in his hand, as Two came to stand on the other side of her.

The little kids in the group all raised their hands, jumping up and down at the chance of getting a rare treat. Karmen knew better. This wasn't a game. She remembered what happened the first time Papa had punished them, rubbing at her buzzcut hair, missing her long brunette locks. Now, all the kids looked the same. She supposed that was what Papa wanted.

"Eleven?" Papa suggested, as the young girl's head snapped up.

Karmen's eyes widened, her hand twitching to reach out for her friend, the fear clear on her face. Eleven wasn't ready for the test, she was only eight. Why did Papa keep pushing her so hard?

Don't.

Peter's warning came just as she opened her mouth to argue, forcing her lips shut a moment later. Eleven looked up at her then, her bottom lip wobbling a little, hoping that Karmen would speak up. She had always been the younger girl's protector. Eleven was only a baby when she had...arrived in the lab, and for some reason Papa had always pushed them together. Karmen didn't mind, Eleven was nice. Sweet even. Especially compared to the likes of Two.

"You'll do great" Karmen mumbled, nodding for Eleven to take a step forward.

She watched anxiously as Eleven walked over to the chair in the middle of the room, looking so small. Peter began placing the electrodes onto her head, whispering a few words of encouragement to her as he did so. Karmen wasn't the only one who had a soft spot for Eleven. There was just something different about Eleven. She was...special.

Eleven's face contorted as she tried focusing all of her energy on the lightbulbs in front of her, but no matter how much she pushed, she couldn't illuminate them. She let out a gasp as she leaned forward, panting heavily, her body not used to the over-exertion. Karmen grimaced as the kids began to laugh under their breath.

"Why does he waste so much time on her?" Two scoffed, as Karmen turned to glare at him.

"Hey. Quiet" Peter muttered, coming to stand behind the pair, watching as Two gulped.

Two wasn't stupid. He knew better than to start a fight against Peter. The blond in question stayed where he was behind Karmen, as if he was expecting he would need to stop her from rushing forward and pulling Eleven away. Maybe he knew her better than she did, Karmen thought to herself.

Her attention was pulled away as she saw Papa crouch down beside Eleven, placing his hand on her shoulder, speaking to her in a hushed tone. She could see how he was squeezing her shoulder a little tighter by the end of the speech, causing Eleven to look even more scared. She soon attempted to turn the lights on once again, managing to make one flicker to life, but it soon faded away. She just wasn't ready.

"Waste of time" Two huffed, as Eleven flinched at hearing his words, hanging her head low.

Growing angry, Karmen flicked her fingers towards the older boy, causing sparks to leave her fingertips, burning the back of his hand, as he yelped in pain. He brought his injured hand up to his chest, giving her a murderous look.

"Papa! Six burnt me, look!" He snitched, holding up his hand, the tiny burn already fading on his skin.

"I didn't touch you" Karmen retorted.

"Yes, you did!" Two insisted, as she gave a small shrug.

"Yes, you did" Karmen repeated, in a mocking tone.

"Enough!" Papa's voice boomed, making both the children jump, as he stormed over to them.

"If you're so eager to interrupt training, Six, then why don't you go next?" Papa sneered, looming over her.

"...Yes, Papa" She replied, knowing better than to argue with him.

Eleven was quickly detached from the electrodes, as Karmen came to take her seat, donning the headset herself. After Peter had connected the electrodes, he began to walk away, placing his hand on her shoulder as he went, his touch lingering for just long enough for Papa to notice. The old man's eyes narrowed, as Karmen turned to give Peter a small smile.

Focus. You can do this. We both know you can.

Doing as Peter instructed, she took a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a second, trying to relax her body. Papa's brow furrowed as one of the lightbulbs instantly turned on, a light blue colour sparking from inside the glass. Even Peter's mouth went slack as all of a sudden, all the lightbulbs in the wheel were gleaming a bright blue, as Karmen's eyes finally opened. She held her hand out, her jaw clenched as she pushed her powers further. Suddenly, the lightbulbs started to smash one after the other, until the entire wheel had been broken, but the circle of blue light stayed. Papa's mouth went slack, a sliver of something akin to fear showing on his features.

