Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
After she was done with her day job, Terry drove to the house and got out of the car, speed-walking to the door and unlocking it with her key. She quickly got inside, closed the door behind her, locked it, and went up the stairs to her room. Once she was in there, she changed out of her waitress uniform and into an old dark collared shirt, old skinny jeans, and old sneakers since she knew heels were no good against dirt. She then got out the note from the pocket of her uniform and got out of her room to get some tape.
When she did, it being in the basement, she got upstairs and went back to the door, unlocked it, opened it, and taped the note onto there. She decided to keep the garage closed so Jane and possibly Kali would have to go here and read it. She then got outside, closed the door, got into her car, and began driving away to Merril's farm.
...
Later, Jane finally arrived at her home by her bike. She saw that the garage was closed, so she would have to park her bike at the back, near the basement. However, the note caught her eye, making her stop at the driveway and park her bike there. She walked towards it and took a close look at it. She read to herself, "'Girls, I'm going to take some extra hours to earn more money. You two can eat whatever you like until I come back tomorrow morning. I trust you two to take care of yourselves. I love you both, Mama/Mum.'"
This surprised her, of course, but it also made her feel relieved. She won't have to go through trying to convince her to let her stay at Will's for a bit...well, for more than a bit. She hoped she didn't mind that. She needed to understand that Will needed help.
She ran back to her bike, kicked up the kick-stop, and then rode it to Will's house to support him and see what he's going through.
Having a bunch of papers related to Hawkins Labs scattered all over the floor, Mike now sat on the couch and dug through the box. During his search, he had seen a few things about Terry's work there, about her being involved with the subjects and her job with those subjects. There were even a few quotes from her in some articles he's seen.
He pulled out another folder and opening up, the first paper he sees being a news article about Dr. Wheeler and Dr. Brenner being in trouble. He wasn't interested in that, so he was quick to toss that way, then another, then another. He dumped the folder to the floor before reaching his hand into the box again, pulling out a thick red folder now. He tried to read the label as best as he could. It was labelled...
"'Ber...tu...zzi...Karen,'" he read out loud. The fact that this one had a label and it sounded like a name intrigued him, so he opened it up. The first thing he saw was a copy of a news article that was labelled "Ex-Wife of Top Scientist in D.O.E Sues. Claims He and Fellow Top Scientist Stole Her Children." That interested him, so he looked at the picture associated with it, seeing a woman with fluffed-out, curly hair and wearing a collared top. That was Karen Bertuzzi. For some reason, he had this weird...feeling about seeing her...like he knew her...but how?
He flipped to another article, seeing its title "Newborn Son Michael and Young Daughter Nancy stolen, Bertuzzi claims." His eyes widened when he saw his name there. Was it...referring to him? And then the next name...
"Nan...cy...?" Who was she? Who was Karen?
A clipped-on article got his attention the second he stopped looking at that article. But it wasn't the article in question that caught his eye...it was what's under it. He carefully pulled it out, holding the article down so it wouldn't move. He finally pulled it out and looked at it.
It was a black and white picture of three people...his dad and Karen walking together with Dr. Brenner. Her hair was still the same as the other picture of her depicted, but now she wore a pale long-sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans, and high heels. She was holding hands with Dr. Wheeler. He looked somber at this. "Dad...Doctor..." He pointed at them both as he said their names. His finger then trailed to the woman. She had to be involved with them personally, right? She was walking with them. And she was holding his hand too...his eyes widened. Could she be...?
He looked up from the picture and looked around for anything that could help him..."visit" her. The TV won't work, so that was out of the question. However, he did spot a radio on the bookshelf, right next to one of the puzzle boxes and spice containers. Radios spew out static, so he got up and walked to it, the picture still in one hand. He grabbed the radio and walked back, sitting on the floor again.
He set the photo on his lap as he turned on the radio and turned its knobs so that it could release static. He had switched from a political talk station to a music station before finally reaching static. He placed the radio next to him and grabbed the photo again. He went to his room to get his blindfold, getting back to where he was and sitting again. He wrapped the blindfold around his eyes to remove his sight before getting the photo again. He then began to try to reach Karen. While he did, he placed the photo on his chest.
