Chapter Twenty-Six
Anger
A chill ran down Veronica's spine as the cold night air of Hawkins seemed to wrap around her. Everyone walked in tense silence with their minds still trying to decipher and make sense of what just happened to them. Veronica could still hear the shrill call of the Demogorgons as they threw their bodies against the bus like a haunting echo in her mind. The three younger teenagers walked in front by only a few feet with Steve walking beside Veronica.
The more they walked through Hawkins forest the more he noticed her steps begin to sway and falter. Her worn-down sneakers dragged along the dead leaves and twigs of the forest floor causing the once white sneakers to become more scuffed and dirty. Veronica's shoulders also began to slump forward more and more so much it was causing his stomach to twist with worry. Steve remembered how much it took for Veronica to protect them all from the Demogorgons, her blood staining the sleeve of her jacket from when she wiped it away from beneath her nose. The moment Steve began to watch her sway, his hand reached out and grabbed at her waist to steady her steps. The three in front of him stopped instantly at the sound of Steve's rushed steps toward her. Veronica's head lulled side to side for a few passing seconds before her wide brown eyes stared at Steve. His eyes were just as wide but with worry for the girl in his arms.
"I've got you, I've got you," Steve spoke with hurried whispers, before turning his attention to Dustin for a few seconds, "Hey, man...come and take this."
Steve reached forward with the bat in his grasp and his backpack slung down his arm for Dustin to take. Dustin hurried to take the items from Steve's grasp, slinging the backpack onto his own back and passing the bat to Lucas. All three of the younger ones looked between Steve and Veronica with deep worry across their faces. But before anyone could speak, Veronica muttered lightly.
"I-I'm ok...I-I...I'm ok..."
She closed her eyes tightly for a few moments before looking back at Steve.
"I just need a moment...just a small break."
"Yeah, let's take a moment." Steve nodded his head, shifting to help her take a seat on the track. Her body seemed to sag with heavy relief the moment she was able to relax. Steve moved to sit beside her, Veronica taking the opportunity to rest her head on his shoulder. Steve gave the kids a look, waving his hand toward them, as a signal to give her some space. Dustin ushered Lucas and Max away as the red-headed girl began to quickly ask questions. Steve was able to catch the last few before she was too far away for her whispers to be understood. "Is she dying? Is it because of her superpowers?". For the last couple of questions, Veronica was able to hear herself, causing her to chuckle weakly.
"So much for keeping it a secret from the random girl," Veronica spoke, her voice lazy and slightly slurred.
"Eh...think you helped Lucas prove something to her, I have a feeling she's going to be sticking around a little bit," Steve spoke, looking down to see her eyes were still closed as her head rested on his shoulder. Her dark curls shifted down around her shoulder and acted as a shield around her face. The two sat in silence again before Steve spoke, "Thank you...f-for what you did back there...save my life."
"You don't have to thank me for that, Steve. I wasn't going to let something happen to you."
Steve nodded his head, "Still thankful."
Veronica's head rose from his shoulder so she was able to look at him more. The loss of her warmth caused Steve to turn to her more. Steve couldn't stop himself from reaching forward and tucking her hair behind her ear, allowing him to see her face more. The simple touch caused her lips to turn up into a soft smile.
"We're friends remember? Friends protect each other, right?" Veronica asked
Steve couldn't ignore the feeling in his chest when hearing her call him a friend. It was like a discomfort he wasn't able to push away.
"You mean a lot to me, Steve," Veronica declared suddenly, her eyes never leaving his. "I-I don't know how I'd be able to cope being in this town without you. You're the only person to treat me like a...a...human being. The Byers have been amazing...but...not like you...you've made this...better."
Steve softened at her words as the two of them sank into silence again. He was left speechless but soon said the only thing that came to his mind.
"You mean a lot to me too," He spoke sincerely, making sure to keep his eyes locked with her.
And Steve knew that he'd never spoken a more honest truth than in that moment.
"So like...are you a superhero or something? Like...Lucas said you and some other girl have powers but I...I didn't believe him." Max asked as she walked a few paces behind Veronica along the tracks.
"I wouldn't say superhero...more like...I don't know..." Veronica shrugged her shoulders slightly, "Science experiment?"
"That's a little harsh," Steve muttered
"I mean it's a little bit of the truth," Veronica shrugged "It's ok...don't see it as a negative thing anymore. Just a truth."
Steve rolled his eyes and continued to span his flashlight side to side as they walked down the tracks. Suddenly Veronica froze. Her steps stopped suddenly and causing Max to collide with her side slightly. The younger girl muttered an apology but it fell on deaf ears as Veronica's focus was on something else.
"Veronica?" Steve spoke, confused as to why she stopped. Even to the sound of his voice, she didn't falter her focus away. "Hey...come...we gotta go."
From within Veronica started to feel the anger before becoming intense. It moved through her body in waves to where her body no longer felt like her own. She was suddenly no longer the one in control. There was someone, or something, else there.
"Shh," She spoke, her tone slightly harsh.
"Did you just shush me?" Steve spoke, his brows rising slightly in surprise.
