CHAPTER 8
THE LONGEST NIGHT

VERONICA leaned on her hockey stick, trying to suppress the fear that was clearly evident on her face. Dustin stood close to her, cracking his knuckles as they waited for Steve to return. The younger boy gulped and stepped near Veronica. "Do you think he's okay?" He asked her.

Her face immediately went back to the usual bored expression. "Of course," she said. "Monsters aren't real, kid."

Dustin huffed out a sigh before moving towards the open shed. "Steve," he called out softly. There was no answer, causing Veronica to peer inside the lair as well. "Steve, what's going on down there?"

Suddenly, a bright light shined on their eyes, and Veronica actually shrieked out loud. She jumped back as Dustin laughed at her reaction. She looked inside the shed again, seeing Steve shining his flashlight on them. "What the shit, Steve?!" She exclaimed while holding her chest.

"Get down here," Steve said. "Both of you."

Dustin and Veronica locked eyes, and for the first time, the blue-haired teenager let her terror show. She walked in front of Dustin, holding her spiked stick out in front of her, though she knew the tool was useless against a living animal. When she reached the end of the stairs, there was nothing – just like she predicted. Steve held up his bat and a mucus-like substance hung from the end of it.

"Veronica's right," Steve muttered. "There's nothing down here."

Veronica wanted to be pleased with herself, but her eyes reverted to whatever was hanging on Steve's bat. "Then, what the fuck is that?"

Dustin's eyes went wide at the slime-covered plastic wrap on the spiked bat. "Ah, shit."

Steve then moved to the side, shining his flashlight to a wall in front of them. But when Veronica looked up, she didn't see a wall at all. Bricks were scattered on the floor, all covered in the same slime. A large hole was dug into the red bricks of the shed and she could see nothing back darkness inside of it. "Oh, shit," Dustin said even louder.

The three walked slowly towards the hole, but even when Steve's flashlight illuminated the scene more, Veronica saw nothing. Darkness eroded the entire spot, leaving in it's place a gate to another dimension. She swallowed hard at the sight before her, and she almost didn't believe her eyes.

Dustin slowly looked over his shoulder, sending her a grin. "Do you believe us now?"

•••

Hospitals had always terrified Edward. He had witnessed two births in one, but the clean aesthetic of these buildings did nothing but give him the chills. Medical areas were from his worst nightmares, and he swore he could hear Veronica's wailing as a newborn throughout the building he was in now.

Hearing Will Byers' terrifying shrieks didn't help the situation. After Joyce Byers and her boyfriend, Bob, rescued Chief Hopper from the slimy hole in ground, Edward noticed her son, Will, drop to the ground, and he began to convulse on the spot. With the help of workers from Hawkins' National Lab, they were able to get Will on a stretcher and speed him to the laboratory for tests.

At the lab, they sprinted down the halls to get Will hooked up to a machine. He met with Doctor Sam Owens, but Edward didn't want to see the action in the room. He couldn't keep up with the nurses rushing Will on his stretcher, but Joyce Byers could. She would do anything for her son. Edward stood still in the hallway of Hawkins' lab, sweat clinging to his police uniform. Will Byers' screams would echo in his brain forever.

Edward found Hopper hours later, puking in his freshly-clean room. He was told that his boss was given a chemical bath, but Edward was still confused as to why. Hopper wore a short hospital gown, and Edward covered his eyes to not get a glimpse of his chief's behind. Edward's hands began to sweat as he walked into the room.

"Chief," he spoke nervously.

Hopper cleaned his mouth with a back of his hand. When he met Edward's eyes, it was clear how much horror he had endured while he was ... in that hole. Edward swallowed down his fear. "How's it going?"

"Oh, you know," Hopper sat up straight and turned towards his comrade, "just puking my guts out."

Edward nodded slowly. He plopped down on the other end of the sterile bench and ran a hand through his dark hair. "This has been the longest night of my life."

"You're telling me."

