Summary:
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts
And I looked, and behold a pale horse
And his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him
"The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash (Revelation 6: 7-8)
A/N: We have entered the canon plotline, my darlings. Weep with me.
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. As the author I do not always agree with the actions the characters take. The MC has Haphephobia. The depiction of such in the story may not be entirely accurate and I do not claim it to be so. The depictions of anxiety and OCD are based on my own personal experience and do not apply to the illnesses as a whole. There will be mentions of various sensitive topics which are updated in the tags, read at your own risk.
November 6, 1983
It was now over a month since Mads left Chicago for Hawkins. Over a month since she met and befriended Eddie, and over a month since she first realized there was something irrevocably wrong with this town. It wasn't just to do with the dubious government conspiracy going on in the heart of the forest either. No, there was something dark, sinister lurking just below the surface of this place. Waiting, just waiting to be unleashed.
The migraine had started sometime the night before, and nothing Mads did would alleviate it. Joyce offered her Excedrin, coffee, an ice pack, anything to try and help her feel better. Nothing worked. The older woman even offered to cover her shift so she could go home and rest. She was half tempted to accept, but Mads powered through until the end, when she learned that Don had called Mr. Wilson to come pick her up by the sight of his teal 1975 Station Wagon sitting outside in the parking lot.
Joyce helped her lock up and saw her safely into Mr. Wilson's car before handing her keys off to Jake, who owned his own motorcycle and had come along to help bring it back to the motel with them.
Mads was grateful for the attention. Grateful that she had someone, several someones, looking out for her wellbeing and that they weren't just invested in it for their own gain. They were just nice.
Mr. Wilson kept the car quiet for her the whole drive back to the motel, and didn't speak as he was a man of few words. He was just content to sit in silence, which was an immense relief to her and her pounding head. When they pulled into the lot, she noticed Eddie's van parked in front of her room again, he and Tris Buckley leaned against it, smoking cigarettes.
Tris had taken to following him around since her first campaign, much to Mads initial annoyance and jealousy. She couldn't fault the other girl though. Eddie had that kind of magnetic pull for people. Besides, Mads had quickly grown to like Tris, inviting her over to hang out with her and Eddie a few times in the past week, which is what she was here for now.
Tris was sarcastic, loud, and bold but never mean. She had a tough exterior and a soft heart, much like Eddie, Mads supposed. And Tris knew how to make a mean pound cake, which quickly won Mads over. The way to her heart was through her stomach, after all. At least when it wasn't violently attempting to expel itself from her body.
Both Eddie and Tris straightened in concern when Mr. Wilson pulled into the space next to the van, allowing Mads a shorter walk to her room. Jake pulled up not far behind, parking in the other empty space next to Eddie's van, much to Mads irritation. You were not supposed to park near your room if you were on the run, a very important rule she liked to never forget. There wasn't much she could do about it now though, since she could barely see straight.
"What's goin' on?" Eddie asked as Mads allowed Mr. Wilson to help her from the car. Letting people touch her was getting easier, but she still didn't like their hands to linger. "Is she okay?"
"Yeah," Mr. Wilson grunted, handing her off to Eddie. "Don said she's got a migraine is all."
Eddie's eyes flicked downward at her for a fraction of a second, lips pressed into a thin line. She wanted to tell him it wasn't related to her abilities, that she'd been taking it easy, but she couldn't find her voice. The parking lot was starting to spin violently.
"Don't party too hard tonight, kids," Mr. Wilson joked gruffly from somewhere far away. "Make sure our girl gets plenty of rest, you hear me?"
"Of course, Mr. Wilson, thanks…" Eddie said, taking her keys from Jake who appeared out of nowhere.
Then she was whisked off to her room where Eddie and Tris fumbled around in the dark getting her to her bed so the light wouldn't bother her eyes. A low moan of pain escaped her when she fell into bed, fully clothed and her boots still on.
Her head was pounding, throbbing as though it would burst through her skull like the alien parasite tore through John Hurt's chest. Even with the lights off, she could still see the room spinning. Nausea roiled in her gut and she was barely able to utter a groan of pain and warning before Tris was knelt next to her, holding the bathroom trash can for her to retch into.
Eddie was not far behind, expertly pulling her hair back into a ponytail before he yanked off her boots and got her settled more comfortably on her bed. A cool cloth was set over her eyes and forehead and a glass of water was set on the bedside table. All of this was done in total darkness and silence, Eddie now able to navigate the layout of her motel room with his eyes closed having stayed over so many times.
But when the sounds of their feet began shuffling away, muffled whispers and murmurs of concern lingering, Mads felt something. A piercing, earth shattering pain right between her eyes. She screamed, clutching her hands to her face, clawing at it as though the pain was ripping her in two and the only way for it to stop was to tear her head open herself.