"Steve," Veronica's eyes hardened as she look at him. There was a shift in her eyes that made him freeze for a second. "Please..."
Steve opened his mouth a few times but stopped when he saw the darkened look shift in her eyes, something he was able to see even in just the soft glow of the flashlights. Suddenly a screeching noise cut through the night and echoed back towards the group. It made the hairs on everyone's neck stand up and suddenly cause fear to strike through them all. It was a sound they were all too familiar with now. That anger and emotion that Veronica was feeling before started pulling a little harder like a tether wrapped around her center and pulling harshly.
"This way," She spoke, not even waiting for the others to follow as she cut away from the tracks and headed up a small hill into the woods.
"Veronica! Hey!" Steve screamed, following after her quickly with the three others following along.
"Why are we going toward the noise?" Max asked the last to move with a heavy hesitance.
"Seriously?"
The screeching and calling became louder and louder as they moved through the path that Veronica seemed to be creating on her own. She moved through the fallen trees, debris, and bushes quickly making it nearly hard for the others to keep up. But they soon caught up when Veronica stopped coming into a clearing that looked down over the town. It didn't take much looking for them to understand the direction she was going and why she stopped. Down at the bottom of the hill, only a few feet away, was the lab.
"Are we seriously going in there?" Dustin asked
"Veronica are you sure about this?" Steve whispered looking down toward her. Her head snapped up toward him quickly.
"Don't you trust me?" She voiced, Steve nodded his head without hesitation. "Then I'm sure about this."
Veronica was once again the first to step forward and quickly started moving down the hill, making sure to miss and step over anything that would trip her up. There was a part of her echoing in the back of her mind to turn away, to not head toward the Lab. But the stronger, almost foreign part, was winning over that voice.
It wasn't long till they came across the main road that head up toward the lab. The once bright street lights were now burnt out and cast the street in an eerie darkness. Steve and the others trailed closely behind Veronica still unsure of the girl's motives. Steve was trying to figure out what caused her emotions to change so quickly. It was like for a moment a stranger was standing in front of him.
"Hello? Who's there?" A voice echoed from their left, causing Veronica to stop quickly. The voice was familiar as it echoed through the empty woods. "Hello? Whose there? Show yourself?"
Steve rushed a few steps in front of Veronica, unsure of the voice ahead. But even with the shine of the flashlights as they walked closer and closer – it only took seconds for Veronica to see who was standing beside the idled car at the Lab gate.
"Jonathan?" Veronica spoke with confusion, noticing someone else standing beside him. This certain someone made her stagger back into Steve slightly.
"Steve? Veronica? What the hell are you doing here?" Jonathan spoke, rushing toward her... His arms wrapped around her tightly as he pulled her into his chest. Jonathan quickly noticed how stiff she was in his embrace "Oh, thank god."
"W-What are you guys doing here?" Nancy spoke, looking confused at the group.
"Veronica led us here," Steve spoke "What are you doing here?"
"Where are mom and Will?" Jonathan spoke, ignoring Steve as he pulled back to look at Veronica. "W-We went back to the house and no one was home. I thought someone had gotten you..."
Veronica's eyes shifted from Jonathan to Nancy, before settling back on Jonathan, "I-I..."
"Have you seen Mike?" Nancy spoke, jumping in quickly and causing Veronica to flinch back away from her, sending a glare toward the older Wheeler.
The dark look that flashed in Veronica's eyes was enough to make Nancy step back.
"Will is inside the lab with my dad and Joyce. I'm not sure if Mike is with them." Veronica spoke, her eyes focusing back on Jonathan, "I went searching for them earlier and I saw your mom with Hopper. They were speaking to Dr. Owens about Will...h-he had another episode yesterday and wasn't feeling well."
"Another episode?" Jonathan's brows pulled together tightly, "When?"
"I don't know. Steve dropped me off from school and your mom was with him in the dining room."
"Right after Lover's Lake? After the episode you had?" Steve asked, making everyone's eyes snap at him.
"You had another episode?" Jonathan spoke, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You weren't exactly around, Jonathan. You've been gone for like two days!" Veronica snapped, her tone harsh.
Jonathan looked toward her confused, "I-I was dealing with something..."
"Right?" Veronica scoffed and rolled her eyes
"Ronnie...come on now," Jonathan whispered,
"Don't Ronnie me!" Veronica's voice rose, stepping away from him as he reached out for her. "Have you even noticed that things have gotten worse, Jonathan? No. Guess you haven't with you running off with Nancy doing god knows what."
"Hey!" Nancy shouted, "What the hell is your problem?"
"You! Nancy Wheeler, are my goddamn problem!" Veronica spoke, stepping forward her slightly, but Jonathan stepped in front of her quickly.
"Veronica? Seriously?"
"I think that anger she spoke about earlier might be the cause of all this," Dustin spoke hurriedly, everyone else watching in shock.
"Anger?" Jonathan spoke looking to Steve for the answer.
"Yeah, man, you missed a lot." Steve shook his head and walked up beside Veronica, gently touching her shoulder. "Ronnie...come one...let's focus on getting inside yeah? Your dad remembers?"
