———✰———

When the four got into the upside down Nancy batted some demodragons off of Steve and muttered "Hey there" to the panting boy.

She then battered two more off as more came towards them.

The four were struggling to fight of the demodogs with bats and oars when Cindy shouted.

"Get out the way"

The four turned to the girl who held her hand out and the heads of the demodragons exploded making the four shout in suprise.

They then turned to Steve asking if he was alright.

"Jesus H Christ!" Eddie threw his oar on the ground in anger as he panted and paced.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked Steve.

"Well they took like a pound of flesh but other than that, yeah I'm fine" Steve panted

"Uh, guys do you think these bats have rabies?" Robin asked looking down at the creatures.

"I think we're less in the bag realm and more in the dragon realm. So I don't think rabies is a problem" Cindy frowned at the creatures as she wiped her nose and bar blood off of her.

"Okay, regardless rabies is my number one greatest fear" Robin stood up and everyone turned to look at her as she started to rant "and I think we should get Steve to a doctor soon, because once the symptoms set in it's too late. You're already dead."

Steve and Nancy shared a look as Cindy frowned at the girl who was very worried about rabies. The sound of the demodragons made them all turn away from the strange conversation and towards the group of monsters flying in the sky. They all stood tighter together with Cindy in front watching as they landed at the entrance of the gate in front of them but not attacking.

"All right. There's not that many" Steve commented and Cindy turned to look at him with a frown.

"Oh, you so just jinxed us"

More noises from the small monsters came from the sky making them all turn  to see a swarm of them in the sky.

"You were saying? Steve" Robin asked as she looked up at the swarm scares.

"Cindy can you take them?" Steve asked the girl in front of him who looked between him and the bats with wide eyes.

"Are you kidding me? I just got the shit beat out of me in a memory. There's no way I can take them all" Cindy replied looking up at the swarm.

"The woods. Come on" Nancy told them as they all started to follow her into the woods.

"Great more running" Robin sighed.

———✰———

The five teenagers hid under the upside downs skull rock as they watched the demodragons screech over them until they were gone.

"Oh, that was close" Robin sighed in relief as they all stood up.

"Way too close" Eddie's voice cracked as he stretched his legs.

Steve wobbled and started to faint onto the side of skull rock.

"Steve? Jesus" Nancy walked over to him and the other three watched the man lean in pain.

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

"No, no you're not. You're losing a lot of blood. Sit sit" Nancy ushered the boy down where he revealed his bloody wound.

"Oh..." Robin gaped as she looked at the bite mark.

Nancy started to rip her shirt to make a tie/bandage as Robin sat next to him to comfort her friend.

"So the good news is I'm pretty sure wooziness is not a symptom of rabies. But I'm if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms or you start feeling really aggressive like you want to punch me, let me know." Robin's rambling didn't seem to be cheering Steve up.

"Robin"

"Yeah?"

"I kinda wanna punch you" Steve told her which made Robin laugh.

"Sense of humour's still intact. That's a good sign"

Robin walked away and towards Cindy and Eddie who had been watching from a distance and they all gave Nancy and Steve some space as the girl started to attempt to patch him up.

"I'm not sure I made him feel better" Robin nervously picked her nails.

"No, no. You made him laugh that's good." Cindy comforted her as she rubbed the fidgeting girl's shoulder.

"So... this place is like Hawkins but with monsters and nasty shit?"

"Pretty much" Nancy told him as she supported Steve.

"You know I've never actually been here before" Cindy looked around "I mean I've been here in my mind and I've opened and shut gates but I've better physically been here"

"Really?" Steve grunted as Nancy pulled away from him to stop Eddie from standing on the vines.

"Wait, watch out for the vines. It's all a hive mind"

"It's all a what?" Eddie stopped walking and looked at the younger girl strangely.

"All the creepy crawlers around her, dude. They're like one or something. You step of a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on Vecna." Steve explained

"Shit" Eddie nodded and stepped over the vine.

