Chapter 53: Up to Speed
The group sits out on the front porch of Bill's house, pondering their next steps. The rain had returned, but at least there was no thunder or lightning. The quiet sounds of the rain hitting the roof could be seen as comforting and relaxing to most people, but for them, a heaviness hung in the air. Both groups thought they'd put their unnatural and otherworldly experiences behind them, but that wasn't the case. Both IT and the Demogorgon were skulking around Hawkins and terrorizing people they cared about or themselves. Why couldn't they just be normal?
Bill can never look at his house the same way again. It no longer felt safe but haunted. He also felt an immense amount of guilt not believing his brother when he claimed that there was a monster in his closet… a monster that came from Hawkins and was now tormenting his little brother. All those nights Georgie claimed there was a monster in there and wanted to sleep in his brother's room. He'd never deny that request to his brother ever again. If this creature was as vicious as the others said it was, no one should ever enter that room. It had killed multiple people, including Mike's sister's best friend… but how come there was no portal and if this thing was like an animal, why hadn't it attacked any of them in the house? Why was it bent on scaring Georgie more than anything worse?
"So what happens now?" Max asks, breaking the long silence between all of them.
"I-I'm never going i-in Georgie's room again," Bill emphasizes.
"Not without a shotgun," Dustin adds.
"But there wasn't a… what did you call it? A portal?" Beverly asks.
"Gate," Dustin says, causing Max and Will to roll their eyes in annoyance with his desire to be correct on everything.
"Those things can reseal themselves," Will reminds them. He shuts his eyes as a flashback of him talking to his mom through the rip in between their worlds and being forced to run instead of being rescued.
"But here's the thing, can a gate be that small?" Ben asks.
Dustin and Will pause for a moment. The gate in his house was small and Nancy also found one in the woods that was only big enough for her to fit through.
"I think it can," Dustin says.
"It's the Demogorgon who creates it when it comes through, so I guess it would depend on the size of the Demogorgon," Will suggests.
"But if that's the case, how come there weren't a ton of gates when Dart and his pack of freaks ran through?" Max asks.
Dustin wants to defend Dart as the Demodog had actually helped them before, but he has to keep reminding himself that his pet was a Demogorgon and could have turned on them at any moment. But those Demodogs used tunnels to travel around the town.
"Maybe it's something only a fully grown Demogorgon can do," Dustin says, liking this theory.
"S-So how do we stop it?!" Bill asks sternly, wanting some kind of solution to protect his brother and family. If a Demogorgon is living in their house, they need to find a way to stop it.
El looks at her friends, a realization comes to all of them.
"You can't," she replies.
"W-w-w-what you mean you can't?!" Bill barks.
"There's no telling where the Demogorgon is going to go next. Like any animal, it's unpredictable and has no pattern to its behaviour. It's not like we have a crystal ball to know where it's going to appear next," Dustin states bluntly.
Bill is shaking in anger and frustration. He regrets the minute they stepped foot in Hawkins, from one nightmare to another.
"Unless we figure out why it's coming through your brother's closet," Will says, trying to calm his friend down. "Does it have a reason to be here?"
"Because unless your brother is bleeding profusely, it's coming for another reason."
"But what?" Ben asks.
"I bet the Mind Flayer is telling it to," Will says.
"Because of the whole hive mind?" Ben asks.
"Exactly," Dustin says, glad that someone is trying to follow along. "The Mind Flayer is the Queen and the Demogorgons are his drones."
"But why?" Max says. "None of you guys knew about any of this when you moved here. What motive would the Mind Flayer have to go after you?"
"And Georgie of all people," Bev agrees. "He's only six years old."
"Could your clown be the reason?" Max suggests.
"How did IT find us?" Ben asks. "I thought IT was dead."
"Can IT even be killed?" Will asks.
Bill looks over at his friend. "I d-don't think anyone has ever tried-d."
"Well, clearly IT wants something as well. Honestly, this could even be a team-up of some kind," Dustin ponders.
