Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Minutes felt like hours, eyes trained through the holes of the sturdily weaved wire fence as Gen paced back and forth in front of the barricade. Late nights in Hawkins were spent awake, usually, with Eddie, or Gareth, or Jeff, or Brian with a haze of smoke billowed around their heads as cicadas danced around in the darkest crevasses of fallen logs and dewey grass. Outside was a comfort when the threat of sudden death didn't loom over her head. The solace found in infinite, spacious land ceased to wash over her when every angle felt like a blind spot. They needed an upper hand. The only thing stopping her from bursting through it herself was the metal shrapnel that would take someone's eye out when it exploded; something that—given the circumstances—was not ideal.
The gate that led into the lab refused to open. No security in sight, and zero signs of life; nothing went in, and more importantly, nothing went out.
Once the power came back on, the incessant, repeated click, click, click of the gate button became a steady rhythm that she tried to match her footsteps to. Jonathan and Dustin fought over the circular device, but Gen tuned them out into background noise.
Eyes shut and focused entirely on the beat that they created, she took slow, deep breaths of the cool air and attempted to start a connection with anyone in the lab. She waited for the muddled and blurry visions that darted around the backs of her closed eyes, and she pursed her lips in deep concentration, every step that followed the cadence of the click, click, click paved the way for her—but... there was nothing. No vision. No whispers that danced around the base of her neck. Nothing. Gen's holy grail had become nothing but a distant memory during possibly the worst moment in history.
"Gen," Nancy's voice came out softly, careful not to startle her as she ceased her pacing to look in her direction. The curly headed girl's chin dipped down slightly, eyes raising upwards to be able to meet Gen's gaze. "Are you okay?"
