Chapter Twelve

Darkness

Veronica laid down on the cold linoleum flooring of her bedroom and stared up towards the white ceiling as she listened to people pass by her bedroom. The soft vibration of their feet against the floor humming gently on her back as they passed. There was something always comforting about lying on the floor for Ronnie. Feeling the coldness against her skin made her feel like she was alive. That her mind hadn't fully escaped from her. She could feel a piece of her slipping with each passing day that she was with Papa. Every time she was forced to use her powers, usually resulting in at the end of someone's life. She no longer slept, their faces haunting her in her dreams. Ronnie can't remember the last time she was able to sleep soundly.

Any time she was able to look in the mirror and see herself, she no longer recognized the girl that stared back. Her ribs seemed to show more and more, along with the dark circles around her eyes. She was resembling a skeleton. How a girl at twelve was able to comprehend what was happening to her was astonishing, but isn't that the age where a girl is most aware of herself? But instead, she was enveloped into a darkness that she wasn't able to escape from. She sighed softly and rolled over onto her side and watched the shadows along the bottom of the door before they stopped. Her heart spiked and felt fear tightening in her throat as the sound of the locks turning and unlocking.

Ronnie moved quickly from her lying position to sitting up, her knees pulled tightly to her chest, her large dark eyes stared up towards the door. She waited with bated breath for who she already knew was standing on the other side of the door. The cold metal door slowly swung open, revealing two technicians standing side by side, but behind them, stood Papa. Almost instantly Ronnie's body began to shake. The grip she held onto her legs was tight enough to turn her knuckles white as tears streamed down her cheeks slowly. Dr. Brenner walked through the space between the two technicians before moving towards the young girl. He stopped right in front of her shaking form, before moving to squat down in front of her. A small whimper passed through Ronnie's pale chapped lips as she tried to push herself farther away from the man in front of her. But no matter how hard she pushed, she was unable to move, her back pressed tightly against her bed frame.

"Seven," Dr. Brenner spoke, his voice sending chills down her spine. "Come now child,"

"No. No." Ronnie began to whimper and shake more violently.

"Come now, Seven"

He reached forward and gripped her forearms tightly, pulling her up from the floor and out of the safety of her bedroom. Loudly Ronnie began to cry and fight against his hold. Quickly the two technicians moved and took the girl from Dr. Brenner's hold before injecting a needle into her arm. Ronnie's cries slowly began to calm down before she fell limp into their arms. With each holding her forearm as her feet dragged against the linoleum flooring, they led her down the hallway away from the safety of her room.

The next time Ronnie opened her eyes, she was strapped down to a chair that she was all too familiar with. The tight binds around her wrist, ankles, forearm, and across her shoulders. Her eyes scanned around the room in a panic as she watched the many technicians walking around the room that was behind the glass. Standing right in the middle with his arms crossed at his chest, was Papa. Her eyes stayed locked on him as the tears rapidly ran down her cheeks. Ronnie knew what was going to happen. For weeks, Dr. Brenner and the rest of the scientists and technicians at Hawkins Lab were trying to breakpoint into the entry of another plain. There were rumors of another alternate universe that would unlock a whole new world, most importantly, a whole new weapon. Seeing the opportunity, Dr. Brenner wanted to be the first to the breakpoint of this universe and discover it. He knew that Ronnie would be his ticket to that.

"Papa," Ronnie cried as she stared back towards the man on the other side of the glass.

Dr. Brenner reached forward and pressed a button down on the control panels. "Everything is going to be alright, Seven."

Ronnie whimpered as she heard the machine around her starting to move, knowing what was going to come next. Her hands gripped tightly to the arms of the chair she was strapped down to before she felt the pinch at the base of her skull. Almost instantly her body relaxed and became limp within the metal chair. Ronnie's mind went blank for a moment before she found herself encased in darkness. It reminded her a lot of when Papa would have her search for people using her powers. But there was something different about it this time, there was a darkness – almost evil – that surrounded her. Ronnie slowly stood from the ground and found that she was covered in a sort of black slimy substance. It soaked through the thin material of her hospital gown.

