Chapter 8:
Will gasped as he sat up from his bed, terrified and saddened by his surroundings. He was there again, for the second night that week. The Upside Down was making it impossible to sleep, and it liked to lace those icy fingers around him as often as it physically could.
He climbed out of the bed slowly, standing up now to look around. It was freezing, just as it had always been, and the grossly familiar slime clung to the walls and the wooden surfaces around him. He panted hard, chest heaving as he looked around. He hated this place, hated the feeling it gave him, and hated how his breath swirled around in front of him when he spoke.
"Eleven?" He called out, unsure of what else to do. If she heard him before, maybe she'd hear him again. Will hated that he needed a hero, but he didn't want to spend another moment in the Upside Down. If the monster came, he'd be defenseless and forced to run. Will couldn't get lost again.
"Eleven! Please, help me!" He cried out desperately, hugging his body as the shivering began. Will slowly sat back down on the edge of the bed that was now shrouded in darkness like everything else. "El! Can you hear me?!"
"Quiet," a soft voice came, and Will turned towards the door. Eleven was there, eyes darting around nervously. "Don't scream." She walked into the room, wearing nothing but a large tee shirt that looked like one of Mike's. Will stood and hurried to her, pulling her into a hug of pure relief. Almost as soon as he pulled her to his chest, Will woke in his bed.
He sat up, lifting his hands up as a weird sort of tingling settled over his palms where he had grabbed onto her arms. It was a relief to know she could hear him, even in the Upside Down Eleven could find him and for some reason, touching her brought him back to where he really belonged.
Eleven woke, too, never being too fond of lingering in that dark place. It was scary for her, and she only went when she felt like she had no choice. Her shoulders were buzzing with little pinprick like sensations, something she only felt once before when she touched that thing, the monster, and she brought it into her world.
She wondered if she was doing something wrong or dangerous. When she sat up, Mike stirred beside her. His eyes fluttered open, and he sat up on his elbow to look at her.
"El, you okay?" He asked her, blinking through the sleep still settled in his eyes. She nodded, but her attention stayed focused on her lap. "What happened?" Mike asked, pushing himself upright so he was sitting next to her.
"Will," she said, and that was all the explanation Mike needed. He put an arm around her shoulders, dragging her against his side. Eleven laid her head on his shoulder, but she still felt something in her gut that she didnt like. Maybe it was guilt or concern. It was hard to distinguish the two at the moment. No one had ever held her like that before except Mike.
"Is he okay?" Mike asked, hand moving up and down her arm to comfort her. Eleven's eyes never lifted from her lap, but she nodded again in response.
"Im sorry, El. Im sorry you had to go back there." He wasn't sure what was upsetting her so badly this time, but all he could do is try to comfort her as best as he could. He laid back and Eleven followed him, resting her head on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat steadied her nerves for the moment.
"Mike. Do you only hug people you like?"
"Uh, no, not always. You hug family and friends sometimes." He looked down at her. "Why?" Eleven was a little relieved. Will was in fact her friend after all, so it wasn't as big of a deal as she was making it. She shrugged her shoulders, and Mike let it go, chalking it up to Eleven still wondering if she was the only person in Mike's life.
Eleven had almost forgotten about Troy and what happened to her. Other things that she deemed important occupied her mind, mainly Mike. She was finally reaching a point where she could cast aside those nagging insecurities that Cathy created in her.
Mike had left her alone, heading over to Wills for just a moment to check in on him. Eleven stayed at the house willingly, still a little unnerved by the closeness of Will a couple nights before. She wondered through the apartment, picking at the lids of boxes curiously bit daring to move or touch any of the objects inside. Until she found the old walkie talkie that is. She lifted it gently, turning it over in her hand as she stared down at it, all those old memories resurfacing again.
She was so focused on the gadget in her hands that she barely noticed the door creak open. Her head jerked up, expecting to see Mike, but instead three men stormed into the apartment, guns raised. Troy was among them, standing back at the flanks of the leading man.
"Come with us Eleven," the lead man said calmly. Eleven stood slowly, hands grabbing at the ends of Mike's shirt to tug it down over her exposed legs. "Your father would like to see you."
"Papa?" She questioned, eyes widening. "I thought... he's alive?"
"And looking for you. After gaining some new information," the man started, glancing back at Troy, who had undoubtedly given them the information they needed. She knew instantly because of the malicious grin cutting through his twisted expression. Blood dripped from her nostril as she focused on the guns. Troy's flew from his hand first, his grip dramatically weaker than the other two men's.
The man flanking to the left of the front one pulled a small silver thing from his pocket. It was cylindrical in shape, and has a gap between the metals all around the middle of it. Eleven had never really seen anything like it, and she hardly expected it to do anything. But she was wrong.