"But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people?" Robin asked having been explained last year by Cindy but still not completely sure.

"Pretty much, yeah" Cindy nodded to her.

"So theoretically we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate." Robin asked the others.

"Yeah, I highly doubt that Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns yeah sure." Steve sighed at the girl but nodded nonetheless.

"We don't have to go all the way downtown for guns. I have guns in my bedroom." Nancy announced.

"You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom?" Eddie looked at her in shock.

"Full of suprises isn't she" Robin smiled.

"A Russian makarov and a Revolver" Nancy bit back at Eddie.

"Yeah, you almost shot me with that one." Steve nodded.

"You almost deserved it"

"Okay so we go and get guns and hopefully by then I'll have some juice in me to help fight those bat thingies" Cindy nodded breaking up the pairs flirting as Eddie threw his denim vest to Steve.

"For you're modesty, dude"

Before they could set off the ground began to shake making Robin fall into Cindy as Eddie fell down. The group panted as it stopped after a few seconds.

Robin and Cindy were nose to nose as they panted "You good?" Cindy asked the girl who shook her head immediately and then backed off.

They then heard more snarling from whatever creatures were out there.

"Yeah so guns seem like a pretty good idea to me" Eddie told them.

"Yeah me too" Robin agreed.

"So what are we waiting for?" Steve turned on his flashlight and led them into the woods.

———✰———

"Try your best not to blink" Papa was sat in front of her on a chair as he shined a light into her eyes. Cindy had been found beaten and bloody in the rainbow room and taken back to her own room the next day papa was making sure she wasn't concussed still.

"Any more headaches? Nausea this morning?"

Cindy shook her head at the question.

"How about your memory? Can you remember what happened now?"

Cindy shook her head and tried to hold in her cries.

"Perhaps someone else can help fill in the gaps" papa told the young girl "yes?"

Papa then took her hand and led her to the training room where all her brothers and sisters were lined up Cindy joined them before papa started the training.

"Good morning children" the older man greeted.

"Good morning papa"

"Today's lesson is going to be on rules. For some of you, this may seem redundant. For others it appears a refresher is required. Ten please step forward"

Cindy stepped forward in her hospital gown rather than the normal everyday sweats they normally sat in.

"Last night your sister, Ten suffered a concussion during her alone time in the rainbow room. Now, she claims to not have a memory of what happened. But injuries of this nature don't simply happen. Someone did this. Someone in this room. Now, who's going to tell me what happened?"

It was silent for a moment before Two spoke up "she must've fallen" despite never blaming himself he had basically given himself up already.

"Fallen?"

"You've seen her papa. She's clumsy, stupid" Two smiled and the three older children who had helped him started snickering too.

"Ten you may step back. Number Two please step forward" the two did as they were told "collar him"

One of the orderlies did as they were told putting an electric shock collar on the boy as papa took of his jacket.

"Thank you" the man muttered as he was given the remote for the collar and stood in front of the boy "you think because you show some talent, that you're somehow immune to the rules, is that it?"

"No papa" Two's eyes were already tearing up as he prepared.

"That the rules don't apply to you in the same way that they apply to your brothers and sisters?"

"No papa"

"Then why did you attack Ten?"

"Did she tell you that?" Two got angry and looked at the younger girl.

"Are you asking the questions or am I?" Papa redirected the boys attention back to himself and Eleven held Cindy's hand. "Did you attack Ten?"

"If she told you that, then...then she's lying"

Papa said nothing but turned the dial up on the remote control making Two beg "Papa please you have to believe me. Papa please. She's lying!" Two stopped speaking as Papa pressed the button shocking the boy into his knees.

"Now, shall we try again?" Papa was calm as the children all watched afraid. "What happened?"

"It was an accident" Two panted as Papa turned the dial up and shocked him again.

Two curled into the fetol position as papa turned the dial up. Some of the children had started to cry and the only person in the room who watched uncaring was papa.

