46. Things Can Only Get Better

[A/N: Hey guys! Wow! Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! *_* I can't even tell you how much they mean to me. You all seriously make my day every time I get a note from one of you and I'm soooo so happy that you're enjoying this fic. :) You're the best!

A few specific comments:

Resisting-Moonlight - I think this chapter should answer your question ;) I'm glad you love Mike and El's subconscious connection!

GeekofNature - I listened to it and I dig it! Thanks for the recommendation! Those lyrics are so on point, too!

Ella - My bad! Thanks for clearing up who you were! I'm really glad you're loving the story though! :D

Guest - Thank you! :) I actually started a 4th of July fic a couple months ago but left it alone to keep working on this. Maybe I'll still finish it once this is done (even though we're far from 4th of July now lol)

falltotemptationx - I will try to update as quickly as possible! Things are about to get super busy for me but the good thing is that I know everything that's happening in the fic from here to the end! It's just making time to write it out lol

Jared Cross - Thank you so much! What a well thought-out and thorough review! I really appreciate it!

ALSO, I just wanna say that as cheesy as this might sound, it sometimes takes me a little bit to get through some chapters because I get so emotionally invested lol I'm squealing as I write fluffy scenes and my heart is racing during the adrenaline-soaked ones XD I'm such a dork lol

ALSO, ALSO, I made a Tumblr page! It's a ghost-town for now but I'd like to post a lot of other stuff I've made/found/worked on so if you're interested, follow me and all that jazz. My Tumblr handle is also muffinlove03]

Chapter 46: Things Can Only Get Better (by Howard Jones)

We're not scared to lose it all, security throw through the wall. Future dreams we have to realize. A thousand skeptic hands won't keep us from the things we plan, unless we're clinging to the things we prize..."

. . . . . . . .

As Mike's eyes fluttered open, it only took a moment for his adrenaline to seize him and he hopped up to look out the window. His yard was as quiet as it usually was, with the streetlight illuminating the surroundings areas just enough to see there wasn't anyone in the immediate vicinity. Still, he couldn't wait. If what El had told him in the dream was true, then none of them were safe right now.

He could hear his mom in the kitchen washing dishes and talking to Holly as his dad relaxed in the La-Z-Boy beside him, a newspaper over his chest and his head tilted back as he snored. He couldn't tell his parents about this himself, not without wasting time answering questions and risking not being able to go find Eleven.

Scrambling off the couch, Mike raced upstairs and caught himself on the doorway of his sister's room. She had left the door cracked and he could hear she was playing music as he abruptly pushed the door open.

"Mike!" Nancy exclaimed, sitting cross-legged on her bed with a math text and notebook in front of her. "What the hell?!"

"We need to leave," Mike said, out of breath. "Like, now,"

"Hold on," Nancy said, pushing her books aside and standing up. "What are you talking about?"

Mike inhaled. "The lab has Eleven and she said they want to kill all of us, as in, everyone who knows her. They've got her hooked up to this thing that shocks her and she has burns all over her arms and she was crying and we need to -"

"Whoa, Mike, slow down," Nancy said, still trying to process what her brother was saying. "You talked to her?"

"Yes! Well, sort of...There isn't time!" Mike groaned, beginning to pace. He couldn't keep his anxious energy under control and he needed to move. "We're all in danger! We've gotta get everyone to like, a hotel or something. Somewhere the lab can't find you guys and I've gotta get Eleven out of that place,"

"Okay," Nancy said, her tone immediately changing, and Mike watched with agonizing impatience as she walked over to her closet, retrieving a beat up shoebox from the top shelf. As she lifted the lid to the box, Mike blinked at the sight of the handgun nestled against a dry washcloth.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed, wide-eyed, as Nancy picked the gun up and checked that it was loaded.

"Jonathan let me hold onto it," Nancy explained the question Mike had yet to ask as she grabbed a small backpack from the bottom of her closet. "After everything with Will and the monster, I was still pretty freaked, and he didn't ask for it back," She shrugged. "So what's the plan?"

"Mike!" Will's garbled voice came from Mike's room next door and he darted out of Nancy's room to grab his supercom. "Mike, do you copy? It's Will!"