"Mads!" Eddie shouted in spite of himself, rushing back to her side. He gripped her hands, marveling at the strength in her thin limbs as he pried them away from her face. "Mads, what's going on!? I don't like this, cut it out!"
But she couldn't hear him. She was under water, in the darkness, the thing… the monster whose face opened up like a flower with rows and rows and rows of needle-sharp teeth screeched in her face. She couldn't breathe, water filled her lungs and she couldn't help but vomit it back out all over the black, black floor.
She screamed and screamed so loud that the capillaries in her eyes and eyelids burst, bright red splotches of blood pooling under her skin. The world was shattering around her, the rumbling clattering sound of tile and block falling to the ground, cracking, creaking, shuddering beneath her as she screamed.
And it was there, there when she opened her eyes and saw that she was not underwater. She was not in the dark place, but the Lab. The Bath, as they had all called the sensory deprivation tank, stood tall next to her. Little 011 thrashed inside, screaming, screaming, screaming along with her as the building shook and shuddered.
Papa stood behind them, watching in awe and terror as the walls crumbled down around them, the wicked and viscous membrane worming its way through the cracks the girls made with their cries.
"Yessss…" A hushed breath whispered through the openings, Mads looked around – air stolen from her lungs, but everyone was attempting to flee or pull 011 from the tank. No one heard this voice. No one but her. She locked eyes with the little girl for a fraction of a second before she was pulled out, gasping and shrieking. Mads was certain of one thing, however, 011 had seen her.
A sharp slap caused her head to crack to the side, making her ears ring. Then another, and another until she opened her eyes to violently flickering lights.
"Mads!" Eddie shouted, shaking her furiously. "Now's not the time! Snap out of it! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"
"Is she having a seizure?" Tris cried over Eddie's desperate pleas, patting her, shaking her, trying to help him bring her back. "The lights, are they giving her a seizure!?"
"I don't know what the fuck is happening, Buckley!" Eddie screeched, attempting to give Mads another forceful shake when he noticed her eyes were open.
"D-did you hit me?" She mumbled, disorientated. The lights continued to flicker inside, and outside of the motel.
Eddie had the good grace to look mortified, refusing to meet her eyes as he pushed away from her.
"You were having a f-fit," Tris interjected, looking between Mads and Eddie. "Your nose is even bleeding; you might have had an aneurism! We should get you to a hospital ASAP…!"
"No!" Mads and Eddie shouted in unison, startling Tris. "No," Mads repeated, softer this time.
"No hospitals," Eddie agreed. Too dangerous.
An unearthly screech at the back of Mads neck caused her head to jerk in the direction of the Lab. Her pupils were blown wide, searching but unseeing as she stared fearfully at the wall.
"What's wrong Mads," Eddie begged, tugging at her hands. "What are you seeing?"
"Is someone gonna tell me what the fuck is going on?" Tris yelled, the lights flickering faster and more aggressively.
"I…" Mads swallowed, turning toward them with wide, unseeing eyes. "I should never have come here."
"What?" Tris said, face scrunching in confusion. "I'm really confused and I'm starting to freak out over here, will someone please tell me what's going on?"
Eddie was not confused. The things Mads had seen, even before tonight, had told him enough. Something was looking for her, something evil, something dangerous. Moreso than the U.S. government, or the Soviet Union, or whoever wanted to get their hands on her. No, what hunted her was not what Mads had come to destroy. It was much, much worse.
And it had been let out.
November 7, 1983
Monday. Mads hated Monday. The alarm blared loudly in her ears, insistent and demanding. Her head hurt and that god awful noise was just making it worse. It. Was making it. Worse.
With a cry, she threw the clock from the bedside table with her mind, shattering it against the wall.
"The hell was that?" A feminine voice said groggily from the other side of the room.
Confused, Mads jerked upright in her bed, seeing the shattered remains of the clock on the floor. Then it all came flooding back to her: the migraine, Tris and Eddie helping her into bed, the lights flashing… And the Lab. Something happened at the Lab before everything went dark.
Not just dark, the whole town experienced power outages that night, the motel included. She had passed out after her little excursion, leaving Eddie to deal with the aftermath. And Tris too, apparently Mads realized after peeking her head around the partition to see them both staring from the kitchenette. The acidic tang of lemon scented disinfectant and warm coffee tickled her nose.
"The alarm was hurtin' my head," Mads said, ignoring Eddie's warning glance.
"So, you threw it?" Tris questioned, mug of coffee halfway to her mouth.
Mads shrugged and trudged into the kitchen to pour herself some coffee. Eddie was unusually quiet, sitting at the small table with his bowl of Honeycombs. He looked as though he hadn't slept a wink.
