1983 || Stranger Things

ғᴏʀᴛʏ-ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ | sᴇᴀʀᴄʜɪɴɢ

      While Mike tried and failed to talk El out of what they were going to do, Julie tried calling Robin's house two more times, both times coming up with nothing. Even though it was a long shot, Julie even tried calling Steve, but got no answer. Something was going on with them, and possibly, Dustin was also involved.

      Julie wanted to keep calling, to go out looking for Robin, and she would've if El didn't call her over. It was time. Julie put the phone back and put her shortened hair into a ponytail, joining El on the floor in front of the staticing tv.

      "Hey, J?" Max said from the couch, making Julie turn her head with her blindfold in hand. "Please, be careful." Max begged.

      Julie nodded. "I'll be fine." Julie blew a quick kiss to Max, and Max did the same, before she turned and tied her blindfold around her face.

      El reached for Julie's hand, connecting them as the young girl went into her dream world, while Julie listened in. "I hear him breathing. Keep walking straight." Julie instructed quietly, gently rubbing El's hand with her thumb.

      "I see him. He's sitting on his bed." El said. Everyone wanted to ask so many questions, but they knew better than to interupt the two girls while they worked, so they stayed quiet.

      After another moment, El spoke again. This time, she spoke in her dream world, which meant that only Julie and Billy could hear her. "Billy." Her voice echoed, sending a drumming sound through Julie's ears. "Can you hear me? I'm here with Julie. We want to see. We want to see what happened." El coaxed the boy.

      Julie heard Billy's breathing slightly pick up. She heard him move and grip onto El's arm harshly. She heard El whimper. Outside of her world, she heard Mike's nervous voice. "El, listen to my voice. He can't hurt you."

      Her words did nothing, as Billy continued to grip onto El while she panicked. "Stop! No! No! No! No!" She screamed, tugging her arm from Billy. Julie heard El fall backwards into nothingness. It felt like it happened in slow motion. One moment, Julie was listening to El's screams, and the next, she was hearing everything that happened to Billy the night he got flayed.

     As she heard his blue car crash, a new sound enveloped her. Waves. Crashing waves. Julie opened her eyes and saw that she had fallen into the shore of an ocean, next to El. The girl sat up slowly, taking in everything she saw and heard. Seagulls, waves, the familar beach she had grown up on.

      "El, what is this? How am I here?" Julie asked, utterly concerned. This had never happened before.

      El shook her head. "I don't know. Where are we?" She asked, standing up slowly with Julie at her side, who was in a state of confusion.

      "I think... I think we're home." Julie answered, walking in circles through the water.

      El was about to ask another question, when Mike's voice flooded through. "El, are you okay?" He asked. "Are you okay?"

      In Hop's cabin, Julie and El sat side by side, blood dripping from El's nose, and leaking from Julie's ears as they tried to figure out what was going on. "I'm okay. We're okay." El answered Mike softly.

      "What's going on?" Mike asked immediately after.

      "We're... on a beach. With seagulls." Julie answered, her voice small and quiet. She continued looking around, pushing her wet hair away from her face.

      "Okay, I may be dense, but the last I checked, there weren't any beaches or seagulls in Hawkins." Lucas said. Julie didn't even comment on his words.