Two Weeks Ago
She had spent most of the drive paying attention to what was behind her. She knew that the cops were looking for them; their van wasn't easy to hide especially when you're going a hundred miles per hour down the high way. She was upset more than anything. She didn't know why she didn't think there would be more after meeting Jane, and yet she ignored her feelings of finding a family to kill those that made her life a living hell.
"We're coming up to traffic," Mick said as she slowed her driving down. They were headed to New York City, a place she had never seen before. It couldn't be as bad as Chicago, busy streets and rude people. She thought that maybe it would feel more like home than anything else, but that's not what they were there for. They were there for a girl, which was being tortured through the man named Brenner, or to Jane Papa.
They're plan was simple; go in, get the girl, get out. She knew that after tonight she would be drained, and getting out of the city was going to be a task. She had spent most of the two days traveling, sleeping and eating. She was trying to get the rest she needed for what was to come, and she could feel her mind tingling with electricity after not using her power for so long.
"How many men do you think will be in there?" Axel asked. He sat with his head resting on the window, his long legs stretched out across the back seat floor. She could still smell the mud from his black boots after leaving Dallas in a rush.
"A hundred or more," Ray grumbled. She could hear Dottie give an excited giggle in the very back of the van, Kali rolled her eyes. She slouched in her seat as they passed the Welcome to New York sign.
"We have what we need," Kali said lowly. "You have guns, and I have me so it should be fine. Just don't forget what the main mission is; get the girl and get out."
"How do we know this girl is safe?" Mick asked from behind the wheel. "I mean, what if this is what they want; for you to come?"
"They won't get me," Kali said with a sigh. She picked at her nails, looking down at the number stamped on her left arm. "We just need to focus."
They drove in silence for the next hour, slowly making their way through the state to get to the city. She remembered when she was younger; sitting in a white room with a puzzle. A map of the United States, she would solve the puzzle at least once or twice a week. Now she was finally traveling it, like she always wanted to. Except she was doing things she never truly wanted to do.
I can save them, Jane had said. She had everything someone like them would want; people that understood her, people that looked out for her. Didn't she have that too? She had Mick, the one that looked out for her. She had Axel, the brother she always wanted. Ray, a slight father figure, maybe uncle now that she thought about it. Dottie, the weirdo of the pack that she, for some reason, felt a sisterly connection to.
"You okay," Mick said softly looking through the traffic to find the right traffic sign to follow.
"I just hope we're doing the right thing." She didn't really know she was feeling it until she said it out loud. She bit her thumb nail while sitting up straighter to look at the side mirror out her window. Cars lined from behind them as they sat in traffic, Mick followed the sign to Goethals Bridge.
"We should almost be there," Mick said. "This bridge takes us to Staten Island; from there it's just finding the hospital. What was the name again?"
"Sunrise Sanatorium," Kali said, "the old man said it's not hard to find; right on the water. Has a gray scary look to it." She thought back to the old man that she killed. She felt guilt spread across her as soon as she had done it; taking the kill shot when it wasn't needed. He was old, barley able to walk. She felt the need to end it; to show them that she didn't show mercy to anyone.
Mick exited the bridge after sitting for far too long, the slight glow from the city making the world a little bit brighter. She looked through the streets, reading every sign they came across. They went down each major rode, looking past buildings to see if they were near water.
"There!" Ray said as they came across an old castle like building. Mick slammed on her breaks, turning around the park across the street. She could hear the group behind her start checking their guns, Ray pulling on figureless gloves and punching into his hands.
"I think we should wait a minute," Kali said. She looked out her window and across the street. "Let me get the layout of what I can see. We should watch to see if anything is happening before we walk in." They sat in silence, all watching out the windows with they're masks in their hands.
Kali looked at the small clock that sat above their radio. They had been sitting for a few hours, waiting for the late night to come before they decided anything. She watched out the window, seeing some doctors come and go throughout the few hours of them being there. There wasn't much to notice, three stories, and no lock gate, no one standing guard that she could see. For a small while she thought they could be at the wrong place, but then she saw it; a white van with the words New York Electric stamped on the side. That couldn't be a coincidence.
"12:30," Mick said.
"I think we should just go in guns blazen'," Axel said messing with his gun. "I'm sure at this time of night they won't have as many people on guard."
"Or they will," Ray said through a sleep sneer. "These people aren't stupid."
