Wow, three months. So sorry for leaving you all on that cliffhanger for so long, I had a lot going on in my life. Anyway! this story is wrapping up, there will probably only be one more chapter after this. Thank you for the support and reviews as always! -An Unknown Stranger.
Mike and Will assisted Eleven out of the sauna. Lucas, Dustin, and Max began to crowd around them, looking at Eleven with tears of joy. As much as she wanted to share her friends excitement, her weakness overtook her causing her legs to give out. Will and Mike stumbled forward and grabbed onto her tightly with concern in both their eyes.
"I...I need to sit." She said tiredly. Mike and Will leaned her against the wall and sat down beside her. Her complexion was still pale and her body drenched in both a mix of sweat and blood.
"She can't close the gate...not like this. It will kill her." Mike explained to everyone firmly.
"What other choice do we have? It has to be closed." Lucas replied gently.
"Let's try to get a hold of Hopper." Dustin fumbled around for the supercom and scanned for the right station.
"Hopper...Hopper are you there? Come in Hopper." Dustin repeated.
Meanwhile, Hopper placed Jonathan in the back seat and instructed Joyce and Nancy how to keep his wound sealed. He then hopped in the front seat and began starting the car up. "Hopper...Hopper are you there? Come in Hopper." Dustin voice rang through the Will's supercom.
"Yeah I'm here, we are headed to the hospital Jonathan's hurt. How's El? Is the gate closed?" He replied quickly as he began backing the car up.
"Um El died." Dustin's voice answered.
The car came to a sudden holt and shock overcame Hopper as he was momentarily unable to move or breathe. Joyce and must have been experiencing the same since the car was entirely silent.
"-she came back though and now she's too weak to close the gate." Dustin added quickly.
"Son-of-a-bitch Henderson, lead with that next time." Hopper replied as he pressed his forehead to the wheel. He felt relief wash over him as his world suddenly realigned.
"Sorry Hop- we just don't know what to do now." Dustin sighed.
"The portal machine is out of the equation. I have to take Jonathan to the hospital or he will die. Our best bet is to wait for El to regain her strength." Hopper explained as he began driving.
Dustin looked over to Eleven, who had fallen unconscious against Mike's shoulder. "Not sure we have that kind of time. What if the Mindflayer breaks back through?" Dustin asked.
Hopper ran a hand through his hair and looked back to Joyce. "New plan, Joyce will drop me off at the pool and then her and Nancy will take Jonathan to the hospital. "Copy that." Dustin replied before putting the com down.
"What do you plan to do?" Joyce asked Hopper.
"Be there for my daughter." He replied as he looked to Joyce in the rear-view mirror. She gave a nod before returning her attention to Jonathan.
It didn't take long for Hopper to drift into the community pool parking lot. He jumped out and Nancy took over driving. "Call me when you know how he will do..." Hopper instructed.
Nancy nodded before stepping on the gas. Hopper ran into the sauna room and found Mike, Eleven, Will, and the other's sat across from the gate. Hopper quickly knelt down beside his daughter and placed his hand on her cheek. She failed to stir at the slightest so he locked eyes with Mike. "She sacrificed herself to save Will...then we got the Mindflayer out of her and she came back. It took a lot out of her." Mike explained gently.
"She's a fighter..." Hopper gave a soft proud smile. Mike nodded in agreement before looking at everyone. "So what's the plan?" Mike questioned softly.
"Only El can close the gate...so we have no choice but to wait. If anything decides to jump out of that gate then it will be our turn to protect her and this town." Hopper explained firmly.
Mike gave a nod while Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max clutched their weapons.
Meanwhile, Eleven found herself in complete darkness. It was like the void but no water drenched the floor and it was not large enough to make her voice echo.
That is when she realized she had done was she had been attempting to do since she escaped her mind prison. Eleven now stood within the Mindflayers consciousness with a sense of accomplishment. She had now done the very thing the Mindflayer had inflicted on her. Control.
Eleven was unaware of how she had gathered the strength she did to possess such a power to take control of the Mindflayer. A simple explanation was the amount of envy she held to end it all, once and for all.
Although she could see nothing, she somehow knew where she was and where she had to go. That was before she was yanked back into her own world.
Eleven gasped awake and gripped Mike's hand tightly. "El...It's okay." Mike's soothing voice comforted as her eyes scanned his face.
"I'm here now, kid." Hopper gave her hand a squeeze and placed a hand on the side of her head.
As much as she wanted to jump into his arms, she needed to keep what little strength she had to return to the Mindflayers realm.
"I have..I have to go back..." she mumbled tiredly. "Back where?" Mike questioned. Everyone sat around her listening intently.
