Chapter XII:
It was the middle of the week, and the trip to Robin's home could have been more fruitful. She asked Nancy to stay in her car. She would only be a few minutes at most. She projected herself from the passenger seat. Her run was still awkward but more fluid this time, now that she unconsciously knew her surroundings. She swung open her front door and entered the darkness.
Nancy watched halfheartedly, her mind wandering to their conversation in the car a few days ago. The situation still raked her brain. She had agonized over her question for days, maybe a week, possibly more. It was a tricky question for a 'complicated' topic. And their discussion ended as quickly as it began. And, here, the two were like it never happened. It felt free, but it lacked just the right amount of control. Nancy's personality is incapable of letting it go.
Robin opened the passenger side door and slipped into her seat. In her lap was a chunky old piece of white plastic. She placed the receiver in its slot and held the two parts of the phone together. "I checked it in the house. There's still a dial tone. So, that's a plus. We'll just have to wait and see how good the speaker is. I guess." Robin looked in Nancy's direction and snapped her fingers near her ear and in her peripheral vision.
Nancy jumped. "Huh?"
"You okay in there?"
"What, sure, yes! My mind was just drifting."
Robin eyed her but decided it was not worth pressing it further. "I was saying: I checked the phone in the house. Has a dial tone and everything. Now how well the speaker's going to work is anyone's guess. So, we will have to wait and see on Saturday."
"Right. That's great news." Nancy smiled and started her car again. She pulled out of Robin's and headed toward her home.
...
"Alright, three o'clock." Robins looks at the watch on her wrist. "I say we give dingus and his children fifteen minutes. Less if we get the call from the hospital first. What do you think?" She looked at Erica and Nancy.
Nancy is finishing her late lunch. She and Mike drove to Family video earlier to pick up Robin. Steve opted to stay until Keith showed up for the afternoon-evening shift. He was still there almost two hours later. Mike, Dustin, and Lucas decide to linger around the store. Will would be dropped off while Lucas was picked up and taken by Jonathan and Argyle with Eleven to Hawkins Memorial Hospital. "Shouldn't we wait a bit longer than fifteen minutes? All we heard them talk about was getting to fight a Dragon.
Jonathan and Argyle would join them when they could. Both had agreed to help Joyce with some general and hardware stores errands. What was left of viable items from their house in California had finally been dropped off by movers, and the home Owens helped them sign on was finalized. The Byers and Hopper were back for the time being.
Robin finished her meal, placing a crumpled napkin atop the plate. "Look, normally, I'd agree, but this idea is time sensitive." Robin pointed in an upward direction of Nancy's room.
"Yeah," agreed Erica. She was reorganizing her character sheets, double-checking that all her updates were correct. Robin let everyone update all their characters now at level two. "If they really cared as much as they say to do. They would have walked home by now."
"The fifth-grader has a point," Robin grabbed her plate, Nancy's, and Holly's, who was sitting quietly at her spot at the Kitchen table. Karen stepped out to run a quick errand.
Erica clacked her papers into the wooden table. "Sixth-grader," corrected Erica. "I skipped a grade."
"My apologies, sixth-grader." Robin began cleaning up after everyone.
Nancy shifted in her seat. Her left hand rested atop the table, her right wrapped around the chair's back. "You don't need to do that. You're our guest."
Robins smiled as she placed the plates on the drying rack. "Exactly, I'm the guest. That's 'two-week guest behavior,' maybe a week and a half if I push it." She whipped her hands with the towel. "It's okay. It's just plated.
The odd buzz-tone ring from Robin's phone sounded upstairs. "That's our cue. Let's see if this works out."
-.-.-.-
The Half-Elf Rogue's hand held tight to the iron link door of the sturdy wooden door. She looks to her fellow Rogue, the Half-Elf Monk, the Ranger, the Elf, and Erky. Finger at her lips, she slowly began to hang the door open. Our more compact group of Adventurers skulk their way into the room.
Stuffed and mounted animals of all shapes and sizes adorn the walls. Everything from rats to large cattle and a bipedal sandy-colored lizard. The mounting job could be better. A few grisly trophies share a while with other nondescript animals. Smashed and broken cabinets and small tables litter the fringe of the room. All victims of some sort of rampage.