"The Wilson's just let you destroy stuff?" Tris pressed obliviously.
"I'll replace it, jeez," Mads snapped, mixing cool whip into her coffee. Mads liked Tris, a lot actually, but she did not know when to shut up.
The silence that settled over them was an uncomfortable one. Tense. Eddie had obviously not explained what happened the night before, not that he would have much of an idea anyway since Mads hardly knew herself. But they didn't have to wait long for Tris to start asking questions.
"Last night was wild, huh?" She began, tapping her fingers nervously on the plain ceramic of the mug she held. "The lights flickering like in 'Poltergeist', the power outages, the puking… Horror movie shit."
"Yup," Eddie agreed in clipped tones, slurping pointedly from his bowl.
Mads nodded in agreement, downing half of her coffee in a few gulps. Fuck, she was going to have to fix Tris' memories… She didn't have the energy for that today. And the longer she took to recover, the more time the memories had to take root, making them nearly impossible to erase or rewrite completely. Meaning she was screwed. Fresh memories were the easiest.
"Mads…" Tris continued, turning the full force of her liquid brown eyes on her. "Eddie wouldn't tell me anything last night. You were really sick, it scared me, us. And you were saying a bunch of weird shit…"
"What kinda weird shit?" Mads asked, meeting her gaze full on.
"Like how you shouldn't have come to Hawkins, and that 'this was all your fault', and that 'it was free… it was free and it was coming for you'. Whatever 'it' is…" Tris began to tremble as she spoke, coffee spilling over the sides of her mug and dripping onto the linoleum.
"And then you passed out," Tris continued, setting her coffee down on the counter. "And the power went out at the exact—"
"It wasn't the exact same time," Eddie interjected, head in hand.
"It was, Munson," Tris insisted vehemently. "It was the exact same time, I'm telling you!"
"Spooky," Mads said, pouring herself another cup of coffee, and stirred in the cool whip with more force than necessary.
"And coincidental," Eddie insisted, bringing his bowl to the sink. "Mads gets migraines and has bad allergies. They exacerbate each other, no big deal."
"She looked like she was having a seizure and her nose was bleeding! And the lights and the power outages! The news said it was all over town, how is that a coincidence?" Tris looked like she was about to pop a vein in her forehead.
"You're saying my migraine and allergies caused a town-wide power outage?" Mads asked incredulously.
"No," Tris sighed, rubbing her temples. "All I'm saying is, some weird shit went down and some weird stuff was done last night. I mean, we're friends, right? You don't have to lie to me. Even if you had nothing to do with the lights, you could at least tell me why you two were acting so weird."
Eddie and Mads exchanged a long look, then stared at Tris for a moment as she fidgeted. They looked at each other again.
"Should I tell her?" Mads asked, projecting the thought into his mind. Eddie stiffened in shock for a moment, unused to her intrusion.
"I don't know," he thought back, staring straight ahead. "Can't you do the memory rewrite thing you were telling me about?"
She gave a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. "Too drained after last night…"
"We gonna talk about that or…?" He quirked an eyebrow.
A small nod. "Later."
"If there's no other way… Tris won't rat you out. If she does, we'll figure it out."
Mads nodded again and took a deep breath, concentrating all her strength. Tris' coffee cup slowly began to levitate off the counter, toward her hands. Hopefully, this wasn't going to get messy.
"So, what you're saying is, is that Mads is some sort of Jedi-person created by this evil scientist working with the U.S. government?" Tris said, as the three of them were on their way to school in Eddie's van a mere thirty minutes later.
She had taken it surprisingly well, considering. She only almost fainted, and only almost shit her pants. Her words. It was a risky thing, telling Tris, and Eddie and Mads made sure she knew it. Sure, she could talk a mile a minute, but she knew how to keep a secret. She had plenty to keep, after all. Or, just one really, really big one. Now she had two, no big deal.
"Yes," Mads said patiently, leaning her head against the passenger window.
"Do your powers have limits?" Tris pressed further, leaning around Mads' seat.
"Yes," Mads answered. If her migraine hadn't gone away already, Tris was bringing it back.
"Like what?" She continued, bouncing eagerly, almost as if she were no longer frightened. "The Jedi and Sith have energy limits, and there are powers exclusive to both groups… so, do you deal with something like that?"
"I don't know, Tris!" Mads hissed, turning to glare at the other girl. "It used to just be little things like persuasion – getting' people to do what I want them to, now I can snap someone's spine without so much as a nosebleed, is that what you wanted to hear?"
The silence was palpable. Even Eddie turned to look at her in shock, though she had divulged that little tidbit already. What she wouldn't give to be normal right about now.
