chapter zero:
❛ before ❜

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The wind howled outside the cabin like it had a voice, like it knew things. Scarlett had gotten used to that sound-of trees groaning under pressure, of snow scattering across the roof, of nature trying to speak louder than the quiet fear everyone carried now.

It had been six months since the sky had split open and Hawkins began bleeding from the inside. Six months since Vecna had taken Max and left her in a coma, suspended somewhere between life and death. Six months since the government had rolled in, set up barricades, and wrapped the town in barbed wire and silence.

Six months since anyone had felt free.

Scarlett sat on the small couch in the rebuilt cabin, tucked against a patchwork blanket, staring into the fire. Her legs were pulled up to her chest, arms curled around them. Her brown hair, freshly dyed, framed her face in loose waves, nothing like the sharp black bob she'd had before-before the world split in two. Before the lab. Before everything.

Across from her sat Dr. Melanie Rourke, the only person outside of her mother and Eleven who knew the truth and hadn't immediately reached for a gun or a phone to call the military. She was young for a therapist, maybe mid-thirties, and didn't speak in the soft, sugary tone most adults used when they thought kids were about to break. Her voice was clear, grounded. Honest. And Scarlett appreciated that.

They'd been meeting like this for the past two months-quiet sessions in the cabin while Carrie, Scarlett's mom, kept watch outside with her hunting rifle and a tight jaw. She didn't trust anyone, but she trusted Melanie. That was rare.

Melanie tapped her pen against her notepad and smiled gently. "I see you changed your hair."

Scarlett lifted her eyes slowly, giving a small shrug. "My mom thought it'd be safer. Said it was time I 'blended in' again." She ran a hand through her now-dark strands, eyes falling back to the fire. "The government's still looking. But they only have a photo of me when I had the bob. And they don't know my name... just the number."

Melanie's voice was quiet. "Seven."

Scarlett nodded. "Seven."

A long breath settled between them.

Melanie looked down at her notes. "How have your feelings been lately?"

Scarlett didn't answer at first. Her eyes were distant, the firelight dancing in them like ghosts.

"Anxious," she finally whispered. "I can't stop worrying. About Max. About what's gonna happen when-or if-she wakes up. About Vecna. About him coming for me again. I can feel it sometimes... like a static in my spine. Like he's still out there. Watching."

Melanie leaned forward slightly, tone still soft but never condescending. "Have you talked to El about this?"

Scarlett exhaled hard through her nose. "Yeah. She tries. She's been training me when she can. Helping me stay focused. But it's hard. My powers... they're worse."

"Worse?"

Scarlett nodded again. "More out of control. They feel like they're pulsing all the time, right under my skin. Like I'm a soda can about to explode. I used to be able to hold it in, but now? I get headaches. Things move around me even when I don't want them to. Lights flicker. I wake up in the middle of the night and the bed's floating. I scare myself."

Melanie jotted something down, then looked back up. "That sounds exhausting. And lonely."

Scarlett's eyes glistened, but she blinked quickly and looked away.

Melanie tilted her head. "What about Mike? Your boyfriend. Has he helped?"

There was a long pause.

Scarlett looked down at her lap, the air between them thickening.

"I broke up with him."

Melanie's pen froze. "You did?"

Scarlett nodded slowly, her voice barely a whisper now. "Last month. I didn't tell anyone. Not even El."

Melanie's tone didn't change, but she set the pen aside. "Do you want to talk about why?"

Scarlett's throat tightened. Her fingers twisted into the blanket like she was trying to hold herself together.

"Because..." she started, voice cracking. "Because I almost killed him."

Melanie's breath caught-subtle, but enough. Her eyes flicked to Scarlett's face, and Scarlett didn't look away.

She didn't cry.

She didn't flinch.

She just sat there, staring into the fire.

Waiting for what came next.

FLASHBACK-ONE MONTH EARLIER

The cabin was quiet that night, blanketed in moonlight and thick winter silence. Snow drifted against the windows, soft and undisturbed, like the world outside had paused. Inside, a fire crackled low in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the wooden walls and the two figures curled together on the couch.

Scarlett rested her head against Mike's chest, his arm around her shoulders, fingers threaded lazily in her soft blonde hair. She wasn't wearing her usual jacket or hoodie-just one of his sweaters that swallowed her up, the sleeves too long, the scent of him wrapped around her like a shield. Mike was half-asleep already, murmuring something under his breath about Star Wars logic before drifting off. Scarlett smiled faintly, her breath warm against his collarbone.

For a moment, everything was okay.

For a moment, she felt normal.

Then, without warning, the fire flickered violently.

Scarlett's eyes fluttered closed, and suddenly the warmth of the cabin was gone.

