Disclaimer: I don't own Stranger Things or any of the characters in this story.


Chapter 18: When You're Gone

It had been a frustrating morning for Jim Hopper. Every lead and idea that popped into his head had been a dead end. Until, of course, he'd come home for a lunch break and 6 teenagers had cracked everything wide open.

He wasn't one to believe in the supernatural, alternate dimensions, and the like. But none of his other ideas had promise.

"So, you're telling me that you opened a portal to another dimension," he asked El.

She nodded in confirmation.

"And a monster from this other dimension may be possessing Billy Hargrove."

"Yes."

"And it may also be possessing the people who were kidnapped."

"Bingo," said Dustin glumly.

Hopper sighed. "Well, damn. That's a hell of a revelation." He ran a hand through his hair. "It sounds like a horror movie."

"I wish it was," Lucas quipped.

"But the thing is," Mike began, "We don't know what to do. We don't know why Billy's doing this, and why the lab might have covered it up."

"They probably covered it up for the same reason they covered up Sara's death, and for why anyone tries to cover something up. They're trying to save their own asses," Hopper said. "They know it would look REALLY bad if the government – who's supposed to protect us – unleashed a hellish creature from some other dimension."

El looked down, ashamed. "But dad, I did that. It's not the lab's fault, it's mine."

Mike gently squeezed her hand. "El, stop. Remember what we talked about. It is NOT your fault. It was an accident."

"He's right you know, kid," Hopper said, and Mike's head whipped over in shock. He hadn't expected the chief to openly agree with him, but he was pleasantly surprised.

"Not only that," Will continued, "It's the lab's fault because you were under THEIR care, El. You went looking for something in the void that THEY told you to find. If anyone's to blame, it's them."

They didn't call him Will the Wise for no reason.

The others smiled at Will in agreement, then looked towards El. She nodded slowly, still trying to convince herself that she wasn't to blame here. It would take a little while, she was sure. But hopefully, she would get there one day.

"So then that just leaves Billy," Mike said. "We need to know why he's been kidnapping people and what their goal is."

"I think that's pretty obvious now, too. Isn't it," asked Dustin. "He's being possessed by the Mind Flayer. So, it's not him who's really doing the kidnapping."

Lucas frowned. "It is him though, right? That's clearly his body."

Dustin rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant, Lucas. Fine, if you want to be really precise about it, then yes. That's his body doing the kidnapping, but he – his MIND – doesn't realize what he's doing."

"Just like all those people that are possessed, too," Will added.

"Exactly," Dustin said. "And as to why they're kidnapping more people? The Mind Flayer's end goal is simple: it thinks it's the master race, superior to everyone else. It wants to conquer us."

The room seemed to let out a collective gasp.

"Conquer us by kidnapping people," Hopper asked angrily. "What the hell does that accomplish?"

"Well, remember, they're all possessed. The Mind Flayer's probably collecting people as like an army or something," explained Dustin.

"Do you think it wants to make EVERYONE part of its army," Lucas asked.

"Yeah, I think it's a good bet."

"Well now, wait a second," Hopper began. "The disappearances have actually been slowing down today. What do you think that means?"

The kids didn't have an answer for him.

"Who knows, then," he continued. "But the important thing now is that we know what's going on."

"Yes and no," Mike said doubtfully. "We still don't know what Billy's next move is."

"Well, we've already agreed that following him would be too dangerous," Will reminded them.

Hopper raised his eyebrows. "You're damn right it's too dangerous. There's no way in hell you're following him – not on my watch."

"I could look for him…in the void."

Everyone turned to look at El in various states of surprise.

"What are you talking about," Hopper asked.

"I mean I can look for him in my head. I did it yesterday when we wanted to know if Dustin, Lucas, and Will were safe," she explained.

Hopper shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, El. It sounds dangerous. Won't Billy know you're there?"

"No, not at all."

"It's true, chief," Dustin said. "If I had known, I would have stopped singing "Never Ending Story," he added with a pointed glance. "It wasn't meant for anyone's ears."

"Holy shit," Lucas exclaimed. "I wish I had heard that."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't," snapped Dustin. "It's bad enough that El, Mike, and Max did."

Upon hearing Max's name, El's shoulders slumped, something that did not go unnoticed by Hopper.

"Sweetie, what's wrong," he asked.

"Max is upset with me," she said quietly. "After she found out I was the one who opened the gate, she thinks maybe it was my fault Billy disappeared."

Hopper sighed. "We've already gone over this. You are not to blame." He suddenly glanced around the space quickly, noting Max's absence. "Where is Max anyway? I told you guys not to leave."

El gestured in the direction of her bedroom. "She's in my room. I think she went in there to calm down."

"Well, that's a relief," Hopper replied. "I'm glad she's okay. And as for her being upset with you, I'm sure that will blow over soon."

With that, Hopper stood up and put the chips and salsa away. "Alright, kids. I've got to get back to work. But I wanted to come check and make sure you were safe."