Steve's gentle voice in her ear seemed to snap her out of it enough to step away from Jonathan. She turned around from the couple quickly and walked past them all toward the gate. Quickly the others erupted into questions, answers, and conversations while Steve and Jonathan followed after Veronica. Steve rushed his steps when he heard the small cry come from her, with her shoulders slumping forward.
"Ronnie, hey, hey...what's going on?" Steve spoke, moving to stand in front of her, caressing her chin slightly to make her gaze meet with him. Her dark doe eyes were filled with tears as they moved down her cheeks.
"I-I don't...I don't feel like myself..." She whimpered
"Like how?" Steve asked as Jonathan moved to stand beside him, confused about the way Steve was acting with her. He'd never noticed the friendship that formed between the two, his focus usually on something else. But it was hard to ignore as they stood in front of him now. "How don't you feel like yourself?"
"I-...It's hard to explain..i-it's like..." Veronica reached up to rub at her face.
"Is it like before?" Jonathan asked, her eyes snapping toward him.
"No. I-It's like I'm reading too many emotions at once...I-I can't control it...it's not my own." Veronica whimpered reaching her hands through her hair and gripping it tightly.
She leaned into Steve and pressed herself into his chest, with her face nuzzling into his chest and neck slightly. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and held her a little closer, a deep look of worry on his face as his eyes found Jonathan. But the boy in front of him seemed just as confused.
"What the hell have I missed?" Jonathan questioned in a hushed tone.
But before that question could be answered, one by one, the street lights lining the street to the lab began to click on. The street was lit in a bright white glow that soon the building itself began to light within. Everyone's attention turned toward the once ominous building in wonder as it seemed to come to light against the dark night sky. The cluttered conversation between Nancy and the others quickly stopped the moment the power came back on. Veronica remained unmoved from Steve's side with her hand tightly clenching onto his jacket.
Jonathan turned back toward the guard's tower and quickly began to press the button that was labeled 'open'. But even as he pressed incessantly on the red button the gate remained unmoved. Jonathan let out a groan of frustration after pressing the button for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Goddamn it," Jonathan spoke in frustration, moving to comb his hair through his long hair.
"Let me try," Dustin spoke while shoving the older boy to allow himself into the guard tower. And just like Jonathan had done before, his fingers pressed on the one labeled button. "Come on!"
"Why doesn't Veronica just move the gate?" Nancy spoke in frustration, folding her arms across her chest.
"She used her power enough, Nance, we're not pushing it," Steve spoke up quickly in her defense. Causing a sour look to gross over Nancy's face.
It seemed like some miracle when after a few passing minutes when a mechanical sound moved through the tense silence and the gate began to move.
Dustin laughed lightly, "Hey, I did it!"
"Let's go!" Jonathan spoke, rushing toward his car and starting it up quickly.
Veronica moved quickly to press a hand against Steve's chest as he moved to chase after Jonathan's car. He looked toward her with confusion and worry, as her hand swung out and closed the gate behind the moving car, stopping Dustin, Lucas, and Max.
"What the hell!?" Dustin spoke, smacking his hand against the gate and turning to Veronica. "What the hell did you do that for?"
"Just have Jonathan go," Veronica's eyes moved up toward the Lab, watching as Jonathan's car moved up the curved driveway. "Trust me,"
A sickening feeling washed over Veronica that made her knee buckle, Steve reached out and grabbed her quickly before she hit hard against the asphalt. Her smaller hand gripped tightly against his forearm as wave after wave washed over her. It was like a dark cloud fogging up her mind. She could feel it as it seemed to stretch out through her body that soon felt like it was no longer her own.
"Ronnie! Ronnie!" Steve spoke, watching as her body convulsed in his arms. The same fear and panic he felt back in Dustin's backyard returned quickly. "Ronnie, come on...come on!"
His hand grabbed at her face and caressed it gently as she fell limp in his arms. Soon the sound of tires screeching down asphalt sounded from above and caused everyone's heads to turn. The sound alone was enough to pull the three younger ones out of their fear-induced trances. Dustin rushed toward the guard's tower quickly and pressed down hard at the button to make the gate move open again. Jonathan's car barely cleared the gate as it came racing out, the second pair of headlights close behind.
Jim Hoppers Sheriff's truck screeched to a halt, leaning over the passenger side seat. Steve was able to see the deep-set worry on the older man's face when his dark eyes fell on Veronica in his arms.
"Get it now! Let's go!" His booming voice sounded.
Lucas was the first to move by ripping open the back door and pushing Max inside. Dustin moved quickly to open the passenger seat door and get in, just as Steve climbed in behind Lucas and Max. Anyone barely had time to close the doors as Jim pressed on the gas and sped down the driveway following after Jonathan.
"You wanna tell me why my daughter is passed out in your arms, Harrington?" Jim spoke his eyes never moving from the road as he pressed harder on the gas.
AN: The action is revving up and I really really hope I made sense of everything clearly. I have already started on the next chapter. It's going to be more of a roller coaster and the truth about Will/Veronica and the Mindflayer is going to come forth! I love reading your reviews so please please leave one about how you feel!