"Will!" Mike replied into the supercom, trotting back into Nancy's room. "I'm here, I copy,"

"The lab has El!" Will exclaimed before Mike could say anything else. "Hopper just came and told us and he's on his way there now to get her,"

Mike and Nancy exchanged looks. "I know," Mike replied. "Listen, we've gotta get everybody away from here. El said the lab people are coming to kill everybody who's connected to Will so that means all of us. Tell Jonathan to have all of you meet us at the corner of Elm and Magnolia and we'll be there soon. Over and out!" Mike pushed the supercom's antenna down as Nancy was slipping into a jacket.

"Did you tell mom and dad?" She asked and Mike shook his head.

"No," He admitted, bouncing nervously on his heels.

"And you're sure El said the lab was coming for us?" Nancy asked, pulling her backpack straps over her shoulders.

Mike nodded, having a difficult time staying focused when all he wanted to do was get on his bike and pedal as fast as he could to the lab. "We've gotta get everybody somewhere far away that the lab doesn't know about but I told El I would get her out of the lab," He didn't want to speak the words that encircled his mind like vultures. What if we're already too late?

"Okay, how about this," Nancy said calmly, sensing how worked up her brother was getting. "I'll take care of mom and dad. You go meet up with your friends and Hopper and get El,"

"You're sure?" Mike asked, surprised, but Nancy waved him away.

"Yes, now go!"

. . . . . . . .

"Mom!" Will burst out of his room as soon as his conversation with Mike ended. "Jonathan!"

"What?"

"What is it?"

Both sets of eyes stared at him with concern as he ran into the living room.

"The lab is coming after everyone connected to El," Will explained in a rush. "We've gotta get out of here now,"

"Hold on a second -" Joyce began but Will kept going.

"Mike talked to El," He blurted out and Joyce's eyebrows lifted with surprise. "They're like, torturing her and she said they plan to kill everyone who knows about her,"

"Where's Mike now?" Jonathan asked, standing up from the couch.

"He said for us to meet him at Elm and Magnolia," Will replied, looking between his mom and brother. "All three of us,"

Joyce held a hand over her mouth in disbelief. "Hopper said -"

"Screw what Hopper said," Jonathan cut her off, earning a disapproving yet surprised look. "The lab obviously knows who's connected to El and if we wait here, we're sitting ducks,"

"I don't think we have time, Mom," Will added more gently and Joyce considered this. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to go back to the lab and retrieve El herself. She trusted Hopper but at the same time, she needed to make a decision now based on the new information she was getting. To her, El was like part of the family now and she wanted nothing more than her brought home safe and sound but at the same time, she had to think about the safety of her boys.

"And," Will piped up uncertainly. "And, I think I can help,"

Both his brother and mother eyed him curiously.

"How exactly?" Joyce asked, one eyebrow raised. She didn't like the strange tone Will had used.

"I…" He sighed. "I've still been going in and out of the Upside Down since the hospital -" He admitted, then before either could react, he quickly added, "- but I think I can control it!"

"How?" Jonathan asked.

"Every time it's happened before, it's because I've been scared or upset, like when I was throwing up those slugs," Will explained. "Every time that happened, I'd suddenly be in the Upside Down and it wasn't until I stopped freaking out that I came back,"

"So it's connected to your emotions," Jonathan surmised and Will nodded.

"Basically. I think so,"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Joyce said, shaking her head. "But there is no way in hell you are going back to that place," Then her tone changed to one of disappointment. "Why didn't you tell me this was still happening? We just had this discussion when you were in the hospital, Will!"

"I know, I'm sorry!" Will said quickly. "It's only happened a couple times and I was going to tell you guys, I swear,"

Joyce inhaled, pursing her lips. "I still don't want you going back there," She said firmly and Will's face fell with reluctant resignation.

"If Mike's waiting for us, we should leave now," Jonathan said, taking the opportunity to redirect them back to the task at hand. "For all we know, if the lab is actually coming after all of us, Hopper could be in trouble, too,"

Joyce took a moment to consider this. If what Will had heard was true, she needed to get her boys somewhere safe while Hopper went in to get El. He had the best chance of rescuing her, given his insider access to the lab, but if he was also a target, they couldn't let him handle this alone - no matter how bull-headed he insisted on being. "Okay," Joyce nodded, grabbing her keys from the coffee table. "Get your things and let's go,"

. . . . . . . .