"…So…" Tris persisted as though Mads hadn't said something totally life-altering. "Have you actually killed someone?"
"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Mads rolled her eyes.
"Do you want to answer it?"
"No."
Her leg began to bounce. Maybe expending extra energy on rewriting Tris' memories wouldn't be so bad. She could skip school, take Eddie with her, and smoke a joint or two. Let the previous night fade away into oblivion, and Tris' knowledge with it. Who cares if they were friends now? Mads didn't care for the whole divulging secrets thing anyway, it was painful.
"'No', you haven't killed anyone, or 'no' you don't want to answer?" Tris asked, voice suddenly very small as she folded in on herself in the backseat.
"'No, I don't want to answer'." Mads crossed her arms over her chest as a heavy feeling settled onto her shoulders, sure they were judging her – as any normal person would.
"Shit," Tris breathed, but the look on her face was one of excitement, wonder even. "You really are a Jedi. Like a real-life Jedi. George Lucas would sell his soul to meet you, you know that? Hell, most people would sell their souls to meet you if they knew what you could do. Hey Eddie, you wanna get into the soul buying business?"
Eddie bit back a smile, a laugh, as they pulled into the school parking lot. Sure, it was a lot to take in, but he took things as they came. It seemed like Tris did too. This could be a good thing, no matter if it scared Mads. She could do this.
"I'm serious!" Tris insisted, voice high-pitched and squeaky. "We could be up to our knees in people's souls by this afternoon! Just think!"
"I don't want just anyone's soul," Mads muttered darkly, shoving open the door. "I just want a few specific ones…"
Tris' nonchalance was beginning to irritate her. What part of this was… Exciting? Fun? Titillating? Now one more person knew about her, and that put all three of them in more danger than before. Yes, she could have rewritten or erased Tris' memories, but they were friends, and friends trust each other. Eddie said so. And she trusted Eddie.
"We could get those," Tris said, hopping out behind her. "Soul buying is about to become very lucrative."
Mads whirled on the other girl, anger in every line of her body. Her hair even seemed to stand on end and a wild, feral light gleamed in her eyes. Tris knew, in that moment, she had taken her nervous jokes a flying leap too far.
"This. Isn't. A game," Mads growled, low and deadly. "People have died because of this, and will continue to die. We might all die, the three of us. The Wilsons, Jake, Mr. Melvald, Mrs. Byers, anyone I'm in close contact with. No talk about Jedi, no buying souls so people can meet me, and no. Talking. About. The Lab."
Mads took a deep, calming breath and attempted to smile apologetically at the terror-stricken look on Tris' face. Or tried to, it came across as more of a remorseful grimace.
"At least not within earshot of anyone else."
Tris dutifully saluted Mads, waved awkwardly at Eddie who returned it with his easy smile.
"R-right'o, Captain Johnson!" She crowed in an attempt to tout her earlier mischief, then headed off toward her next class.
"Some help you were," Mads hissed as Eddie fell into step beside her.
"You had it under control," he replied, ruffling her hair, secretly pleased he could do that now.
"You were laughing," Mads snapped, though she was hardly angry with him. "Laughing, the whole damn time. I should punch you in the kidneys."
"Not the kidneys!" He cried, pulling the attention of several students onto them again. "I need those!"
"I think I'll cut them out of you instead and eat them, like Jack the Ripper…" She sniffed, jutting her nose into the air haughtily.
Eddie faked a cry of fear at Mads' threat, clutching his back. Envy colored her mood at his and Tris' easy personalities. They'd just experienced the shock of their lives and they were going on as if everything was normal – granted, Eddie had some time to process it all. They were not judging her or exploiting her. It said something about Mads that their reactions shocked her more than the way she had been treated by Kali, 001, and Pa—Dr. Brenner.
They had all manipulated her, used her. She knew that now. She may be a psychokinetic freak, but she was Eddie's psychokinetic freak. And now, apparently, Tris' too. The warmth which filled her at that realization staved off the cool chill of the early November morning. And the lingering cold that grazed the back of her neck like ghostly fingers, waiting. Watching. Wanting.
Joyce still hadn't shown up for work that evening after school. Joyce was always at work, from open to close. Never late, never called out unless it was serious, and never once since Mads had worked there. Not once. Something was wrong, very, very wrong.
The thought of working through her entire shift without Joyce was daunting, especially after the night before. She felt like she needed the older woman. Sure, Mads could do her job, and do it competently. But Joyce was her work "Eddie", and she needed her. So, when she asked Don why Joyce hadn't shown up and he told her that her little boy Will had gone missing, Mads' stomach bottomed out and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
She hoped it had nothing to do with the Lab and 011.
She prayed it had nothing to do with that.