"I was in...the Mindflayers mind." She replied with a hint of uncertainty herself. Everyone furrowed their brows with confusion plastered across all of their faces.
"You're weak El...you were probably dreaming." Mike said gently.
She shook her head. "It...it wasn't a dream. I-I have to go back..." her voice began to fade as she felt herself drifting into unconsciousness.
"We need to get her to the hospital." Hopper said firmly. The jacket pressed against her stomach began to soak with blood. "She's losing too much..." Everyone could hear the panic and worry in Hopper voice except for El. She was firm about staying.
Hopper locked eyes with Eleven and began to feel his eyes brim with tears. The weakness in her eyes was something he never wanted to see. "Trust me...please. I can stop...this." Her voice was quiet yet begged for him to hear her completely.
Hopper looked to Mike who seemed just as unsure of what to do. His eyes wandered back to Eleven as he hesitantly nodded. "If you don't wake up in five minuets...we're done. Understand?" Hoppers voice was stern yet held to utmost despair.
"Promise..." she replied before closing her eyes. Mike and Hopper felt her grip looses from theirs.
Meanwhile, Joyce and Nancy followed as a team of medics pushed Jonathan on a gurney through the halls. They were only cut off from him when the doors of the surgery room closed it front of them.
Joyce held Nancy's hand as they walked to the waiting room. "He's going to be okay..." Joyce assured not only Nancy but herself as well.
"What if...what if El can't close the other portal and this was all for nothing?" Nancy asked brokenly.
"No matter what happens, what matters is that we tried. We didn't give up and neither will Jonathan and El." Joyce's voice was soft but full of strength and hope. Nancy leaned her head onto Joyce's shoulder and felt comforted by her words.
Eleven found herself again in the darkness of the Mindflayer's mind. She took a step forward, now confident in where she was meant to go.
The further she walked the more decay she began to witness within the creature. The darkness was soon occupied by a black tar substance and eroding black dirt. The Mindflayer was weak and sick, she knew that much was true. It would only make it easier for her to close the portal from within.
Upon closer observation, Eleven came across several bodies lying lifeless within the black tar. Some she recognized belonging to Billy, Brenner, and the only woman Nancy and Jonathan had described.
The sight of the innocent people the Mindflayer had claimed made her increasingly motivated to destroy it once and for all. Even if it took her own life.
It felt like several minutes before her eyes locked onto the gate. From the inside, she could plainly see her family on the other side expressing concern over her unconscious form. Once witnessing that sight, Eleven realized that closing this gate would be different than before. While hatred and fear had compelled her to close the last gate before, love and courage would allow her to close the final gate.
Eleven raised her arm and focused on her family. Looking through the Mindflayer's eyes only made her feel more obliged to push away its thoughts and hatred toward the world outside the Upsidedown.
"Okay, that's enough." Hopper began to pick her up until Mike gripped his arm. "Stop." Mike said firmly as he stared at the gate. Hopper as well as everyone else turned to the gate with relief on their faces.
They observed as the gate began to close up until it was finally nothing more than a cement wall. "She did it..." Will felt tears of joy drip down his cheeks. All of the fear and resentment he had bottled up could finally be destroyed with the Mindflayer.
Lucas, Max, Dustin, and Will began hugging each other, full of excitement and a feeling of accomplishment.
Mike and Hopper turned their focus back to Eleven who hadn't stirred. "El..." Mike's concerned voice quieted the groups happy cheers.
Hopper placed two fingers on her neck in search for a pulse. "El, wake up. You're not done yet." Hopper pleaded as tears fell down his cheeks.
Eleven suddenly gasped awake and locked eyes with her father. A mix of contentment and solace washed over him before he pulled her into a tight hug. He rested his cheek on top of her head and cried. "No more of that, okay. I'm not losing you ever again." He sighed deeply.
Her body screamed for him to release her but at the same time she never wanted to leave his arms again.
Once he did release her, Mike immediately pulled her in close and kissed her forehead. "Alright, now we are taking you to the hospital." She allowed Hopper to lift her up and carry her to the car. On the way, her head rested on Mike's lap and she couldn't help but smile. It was all finally over. The life she had always wanted was now in her gasp.
When they got to the hospital, Eleven was whisked away in a gurney by medics. Hopper and the others were not allowed to follow as well. Hopper sat beside Joyce with a inquisitive look on his face. "I still haven't heard anything..." Joyce answered with a sad expression.
"I'm sure he will be okay...they both will." Hopper pulled her close to his chest to comfort her. Neither one needed to say more. They simply felt content in one another arms as they waited to hear the fate of their children.