The Good In You (Harringrove)

Chapter Thirteen: Dr. Owens

The crew sped into the parking lot of Hawkins Lab. Everyone got out and Hopper took the lead. Joyce and Billy following toe. They walked for a bit and Billy looked around at the unfamiliar place. It reminded him of a hospital because of the thin white walls, all the machinery, and the staff were dressed like nurses. However, Billy could tell this was far from a hospital.

They rounded a corner and Hopper came to an abrupt stop and knocked on a door that read "Dr. Sam Owens". There was a moment of silence before shuffling was heard and then the click of the door. In front of them stood a decently tall male who looked in his late 50s to early 60s. Billy was beyond himself. 'Why are we here and who the hell is this?' He thought.

Hopper turned to Billy as if he read his mind. "This is Dr. Sam Owens he has helped me and Joyce in the past in a situation a bit like this," Hopper said calmly. Billy just shook his head as they were lead to a small round table. Everyone took a seat and Hopper explained the whole situation. Billy couldn't get his mind off Steve. He just wanted him to be okay.

-

The small gas station was dimly lit. Meaning where ever Steve was there was electricity. He walked around the store shelves back to the freezers. The air around him was already very cold hence the snow that had been falling non stop. He opened the freezer door and stuck his hand inside. It felt colder than the thick cold air around him.

Steve snooped around a bit more before finding a place to settle down. After all Steve was extremely tired. His body felt weak like something was draining his energy. He sat in the floor of the gas station and began to drift off to sleep. However, he was rudely awakened by something wrapping around him and tying him to the floor. Steve panicked as he tried to get out of whatever was holding him down.

Steve looked down and saw something familiar... too familiar. "Vines," Steve whispered. He had seen them before when he, Mike, Dustin, Max, and Lucas went into an underground cave to distract the demodogs. Steve kicked at them before remembering he had a lighter in his pocket. He fished it out and sparked the flame. He began burning the vines and it worked. They curled up and moved away from him. Steve got up and sprinted to the other side of the store.

Steve was tired but he knew for his survival he had to push through it. If he fell asleep then he would for sure be asphyxiated by those vines. Suddenly it hit Steve as he walked outside... the snow, the freezing air, the vines, the abandoned places. 'I'm in the Upside-down,' Steve thought. Once Steve realized it his mind began racing. He didn't know what he was going to do. He thought the Upside-down was closed. Over and done with.

Whatever monster they were facing was so strong it could open portals from its dimension (the upside-down) to the real world. No one had even seen the monster but Steve dreaded that day. He needed to find a way to contact Eleven. Steve walked about. He passed many familiar buildings. He knew he was still in Hawkins. Steve came to the conclusion that if the monster was the way he got into the upside-down it would also serve as a way for him to get out.

Steve turned around and began to walk back to where he had originally woke up. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he could feel goose bumps pop up all over his skin. Finally, he reached his destination and crouched behind a tree. Off in the distance he could see something moving. Something big. It looked like the Shadow monster Will had drawn but solidified. Steve's breath hitched as he stared at the monster in-front of him in pure horror.

-

After the meeting, Dr. Owens called the lab's top scientists and they got to work. Everyone headed back to the warehouse. Billy walked around in the room they had heard the growls from. He began to cry as he thought about how scared Steve must be. Little did he know Steve was in the same room as him just in an alternate dimension. Somehow, someway Steve could hear Billy's sobs.

"Billy?" Steve stammered feeling himself tear up. Billy stopped and listened. He could have sworn he heard Steve calling for him. "Steve?" Billy whispered. Billy sat in silence. He thought his mind was playing tricks on when he heard a faint response, "i'm here," Steve said. Billy began to cry harder as Steve's words echoed in his head.

Hopper and Joyce came in the room to see a very distraught Billy on the floor. "Sweetie, it's ok we're gonna find him," Joyce said reassuringly. "It's not that... it's like I can hear him in here. I can feel his presence but I can't see him," Billy breathed out. Joyce looked at Hopper like they had some sort of realization. "What?" Billy said. "This happened to me when my son went missing in the upside-down. I saw Will in the wall but I couldn't get to him and people thought I was crazy. Steve is here. He is standing in the room with us," Joyce stuttered out. She had begun to cry.

The memories of losing Will flooded Joyce's head. She couldn't handle the thought that the upside-down was still accessible from this world or maybe it was the other way around. Joyce crouched down and brought Billy into a hug. They cried on the floor together and eventually Hopper joined the hug. "We'll find Steve and Will is safe," Hopper said matter-o-factly. That seemed to make the atmosphere lighten up a bit and they went back to find Dr. Owens who was doing samples on some gooey stuff they had found on the walls.

Billy sighed as he was fighting back tiredness. He wanted to sleep so bad but he couldn't knowing that his precious Steve wouldn't be in his arms tonight. Billy stood close to Joyce and she smiled at him and held his hand. Joyce was like a mother Billy had never had. His mom real mom left and Susan just didn't see Billy as her son. She loved him but Max was her only child and she spoiled her. Billy had always felt left out but Joyce had a lot of love to give. She always made Billy feel included.