He began to take deep breaths, his heart racing for what's about to happen. He had felt very nervous about this, but he was determined to go through with it to see her...to see if she's really...
He was in the darkness once again, immediately seeing a woman in a rocking chair mumbling things. He walked a bit closer to her cautiously, seeing that she had her hair in a messy bun and wore a red nightgown with a brown jacket over it. He heard her mumble, "Four to the right...two to the left..." What did she mean by that?
He finally got close, getting right in front of her with wide eyes as she murmured, "Rainbow...four to the right...two to the left..." He saw her eyes closed, like she was dreaming or something. "Rainbow...four to the right...two to the left...four-fifty..." He was shocked by seeing her like this. What was she doing? Why was she like this?
Her eyes then finally opened, looking into Mike's wide ones. He tensed up, his breathing becoming uneven and his anxiety rising. Does she really know him? Could she recognize him?
Her face was shifting a little like she was going to react, but was holding it back somehow. Her mouth was open before she finally said, "My dear Michael." He gasped at that. She called him her dear Michael...so that meant...
He gulped and got a little closer to her, saying, "Mom...?" He couldn't believe it. Karen Bertuzzi was his mother...he thought she was gone. Terry and Jim told him she was gone...
He reached his hand to touch hers and he was, only for a second, feeling his heart tingle. However, she suddenly began to disappear into dust, much to his shock. "Mom?!" He tried to grab the dust, but it was no use...
She was gone.
But she couldn't be. He just found her...
"MOM!" He looked around, trying to find her anywhere. "MOM! MOM, WHERE ARE YOU?!" He began to cry when he couldn't see her. "MOM?!" He wiped the tears off of his face, continuing to cry her name...
Even in reality, with his nose bleeding.
"MOM?! MOM?! WHERE ARE YOU, MOM?!" he cried out in agony. "MOM?!" He removed his blindfold, his eyes watering as he began to cry more. He just lost his mom...he found her...but he lost her...just when he wanted to touch her.
He sniffled and covered his face with his hands as he continued to cry and sob. "Mom..." At least one thing was for certain...his mom wasn't gone, unlike what Jim and Terry told him...leaving him to be more upset and angered at them than before.
He needed to find her...now.
Finally arriving at the Byers's home, Jane parked her bike and went up to the door, knocking it and shouting, "Hello?!" There was no answer yet. She was panting. "Will?! Mrs. Byers?!" She then heard some footsteps before hearing the door unlock. Joyce herself opened it up and greeted Jane with her best friendly smile at the moment.
"Hey, Jane..." she greeted her with her kind voice, despite seeing her worried face.
"Is Will here?"
She knew she was there for Will. Why else would she come here? However...
The brunette looked back before looking at her with a sad voice. "You know what, sweetie? Now's not the time to see him." As if the tomboy wasn't worried enough about him...
"Is he okay?"
She could hear the complete worry in her voice, making the woman's heart crumble a little, as if it wasn't already. She sighed and went forward to gently push her back. "L-listen to me, he's just not...feeling well." She closed the door and gently held her arm. "He's laying down, so I'll tell him that you stopped by, okay?" She forced a smile. "I mean, it's really kind of you to do so, but you should go back home." The girl's lips drew to a line as the woman got back to the door and opened it, realizing what was happening.
As the woman was about to close the door, she stepped forward and asked, "Is it about the shadow monster?" Joyce looked shocked to hear her say that, making her open the door again and look at her. "If it is, I know. He told me about it." She was completely baffled by this. He told Jane about that? He did trust her...but to hear her say it... "What's going on with him, Mrs. Byers? What did it do to him?"
Now that she's hearing her say this, it would be stupid of her not to let her in and see him.
