Chapter Text
She was in Haddonfield– yes, actual Haddonfield, Illinois. The real place where she was born and raised and knew like the back of her hand, not the fake, soulless copy that Entity had conjured up. No generators, no hooks, you could walk and walk on forever until you exited the town and went into the next. Time and time again, Laurie had gotten into her car and drove for hours, just to prove to herself that she wasn’t trapped.
The neighborhood she was in– her neighborhood– was simply a long street with houses dotted along the sides, lined with sidewalks and trees, autumn leaves littering the floor. There were millions like it in the country, she guessed. Visually, anyway. There were the same houses she had played with childhood friends in until dark, the same nearby high school that took in new students year after year, the same trees that would provide shade for them. The same pavement she had walked with friends on, books in their arms.
So many of those old friends she would never see again.
It was so quiet, so empty, it was unnerving. Cool October wind gliding through her hair, she looked around, feeling dizzy at the pure emptiness. Where was everyone? A part of her wondered, does it even matter where they are? It’s meant to be like this.
It’s meant to be empty and stagnant. It’s meant to be only you and a Shape you never quite catch.
The world swirled under her feet.
“Laurie!” a voice called, cutting through it all. The world came to a halt.
Nancy. Her heart swelled. Nancy Wheeler, her partner, her friend, her confidant. No, this place wasn’t empty, if Nancy was here and calm then it wasn’t empty and she wasn’t back in it all again. She was okay.
Laurie watched through her own eyes as she turned to face the girl. Part of herself registered that she wasn’t in control of her own body, but at the same time, she was. Moving, talking, breathing, it was her, but it wasn’t. Little movements could be hers, but not enough. Laurie focused on the girl in front of her, hoping it would be grounding.
Nancy was dressed in something like her usual outfits. A button up with a vest for the chilling Halloween night, a jacket on top, dark red pants– all of it was red, except for her usual bag on her shoulder. On Nancy’s head sat a pair of devil horns, a matching tail attached somewhere at the waist.
“Wow, you…” Nancy started, trailing off as their eyes met. She glanced around, as if looking for eavesdroppers, before leaning in, cupping a hand around Laurie’s ear and whispering, “I think I’m the luckiest person in this town to have you as my girlfriend.” Her voice was cautious, but stable.
Laurie felt her face go red. “Oh, stop it. If anything, I should be the one saying that.”
Their fingers interlocked. It was then that she noticed her own outfit; a flowery white skirt, a long cream-colored cardigan, white tights and a turtleneck of the same color. Nancy flicked the halo attached to her headband.
When did I put this on? Did we plan this? The already distant thought fluttered away the moment her girlfriend pulled her along. Laurie focused on Nancy’s hand; it was cold, very cold, and clammy. The air was quite dry, was she nervous?
“Where are we going?” Laurie asked. Nancy didn’t face her, only walking forward.
“We’re going to the–” the word came out unclear, unintelligible, “Don’t you remember? I know you’re nervous about them knowing about us, but it’ll be fine, I promise.”
Laurie blinked. “Sorry, the… what?”
Nancy still did not face her. “The–”
It was, once again, a word that didn’t sound real. Like whatever she was saying disappeared as she said it.
“I-” Laurie started before pausing, her neck going cold. Should she ask again?
The girl leading her stopped abruptly, and only then turned to face her.
“The Halloween party, Laurie, don’t tell me you forgot?”
And then Laurie was being pushed back onto the pavement.
Her blood went cold as she braced for impact, shutting her eyes instinctively, weightlessness overwhelming her senses.
When she opened her eyes, Laurie realized she had not hit the ground at all, or anything for that matter. She was on her bed, the sheets and blankets scattered, and straddling Nancy.
A knife in her hand, looking down at the girl below her, whose face was as calm as Laurie had ever seen her. Not a wrinkle or indicator of concern, looking back up at her. At her , not the clean kitchen knife in her hand.
Laurie tried to drop the knife, to throw it across the room, but her body didn’t obey. She tried to speak, to say something, throw me off! Don’t let me hurt you! Kill me before I do this!
And yet her own face barely moved a muscle, blank as could be. Her body felt calm, if anything. Empty.
“Laurie?” Nancy spoke, one hand going up to cup her cheek.
“I know it’s in you. It’s in him, and it’s in you.”
With those few words spoken, Laurie sunk the blade into her girlfriend's chest.
-
“--aurie! Laurie! ”
Laurie gasped for breath, violent sobs racking her body. The tears were coming out hot and fast and terror gripped her like a vice. She was freezing and sweating, barely registering the hands holding her arms as she shook.
“Fuck– Laurie, can you hear me?!”
Her heart pounded, Nancy’s voice ringing in her ears. Her goddamn heartbeat, the same sound as when one of them was closing in and it was always more pain and more pain and she had been the one to do it this time . Fuck, she had been him.
“I can hear you!” Laurie yelled out, desperate to use her voice even when she felt it crack.
Her body would not stop shaking as she pushed herself up. “I hear you, I hear you,” she said over and over. Desperately trying to get air into her lungs, her eyes properly focused on her girlfriend in bed next to her.
Nancy was in an old pair of pajamas, her face contorted in worry and her hair sticking up from a deep sleep that had evidently only just been disturbed. Laurie’s eyes drifted over to the clock on their nightstand. 7:18am .
Her eyes snapped back over to Nancy.
“What day is it?” she asked with a shaking voice.
Confusion flickered over her girlfriend’s face before realization quickly set in as she looked around for the calendar that marked the exact date. Her movements were sluggish, still not active and awake.
“ Shit, shit, what day is it?! Is it–”
“It’s July, Laurie!” Steady hands held her still, the warmth making her skin buzz. They were warm, not cold and clammy. “It’s July, we’re nowhere near Halloween.” Nancy rubbed her arm up and down in a slow, comforting manner. “It’s not Halloween, and we’re in my room, in Hawkins. We’re nowhere near Haddonfield, it’s the middle of summer, and we’re safe.”
Nancy brushed her hair away from her face and Laurie focused on the physical contact in an attempt to ground herself. Nancy's eyes were bright and alive. Nancy was bright and alive.
The vision of the knife in her hand in Nancy’s chest overwhelmed her, causing her to almost flinch and move away. A few of her tears were brushed away as they slipped out.
The two sat in silence. There was only the sound of their breathing as Laurie attempted to align her own with her partner’s rhythm.