003 ➳ stranger things [1]

Chapter 9: Home

Erin plopped straight on her bed as soon as they made it back to Hawkins, closing her eyes and feeling them sting. The drive home was longer then expected, after dropping every number at their house. Erin felt the sweet comfort of being back at the cabin.

Mostly everyone was over, the party, the older kids, and, Joyce and Hopper. Cassidy was over, and crashed on the floor after Joyce laid blankets and pillows on the floor. Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan all had to share a bed, which everyone thought was hilarious because Steve was in the middle of the couple. El and Mike were talking on the swing set outside. You could still here the voices of Joyce and Hopper talking from Hopper's room. Dustin, Max, Lucas, and Will were fast asleep on the porch, and Erin fell asleep.

The next morning, Hopper and Joyce were laughing in the kitchen after making oodles and oodles of eggos for everyone, along with eggs for a "well balanced breakfast with sugar and protein" according to Joyce. You could tell the two were in love.

El and Mike were cuddling outside, still sleeping because they stayed up so long. Hopper shared his thoughts about the two as Erin and Cassidy walked outside.

"They're thirteen. They shouldn't be dating." Hopper sighed.

"They're kids, Hop," Joyce smiled while she put the plates down for Cassidy and Erin. "Let them have fun. We were kids once."

Cassidy and Erin exchanged looks, giggled, then dug into their food. Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan woke up to see them talking. Dustin, Lucas, Mike, Max, and Eleven walked in from being outside.

"I lied." Erin sighed.

"What?" Cassidy looked up at Erin with a piece of eggo in her mouth.

"I told you guys," Erin looked at Dustin and everybody else. "That I didn't have any visions recently."

"You've had more?" Max stepped forward.

"That's what I'm saying. I've had a lot more." Erin sighed.

"About?" El asked.

"This giant spider thing with a weird face, in a dark place. I call it the other side." Erin explained.

"The upside down." Nancy stated.

"I've had one just recently but I brushed it off." Cassidy shrugged.

"When?" Lucas asked.

"The night before you came to Boston. I saw Kali, you," Cassidy pointed at Will. "And you," She pointed at El, "And I saw Erin. We were all arguing."

"I had the same one. When I fell down on my bike that same night." Erin explained.

"That's what you saw?" Mike aggressively asked.

"Yes that's what I just said." Erin nodded her head.

"This is way crazier then a frigging girl opening the door with her mind." Steve muttered under his breath.

"Twin telepathy." Jonathan nodded.

"What?" Cassidy and Erin asked at the same time, then exchanged looks.

"You guys are twins right?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah." They said, again at the same time.

"That's fucking crazy." Steve nodded, wide-eyed.

"What if the reason why you had visions of the same thing at the same time is because of twin telepathy." Jonathan explained.

"Well that could explain a lot." Erin sighed.

"Guys, the vision thing?" Mike reminded them.

"Oh yeah, what about it?" Cassidy asked, finishing her eggos.

"It's called the mind flayer," Will spoke up. "And the other side, is the upside down."

"Is this some dnd bullshit?" Erin asked.

"Hey, language." Hopper corrected her.

"The demodogs, the demogorgan, they're all connected. It's like an animal species." Dustin explained.

"Okay so what does this mind flayer thing fit into it?" Erin asked.

"It's like the mother of all of it," Will paused. "It created everything."

"You've seen it." Cassidy stated, narrowing her eyes.

"In one of his episodes." Mike spoke up for him.

"I need to call Kali." Erin shook her head.

"I can get you to a phone." Joyce suggested.

--

Erin leaned against the telephone booth, with the phone against her ear.

"Who is this?" The voice on the phone asked.

"Erin Johnson." Erin gulped.

"Hey you okay?" Kali asked.

"How fast can you get to Hawkins?" Erin ignored her question.

"I swore I would never go back-"

"Eleven and I need you."

"Pick me up at Indianapolis airport in three hours." Kali said, and then hung up.

Erin put the phone on the hook, and walked over to Joyce.

"She said she'd meet us at Indianapolis airport in three hours." Erin nodded.

"Okay, okay we can get you there." Joyce nodded.