"either way, we're not alone..."
In which Sophie Hargrove struggles to close off her heart, especially when she starts to let Steve Harrington in.
STRANGER THINGS
SEASON TWO - SEASON FIVE
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
***
The mix of teens and kids squabbled, their voices overlapping as they discussed the whereabouts of Mike and Will. It turned out that Nancy and Jonathan were out of town for the last few days, doing something they deemed important but would not reveal to the group. There was just something off about this whole situation.
In the middle of their various conversations, Nancy pushed through the group, stepping forward. "The power's back."
They spun around, stunned into silence. Light poured through the windows, the floors illuminating one by one. Guttural growls and twisted screams echoed from within, still foreboding. Even with the power back on, the building still didn't feel safe.
Jonathan sprinted to the security cubicle outside the main gate, pressing a button to open it. The group stared back at the gate, but nothing happened. Jonathan tried again, pressing it even harder -- still nothing.
He kept trying until Dustin approached him. "Let me try."
"Hang on-" he argued.
"Let me try, Jonathan!" He shoved the older boy out of the way, trying the button himself. Dustin stuck his thumb against the round, yellow disc, his fingers gripping the side of the cubicle as he pressed it several times. The gates and doors must run on a different power system than the rest of the building. "Son of a bitch! You know what..." Dustin smashed his palm over the button, holding it down.
For a moment, nothing happened -- until they heard a faint click and the gate began to open, skidding against the dirt as it provided them entry.
"Hey! I got it!" Dustin believed; his smile wide. "I got it!"
Nancy and Jonathan sped for their car, jumping into the front seats and starting the ignition. Before the others could question them, they raced off, heading through the gate towards certain danger.
They stood there in the dark, watching the headlights fade. Sophie blinked, her lips parting. "You guys are just," she exhaled, glancing at Steve, " you're not afraid to walk headfirst into danger, are you?"
"Yeah, I know." He agreed. "We're a bunch of clueless idiots."
"Do we just wait for them now?" she asked.
Steve returned a look of concern. "Do you wanna go in there?"
A faint scream echoed in the distance, drawing her attention back to the lab. The flickering lights were jarring, and dread gnawed at the pit of her stomach. Her throat tensed, dry from a lack of hydration. "Not really, no."
So, they waited. Steve helped Sophie into the security cubicle, giving her injured leg a rest. It soothed the cramping a little, numbness spreading through her shin.
Dustin and Lucas weren't speaking to each other, their blatant lies causing a light fracture in their friendship. On the other hand, Max stood by the gate, hoping the teens would return safe and sound. The sisters' worlds had been flipped upside down – everything they had ever known was tossed out the window. This was the reality of their situation; monsters were real, and they just had to accept that.