"Stop" He ordered, as Karmen dropped her hand as the light slowly fizzled out.

"I think that's enough training for the day" Papa muttered, ushering for Peter to remove the electrodes from her head.

Karmen blinked a few times, having strained herself more than she meant to, pushing herself onto shaky feet. Peter stayed close by her side, his hands hovering near her back, ready to catch her if she fell.

"Come children" Papa exclaimed, as he walked over to the door, opening it for the kids.

Just as Karmen took a step forward to join the others, Papa held his hand up, stopping her in her tracks instantly. His eyes flickered between her and Peter for a split second, before a smirk twitched onto his lips.

"You should clean up your mess, Six" Papa stated, pointing to the broken glass on the floor, gesturing for one of the orderlies to bring a bin forward.

"I'll cut myself" She frowned.

"I suppose you should have thought of that before showing off then" Papa retorted, not missing how Peter glared at him.

Karmen grit her teeth, wanting to argue with him, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see how one of the orderlies' hands had moved towards their taser. She really did need to learn to keep her mouth shut. She then turned to kneel on the ground and began to carefully pick up the shattered glass, noticing how Eleven still hadn't moved.

"Papa, can I help—" Eleven started, but the old man quickly stopped her.

"No, Eleven. This is an important lesson for Six to learn" Papa informed her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and all but dragging her out of the room, leaving just Karmen, Peter and two orderlies behind.

Just as Peter crouched down beside her, a piece of glass cut down the side of her palm, causing her to hiss in pain. Peter let out a sigh, as he took her hand in his, noticing the tears that were welling in her eyes. He held her injured hand between his two hands, not caring how her blood would stain his palms.

Don't cry, Six. You're stronger than that.

I hate him.

I know. But soon we will be far from this place. We'll be free. I promise.

California, March 18th 1986

Eleven took a deep breath as she made her way to the front of the classroom, hearing light, scattered clapping around her. She had spent weeks planning her presentation, but still, her nerves were getting to her. Unlike everyone else, she and Will were having to show their presentations early as they were flying back to Hawkins before the end of term. If she could just get through the day, then she'd be back home tomorrow. Back with Mike, Max, and all her friends. Almost all her friends...

"Hi. For my hero, I...I chose my dad and my sister" Eleven announced, gulping halfway through her speech, trying to keep her breathing steady.

"And for my visual aid, I made a "direyama" of my cabin—" She continued, as one of the boys interjected.

"More like diarrhoea" He teased, as Eleven tried to laugh off his stupid comment, hearing their teacher shush him.

"This is my dad. His name is Hopper. He made the best Eggos, and...we liked to watch Miami Vice on Fridays" Eleven exclaimed, holding up the figure of her dad, having paid special attention to his hat.

She did her best to ignore the confused and mocking looks the other kids were giving her, as she carefully placed the figure of Hopper back beside the cabin. With a shaky hand, she picked up the miniature version of Karmen, wishing that she had spent more time on the figure. Sometimes it was hard to remember what her sister had even looked like.

"This is Karmen. She is...she was my sister. She was always brave. But kind too. She was the first friend I ever made and...and..." Eleven trailed off, seeing that Angela had raised her hand.

"Sorry. I'm just, like, confused. I thought this was a presentation about a historical hero" Angela stated, with a fake smile.

"My family was in the newspaper" Eleven retorted, causing Angela to give her a mocking laugh.

"Your local paper?" She teased, as Eleven pursed her lips.

"I just don't think that's what Mrs Gracey meant by historical. This is supposed to be about famous people" Angela went on, as Eleven could feel her bottom lip wobble.