"Shh," Kali hushed. She closed her eyes, thinking hard. She tried picturing the girl again, how her head was shaved, and a hospital dressing gown on her small frame. She was pale, so pale. Kali could feel blood dripping from her nose as the girl appeared in her mind, sitting on her small bed, her knees to her chest. She looked cold, but didn't shiver. She was alone, as far as Kali could see. "Let's go," she said harshly. They all threw their masks on, slamming their car doors as they stomped across the street.
"Stay with me," Kali said as they came up the steps of the building. "Never leave the group. We look through each room before we find her, we start top to bottom." They came to the front doors, looking at the bard windows. Kali slowly opened the door, peeking through the holes of her mask to see clean white walls, a front office in front of them. A woman sat behind a desk, a large door stood behind her. She looked up from her magazine quickly taken off guard to what she was seeing. Kali looked at the cat figurines that lined the women's desk, making her see kittens run through the front door.
The women jump from her chair, leaving a space between her and the doors; running to the pretend kittens that played on the floor. Kali pushed through the door, a long white hallway. She looked to her right, just a wall, and then to her left; a stair case. She pushed through the doors. They climbed the stairs in a rush, coming to the third floor. A door with a lock pad sat in front of them.
"Great," Axel muffled voice said through his mask. "You don't happen to know how to pick a lock like this do you?" he asked Dottie. She shook her head, her big hair moving side to side. Ray pushed through from the back of the group, grabbing the handle, pulling once, twice, third times a charm. The door broke open; Kali let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Kali peering through a small crack in the door, the light in the hallway dimmed; the hall looking different than the first floor. Each door had a lock; opened by a card. Kali could feel a pull, like she was being pulled by a magnetic force. She opened the door a little wider, taking a left down the hall way, walking halfway down before stopping. Mick bumped into her back, the rest of the group coming to a stop. She could feel her inside churning, she was being pulled to the door to her right, and she felt like she was going to be sick.
"Here," she said slowly turning to the door, putting her hand on the frame.
"Hey!" Everyone turned to look down the hall, a man in a lab coat appeared around the corner. He began to run towards them, Axel lifted his gun. Ray took the door handle, while he slammed his body against it metal door. Kali turned to Axel in panic, not wanting to alert anyone else. She pulled down his gun while looking at the man running towards them. The man stopped in his tracks, his eyes tearing up in shock. "Mom?" he said through a gasp. The metal door busted open beside them.
Kali turned as she heard a squeak of fear come from the room. She brushed past Ray, still listening to the man cry in the hall. The girl stood from her bed, fear etched on her face.
"Come," kali said. The girl looked at her with confusion. Kali lifter her mask to look at her. She walked closer to the girl, grabbing her arm. She felt a shock run through her veins, her blood starting to boil. The girl glared down at her while Kali fell to her knees. "I'm here to help," Kali gasped as she felt her heart race. She tried to lift her hand from the girls arm, but the grip of her hand wouldn't let go.
The girls eyes soften, Kali felt her heart slow down. She was able to take in steady breaths, feeling the pain lessen throughout her body. What was that?
"We need to go," Mick said in a panicked voice. The girl looked over to the door way, and then back at Kali.
"Please," Kali said, standing back up. "We need to get you out of here." The girl debated in her head before nodding and letting Kali lead her out of the room.
"Hey," The man said through his tears. He sat on the hall way floor, looking at them. "What have you done?" he said in fear.
"Now you can," Kali said to Axel before letting her mask fall back on her face. Axel pointed his gun at the man, firing as they began to rush back down the hall. A group of doctor came running towards them from the other end, all yelling. Dottie pulled a gun up, firing as they came to the doors of the staircase. Ray took one of the men in his arms, throwing his against the wall. Kali kept her hands around the girl's small arm, pulling her to the stairs. They girl struggled to stay on her own two feet.
It wasn't until they got to the bottom of the stairs that Kali realized they had an entire squad of people following them. Kali opened the door, rushing to where they had come from. She could hear the girl's raspy breaths as they got to the front office from which they had entered. The room filled with men with guns, Brenner in front of all of them.
"Well," They all stopped in their tracks; men in front and behind them. "You're not the one I was looking for," Brenner said with a smile. Kali looked into his eyes, feeling a cold spread through her. She kept her hand on the girl, making sure she didn't go anywhere. She let her eyes fall, looking into the darkness of her mind as she pictured a dark room filled with the noise of screeching. She opened her eyes to Brenner putting his hands to his ears, looking around him in confusion.