"Hell yeah we are," Dustin said enthusiastically. "The Maple Street party's a freight train from hell. We got this."

Several loud snickers came from the group. Hopper even had to bite back a laugh. "Okay kid, if you insist," he said. His face quickly got serious, though. "I really am grateful for all your work today, everyone. We've got leads we can go on now, and hopefully get this shit shut down fast."

"Can we do anything," Mike asked. "Like, should we come to the station to give statements or something?"

"No, no statements yet. I need to figure out where to begin first, then I'll let you guys know."

Once Hopper reached the front door, he turned around to face the kids with a final reminder.

"Please, El, do NOT visit the void to track down Billy's whereabouts. We don't know what he's capable of, and I don't want you or anyone else getting hurt. Okay?"

She smiled and nodded, seemingly satisfying Hopper. However, as soon as the door shut behind him, the smile fell from her face. She turned to face her friends.

"I'm going into the void."


Minutes later, El had once again taken up position in front of the TV, tying a scarf around her neck which would later go over her eyes. The white noise sound of static filled the air. Dustin and Lucas sat eagerly on the sofa, with Will on Hopper's recliner and Mike next to El on the floor.

It hadn't taken much arm-twisting on El's part to get the boys to agree to her plan. She was going to not only see where Billy currently was, but she wanted to find out how he even became the way he did.

"Remember El, we'll be right here if you need us, okay," Mike said. He extended a hand to her, which she gratefully took.

"I know," she replied.

Will scooted forward in his seat a bit, drawing El's attention to him. "If it gets too scary, just come back to us," he said. "Your safety is what's important here."

"Exactly," continued Mike. "Billy is sick – possessed. His mind is not his own. Just…please be careful."

"I will, I promise," said El.

It looked as though Mike needed just a bit more reassurance, as his eyes were downcast. El decided to lean over and give him a quick kiss and soon enough, they were both sporting cheeky grins.

"Aw, come on guys," Dustin whined. "We've got more important stuff to do than watch you guys make out."

Mike flipped him the middle finger. "That was NOT making out, Dustin."

"Do you want them to show you sometime, Henderson?"

The sound of Max's voice startled the other kids. She hadn't made a single peep in the time she'd been in El's room. In truth, she'd almost fallen asleep.

Max had initially laid down on El's bed, needing desperately to clear her head after what had transpired. She WAS mad at El. But rationally, she knew it wasn't El's fault. Nothing about any of this was El's fault. It had been a shock, plain and simple.

After the initial shock had worn off, Max felt guilt, sadness, and extreme tiredness. She found that it became harder and harder to keep her eyes open…until she heard El suggest going into the void to search for Billy. She needed to be in the room for this.

"Jesus, Max. You scared me," Lucas said, putting his hand to his chest.

"I think I recall us having this exact conversation," she replied playfully. Taking a quick glance around the room, she sat on El's other side.

"Hey."

"Hi," El said guardedly. The last time she'd spoken to Max, it hadn't gone well.

"I'm sorry, El," Max began. "I wasn't fair to you earlier. I know that I shouldn't blame you for opening the gate. It wasn't your fault. Will you accept my apology?"

Of course, she would. Max was like a sister to her.

El's answer was to simply wrap an arm around Max and pull her closer. Max put her head down on El's shoulder in relief. "Thank you," she whispered.

After a few moments, Mike asked quietly, "Are you ready, El?"

"Yes."

"Please be careful," Max begged. Her wide, frightened eyes met those of Lucas. Admittedly, he was just as scared, but tried to not let it show too much. Giving Max a brief smile, he turned his attention to El, who tugged the blindfold up over her eyes.

With each slow inhale and exhale that El took, her concentration sharpened and her body relaxed. It was that delicate balance she needed to strike. It was that balance that brought her into the void.

El had barely taken 5 steps into the darkness when she was almost knocked off her feet. There were winds suddenly present that were so strong, she could hardly stand up. One glance up told her why. There was a dark, fiery cloud that was spinning high in the air. Even though her senses were screaming at her to run away, she knew this was probably what she needed to find.

Slowly, cautiously, El walked so that she was more directly under the swirling vortex. She took a deep breath, concentrating even harder.

Back in the cabin's living room, the kids were watching El's every move. Her nose was starting to bleed, but that wasn't out of the ordinary in situations like this. Mike did notice, however, that her breathing had picked up a little.

So as not to startle her, Mike carefully placed his hand on top of hers. He watched as her breath began to even out. "You're okay, El. I'm here. We're here."

Within the void, El looked back up at the vortex. Bolts of lightning began descending from the air, striking the ground close to El – a bit too close for comfort. Suddenly, the dark cloud descended, enveloping her inside it.

She began whimpering and rocking forward and backward, causing Mike and Max to look at each other in alarm. "El, listen to me. Whatever it is you're seeing, it can't hurt you," said Mike.