Why was the blond trying to make it seem like they weren't important? They were the most important people in the world to her...and they were both gone now. Because of her.

"They are famous. They...they saved lots of lives. In a mall fire. My dad was a hero for people. And he was my hero too. And my sister, she saved me and...and she died" Eleven muttered, reaching up to brush away the tear that rolled down her cheek.

The classroom was silent for a few seconds after that, as even Angela averted her gaze, looking uncomfortable. Eleven was glad when the bell finally rang, her face flushed with embarrassment as she was the first out of the classroom. She made a beeline for her locker, hearing how the classroom door opened behind her, knowing who would be chasing after her. She opened her locker, her face crumbling when she saw the mountain of letters inside, knowing there was no chance she would be able to place her presentation inside. She sighed when one letter fell to the ground, crouching down to pick it up when another hand beat her to it.

"Steve's still sending you letters every week then?" Will asked, as Eleven nodded.

"He doesn't like the trailer. And her worries about Max a lot" Eleven told her friend, taking the letter from his hand and closing her locker door.

"And what have you told him about...here?" Will questioned, as Eleven clenched her jaw and began walking away.

"El, you shouldn't lie to him about how things are going here. He'd want to know" Will insisted, as Eleven shook her head.

"I'm happy here" She retorted, as Will gave her a knowing look.

"No, you're not" Will argued, as she clutched her presentation a little closer.

"He...he says he's proud of how well I'm doing in California. And that...that Karmen would be too" Eleven confessed, as Will reached out to touch her shoulder.

"You don't want to disappoint him?" Will realised, as she shrugged his hand away.

"Karmen wouldn't have wanted me to worry about him. She loved him" Eleven explained, as they walked out of the school, descending down the steps.

"Hey, she loved you too" Will pointed out, as Eleven bit her lip.

"...She shouldn't have" Eleven mumbled, under her breath, making Will frown.

"What does—" Will's words were cut off, as a foot suddenly lunged at El, knocking her off her feet.

She fell to the ground with a thump, her presentation flopping to the ground beside her, the figures of Hopper and Karmen spilling out onto the concrete, luckily undamaged. Eleven looked up to find Angela laughing mockingly, as a group began surrounding them.

"I'm so sorry. I hope your little family is okay" Angela grinned, as she began walking away.

Just as Eleven was pushing herself onto her feet, she heard a snapping sound, her eyes darting towards Angela to find she had stepped onto the figure of Karmen. Eleven's chest tightened as the blond dug her heel onto the figure, snapping it into pieces. Eleven scrunched her eyes shut as images of Karmen's broken and bleeding body came to the forefront of her mind. The awful gurgling sounds that had left her blood tinted the lips, the way her face had contorted in pain...how cold she was when she...

"Angela!" Eleven screeched, standing upright, her lips pulled back in a snarl.

Before anyone could stop her, she had sent her hand flying out, letting out a scream as she imagined sending Angela flying onto her back. But...nothing happened. Of course, it didn't. Her powers were gone now. Just like Karmen was. And Hopper. Things were never going to be the same. She let out a sob, as she pulled the plaid shirt she was wearing tighter around her. Karmen's shirt. It was one of the only things she had left of her sister.

Will grimaced as the crowd around them began laughing uncontrollably, only fizzling out when a group of teachers arrived. They soon began to drag Angela away, trying to console Eleven who was hiding her face in her shaking hands. It broke his heart to see. As they started leading Eleven away, he crouched down to pick up what was left of her presentation, his hand stopping above the broken figure of Karmen. He might not have been as close to her as El was, but it still hurt so much. She was the only person who ever really accepted him. Who saw him for he really was. A spark of light above Will had him looking up, finding one of the courtyard lamps was flickering on, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day. He frowned as the light fizzled out a few seconds later, having felt a rare sliver of hope.

El needed Karmen back. They all did.