Rusty iron spikes stand tall at the center of the room, trailing with them a broken chain.
Then patches of frost randomly coat sections of the walls, floors, and debris.
-.-.-.-
There is a clambering of feet atop stairs as they ascend toward the bedroom.
"Dude, I don't know what was up with Keith today. Took way too long doing whatever 'needed' to do," states Steven from down the hall. There's a shake of the door handle. It's locked. Holly's idea.
Everyone inside Nancy's room snickers, including the two voices over the speakerphone.
"Come on, bring the phone down in the kitchen so we can play too," it was Mike. The handle shook again. "Come on, Nancy, unlock the door."
"Can't. Holly locked it," Nancy laughed as she watched her door shake. "Besides, Mom should be back from her errands, and she will lose it if we play the game in the Kitchen. You know the rules!"
There is a pause outside. "Wait. Holly's in there with you."
"Yeah," shouts Holly. She is sitting in Robin's lap. Robin declared her Dungeon Master Dice Roller.
"This isn't fair, guys…" trails Dustin.
There is another quiet, then a sudden rapid knock at the door.
Holly looks in the direction of Nancy and motions with her head toward the door. Holly lunges from Robin's lap and unlocks the door. She gives the door only two inches. "What do you want?"
Given no answer, Holly yelped slightly as a hand appeared, holding a walky-talky. "At least let us listen?" It was Will. "We'll be downstairs." Holly takes the walky-talky. She shuts the door and locks it.
Back at Nancy's bed, she hands her sister the walky-talky.
Nancy eyes the device. "Is this necessary," she asked.
Robin laughs. "No, but it's hilarious, that's for sure." The excessive laughter from the speakerphone agrees.
There is a crackle from the device. "Can you hear us?"
"Loud and clear," answered Nancy with a sarcastic tone.
"Can you take the talk button or something so we can constantly hear," asks the voice.
Nancy motioned to Erica to grab her tape from the top of the desk. Erica tossed it to the bed. Nancy taped the talk button down. "How is this going to help you talk to us?"
There was a loud whoop from across the hall. The boys were in Mike's bedroom.
"Alright, now that we are all situated, can I continue, please," asked Robin. She was met with no resistance.
-.-.-.-
A White Dragon Wyrmling is at the far-side edge of the room as the wall begins to curve, hidden within and protected by fallen tables. The dragon is initially out of view, her milky white eye opening and closing as if she is dozing off to sleep after a long adventure-filled rampage. The spiked iron chain in the middle of the room belonged to the large iron collar clasped around her neck.
"So, how do you want to handle this," asks Lucas. The Ranger has his crossbow at the ready.
The Half-Elf Rogue eyes her surroundings. Can she use her environment to her advantage? "We subdue it, obviously. You saw what that 'queen' was offering us. We can't pass any of that up. We subdue it and get the Sorcerer to shrink it down and put it in a cage or something," states Erica in hushed tones.
"Sure," agrees Eleven. The Rogue understands her partner. It's undeniable.
The Elf glances in the direction of the Half-Elf Rogue. "Levi, the Sorcerer's name. His name is Levi," asserts Nancy. She is crouched low, unsure if she is out of the eye-line of the dragon or not. The Elf lifts a finger, and she points in the direction of the loan sound amongst the wreckage. Fingertips begin to glow a pale white-purple. She is ready to strike.
The Ranger moves along the floor, stepping over debris. "Alright, we subdue," says Lucas. Like the Elf, he is now in a crouched position. The Ranger holds out his hand a copper haze of magic escapes. He looks in the direction of the dragon's noise. Nothing happens. "Damnit," shouts Lucas under his breath.
Damnit! I thought I had it.
What were you trying to do?
What Argyle did earlier. Damn.
The rustle becomes a clatter as her long tail slaps against a table. Ripping it in half lengthwise. The head of Calcryx rises to the ceiling. Her scales glisten with the light and, when brought together, create a pure white void of space. Her milky white eyes are feral as she makes eye contact with part of the company. She shifts her head at a ninety-degree angle. Calcryx exhales an icy blast of hail in the direction of The Elf, the two Rogues, the Half-Elf Monk, the Ranger, and Erky. The hail pelts the group like rapid-fire rubber bullets. The Elf's face is covered in two distinct long whelp lines with remnants of frost burn at the tips. The Half-Elf's exposed shoulders are bright red from the harsh contact of ice, the same as the Half-Elf Monk.