There was a click, then the metal cylinder let out a loud, piercing tone that reverberated through her skull, tearing through her ear drums to get there. The older men couldnt hear it, but Troy could. However, he had the advantage of ear plugs, Eleven noticed. How forward thinking of him.
Eleven hit the ground, hands flying up desperately to cover her ears and dull the piercing sound coming from the little metal cylinder. She screamed in agony, blood spewing from her nose now as she tried her hardest, despite the noise, to focus on the metal thing and break it somehow. It was so hard for her to think, to do anything.
Troy ran over to her, dropping down to pin her to the ground, facing up towards him. He sat on her hips, grabbing her wrists and prying them from her ears to hold them to the ground. Eleven could taste the warm metallic sensation of blood in her mouth. In defiance, she spit as much of it as she could up at Troy, and little splatters of blood decorated his face.
In response, Troy struck her. Eleven cried out again, unable to bear that sound any longer. Then, the lights started flickering. Troy lifted his head to look around, and the men stepped back towards the door.
"We need to go," the leader said. "Now."
"Stay here, kid, and keep her contained. We'll be back." The men shuffled nervously from the door. Troy watched on in confusion. Eleven scrambled and rolled onto her stomach, trying to claw her wait out from underneath him.
"Oh no you don't," he snatched her arms up and pushed them behind her back. Eleven knew what was coming, and they had left Troy behind to serve as bait.
"You have to go. Run," she cried out. Troy snorted at her, and he sat up to flip her over onto her back. Eleven stared up at him fearfully. "You'll die."
"As long as that thing's running, you cant do anything. They said so. They bailed me out only if I helped bring you back. And that's exactly what I'm going to do." He moved off of her to stand, but Eleven used it as an opportunity to pry herself away from him. When she jerked downwards, he stumbled, and his grip on her arms loosened just enough for her to run.
"Please, leave!" The flickering lights grew more frantic, more frequent. Eleven knew the monster wouldn't attack her, not directly. But it smelled her blood, and it knew someone else was there. Troy ran after her, tackling her from behind. He reached around to grab her by her throat with one hand, his other arm snaking around her waist to hold her still.
"Youre coming with me. Or I'm going to make you wish you did." He squeezed on her throat, and it was just enough of an adrenaline boost, a pulse of anger, for Eleven to find the strength and focus to knock the metal cylinder from the table. It clattered to the floor, and the room fell silent. She gasped in relief, gaining control again and throwing him off of her.
Troy hit the wall, then sank to the ground in defeat. He reached out to her, trying to snatch her ankle, but Eleven focused and shattered the bones in his hand. Then, she started to get dizzy, her mind still spinning and her ears still aching from the assault of the screeching tone. Eleven stumbled back, and Troy, through the water pooling in his eyes, just up to drag her down to the ground with him.
He cradled his injured hand, teeth grinding, tears falling down his cheeks as he bit back the cries of pain that wanted to escape his lips. Troy managed to climb back on top of her, reaching down to close his other hand around her throat. This time, he squeezed as hard as he could.
"You little bitch. Fuck taking you alive. I'm going to end you now." Spots clouded her vision, and she strained to scream, to call for Mike, to do anything. A familiar growl came from behind them, and Troy's hand was suddenly snatched away.
Across the room there was a black ooze covered spot on the wall, and the monster had come. It crawled to them silently as Troy was choking Eleven, and it grabbed hold of his ankle. It started dragging him back towards the goop on the wall, and Troy started screaming. Eleven stared in horror as it pulled him up to the wall, and Troy began to slide in feet first.
"Help me! Please!" He cried, reaching out for Eleven. But she didn't move. She didnt budge in the slightest. She just stared at him, blood smeared over her cheek from her nostril. Her hand came up to lightly touch the tender area where his fingers had been. Troy understood. That gesture was meant to seal his fate, but it didnt stop him from screaming. He wailed and begged for mercy until the last inch of him disappeared into the wall.
Mike returned an hour later. He walked through the door and dropped his keys on the table, shedding his beige jacket and tossing it onto the back of the couch. He looked around. The TV was on, but Eleven wasn't in her usual spot on the couch watching it.
"El?" He called out, heading for the bedroom. As he stepped into the room, he heard the shower running in the bathroom. He knocked on the door. "El, you in there?" He asked. "You okay?" There was no answer, but he could faintly hear crying.
Mike pushed through the door, despite his hesitations about seeing her naked before. Eleven was sitting at the bottom of the shower, kneels pulled up to her chest and face buried in them. The water was only running over her legs, while her hair seemed to be dry.
"El?" He knelt down by the edge of the tub, laying a hand on her bare knee gently. She didnt move, but he could see her body trembling with silent sobs. Mike reached over and turned off the water, snatching a towel from the rack and throwing it over her. "Come on," he urged, trying to pull her up by her shoulders. Eleven reluctantly stood, though she wobbled a bit. She kept her face low, mostly covered by her hair. Miked pulled the towel around her, then walked her into the bedroom.