Upside Down

Karmen's eyes shot open suddenly, breathing heavily, as she pulled away from Peter's touch. Her memories had started coming back thick and fast as she realised, he was telling the truth. They really had been friends once. Cared for each other. So, what had turned him into what he was now?

"You...you spoke to me. In my mind. H-how?" Karmen frowned, as a smirk grew on Peter's face.

She flinched as he reached out to grab her wrist, pulling back to the sleeve of her shirt to reveal the 006 tattoo there. She forced her gaze away, despising the way Brenner had branded her, how she would never really be able to escape her past. Her mouth went slack as she watched Peter place his wrist beside hers, revealing a very similar tattoo.

001.

"You're like me" She gaped, as he nodded.

"We've always been connected. Even more than the others" Peter told her.

"Why did Pa...Brenner treat you differently? Dress you up like an Orderly?" Karmen pushed.

"He was scared of me. Of what I was capable of, he thought I would become a bad influence on the rest of the subjects...he wasn't too wrong, was he?" Peter grinned, as Karmen pulled her wrist away.

"...I want to see the rest" Karmen exclaimed.

"Good" Peter replied, reaching out to take her hand back, as Karmen's vision blurred once again.

April 13th 1979

Karmen listened carefully as Five came to stand in the chalk circle opposite her, readying herself for whatever attack was coming. Before Five had the chance to even raise her hand, Karmen was sending sparks flying towards the older girl, causing her to stumble out of the circle, scared of being burnt. Karmen pulled away the cloth covering her eyes, turning to Papa, whose shoulders were rigid, an irritated expression on his face. He ushered Five to take her place on the other side of the room with the ten children who Karmen had already beat. Most of them had jumped out of the circle before she had even raised a hand. But she knew not everyone would be so easy to beat. Two stretched his arms out in front of him, expecting to go next as Five had been just before him in line. Karmen wasn't going to be able to beat him, in fact, she didn't want to...

"Eleven" Papa announced, as Karmen's eyes darted to the small girl in the middle of the line.

Eleven looked absolutely terrified at the idea of having to go up against her friend, especially after seeing how she had already beaten half of the other subjects. She looked to Karmen, hoping the older girl would speak up for her, as she usually did.

"She's not ready" Karmen insisted.

"That is not your decision to make Six" Papa retorted, as Eleven took a nervous step forward.

"Two is next—" Karmen began, but Papa was quick to cut her off.

"You're more than welcome to forfeit your place...but of course, we will have to punish you, Six" Papa explained, as Karmen clenched her jaw, but reluctantly stayed where she stood.

Her brow furrowed when she watched Peter cover Eleven's eyes, whispering something in her ear, causing her to nod. He then approached Karmen to tie the cloth over her own eyes, ignoring the questioning look she was giving him.

Good luck.

With those words echoing through her mind, he slowly went to pull away, not before brushing her hair over her shoulder, an action which Papa took notice of. The whole room was silent as Papa kept his eyes on Peter until he was on the other side of the room, something which Karmen hadn't seen at the time.

"Begin" Papa announced, the tension still clear in his tone.

Instantly, Karmen could feel an invisible force pushing at her legs, but it disappeared after a few moments. She could hear how Eleven was panting, knowing the young girl would be putting her all into the training, as she always did. Wanting it to be over quickly, Karmen raised her hand out, feeling her palm begin to spark. She'd never hurt El, but she had to make it look real for Papa. Suddenly, the sparks on her hand fizzled out, as she felt a cramp radiating over her arm. She let out a pained gasp as she felt her arm wrenched behind her back a second later, taken aback by Eleven's strength. Before she had time to react, she was suddenly being thrown across the room, her hand slamming back into the wall behind her, as everything went black. She heard shouts all around her when she awoke, as the cloth was ripped off from her eyes. Peter was crouching down beside her, pulling her into a sitting position, a look of concern on his features. Karmen looked over to where Eleven was still standing, tears streaming down her face, shaking her head from side to side.

