𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

23

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒 emitted from the walkie talkie was undistinguishable between eleven or will. as sherrie gawked at the small speaker in both awe and terror, eleven shot up in the pool, her breathing frantic. she scared sheridan right out of her trance. the older girl's heartbeat and breathing had quickened as a result.

joyce hugged eleven tightly, not minding the soaking wet sleeves of her turtleneck. tears began to fall from eleven's eyes and cries escaped her lips. the byers woman praised the girl for her efforts and told her that it was okay. dani wiped tears from her own eyes.

the red-haired girl helped el out of the pool once she was ready. sherrie had a blanket in her open arms, wrapping it around the girl and rubbing her shoulders up and down. she guided her to the bleachers, where dustin, lucas, and mike followed. as dani continued her attempts in warming eleven up, mike's hand gently moved along her shoulder.

the group watched as joyce and jonathan followed hopper out of the building, seemingly in some sort of argument. the boys and eleven looked at sheridan with puzzled expressions. "i'm not leaving you guys," the older girl confirmed.

almost as if it was on cue, jonathan and nancy burst back into the gym. "dani, let's go!" jonathan hollered, headed towards the exit.

"huh?" she quizzed, her brows dipping in confusion. "what the hell are you talking about?"

"we're gonna put a stop to this once and for all," nancy declared as she headed towards the girl. jonathan huffed, as he had no choice but to follow her. "we're gonna kill this thing."

sheridan's mouth dropped open. "are you nuts?!" she asked, her voice booming. "there's no way i'm leaving them," the girl stated as she motioned towards the kids.

"if we draw it to the house, it won't come after them," jonathan reasoned. "plus, they have eleven; i think they'll be fine." sherrie turned her head to look at the four. they all gave their silent approval.

"we could really use your help, dani," nancy spoke in a hushed tone. the girls locked eyes, nancy giving a small, thin-lipped smile. sherrie bowed her head and sighed. after a moment of contemplation, she agreed.

"call the house if you need anything!" sheridan called out to the kids from across the gym as she followed nancy and jonathan outside. the girl dashed outside to betsy, climbing in after her brother and nancy. "rock the casbah" from the clash's combat rock album poured from the system. a sigh escaped dani's wide smile. "let's go kill this son of a bitch."

✽

𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 hawkins police station for the confiscated monster-hunting supplies, the three found home-base at the byers household. sheridan finished redoing the entirety of the christmas lights while jonathan and nancy added an extra measure of protection to the bear trap. "holy shit," the girl heaved out as she stretched, "my arms hurt."

"for will," jonathan reminded his sister. right. for will.