Terry finally arrived at the farm, looking for any sign of Jim. She had slowed down her car when she saw a pile of dirt slowly but surely piling up before seeing his car near that. She decided to get off of the road and drive to that, stopping next to his car and parking her car there. She looked around, seeing the rotting pumpkins and the flies around them, grossing her out a little. When she got out, she heard him say, "Terry?" She walked forward and saw him digging himself a small crater, her eyes growing large at that.
"Jesus, Jim..." she said in shock.
He chuckled a bit, shoving the tip on the ground and leaning on the shovel. "Well, I think these 'vines' are underground, so we have to dig for them." He tilted his head towards his car. "Another shovel's in the trunk. I unlocked it in case you actually came."
She scoffed. "Of course I'm going to come. I told you that you need someone to watch your back." She then walked to the trunk of his car to get the other shovel. The smile he had disappeared. He really did hope that she wouldn't come, but now that he thought about it, it wouldn't be Terry if she really left him alone to do this. What a woman.
She came back with the extra shovel and tried to carefully get down into the crater with Jim. However, she slipped, making him drop his shovel and rush to catch her. "Whoa!" he cried out as he caught her with his arm. She kind of blushed at his action. "You alright?"
She nodded, smiling a little as she straightened up. "Yeah, thanks, Jim." He smiled back at her, the two admiring each other for a second before they finally began digging to find the "vines".
Kali and Jonathan were now being escorted out of the Lab by the man that offered them a "lift" back at the park. When they reached his car, they all stopped, the man giving the male teen his keys. "Have a nice day," he told them. They then departed, the teens getting back into the car and buckling up. Jonathan used his keys to start up the engine. Unlike before, it actually started up. They both looked relieved at that as they finally drove away from the Lab.
...
As they continued driving, the Indian girl reached into her purse and got out a walk-man. She played the tape, hearing Dr. Owens speak. She decided to forward it a little before playing it again. "It doesn't really matter. The point is, mistakes have been made." She forwarded it again before playing it. "The thing is that the men involved with those mistakes, the ones involved with your mom, your sister, and your friend's death...they're gone-" She scoffed before forwarding it for a bit before playing another part. "See, we can't really erase our mistake here...but we CAN stop it from spreading, like pulling weeds." A smirk slowly grew on her face as she forwarded the tape a little and played, kind of amusing Jonathan. "If we bring more attention to ourselves...then more people like the Hollands would know the truth." She forwarded it and played it once more. "Now you two see why I have to stop the truth from spreading too. Like I said, it's like pulling weeds. And we're doing this by any means necessary. So, do we now understand each other?"
Her smirk turned into a full on grin, making Jonathan do the same as well. "You're enjoying this a bit too much," he bluntly told her, his voice of amusement.
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm just happy that we're finally going to burn that lab to the ground."
He chuckled a little. "As it deserves."
She looked forward at the road. "Definitely."
They finally drove by the sign that said "Leaving Hawkins - Come Again Soon". Of course they needed to leave Hawkins. After all, they couldn't exactly do this by themselves...
It was getting late, the sky turning bright orange. The small crater Jim and Terry were in was now bigger, the dirt pile from before becoming bigger. They were both sweating due to the work it was taking. The woman looked up at the sky, thinking that they haven't gotten much time left before they have to leave. However, as she dug the tip of her shovel into the dirt, she heard a squelching sound. She looked down, holding up the pile of dirt and tossing it away...some of it sticking to it. The spot she dug at looked sticky as well. "Jim, look."
"I see it..." he replied as he walked to it. "Must be it." She had to agree with him. The ground couldn't be that moist, even deep underground.
She dug her shovel into the spot and grunted when she tried to pull it up. This seemed more tougher than she thought. This led the man to drop his own shovel and help her pull it up, getting behind her and grabbing the pole of the shovel with her. They both then pulled it up, hearing more squelching and seeing some sticky blue substance. "What the hell...?" What WAS that?
She and him were panting, Jim offering, "Let me." He offered his hand, so she gave him the shovel as he began to poke into the hole to make it bigger. More squelching was heard, much to Terry's disgust, but then the hole got bigger and the dirt began to fall through. This really must be it then...
