C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - O N E

"  BATTERY RECHARGE "

･ ｡ﾟ ⋆✩⋆ ･ ｡ﾟ

| D E C E M B E R 25th , 1986 |

H a w k i n s , I n d i a n a

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?"

Billy exclaimed, his hands up and cautioned as he watched the group of kids rush to El, who had fallen to the ground.

"You all saw that, right?" Billy looked over to ask Murray, who rolled his eyes before going over to join Joyce in tending to El. "It wasn't just me, right? I'm not fucking crazy?"

"Billy." Max stated to shut him up. "Come help us out." Within seconds, Billy was at El's side next to Max and the rest of the group.

"El, are you alright?" Max exclaimed, at her side as she and Billy dragged her from under her arms to her further from the gate.

El's eyes were closed and heavy, feeling oddly weak yet rejuvenated at the same time.

"El?" Mike tried to snap her out of her tired trance, earning no response.

"Did anyone else see that power surge?" Steve called out from above by the ramp and the turbine, having just returned from their assigned task with Robin and the other older teenagers.

"We got the hazmats, the oxygen, and weapons." Nancy announced, dropping everything to her ground next to the gate.

"Is everything okay? What happened?" Robin asked once she saw El on the ground, then followed Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan down the ladder that led to the gate where the group was.

"El did something, we don't know what." Mike explained, irritatedly. Billy snickered at Steve's face, seemingly taken aback.

Mike didn't intend to be snarky to anyone, he was just impatient. He was this close to finding Y/N, that it was all he could think about.

"We don't know, she just touched the gate wall." Dustin briefly explained, obviously confused as was the rest of the group.

"El, can you hear us?" Joyce kneeled down to press a hand to El's cheek, trying to get a response.
Eleven sat there, slumped against Max as she sat down, her eyelids gracefully closed as a short trickle of blood escaped her nose.

"Mom.." Will whispered, his eyes widened as he kneeled down next to El. "Look." He pointed to El's hands and arms.

There were faint black marks on her hands, almost vein-like as they traveled up her arm. It looked like something imprinted on her briefly, then was taken away.

They were similar markings to the ones Will had when the mind flayer possessed him and activated him with his power to use for his own benefits.

But the marks were faded, as if whatever tried to take hold of her, couldn't do it successfully.

"W-What does that mean?" Dustin asked, his eyes looking at the blackened veins.

Everyone's eyes looked worriedly at El. No one knew what happened, or why the mall's power came back on, nor what happened to El to make her fall unconscious..

"El," Joyce jerked her, trying to at least shake her awake, "El!" Her eyes closed softly.

Eleven's steps echoed around her, but the sounds that echoed back to her were not the soft pattering splashes of water she was used to hearing in the void.

She wasn't walking in the void at all.

She looked down to watch her feet as they stepped and slightly sunk at the freshly fallen snow, at least, what she assumed to be snow.

Soft sprinkles of white fell around her as she looked up, the night sky somehow seemed darker. It wasn't snow, it was more like the toxic particles that crowded the air of the upside down.
She wasn't in the void, that was for sure.

She looked ahead of her to see that she was standing in front of what looked to be a building of some sort.

It looked almost like a facility or prison; it looked similar to the Hawkins lab, but it was obviously in a more remote location. The surrounding hills looked like it was embedded in a secluded mountain.

Eleven flinched as she heard the roaring thunder, prompting her eyes to dart to stare into the flashing red sky.

A large, black shadow suddenly emerged from behind the mountain's facility ; its long, jagged multitude arms extended around it's horrifying figure.

The red and blue sky flashed with every crack of thunder and flash of lightening behind the shadow, effectively scaring Eleven as she stared up at the creature.
It was then, that she remembered Will's detailed and vivid description of the creature that violently possessed him just a year ago.

It was then that she recognized the creature to look similar to that same shadow that was behind the gate as she closed it the first time.

Her eyes widened with realization as the memories flashed before her eyes.

"The Mind Flayer." She exhaled, her eyes darting between what looked to be the facility/lab in front of her, embedded in the mountains, and then back to the mind flayer's shadowy essence.

It was almost as if The Mind Flayer was watching over the facility—or rather, watching over someone.

"Y/N..and Hopper.." Eleven whispered, finally understanding where she was, but before she could say another word, the mind flayer beat her to it.

The shadow's jagged arms extended fully, now reaching slowly yet forcefully down to where Eleven stood.

But she didn't move. She didn't feel like she wanted to move. It was almost as if she were entranced.

Time seemed to slow as she found her mouth opening against her will, her screams fading while she felt a dark presence enter inside her as she stumbled backwards to fall to the ground.

Suddenly, El's eyes shot open, her pupils dilating as she jerked up from her slump ; her breathing was heavy as she looked around frantically, her eyes wide with paranoia.

"El!" Joyce perked, her hands cupping El's face to check on her wellbeing. "Are you alright? What happened?"

El's eyes were dilated, wide and scared as she frantically looked around. She tried to control her breathing, but it didn't help to look up and around to see everyone encircling her.