Are you guys okay? Is everyone okay?
We're fine. Ice is not our friend in this game.
"Awe, hell. She didn't say anything about the dragon not having any scratches of her own," states Erica. The half-elf rogue with her short bow in hand fires at Calcryx. Once twice. Both arrows protrude from her arm and between her shoulder, breaking the scale illusion of a pure white void.
The Rogue flings a dagger in the direction of Calcryx. It misses her body, hitting the tip of a wing.
Behind a ruined table and fallen boar head, the Half-Elf Monk places the tip of a long tube to her lips. She blows the dart and flies free, landing deep in Calcryx's neck. Calcryx pulls the dart from her flesh with her free arm, itching at it like a bug.
The Elf steps back as the arrow flies. It contacts Calcryx's shoulder flank.
-.-.-.-
"Crit Hit," shouts Erica. She agreed to roll for her, Max, and Lucas' characters. Nancy rolled for Eleven and herself.
Robin paused a moment. Her gaze is hyper-focused on the continence hidden within her binders. "I want one or both of you to describe what Max is going to do," she states loud and clear for the speakerphone.
"What?" It was Lucas. "You've been handling Max's guy fine."
"Sure." Robin scratched at her temple. How to put this? "But, you two know her best, right? So, one or both of you should describe what Max would do. If she was given a chance to fight without consequence." Robin paused. "Look, I know it sounds stupid, but this could help her, and before you say anything, El," Robin cut her off before speaking. "I know you couldn't find her in her head before. But that doesn't mean anything. It didn't mean anything when my mom was in a coma when I was little. I don't remember it. My mom says she does. It's a crazy haze or whatever, but she says she remembers the pressure of me laying on her chest. She remembered my Dad's voice while he talked to her about our day. So, yeah, to us, it might seem like nothing. But, to…" Robin trails off as she hears Eleven's voice.
"I'll do it," says Eleven through the speaker.
Robin fiddled with a pile of cassettes. She pulled one from its case. "It feels only right," she whispers as she places the Kate Bush tape in Nancy's boombox. "Tell me when you're ready."
Nancy and Erica only nod.
"Okay, ready," said Eleven.
-.-.-.-
The Half-Elf Monk removes herself from her hiding spot. She steps across fallen animal heads and leaps from table to table. She is as nimble as a cat and as swift as a bird. The Half-Elf's quarterstaff is drawn. She kicks from the curved wall and swings directly into Calcryx's skull. The White Dragon Wyrmling tumbles to the ground unconscious…
-.-.-.-
Nancy's room echoes with hospital alerts. There is a scurry of feet across the linoleum floor. Eleven must have dropped the phone when the nurses bombarded Max's room. Incoherent rusted phrases can be heard as multiple doctors try to figure out what happened. "This is not possible. These alerts don't just randomly go off for no reason." The abrupt sounds of a phone receiver leaving the floor can be heard. "Then explain how there is no brain activity. Explain how she goes from nothing to full function, then back to nothing in seconds," the other doctor said before all sound was cut off. The phone disconnected.
Nancy, Robin, and Erica stare at one another, dumbfounded, unsure of what to do next.
She rose from her seat at the end of her bed. "I'll get the car ready. You—you go tell the boys." Nancy rushed to her door, unlocked it without a second thought, and swung it open, running to the stairs. "Sorry, Mom, no time to explain. Something happened at the hospital," speaks Nancy from below, and she is out the door.
Robin and Erica barely have time to nod their understanding when Nancy is out the door. Robin set Holly on the ground, and she exited the room in a rush with Erica. She swings open Mike's door. "We have to go now."
"Go where? What happened, Robin? What was that noise," asks Steve. He, Mike, Dustin, and Will are all on their feet.
Karen watches the group of friends rush without thought or care in the direction of the station wagon. "Be careful! Watch the road," she yells at the kitchen sink. She is cleaning a Chicken for Sunday's lunch.
Robin shakes her head. They are all rushed down the stairs. "I don't know. Somethings going on at the hospital." Robin climbed into the front seat. Mike, Erica, and Will are in the middle. Dustin and Steven clamber into the back, shutting the hutch door behind them.
