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Forty Four

Allison was encompassed by a soft and gentle warmth as she drifted through the vast emptiness, where nothing seemed to matter. She was blissfully unaware of how much time had passed or what had happened since the battle at Starcourt Mall, nor did she care enough to wonder. She was free from it all, human emotions, pain and obligations, until she wasn't.

Everything came flooding back at once, shattering the sense of peace that she had become accustomed to. Suddenly, there was an overwhelming need to know how things had ended, if they had won and if the people she loved had survived. Terrified of what she might be returning to, she braced herself for impact and forced herself out of the void that she had been floating through.

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking continuously until they had adjusted to the light. Every inch of her body seemed to ache, making her thankful for the soft surface that she was laying on. Allison glanced down at her hands and wiggled her fingers, then turned her head to find a pair of feet propped up on the bed next to her.

Squinting to focus, she realized that the feet belonged to Dustin, who was leaning back in a chair with his face buried in a comic book. Allison opened her mouth to speak, but the air caught in her dry throat, causing her to have a coughing fit. The sudden outburst startled Dustin and he threw down his comic book, and began shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Jesus Christ! You're awake. Guys, she's awake! Holy shit!",his shrill screams, amplified Allison's already throbbing headache as everyone ran into the Byers' small spare room and gathered around the bed.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Buddy!", Steve exclaimed, moving close enough for Allison to see the bruise under his eye and how it had faded from a deep purple to a dull yellow, since the last time she had seen him.

"How are you feeling?", Joyce asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Allison responded by opening her mouth and pointing at her throat. "Oh, of course! You could probably use some water. Honey, can you pass Allison that cup beside you?", Joyce instucted Jonathan, who nodded and grabbed the cup and held it to Allison's lips.

"You might wanna take it easy, you've been out for awhile.",Jonathan suggested, pulling the cup away from Allison.

"Three days!", Robin blurted out from where she stood next to Steve. "Just in case you were wondering...",she trailed off, shifting uncomfortably under the other's looks disapproval.

"Thank you.", Allison croaked, giving Robin the best smile that she could muster.

Upon hearing the sound of her voice, Eleven and Nancy, who were both standing at the foot of the bed, burst into tears. Nancy buried her face against Jonathan's chest, continuing to sniffle, while Eleven jumped onto the bed and nestled up next to Allison, sobbing heavily on her shoulder.

So scared. Thought you were dead. Can't lose you too.

"Lose me too? Who died?", Allison asked abruptly, upon hearing Eleven's thoughts. "Who died!?", she demanded a second time, struggling to sit up against the pillow.

"Hopper.",Joyce stated, blinking back tears. "I'm so sorry-"

"How?"

"He did what he had to do, to save the rest of us.", she answered vaguely, unable to look Allison in the eyes.

"Show me.", Allison insisted, placing her hand on top of Joyce's, immediately being flooded with images.

A fight. Hopper winning, but getting trapped too close to the machine that held open the Gate.

Acceptance.

Shared eye contact through the glass of the control room. A million unspoken words. Joyce shutting off the machine.