003 ➳ stranger things [1]

Chapter 15: Wake Up Call

"Erin," Nancy's voice echoed throughout Erin's head, Erin not responding.

"Erin?" This time, it was Eleven's voice.

"Blackness..." Erin whispered, still in her trance.

"Erin," Dustin's voice called, snapping Erin out. "Erin."

Erin sat up, the water covering her entire legs. She moved her goggles off her head, bringing them down with her hand. She looked up to her right, noticing Dustin's panicked face. She looked around at everyone, with everyone concerned.

"What?" Erin frantically looked around.

"What the hell did you see?" Mike asked

--

Max and Cassidy sat in the back, while Kali and Joyce were up front. The drive home was mostly silent, with little to no small talk. Cassidy looked over at Max; who was spinning the bat, examining it.

"Hey Max," Cassidy paused, Max looking up at her. "What was Erin like when you first met her?"

"When I first met her? She was mostly happy, with a few sad bits." Max explained.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like, she was happy but had these sad pauses. I'm pretty sure it was because she was remembering you." Max smiled, putting her elbows on her knee.

"Does Dustin like anyone?" Cassidy quickly changed the subject.

"Uh he liked me at one point, but I chose Lucas."

"Why'd you chose Lucas?"

"It's not the question why I didn't, but a question why I did."

"That was wise."

"Yeah, I have a habit of saying wise things."

"You're not saying all that your thinking."

"Dammit I forgot you can read minds now."

"Max why are you thinking about the- snowball?"

"The snowball is a middle school dance where I kissed Lucas. Dustin danced with Nancy, Mike and El danced, and Will danced with some chick."

"Dustin danced with Nancy?"

"Yeah, Dustin sat on the bleachers crying and Nancy danced with him."

"You felt bad for him."

"Yeah, I kind of did. I mean, most people would," Max shrugged, leading to silence. "I wonder what they're doing."

--

"You muttered bad words..." Eleven stammered.

"What?" Erin asked, confused.

"You literally said sinkholes, blackness, and Eleven." Dustin looked at Eleven, then turned back towards Erin.

"I saw sinkholes in the upsidedown. They were all glowing red, and I went through one. On the other side, the sinkhole I went through was bleeding black. I looked in front of me, and Eleven and I stood standing; our eyes, ears, mouths, and noses were all bleeding black." Erin explained.

"Before you came into the room, Dr. Owens explained that you two have to destroy the shadow monster. But you would have to die." Hopper stammered, Eleven and Erin frantically looking at him.

"There has to be some other way-" Dustin shook his head.

"He said there is, but more people would have to die." Hopper's expression was sad, almost dark.

"So I have to die." Erin said, her voice trembling and tears swelling in her eyes.

"Mike..." Eleven hopelessly looked up at Mike, tears were in both of their eyes.

"But that's not going to happen, right?" Nancy looked up at Hopper.

"There has to be some other way, right?" Jonathan pleaded.

"We could try where we get everyone." Will suggested.

"That could work." Erin wiped the tears from her eyes.

"We could try." Lucas nodded.

"But didn't Kali, Will, El, and Erin all kill about a hundred people on their own?" Nancy asked.

"With Erin and Cassidy's new found powers-" Jonathan said.

"We could kill a bunch of demogorgans or demodogs and postpone destroying the shawdow monster." Will added on.

"That would be a lot better." Erin nodded.

"And would take less lives." Mike looked around.

"But we would be weakened. We'd need to get our energy to full and then go down," Erin added on. "Chocolate pudding always strangely helped."

"It helped me too." El smiled at Dustin and Lucas, remembering that night.

The truck pulled onto the driveway, making branches crack. The whole group looked around at each other, smiling. There were slams from the car doors, and Joyce, Kali, Cassidy and Max came from the side.

"What happened?" Cassidy looked at Erin and Will, who were wrapped in towels.

"We did a deprivation tank." Jonathan explained.

"Why?" Max stepped forward.

"To see what's happening in the upside down," Eleven paused. "It's bad."