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There, Eleven stood at the gate. Debris behind her swooshed to destruction behind her. She stood silently, not muttering a word. But, her stare gave dozens of hints of her last words. An upset, tired, and scared expression she held. Her mouth was uncletched and her head was held high. Her separated lips looked like they wanted to say something. At least one thing. Maybe, an, ‘I love you, Mike.’ Or even an, ‘I’m sorry. I lied.’ But, no. She just stood there, motionless.
“El! El!” Mike screamed. The soldiers continue to hold Mike back as he struggles to break free. A soldier on his left places his leg between Mike’s and sweeps Mike onto one knee. Mike doesn’t give up, not for Eleven. He shoves all the soldiers off of him momentarily. He reaches out. His limbing leg hits onto the ground as he scurries to El. With a hint of guilt, he holds out a hand to grab her and run. To run out of oblivion. Eleven wasn't going to die in the upside down, not after all they've been through. Not on Mike's watch. But, as his hand touches her body, it goes right through. El’s body dissolves and is taken by the gust of debris.
Mike looks behind him. In the corner of his right eye, he faintly sees the girl in a swimsuit. She has her hands behind her back and is resisting arrest. She shakes and shivers. The suppressing noises shriek louder than her grunts. Eleven gets her back forced to a wall. She raises her hand in resistance.
But, before Mike can run to help. The upside is gone with him. Eleven yells his name, or tries too. A gun is pressed against her head by the military man with a scarred face. With tears in her eyes, El yelps out Mike’s name once more. The soldier pulls the trigger. And now, Eleven is dead, too. For good.
Hopper and the others stare in shock. Hopper huffs up his chest tight. A tear or more gathers and falls (rolling down the cheek at a slow pace too). He makes a battle cry amidst the chaos of explosions and suppressors. He takes his hands onto his vest and ripped the zipper open. He reveals a pack of C4 under. He tugs onto the wire and shuffles his fingers onto any buttons he finds. But, the soldiers snatch it off his chest. They rip off the denominating wires and throw them to the ground. Hopper falls to his knees (in slow motion). He wails. Just like the time before with Sara. Except, he doesn’t have a wife to share the grief with. Joyce had died previously in the battle against Vecna. It was his fault he let a troubled, unstable mom into a suicide mission. He lands onto his palms. He should’ve looked after Eleven properly, like how he was supposed to. He promised that he’d make sure Eleven would come out alive. Hysterically crying more and more, till his C4 had felt like it exploded in his heart, more than once for each death.