— CHAPTER 20 —
THE SACRIFICE

( trigger warning: violence, some descriptions of blood/gore )

SATURDAY 12th NOVEMBER,
1983

"FOUND it!" Dustin announces, opening the refrigerator. A cold blast of air wafts into Cath's face, the low hum of the fridge acting as white noise. She, Lucas and Dustin had broken into the school kitchen, their hunger getting the better of them. A bright beam of refrigerator light pours onto the linoleum floor, infinite stacks of chocolate pudding at the holy light's source — God, she's starving...

     Lucas rubs his hand together longingly as Dustin starts bundling tubs of it into his arms. "I knew she was hoarding it," says Dustin, "always lying, saying she's out. Bald-faced liar... MIKE!" he shrieks. "I FOUND THE CHOCOLATE PUDDING!"

     "Don't you think they'll notice all the pudding is gone?" Cath remarks, although her mouth is already watering at the notion of food. She hasn't eaten since breakfast this morning.

     "Nah," Lucas shrugs. "What's the worse that could happen? We'll just have different desserts at lunch instead."

     Dustin pops open the lid on one of the tubs. Instantaneously, the rich, sweet aroma of chocolate hits Cath, and she feels her tongue pool with saliva. "Mmm," Dustin chortles excitedly, grabbing a large tablespoon spoon for each of them. He plunges his own into the mixture, watches it trickle from the spoon before he shovels it into his mouth. Shutting his eyes, as if relishing the flavour, he enthusiastically slaps his hand on the table. "Oh, man!" he exclaims. "I forgot how hungry I was. Here, you guys have some."

     Taking a metal spoon each from him, Cath and Lucas take their own portions of chocolate pudding. Never had chocolate pudding tasted so good — after hours of not eating and hardly anything to drink, she's desperate for anything at this point.

     "I'm gonna take one for Mike and El," she says, taking another tub under her arm.

     Cath meanders down the hallway, which is unlike she has ever seen it before — unlit in the night and completely empty of students. She can hear every step against the linoleum floor, every breath she breathes. Without the hustle of a scheduled school day, she takes time to observe posters on the walls as she goes past. Even through the darkness, the bold primary colours of the cork board displays cut through, giving her comfort after the turbulent day... no, week she's had.

     Mike and Eleven disappeared to another classroom a while back, for some time alone together. As she approaches the classroom they chose — clear by the light pouring through the latticed window in its door — she tries to slow down, hoping that it will warn them in case she is interrupting something private.

     "Jesus Mike, don't scare me like that," she huffs. "I got you chocolate pud—"

     "Did you see it too?" he asks abruptly.

     "See what?"

     "The lights. Car lights, I mean."

     Cath shakes her head. "Do you think Daphne and the others are back?"

     Daphne, Nancy and Jonathan had taken off a while ago. She has no idea why or where they went — after the secrecies this week, she can't help but worry about where they have run off to. But Mike thinks otherwise. "There were a lot of them," he says, already walking briskly down the hall.

     "Unless Joyce and Hopper are back too?" she offers.

     She hopes so. Leaving the chocolate pudding by the doorway, Cath follows Mike as he powers down the hall and swings open the double doors outside. Sure enough, there are numerous cars swerving into the parking lot — but not the ones they would like to see. They are unmistakably silhouettes of vans, the 'HAWKINS POWER AND LIGHT' lettering vaguely visible in the night. Flashlights slice through the darkness at the tips of guns, wielded by shadows of men who move like flies towards the school.

There are so many of them.

"We have to go!" Mike frantically places a hand on Cath's back, ushering her inside the school again. This time they hurtle down the halls, hoping they won't bump into the Bad Men.

Dustin, Lucas and Eleven sit around the chocolate pudding pyramid and stare puzzled at the two of them. It only takes a few seconds for realisation to sink in, observing the panic on Mike and Cath's faces. Footsteps begin echoing down the hall, militant voices bouncing off the walls ominously — they swiftly evacuate the gym, Eleven's fingers threaded through Mike's.

"There are soldiers everywhere, and they're armed," Cath says, checking a corner to see if the coast is clear.

A loud footstep in the distance puts them on edge, holding their breath as they stand with their backs to the stone cold wall. Once they emerge, Lucas asks, "How did they find us?"

"I don't know," says Mike, "but they knew we were in the gym."

"Lando..." Dustin breathes.

They must have somehow intercepted their radio connection, or something. The very notion makes Cath's skin crawl with dread. Just how much do the Hawkins Lab actually know? And how easy is it for them to get whatever information they want? She wishes desperately that they would just leave Eleven and her friends alone.

The double doors ahead burst open with a crack of brightness — blinded by flashlights, the kids swerve haphazardly on their heel. "Go, go, go!" Mike cries desperately.

