Shadows of the Night •a Stranger Things story•

If I Go There Will Be Trouble

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El stands alone in the void. She shifts on her feet, looking around. El moves through the darkness on stiff feet. She spots something lying in a pile of goop. "Barb? Barbara?" El hesitates, moving forward. She sees Barbara's dead body covered in the ooz. A black and yellow slug pours out of her mouth.

El gasps, panicking.

"What's going on?" wonders Nancy as the lights go out. They watch as El breathes heavily in the water. Chris is not moving, floating quietly.

Mike stares at his sister. "I don't know."

"Is Barb okay? Is she okay?"

El cries in shock. "Gone! Gone! Gone!" She spins around in a circle, screaming. "Gone! Gone!"

Joyce reaches for El, trying to soothe her. Nancy's eyes pool with tears and she cries into Jonathan's shoulder. Robbie and Ronda are pale. Ronda's mouth trembles softly.

"It's okay. It's okay. Take Chrissie's hand. Take her hand."

El grabs Chris's hand through the water. "Gone. Gone," she moans.

"Hey. It's okay."

El calms, clutching Chris's hand tightly. The radio crackles. The others listen to Chris's voice come through, but she doesn't move an inch in the water. "Hey. I'm here. El. I'm here."

Hopper stares down at his daughter with a tense look. Of course it's hard for him to wrap his mind around the fact that his daughter is some sort of clairvoyant. She hid it from him because she was worried about how he'd react. His only worry is that she gets hurt. As Chief of Police, he's supposed to be able to protect people. This entire week has proven that it's more difficult when monsters are involved. And he's not sure how to protect her daughter from something he doesn't understand.

Joyce's voice echoes through the void as Chris holds El in her arms. El shudders, not daring to look over at Barb's body again. Chris closes her eyes as well, shushing El.

"It's okay. I got you. Don't be afraid. I'm right here with you. I'm right here with you. It's okay. It's okay."

El shivers. The two girls walk through the darkness in silence. They come across Will's fort that is usually in the woods. It is also covered in sticky grayish goop and surrounded by dust.

"Castle Byers," El reads.

"Will?" calls Chris softly. The two girls duck inside the fortress.

"You tell him tell him I'm coming," Joyce gasps. "Mom is coming."

"Oh, my God," Chris gasps. Her voice cracks through the walkie talkie. Joyce turns to the noise. "He's here. He's here. We found him."

"Your mom," El stutters from the pool. "She's coming for you."

"Hurry," Will mutters weakly.

Everyone stares at the radio, listening to Will's voice in shock and relief and worry and fear. Joyce pats El's arms in encouragement. "Okay. Listen, you tell him to...to stay where he is. We're coming. We're coming, okay? We're coming, honey."

"Just...just hold on a little longer," echoes El.

"Will. Will," El shakes him gently.

He closes his eyes tiredly. Chris hears the sound of the Demogorgon growling. She whirls around, watching as everything starts to vanish before them. El stares in surprise. "Will?"

"Let go of my hand!" Chris demands. "Let go! I can stay with him. I can stay with him."

The others listen as Chris panics. El pulls her hand away from Chris and pants, jerking herself out of the pool. Everyone startles back from her.
"Chris? Christine?" Hopper questions, speaking into the radio.

Robbie chews on his tongue, glancing up at the Chief. "She can hear you, she just can't respond. It's better if you don't talk to her."

Joyce holds El close as her nose starts to bleed. "I've got you. It's okay. I got you. I got you. I got you, honey. You did so good."

"Are you okay?" asks Hopper.

Joyce helps El out of the water. Mike grabs a towel and Joyce wraps it around El. The four kids move to the bleachers to let El rest. Ronda, Robbie, Jonathan, and Nancy continue to watch Chris float in the water. Robbie holds her hand.

"So this fort. Where is it?" Hopper inquires to Joyce.

"Uh, it's in the woods behind our house," informs Joyce.

"Yeah, he used to go there to hide," says Jonathan.

Hopper puts his jacket and hat on his head. He heads toward the exit. Joyce and Jonathan exchange a look before following him. "Hey, get back inside," he orders.

"What, are you insane? No, I'm—" Joyce argues.

Hopper shakes his head. "Look, if something happens to me, I don't make it back—"

"Yeah, but then I'll go. You stay," she demands.

Hopper stares at her. "Are you kidding me?"

"He's my son, Hop. My son. I'm going!" Joyce moves to Jonathan. "Now, listen, I need you to stay here..."

Jonathan shakes his head. "No."

"And," she continues on, ignoring Jonathan's protest, "watch over the kids."

"No, Mom. I can help."

"Please, I need you to stay, Jonathan."

"Joyce!" shouts Hopper from the driver's seat.

Jonathan hugs his mother. "Please. Please, be careful."

"Joyce, come on!"

"Please. I'm gonna find him. I'm gonna find him." Joyce sniffles and pulls away, hurrying to the passenger seat of the car. Jonathan heads back inside to find Nancy sitting against the wall. She stares ahead blankly.

"We have to go back to the station," Nancy speaks up.

Jonathan frowns. "What?"

"Your mom and Hopper are just walking in there like bait. That thing is still in there. And we can't just sit here and let it get them, too." Nancy shakes her head at Jonathan, eyes set. "We can't."

"You still wanna try it out?"

Nancy's eyes water. "I wanna finish what we started. I want to kill it."

Robbie, Ronda, Lucas, Dustin, Mike, and El listen to the static on the radio. Chris continues to float quietly in the salt water pool. The only thing she does is breathe. The radio is silent, they can't hear Chris or Will without El's connection to the void.

"If I go there will be trouble," Will shudders. He lies on his cot, shaking. Chris holds him close in her arms. Will stares at her softly. "And if I stay it will be double..."

Chris closes her eyes, listening to the Upside Down outside of Castle Byers.

"So, come on and let me know. Should I stay or should I go now?"

The Demogorgon growls outside of the fortress, signaling that it's near. Chris and Will both sit up straight. They fall silent as the Demogorgon approaches. It's shadow moves across the wood. It grumbles slowly.

Chris moves in front of Will, shielding him from the Demogorgon. The growling stops. The two of them don't move. The Demogorgon screeches loudly, shoving itself into the castle. Everything falls apart on them.