The thought of both entities being in cahoots with each other made all of them sick to their stomachs. They both knew what their respective monsters were like and if they came together… the world may truly end. Why it hadn't yet was a mystery.
"But how would IT enter the Upside Down?" Will asks.
"Yeah, it doesn't seem likely," Max agrees.
Beverly swallows and just turns away from the discussion. She was the only one of the Loser's Club to look into the IT's lights… deadlights. It felt as though the balls of light existed in an alternate universe… devoid of everything that felt familiar. It was an alternate dimension… could it be possible that the Mind Flayer lived in the same one? Or could the two dimensions have crossed at some point? The thought makes her want to vomit and pass out. She'd seen the future in the Deadlights… but a long time from now, where everyone was grown up. If they were destined to meet Pennywise again so soon, why hadn't she seen it?
"Let's just focus on the current problem, keeping the Demogorgon out of Bill's house," Ben reminds them. "What is its weakness?"
"Heat…" Will answers, remembering what he had to go through to get the Mind Flayer out of his body… He didn't doubt that the Demogorgons had a similar weakness.
"Well, we can't just set fire to Georgie's closet," Dustin says. "What about a space heater or something like that? Keep it in the closet to keep the Demogorgon away."
Bill's eyes light up with hope. "T-that could work. I t-think there's one in the basement! It was there when w-we moved in."
"We'll try it," Ben says.
"Just keep it on low the whole time and see if it helps."
"It buys us some time. But then we need to figure out why and how they're coming back through again," Will reminds them.
The group falls into silence again.
The rainstorm continues for another half an hour before it starts to let up a bit. The clouds above them remain gray and threaten to dump more water, but the ripples in the puddles lessen significantly.
Just then, Mike bikes into the cul-de-sac towards his house. He'd gone to the grocery store to grab something for himself and was stranded there until the rain let up. He knew his mom would still chastise him for biking in the rain, especially with the risk of lightning but he's prepared to bite the bullet. He looks over and notices his girlfriend, friends and acquaintances hanging out on the front porch of… Bill's house if he remembers correctly. It wasn't something he was expecting so he applied the breaks and detours to the neighbouring home.
"El hey," he says, ditching his bike on the lawn and walking towards them "What are you guys doing here?"
El, Dustin, Will and Max all look at one another. They wish they didn't have to drag Mike into this, but he had to know… he'd be pissed if they kept all of this from him. It was also more than likely that he would have found out otherwise, so it was better to tell him now. The old saying of "friends don't lie" comes into their minds.
Mike glances at everyone's faces. He sees the look of dread, fear, anger and frustration. He'd seen those looks before, especially on El's face. He also notices the tiny bit of blood still near her nose. His stomach plummets down like he is riding a rollercoaster, but far less thrilling.
He swallows, wishing that it wasn't the case.
"Don't tell me…" he groans.
Eleven gets up and goes to hug him. He accepts it, despite his exasperation with the fact that they had to deal with the Upside Down.
"Again," El whispers. The two break apart from their hug.
"What the hell I thought you closed the Gate and after the Russians were gone…" he moans.
He then realizes he's also talking aloud in front of the kids from Derry. He tries to immediately backtrack, not wanting unnecessary questions.
"Did the dog get out again or… I heard that Russian blue cats like to escape."
Everyone looks at Mike like he's lost his mind. He's failing epically at hiding what he meant.
Eleven puts a stop to it to prevent him from embarrassing himself any further.
"Mike it's okay," she says quietly. "They know."
"They know?!" Mike says in a panic.
"We told them everything," Will confirms Eleven's words.
"Why… why… why would you do that? Do you know what could happen if they know?!" he barks.
"We do," Beverly confirms. "And we won't tell anyone."
"Yeah, that makes me feel so much better," he mutters sarcastically.
"We can trust them," Max says. "Because they came to us first and it's a bigger problem than just telling them, Mike," Max says. She holds up the two pictures for him to see.
Mike's eyes go wide in a panic, knowing that skinny and spindly form and the flower-like mouth.