For another time this week, Cath is running for her life. They rebound desperately off hallway walls, shoes skidding against the recently-mopped floors as they tear down corridors right and left where possible. This place has suddenly become a labyrinth. She never knows what could be around any dark corner.

Up a few stairs, and another swarm of shadow men turn the corner with the click of loaded guns.

"Back! Go back!" Mike frantically instructs them, retreating and hovering helplessly. "Go, go! Go left!"

But behind them a new cluster of Bad Men arrive, led by a blondish-grey woman in a beige trench coat. They are cornered. Either side of them the flashlights blind them, catching the kids like spooked deer in headlights. Eleven's fists clenched at her sides as she focuses in on the woman and the military men aiming their guns at them — the lights begin to stutter. At first she doesn't know what El is trying to do. A metallic, almost rusted stench laces the air, making her feel light-headed, and that's when she notices:

Their eyes are bleeding.

Cath resists the urge to gag. They convulse subtly on the spot, the stuff oozing down their cheeks as it blackens out the whites of their eyes. She's killing them. Cath has no clue how to feel, paralysed and helpless. Then all at once Eleven releases them; with a giant THUD, they collapse limply onto the floor...

A few seconds later, Eleven sways on the spot and sinks down with them.

"El, are you okay? El!" Mike kneels down and tries shaking her body, but it's futile trying to shift her. "Something's wrong."

"She's just drained," says Dustin.

"No, she won't wake up. El!"

Cath fumbles for Eleven's wrist to feel for a pulse, just like she'd read in that large health book of her grandmother's. Her skin is stone-old to the touch — a discouraging sign. But she finds a pulse, albeit a very weak one. Then she hovers her hand in front of Eleven's mouth to feel for her breath. "She's barely breathing, and her skin's like ice," her voice shakes.

     "Mike, we gotta go!" Lucas stresses, looking in dismay at Eleven. "The Bad Men are still here. They could—"

     "Leave her."

     The new voice sends a chill rolling in waves down Cath's spine. They spring up onto their feet, frozen as a new cluster of Bad Men turn the corner to meet them — surely enough the speaker, leading the group, is the silver-haired man from earlier. Cath knew he was bad news. He is fixated on Eleven, dread permeating his features.

     "Step away from the child," he instructs them slowly.

     "No!" Mike retorts, although his voice shakes. "You want her? You'll have to kill us first."

     Panic flares within Cath, close to advising Mike not to be too heroic when there are armed men pointing big guns at them. But then she looks at Eleven again. Losing her, if they haven't lost already, would be unimaginable. She just wants her to feel safe after everything the girl has been through — and she's their friend.

     "That's right!" Dustin exclaims.

     "EAT SHIT!" Lucas swears at them, moments before his arms are pinned behind his back by a pair of stronger ones. Cath soon feels them too, a python's coil restricting her from running to Eleven's aid.

     This is nothing like James trying to restrain her earlier at the quarry. Kicking and screaming in their grip, only to feel the vice tighten painfully around her wrists, Cath is once again reminded of the ugly truth she had tried to avoid — they are helpless kids, thinking they can save the world. Instead, they're going to be gunned down and none of their loved ones may ever know.

     The silver-haired man kneels in front of Eleven, lifting her up to stir her from unconsciousness. "Eleven?" he says, nudging her like a rag doll. "Eleven, can you hear me?"

     Eleven hums uncomfortably, eyes opening to slits to see him.

     "Eleven?"

     "Papa..."

     "Yes, yes, it's your papa."

     Papa? If that's her father, he isn't in the least bit entitled to have a daughter like her. As she watches him cradle her head, Cath thinks about her own dad — he would be so gentle, handling her with care and warmth, the way he did when Will's fake body was found. But this is no doting father. It's obsessive, the way he grapples her head, like he's holding a stick of gold between his hand. Any genuine love for her is completely glazed over by greed and corruption.

     Watching all of this makes a sudden bout of fury rise within Cath. She screams, stomping her foot down on the soldier's boot, only to find it harder than any force she could apply. The soldier responds by tightening his grip, and she whimpers at her wrists being nearly crushed.

     "I'm here now," he tells Eleven.

     "Let her go!" Mike screams. "Let her go you bastard!"

     Eleven whimpers and he shushes her. "You're sick," he says. "But I'm going to make you better. I'm going to take you back home, where I can make you well again. Where we can make all of this better, so no one else gets hurt."

     She squirms in discomfort, staring tiredly at him. "Bad..." Eleven croaks, shaking her head at the silver-haired man. She begins reaching out in their direction. "Mike..." she whimpers. "Mike..."

     At this, the kids struggle even more in their grip, Cath manages to pry a hand free with a sudden burst of strength and reach it out towards Eleven. Although too far away to connect, Eleven reaches out too, and she can almost feel her warmth. After a few seconds, something occurs to Cath — she's free. Why has the soldier let her go?

