Sacrifice
Hawkins November 1984, Hawkins Laboratory
Mike and El sprinted down the white hallway, hand in hand, panting with fear as they ran from the monstrosity further down, screams and gunfire could be heard from the Military Police and Soldiers who had stayed behind to fend off the Arachnid currently ripping them apart in ways that defied imagination.
A lot had happened since Eleven had returned six months after her disappearance much to the delight of Mike and the gang, especially Mike who broke down into silent tears whilst he had held Eleven to him like she was the most precious thing to him on this Earth because to him, she was. Eleven silently wept in Mikes warm embrace holding the boy who she thought of every second in that Hellish dimension. All the pain of being separated from each other being released in an emotional catharsis.
They clung to each other for a long time, not willing to be apart even for a moment, her touch warmed his once dying heart, giving it life and spreading warmth to every corner of his being, making him feel alive again and to her? Utter peace and joy felt for the first time in her life, Mike was the Sun in her Universe.
Once she had returned, the lab came for her, but for a totally different reason to what everyone first thought. The Upside-down was ripping holes in the fabric our world. Gates opening far and frequently across the United States, All emanating from the main gate in the basement of the lab, the epicentre.
The Lab proposed a deal, Eleven were to help them stop the spread of the Upside-Down and afterwards they would make her a full citizen of America with their blessing and as an apology. Eleven agreed much to the everyone's brief shock, Mike even stood protectively in front of her staring down the new director before relenting after a small hand grab from Eleven.
Eleven soon found herself surrounded by her fellow numbers, one through ten, nearly all of them were older than her but she was the most powerful and that's why they needed her. For months Eleven and the others used their Psychic Energies to collectively erect and maintain a Psychokinetic barrier, limiting the gates to perimeter of the lab, numerous national guardsmen set up shop outside this perimeter because the barrier prevented the gates from spreading, not the abominations that they unleashed.
Unfortunately, even with their combined powers and abilities, the main gate could not be destroyed, their power drained by holding the barriers in place, over the course of six months the barrier was maintained, creatures of every shape and size that were twisted imitations of Earth Animals would constantly come through either the main gate or the gates briefly opened within the barrier and fight with the humans stationed there, this would repeat with numerous armed scientific patrols entering the dimension to gather Intel or Scientific Data within in hopes of finding a way to close the main gate and subsequently reseal the fabric of reality originally broken by Eleven.
Due to their experiences, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Hopper, Joyce, Nancy and Jonathon were unofficially used as Consultants only to provide unique opinions, advice and theory's when it came to either the creatures or the upside-down, however Mike would rarely leave Eleven's side unless he had school or had to be at home, all he could do was watch as Eleven most of the time was drained.
However, despite that they grew a lot closer in the months that followed, they would glance at one another and smile when they happened to catch each other doing it at the same time, they would frequently hold hands most the time they were together and even falling asleep , her head would curl into his chest and his arm would lay over her protectively, keeping her close, not willing to experience the pain of being apart. Eleven started to slowly but surely with advice from others begin to understand what she felt for mike and what he meant to her.
He even began helping her expand her speech and math skills slowly but surely she started to improve, her sentences becoming longer, using and knowing more words than before.
Even though her being the youngest the other numbers looked to Eleven as somewhat as a leader as to them she had "clocked" more field time than the rest of them combined, after all they were trained and conditioned to fight the communists, not creatures from an alternate dimension.
The Scientists had a theory on how to analyze the gate, Eleven and Mike along with a fairly large Military escort were to venture in the Gate room and Eleven was to examine the gate using Psychometry, although they didn't want to take another underage child with them, Mike refused to let El go alone.
Once Eleven began to use her power to examine the gate, she looked at mike who gave her a smile and nod and she sent a bashful smile back, their hands clasped together, the gate sent low rumbles and growls as it usually did.
Eleven closed her eyes with her hand laid on the gates gooey surface, Mike watched as he could see her rapid eye movement underneath her eyelids, her face in a grimace as she fought to maintain her focus, after all most of her energies were being used to maintain the barrier.
Her eyes shot open in a panic and her head whipped round to look at mike "Run" she said fearfully, there was a moment of confusion as both of them sprinted away from the gate as an Arachnid like creature climbed through the gate, screeching ripping two soldiers apart before they could even aim their weapons, their blood pooling onto the floor as the life faded from them.