She stood in blackness. Not darkness-void. Her feet touched nothing, her body suspended. The static hum returned in her ears, the one she always heard when the Void took her without warning. But this time, it was louder, sharper. Blue streaks of lightning cracked across the black, lighting up the space in flashes.

Then-there she was.

Elaine.

The Blue Lightning Lady.

Her grandmother.

Her long silver hair whipped around her face like it was caught in a storm, blue light radiating from her skin, her eyes frantic. There was something wrong-Scarlett could feel it the second their eyes met.

"Elaine?" Scarlett called out, her voice sounding far away, echoing into the vastness. "What's happening?"

Elaine took a step forward, but her form trembled, glitching at the edges like static.

"The worst is coming," she said, her voice sharp, panicked. "Watch out for Harvey and Will. They're in danger. You're in danger. Hawkins is in danger."

Scarlett's chest tightened. "What do you mean? What's happening?!"

Elaine's hands trembled as she lifted them, reaching toward Scarlett but never quite touching. "Your powers-something is shifting. The Source... it's cracking. I'm fading away. I was always your anchor. I am your source. If I vanish-Scarlett, something is wrong!"

"No-no, wait!" Scarlett cried, trying to move toward her, but her feet found no ground. The blackness stretched, pulsed with blinding light, and suddenly Elaine began to disintegrate, piece by piece-blue lightning bursting out of her, screaming across the void.

"No, no, please, don't go-" Scarlett reached out, heart pounding, screaming her grandmother's name-

"SCARLETT!"

The scream came from her own mouth-but she wasn't in the Void anymore.

She was awake.

And choking Mike.

Her hands were wrapped around his throat, her eyes wide, unblinking. Mike thrashed, not violently-he was trying not to hurt her. Trying to wake her. Trying to breathe.

"Scarlett-stop!" he gasped, reaching for her wrists.

Her breath hitched and suddenly she snapped out of it-really snapped out. Her hands flew off of him, and she stumbled back, eyes full of horror. Mike doubled over, coughing, one hand against his throat.

"Oh my God-Mike, I'm so sorry!" she cried, her voice shaking, hands flying to her mouth.

Mike waved her off, wheezing, but already pulling her back toward him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "It's okay-it's okay," he said, voice raspy. "You were just dreaming. You didn't mean to."

Scarlett clutched onto him, but her body was trembling violently. The image of Elaine being ripped apart, screaming warnings, still burned in her mind. The static, the crack in the Source, the name Harvey echoing over and over again.

"No," she whispered, more to herself than him. "No, this isn't okay. None of this is okay."

Mike pulled back, searching her face. "Scarlett-what did you see?"

She couldn't look at him. She backed away, arms folded around herself now. "You should go."

Mike froze. "What?"

"You need to leave, Mike."

He stood. "Scarlett-what's going on?"

She turned toward the window, the moonlight cutting across her face. Her voice was small. "I'm not safe. For you. For anyone. Something's wrong with me. I'm-losing control. My powers... they're breaking. I almost killed you."

"You didn't."

"But I could have!" she snapped, spinning around, her eyes wild and glassy. "You were asleep, and I was dreaming, and the next second you couldn't breathe, Mike. I wasn't even awake and I almost killed you."

He took a step toward her. "Whatever this is, whatever's happening-we deal with it. Together. That's what we do."

"No," she whispered, voice barely there. "Not anymore."

Mike shook his head, desperate now. "Scarlett, don't do this. Don't push me away. Tell me what's going on. Talk to me."

She clenched her fists. "I saw her. In the Void. Elaine. She's dying, Mike. She said the Source-my Source-is fading. If she's gone... if I lose her..."

Her voice broke.

"I don't know who I'll become."

Mike stepped forward again, reaching for her, but she backed away.

"I can't hurt you. And I will. I can feel it. Whatever's coming... it's gonna be worse than anything we've seen. She said Will and Harvey are in danger. She said I am, too. I can't keep pretending everything's normal. It's not. And you-you shouldn't be here when it breaks."

"So that's it?" he said, voice tight. "You're just... ending it? Just like that?"

Scarlett's lips trembled. "Yes."

Mike stood there, stunned, breathing hard. "You don't mean that."

"I do."

He waited. He waited for her to take it back. She didn't.

Finally, defeated, he gave a small, pained nod. "Fine."

He grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch, yanked it on, and paused at the door. His eyes were shining with disbelief. Hurt. Love.

"You don't have to face this alone," he said quietly. "You never did."

And then he left, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Scarlett stood there, alone in the cabin, her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to keep from falling apart.

Outside, the wind howled louder.

Rain tapped lightly against the frosted window of the therapist's small office-a safehouse tucked behind a false door in the old ranger station at the edge of the woods. It was built to look abandoned from the outside, part of the illusion that Scarlett and her mother, Carrie, worked hard to maintain. No signs of life. No real address. Just wood, stone, and secrets.