"What's going on," Will asked. "What's happening to her?"

"We don't know," Max replied. "Usually she talks to us when she goes into the void."

El couldn't see anything. The dark cloud completely obscured her vision, and it terrified her. She stuck a hand in front of herself and put all her energy into clearing the space. She needed to see.

The air was filled with a vibrating energy as she worked – both inside and outside of the void. Quite literally, it felt as though the cabin floor was vibrating. But El was making progress. She could see spots in the cloud that were beginning to look patchy.

A low growl began in the back of El's throat, which quickly grew to a scream, making the kids' hair stand on end. The window behind them shattered, scattering glass and causing Dustin and Lucas to cover their necks with their hands. At the same time in the void, the dark cloud completely dissolved in front of El. She sagged in relief, practically falling sideways into Mike.

"It's okay, El. I've got you," he whispered as he tenderly stroked her hair. "Are you okay now? What happened?"

She was so tired, but she had to keep going.

"Dark cloud," she said as she continued through the void. "Couldn't see. Lightning."

"Like a thunderstorm," Max asked.

El shook her head. "No, like-" She trailed off as a large building came into view. "Brimborn Steel Works," she said slowly, reading what was on the side of the building. "What is Brimborn Steel Works?"

"It's an old steel mill on the edge of town," answered Dustin. "No one ever goes there."

"Yeah, no shit no one ever goes there," quipped Lucas. "It's abandoned and dangerous. Some kids go out there to screw around, though."

El continued walking towards the old mill, taking care not to rustle the waist-high grass that had appeared. She didn't know who or what was inside the mill, but she was about to find out.

She came to an opening in the building, and guessed that's where doors used to be. Now, everything was open to the elements. As she peeked around the corner, she could see that rust and decay was rampant inside. There were weeds growing between the cracks in the floor. And there was a strange smell emanating from inside, too.

At that moment, El's attention became focused on a huge group of people standing in the center of the mill. She couldn't tell what they were standing around, so she crouched down to see if she could see between their legs.

Billy was hovering over an unconscious man who was lying on the floor. A woman was crouching behind the man's head, holding his mouth open. Billy's body spasmed and what looked like a slug dropped from his mouth onto the man's chin. It crawled slowly up and into its new host's mouth.

El couldn't help it. She turned away from the entrance to the mill and threw up in the tall grass. Unfortunately, the sound ripped Billy's attention away from the newest member of their group. He looked sharply up towards the entrance.

"Hey! Who the hell's there? Whoever it is, show yourself."

There was no way in hell El was going to do that.

As soon as she began running, she heard someone shout, "Let's get 'em," from the mill. The air vibrated with the sound of footsteps on concrete. El figured she had enough information for now, and wasted no time in ripping off her blindfold.

The first face she found after the blindfold came off was, of course, Mike.

"Mike," she exclaimed quietly, her throat raw from screaming. With the remaining energy she had, El clambered into his lap and wound her arms tightly around his neck. Mike buried his face in her shoulder, a few tears unexpectedly making their way down his cheeks. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything quite that intense. There was vibrating, screaming, and…

Oh right. Ew.

Mike was suddenly aware of a wetness seeping into his shirt – vomit. He had hoped that they'd be able to listen in to what El was seeing, like he and Max did before. Unfortunately, that was not the case this time.

El lifted her head wearily to try and give Mike a kiss, but he held her back. As much as Mike didn't want to deny her, he also felt like she should clean up any lingering vomit on herself.

"Why," she pouted.

Mike smiled softly, remembering she had done the same thing this morning when she didn't want to get out of bed.

"El, you threw up when you were in the void," he said gently. "You've got vomit on your face and shirt."

She was mortified, and her face reddened as she took in her dirty shirt.

Shit, maybe Mike could have explained himself better.

"Um, what I think he was trying to say," Will began, "Is that you should probably clean up, El. We don't want you to be uncomfortable."

El understood now. She slowly got up with Mike and Max's help, accepting Max's offer of helping her get washed up. The two girls made their way to the bathroom and shut the door.

Mike let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Thanks for that," he said, looking pointedly at Will.

"Someone had to help when you got all tongue-tied," Will replied teasingly. "God, how crazy was all that?"

"Mental," agreed Dustin. "I hope El tells us what she saw."

"Yeah well, let her rest a little first," Mike said. "This kind of thing takes a lot out of her."

Rest. That was definitely something the boys could use, too.

While they waited for El and Max to re-emerge, they took slightly more relaxed positions in the living room – Mike curled up on the floor and the others reclined on the sofa and the chair.

Before they knew it, they were asleep. For just a few minutes, anyway, there was peace.


Hi everyone! I wanted to crank out this chapter since I'll be going on vacation tomorrow. Thought I'd end on a fairly neat and tidy note. I don't think it's my best chapter. I had a hard time with the flow, but I'll let you be the judge. I hope you're still liking what you're reading. Please leave me a review.