The group began to walk, while the room looked around in a darkness that wasn't there, their hands to their ears as if the noise pained them. They made it out of the front door in a rush, Kali starting to feel a little more weaker as they made their way down the stairs and across the street. The girl let out a cry of almost relief, as they filled into the van and sped over the Goethals Bridge.
…
2 Weeks later
Snow Ball
EL couldn't remember ever laughing so much in her life. The smile on her face felt permanent for the time being, and she could tell her friends were having fun making her laugh. She looked through the sea of people on the dance floor. Hopper and Joyce sat high in the bleachers, she wondered how long they had been there, but didn't care that they had been watching.
"Are you a Jedi master?" Dustin said to Max, wiggling his eye brows, "Because Yoda-Licious." El didn't understand the joke, and Mike shook in head next to her.
"Is that the best you got loser?" Max shot back. "You guys are so lame."
El thought about her night, dancing, kissing, and even some punch. She looked at the empty cups on the table, picking up the paper cup and looking at it. She thought about all the things she still hadn't seen.
"My mom said we might go to the city for Christmas," Lucas said to the group. El put the cup back down, listening. "Her sister just had a baby so we are going to go see it or something."
"My dad hates the city," Mike said beside her. She looked over at him, slightly surprised because she honestly forgot about Mike's dad. He never talks about him. "I don't know if it's because my mom's family lives there now, or if it has do with how many hippies are there." El didn't understand what that meant, but looked around the table to see everyone else's reaction.
"I've never been to Indianapolis," Max said looking around at everyone. "If it's anything like LA I would say that there must be a lot of hippies living there." Everyone smiled, El followed their lead.
"Hey Will," Joyce said coming through the crowd, Hopper following behind. "It's getting late," she said shyly to the table. El looked over at Will who tried to hide an eye roll. She knew her time was coming; looking back over to Hopper. He gave her a sad smile; she nodded her head before he turned to leave to the parking lot. She looked over to Mike, and then the rest of the group. She stood from her seat while Will said bye to everyone. He looked at her last, their eyes connecting, his drifting away from her quickly. She felt a shift inside of her, but ignored it as she stood to leave.
"I'll walk you out," Mike said standing with her. She looked at the rest of her friends as they rolled their eyes at them. "I'll be right back," he said to the rest of them.
Dustin moved from his seat, giving El a hug as she came around the table. "Merry Christmas," he said to her. Lucas and Max smiled as they walked away from the table; El thinking about the words that Dustin just shared with her. Mike stood with her as she turned her ticket in and got her jacket back, they walked out to the front steps on the building. Hoppers truck stayed in the distance of the parking lot, trying to be inconspicuous to who she was going home with.
"I'm happy you were able to come tonight," Mike's voice was muffled by a few shivers that he gave from the cold. She looked at him with a smile, his eyes searching hers.
"What is Merry Christmas?" she asked. Mike turned his head sideways at her question. "Dustin just told me, Merry Christmas."
"It's like happy Christmas, or have a good Christmas." Mike smiled at his explanation, she slightly smiled back. Will she have a good Christmas? A breeze picked up behind her, sending a chill down her spine. She gave a shiver, feeling a dark cold spread through her. She frowned at the thought, looking around her as if she would be able to see the dark force circling her. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," El said quickly. "Just thinking about Christmas. Hopper said something about finding a tree." Mike gave her a smile. "I should go," she said shyly. They looked at one another, neither one of them wanting to move.
"Maybe I can see you before Christmas. I can come and give you a present." EL though about all the black and white movies she watched, how the man would always buy the beautiful women necklaces and drape them over their necks. She thought about Hopper, and the three rules she had to live by.
"Maybe," she said, looking over to Hoppers truck. She gave Mike a hug; he put his arms over her shoulders, engulfing her.
"I know I'll see you soon." Mike said before they pulled apart. "If I annoy Hopper enough he'll give in." They both smiled at the thought. She gave his hand a squeeze, before turning to head for the truck. He kept her hand in his, turning her back around. "I'll be talking," he said to her. "I'll be on channel eleven, if you ever need to listen." She nodded her head in understand, before turning back around and heading for the truck.