The woods surrounding his trailer were dark and quiet when Hopper pulled up in front of the modest home, his SUV's tires screeching slightly as they came to a stop. He'd been on his way down to Finksburg earlier to visit his friend, the man who had graciously agreed to take El in temporarily, so he was still dressed in his plain, off-duty clothes. Of all days to leave his gun at home, it would be the day he needed it most.

Hopper checked the area surrounding his vehicle before getting out, making sure he wouldn't be ambushed as soon as he opened the door. After a brief, tense pause, he saw nothing out of the ordinary but still exited the SUV prepared to fight if need be. He may not have had his gun on him but that wasn't the only weapon he had at his disposal. When he stepped out onto the makeshift dirt driveway, the only sound that greeted him was an owl hooting somewhere in the dark expanse of trees. The only light came from a half-moon's shine bouncing off the lake behind his house and the air was crisp with the chill of nature's gradual transition from winter to spring. He made his way up to the door of his trailer, looking over his shoulder the entire time as he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

All of the lights were off and he locked the door behind him before turning the kitchen light on and pausing to release the breath he'd been holding. Maybe the lab wasn't quite on his tail yet but he needed to be prepared for the worst. He'd left his gun in a safe in the bedroom and he quickly crossed through the narrow home to get to it.

As he turned the dial on the lock of his safe, he couldn't help but run through worst case scenarios in his head. Working under the assumption that El had indeed been abducted by the lab, who knows what they may be doing or have already done to her. Hopper couldn't help the familiar sting of guilt that settled in the pit of his stomach as he threw open the door to his safe and grabbed his gun. Could his decisions have put El in more jeopardy than if she would have stayed at the Byers' all along? He'd only been trying to keep her and everyone else safe, knowing full-well the extent of the lab's underhanded ways. How striking it was, the familiarity of this guilt as he reflected on Sarah's last moments. His decisions, in a vain attempt at saving her life, had actually cost it and the déjà vu was unnerving to say the least. He did his best to push those thoughts out of his head with little success, though they galvanized him even more so in his desire to rescue El by any means necessary. He'd meant what he said to Joyce - this would end tonight. He wasn't sure how yet, but he wouldn't let anything happen to that little girl. He'd let her down before - not again.

As he made connections between El and his own daughter, a thought gnawed at him that had been silently omnipresent throughout all of his dealings with the lab. Sarah had received her treatment through Hawkins National Laboratory. It seemed strange and a little too coincidental that El just so happened to be the unfortunate captive of the same institution that tried and failed to treat his daughter's cancer.

He would have more time to mull this over on his way to the lab; for now, the adrenaline coursing through him was enough to keep him going. Hopper quickly strung his police belt through his belt loops and settled his gun in its holster. He usually kept extra packs of ammo in the glove compartment of his SUV so he was covered in that department as he peered through the curtain into the front yard. Clear and quiet, just as it had been when he arrived.

Hopper grabbed his keys from the table where he'd left them and stepped out onto the metal steps. The air was unusually calm without even a hint of a gust of wind, making it feel a little less chilly than it otherwise would during this time of year.

He never heard even a rustling in the grass, nor did he see a flash of movement, before a sharp pain struck him in the neck. Immediately realizing he'd been shot with some sort of dart, he yanked the small needle out of his neck but it was too late. As he reached for his gun, his arms suddenly felt loose and far away from him. Where had it come from? There was no one in his field of view and he darted his head back and forth looking for the sniper.

"Son of a bitch," He slurred as his vision became hazy and he saw a handful of men in suits emerge from the shadows of the woods.

. . . . . . . .

Mike's calves were burning as he raced through the lamp-lit neighborhood streets. The sound of his bike tires spinning madly and wind whipping past his face and blowing his hair were the only things he heard amongst the thoughts running through his head. His backpack jostled against him as he pedalled and all he could picture was El in that hospital gown, in that tiny room - the same one he had seen first-hand when they went to the lab in search of the portal to rescue her just a couple months ago. The images of El on those security tapes still haunted him and every time he closed his eyes, even for a split second, he saw her covered in wires, being grabbed and pushed and pulled, forced to use her powers against her will. It made him furious and sickened to think about the way she'd been treated her whole life and how she was currently being treated on top of it. He couldn't stop thinking about the burns on her arms and the way she cried in the dream so he tried to focus on the way it felt to pedal faster and faster. His legs felt a little wobbly, a little tired, but he kept pushing. They didn't have time to waste.