This was one of the "vines".
The police chief looked at the dirty-blonde-haired woman and told her, "Get the rope from the trunk. I'm going in." She nodded before climbing her way out of the crater and going to the car. He looked into the hole, continuing to pant. He felt very...anxious about this. Who knows what the hell's in there...? But whatever's there, he had to brace himself for it.
She got back with the rope, him holding one end and then Terry saying, "Be careful, okay?"
He appreciated her concern, so he smiled at her again. "I'll try." He then descended into the hole, the woman holding onto the other end of the rope as he got down. She heard him land on the ground and pull out something, a flashlight, maybe. She then heard him mutter, "Oh Jesus..." That didn't sound good. As much as she wanted to look down and see what he was seeing, she couldn't risk it. She had to be here so Hopper could get pulled back up.
Wait...could she even have the strength to pull him back up?
Shit, she guessed neither of them thought about that...
In the Byers home that evening, while Joyce was trying to solve the puzzle without Jim, Jane was with Will in his room, the two talking about what was going on with him. He managed to wear a shirt because he couldn't fathom being half-naked in front of her, but was sweating through it. "I-it's like...I can feel what the shadow monster is feeling..." he told her, not even looking at her as she looked around his room for the drawings he made that ranged around the whole house. "See...what he sees."
She looked at him with a completely worried look. "Like...in the Upside Down?" she asked.
He nodded. "Y-yes...some of him is there." Wait, SOME of him? "But...some of him is here too."
That didn't sound good. "Like, here, in this house?"
"In this house and..." He gulped. "In me." She gasped, sitting right next to him now. "It's like...like he's trying to reach out into Hawkins...more and more. A-and the more he spreads..." He looked down, his voice sounding hurt and cracking a little. "The more connected to him I feel..."
She frowned, looking absolutely sorry for him. "And the more you see these 'now-memories'."
He gulped again. "A-at first...I just felt it at the back of my head." He touched the back of his head to add a visual. "I didn't even know it was there." He put his hand back to his side. "I-it's like...having a dream and not remembering it until you try to think really hard about it. I-it was like that." He began to shake a little, his eyes becoming watery and Jane's heart feel like it dropped. "B-but now it's like I remember...all the time."
Jane deeply sighed, thinking that he was possessed by the shadow monster. God, that was terrible. He didn't deserve this. How was this going to be handled? She didn't know exactly how he behaved...but Will did, making her think of something.
"Will?"
He still didn't look at her, but replied, "Yes?"
She took a deep breath. "I'm thinking of something, something that would make us stop the shadow monster."
He looked at her, his face pleading. "Wh-what is it?"
She looked at his face, seeing that he was near tears. She tried to bury the heavy sadness that was in her and answered, "You could be a spy."
He looked puzzled. "A-a spy?"
She nodded. "Yeah, a super-spy. If you can feel what he feels and see what he sees, then maybe we'll find a way to stop him. I mean..." She looked around at the vine drawings. "This all can't be happening for no reason, right?"
He had to agree with her there. To be honest with himself, this couldn't be happening without some kind of reason. "Y-you really think so, Jane?"
She nodded. "Yeah." Even though he was like this, even though this was happening, she remained hopeful...maybe he should too...
But then he looked at his drawing of the shadow monster, making her do the same as well. "Wh-what if he finds out we're spying on him? What if he spies back..?"
Jane was stubborn, thinking that he couldn't be that smart. She looked at him once again. "He won't, Will."
"H-how do you know?"
She then grabbed his hand, making him look at her with wide eyes again. "We won't let him, okay? You and I'll make sure of it." His heart began to thump hard, not because of this situation...but because of her supporting him while he was like this. Plus, she was right...he wouldn't spy on them if they wouldn't let him. Jane was so smart to think of this idea, so kind to help him like this...she was always there to support him in tough situations. He always appreciated it, like now.
He let out some tears and hugged her, making her hug back as he sobbed and sniffled. "Th-thank you so much, Jane..."
She smiled a little. "You're welcome, Will." What wouldn't she do to help her friend?