They ran for what seemed like forever down that hallway, the screeches and screams of what lay behind them still filled their ears, the building shook several times, the lights flickering as they struggled to stay lit for the two 13 year olds running from an unimaginable horror.
As the building shook, Mike and El skid to a stop as the ceiling in front of them caved in on the final and largest tremor. Breaking off their only escape route. El led him by hand into a nearby room. The door slammed as Mike began pushing tables against the door in a feeble attempt to barricade the door.
The two retreated to the far end of the room and crouched together, the gunfire still faintly heard, before there was suddenly silence with the final gunshot echoing to a stop, Mike and El froze, listening to the deafening silence, straining to hear who had won, another minute passed the two exchanged a look before glancing towards the door.
A sharp appendage flew through the door, the Arachnid on the other side screeching as it continued to rip and stab at the door to get to the two humans on the other side.
Mike turned to El, fear evident in his eyes, Eleven glanced at the door before looking at their intertwined hands, the Arachnid was almost through the door, its screeches never stopping the whole time. El looked at Mike, a sad smiled graced her lips as silent tears rolled down her cheeks, Mike moved closer to her. Their foreheads touched sending shockwaves through the both of them.
Then their lips finally met, a simple yet desperate and passionate kiss, their eyes closed as they basked in their silent admittance of love, they pulled apart their breathing became shaky.
Mike spoke first "I… I.. lov…. Love you El, since we first met, you are everything to me Eleven, ever since I met you on that night"
El's brown eyes glistened at his declaration.
"Mike…" El Began, the door caved in and the Arachnid smashed through the broken bits of wood, Screeching its triumph. El looked back at mike "I Love you, Mike. Forever" she replied simply. They briefly exchanged sad, hopeless smiles.
They stood together, hands gripped in a death squeeze as they stared down the Arachnid, it lunged forward, Eleven thrust her palm out, holding the creature in place much like the Demogorgan from the year previous, its angered growls reverberated around them as it fiercely fought against her willpower.
Its angered growls turned to ones of pain as Eleven began to eviscerate the creature, she screamed as her power reached its peak, the lights began to explode in showers of sparks, dimming the room.
The Arachnid began to glow from its centre, white light began to consume the room enveloping everything including Mike and Eleven, their eyes met one final time before the light finally fulfilled the room, the screeches of the Arachnid and the Scream of Eleven finally and suddenly came to an abrupt stop and all that was left was the darkness and the silence that came with it.
The numbers felt their passing, they simultaneously fell to their knees and as one they let a pained and anguished scream that could be heard across Hawkins, filling everyone with a sadness they could not describe, without realizing it, Hawkins collectively mourned the passing of Mike and Eleven.
Mike, the boy who hoped and loved with every fibre of his being, the boy who cared for a strange girl who came into his life and left as suddenly as she came, the boy who never stopped loving her, not for a single solitary moment.
Eleven, the girl who had a number for a name, who trusted a boy and his friends in the middle of a storm, who took her in and showed her love for the first time and not the fabricated love that Brenner had showed her. The girl who loved him in return to her very core.
They were at peace.
The Gate began to consume itself as the numbers screamed their pain, the abominations began to melt into nothing, the screams destroying them and the gate. It shrunk till there was nothing left just the cracks that originally formed when Eleven first opened the gate. Raw emotion opened the gate and their pain closed it.
Finally silence encompassed Hawkins, the cost high and painful to bear.
Lawrence, Kansas, 1997
The day began to a raging thunderstorm, the sky's dark as the rain poured for what seem liked hours, a 13 year old boy sat at his school desk, just another boring Monday, which meant another boring school day and that painful wait for the weekend to come, his thoughts were interrupted when a girl with a pixie cut sat down next to him, he did not recognise her face, new kid? He wondered.
She barely glanced at him as she sat down and got comfortable, despite the chairs uncomfortable nature. The girl turned to look at the boy sat next to her who hadn't took his eyes off her, she smiled politely.
"Hi, I'm Elizabeth, I just moved here from Florida" the boy smiled back at the girls forwardness and opened his mouth to reply
"I'm Michelangelo but every calls me mike, god that's a mouthful" Mike stated in self-amusement, Elizabeth giggled at that.
"yeah I kinda hate my name being so long so everyone calls me El"
"Nice to meet you El" Mike said warmly, El just shyly smiled back at him and so the conversation began to flow back and forth between them and despite the raging storm outside, it never dampened their spirits.