He'd radioed Lucas after talking to Will and Lucas had said he would get Dustin. Nancy had given Mike a couple minutes head start - enough time to slip out of the house through the basement door and be on his way before she would alert their parents to the need to leave. How she was going to do that, he wasn't sure, but Nancy had certainly proven to be a lot more capable than he'd given her credit for a few months ago. If everything went according to plan, they should be fine. The lab wouldn't find them, their loved ones would be safe, and they'd be able to rescue Eleven. All they needed was time - something they had no way of quantifying so they could only assume they didn't have enough.

As Mike approached the downward slope in the road that would take him to the corner of Elm and Magnolia, he let his feet off the pedals, giving his calves a brief reprieve as gravity pulled him the remaining distance to the street corner. Lucas got to the corner just seconds before him, having come from the adjacent street.

"Hey,"

"Hey, where's Dustin?" Mike asked but Lucas didn't need to respond before the two could hear the sound of another set of rubber tires approaching from the hill Mike had just descended.

Panting, Dustin put his feet down to steady his bike as he came to a stop between them. "This is mental," He said between breaths, shaking his head.

Lucas looked to Mike, "So what's the plan?"

. . . . . . . .

As the drugs quickly worked their way into Hopper's system, he eventually lost control of his body and fell unconscious, toppling over and down the few metal steps of his modest trailer. He hit the ground hard as several agents approached him casually, clearly unfazed and expecting his response to the drug. One of the men, dressed in a navy blue suit, carried a large tranquilizer gun at his side, equipped with small darts carrying the same concoctions they'd used to incapacitate him and others before.

"Well done," Dr. Brenner said, his hands in his pockets as he stepped up to Hopper's slumped body.

"Thank you, sir," The man with the navy suit replied humbly as another drew a gun from his belt, aiming it at Hopper's head.

"Not yet," Dr. Brenner commanded, putting a hand over the gun's barrel and forcibly lowering it to the ground. "Take him back to the lab,"

Agent Kramer stepped forward, motioning for the other agents to assist him in lifting Hopper's weight. "Give me a hand here, would ya?"

"Agent Kramer," Dr. Brenner said, giving his subordinate pause. "Do you have a plan in place for our next steps?"

"I do," Agent Kramer nodded confidently. "Once we finish here, we'll be splitting up to cover all known contacts of the girl. I expect we'll finish before dawn,"

"Good," Dr. Brenner said, pleased, then looked at the agents clumsily dragging Hopper's limp form across the yard to where several unmarked black vans had pulled up. "I'll escort this one back to the lab for a little chat," He said, his eyes cold and distant as he watched the men load Hopper into the backseat of one of the vans. "I look forward to good news from you,"

. . . . . . . .

"Will should be here soon," Mike said, looking at his watch anxiously. All around them were darkened streets and trees with splotches of light from streetlamps lining the asphalt. "Nancy's gonna take my mom and dad to this motel at the edge of Hawkins and once Will and his mom and Jonathan get here, Jonathan can go take their mom and meet Nancy and my parents there. That way everyone's together and then the four of us can go look for El,"

"What about our parents?" Dustin glanced between Lucas and Mike.

"The lab doesn't know our parents," Lucas answered for Mike, clearly not concerned. "They know his," He jerked a thumb at Mike. "And they know Will's. Our parents don't have anything to do with El,"

Dustin made a face, still a little unnerved but accepting this as two bright headlights appeared from around the corner, headed straight toward them.

"Is that Will?" Lucas asked as the car got closer, the vague silhouette of its shape barely visible beyond the beaming lights.

"Yeah," Mike said, then mumbled under his breath. "I hope so,"

The car pulled up along the edge of the road, close to where the boys stood with their bikes, and when the engine quieted and the lights went off, they exhaled in relief as Will, Jonathan, and Joyce became visible through the car's windows.