"One is Will's drawing, and the other was drawn by Bill's six-year-old brother a few weeks ago. It's the monster living in his closet."
Mike scans everyone's faces and finishes on his girlfriend's. The fear and concern is palpable on her face. It's all he needed to know that this was serious.
"Oh shit…" he says.
"Exactly," Dustin agrees. "We need to bring everyone in the party into the loop."
Mike sighs, knowing that he's going to have to be the one to do it and they know he's not going to react well. The leader of the party grabs his bike and heads to his house. He scrambles upstairs and goes through a pile of stuff in his room until he finds the walkie-talkie.
Pulling up the antenna, he turns it on.
"Lucas… Come in Lucas," Mike says.
…
The group has moved to the Wheeler basement, the Homebase and centre of the weird shit that occurs in Hawkins. It also provided them with a private place to talk, away from where the potential Demogorgon was lurking. It could be a spy, listening in to the Mind Flayer.
They all used the other entrance to the basement to avoid being seen by any of the other Wheelers, especially Mike's mom who might freak out at so many people in their home.
While they wait for the final member of the Party to arrive, the kids from Derry fill Mike in on their own experiences, using Ben's scars as a way to prove it. Dustin also backs up Ben's account at the middle school.
"It was crazy man," he adds. "All the equipment came to life, and we heard the voice… loud and clear."
"So, this… clown… thing you think IT's involved with the Mind Flayer?"
"It's our working theory, but we have no motive/reason for why they may be working together or why the Demogorgon is appearing in someone's closet. It's like the last thing we'd expect it to do."
"But the Gates were closed awhile ago," Mike points out. "There's no reason for it to be coming back through."
"I don't know man. Considering two separate gates have been opened by both sides of the Iron Curtain, I think Hawkins is just easy because there have been so many rips in reality in recent years."
"Still can't believe there were Russians under the mall with a giant laser," Ben says. "It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie that Richie likes."
"Speaking of that, is he going to be here?" Mike asks.
"No," Bev replies. "He's not our friend anymore."
"I just don't think he'd take any of this seriously."
"W-We don't either," Bill agrees.
Beverly bites her lip. She wishes that Eddie, Stan and Richie would get over themselves and come and help. She knew they were stronger when they were together. It's how they were able to beat IT the first time… even if it wasn't permanent. While more people from Hawkins is helpful against everything, they've never faced Pennywise and know how to handle ITs powers.
Eventually, Karen Wheeler calls from upstairs. "Mike, Lucas is here."
Lucas descends the stairs, not sure what to expect, his coat is covered in raindrops, meaning it is raining once more and he has his backpack on containing his walkie-talkie. It took forever for him to get out of the house without running into Erica or his parents.
When he sees the Party, but also people from Derry, he becomes suspicious and concerned. While Mike's call was vague, he didn't think it was anything serious. Maybe some drama with Eleven that he wants to complain about, but with these outsiders, he's worried.
"What's… going on?" he asks, still can't stop staring at the kids from Derry.
"It's happening again Lucas," Dustin says bluntly. "The Mind Flayer has made its move."
"Dustin shut up!" Lucas says. "You're saying it right in front of..."
"It's okay Lucas, they know," Max interrupts.
"WHAT?!"
…
It takes a few minutes for Lucas to go through his usual ranting and ravings while he's upset, but for those who are present, it feels like half an hour.
He goes on and on with questions not even waiting for answers and chews out his friends for revealing such confidential information, stuff they agreed to basically take to the grave if they had the chance to.
"I can't believe you told them everything!" Lucas says in a panic. For all of them… All of them have faced down the end of far too many guns in one lifetime, nearly been killed by otherworldly monsters and being forced to run from the government multiple times, he cannot believe his friends would do something that put them all in danger… and now these losers too.
"And they promised to keep it a secret," Eleven says defensively.
"Well excuse me for not trusting random people… outsiders from a different town," Lucas says sarcastically.
