Shadows of the Night •a Stranger Things story•

You're Free

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The sound of Nine and Lisa's shallow breathing is about the only other thing that Lisa can hear aside from their quick-paced footsteps. They're nearly free; they have to get to the elevator and up above ground level. With the power out, they'll have to take the stairs. Either way, it'll be hard to escape if they get caught, but it is the risk that they have to take.

Lisa comes around the corner of the hallway with the elevator and the emergency stairway. The two of them slow, seeing a pair of guards standing by the elevator. Lisa waves her hand, gesturing for Nine to hide behind her.

"Hey! Who's there!" one of the men yells.

Lisa shines her flashlight on herself. "It's me," she calls, panting slightly. "Lisa. Lisa Drewins." She carefully makes her way toward the guards and the elevator, hoping that Nine stays out of sight and in the darkness; in her shadow. "I'm looking for the stairs back upstairs. Subject Nine is calm again, back to bed," she comments.

"We're working on getting the power back on, Ms. Drewins."

Lisa recognizes Tim's face as she approaches. She stops, standing tall. She can feel the heat radiating off of Nine, against her back. He's growing impatient, nervous. His adrenaline is pumping. Lisa breathes deeply, hoping Nine will follow suit and take a deep breath.

"Thank you, Tim. You'll have to check in on him once you get the power back on. If you don't mind?"

"Not at all, Ms. Drewins. The stairs are off to your right, through that door." Tim points to the door on the right at the end of the hallway with his flashlight. Lisa bobs her head slightly. "You shouldn't have any problems, but watch your step."

"Thank you." Lisa carefully turns her body away from them, ushering Nine in front of her silently. "Have a good night, gentlemen." The two of them walk further into the darkness, away from the guards and toward the exit to their hopeful freedom. Just as Lisa reaches the door to the stairwell, the back-up generator kicks in, and the lights slowly flicker on one by one, traveling down the hallway and towards Lisa and Nine. Lisa's eyes widen in horror at the realization that they have been discovered, and Robbie was unsuccessful at keeping the power off.

"Run!" she hisses at Nine, who pushes the door open forcefully.

Behind them, the guards shout in protest. Lisa and Nine sprint up the stairs. Lisa hurries past him, opening the door for him to duck through. She follows after Nine, slamming the door as the guards make their way up the stairs. Lisa. reaches for the first thing she can find, a desk chair. She shoves it against the door, knowing it won't hold forever. She whirls back around, grabbing Nine's hand and pulling him toward the front doors of the lab. She can hear the guards slam against the door and the chair strains slightly. Lisa and Nine open the front doors, stepping outside.

"Drewins!" Tim shouts.

The glass window near them shatters from a rain of bullets. Lisa gasps, yanking Nine into her body to protect him. "The car, Nine!" She points to it, pushing him to run.

Near the back-up generator, Robbie is struggling to wrestle a gun from a guard, who discovered him when coming to turn the back-up generator on. He's pinned to the ground, trying to wiggle his elbows out for leverage. Robbie and the guard hear the gunshots shatter the glass. The two of them flinch, and this is enough time for Robbie to get away from the guard's grip. He gets on his knees, driving a fist into the man's nose. The guard drops from surprise.

"Lisa!"

Robbie hears the faint sound of Lisa's voice yelling back to him. He scrambles forward in a rush, coming to the front of the building. He sees Lisa and Nine running down the block. Two guards are climbing through the shattered windows of Columbus Lab. Robbie sprints, using every once of energy he has to catch up to Lisa and Nine, who've nearly reached Robbie's car.

Lisa turns when she reaches the driver's side, hoping inside and reaching for the keys. She turns the car on and it hums to life. Nine is opening the door to the backseat, locking eyes with someone that he doesn't know at all, but recognizes from Chris's memories.

His brother.

His brother, who is not going to make it. A guard tackles Robbie to the ground, and Lisa shouts in disappointment, calling Robbie's name again. Nine backs away from the car, much to Lisa's disapproval.

"Nine? Nine! Get in the car!"

Nine runs toward his brother and the guard, who are fighting, taking hits and blows from one another, just as the other guards make it outside of the lab. Nine reaches the guard, placing a firm hand on the man's throat. The guard cries out in horror and unimaginable pain as his neck starts to burn, turning red and bubbling.

Robbie cowers away in shock for a moment, watching the guard sink back and claw at Nine's hand. Robbie quickly rises to his feet, noticing the two guards approaching. He picks up his brother, ignoring the heat radiating off of him, and sprints to the car, diving into the backseat. Lisa steps on the gas, the tires squealing as she peels down the road, trying to avoid the gunshots. She exits onto the main road, blending in with other cars as Nine slams the car door shut and the two Jones brothers collapse against the leather seats.

Lisa throws a look at Robbie through her rearview mirror, panting. She exhales loudly then laughs a little. Robbie's features relax, and his mouth tips upward in a smile.

"Oh my God," she says. She faces Nine in the backseat, who stares between the two of them, completely overwhelmed. "You're free."

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I'm getting more and more excited to share each chapter with you! Hope you all feel the same way!
• Kate