"Hey," Will said as the three of them exited the car and Jonathan went around to the trunk to unload Will's bike.

"Hey," Mike, Dustin, and Lucas echoed in response as they waited.

"Where's Nancy?" Jonathan asked as Will walked his bike over to the group.

"She's taking our parents up to that motel at the edge of town," Mike explained. "Before you get to Curley,"

Joyce glanced at her younger son as he sat mounted on his bike, still not happy with the idea of him riding yet, though his incisions had healed enough to make it safe. "Okay, so what exactly is going on?"

"El and I…"

"They talk in their dreams," Dustin supplied bluntly. "Literally,"

"Yeah," Mike admitted with a shrug. "She told me the lab people were going to come after everyone that had a connection with her,"

"Anyone who knows her is in danger," Lucas translated.

"Right," Mike nodded. "So that's why we've gotta get everyone somewhere safe, somewhere the lab doesn't know,"

"Did anyone talk to her friends in Clarksville?" Will asked and Mike blinked. He hadn't even thought about them in all this.

"No…" He said reluctantly.

"They're probably in just as much danger then," Will reasoned. "I mean, the lab had no problem going up there and… doing what they did to El's aunt and her mom,"

Mike nodded, "You're right,"

"Should we call them?" Dustin asked and Mike shook his head.

"No," He said, remembering Hopper's reaction to him trying to teach El how to use the phone. "Phones might be tapped; we have to stick to supercoms and face-to-face,"

"They don't have supercoms, do they?" Lucas asked and Dustin interjected before Mike could respond.

"Even if they did, they wouldn't be in range,"

"How about this," Jonathan spoke up. "I'll go meet up with Nancy and then the four of us can go up to Clarksville and get everyone up there someplace safe,"

"Then we can head to the lab and get El," Mike finished, earning nods of agreement from the other boys.

"Guys," Joyce interrupted. "I understand you all are worried and we all want to get El out of that place but Hopper is already on his way there. I don't want any of you putting yourself at any more risk than you already are,"

"We can't just wait!" Mike protested amidst a chorus of agreement from the boys.

"What if Hopper gets captured, too?"

"What else are we supposed to do?"

"What if he needs help?"

"Mom," Jonathan said, putting a hand on his mom's shoulder. "We'll be okay but if what Mike's saying is true, then either way, we can't just sit and wait for Hopper. Look what happened when you guys went up there to get Will by yourselves before - you both were almost killed. If we're gonna get through this, we have to do it together,"

Joyce pursed her lips, looking at her eldest with reluctant resignation. When did he get such a good head on his shoulders? While she hated to admit it, he was right and if the lab was actually coming after everyone tonight, they needed to use whatever abilities and power they had as a group to keep themselves safe and rescue El. She hated the thought of putting her babies in danger but with her newfound realizations, came additional worry for Hopper. What if he really was taking too much on himself? He'd gotten them out of a dire situation with the lab before but was he really lucky enough to do it again if it came to that?

"Okay," Joyce sighed, hoping they weren't making a huge mistake but trusting in her boys. "Okay, Jonathan, if you're going up to Clarksville, why don't you drive me back to the house and I'll get my car. I'll come back and pick you boys up and then we can figure out what we're going to do about El and the lab, okay?"

"But we already have our bikes," Lucas said.

"We could just go," Dustin added and the look Joyce shot him was enough to freeze him in place.

"We do this together or we don't do it at all," She said firmly. "You boys can't go up there on your own, not without me or Hopper, do you understand that?"

"But if Hopper's already there -" Mike began to protest.

"And if he's not?" Joyce countered. "And you run into these agents with no weapons and no one to protect you? I don't think so. Wait here, keep yourselves hidden until I get back," She looked to her oldest. "Jonathan and I can stop by Hopper's place on the way and if he hasn't left for the lab yet, I'll tell him to meet me here and all of us can go together,"

The boys exchanged reluctant looks amongst themselves. It didn't seem like Will's mom was budging anytime soon. It'd been hard enough to convince her to let them go in the first place. While they could understand she was worried, it still wasn't enough to stop them from wanting to take action. Still, they reluctantly agreed to her terms and she and Jonathan climbed back into the car, peeling away from the curb and disappearing down the road.

