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ZOE GROANED AS SHE SLOWLY WOKE UP. Feeling a cool sensation on her head, she reached up to touch it. She realized it had only been an ice pack and relaxed at the idea, beside her was Robin— who was supporting the girl up on her lap. Zoe squinted, she hoped she hadn't received a concussion, because that would only mean bad news for her. But the pounding in her head was basically inevitable at the point, she had been through so much, and laying down (even if it were only for a few minutes) was a blessing.
"Hey— I'm glad you're not dead. That would kind of suck." Robin spoke softly, holding the ice pack (more like a frozen bag of peas) that she had gotten from inside the mall against Zoe's forehead. Zoe chuckled softly, keeping her eyes closed to focus on getting better. "You took quite a hit back there."
"Where's everyone else?" Zoe asked, realizing that she and Robin were the only two in the backseat of the car.
"Fighting that creature thing, I stayed back to take care of you until you woke up." Robin looked back towards the mall, where undoubtedly chaos was happening.
Zoe immediately shot up, staring at Robin with an incredulous stare. "Then let's go! We've got to help them!" She pulled Robin out of the car, running up to the mall. She didn't even need to step inside to know what was going on. She heard loud screeching, and— surprisingly— fireworks.
Robin held her back for a moment, "Are you sure your okay? Usually when someone gets a head injury, there not supposed to be around loud sounds and bright lights. You're literally walking into a death trap right now." Robin peeked over her shoulder, growing worried at what was held in store for them.
Zoe smiled, loving the idea of a caring girlfriend. Maybe it had been a while, but Zoe didn't feel her heart as fast as it did now when dating other people. She loved the feel. Zoe held Robin's hands in her own, smiling comfortingly at the girl who couldn't express the same happiness at the moment. "Robin... I'm alright, trust me. There's something in there greater than the both of us, I'm everyone's last priority at the moment." She tried to ease the concern in Robin's stomach.
Robin pulled her into a tight hug, hoping it wasn't the last. "You're always going to be my top priority. No matter what. But your right, there's some monster-ass that needs kicking and we're not even there to do it." Placing one quick kiss on Zoe's lips, the two girls raced into the mall, joining forces with Steve Harrington.
He pointed to the bin of fireworks, before going back to throwing them at the Mind Flayer. Robin and Zoe picked up one, grinning at each other before repeating the action that Steve had done only moments prior. Zoe looked below the railing, spotting Eleven on the ground, with a threatening Billy Hargrove on top of her. Zoe couldn't see all that well, but she could see El's lips move, speaking softly to the boy in the process of killing her. Zoe doubted she could do anything about it. It was Lucas's voice that had distracted her thoughts, "We're out!" He shouted. Zoe looked at her bin, to find that they were out as well.
She watched as the Mind Flayer moved towards Eleven and Billy, ready to add El into its' collection. Now, Zoe had really regretted not going down there, because trying to save Eleven now would only prove futile. One of its hideous arms unraveled from its body, shooting straight towards El. Only, it hadn't made it past her, because Billy had held it back with his arms. He screamed in pain as he put all his strength in stopping the monster from killing Eleven. Whatever she had told him had clearly worked because he had changed. He had changed for the better and now he was going to die because of it. One after another, the Flayer's tentacles pierced through his skin, one last one stabbing his chest for good measure.
Billy's body dropped to the ground in an instant, causing a rather depressed Max Mayfield screaming his name. Eleven managed to run to safety in the nick of time. The Mind Flayer roared as it began to flail uncontrollably. One it's arms had crashed into the railing, causing Steve, Zoe, and Robin to fall on the floor on impact. With one last blood-curling scream, the Mind Flayer flopped towards the ground, proclaiming itself dead as it hadn't moved. The plan had been successful. The Gate was closed and the Flayer was dead. Leftover fireworks disappeared in the air, and Zoe was left wondering what other casualties occurred. Wondering if it was the last time she'd ever experience something like this. She hoped it was.
The only sound was Max's cries as she mourned for her step-brother. Zoe collapsed into herself, beginning to process everything she had to bury in the back of her mind. Helicopters began to swarm the mall, followed by military soldiers who stormed inside the mall. They were the good guys, Zoe knew. She and Robin trailed out of the mall, clinging onto the other's shoulders in support. The soldiers escorted the group of people out of the mall, a station of ambulances surrounded the outside of Starcourt mall.
Robin and Zoe had been given a shock blanket as they sat on the ambulance. For the first time in Zoe's life, she had enjoyed the calmness that came after the storm. She was ready for the boring life waiting back for her in Hawkins. And Robin had been right, the bright lights that had come from the fireworks and the loud sounds of the mall crumbling by the Mind Flayer had made her head began to beat in synchronized pain. Like no other headache she had ever experienced before. "It's over now," Robin spoke, rubbing Zoe's back with small circles.
"Yeah, it's over now," Zoe repeated a smile on her face as the realization set. She had calmed down for the most part, but that had changed when she had met the eyes of someone she had never wanted to be with more than this very moment. Her heart raced, meeting the brown-hazel eyes of her father. Slowly, as if Sam Addams wasn't real, Zoe dropped the blanket into the truck. Starstruck with the very real father right in front of her. A week had been too long, far too long for both of them.
Zoe ran, ran as fast as she could until she had nearly knocked the old man off his balance. Taking him into a bone-crushing hug as he had repeated the same action. Sam's eyes were bloodshot, nights of no sleep, wondering where his daughter could have been. To him, she had gone missing. To Sam, he kicked himself for not helping his daughter when she needed him the most. It wasn't his fault, none of it was, Zoe only hoped he realized that too. "God, I've missed you Pumpkin."
Zoe began bawling into his shoulder, cries of anger, sadness, happiness and all of the other emotions she had kept in for so long. He couldn't help but do the same. Robin watched from a distance, even keeping an eye out for her own guardians. The ones that never showed. Zoe opened her eyes, spotting Robin with a lonely stare in her eyes. That was not something that Zoe wanted to see, not in all the days she would be alive. She pulled back from her father, wiping the remaining tears in her eyes. "There's someone I'd like you to meet, Dad."
She dragged him towards Robin, excited and nervous wrapped all in one. Robin grew curious, and almost scared all over again when she realized Zoe was heading straight towards her. "Robin, this is my dad. Dad, this is Robin, my girlfriend." Zoe introduced. Robin immediately stood up, ready to put on a show to impress her girlfriend's father.
Instead, Sam had dragged Robin into a large hug. One that Robin wasn't expecting. "Thank you." He whispered. He was grateful that Robin had protected his daughter during a time he couldn't, and therefore, there wasn't anyone that he figured could be more perfect for his daughter than Robin. Zoe smiled, because finally, after everything she had been through, she so desperately needed a happy ending. And she got it. She got that, and so much more.
AUTHORS NOTE!
THIS CHAPTER MADE ME SO EMOTIONAL NOW I WANNA CRY BECAUSE I LOVE MY BABIES AND THEY NEED A HAPPY ENDING HOLY MOLY. Side note; this is the last chapter but there will be an epilogue so stay tuned for that!
