The Stancy Files

Chapter 25: The Dark Days

Summer in Hawkins had always been fun, laid-back, and bright for as long as the families there could recall. But everything was different this year. Last summer had been a mess because of July 4th. When the mall "burned down" with over thirty people dying in the process, the evil that lay beneath the surface of Hawkins became clear. Nothing had gone right in the past year. Only eight months after the battle at Starcourt, tragedy struck the small town once again. School went back about a month after the "earthquake", but the mood was down. Nancy empathetically understood why. Steve wasn't as aware because he wasn't in school anymore, but the town of Hawkins as a whole was in a very dark, desperate state of mind.

There was only one thing on the mind of the residents of Hawkins: survival.

"He's still here. He's coming back. I know it. I can feel it," Will told El, Mike, and Nancy. The four had gathered in the Wheeler's basement after Will had called Mike and told him about his visions. A dark shadow passed across Nancy's face. "We should call the others. They need to hear about it. From you. We have to do something and come up with a plan. A plan that will promise success. Not like last time." El had a serious facial expression. "Yes. I can call Hop and Jonathan and Joyce. And Max." Mike blinked, unphased. "I'll call Lucas, Dustin, and Erica." Nancy breathed out a heavy breath. "I'll make sure to call Steve and Robin." She faced Will. "Don't worry about anything else... just focus on what you know. If we're gonna make a plan, we're gonna need all the information we can get."

Joyce and Hopper were out, but Jonathan answered and was on his way to his brother once he got the message. Steve and Robin dropped everything to talk to Nancy and the others. Dustin rode with them. Lucas and Erica picked up Max on the way to the Wheeler's.

Ding dong. A ring came from the Wheeler's front door. Nancy walked over to see who'd come first. A worried but grateful face looked up to her surprise. "Steve, hey. Come in." The shaggy-haired brunette walked in with Dustin and Robin trailing in behind him. His eyes quickly flickered to Nancy's. He swallowed nervously. "Who's here? I mean... I know everyone's coming but..." Steve didn't finish his sentence. Nancy knew what he was pointing at. "Don't worry, he's not here yet. But he has to come, you know that." Steve nodded. "Yeah. Yeah-- I just-- I wasn't sure with everything that happened." Robin's eyes flickered between her two anxious, flirting friends. "You're kidding. Jonathan's coming?" Nancy nodded, looking down at the floor. "He's a part of this, whether we like it or not." El listened intently, and a little confused, to the trio's subtle conversation. "You- you broke up. But he still loves you. Right?" Will flashed her a look that said not the time or the place. Nancy flinched at the comment. "I guess whatever he thinks love is--sure." Mike's eyes never left Steve. He didn't know what to think about him- even after all that had happened. Jonathan wasn't in the right, but neither was Steve, right? Plus, for all he knew, Steve had been a total douche to his sister when they'd dated in high school. Knock knock knock rattled the door. A familiar voice called through the wood. "Anyone home?" It was Jonathan. Will looked up immediately. He knew this was going to be awkward, in more ways than one. His brother was the only one who knew about his crush on Mike. Mike slowly walked to open the door. "Jonathan, hey, how are you?" The boy shrugged. His eyes were fixated on Nancy as soon as he saw her. "Nancy, are you okay. Are you hurt?" He asked. She ignored his questions, trying not to indulge in the friendship. Carefully avoiding her ex's eyes, she stepped back more towards Steve. The Sinclairs, Max, Joyce, and Hopper arrived soon later, and the awkward conversations came to a halt.

After Will told the group of heroes about his visions, they collectively came up with a plan. The monsters-- they were coming into Hawkins-- there was no doubt about it. There had been rumors of "bigfoot" and "strange creature" sightings in the town at night for the past few weeks. The army of evil was making its way into the people of Hawkins's daily lives, into their neighborhoods, and their homes. The plan wouldn't be put into motion yet, but soon. El would look for the monsters in the mind realm with Will and Max by her side. The three friends were the most powerful with the creatures of the Upside Down because they'd had the most personal interactions with them. Once they found them, Hopper, Joyce, Murray, Nancy, Steve, and Robin would go with them. Jonathan would stay with the teens. It was decided it would be best for him to stay with them instead of getting frustrated being around Steve and Nancy together while they acted all lovey-dovey. El would be fighting remotely, it was safest for what was going to happen. From there, the teens would lure the monsters to themselves, and the adults would attack from the sides. It would easily be a face-off between 001 and 011.

Once the group disassembled from the meeting, Steve decided to stick around for a bit. Nancy had told him she needed to talk to him. He followed the girl up to her room in silence. They sat together on the edge of her bed.

Nancy breathed out a heavy breath, scared about what she had to say. "I-- I know we're not together right now. And we both know things... might not go as planned with what we're about to pull off," her voice almost broke. Nancy anxiously took Steve's hand into hers. "But I want you to know how much I care about you. And-- if something happens, I just-- I want you to remember how much I love you. I don't want to hold you back. Especially if something happens. And I know how much you care for me, even 'broken up.' You owe it to yourself to move on. To find love again. To live freely and to live out your dreams. Don't let me hold you back." Steve focused intensely on her eyes. "Nance, nothing's going to happen. I don't want anyone but you. You're the only person who could ever be a part of those dreams." Nancy's heart started beating rapidly as she became more anxious, overthinking all of the horrifying scenarios that could happen with the plan. "But Steve, we don't know that it's going to be okay. If everything happens-- I-- I'll probably be gone. There won't be an us left. There won't be a me left."

As the girl's eyes began to water, Steve took her other hand in his, wanting to look her directly in the eyes as he told her what he believed wholeheartedly. "Nancy, you're always going to be here. Always. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. We're both going to make it out. I don't know if we'll be hurt at all- and yeah, honestly, we probably will be to a point- but we're both here. Both of us." A single tear rolled down Nancy's face. The two sat together in silence in each other's embrace. To make themselves more at peace, Nancy played one of her favorite songs. How Deep is Your Love was a song that Nancy had grown up with. Saturday Night Fever had always made her feel understood considering her family life. The lyrics echoed in the couple's mind as the sun went down and a beautiful orange sunset painted the Indiana sky.

🎶I know your eyes in the morning sun, I feel you touch me in the pouring rain, And the moment that you wander far from me, I wanna feel you in my arms again🎶

🎶And you come to me on a summer breeze, Keep me warm in your love, Then you softly leave, And it's me you need to show, How deep is your love? How deep is your love? How deep is your love?🎶

🎶'Cause we're living in a world of fools, Breakin' us down, When they all should let us be, We belong to you and me🎶

🎶I believe in you, You know the door to my very soul, You're the light in my deepest, darkest hour, You're my savior when I fall🎶

. . . . . .

🎶'Cause we're living in a world of fools, Breakin' us down, When they all should let us be, We belong to you and me🎶