Oh god, oh god, oh god. Please, anything but that. Joyce loved her boys; they were her world. Mads couldn't be responsible for this, oh god, please don't let her be responsible for this.
By the time her shift was over, she was sure Don was fed up with her and all the mishaps she had caused due to her anxiety. Several displays knocked over, items put away incorrectly, frustrated customers… you name it, Mads did it. But he just sent her home with a warning to be careful since it was dark so early now.
"I wouldn't want anything happening to you, young lady." He said with a smile, though a deep current of worry ran beneath it.
Mads promised to be careful and headed out, dread pooling in her gut. Will Byers still had not been found, and she knew Joyce had to be beside herself with worry. Maybe she could do something… Maybe she should do something.
With renewed resolve, Mads urged her bike to go faster, Chief Hopper's words from the other night echoing in her mind. There wouldn't be any officers out tonight checking for speeding kids, they would all be out searching for Will. And so could she, if she could just get back fast enough.
She thought of Jonathan, and how she'd treated him. She used her powers on him, like he was some trifling insect, unworthy of even asking him to get rid of the negative. Mads, of course, did not take into account her anxiety and self-preservation instinct in that situation because of the guilt she felt. Jonathan was probably worried sick about his brother, like she knew his mother would be. Somehow, someway she had to help them, and she knew exactly how.
Eddie's van was parked in the lot, but not in his usual spot. A small smile tugged at the corners of Mads' lips, when she noticed it. He'd started taking after her, parking in different spaces. However, Tris' black 72' Vega was parked directly in the spot in front of her room. Her smile faltered; she would have to talk to her about that.
Something was off though, normally Eddie would be waiting in his van, or outside smoking, and if Tris was here, she would be doing the same. But neither of them were in their vehicles, nor were they smoking. No matter how many times Eddie had stayed over in the past month or so, the Wilson's wouldn't give him a key to her room. It was something Mads was annoyed by and grateful for at the same time.
So, where was he then? She didn't have to wait long to find out.
"Madison!" Pam Wilson called from the front office, waving her over. She was standing halfway out the door, backlit by the bright lights. From where Mads was standing, she could see James Wilson, Jake, Tris, and Eddie through the window.
She made her way quickly over to the office, slipping past Pam inside. The sharp click of the lock resonated loudly behind her. All at once, she felt trapped. Thundering heartbeats pounded in her chest, her hands curling into fists as sharp nails bit into the flesh of her palms. The lights began to flicker slightly.
Eddie hurried over to her; a warning look in his eyes. "Safe," he whispered, prying her pinky free from her balled up hand, wrapping his own around it. "Safe."
"Okay," she whispered back and willed herself to relax.
Tris caught her eye, smiling tightly at her as she and Eddie moved to sit down in one of the hard plastic chairs in the office. The somewhat easy mood from the morning had completely evaporated.
"I'm sure you all've heard by now that the youngest Byers boy has gone missing," James said, arms crossed tightly over his chest, a look of concern deepening the craggy lines in his face.
"Yes," Mads answered, looking him in the eye. "I work with Joyce. She's been out all day; they haven't found anything."
"Do your parents and Uncle know you two are here?" Pam asked, looking between Tris and Eddie, worry also evident in her expression.
"Yeah," Eddie answered honestly. "He works nights, so he doesn't mind if I stay with Mads. I think he'd even prefer it, seeing how we'd both be alone and all."
Tris echoed his sentiment. Her parents had the motel's phone number so they could reach her, and she was supposed to call when Mads got back from work. They were worried about a young girl living alone after all.
"Well, that's good then," James sighed, seeming to relax a bit. "We don't mind you kids being here with Madison, not a bit since you're pretty quiet, but we just want to make sure you all know how serious this is."
"We know," Mads croaked. Will… She felt a pull in her chest and it was cold. So, so cold.
"Of course, you do, dear," Pam fluttered nervously. She very much wanted to take the young girl in her arms, but held herself back. She was as skittish as a feral cat, that one. "But… if you all don't mind, please don't leave your room tonight."
Pam's blue eyes were shining with worry. She wanted to gather Mads up and house her in her little girl's old room where she could be watched over and safe. But she had a feeling the girl wouldn't care for that one bit. At least not yet.
"Jake is going to be here all night and he knows where the guns are," she continued, noting their varying reactions to her words.
Tris Buckley, the new friend, looked slightly mutinous, her eyes flashing under her dark shaggy hair. Eddie appeared almost resigned, as though he had expected their request. Mads though, she seemed relieved, willing even, to be cooped up in her room for the evening. Pam would have expected more resistance from her, but was grateful there was none.
"You need anything, and I mean anything," James said sternly, eyeing the three of them. "You call us. Do not leave for any reason, unless it's an emergency."
