Healing ||mileven||

Let's go

Unbeknownst to them, one of the teams from the lab had seen the people on their watch list gathering, unexpected groupings of people such as Hop, Nancy, and Jonathan meeting at all hours, and had followed them from a distance. They couldn't find their exact location without giving themselves away, but they knew they were close to something important.

"Doctor Brenner, we think one of our teams has found something. Everyone on the list has been gathering in the woods. We don't know their exact location, but..."

"Get everyone out there looking, pull everyone, got it? And remember, I want eleven back alive...try not to hurt the others, cover ups are always so fucking messy, and this will be a nightmare with those fucking kids involved".

...........................

Hopper, Joyce, Nancy, and Jonathan made their way back to Hopper's car. "I'll drop you and Nancy at the station, fill in that paperwork, ok?" he said to Joyce. "You're with me" he said, turning to Jonathan who gave him a quizzical look, "we're gonna make sure that they can't make it to the beach from the lab...just in case things go south".

Hopper grabbed the chainsaw and began to cut the biggest tree he could find to block the road, "hey, do you know what you're doing?" asked Jonathan, nervously.

"Ha, not really kid, but this is the quickest way...how hard can it be, right?" said Hopper, hoping more than anything that he'd be able to manage it. "Just keep an eye out and make sure I'm not gonna kill myself". Jonathan chuckled and nodded in understanding. An hour, and 3 trees later, they'd done it, the road was impassable by anything other than a person on foot, and the nearest way around was a good hour's drive away. "Let's get back, hopefully your mom has finished the paperwork...I can fax it over and El will be legal by this evening" said Hopper, slapping Jonathan on the shoulder in satisfaction.

...........................

"Jeez, could these forms be any more complicated?" said Joyce in exasperation.

Nancy laughed, "come on, we can do it".

"Do you think it's possible, Nancy? That after all of this she can just settle into a normal life with me? I mean, do you think I can do this?"

"I think what you're doing is amazing, and yes, I think with everyone supporting her you guys will be fine" said Nancy, supportively. "Besides, Mike won't let anything bad happen, don't say anything but he totally loves her", they both giggled talking about how cute it was.

...........................

"Hey El?" said Max, approaching where she sat, leaning on Mike's shoulder.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry". El looked confused and shook her head slightly to indicate as such. "I'm sorry I brought everyone here, I broke your trust...but I was worried about you, all alone..."

"No" said El simply.

"No?" Misunderstanding what El just said, Max's shoulders sagged, she looked dejected and started walking away, "I'm sorry" she whispered, half turning back, then walking away. After a few steps she felt a tug on her shoulder turning her around.

"No, Max, no sorry is needed. I was alone and sad, now I have Mike" explained El, while a small smile flashed across her face.

Max threw her arms around El, "thank you". El just stood there, arms by her side, not knowing how to react at first, but slowly she raised her arms and returned the hug. It was suddenly interrupted by Lucas running towards them, "guys...guys..." he said breathlessly, "I was just taking a piss and saw some guys out there, they had radios...some had guns".

"Shit, what are we gonna do?" said Dustin.

"Show us where you saw them" said Mike. Lucas led them to the edge, to a place where they could just about see the outside without being seen themselves, and they all saw the men clearly searching the area.

"Follow me" said El, calmly. Mike knew she was anything but, he understood her like no one else and could see the tiny changes in her expression giving away her fear. He squeezed her hand in reassurance, to let her know that he was here. She gave him a small smile and continued on. "There", she said pointing at a rocky outcrop, "up and through the gap, Max go first, me last".

"No way!" said Mike, "I'm not letting you go last".

"I will close the gap, it is too heavy for you" she explained. Mike nodded, clearly not happy with the situation. Max scrambled up the rocks and found the gap, it was like a small tunnel, formed during a landslide, where a large rock had fallen and wedged between 2 others. The boys followed close behind, crawling through and emerging the other side, careful to keep a low profile. Mike helped El climb the rocks until they reached the gap, "go Mike" she said with some urgency. As he reached the other side of the gap he looked back to help El through, but she hadn't followed him.

"El? El where are you? Eleven!" It was like his nightmares come true, taking him back to that classroom almost a year ago. "EL!" He crawled partway back to find her when she leant over to look at him, but he knew that there was something wrong, the panic on her face telling him everything.

"Mike" she said, "run".

Over her shoulder, he could see the bad men running towards them, pointing, guns ready. "Go Mike, I'll stop them, go". She knew that to protect her friends she'd have to stay and face the bad men, but she was stronger now, had more control than she'd ever had before, and she had the most powerful thing of all, something to live for.

"No, El! I won't leave you...I won't lose you again" said Mike through tears.

"Please, Mike, please go...I'll find you".

"Promise?"

"Promise".

With that, he stumbled backwards into Max, El collapsing the tunnel behind him. "Mike? Where is she?" asked a concerned Max.

"She...they found her...she stayed behind...so we'd be safe" he said through his tears, why can't I protect her... "she said she'd meet us, she knows where to go" he added, more confidently.

"But how is she meant to get out of there? They have guns for fucks sake!" said Max.

"That won't be a problem" said Lucas, remembering the previous year, "trust me, they don't stand a chance".

"But...they have guns...like real guns".

"Max, trust us, she can do it" said Dustin.

"Let's go" said Will, "it's going to take a while to get there, and we'll have to be careful not to be seen, there's going to be other bad men looking". They all nodded in agreement, and set off single file, as quietly and stealthily as possible.

...........................

Meanwhile, El was cornered on the outcrop, surrounded by a dozen men with guns. "Come down Eleven, your Papa is waiting for you".

At the mention of her Papa her stomach knotted, she almost choked at his mention, a rush of half-forgotten memories flashing before her eyes. "No" she said, simply.

She saw a man at the back talking into his radio, he nodded at the others, "take her, alive".

She knew what was going to happen, she hadn't had to do it in such a long time and the thought of having to hurt anyone again hurt inside. It felt like all the progress she'd made would be wiped out, she'd regress to that mess of a girl, lost in the woods with no one to help her. She closed her eyes momentarily, steeling herself. Opening them again, she lowered her head, concentrating on the men approaching. They all dropped to the ground, as did she moments after checking that they were all down. There she laid for over half an hour, most of the time awake, but unable to move from fatigue. She eventually found the strength to move, and made her way away from the scene. Knowing that there would be more men she ran silently in the direction of the quarry.

...........................