"Who has also faced some weird shit that might be causing what's happening," Will cuts him off.
"It's true man," Dustin adds. "They've seen weird shit too."
"All right. What kind of weird shit then?" Sinclair asks, challenging them.
"Does a giant shapeshifting clown that eats children suffice?" Max asks.
Lucas blinks in confusion and shock. "Sorry, what?"
"A shapeshifting monster that eats children," Beverly repeats.
"You just revealed what's wrong with Hawkins to a bunch of crazy people. Do you know what that could do?"
"Is this crazy to you?" Ben says, stepping forward and revealing his clawed scar. It might be the only way to get the last of the Hawkins group on their side. "That thing scratched me while it was changing shape. Beverly looked down the throat of that thing while in its lair. We all almost got eaten by the damn thing many times!"
Just then Karen Wheeler's voice calls down. "Mike, what's going on down there."
"Nothing Mom," he says through gritted teeth.
"Doesn't sound like nothing," she continues. "Why are you so loud?"
Mike rolls his eyes. "We're arguing over something."
"We're deciding on what strategy is the best for D and D," Dustin adds quickly.
"Well, keep the volume down please, Holly needs to finish her school reading."
"Yes, Mom," Mike moans.
"Sorry," El adds. "We'll keep it down."
"Thank you, Jane," Karen says, glad her son has found someone so polite.
Once the door is shut, he turns to Lucas and Ben, who are still staring at each other angrily.
"Time to curb it guys, the last thing we want is my mom coming down here. Lucas, you need to drop the skepticism. Their clown is also around here. I mean what animal do you know leaves that kind of mark? Ben doesn't hike or do extreme stunts or wrestle bears."
"Stop being so stubborn," Max adds.
Lucas looks at the scar, a little sickened by the sight of it, but he can admit, what animal does he know that has only three claws?
"It spoke through the A/V system at school," Dustin confirms. "Circus music and all."
Lucas inhales sharply. "Okay… let's say all of this is true. Let's say the Demogorgon is living in Bill's brother's closet. Let's say your clown is stalking you over the radio. Let's say all of this is true, what the hell are we going to do about it? We don't have any proof and we're just kids."
"Who've beaten these assholes before," Max points out.
"She's right," Bev agrees.
"And yet they still come back. It's clear that what we've done is not working. We're only human, what the hell else can we do? Why does it always have to fall on us?"
"Because we're the only ones who know the truth," Mike points out. "We're the only ones who believe in what's happening and who see what's really going on."
"We're also the only ones with the power to stop it all," Will adds.
Those from the Party give a glance at Eleven.
Lucas sighs, wishing his life could just be normal, just for a little bit. High school was hard enough, but now being dragged into the Upside-Down mess again was too much to handle.
"So what do we do?"
A/N: Another chapter up. Sorry, it's been so long. Thank you to everyone who reviews and continues to support this story.
Responses to comments:
GlaringEyes: I love getting to respond to your comments. Yeah, Steve can't catch a break. He's just unlucky in love to a certain point. Yes, at least they both know where to find each other now. The blackout, I know very ominous. I didn't envision the Mind Flayer and IT's powers influencing the weather, I mainly saw it as another inconvenience getting in the way of Steve and Mia. Now that you've pointed it out, I like the idea of implying that the two entities are still lurking under the mall and causing problems. Thank you again for your continued support. Keep the ideas coming.
Harry Potter: Sorry about the confusing chapter titles. I wrote the Halloween one and wanted to publish it on Halloween last year, even if it doesn't happen until later in the story. I know it kind of throws the story order off, it's why I have that caption at the top so if you want to read the latest chapter, you go back one. Sorry if it's confusing, I hope you still enjoy the story.
Larry: Max and Mia will meet at some point. Mia certainly doesn't see herself as a badass because of how she's grown up and with her father's abuse, her self-esteem is non-existent at this point. This will hopefully change soon. Thank you for your continued support.
Guest: That will be coming. Like the show, I will bring everyone together. Don't worry.