As Hopper walked around in the "vine", Terry waited for him, still holding onto the rope. She looked up at the sky and saw it was dusk. She sighed, knowing that she had to call to him to get back.
She shouted into the hole, "Jim! Come back here! It's time for us to go!" She didn't hear a reply, making her worry. "Jim?! Can you hear me?!" She could then hear some faint grunting and coughing, making her worry even more. "Jim?! Is that you?!"
...
The man's sight was becoming hazy and he could barely hear Terry's voice. He felt like he could throw up and pass out like he was having a hangover. He must make it...for her...
...
"Jim, answer me!" She then heard a thud, making her gasp. Did he...? No, he couldn't be. "Oh my God..." She looked around, trying to think of what she could do. She knew she couldn't just go down there and carry him up, but she also knew she couldn't just leave him or even find a nearby phone booth to call the authorities...
Suddenly, she heard some squelching again, making her look to see the hole...repair itself fast. She gasped and scrambled to get a shovel. She then tried to shred through the vines with it, but it was no use. It repaired itself. She gritted her teeth and muttered, "Goddamn it!" She tried to dig through at it, but it was even more tougher to pull up than before. She tried her best, grunting as her arms began to tire out from it. She then just let go and panted. She couldn't just give up now, especially when Jim was trapped in there!
She grabbed the shovel again and began to poke it like he did earlier, aggressively. She was getting tired, but she had to pull through for him. She couldn't just leave him in there all alone! She promised that she'd watch his back.
After what felt like forever, she finally shredded through the vines and opened the hole up again. She dropped her shovel and went on her knees, grabbing the sides of the hole and carefully putting her head down through it. She saw...what she saw in the Upside Down last year: white particles floating everywhere, everything being lit by a blue light, and the atmosphere being both chilling and disgusting. Jim was right... "Jesus Christ..." She never thought she had to look at this again, but here she was.
She looked around to see Jim unconscious, his flashlight and hat dropped on the floor. She gasped at the sight of that, leaning more forward carefully. "Jim?" she called out to him. He didn't even flinch. "Jim! Wake up!" There was still no kind of response from him.
She huffed and muttered, "Damn it." Suddenly, she felt her hands slip from the sides and then she suddenly fell through the hole. She landed on her head hard, making her scream and place a hand on it. She grunted at the pain as she slowly began to stand up, her sight a little hazy due to her fall. She rubbed her forehead and looked up, seeing the hole try to repair itself again. That made her gasp and yell, "NO!" But it was too late for her to do anything.
The hole repaired itself once again and now she was left alone with Jim in this..."vine".
She had tried to pull the rope the hole repaired itself on, but it didn't seem to budge. It was like it was embedded into the vines. "Shit..." How were they ever going to come back up for Mike?! What would she even tell the girls?! HOW would she even go back home now?! She'll need to find a way...
She and Hopper will find the way.
She turned and ran to the unconscious man, shaking him a little and saying, "Jim...Jim, wake up." She lightly slapped his face a little. "Come on, stay with me, Jim!" There was still no type of response from him, making her throat feel swelled. She knew he was unconscious because of what happened down here, but she wouldn't give up. He had to still be alive...right? "JIM!"
Stopping here. What do you guys think of this chapter? Any typos or mistakes I might've missed?
Yay! I managed to release this chapter two days after the last! I hope you guys didn't mind me writing the opening scenes of the next episode here. The chapter was too short to release with just the rest of the episode.
Anyways, let's talk about stuff...
Poor Mike...finding his mom even though he was told that she was gone...
I always figured that Kali would have more fun trying to expose the lab than Nancy in canon, so I wrote her being that way.
Poor Will...he deserves so much better. Thankfully, his cru-friend is there to support him all the way!
Now Terry is trapped inside the tunnels with Hopper...oops. She was also pretty adamant about saving Hopper. I always figured that the vines would be slippery, so that's why she fell in there. Really, I don't think there's much else she could do when Hopper's trapped in there...
Follow, favorite, review, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!