The Side Ways [mileven]

chapter 5 - the questions

Dustin's point of view...

We all had stopped in our tracks. All four of us. Lucas, Mike, Will, and myself. We were all walking home from school with our bikes, being it was a nicer day than it has been and we were in no hurry. We were all planning on going to Lucas' house to hang out for a bit, but it's not like we could all continue to carry on like everything was fine at the moment.

All of us had looked around at each other with the same look of confusion on our faces, except for Mike. He was focused on the intercom as if it was the only thing that existed in the world.

"Mike, it's me," the soft voice spoke. It was Eleven. Everyone could tell. This wasn't a joke or prank. This was real and this was serious. Almost none of us knew how to directly respond. "W-Where are you?" Mike asked. He was stuttering and I could tell that he was totally freaking out. "Home...but...n-not h-h-home..." she said. Her voice was shaking, and I guessed that she was crying. I bit my lip as I felt instantly sympathetic for her. Mike just looked worried. "She didn't say Upside Down," Lucas pointed out. "That's true," I joined in. "Creature," Eleven began to say again. "Creatures everywhere. Beasts and creatures I don't know." At this point, Mike looked so on edge, I was afraid he was going to start shaking or something.

"Not The Upside Down?"

"No."

"Are they bad creatures?"

"Some bad. Some kind. Some cute. Some ugly."

I narrowed my eyes, totally confused. I don't have the slightest clue as to how everything is happening or why it's happening. "W-Where are you, El? Where are you at home?" Mike asked. There was a slight pause before we heard "Will." "Will," Mike repeated. We all looked at Will and he was looking at the ground, wide eyed. "The water.." he mumbled. "What?" Lucas asked him. "Shut up a minute," I exclaimed, making it quiet so Mike could continue to talk to our friend whom we haven't seen in months.

"Look outside. Tell me what you see," Mike said. We heard movement coming from the device as we all circled around Mike to hear better. Eleven gasped quietly and there was a rustling sound, then a pause. We awaited an answer. "Sun. Grass. Everything is light. Big dark creature is there with sharp and dangerous teeth. Can't tell.." "El, it's okay. Just- anything else you see?" Mike had interrupted. We had to keep in mind that El was only exposed to so much in the lab. That's also why her vocabulary is small. She didn't get a proper education. She only learned what she was exposed to, and though she was exposed to some pretty badass stuff, this wasn't a time where that came in handy.

"Small creatures. Pretty. White...white and a little pink. Pink..tail?" There was a questioning sound in her voice. I think she was questioning if she was using or pronouncing that word right. Something along those lines. There was a brief silence. "Mouse?" Lucas had suggested. We all slowly nodded, agreeing that that could be a logical answer. What could the big dark creature be?

"Anything more?" Mike asked. "M-Mike....c-c-can't h-hold....-nn.." Eleven's voice was starting to fade in and out now. It'd more than likely be different if she wasn't communicating through the intercom, for one. And also if she wasn't in a different dimension, but being on the device for so long probably is draining her out. If she's on it for too long, she'll pass out. Mike became frantic. "No, no, no..El, please! Stay a little longer, just a little longer, okay?" His voice was shaking, and it honestly almost sounded like he was on the edge of tears. I mean, damn, I knew he liked the girl, but not this much. We know she's out there and still alive, for crying out loud, and he's crying because she can't talk anymore at this exact moment. Wow.

"T-Tal-....-terrrr....-p-promise," was the last thing that we all heard, before you could here no more sound, not even static from the intercom. "Talk later, promise," Lucas interpreted. Mike's arm fell at his side. I put my hand on his shoulder. Everyone was in pure shock, so I guess it's time for me to put some sense into this.