"Y/N and Hop!" Eleven shouted, her eyes wide as she stared back at Joyce. "The Mind Flayer..he was there, they're in trouble..I have to go back."

"El, slow down. Y-You're not making any sense.." Mike began to try and soothe El, only to trail off as his eyes focused on something else on her face.

El's breathing slowed as she watched as Mike's eyes trained on something below her nose. It was then that she felt a warm trickle exit her nose to fall just above her lip, prompting her to reach her finger to gently touch underneath her nose.

She pulled it back, seeing the familiar red that came after she used her powers.
It was surprising to feel the blood deep from her nose after so long, yet oddly relieving.

Everyone's eyes were trained on the blood staining El's fingertip from her nose as she evaluated it, trying to understand what it meant.
"D-Does that mean..?" Dustin sputtered, his own eyes widened at El's bleeding nose.

El turned to looked at Dustin's question, knowing what he meant. She didn't know the answer herself, but she was willing to test it.

Her powers have been dormant for too long, much too long for her liking. She needed to see if this meant what she thought it meant.

El carefully got up to stand on her feet, her breathing heavy as she turned and stared at the gate's intimidating wall.

"El, you're not well, take it easy." Joyce tried to stop her from whatever it was she was planning on doing, only to be tuned out.

"El, what are you doing?" Mike stepped to stand in front of her, but her gaze wasn't broken as she simply shoved him out of her way.

She needed to do this. She needed to know for sure.

She took cautious steps, her feet carrying her closer with every breath she took while she neared the wall.

Every step she took felt like she was being pulled in—like the wall radiated a gravitational pull that made her want to come closer.

It was tempting her, and she wanted to obey.

She was finally face to face with the wall that opened to another dimension, her breaths echoing back from the wall to her.
Time seemed to slow as she felt every muscle inside her move as she reached her hand to hover above the wall again.

The energy that radiated off the wall was enough to lure her closer—until her palm touched the wall again.

Flashes of the mind flayer flew through her mind, accepting the pull to the upside down.

This time, the wall shook as did the ground beneath her, her palm placed flat against it while a crack began to form to create a passageway.

It was about to open the gateway to the upside down, but they weren't ready yet.

"El, no!" Steve was there to pull her away by her shoulders, pulling her further from the gate as he slumped her on the floor again.

She watched with amazement as the gate she had caused to open, now close itself due to the loss of her forceful power to open it.

The crack that had formed to reveal the bright orange and black vines now closed it on itself to become a solid barrier yet again.

"Whoa.." Steve breathed, helping El back up to her feet while everyone's eyes were still focused on the gate's previously opened wall.

The same warm trickle of blood formed underneath her nose, prompting her to reach a finger to her nose to pick up the blood's trail.

She glanced down at it, fascinated by her own abilities and newfound strength.

Her heavy breathing finally slowed as she muttered quietly to herself in question ; the group listening intently.

"I am recharged."

-

-

"So, just so that Billy understands correctly," Steve began, earning an irritated shove from Billy,
"That just by touching the gate, El's suddenly got all her mojo back?"
  Steve was trying his best to understand the group's consensus on what best explained what happened with El.

"Wait, I thought we already established that she'd open the gate..?" Dustin was confused, as was the rest.

"She couldn't, but she just wanted to help." Mike answered, obviously just impatient as he waited for the group to catch up while El stood confidently next to Max while they talked about her. "Now she can.."

Mike was running low on patience ; he just wanted to find Y/N when she was just on the other side of the gate.
He could feel his heart thud with the thought of her in his arms, just waiting to be together again.

He hoped she would forgive him for going against her wishes, he hoped she would take him back with open arms.
He just wanted to save her, and he will. Even if it's the last thing he does.

"So, El can open the gate, which means, we can go through the upside down to get Hopper and Y/N?" Lucas clarified, pretty much summing everything up.

"No, you guys aren't." A muffled voice interrupted from behind the group, their eyes and attention all turning to look at the source.

"We are."

Joyce stood tall next to Murray, both suited up in hazmat suits with oxygen tanks strapped to their backs as would the workers use to do at the old Hawkins Lab.

It was then that the kids all suddenly realized, that there was no going back now.

It was time, they were finally ready.

Mike nodded understandingly, a wave of excitement and eagerness washed over him. He couldn't believe that after all this time, he was finally going to see Y/N again.

It was time for Mike to reunite with the girl he's loved more than himself ever since they were kids.

It was time they be together again.

⋆

Author's Note :

wow that seemed pretty confusing huh?

good.. hehehe

man i forgot how to write, this chapter wasnt the best written but..
i've officially come out of hiatus!!

i can't wait to keep writing, its getting ME hyped.

thoughts? predictions?

let me know, i love reading your comments! some of you guys are actually psychic so.

HERE WE GO.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END.. or is it?

.

what do you think about all this ??

any theories ? any predictions?

thanks for reading.. stay tuned !!

.2129 words.