Loss - Lucas Sinclair

The Gate (Part 5)

After a lot of swearing and muttering under his breath while helping the others, Steve finally got into the hole along with everyone else.

Lucas, already being in tunnels, tried to understand what had been growing under Hawkins but he was just as shocked and confused as everyone else.

"Holy shit," Steve whispered in awe as he got a good look around the darkened tunnel with white debris floating in the air.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way," Mike called toward the others while looking at their makeshift map.

"You're pretty sure, or you're certain?" Dustin asked as he looked at the other side of the tunnel.

"I'm one hundred percent sure," Mike turned back to look at him. "Just follow me and you'll know."

The group all turned to follow Mike but quickly got stopped once again by Steve.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey. I don't think so."

He walked towards Mike who squinted at him underneath the goggles. "What?"

"Any of you little shits die down here, I'm getting the blame. Got it, dipshit?" Steve looked at the others and called back to them. "From here on out, I'm leading the way. Come on, let's go."

Steve started walking down the tunnel with everyone in tow and with Mike giving him directions.

"Come on," Steve called back to the others who were falling behind. "Hey, a little hustle."

***

Nikki walked along side of El as Hopper took the lead with his gun pointing in front of them.

Nikki looked around as she passed by emptied rooms and bodies lying around on the floor. It was definitely a sight she didn't like to see but nonetheless she continued down the dark hallway with the others.

The girls followed Hopper halfway down the stairs until he stopped to look at some blood on the railing.

"Stay here," Hopper told the girls as he went down the stairs to where a body laid on the floor.

"El," Nikki tugged on El's jacket sleeve as she saw the body breathing heavily, "who is that?"

"I don't know," El shook her head as she started to descend the stairs, bringing Nikki with her.

The girls stood behind Hopper as he helped Dr. Owens with his injuries.

Dr. Owens quickly noticed the two watching him and Hopper looked back quickly to see the girls.

"Oh, yeah," Hopper turned back to the doctor, "I've been meaning to tell you. This is Eleven and Nine. Eleven, Nine, Doc Owens. Doc Owens, Eleven and Nine. El's been staying with me for about a year and Nikki's been off with a friend. They're about to save our asses. Maybe when this is all said and done, maybe you could help them out, too, you know? Maybe you could help them lead, like, normal lives. Ones where they're not poked or prodded and treated like some kind of lab rats, you know?"

Nikki grabbed El's hand to keep her nerves down. The gesture seemed to help the girl in the same way.

"I don't know," Hopper shook his head, "just a thought." He pulled the strap on the doctors leg tighter making him groan in pain. "But, think it. Don't go anywhere."

The doctor chuckled as Hopper stood up and grabbed his gun again, ready to continue their walk in the lab.

Breath, Nikki told herself, you'll be fine.

***

"God," Lucas scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"What is this place?" Max asked as she looked at the slimy vines all around her.

"Guys, come on," Steve continued to lead the way. "Keep moving."

The kids kept walking for about a hundred feet until a scream made them stop dead in their tracks and run towards the sound.

"Dustin!" They called for him as he came into view, tripping over himself as he tried to run away from something.

"What happened?" Steve asked as they gathered around a still screaming Dustin. "What happened?"

"It's in my mouth!" Dustin yelled as he pulled down his bandanna. "Some got on my mouth! Shit!"

The others watched as he went into a coughing fit and spit some stuff out of his mouth. Once his coughing fit was done, he sat up, looking at the others. "I'm okay."

"You serious?" Max asked as they relaxed a little bit.

"Very funny, man," Steve shook his head as he stood back up. "Nice. Very nice."

"Jesus, what an idiot," Max sighed as she and the others started walking down the tunnel again.

"Hang on. Wait, wait," he called toward the others.

Dustin quickly caught up with them as they turned the corner one last time and found the hub they were looking for.

"All right, Wheeler," Steve said looking around at the hallowed area. "I think we found your hub."

Mike sighed and nodded. "Let's drench it."

The kids grabbed their supplies and started to pour chemicals and gasoline in every spot possible. They were ready to set this place up in flames.

***

Nikki looked around at all of the flecks of white floating around in the basement of the lab. She tried her best to avoid them but it was difficult with so many of them.

Lights flashed around them as they got closer to the gate and the only thing giving them a way to see was Hopper's flashlight.

With one last turned, they made it to a pair of doors that were the only thing keeping them from going into the room with the gate. They stopped just a few feet from the door and listened to the monsters roaring inside it.

"Stay here," Hopper instructed as he stepped closer. He turned a corner to take a look through another door that led to the room.

"El," Nikki whispered to her sister. She had noticed how tense the girl was since walking back in the lab and Nikki just wanted to help put the girl at ease. "It's going to be okay. I have a good feeling about this."

El turned to her with hopeful eyes. "You do?"

Nikki nodded truthfully as they joined hands just like they did when one of the girls needed comforting.

We're going to be alright.

Authors note
Hey! It's been a while, sorry about that. Ive gotten busy, but hopefully I'll be able to update more with my schedule starting to clear up before school starts.

Love ya!!❤️❤️❤️