"I...I'm sorry...I'm sorry" Eleven sobbed, as she rushed over to her older friend.

Karmen's head was pounding, as she reached back to touch where her head had hit the wall, pulling her fingers away to find blood coating her fingertips. She cursed the tears that were welling in her eyes, desperately trying to blink them away. She flinched away when a hand reached out to touch her shoulder, looking up to find Eleven crying above her, a guilty expression on her face.

"She needs to go to the infirmary" Peter exclaimed, twisting around to face Papa.

"Very well. Training will resume tomorrow" Papa nodded, already heading towards the door, not seeming to care less about the injured subject.

Peter turned his attention back to Karmen, wrapping his arm around her waist and helping to pull her onto her shaky feet. He was pulling her towards the door as Eleven rushed after them, still sobbing uncontrollably.

"I didn't mean to! I didn't, Six" She cried.

"...It's okay, Eleven. It...it just looks worse than it is...I'll be fine" Karmen replied, trying to give her as reassuring a smile as she could muster.

They hadn't got far from the training room when Karmen felt her knees buckle underneath her, as Peter pulled her arm over his shoulder, debating whether to simply pick her up. Her head was absolutely killing her, the pain just getting worse with every move she made.

You did well.

I got beaten by an eight-year-old.

Just as we planned.

Karmen couldn't help but huff as his response. While they had been planning on the training session ending with Karmen being sent to the infirmary, she was under the impression it would be because of Two. She was planning to let him beat her. Not to be thrown into a wall by her best friend. Since when was Eleven so powerful?

What did you say to her?

I gave her some advice. That's all.

So, she's your favourite now?

They arrived at the infirmary door just at that second, as Peter pulled her a little closer, a smirk back on his lips, as he whispered in her ear.

"You'll always be my favourite, Six" Peter stated, before knocking on the metal door in front of them.

Just get the sedatives, One.

Upside Down

Karmen stumbled back from Peter's grip, as the memories slowly faded from her mind, leaving her even more confused than before. Had they been planning to escape together? Her time in the lab had always been blurred and jumbled, but she was sure no one had escaped with her. She ran a hand over her face, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her, not sure if she could cope with any more memories.

"Why are you...Peter?" She called out, finding he was nowhere to be seen.

"Get ready to be amazed" A familiar voice exclaimed from behind her, making Karmen's eyes widen.

She twisted around a split second later, her jaw dropping open when she found her boyfriend standing a few metres away. A beaming smile instantly grew on her own lips, as she rushed forward, calling out his name, stopping in her tracks when she saw someone beside him.

It was...her. It was Karmen.

"Steve?" The real Karmen exclaimed, coming to stand in front of the pair.

"Steve, I'm here. I'm here!" Karmen insisted, waving her hand in front of him, but he didn't even blink.

Instead, she watched as he wrapped his arm over her double's shoulders, pressing a kiss to her hair, making the girl giggle, nudging him in the chest with her elbow. Karmen's eyes darted around, trying to understand what was happening, as it slowly dawned on her. It was just another memory. Steve wasn't really there. She could see out of the corner of her eyes how the red mist of the Upside Down was slowly getting closer, a flash of lightning causing her stomach to twist.

"Oh, now this I've got to see" Billy grinned, coming into view, with Max standing beside him.

Max pushed her skateboard towards Steve, an amused expression on her face. The older boy crouched down to pick it up, muttering about how hard could skateboarding really be.

"I remember this..." Karmen trailed off, as she watched Steve place his foot on the board, picking his other foot off the ground.

Instantly, the skateboard slipped from under his feet, sending him flying toward the ground. He would have fallen if her double hadn't been ready and waiting, already having her arms wrapped around his waist. They both laughed as her double helped pull her boyfriend to his feet, her hands lingering on his waist.

"Not so easy, huh?" Billy teased, grabbing the skateboard and handing it back to Max.