He stepped away from her for a moment, pulling a tee shirt from his drawer. He pushed the towel off of her, keeping his eyes focused on her arms as best as he could. He lifted them slowly, carefully, and he slid the shirt over her head and arms, tugging it down to cover her body. That's when he noticed the red marks on her wrists.
"What happened to you, El?" He asked softly, taking her hand in his and brushing his thumb gently over the red mark. She kept her face hidden. "Hey." Mike dropped her hands to cup her face, lifting it up even though she resisted. His heart sank when he saw the dried blood under her nose and across her cheek. Her eyes seemed hollow and cold, void of life for the moment. She was in shock. Mike eased her down onto the bed.
He tilted her head to the side gently, and he saw dark, purple bruises forming around her throat. His eyes immediately watered, the tear drops clinging to his eyelashes, which held them back. Mike pulled her to him, holding her carefully, one hand pressed into her back and the other buried in her hair, bringing her head to his chest.
"Its okay, El. I'm here. Its all going to be okay." He rubbed her back, trying to think, trying to understand what may have happened. Eleven finally moved, lifting her head away from him. She kept her gaze focused on the ground, but she finally spoke.
"Papa... sent men for me." She swallowed hard. "Troy came. They... used a thing. It made me... I couldn't..." she trailed off, not able to find the right words at the moment. "He attacked me. The... monster came. The men ran. Troy stayed. He was their bait." She spoke slowly and in broken, brief sentences, unable to muster up much more. "He tried to kill me. I let... I let he monster take him."
"Oh, El," Mike shook his head, guilt overcoming him. "I should have never left you alone. I should have been here. I'm so sorry, El." He reached out to her, but Eleven shied away. She was mad at him, and she didnt blame him, but her whole body roared with the events of the day, sore and throbbing in her muscles and throat. It hurt to speak.
"Shower." She stood, wobbled, then made her way back to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, the hot water steaming it up immediately. Without taking the shirt off, Eleven sat at the bottom of the shower again. Mike stood and walked to her, closing the bathroom door behind him. He pulled off his shirt, then climbed into the tub behind her.
It took a moment to find space behind and around Eleven, but once he got situated, Mike reached around to pull her back against him. Eleven relaxed against his chest, letting the warm water drench her from her chest down. Mike turned her head slightly, craning his own neck a little so he could wash the blood away from her face. Once he was done, he circled his arms around her shoulders, and he just held her, not saying anything, not moving.
Eleven sank into him, feeling safe finally, and warm. Her hand clung to his arms desperately, never wanting to be separated from him again. She was strong willed, and she would recover. But they found a way to keep her from using her powers, and that terrified her. If they came again, she wouldn't be able to protect herself. It was odd. The monster, her enemy and great fear, had saved her life. She still felt that guilt for letting Troy be taken. That was a fate worst than death. And she willingly doomed him to it.
The memory of his hand on her, grabbing her, holding her down, choking her. She shook with the horror of it, which made Mike tighten his own grip on her. He kissed the top of her head, and it seemed to settle her for the moment.
"He did this to you. Troy."
"Yes. He held me down."
"Choked you?"
A sob halted her speech for a moment, but Eleven held it back successfully. Mikes voice was burning with fury, with hatred, and with guilt. He was talking through his teeth, and Eleven wanted no part of anymore violence.
"Yes." She swallowed again, the pain of it causing her to whimper a little. Mike bent over to kiss her shoulder, then kiss the side of her neck tenderly. She winced a little, but that was a welcome pain. Mike could kiss her wherever he pleased. It would never be unwelcome.
"No one will ever lay their hands on you again. I swear it." The blind determination and confidence made Elevens heart flutter. She knew he was defenseless to guns and other weapons of the sort, but the certainty in his voice convinced her, even for a moment, that it was true. That Mike would somehow overcome all odds and keep her out of harm's reach. Even though Papa was alive again.
"Okay," she spoke, and she let her head fall back agaisnt his chest again. Mike cradled her under the heat of the shower, and he didnt say anything, didnt ask anymore questions. It pained her to speak, so he was content with holding her in silence. He didn't budge until the trembling stopped and the water got cold. Then he helped her from the tub and into the bed, letting her curl up at his side and drift off.
Well Troy is gone :) but Papa is back. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! i know its long and pretty dramatic, but people are finding out that Eleven is back, and thus the danger is beginning! Poor girl cant catch a break! Pretty please leave some of your amazing reviews to let me know what you think and what you want to happen. I was thinking about having Mike and Eleven explore some mild intimacy ;) what do you think? Thanks again, and I'll update soon! Maybe tonight if I get feedback before sleep XD
