Chapter Text
El watched as Dr Kay disappeared from her view as Steve and Jonathan pulled the heavy truck door shut.
She heard Murray as he let out a yell from the driver's seat and the truck changed direction suddenly, causing everyone to lose their footing.
Hop checked in on everyone as Robin exclaimed
"I kinda thought that was supposed to be the easy part?"
Mike came over and placed his hand on El's shoulder
"You ready?"
El grabbed onto Mike's hand, trying to absorb all the comfort she could.
"Ready!"
El sat down on one of the benches and made eye contact with Kali. After a brief pause both girls nodded.
The ride wasn't very enjoyable. As they travelled through the upside down, the road got rougher and the crew got jostled more and more.
Eventually the truck slowed down and Murray pulled in.
The plan was for Hopper to get into the front seat of the truck but everyone leapt at the opportunity to stretch their legs and get a breath of (not so) fresh air.
Before anyone split off, Hopper called out
"No one gets left alone! I don't care if you hate everyone here, you stick with someone else!"
El and Kali were the first to split off, finding a quiet area away from everyone to talk through their plan for the coming conflict.
However, just after their conversation began, a loud yell echoed around the area.
"Hey! What's happening over there!?"
"Hop!" El worriedly exhaled
El took off running.
By the time Kali had noticed, El had disappeared from the area. Running desperately to get back to her father and friends.
Kali was turning the final corner, about to lay her eyes on the van and its occupants when a bright white light flooded her vision.
As the light faded, Kali looked around.
There was no one there.
Maybe the adults went for a walk to talk to each other. Same as her and El.
Maybe the party wanted some free time away from everyone else
But she had followed El around that corner. She should be right here. Even if she had continued on, she wouldn't have completely disappeared from view.
Kali was left alone at the abandoned Best Buy truck, wondering where her sister and friends had disappeared.
-
El was blind,
There was nothing but brightness,
Even through her closed eyes,
It was as if it permeated her very soul
Then it started to fade...
And she was left standing in a white room, in front of a broken mirror. She felt blood running down her face. From her nose, from her eyes, from her ears. She watched as the portal in the rainbow room closed behind One.
"No!" She'd already been through this. Twice!
The doors opened behind her and...
"What have you done!?"
...Papa!
She turns around and sees him.
He's younger than she remembered him being?
She's no longer in the rainbow room
Instead she's watching with Papa as nurses strap her mother to a gurney.
This must be one of Vecna's visions.
El began to concentrate, trying to block out the sound of her mother's cries.
"450"
Her mother's screams of pain stopped and El opened her eyes.
She was in the void
But not free from the visions
Before her lay Lucas cradling Max in his arms
El didn't even stop to think about the scene in front of her before trying to escape again.
She heard Dustin yelling beside her
"No! No! Mike No!"
She was back in November '83 watching Mike step off the cliff above the quarry.
But the Dustin and Mike in front of her were not the 12 year olds she expected. In front of her stood the Mike and Dustin that she was just in the truck with.
She looked around and noticed that everyone from the truck was around her.
She tried harder to get herself and everyone else out of these memories.
Everyone was watching in shock and panic as their surroundings changed rapidly.
Hopper watched as Sarah began to flat line in hospital. Robin flinched as her and Steve crashed into Billy's car. Will cowered as the Demogorgon rose behind him, ready to kidnap him to the upside down.
As the Demogorgon rampaged through the Byers house chasing Steve, Jonathan and Nancy, Something wrestled the little control El had away from her.
Henry appeared in front of everyone. Wearing his Mr Whatsit guise, His calm, condescending voice flooding the room
"Poor Eleven. You're in over your head aren't you?
It's almost..."
He let of a small chuckle,
"...Funny how you think you can beat me in here."
El glanced around desperately and got an idea.
The Byers house!
It may not hold the best memories for everyone but it should be neutral enough to work, as long as she was able to get them to a different time.
As the surroundings began to change to the quarry as the police pulled 'Will's' body out, El focused on the Byers house. Just after she moved in but before they moved to California.
They were in the Wheelers kitchen. Stood over Karen's dying form.
And then they were in the Byers house, in the living room, with no Demogorgon in sight.
Will caught onto what she was attempting and came over to help in any way he could.
They were in Hawkins lab watching Bob get torn apart by Demodogs
And then they were in the Byers house
This time, when the next memory came, the surroundings flickered but ultimately stayed stuck in the Byers house. The TV flickered on and Billy's death began to play out on the screen.
Vecna appeared before them, covered in twisted vines.
"A television show? You may be able to keep yourselves here,"
Vecna waved his hand and the old CRT TV disappeared, replaced by a larger black screen.
"But I will make you see everything! Witness your worst! You won't escape this!"
And then he disappeared.