. . . . . . . .

There was no telling how much time had passed. After dark, the lab became much quieter as more than half of the regular employees went home for the day, unaware of what went on after hours.

Though he knew it wasn't particularly late, he'd been working since 6 am that morning and Freddie could barely keep his eyes open. El had fallen asleep an hour ago with no signs of activity and no electric shocks since he'd turned the machine off for her. It was hard to look at this little girl and not feel the immense guilt that came along with being part of the system that was doing this to her. How had he gotten roped into something so screwed up? Sure, he needed the money, but was it really worth all this?

The sound of metal shifting against metal as the door unlocked brought Freddie to immediate attention and he looked back to see Jake enter just as El lifted her head. She was still strapped to the bed and unable to sit up.

He laughed and Freddie reflexively rolled his eyes. "What, do they have you on babysitting duty, again?" Jake walked up to El's bedside and Freddie noticed a pair of clippers in his hand, the cord dangling almost to the floor. El noticed, too, her gaze settling on the all-too-familiar machine that always took her hair away.

"What are you doing here, Jake?" Freddie asked, unamused. He'd grown to distrust his roommate more and more after taking this job. He'd always thought he was a bit 'off' but some of the things he'd seen him do went beyond that. "I thought you were off on a job,"

"Jealous?" He chuckled as El glared at him. "Yeah, we picked the guy up a little while ago and just brought him back so I figured I'd see how my buddy Freddie's doin'," He shot an insincere smile at Freddie before turning back to El. "Larry said he's not getting a good read on this girl's EKG - probably 'cause of all this hair," He reached to touch the short locks on El's head but she leaned away, out of his grasp.

"What are you talking about?" Freddie asked, annoyed. "The print out's right there," He pointed to the layers of paper on the floor.

"He's got the wires split or some shit so there's another print out in the control room, numb-nuts," Jake shot back. "So I told him, it's probably because of all this hair," He once again reached for El's head, this time catching a brief brush against a soft brown tuft by El's ear and she recoiled at the contact.

"No," She said firmly, her brow furrowing as she scowled at him. His laughter was mildly unnerving.

"'No'?" Jake smirked. "Aren't you feisty?" He walked around the bed to the outlets where the EKG and other machines were plugged in as he unraveled the cord from around the clippers. "Good thing those straps look nice and tight - I wouldn't want you to move too much while we shave that mop off your head," As he reached over to plug the clippers into the wall, he noticed one of the machines at his eye-level was turned off. "Hey," He said curiously and Freddie immediately realized what he was noticing. "What's this light doing off?"

"What are you talking about?" Freddie asked, forcing the same irritated tone he typically used with Jake.

He studied the machines a moment longer before a dark chuckle escaped him and El realized laughter wasn't always a happy thing. "You turned off the shocks," Jake said, looking back at Freddie who had yet to formulate an explanation better than feigning ignorance. "You did!" Jake guffawed and Freddie steeled himself, unsure what to do now that he'd obviously been caught. Would Jake rat him out?

"Th-They kept going off all night," Freddie hastily explained. "Even when she was asleep!"

"Oh god!" Jake said with a laugh and a knowing look. "You're even more of a chump than I thought," He shook his head with condescending disappointment. "Well, luckily for you," He quickly reached over and flipped the switch back on as El watched in horror. "No one else has to know what a pussy you are," As the machine buzzed and whirred back to life, El's heart sank, anticipating the inevitable pain she would experience if she used her powers again. He'd been so quick, why couldn't she have stopped him before he could flip that switch?

Jake then turned the clippers on and the sound they made sent a jolt of fear through El. They never hurt - not unless the orderlies tried to hurt her with them - but they still signified the lack of agency she had in this place. "Now, are you gonna hold your head still or does your buddy Freddie need to help you?" Jake asked El and she glanced over at Freddie, frightened.

"Leave her alone, man," Freddie said weakly. "She barely has any hair as it is; I doubt that's what's causing whatever problems Larry's having with the readings,"

"Hmm…" Jake considered this. "Maybe," He shrugged. "But I like to be thorough," He reached over to El and despite her attempts at jerking her head away, he still managed to swipe a thick lock of hair from her head. El looked down, teary-eyed, as the hair rolled down her arm and fell to the mattress.

