ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʟᴀꜱᴛꜱ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ ☆ ꜱᴛᴇᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀʀɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ

020.

[1983]
020. the water tank

After Dustin's phone call to his teacher about a sensory tank, Jim had figured out the amount of salt they needed would be at the middle school. That's where they were now.

Jonathan and Hopper was getting the salt. Dustin and Lucas was setting up the pool. Nancy and Mike was getting the water and Joyce was with El.

Annabelle had grabbed a first aid kit, needing to patch up her ankle a bit better to get through the night. The blonde swallowed back the two aspirins and headed to the hall, helping the group.

When she walked in, Lucas and Dustin was arguing over the pool. "Do you need help or is this free entertainment?" She lightened the mood, setting the first aid kit on the side and walking over to the duo.

"Dont be an idiot and help."

Annabelle held a side, letting the boys getting it fixed, listening to what they ask her to do.

"Ann!" the blonde looked behind her shoulder to see Nancy and Mike enter with the tubes to attach to the pool. "Thank God." Annie sighed. "If I was left any longer being there dancing monkey, I was gonna go insane." She joked.

"Ha, you're so funny, Annabelle. Now hold this." Dustin scoffed. She rolled her eyes playfully but helped away.

When it was set up, and the water began to fill the pool, Annabelle made her way to the gym stairs, getting the first aid kit out.

"Colder!" She heard Lucas yell as she placed a fresh band aid over the cut from Steve's the morning after the party. "Warmer!"

"Right there!"

When Nancy joined the quart, Jonathan and Jim made there entrance to, ready to fill up the water with salt.

"What happens if this doesn't work?" Nancy asked, helping bandage the blonde's ankle. She just shrugged. "I'm hoping we dont have to find out."

"Um, Steve... He's good right." When she saw Annie's tilted head she carried on explaining. "Like, after this, he'll be good for me. It's just... everything is crazy right now and after, things with Steve. You just know him the best-"

"He was a dick, Nance. It's who he hangs out with. Steve wouldn't have done What he did but Tommy and Carol are just bad for him. If you can forgive him and this is all over. Talk to him... but please think it through. I love you both and dont want to see either hurt. And I dont want Jonathan to either."

"Jonathan?" Nancy's head shot up, looking to blonde. before she could answer, the group called them over.

"Time to get our friends back. Thank you." Sliding her converse's back on, she hopped of the bench and made her way over. Dustin placed an egg slowly in. It sank. They sighed and added more salt. On the third attempt after, it floated.

Mike set up the static from the walkie talkie and El got ready to go in, taking of her watch which she passed to Mike. Annabelle sat between Nancy and Jonathan, her hand fidgeting with the scrunchie on her wrist, as she watched El get into the pool, floating to the surface.

The lights around the school flicked before turning off and the static made a buzz before returning to normal.

"Barbra? Liam?"

The lights flickered again before turning off. None of this felt right. Both teen girls began to worry more for there friends.

"What's going on?"

"I dont know."

"Is Barb and Liam okay? Are they okay?" Nancy asked to the girl in the pool, grabbing the blondes hand in the process.

"Gone. Gone. Gone." El mumbled. Nancy and Annie shot there spare hand over there mouth, tears pricking there eyes. Annie fell back into Jonathan who wrapped a hand around her shoulders. "Gone! Gone! Gone!"

"Hey. It's okay." Joyce comforted the young girl while Jonathon had to comfort his two friends. "It's okay. It's okay, you're safe."

"Castle Byers."

...

"Will?" El said in a hush tone. Annabelle had to try not to break down right there from her emotions. She really just wanted to run out of there and head home, but needed to be there for Jonathan and Nancy and she couldn't disturb El right now.

"You tell him... tell him I'm coming. Mom is coming."

"Hurry." barely audible, but they heard it. It was Will. Annabelle reached her hand over to grab Jonathans too, sending him a small smile, enough to reassure him.

"Okay. Listen you tell him to.. to stay where he is. We're coming. We're coming, okay? We're coming, honey."

"Will! Will." Eleven's whimpers was heard through the static before she jumped up with a gasp. Joyce quickly pulled her back, reassuring her. The second El was safe, Annie pulled away from her friends, getting up and heading to the door, trying to take deep breaths to avoid going into a panic attack.

"happy thoughts. happy thoughts." Images of the last time she saw Liam flashed through her head. "no. um, Steve." She shook her head, trying to ignore thoughts of her brother trying to resurface.

"Um, Alice in wonderland.. no, no...." She trailed off, eyes shut close as she lent against the wall behind her. "when the night has come." She mumbled the words to the song she was dancing to with Steve just the other day. "And the land is dark."

She slid her back down the wall, bringing her knees closer to her chest, head leaning against her knees. "And the moon... is the only light we'll see. no, I wont be afraid. oh, I won't be afraid. Just as long.. as you stand.. stand by me."

The clatter of the doors opening again made her head shot up to see who it was, meeting eyes with Nancy. The brunette was quick to fall beside Annie, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder. Annabelle linked there hands together once more.

The duo stayed in there own little world, ignoring Joyce and Jonathan chase after Hopper shouting protests, or the door slamming open and close. Not even when Jonathan joined them, sliding down to sit beside Nancy.

"We have to go back to the station." Wheeler finally said, lifting her head from the blondes shoulder.

"What?"

"Your mom and Hopper are just walking in there like bait." Nancy said, voice breaking as she held back tears. "That thing is still in there. And we can't just sit here and let it get them, too. we can't."

"You still wanna try it out?"

"I wanna finish what we started." Annabelle finally spoke, looking to the side to lock eyes with the two. "I want to kill it."