"Still landed on my feet" Steve retorted.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure you landed on me" Her double giggled, as Steve gave her a grin.

The real Karmen slowly approached him, coming to stand right in front of him, not that he noticed. He couldn't. But that didn't stop Karmen from trying to reach out to him, a shaky sob leaving her lips as she found her hand went right through him. She rubbed away at a tear that fell down her cheek, looking up into his brown eyes, causing her heart to skip a beat.

"I'm coming back. I promise—" Karmen was cut off, as the illusion in front of her suddenly disintegrated.

Karmen jumped back when she found she was back with Peter, his hand still clutching her own. His brow was furrowed, a look of confusion etched on his features, as he blinked rapidly, appearing to come out of a trance. Why had he shown her that memory?

"If you think you can break me with memories like that, you've got another thing coming. Those memories keep me strong" Karmen spat out, glaring at him.

"What did you do?" Peter frowned, confusing her further.

"Me? I didn't do anything. You're the one playing these stupid games!" Karmen insisted.

"I'm trying to help you—" Peter began, but instantly cut him off.

"Help me?! Then stop bullshitting me and tell me what's really going on here! Why am I here? How did you get back into my head?" Karmen pushed.

"It won't help to know the truth" Peter replied, calmly, only angering her further.

"Just fucking tell me—" Karmen started, as he cut her off instantly.

"You died" Peter admitted, as Karmen stumbled back a step, her mouth gone slack.

"What?" She mumbled.

"You were killed. Eight months ago" Peter went on, as she began shaking her head.

"No. No, you're lying. I'm not...I'm not dead!" Karmen exclaimed, in a panicked tone.

A sudden pain in her stomach caused her eyes to flicker down, finding blood pooling underneath her shirt, causing her to clutch her chest. Her hands shook as blood began to drip down her fingers, the pain getting worse and worse. She was close to hyperventilating as she turned away from Peter, wanting nothing more than to run away. She scrunched her eyes shut, holding her hands to her head as she let out a cry.

"Karmen? Karmen!" Steve's shaky voice echoed through her mind, as her eyes flickered open.

Her hand flew to her mouth as she found Steve on his knees in front of her, Karmen's own bloody body lying in his lap, a knife going through her chest. Her chest that wasn't moving, her hand rigid by her side, stained by the pool of blood underneath her.

"No, no, no...wake up, Karmen. Please. Please don't leave me..." Steve sobbed, as he leant down to pull her cold body close him.

The real Karmen fell to her knees at the sight, all her memories of the Starcourt Mall coming back. Fighting against the Mindflayer, Billy dying in front of her, her body going numb, the pain every time she forced herself to take a breath. And then she couldn't hold on any longer, she had to let go. It was true. It had all really happened.

She really was dead.

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! First of all, thank you so much for the 200 reviews I have on this fic now, I read every single one and always really appreciate them! So, this update turned out a lot sadder than I had been planning. Better times will come for Karmen and the others I promise! Also, I am purposely keeping Peter and Karmen's relationship ambiguous at the moment, we'll see a lot more flashbacks with them in the coming chapters. And the real Steve will be back next chapter, don't worry. Please leave a review:)

Extra-Element19: Thank you for the reviews:) Oh, I love all these films, so they have definitely given me inspiration! I also thought the kids were going to have different powers, but I think maybe the writers scrapped that idea? I'm currently sticking with Karmen not having telekinesis like the others, as I think it adds more to her character. More Eddie to come in this story soon! On that note, I'm off to rewatch Happy Death Day, haha.

NicoleR85: Thank you:) Karmen has a lot of pain still to come!

MyRandomThoughts: I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Thanks for reviewing:)

Crazy Devil Girl: Thank you! Lots more exciting things to come, I promise!

movielover251: Aw, thank you:) I'm glad you like Karmen being added to this story! We'll be finding out more about her relationships with Brenner and the other kids in the following chapters.

MissLuxe: Thank you, I hope you like the new chapter!