"NO!" El screamed, swinging her head back and forth in an attempt to dodge Jake's advances but this didn't deter him. Instead, he continued to swipe at her, cutting off uneven chunks of hair and sometimes scraping and scratching and banging the clippers against her head in the struggle. "This would be a lot easier if you...would stop… moving!" He said through gritted teeth, getting frustrated as he took a vindictive swipe at her head that, rather than cut off any additional hair, collided the blade of the clippers against a bare patch of scalp and created a gash a couple inches long.

El yelped and Freddie lurched forward, trying to take the clippers from Jake. "Leave her alone, man!" He exclaimed as Jake pushed him roughly. "This is so fucked up!"

"Back off, Freddie!" Jake growled, pulling a concealed gun from the waist of his pants and pointing it at Freddie's chest. "Back the fuck off," El froze, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the clippers in front of her face, the gun in Jake's other hand, and Freddie in the corner with his hands up defensively. "You try that again and I'll shoot her," Jake dropped the clippers to the floor and grabbed El by the remaining scruffs of hair still on her head, the end of the barrel directly pressing into her temple.

"Dude, what are you doing?!" Freddie exclaimed. "You're fucking crazy!"

As the two young men continued to yell back and forth at one another, El struggled to calm her breathing. With the nose of a gun to her head, she could think of little more than how quickly she could be killed at any second. Her heartbeat was rapidly thumping in her ears and she felt like she could hardly breathe. Her head felt like it was in a vice, caught between Jake pulling the hair on one side and digging the metal gun into the other side.

"Let her go, Jake!" Freddie exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock and horror. "If anyone finds out you've got a gun to her head -"

"They won't," Jake replied. "If you aren't gonna help then sit down and shut the fuck up!"

"Jake, stop -"

"I said sit down!" Jake yelled, aiming the gun back at Freddie and shooting him in the ankle, causing Freddie to groan in pain.

As soon as he moved the gun away from her, El took the opportunity to focus all of her mental energy as quickly as possible. Her body shook and she gritted her teeth against the electric shocks coursing through her as she quickly jerked her head to the side, snapping Jake's neck and sending him into a heap on the floor. The gun fell from his hand and went off upon hitting the floor, sending another bullet into the wall opposite her bed.

Breathing heavily, El felt a trickle of blood seep from her nose as more drained out of her ears. Her head fell back against the pillows as her body continued to twitch and shake from the shocks and Freddie held his ankle in his hands, rocking back and forth on the floor as blood pooled around his mangled foot.

. . . . . . . .

As soon as Jonathan's car was out of sight, Dustin looked around at the three other boys.

"We're not actually waiting, right?"

"No way," Mike shook his head, situating himself on his bike and beginning to pedal as the others followed suit.

"The lab's right by my house," Will said, biking alongside Mike. "My mom might see us if we take the normal roads,"

"So we'll take a detour before we get to Mirkwood," Mike reasoned.

The boys raced through neighbor's yards and fields, avoiding the main roads when they could, until they got to the road leading to Mirkwood.

"I had this idea," Will said, a little winded. This was his first time back out on his bike and he didn't have the same level of stamina he'd had before his hospital stay. "About finding El,"

"Yeah?" Mike asked, panting as he pedalled.

"Yeah," Will replied. "I could go into the Upside Down,"

This earned an incredulous look from Mike and all four of them slowed down to a stop at the top of Mirkwood.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked. "You think she's there?"

"How would you even get there?" Dustin asked.

"Why would you even go there?" Lucas chimed in. "Voluntarily?!"

"It didn't stop happening after the surgery," Will explained. "I've still been kind of, flashing back and forth sometimes but I think I figured out why, or how. I actually told El about it a little while ago,"

"Okay, and?" Lucas pressed.

"It happens whenever I'm scared or freaked out," Will continued.

"Like when you have interdimensional monster babies coming out of your mouth," Dustin surmised humorously.