Ronnie stood and looked around to see nothing but a void, till slowly over time, it began to fade. Soon a dark sky was exposed, then it almost faded down to the ground beneath her to reveal a town. But it was overtaken in dark vines and decaying earth. The air felt like fire in Ronnie's lungs with each breath that she took, particles floating in the arm around her. Ronnie didn't understand where she was, everything around her foreign. Slowly she began to walk through the death around her, looking up to see flashing lights within the clouded sky, everything cast in gray.

After a while, what felt like hours, Ronnie found herself in the darkness of the woods. The town was scary, but this was a true nightmare. The growls and screeches of creatures in the shadows causing her to run through the broken down forest. She collapsed to her knees on the forest floor as the sound of the growls and scream coming closer and closer towards her. She could feel the burns of the cuts that now covered her legs, knees, and hands. But Ronnie knew that she had to move, she scrambled back up to her feet as she rushed further from the danger.

But she wasn't fast enough, Ronnie felt the claw against her ankle before it sunk deep into her skin and she was flipped onto her back. Ronnie threw her head back to let out a blood-chilling scream as the claws let go of her ankle. When she looked down she saw a creature she had never seen before. It was on all four legs with a face that opened up to rows and rows of teeth. Ronnie used her arms to push her away from the creature as it let out a clicking noise. Above her the rumble of the thunder seemed to move closer, the sky flashing quickly with bright lights – like lightning. Ronnie's eyes moved up towards the sky and watched as a figure began to form. Her brows knitted tightly together in confusion as it seemed to move closer and closer to her.

Quickly that confusion was changed to fear as the shadow seemed to drop from the sky and hover over her. Ronnie screamed and screamed, calling for Papa, yelling for help. But it was all unanswered. Her body angelically resting in the metal chair back at Hawkins lab, showing no sign of the terror she was going through within her mind. Ronnie moved to stand up from the ground and once again try and escape, but the pressure was applied to her chest to keep her down. She didn't have much time to react and fight before a long shadow overtook her face, the dark smoke of the monster overtaking her nose and mouth as it invaded her body. Ronnie could feel it latching onto her, moving through her body and taking it over. Her mind sinking deeper into the darkness as she had never felt before.

"Seven!" a voice yelled, sounding almost like it was underwater. "Seven. Wake up! Wake up!"

Dr. Brenner shook her shoulders as he tried to wake her. Everything seemed normal with the test, vitals were where they were supposed to be. But this time, there was a jump in the electrical force that surrounded the lab, making them all believe that Ronnie had finally broken through the barrier. But all the hope and excitement was quickly taken from them as the heart monitor began to flat line. Chaos erupted throughout the lab as technicians rushed towards the twelve-year-old girl's body that rested strapped to the metal chair. Dr. Brenner moved through the crowd as they unstrapped the poor girl, disconnecting her to the machine, before laying her across the floor.

"Bring her back, damn it!" Dr. Brenner shouted as the technician beside the girl and began to do chest compression.

Everyone stood there with bated breath as the loud ringing of the heart monitor rang through the large room, echoing off the walls. Dr. Brenner whispered wishes for the girl to wake, to whatever god or being was listening. He couldn't lose her, not so much because he cared, but more because he was so close to getting the answers he wanted. A small beep jumping caused his head to turn towards the monitor to see a few lines jump, meaning once again the heart was beating. Dr. Brenner bent down beside the girl's body and grabbed her shoulders and began to violently shake her, her eyes remaining closed as he shook her.

"Seven!" He shouted. "Wake up! Come on girl, wake up!"

A loud gasp left her lips, her eyes opening wide, as she woke from her deep subconsciousness. Dr. Brenner released her quickly and moved back away in fear, as what was staring back towards him was not the girl he had known. Instead ghostly white eyes stared up towards him, black veins moving beneath the skin away from her eyes and up towards her scalp. She fell limply towards the floor, before rolling over onto her side. Ronnie began to violently cough and cough till black slime escaped from her body. Splashing across the pure white floor and staining it with its darkness. A female technician moved quickly to help the girl up, as the black slime slowly dripped down her chin and onto the top of her hospital gown. Her eyes once again closed, before her body fell limp once again.