Nancy began backing out of the driveway. She barely stopped for Jonathan and Argyle as they began to drive to the front of the house. Nancy rolled her window down. Argyle did the same, looking down at her as she looked up at him. "Something happened at the Hospital." She speeds off.
Argyle slaps the outside of the truck in acknowledgment. He uses the Wheeler driveway to quickly turn the car around, following behind Nancy at the same speed.
Will bent forward, maneuvering his hand, and began rolling up Nancy's driver-side window. "Thank you," she said, focused on the road ahead.
...
Nancy speeds along the intersections and through traffic. She hits the break, barely missing the car in front that has yet to go at the changing red light. She shifts the car quickly to the right and drives past the car.
Dustin flicks the car off.
Jonathan and Argyle still follow from close behind.
...
The hospital parking long is quiet. Nancy pulls into an area close to the front, void of most cars. Argyle follows suit, placing the truck into park. Both station wagon and truck occupants exit their vehicles.
Eleven and Lucas rush in their direction from their previous seats on the faraway bench.
"What happened," asked Nancy in a rush. "Is she… is everything alright?"
Lucas holds out his hands out in an attempt to calm down his friends. "She's fine. The doctors have her stable again, but something happened." He looks to Eleven.
She straightens herself. "I saw Max. I think she's stuck. Stuck somewhere in the Upside-Down."
Stunned with silence. Steve gripped the luggage rack of the station wagon. Dustin sat on the back bumper. Will next to him. Mike leaned against the door. Nancy rested her side against the side-view mirror. Robin atop the hood. Erica on the front bumper. Jonathan and Argyle are against the truck.
"Max is alive," states Lucas.
There is silence as everyone but Lucas and Eleven process the information.
Mike removed himself from the side of the station wagon. He shuffled closer to Eleven and Lucas. "How? How can you be sure?"
Eleven released a sharp breath as she watched Mike. "Because I saw her." Another breath and Eleven begins to recount what happened to her and Lucas in the hospital.
...
Twenty Minutes prior:
"The White Dragon Wyrmling tumbles to the ground unconscious…," Elven trailed off. Every machine connected to Max lights up. The alerts are loud, blaring. She can not think. Lucas's hand is on her shoulder, pulling her away as the nurses rush in. One forced her hand from Max's. The phone receiver is on the ground, twirling as it clatters atop the linoleum floor.
The alerts suddenly stop.
Her sole focus Max, Eleven, does not grasp the argument between Doctors. Hand now on her bicep Lucas pulled her from the room. The door shuts from behind. Lucas looks at Eleven, panic all over his face. "I need to see. I need to see what happened." He nodded, taking in their surroundings.
"Over here."
He ushers Elven and himself into a staff bathroom. Lucas looks at her, desperate to know what to do next.
"It's too loud."
More doctors, technicians, and nurses rush through the halls, arguing loudly.
Lucas looks at Eleven. He then rushed to the sink and turned the water on full force. He practically leaps to the door and cracks it open. There is no one. Lucas shut the door and slid down the heavily lacquered door to make himself a doorstop.
Elven nodded. She sat on the top of the toilet. Hands rest against the cold white tile of the corner walls. She shut her eyes. She took a breath.
...
The black space of nothingness is deep. Eleven began to walk the distance, and her feet suddenly felt damp. Eleven looked down. Nothing, the ground as black as the rest of her surroundings. She continued to cautiously walk forward. There is an echo of unintelligible sounds that drips off in the distance. An image begins to fade in and out the closer it is to wherever she is walking.
Then the blip is there, and it's gone in a blink of an eye. A voice surrounds her in the distance. The blip began to phase in, and the image was blurred with light and dark blues and reds. The sound is sharp and starts to form words as the picture sharpens. It was panicked.
"Elven! Lucas! Someone, help me," screams the unmistakable voice of Max.
Her image is in full view. It begins to mime like it's captive inside a compact, enclosed space.
Just as quick as Max appeared, she was gone.
...
Eleven gasped, eyes shot open, her balance off. She almost falls to the floor. She looks at Lucas, determination on her face.
"I saw her. I saw Max. She's alive."