The three teenagers mumbled their agreement and shuffled out to Mads' room. James and Pam watched them warily, Jake clambering around in the back, readying one of the legal guns James kept at the front desk. The kids had agreed much more quickly and obediently than any of them thought.
The couple shared a look. Something was up. That girl had a secret, one that the other two were in on. They only hoped it wouldn't endanger those kids.
Three growling stomachs entered the warm, dark room. Minutes later, Mads and Eddie were whipping up pancakes, fried eggs, and bacon while Tris called her parents. Soon enough the three of them were sat around the coffee table in silence. When their bellies were full, the trio sat back, staring into space.
"We need to help look for Will," Mads said after a while, clearing the sticky plates from the coffee table.
"I thought we weren't allowed to leave," Tris grumbled. She understood the Wilson's warnings and worries, but she just didn't like feeling trapped. It made her heart pound and her palms sweat.
They didn't need to leave to look for Will, though. This room would do. Mads switched the TV on to static, turning the volume down to a low drone. She had learned to search without sensory deprivation long ago, experimenting with Kali. Something her leader had exploited over and over again.
But this was for Joyce, not Kali. And Mads was choosing to do this; it was something she wanted. It would be easy. Though, with two other people in the room, their thoughts and feelings might get a little distracting and the TV static would help.
"What are you doing?" Eddie asked as Mads placed her hands on her crossed legs.
"Something bad happened last night," Mads began, looking between him and Tris, who was gazing curiously at her. "Something I don't know how to explain, but I think it has to do with Will Byers' disappearance."
"How so?" Tris asked, leaning forward intently.
A deep breath in… and out. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, pounding in her head. She still wasn't fully recovered after what happened last night, but Joyce needed her. Will needed her. And her friends needed to know what was going on, as much as she knew anyway.
"You remember what I told you?" She asked, waiting for their nods of affirmation. "Well… I wasn't the only kid Dr. Brenner and the 'Department of Energy' kept. Eddie, you'll remember that." Mads nodded to him. "I have a number on my wrist, representin' who I was in the order of test subjects. I was 009, and there were seventeen other subjects in the Lab from 002 to 018."
"What happened to 001?" Tris breathed.
Eddie stood and made his way over to Mads, threading his pinky with hers as he sat down. Comfort spread over her instantly, like a blanket fresh from the dryer. She could do this. She could do this.
With her free hand, Mads removed the small silk scarf, meeting Tris' gaze as she gasped in shock. While the scarf didn't cover all of the pale lines marring her neck, it concealed the worst of them, so to see her neck bared all at once was astonishing.
"He was supposed to have died…" She whispered, voice shaking. "Papa… Sorry, Dr. Brenner—"
"Wait, wait, wait," Tris interjected, eyes flashing. "That sicko had you calling him 'Papa'?"
"Yes," Mads said.
"Holy fuck," Tris groaned, leaning back, and covered her face in her hands. "This is so fucked up, Mads. Like, seriously fucked up!"
Mads smiled wryly, sharing a look with Eddie, who was very tense. "I know. Can I get on with it?"
With a mumbled apology from Tris, Mads continued her story. The room was safe and warm, and her stomach was full. It had to be done.
"001 was supposed to be dead, an accident. Dr. Brenner told us that, a big production whenever one of the newer ones would get curious. After 008 escaped, Kali – I told you about her – an orderly began to tell me things… His name was Peter, and he was always friendly toward me. Sweet, caring. He wanted me to trust him, to rely on him.
"He manipulated me. Peter had been kept in the Lab with a… thing in his neck, I don't know how it works really, but it prevented him from using his abilities. It's called the Soteria. He was 001. All that time Dr. Brenner kept him there, trapped. Peter said he and I were similar… I couldn't do a whole lot then, but my abilities were more varied than many of them. Kali can only manipulate what people see, for example.
"So… Peter got me alone one day after Kali escaped. He wanted to help me leave too he said, all he wanted was the Soteria removed from his neck so he could go with me. But something was off, and I read his mind. This was something I was just learnin' to do, and I wasn't experienced with it yet, but what I saw was evil. He wanted to mutilate everyone."
Mads cut herself off with a shuddering breath. The Rainbow room was covered in blood and viscera, the white walls splattered red. The kids floating there like puppets on a string, 001's thumb on her lips, parting them—
No. No, no, no, no, no!
"Deep breaths," Eddie said, low in her ear, his pinky tugging at her own. "You got this."
Her heart began to slow, and the panic receded from her veins almost as though it had never been there to begin with. Eddie was here. He was with her. She was safe. Safe, safe, safe. Okay.