Ronnie once again found herself staring at the textured ceiling of Jonathan's bedroom. Her body felt cold and sore as she moved to slowly sit up, her ebony curls falling around her shoulders. A shaky hand reached up and pushed the hair from her face, a boy sleeping in a chair coming into the line of sight. She jumped slightly in surprise, before looking around and making sure no one else was within the room. But saw that it was only her and the mysterious boy. Slowly she shifted from the bed and stood slowly, her toes sinking into the plush shag carpeting beneath her feet. Ronnie wobbled for a moment, her legs a little weak, before moving forward. She kept her eyes on the boy in front of her. His mouth slightly open as soft snores sounded as he slept, his long brown hair falling back behind him since his head was tripped back, with moles and freckles dancing across his neck and face. As Ronnie stood directly in front of him, she recognized him as the boy she had met by the pool. She smiled slightly to herself, before reaching forward and moving a loose curl from his forehead. She didn't know why she did it, Ronnie just felt the need to. The boy moaned softly in his sleep, before slowly rousing from his sleep.

Steve's eyes slowly blinked open as he woke and he let out a slight scream as he came face to face with someone. Ronnie's eyes widened and she jumped back as he sprung forward from the chair to fully sit up. They stood there, frozen for a moment before Steve took a deep breath and pushed his hair back from his face once again – soon realizing who was standing in front of him.

"Jesus Christ, girl," Steven spoke and let out a deep breath. "You know how to scare a person."

"S-sorry." She spoke softly, her eyes staying on Steve's face. "Why are you here?"

"I was asked to watch over you," He shrugged his shoulders. "Hopper had to go and take care of a few things."

She looked towards the bed before looking back towards him, "Weren't watching much if you were sleeping, wouldn't you think?"

Steve cocked an eyebrow up towards her. "You've been out for nearly three days, I didn't think that you'd wake-up. I was tired."

Ronnie's eyes widened more. "T-Three days?"

Steve nodded his head and stood up from the chair he was previously sitting in, Ronnie's head moving back slightly as he towered over her small frame. "Yeah. When you...appeared...or whatever it is that you do. You passed out and haven't woken up since." He reached up and scratched his jawline. "Jonathan was watching you for most of the time, but he had to go take care of something also, so he asked me."

"Why you? W-Who are you?" Ronnie moved to take a step back away from him.

"Uh, because I'm one of the few people that know what and who you are." Steve looked towards her confused. "And I think I should be the one scared of you...don't look at me like I'm the bad guy."

Ronnie stared towards him for a moment and waited in the silence for any sign that she should be afraid of the person standing in front of her. But it never came. Instead, the feeling of warmth surrounded her, along with something else had never felt before. It wasn't like how it was with Jonathan, Joyce, or even Hopper. It was the same feeling of safety and good, but there was something else to it that she didn't understand. That feeling left her curious, and a little afraid.

"You're not a bad guy," Ronnie spoke.

Steve looked towards her in amazement. "Is that...that one of the uhh...a-abilities?"

Ronnie nodded her head before moving towards the bedroom door. She could hear Steve following behind her through the bedroom and out into the hallway. She stopped short when she saw the scorch marks in the hallway carpet, the dark black a contrast to the orange carpeting. Steve stopped short behind her, nearly running into her, and watched as she slowly moved down towards the burn. With a shaky breath, Ronnie pressed her hand against the carpet, instantly her mind filled with flashes. She flinched back from the intense feeling, nearly hearing the screaming of pain coming from the Demogorgon. Ronnie reached up and rubbed her hands against her arms, the memory of the flames licking her skin and setting it ablaze. Only for there to be no fire.

"What happened?" Ronnie looked over her shoulder towards Steve. "All I remember is being on the Other Side with Will, and now I'm here."

"I-I...I don't think I'm the person that should fully explain that to you." Steven spoke softly. "I'm still trying to figure things out for myself."