"Exactly," Will nodded. "But when I calm down, I'm fine, and I come back. I think if I tried to go there, then I could maybe get into the lab from the inside, find El and come back to the real world. I've never tried to go there on purpose but I could try,"

"Do we even know where to start looking when we get inside?" Dustin asked and Mike turned to look at him.

"Yeah, she's in her old room," He answered. "The one we walked by when we went to get her from the Upside Down,"

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Will?" Lucas asked. "What if you can't get back out this time?"

"I-I dunno," Will admitted with a shrug. "But I've always come back before and I think it's one of the few options we have,"

"He has a point," Dustin said. "El's the badass in this group and she's the one who's the walking, sort-of talking, weapon. We don't even have the wrist-rocket,"

"Actually, I do," Lucas corrected, patting his backpack. "But still,"

"Guns beat slingshots every time," Dustin said pointedly.

"You're sure about this, Will?" Mike asked, looking at his friend with a combination of concern and hope.

Will nodded. "Yeah," He said firmly. "El helped you guys find me when I was trapped; it's the least I can do for her,"

. . . . . . . .

The commotion from El's room attracted the attention of several orderlies who'd raced down the hall to find one of their own dead on the floor and the other clutching his foot in agony.

"What the hell happened here?" A man, likely in his thirties, stepped into the room as the others stood back in the doorway. "Get him outta here," He directed the other orderlies who proceeded to pull Freddie up and help him out. "The shocks weren't strong enough for you?" He asked El with venom in his voice as he stepped over Jake's body and reached for the dial on the machine causing her electric shocks.

"No!" El cried, her eyes welling with tears. "Please,"

"Sometimes you kids really need to learn things the hard way, don't you?" He said with disdain and as his fingers grabbed the dial and turned, El sucked in a breath, narrowing her eyes at him and sending him flying across the room. She yelped as a stronger current rushed through her body and she turned to the side to vomit across her pillow. Despite her pain and the fluctuating control she had over her body, her adrenaline pushed her forward as the remaining five orderlies rushed in to assist.

El let out a guttural scream as she threw all of the orderlies back into the wall away from her. Their heads smacked against the concrete walls of the room, cracking their skulls and leaving a trail of blood down the wall as they lifelessly slid down to the floor. Still strapped to the bed, El leaned back to catch her breath as the first man managed to stand up and walk shakily over to her.

"You little shit," He said, grabbing her by the throat, holding her down, and causing her eyes to pop open in terror. She coughed and sputtered against his hand, each breath feeling more and more difficult as pain and panic ravaged her entire body. Pooling all of the energy and focus she could, she met his gaze, glaring up at him as his face gradually shifted from vengeful to terrified and his grip on her neck loosened. Still bound by the leather straps tethering her to the bed, El watched with determination as blood leaked from his eyes and ears before she heard the dull sound of a pop and he fell to the floor with a thud. The resulting electric shocks that ran through her were intense and she shook violently, her limbs trembling and burning as her heart raced. It seemed like it would never stop until the force gradually ebbed and she passed out from the exhaustion and pain.

. . . . . . . .

The smell of blood was enticing. Being only a short distance down the hall, they could detect it with ease. Nearly full-grown, it was almost impossible to resist the scent of a fresh meal.

The lights were off, sans a small gooseneck lamp over the counter one of the researchers was using to complete paperwork.

The little monsters had grown considerably and were no longer aquatic. The lab had constructed wire metal cages just large enough for each one to crouch with thin slots between the wires - enough space to stick needles in and run tests.

But the smell was so strong, so inviting. Irresistible in comparison to the cold dog food they received on a daily basis. Some of them had broken out of their cages before, making the locks weaker and cluing them in to how to effectively break them again. As the researcher hovered over his work, scribbling notes onto a legal pad, the monsters grew antsy. The more time passed, the stronger the scent became. They hadn't eaten since morning - their normal time - and the instinctual drive to seek out their next meal was powerful.

The researcher barely had time to react. As quickly as he'd heard the sound of wires bending and snapping, he turned around to face the creature. Its face opened up like a flower, rows of teeth glistening with otherworldly saliva as it clamped over the man's head and its brothers and sisters rattled excitedly in their cages.

. . . . . . . .

"And do you feel scared? I do, but I won't stop and falter. And if we threw it all away, things can only get better..."