     The ceiling lights buzz.

     Ahead of them on the end wall, the giant navy-blue paw print begins to distort. The wall breathes and coughs, exposing brickwork that becomes undone with each pulsation of force. It spits out a cloud of rubble and dust as a hole is made in the wall.

     "Blood..." Mike blurts out, eyes wide.

"What?" Lucas hisses.

Cath glances down at the floor, the bodies from before still peppered across the linoleum. Their puddles of blood still remain. Blood. Daphne, Nancy and Jonathan had discovered that blood was bait. So that could only mean... the demogorgon.

A giant claw pries through the wall, gnarled and slime-lathered. Its head begins to emerge through the whole, birthed from hell, and Cath stares in horror — it is the stuff of nightmares. The soldiers gladly let them go to wield their guns, and they are just beyond them when they begin opening rapid fire on the creature. While the Bad Men are distracted, Dustin scoops the weak Eleven up in his arms and they escape the trap.

Cath steals one last glance over her shoulder, just in time to catch the demogorgon pouncing on the silver-haired man.

They make for Mr. Clarke's classroom, far enough away from the carnage, and lock the door — Cath even jams a stack of chairs in front for good measure. Dustin carries El all the way to one of the lab tables at the back of the room, setting her gently down. Amidst the muffled peppering of gunfire outside and the strobing lights, Mike holds her hand tight the moment she touches the cold marble.

     "Just hold on a little longer, okay?" Mike rubs his thumb gently over her knuckles. "He's gone. The bad man's gone. We'll be home soon, and my mom... she'll get you your own bed. You can eat as many Eggos as you want."

     Eleven sniffs back tears, focused solely on him through tired eyes.

     "And we can go to the Snow Ball..."

     It's so incredibly sweet, in a moment of such imminent danger, that Cath finds herself blinking back tears. Eleven stares solemnly at him and asks, "Promise?"

     "Promise," Mike whispers back.

     A guttural screech comes from far too close to the classroom, making them all jump. The boys huddle around each other, watching the door, while Cath circles round to Eleven's side to hopefully shield her from any danger. Rapid gunfire ensues outside, flashes of rounds outside the door making their eyes hurt, fighting against the howls of the demogorgon...

     And then silence.

     All of them exchange hopeful glances with each other.

     "Is– is– is it dead?" Dustin stammers.

     BANG!

     The door flies from its hinges across the room and shatters the atom displays on the desks. In its full, grotesque size is the demogorgon, looming in the doorway. It stands to its full height, double the size of the kids, claws at least as big as their heads. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no one to protect them — they are only scared prey now. Cath does the only thing she can do, and slings her arm protectively around Eleven's body.

     She hears the terrified cries of the boys as they scramble for protection:

     "GO, GO, GO!"

     "GET THE WRIST ROCKET! GET THE WRIST ROCKET NOW!"

     "GET THE ROCKS, GET THE ROCKS!"

     Lucas begins loading his wrist-rocket with the small rocks they had found days before, finally put to good use — but despite his sharp aim, they bounce pathetically from the demogorgon's skin without a scratch, and only agitate it more. Rock, after rock, after rock. Nothing works.

     She is so paranoid about keeping her eyes on the demogorgon, that she barely feels Eleven start to shift under her protective arm. Soon, she hears a strained murmur: "Cath..."

     Cath looks down at the table and sees Eleven, half-raising her head in a gesture to raise herself up, but lacking the strength. "Help me..." she croaks. Grabbing her hand, she levers Eleven into a sitting position.

     "Thank you..." Eleven says. Initially, Cath can't understand why she is even bothering with 'Thank You's right now, when the demogorgon is mere metres away. But as she meets the earnestness in her deep brown eyes, it is as if that fades away, the boys' screams becoming distant. It is as if there is so much she wants to say, but not enough time.

     Thank you? Cath is thinking, desperately searching her for answers. Thank you for what?

     The girl's gaze has shifted now, hardening as it drifts over her shoulder. Cath follows it, to the predatory pursuit of the demogorgon towards the cornered boys. It clicks then. Thank you for everything... As Eleven raises her hand towards the creature, still so weak and frail, she finally understands what she means.

     She is saying goodbye.

     Cath barely has time to process it before Eleven thrusts her hand forwards, the force sending the demogorgon careening into the blackboard. It stays pinned there, writhing under her last ounces of power. Eleven slides off from the table and plants her feet on the floor. In a defiant march, she circles around the tables and weaves between Mike and Dustin until she is walking down the aisle to meet the demogorgon at the end.

     "Eleven, stop!" Mike lunges forward upon the realisation of what she's doing. But Eleven barely flinches, throwing a hand back and sending him flying into the cabinet.