———✰———

Cindy gasped as she came to. Tears and blood running down her face.

"You good?" Robin asked as she wiped the tears away and Cindy nodded wordlessly making them carry on walking.

"Couldn't we have tried a road or something just slightly less creepy" Robin asked

"I think we're getting close, we're almost out of here. Don't worry" Nancy assured the tall girl.

The three girls carried on walking ahead of the two boys who weee seemingly having a heart to heart before the ground started to move and grumble again.

"Okay, second on my list of least favourite things, earthquakes" Robin grunted from the floor next to Cindy and Nancy.

"Just think of your favourite things instead" Cindy nodded as she too braced for the quake.

"Seriously, Cinds I'm unsteady enough as it is"

Nancy suddenly got up and started walking to something causing Cindy to do the same.

"Cindy! Where are you two going? Nancy! Cindy!" Robin called after them.

Cindy followed Nancy to where she was looking out at her house.

"Cindy!" Robin and the two boys caught up and looked at the house as well.

"Come on" Nancy led them towards her house in determination.

"You can't just run off like that" Robin scolded Cindy as they followed.

"I'm sorry, I got worried"

"I was worried" Robin reiterated to the girl as the followed Nancy to the house.

———✰———

It didn't take long to get to the house which Nancy entered first and Steve looked around with the flashlight all of them looking at the vines that inhabited the house.

"Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler." Robin joked as she too looked at the mess the upside down had made.

"Come on" Nancy snapped out of her shock and started to lead them to her room "I don't want to stay here longer than we have to."

Nancy opened her closet and pulled out a shoebox when she opened it the three around her frowned when she revealed it to be shoes.

"Those aren't guns" Eddie pointed out.

"There cute and all but..." Cindy trailed off as they stared at the pink pumps.

"These shoes are pointy but I was hoping for something along the lines of a deadly projectile" Robin added.

"I don't understand" Nancy stuttered looking at the shoes.

"Maybe you left them somewhere else." Eddie asked.

"There's a six year old in the house. I know where I keep my guns" Nancy argued looking back at the shoes "and also, I threw these away years ago"

Nancy then grabbed a pile of homework causing them to watch as she flicked through the study cards.

"I get that grades are important to you, but perhaps studying can wait til we get out?" Robin tried to get the girls attention.

"These are from sophomore chemistry" Nancy told them and then pointed to her wall "and this is old wallpaper."

Nancy started to pace the room as she pointed out what was wrong "and this mirror, this went to a yard sale." She took a cuddly bear next "and you...you're not supposed to be here. No, I gave you to cousin Joanna two years ago." Nancy dropped the bear and picked up her diary to read the last entry but stopped still in her tracks.

"What is it?" Eddie loudly asked getting her attention.

"Nancy? You're freaking me out."

"I think the reason that my guns aren't here is because they don't exist yet." Nancy trailed off causing the three in the room to share a look.

"They don't...exist?" Eddie asked at the same time Cindy exclaimed "What?"

"This diary should be full of entries" Nancy turned to face the confused trio "but it's not. The last entry is November 6th 1983. The day Will went missing."

"When the gate opened" Cindy frowned.

"We're in the past" Nancy breathed out and Eddie and Robin shared another look.

Before they could say anything Steve was heard shouting downstairs making them run to him. Steve was stood in an empty room calling out to the air "Dustin! Can you hear me! Dustin"

"Is this one of the rabies symptoms?" Cindy asked Robin with wide eyes as Nancy got his attention.

"Steve, what are you doing?"

"He's here" Steve blinded them with the flashlight as he walked towards them with an insane smile on his face "That little shit, he's here. He's like... He's in the walls or something. Just listen."

The four listened but Steve started to yell before they could hear "Dustin! Dustin!"

"Oh my God he's gone insane" Cindy muttered before they all heard Dustin's voice.

"Dustin!" They all started to call out for the boy.

"All right, either this kid can't hear us or he's being a total douchebag." Steve frowned.