Ronnie blinked a few times towards him, before moving further down the hallway and into the main part of the home. Everything looked almost the same, except the lights that strung across the ceiling and wall of the home was gone and sitting in a box beside the entertainment center. The hole where Joyce sent an ax through was patched up and looked like nothing happened, along with the alphabet painted on the wall. That was gone as well.

"Hopper at the police station?" Ronnie asked Steve.

"Yeah, he's finishing something up I think."

She rushed past him into the kitchen and quickly grabbed the phone, looking through the book of numbers Joyce had sitting on the table beneath the phone. She flipped through a few times before opening the page with the station's number on it. The phone rang a few times before a shrills woman's voice spoke on the other side.

"C-Can I speak to Jim Hopper please?" Ronnie rushed into the receiver. She was told to hold for a moment before once again she was welcomed by a ringing sound. It only rang a couple of times before Hopper's voice came through the other end. "Hopper?"

"Veronica?" Hopper spoke quickly, there was a pause before she heard the sound of shuffling and then a door closing. "You need to get off the phone, do you hear me? Get off the phone and have that Harrington kid bring you here. Do you understanding me?" There was a pause, mostly due to Ronnie's confusion. "Make a noise kid, something."

"I-I understand,"

"Good. Get here quick, don't stop anywhere."

Before she could ask anything further, the sound of the deadline came through the phone. Ronnie hung up the phone, before moving from the kitchen and back towards the living room. Steve stood where she left him.

"We need to go to the station now." She moved quickly towards Steve. "You have a car?" Steve nodded his head fishing his keys from his jacket pocket. "Good, let's go."

The moment Steve parked the car, the two of them rushed up the front steps and through the double doors into the main part of the station. Thankfully when they walked towards the front desk, Hopper was already standing talking amongst other deputies. When he heard the front door of the station open, he rushed towards the two teens and waved them towards his office. The moment they were all inside, Ronnie nearly leap into Hopper's arms, his arms wrapped around her and holding her tightly to his chest. Fear had crept into Hopper's chest the moment he came into the Byers' home to find a comatose Ronnie lying in Jonathan's bed. He already was worried about Eleven, after learning from the kids that she had disappeared after saving them from the Demogorgon, but now had to deal with Ronnie being comatose.

"What do you mean she appeared out of the fire?" Hopper questioned as he stared down towards Jonathan that sat on the couch on the right of Nancy, who sat in the middle with Steve on her other side.

"Exactly that. We thought that we could help you and my mom with finding Will if we drew that...thing away from you guys. And it worked, so we thought...that we would kill it." Jonathan sighed and stared up towards Hopper. His intense glare making him feel like he was in an interrogation. "But when we set the thing on fire, and it began to die...Steve used the extinguisher and there she was...screaming about it burning."

Hopper sighed and looked towards Nancy and Steve who nodded their head to confirm Jonathan's story.

"What else." He asked his gaze back on Jonathan.

Jonathan took a deep breath and looked around nervously, not sure if he was about to betray Ronnie in a way. But felt obligated to say something. Because he knew that Nancy saw as well, and if he didn't say anything, she would.

"H-Her eyes...they...they were white," Jonathan spoke. "Like her entire eye was white, there was no pupil. No iris. Just white." Once again Hopper looked to the other, and they nodded as confirmation. "I saw her do that once before. In the gym when Eleven was trying to find Will. Right before you pulled her out of the pool, her eyes opened and they were all white."

Hopped sighed and ran his hand over his face. "We don't tell anyone of this, do you understand me? Not till we know what it means, and what's going on."

"What if she's one of them," Nancy spoke up quickly. Jonathan's stomach dropped the moment she spoke.

"Nancy, she's not. She's been helping us...why would she help us if she was one of them?" Jonathan defended his friend quickly. He couldn't help the flare of anger she felt towards Nancy. He knew that she was also scared because she wasn't aware of Ronnie and what she could do. But Jonathan knew that Ronnie wasn't something to fear.

"Jonathan is right," Hopper spoke. "She's not one of them."

AN: Please leave a review with thoughts, questions, predictions, anything I love reading them!