     She keeps walking. A crunch as she snaps the creature's neck. Cath hovers next to Dustin, who stands helplessly staring on like everyone else. When Eleven stops, she is mere inches from the beast. In the flickering light, she looks back over her shoulder — she appears to take in their faces, study each of their features longingly.

     "Goodbye Mike," she says.

     This is goodbye.

     Slowly, Eleven turns back to the demogorgon, her shoulders tensing from behind. "No more..." Raising her hand, her fingers tremble as she forces every last drop of energy into killing the monster. Her screams and the demogorgon's shrieks blend into a blood-curdling cacophony, making all of them cover her ears — but Cath keeps her eyes open long enough. Long enough to see the black flakes, like ash, that begin to peel away from the demogorgon and swarm around them.

     She only lets herself close her eyes when the ash consumes her last glimpse of Eleven.

     She was going to braid her hair.

     She was going to go to the Snow Ball.

     She was going to make it...

     Cath feels that the lights have stopped flashing, for the strain of them on her closed eyelids has vanished. By the chalkboard, the ash disperses and flutters to the ground — the demogorgon is gone, along with Eleven. Stunned, they begin circling around the classroom, desperately calling out her name. Mike seems the most distraught of them all.

     "El!"

     "El, where are you?"

     "Eleven?"

     She feels numb. A few remnants of black ash float by the chalkboard. Cath reaches out at them, watching as they slip through her fingers and land to the floor before melting like snowflakes. It happened so fast. Eleven had slipped through her fingers just as quickly. Wracked with guilt, she steps back from the chalkboard.

     I should have stopped you, she thinks.

     But El had known what she was doing. She saw it in her eyes. Being the only option left, she sacrificed herself to save the rest of them. If it hadn't been for her, they would all be dead.

     Awareness of her surroundings slowly returns to her. Cath realises her cheeks are damp, but doesn't bother to wipe them away. Lucas and Dustin share a look, equally devastated, and still trembling in the aftershock.

     "What do we do now?" Dustin mumbles weakly.

     He says it while looking Mike's way, in hope that he might have some sort of answer. But the boy's back is turned to them; his head tilted up, bouncing on his heels, frayed at the edges. He sniffs, and as he turns to the side Cath sees him trying to fight back tears already dribbling down his face. She's almost shocked. She has never seen him look so... broken. Since they had started looking for Will, when times got uncertain, she found herself looking to him to inspire her morale. He always seemed so courageous despite everything. Now, though, it is as if the week has caught up with him in one debilitating hit.

     "Mike?" she asks softly. "Are you oka—"

     "We can still find her if we split up," he blurts out. He's tried straightening his spine and putting on an unconvincing brave face.

     "Mike, come on..." Lucas sighs, wiping his eyes.

     "I'll go on the east side of the school with Lucas... and Cath, you– you can go with Dustin, and, and—"

     "Mike!" Cath has grabbed him gently by the shoulders before he can run off. "Eleven is gone... she's gone..."

     His head hangs low, avoiding eye contact with any of them. "I– I don't understand... she was right here... she, she was..."

     Underneath her hands, she feels his shoulders begin to shake. With a shaky breath, Cath slides her hands down from his shoulders to his back, bringing him forward into her embrace. She thinks it takes a moment for Mike to settle in — going still in her arms — and then he crumbles. Cath feels him bury his face into her shoulder, feels his chest heave with hiccups of sobs. She tries to keep her breathing slow so he can match it. She shares his pain.

     "I'm so sorry..." she chokes out, barely a whisper.

     I'm sorry I didn't stop her from doing it.

     To this, Mike's wraps his arms tighter around her, hands gripping onto the fabric of her sweater. She feels the other two hover by them in her periphery; feels Lucas rest a hand on their tangled arms, Dustin patting his friend's shoulder. Rubbing soothing circles on Mike's back with her thumb, Cath stares once more at the chalkboard, at the void left behind where Eleven once stood.

"It's over," she whispers. "It's over..."

━━━━━━

A/N;

THREE! CHAPTERS! LEFT!

oh wow, this chapter had me In My Feelings while writing it. i knew i was going to have to write this scene soon, but when it arrived? i wasn't ready 😭 i actually got a tiny bit choked up writing the part where cath was hugging mike (not because of my writing, i mean just these poor kids have endured so much in one week, and also in general i just think mike wheeler needs a hug more often, okay bye—). cath feeling guilt for eleven's sacrifice really got to me too 😭😭😭

but the good news: WILL IS BACK NEXT CHAPTER! i missed him so much, but now i can write about my favourite stranger things character again. you should get a little insight into what his and cath's friendship may look like in book two...

as always, thank you so much for reading. we're nearly at the end! can you believe it?

— Imogen

[ Published: October 26th, 2021 ]