"So, yeah…" Mads continued after a deep, deep breath. "He wasn't dead, and he wanted to use me to help him kill everyone. I didn't want to kill everyone, just Dr. Brenner and all the other scientists, nurses, and orderlies."
Eddie choked back a snicker at that admission, making Mads smile a little in spite of herself. This didn't have to be scary, and from the look on Tris' face, she wasn't finding it all that scary either. She had begun to lean forward, brimming with – yes, slightly morbid – curiosity.
"So, he attacked me when I refused to help him, and I was able to escape. Not just from him, but the Lab too." Mads gestured to the scars as she spoke, marveling at the ease with which she was able to tell this story now, having voiced it to Eddie.
"Wow…" Tris said, eyes sparkling with more than just excitement. Amazement and wonder shone through those warm amber eyes, lighting up her face. "But what does that have to do with the TV?"
And at once, Mads was mildly annoyed with her new friend, though her smile was still in place. Tris was the one who asked what happened to 001 after all, it wasn't her fault she went down a rabbit hole like Alice floundering after the white bunny in a waistcoat.
"I was getting to that." She quirked a brow at Tris, waiting for permission to continue.
"Sorry," Tris said in a small voice, an embarrassed smile creeping onto her face. "I'll save my questions for later."
"Please, do so," Eddie groused, playing with Mads' bracelets and rings. The tinkling sound of the metal sent a pleasant sensation up her spine.
"I think whatever happened last night, that the Lab was connected to it," Mads continued. "They still have 011 there. I saw her. I think that's why I was having a migraine; she was calling for help and accidentally summoned me to her. Whatever they were doing with her let something out. And that something might have to do with Will Byers not making it home last night."
"So, what's the TV got to do with it?" Eddie asked, repeating Tris' earlier question.
"The static noise is going to help me find Will," she explained, gauging their reactions. "With you two in the room there will be thoughts and emotions keeping me grounded here and I need help to let go of that, so focusing on the static will help."
"And you think that the Lab was connected?" Tris questioned, brows furrowing.
"I know it was," Mads replied.
"Okay," her friends said, agreeing to her plan. "What can we do to help?"
Mads smiled. Hopefully Will was just somewhere hard to find; Joyce had mentioned he was a wiz at hide-and-seek. He might have gotten too close to the Lab and got spooked. Or, was scared of the massive power outages and got lost. Either way, the Lab and Dr. Brenner were responsible for his disappearance and if anyone could find him, it was her.
"Turn off all the lights," Mads commanded, tying her scarf around her eyes. "And Eddie, I'm gonna need you to go sit by Tris. You're too distracting."
Mads didn't need her eyes uncovered to feel Eddie's mirthful expression directed at her. But something that surprised her was the noxious jab that came from Tris' direction. It felt like it was directed at her, though unintentional, and definitely not meant to be projected. Had she not made the rule of staying out of her friends' heads, Mads would have delved into Tris' for a quick look. But, she did have that rule, and she kept to it.
Will was still missing and she may be the only person who could find him.
Once the lights were off and static began to fill her ears, Mads felt herself drift. The tug at the center of her chest pulled her from her body much quicker than she anticipated and she was left in blackness. Will, she was looking for Will. The quiet, sweet-looking boy with the terrible bowl cut.
"Mom?" A soft voice cut through the darkness and she was standing in the middle of a dilapidated living room. Upon further inspection, the house would have been comfortable and inviting, if not the nicest place to live. Somewhere, love was etched deep into the walls and floorboards underneath wallpaper and carpet. But here, wherever here was, did not feel that way at all.
"Mom?" The voice called again, further away.
Mads wanted to run toward the voice, to throw caution into the wind, but she had been taught better, however unwillingly. The air was cold and clammy, the increasingly familiar motes of dust floated past her with a sinister laziness. Dark, pulsating vines crisscrossed the floor, furrowing into the walls and foundation. The smell of rot, and grave dirt, and hot metal assailed her senses, making her stomach turn and her eyes water.
She was back.
But she had been looking for Will, not 001, not a way into the Lab. Why had she come back?
A warbling screech like the one she heard the night before, and several times before that, came from outside the decaying house. Wet rustling, as though it were prowling around in the wet, rotten foliage and undergrowth outside.
Mads crept through the kitchen, towards the back door, peeking out into the dark. She saw and heard nothing, for now. Reaching gingerly toward the knob of the back door, she made to push it open when the sound of a phone being removed from its cradle caused her to jump.
Fear coursed through her, her breath quickening in her chest as she turned slowly and carefully to face the noises behind her. Her heart dropped to her toes when she crept around the corner and saw who it was. Little Will Byers stood there, phone in hand, peeking over his shoulder at the front door.
How had he gotten here? To be honest, Mads wasn't even sure how she kept ending up here, so how could a little boy with no psychokinetic abilities wind up in this hellhole?
