He said he's coming to get me! Eleven ran it over and over in her head, and still couldn't believe she had heard it. It was the first thing that had brought a smile to her face in months, and the movement of those muscles felt almost foreign in her cheeks.

Life in the Upside-Down had become a routine, but it suited her well enough. Today had been a day like any other. She sat watch through the dark hours, spear at the ready, careful not to make a sound when the spiders came in search of dinner. She slept a few hours when the blue light returned to the sky and the creatures of the night went back into their holes to rest. She had made a quick breakfast from the last of yesterday's vines. She pulled on her cloak, shouldered her bag and grabbed her trusty knife. On her way out, she picked up the water jug for a sip and realized it had run dry again, so she carried that with her as she headed out in search of fresh vines.

It had turned out to be a good gathering day. The rain overnight had finally made the water in the pond more tolerable again, so she made a return trip with several more jugs to stock up while she could. The spiders hadn't finished off all of their kill from last night's hunt, so today would be a meat day. She worked quickly, carving off what scraps of meat she could manage to free from the carcass and added them to her bag. It was a four-leg, but the hairless kind. Their meat wasn't all that pleasant, and far to greasy, but meat was meat and it kept her strong here.

Back in her den, she started a fire and cooked up the meat, roasting chunks on the end of sharpened sticks propped over the flames. While they sizzled away, she cut up sections of vine and skewered them to brown and soften as well. It had taken a while, but it no longer bothered her the way they continued to writhe and squirm as she prepared them for cooking. After a hearty meal of meat and vine chunks and several large swallows of water that didn't taste like decaying plants, she actually felt almost full. It had been weeks since she had eaten so well and it left her feeling drowsy and at peace. Curled up in her nest, she closed her eyes for another quick nap before rousing by instinct as the blue light faded from sky, giving way to the black once more.

It was finally her favorite time of day. Mike always called out to her just when the last of the light was fading from the sky. Even when things got bad, and the water ran low and meat was scarce, his calls reaching out to her gave her a measure of comfort to keep going. Some days he sounded hopeful, some days lost, most days sad, but still he called to her. Tonight was different somehow. He sounded more determined than she had ever heard him before.

"Hi El, it's me. It's day 365," he began.

She knew the date, of course. She had been counting along with him, scratching marks into the wall in groups of five, the way Papa had taught her to count.

"One year ago, you saved my life. You saved all our lives. And then, you were gone. I know you're still out there, somewhere. I don't know how, it's just a feeling. Everyone thinks I'm crazy for hanging on for this long without a single sign."

He paused for a moment and let go of the button on his radio. She fought hard to keep him in focus until he started to speak again.

"I've been praying every day for a sign that you're alright. I've been hoping beyond hope you'd somehow find your way back to me. But I see now that you can't get back to me."

She braced herself for what he was about to say. She had known it was coming for quite a while and had been doing her best to mentally prepare herself for the day it finally happened. She knew how much it hurt him to hold on to her memory and he couldn't do that to himself forever. As desperate as she was, not to be forgotten, she knew it would be better for him to get it over with. He was about to let her go. She took a deep breath in unison with his own, tears already burning in her eyes.

"Since you can't get back to me, I'm coming to get you. I have no idea how I'm going to find you, or how to get there. I have no idea how long it might take, but I'm coming to get you, El. Please don't give up on me; I promise I won't ever give up on you. I'm coming and I'm going to bring you home."

Just then, she heard Mike's mom yell something unintelligible down the basement steps.

"Alright, I'm coming, just a minute," he yelled back. Then, much softer, he finished his promise to her. "Please hang on El. You're the strongest person I've ever known, I hope you can be strong for just a little longer. I'm coming"

With that, he put down the radio and he was gone. As her mind pulled back into the reality of her nest, she felt hot tears rolling slowly down her cheeks. Still, her face was pulled into a wide smile. Mike was coming to bring her home. If he wasn't giving up, then neither would she. Life in the upside down wasn't pleasant, but she had settled into a manageable routine and with the knowledge that he was going to come for her, she could hold on as long as it took. Besides, she thought, it still beat life inside the lab.

She wiped away the blood from her nose and the tears from her cheeks with a quick swipe of her sleeve and watched the last hints of light fade from the sky. She had to remind herself that night was coming on fast and her quiet watch was about to begin once again. Quickly removing the last of the vine chunks from their roasting sticks, she stored the food away for tomorrow's breakfast. Grabbing the dousing-blanket from where it was folded neatly away, she shook it out and laid it across the fire pit, extinguishing the flame and snuffing out the embers. The temperature immediately began to drop as she grabbed her long stick with the sharpened point and settled back into her nest, pulling the pile of blankets tight around her body for warmth.

A few minutes later, she heard the familiar rustling as dozens of enormous legs scuttled their way past, outside the safety of her little enclosure. Thankfully, they past quickly and not long after, she heard the distant cries of whatever creature had the misfortune of crossing their path tonight. It sounded large, perhaps a furry four-leg that they wouldn't eat completely; she would have to check tomorrow. It was foolish to hope, she knew, but maybe she would get two meat days in a row.

Since they rarely passed her way twice in one night, Eleven let her mind wander in peace as she sat there in the dark. Mike said he's coming to get me, and friends don't lie.