Inside, it was warmer. A small space heater buzzed faintly in the corner. Dr. Melanie Rourke sat cross-legged in her chair, her legal pad resting on one knee, pen in hand but not moving-just listening.

Scarlett sat across from her, one leg bouncing, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her dyed brown hair was tucked into the collar of her jacket, shadows cupped under her eyes. She hadn't slept the night before. Maybe not for a few nights.

The room was quiet, save for the patter of rain and Scarlett's unsteady breathing.

"I saw her," Scarlett said finally. Her voice was low, cracked, like it hurt to speak the words aloud. "My grandmother. In the Void. About a month ago."

Dr. Rourke nodded gently. "Elaine?"

Scarlett's eyes flicked up, searching the therapist's face for any sign of disbelief. There wasn't any. Melanie just waited.

"She was different this time. Panicked. Scared." Scarlett looked toward the window. "She kept saying the worst was coming. That Harvey and Will were in danger. That I was in danger. That something was wrong with my powers."

Melanie took a quiet breath, then spoke carefully. "What do you think she meant by that?"

Scarlett didn't answer right away. She picked at the sleeve of her hoodie, her fingers twitching. A faint current buzzed through her skin, just under the surface.

"She said she was my source," she whispered. "And that she was fading away."

Melanie tilted her head, her tone thoughtful but calm. "You believe your grandmother is connected to your powers?"

"She is," Scarlett snapped. "She's the only reason I even have them. I used to see her all the time in the Void. She'd help me, guide me. But now she's-glitching. Breaking apart."

Melanie jotted a quick note, then looked back at Scarlett. "You said earlier... you broke up with Mike. Was that after this dream?"

Scarlett nodded stiffly.

"Because of it?"

Another nod.

Melanie paused, her voice still level but curious. "Can I ask... why do you think you saw her then? In your dream. What do you think your mind was trying to tell you?"

Scarlett's brows furrowed. "It wasn't my mind. It was her. It was real."

Melanie leaned forward slightly. "I'm not saying it wasn't real. But even real visions have meaning, right? You were scared. You'd been under a lot of stress. You've been-cut off from your friends, hiding, worrying constantly. Maybe this was your brain's way of telling you something was shifting internally."

Scarlett's jaw clenched. "No. That's not it."

"She told you Will and Harvey were in danger. But do you feel like maybe... she meant you were pushing people away? Is there a part of you that's afraid of hurting the people you love, so your mind manifested that-"

"I did hurt someone!" Scarlett snapped. "I nearly killed Mike in his sleep!"

"I know," Melanie said gently, "but you didn't. And what you experienced-sleepwalking, violent dreams-it could be a trauma response, too. You've been through-"

"No, stop." Scarlett stood suddenly, her breath quickening. "Don't turn this into some metaphor. It wasn't a dream, it wasn't trauma, it wasn't a symbol for my emotional growth. She was there. And she's gone now. And I'm losing control."

The light overhead flickered.

Melanie looked up calmly, but the pen slipped a little in her hand.

Scarlett's fists were clenched at her sides. Her skin was tingling, that familiar static crawling up her spine like a wave building behind her ribs.

"I can't sleep. I can't stop worrying. Every time I try to breathe, I feel like something's watching me. The walls shake when I get scared. The lights go out when I cry. You think that's just a feeling? You think that's just anxiety?"

"Scarlett," Melanie said quietly, "I'm not dismissing your reality. But if we can find a way to talk about the things you're afraid of-"

The lights popped and buzzed above them, flickering violently.

"Stop analyzing me!" Scarlett shouted, the electricity in the room spiking.

A photo frame fell off the shelf behind Melanie with a clatter. The space heater whined and clicked off.

Scarlett's breath was shallow. Her eyes sparked faint blue at the edges.

Melanie didn't move from her chair, but her expression shifted-concern creeping in now.

"I think we should pause here," she said softly. "You're overwhelmed."

"No kidding," Scarlett muttered, turning toward the door.

"Scarlett-"

But she was already pulling it open, the wood splintering slightly at the edge from the static surge pulsing through her fingers.

"I'll see you next week," Melanie called after her, voice strained but steady.

Scarlett didn't answer.

She slammed the door behind her and stepped into the cold, biting wind, her breath fogging in the air as she stormed into the woods, electricity humming around her like a storm on the verge of breaking.

ASH SPEAKS!!!

OHHHH i'm SATTT for season 5!!!!

this is not proof-read and i probably need to go back and reread so if something doesn't seem right or doesn't align with something tell me!!! its been a bit <3

SEE YOU GUYS IN NOVEMBER <3333

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!!!!
COMMENT AND VOTE. IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:) STOP BEING A GHOST READER!!! PLEASE JUST VOTE!!!!