The further they got from the school the more she started to realize how cold she really was. She could feel it again, something dark looking over her shoulder. For the past two weeks she was able to keep it at bay. Never going into the void, and never getting pulled in. Everything had been quiet, but for tonight, when she looked at Will, it was like it was clouding him; sucking her under along with it. She felt this tug in her gut, like a magnet telling her to go somewhere, but she didn't want to follow it.
"Did you have fun?" Hopper asked into the silence of the truck. El smiled at her thoughts of the dance, it was everything she had hoped it would be.
"Mike and I danced," she said looking over to him with a smile. Her stomach tugged again as he got further away from the town.
"Well," Hopper said, "as long as he kept it PG." She looked at him with confusion at what he meant. "He was nice to you right?" El rolled her eyes at his question, looking back out the window. She felt another tug, making her stomach turn over slightly. She looked through the trees as they flew past them, as if she would find the answer there. "I know tomorrows Saturday," Hopper began to talk ago, "but I have been ignoring Dustin's mom for like a week and a half now. Something about their neighbors dogs, so I'm going to check that out in the morning." EL nodded at his words, not really Knowing what any of it meant, but happy that she would get to sleep in. "I think that would be a good time for you to get some studying in so I can look at it after I get back, kill two birds with one stone." She looked over at him.
"Killing birds?" she asked.
"It's just a saying," He said back. They drove the rest of the way in silence. She could feel her eyes getting ready to fall once he parked his truck in the woods. She opened her door, hopping out into the cold air. She could see her breath in front of her as if came out in puffs. She looked out into the darkness of the trees, feeling eyes that she couldn't see. "Let's go before you freeze." Hopper said over his shoulder as he began to walk. She took one more look into the trees, before following him back home.
…
It wasn't until Mike lay in bed that he realized how much he needed tonight. He could feel a weight off of his chest as he not only got to see El, but he got to watch everyone act as if nothing was wrong. It almost felt normal to sit in the school gymnasium, with cheesy dance music playing as they made jokes over cups full of punch. He could watch his friends fool around with Star Wars jokes and see Lucas stumble over words he tried to share with Max.
He looked over to his Walkie, sitting on his desk. He got out from his covers; picking it up quickly before heading back to his bed. He fiddled with the channels, getting it to channel eleven and listening to the white noise for a few seconds. He thought about what he wanted to say, about what he wanted her to hears. Did he tell her that she looked beautiful again, or was that too much? Did he say anything about the kiss they shared, or is that still a silent subject between them?
"I'm staring on day zero," he said into the receiver. He took his finger off the button and the white noise began to play again. He got a little more comfy into his bed, pulling the covers over his legs. "It's getting so cold outside. "He began again. "I heard my mom say something about it freezing over in the next few days." He let go of the button, listening. "I like when it freezes. I like to walk on the grass because the sound of it crunching under my shoes is so cool." He thought about the last time it freezed; how they had kept a bucket of water outside and it had become ice. "Sometimes we like to go to the quarry, the water there freezes over, and on special occasions you can walk on the ice." The first time they had done it Dustin almost fell through and they never went on the ice again, at least not as far out as they had gone that first day. "Maybe I can sneak you out one of these days. We can see all the icicles, go ice skating. I'm sure Max would be good at it. She could show you how it's done." He let the white noise play. "Goodnight El," he said moments later, slowly turning the walkie off and falling back onto his pillows. He put the walking beside his head and went to sleep.
…
She didn't want to take the dress off. She had never been in anything as pretty as this dress and she wasn't ready for it to end, but as she looked at her bed she knew it was time. Her eyes were beginning to droop, and the thought of laying her head on her pillow made her more tired. She found a night gown in the drawer, slipping the white material on over her body. The sleeves were long, making her feel cozy.
She took the two clips from her hair, looking into the small mirror in her room as she watched herself pull back curls that sprang into her face. She swept her fingers through her hair, pulling it all to one side of her head looking at how long it was getting; it almost touched her shoulders.
She walked over to her bed, turning her lamp off before getting under the covers. The darkness was cold, and as she tried to get comfy she felt an itch run through her body that she couldn't scratch. He stomach pulled her, and she could feel eyes watching her. She looked up at her ceiling, putting her hand to her hair as she rubbed her head. She only closed her eyes for a moment.
