𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙥! 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣

SCENE TWENTY EIGHT. searching the source

and el smashed against the floor, no longer finding herself in darkness but a river. birds chirping above her head. that dam smell after rain hitting her senses.

"el, are you okay?"

"i'm okay."

"what's going on?"

"i'm in a river. a forest."

"okay, i may be dense but why would you be in a forest?"

"what else do you see?"

"a girl, child. with an older boy. her brother? they are playing in the river. he's teaching her how to throw rocks."

"did you see that?"

"yeah i saw that. it was awesome!" the older boy exclaimed pulling his sister into a hug as she giggled. the name on the back of the jacket becomes visible. parker.

"again! again! again!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down as she went to pick up another flatish rock.

"piper, thomas. be careful, there's a storm coming." a man shouted, el turning to find a tent with a couple sitting on some kind of makeshift sofa. camping. they were camping.

"it's piper and she's camping with her brother."

"brother? i didn't know she had a brother." max questioned.

"it must be a memory?" nancy had added. she remembered piper with her brother. she had remembered seeing steve running from him once. but she didn't say anything about the boy's name in the papers when she was little.

"i think i see it, the source." el mumbled as she returned to the river. a reddish cloud seeing into the memory. a raging storm. and el followed it, getting closer with each step.

the storm was getting worse. she could see ip and thomas swimming in the pondish thing that the river ran into. the water was harsh, rough. which was odd for a rover in the middle of the forest. and she watched as piper was dragged under, screaming out for her brother as she disappeared into the river. the boy screaming for her as he tried to reach out into the water for her. diving into the water as piper's head smashed against a rick, blurring the girl's vision as a hand dipped into the water. grabbing her and using all his force to drag her out. swapping their laces. el was watching piper's brother give his life for piper. piper's brother drowned saving her.

"piper! piper! where is your brother! where is thomas!" a voice screamed el finding piper's dad dragging her from the water. piper's mother screamed as she tried to find her son in the water. and her father struck his daughter. the girl falling backwards into the stones.

"what did i tell you about the storm! you killed your brother!" he screamed as she cried out, bringing her hands to her face as he went to hit her again. but she didn't cry for him to stop, nor did she cry for her mum. she was crying for her brother, for thomas. and el ran as piper started to run into the trees, following the girl as the trees opened. finding herself at some warehouse. but the young girl was no longer young. but the same age as the girl el had met in the mall. a warehouse in hawkins, and she was being carried towards it by billy. the girl threw over his shoulder as if she was nothing but a teddy. the storm is still raging above them.

"i think i found it. the source."

"where, el? where are you?"max was quick to question

"brimborn, steel works." she mumbled looking up at the sign on the warehouse as billy disappeared into the building with the girl. hearing her screams as she pulled herself out of the dream-like state. finding herself in the room, but now it was empty. and cold.

"mike! mike!" el screams, pulling herself to stand, finding no evidence of her friends anywhere. it was like they had just disappeared.

"he can't hear you." a monotone voice called from the bedroom, piper appearing from behind the door. her skin deathly pale and covered in bruises.

"you shouldn't have tried to find him, because now i see you. we can all see you, i tried to stop him. you let us in, and he wants you to let them stay. please don't let him stay. i can't control it anymore.

"don't you see, all this time, we've been building it. we've been building it for you." another voice added, billy appearing from behind piper. he looked much like her, controlled.

"all that work, all that pain, all of it. for you. and now it's time. time to end it. and we are going to end you. and when you are gone, we are going to end your friends. and then we are going to end everyone.'' billy repeated as he took more steps towards el, but piper remained still. different emotions plastering on her face as she tried to control it. and she dove forwards. tackling billy to the ground, slightly knockingel backwards as she screamed. watching piper's hands wrap around the boys next as she ripped herself out of the dream state. pulling the fabric from her eyes as she cried. mike quick to bring her into his chest as she sobbed.