"Mom?" He said into the phone, voice shaking and faltering. "Mom? Hello, is anybody there? Anyone, please! Help me!"
The rustling from outside had returned and Mads could hear Joyce's frantic voice calling for Will on the other end of the line. Was Joyce here too? No… if she reached out, Joyce's presence was too far away. She wasn't there with them.
Mads wanted to reach out and touch Will, get his attention somehow, but when she tried, he paid no attention to her. Like she wasn't even there. She wasn't, not in the same way he was, but her astral form could normally interact with objects and sometimes people. Granted, that was in the real world, not this… place.
"Mom, help me, please!" Will begged, sobbing softly into the phone as another shriek shattered the relative silence.
"Run," Mads whispered, trying to shake him as her hands slipped through his form. "Run Will, run!"
But her pleas fell on deaf ears. The rumbling growl of that thing filtered through the rotten door and Will's head snapped up with a whimper. Claws raked and clicked up and down the small expanse of the porch, each sound a threat that thundered through Mads' very core.
"Run," she commanded, louder this time as she forced more energy into her palms. "Will, you need to run!"
And she pushed him.
Her hands connected with the puffy, primary colored vest and she pushed him! It worked! Will thudded against the wall, but it was quiet, not catching the attention of whatever was outside – or it heard and wanted to pretend it didn't.
His eyes widened in shock when he looked over his shoulder and saw her standing there, hands extended.
"Madison?" He whispered as the creature outside crashed against the front exterior wall.
"Run!" She screamed and the creature howled along with her, scraping its claws along the outside of the house, crashing, crashing, crashing against it sending rotten things hurtling down upon them.
Will ran.
He ran so quickly, leaving the phone hanging off the hook, Mads hardly saw him as the monster smashed through the front door. It was hideous. Gray and ugly, with skin like an emaciated corpse. Its mouth opened up into five segments, needle-sharp teeth lining every inch until the opening of its esophagus. This was the thing she encountered in the woods a month ago. The monster she had seen again only last night.
Claws and teeth and heaving ribs hurtled towards her and she threw her hand out, blocking its way to Will. With a sickening crunch, it flew back against the wall, scrabbling against the vines. Again, and again, and again she thrashed it with her mind. Black, pulpy blood oozed from its multiple lips, splattering onto the decomposing floor.
It screamed, putrid spittle and blood flying from its mouth.
Then, she too, ran.
Will was nowhere to be seen when Mads burst through the back door of the decaying house, and she hoped it would stay that way. That the creature would be unable to find him, at least for now, until she figured out how to bring him back.
Teleportation, even in astral form, was no easy feat, but she had no idea where her body was and she had to escape. The excruciating ripple of her mind at the effort brought tears to her eyes. Once she was back within sight of her body, the dark water rippling beneath her crossed legs as she ran towards her still form, she made the jump.
Blood, hot and sticky trickled over her lips as she scrambled to remove the scarf. The salty sweet smell of cooked bacon and maple syrup filled her nostrils, banishing the scent of pestilence and decay. Eddie's hands were on her, warm and safe, and Tris was by the light switch watching in horror.
"Mads! Mads!" Eddie called, shaking her. The lights were flickering, flickering, flickering. "Did you find him? Did you find Will?"
"Yes," she breathed, wanting desperately to look anywhere but their relived expressions.
"Where is he?" Tris demanded in breathless relief. "We need to tell the police, Mrs. Byers! Everyone!"
"He's…" Mads faltered. She had told Eddie about this place, but she never really had the right words. Now, after playing D&D with them for over a month… maybe she did. The place she had been – the place that was so like her own world but not, an echo, a dark reflection – a place of decay and rot, of monsters, and death, and madness. Right next to them, mirroring them.
"The Vale of Shadows," she said finally, meeting Eddie's gaze with unseeing eyes. "Will is stuck in the Vale of Shadows."
A/N: I want to point out that I know absolutely nothing about D&D other than what I've seen in "Stranger Things" and some videos I've watched on YT, like the Netflix Geeked specials and some McEllroy content my sister bade me see bc she loves D&D (shout out to you Krabby, this chapter is for you). Point is, if I do something wrong, I have no idea what I'm talking about anyway so I can't be blamed c:
The title is taken from the song "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash, released on the studio album "Combat Rock" in 1982 (the song was also released as a double a-sided single pre album release).
Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I appreciate each one! (Please don't forget to leave a review if you liked the story so far!)
This is the "mixtape" I created for this fic. It's not entirely period accurate, but I feel like these songs fit the theme of the show and characters.
playlist/2w0Fg6UPmVvj5L3EIMRYfw?si=d8e38810c96f4875