"You need to calm down," El looked all around her. The void seemed darker for some reason, a little colder than it usually was. "Just breathe in and out." She looked around her for the voice, finally her eyes landing on two figures a short distance away. One body hunched over the other; Kali. She could recognize her hair anywhere. She began to walk closer with curiosity. "Please, just calm your temper." El's eyes landed on the person Kali was talking to. The girl, sitting on her butt wearing different cloths than her usual hospital gown.
"I can't breathe," the girl said hyperventilating. "It was tall," she said through breaths, "It had no face." El bent down beside them, looking into the girls face. She wore a red beanie over her bold head. She had on a black jacket with tight fitted jeans; her frame looked so tiny in the clothes. "I know she's here," she said. "This darkness, its feels some much closer than it did before."
"You just need to calm yourself." Kali said to her. "We can't have you losing control of your emotions, it can kill someone." The girl nodded her head in understanding.
"They sedated me," the girl said. "They would always sedate me."
"Well that's not going to happen anymore," Kali finally put her hand on the girls shoulder; El felt the need to do the same. As she lifter her hand they began to disappear, their smoke fading into nothingness.
"I'm starting on day zero," El lifted her head, looking for Mike in the Void. She found him sitting on his bed, radio in hand. She slowly walked to him, looking behind her to make sure the girls weren't still there. "It's getting cold outside." She felt like her mind was getting clouded. Her feet were cold, and she could feel her stomach slightly cramping up. "I heard my mom say something about it freezing over in the next few days." She felt a shadow over her shoulder, but she didn't want to look; she didn't want to know. "I like when it freezes," she heard the water move as she kept her eyes on Mike. "I like to walk on the grass because the sound of it crunching under my shoes is cool."
The darkness felt closer than before, and as she stood in front of Mike, she could feel a chill run down her back. A soft growl sang behind her, but she didn't look. "Sometimes we like to go to the quarry," it was there, over her shoulder. Before she could turn to look, she felt it saliva fall onto her shoulder. "The water there freezes over," Mike's voice echoed, as she willed herself to look over her shoulder. The monster standing tall; its face slightly open. She took in a sharp breath as Mike and his bed began to disappear. She slowly back into his cloud, watching as the Demogorgon walked with her, growling. Before she could do anything, it screamed, jumping at her body with its claws out.
El sat up straight, taking in a deep cold breath. She could feel her nose bleeding, but she also felt something drip from her chest. She looked down, she was still in her bed, he legs under the covers; her hands covered in blood. The top of her dressing gown was ripped, blood coming from a gash at the top of her chest.
She heard breathing coming from her left, she jumped out of fear, seeing someone standing in the darkness of her room. She pulled them with her mind, throwing them to the ground. A boys groan emitted into the silence of the room, she squinted her eyes to get a better look at who she threw on the floor. Will, in his pajamas ruffling his head with tired eyes. El quickly stood from her place in the bed, rushing to Wills side on the floor.
"What," he began to say.
"How did you get here?" Will looked at her with confusion, looking around his surroundings.
"Where am I?" He asked gulping down his fear.
"You're at the cabin," EL said. She stood from her spot next to him, walking out her bedroom door to get to Hopper. She felt the chill of outside hit her, the wood in the fire place was still burning; Hopper sleeping right next to it. The front door was wide open.
She rushed over to Hopper, the gash in her chest giving her pain but she tried to ignore it. She could hear Will behind her begin to stand up, Hopper moaned in frustration.
"Kid," he said in a sleepy tone, "It's just a bad dream."
"This isn't a dream," she said. His eyes opened quickly, he sat up looking around him. He put his hand up to the blood torn fabric on her night gown than over to the open front door. "Will's here," she said moving sideways to show Will still standing in her room in confusion. Hopper stood from the bed, heading to the front door and closing it. He walked into the room with Will, touching his shoulder causing Will to jump in panic.
"What the hell is going on?" Hopper asked looking from Will to her. "What happened to your chest?" She looked down at the gash; she could still feel blood run down her stomach. She could feel her heart race as she thought about the Demogorgon attacking her.
"I need to get home," Will said moving from the room. He began to shake slightly; either in fear or cold. "My mom's going to flip," he said with a voice crack.
"I'll get you home," Hopper said. "El, put on some cloths, I'm not leaving you here." He went into the kitchen, getting a clean dish towel and throwing it at her. "Use that for the blood." She nodded her head, moving quickly into her room, going through her cloths as she wiped the blood from her stinging chest.