"Will found a way" Nancy tried to think.

"What?"

"It's the lights" Cindy spoke up looking at the hanging light in the room "you can speak through the lights"

Nancy ran over to the light switch and started to flicker it. "It's not working"

The room didn't light up until Steve turned and saw that Cindy was waving her hand through the light with a smile making it glow.

"Guys are you seeing this?" Steve looked at the girl and they all turned her attention and started smiling.

"Woah" Eddie muttered as they all started to walk towards her.

Cindy took her hand out and then re-entered it and the others joined her.

"It tickles" Steve frowned.

"It's warm" Cindy smiled up at the light that they were all playing with.

"It kinda feels good" Robin also smiled and Eddie laughed at the situation before Nancy pulled her hand out coming up with an idea.

"Does anyone know morse code?" Nancy asked.

"No" Eddie, Steve and Robin murmured.

"I do" Cindy told them and they all looked at her in surprise "it's the little dots and dashes right? Hopper taught me."

Cindy started to do 'SOS' through the light and Robin watched and told them "it's working"

She was right on the other side Dustin was working out there SOS signals.

———✰———

Cindy was minding her business sat with Eleven as Cindy tried to use her powers to get the little disc in the right slot. She was getting closer but still it was never always right. As she collected them she felt eyes staring at her. Cindy turned to see Two looking pissed off she then turned to her other side to see that his friends looked equally annoyed at her whilst still managing to use there powers in there game. Cindy jumped and dropped the disks but started to collect them as her kind orderly helped her and Eleven joined in.

"Are you open for something a little more challenging?" He asked and Cindy looked fiercely at him in response.

The orderly took them to the other side of the room where he played chess with Cindy as Eleven used her powers on the building blocks on the floor next to them. Eleven was fiercely protective after what had happened to Cindy. Never wanting to stray too far just in case.

"Try not to show any emotion as I speak, okay?" The orderly told her as she played. "Just keep playing the game if you understand"

Cindy moved another pawn.

"Two is still in the infirmary recovering. He's being watched now. But once he's released he and the others are going to attempt to kill you. Right here, in this room. And papa will allow it to happen. In fact he wants it to happen. He's been planning it for some time now."

Cindy shakily breathed out and Eleven tried to subtly look at her in reassurance without giving away the pairs conversation.

"Stay calm" the orderly reassured "focus on the game. There's a reason why Two and the others were able to escape there room last night. Why the security cameras were turned off. Why papa punished Two today. They don't even realise it but he's is moving them like pieces on this board here. Driving them to do exactly what he wants, which is"

He didn't finish his sentence but showed her what he meant by taking out one of her pieces. Cindy looked between him and the board and whispered a quiet "Why?"

"You frighten him. He knows you're more powerful than the others. He also knows he can't control you, and because of you he can't control Eleven.  And once you're dead he'll try and control her too, she's powerful that scares him too. That's all he wants control. I saw all this happening. That's why I wanted to help you, but I only made things worse."

Cindy looked between Eleven and her orderly she didn't want either of them to be hurt "Helping me...made Papa hurt you?"

Her orderly nodded and Cindy shakily released a breath.

"And that is why you must escape. Today. But they are watching us closely" they both turned to the camera before going back to there conversation as to not draw suspicion "If you want to make it out of here alive, you must do exactly as I say."

Cindy looked down at Eleven, she couldn't leave her to defend herself alone. The man noticed this and got her attention by speaking again "Eleven can come with you. You'll be safer together. But you must both do as I say. Do you understand?"

Cindy took one of the man's players as she asked "Why do you still help?"

The man smiled ever so slightly almost in understanding and pity "because I believe in you. It is time you are free from this hell."

He handed her his key card under the table.

———✰———

Cindy gasped as she became conscious of what was happening again. Robin stroked her back caringly as they knelt in front of the Lite Brite.

"Are you guys seeing this?" Dustin's voice echoed out.