Edward viewed up to look at Hopper, who was staring at the end of the room with a blank expression. His eyes looked tired and tears pricked at the edges of them. Edward turned slightly on the bench, resting his right leg on it. "I think you need to start talking," he muttered. "Are you finally going to tell me the truth now?"

"About what?"

"What do you mean, About what?!" The lower-ranking officer felt his brow furrowed in frustration. "I saw fucking slimy, moving vines covering a hole in the ground that you were supposedly trapped in. And then Joyce Byers' son began to convulse in the grass. Explain."

Hopper rubbed at his eyes. Sleep crept beneath his skin, or was that just his memories of the Upside Down plaguing him? Possibly the latter. He knew that Edward needed to know. His comrade had already seen too much. Lying would do nothing, especially since Edward was now involved. He needed all the help he could get.

"Last year, in November – Will Byers didn't just disappear." Hopper muttered, rubbing at the bags underneath his eyes. Edward watched him intently. "He vanished to another place – another dimension, I guess. And this place is right underneath our feet."

Edward leaned back, taking the news in. His eye twitched as Hopper's gaze connected with him. "It's called the Upside Down."

•••

"Let's say I – possibly, maybe – believed in this Upside Down story," Veronica said. "What do these Demodogs look like exactly?"

Steve placed a pile of raw meat that they bought at a supermarket into a large, metal bucket. It was the next day, and the trio could do nothing but try to sleep through the rest of last night. Steve drove to Veronica's house the night before, and she was surprised to not see her father or his cruiser present. They slept in her cold, empty house, where Veronica tucked Dustin in her couch, and she had the upmost pleasure to sleep in her own bed with Steve. She tried to ignore her nightmares of demons and monsters throughout the night, but it was difficult with the new world she was thrust into. During the night, she felt her head lay on his own, but she quickly moved it away when she woke up. She never even got the chance to do any of her homework, but thankfully it was Saturday.

As Steve filled up another bucket with meat, he smiled up at Veronica, who was resting her hands on her hips. His eyes squinted from the pale sunlight. "So you believe us now?"

"Maybe," Veronica muttered, pouting her lip out. "Just answer my question."

Dustin turned to the teenagers, smiling widely. "Demodogs basically walk like a dog, but their skin looks like a lizard. They have no eyes and their faces like –" he gestured an opening with his hands "– open up to show all these teeth!"

Veronica's mouth hung open as a muffled sound emerged from Dustin's headset. "Dustin!" The voice called. "Dustin, do you copy?!" The younger boy turned to answer while Veronica pulled out a can of gasoline from Steve's trunk.

"Well, well, well," Dustin whispered into his headset, "look who it is."

Veronica eyed the can of gasoline, wondering why they'd need it, but Steve nodded for her to bring it with them on their trip. Her spiked hockey stick laid on the asphalt, beside Steve's bat. She plucked pairs of rubber gloves from the car, handing Steve the red pair while she got yellow. The sound of rubber smacking against their hands made Steve flinch.

"Well, while you were having sister problems, Dart grew again." Dustin pulled his mic close to his mouth. "He escaped, and I'm pretty sure he's a baby Demogorgon!" The boy paused, but didn't give his friend on the other line much time to speak. "I'll explain later. Just meet me, Steve, and his girlfriend or somethin' at the old junkyard."

Veronica's head whipped to Dustin. "I'm not his girlfriend!"

Steve viewed up at her and chuckled softly.

"Oh," Dustin said, "and bring your binoculars and wrist rocket."

Veronica filled Steve's green backpack with the can of gasoline and stuck his bat in another pocket. He grabbed one meat bucket and she got the other. "Alright," Veronica said as she stood, kicking Steve's trunk down. Dustin turned to follow them, the spiked hockey stick in his small hands.

Veronica felt the air leave her lungs as she began to lead them into the deep woods. She carefully looked over her shoulder, whipping her blue hair to the side. She smirked, "Let's motor, boys."

( made by JustSav )