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strangerficsx · 1 year ago

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Chapter Seven | The Bathtub

story: Midnight Rain wc: 2.3k after buying "monster hunting" gear and jonathan getting into a scuffle, the three teens are held at the police station as they try to show them what they caught prior.

[a/n: all characters, plot, etc. are not mine. The only thing I own is my original character. credit to gif owner.]

{ November 11, 1983 }

Once there and out of breath from running, you enter the police station to see if Nancy and Jonathan could leave yet. Still sitting there, you watch as Joyce walks over to her son.

"Jesus, what... what happened?"

"Ma'am," One officer begins.

"Why is he wearing handcuffs?"

"Well, your boy assaulted a police officer. That's why."

"Take them off." Joyce demands.

"I am afraid I cannot do that."

"Take them off!"

"You heard her. Take 'em off." Hopper demands.

"Chief, I get everyone's emotional here, but there's something you need to see."

They bring in the equipment from the trunk of Jonathan’s car. You watch from the seat you’re in on the couch in the chief's office, telling him about the thing they saw in the photo Jonathan took.

——

After they all get in Joyce's car and drive down the street, Chief Hopper stops on the hill as everyone including Jennifer and the chief pile out of the car, seeing a bunch of men in suits and black cars surrounding the Wheeler's house on Maple Street.

"I have to get home."

"No, you can't."

"My mom... my dad are there."

"They're gonna be okay." Hopper tries to reassure her.

Nancy ignores him and starts walking away from the vehicle before getting stopped by the chief. He gropes her arm, making her stop.

"Hey,"

"Let go. Let go!"

"Hey! Listen to me. Listen to me. The last thing in the world we need is them knowing you're mixed up in all this."

"Mike is over there--"

"They haven't found him. Not yet, at least."

Pointing at the chopper in the sky, Hopper points it out to the scared teenager as she looks up. Jennifer looks in the sky as well, watching as it surrounds the following areas.

"For Mike?" She asks.

"Come on, get in the car."

Situated in the vehicle, Hopper sits in the front seat with Joyce. The three teens sit cramped in the backseat as Hopper asks if they know where Mike could be hiding.

"Look, we need to find them before they do. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"Don't know. I don't know them as well as you all do."

"No, I don't."

"I need you to think."

"I don't know. We haven't talked a lot. I mean, lately.." Nancy sighs.

"Is there any place that your... your parents don't know that he might go?"

Nancy stutters. "I don't know."

"I might,"

"What?"

"I don't know where he is, but I think I know how to ask him."

Driving, they speed down the street before turning onto a gravel road. It soon reaches a house as everyone piles out of the car and inside. Jonathan and Joyce rush past the destruction and Christmas lights in the house as well as Hopper, Nancy and Jennifer. She and Nancy stop in their tracks, looking around at the hung up lights.

"Woah," Jennifer says.

They focus before following after the chief, into Will’s bedroom. Joyce’s oldest son rummages through the drawers on Will's desk as Joyce kneels, searching under the bed for the walkie-talkie. She reaches out for it before standing up.

"I got it,"

Jonathan tunes to where it's on the signal as Mike's before handing the speaker.

"Mike," She calls. "Mike, it's me, Nancy. Mike, are you there? Answer."

"Mike, we need you to answer." She tries again. "This is an emergency, Mike. Do you copy? Mike, do you copy?"

"Dustin? Mike? Lucas? It's Jennifer." She announces. "We need someone to answer, and I know you're with each other. I was just with you not that long ago. Do you copy?"

No answer again.

"We need you to answer. We need to know if you're there Mike."

Hopper takes the walkie-talkie from Nancy's grasp, pushing the button before speaking.

"Listen, kid, this is the chief. If you're there, pick up. We know you're in trouble and we know about the girl." He says. "We can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up. Are you there? Do you copy? Over."

Hopper sighs as there's no answer, setting the walkie-talkie on a shelf in front of him. Jennifer folds her arms across your chest, unexpectedly thinking about her little brother and if he's there with Mike or not.

"Anybody got other ideas?"

"Yeah, I copy." Mike's voice rings through the walkie-talkie. "It's Mike. I'm here... we're here."

After getting the word that Mike is located in the junkyard, Hopper along with Joyce, Nancy, Jonathan and Jennifer join as he speeds down the road trying to get to the location as fast as he can. Once there, Hopper parks further away as Jennifer sees men in suits as they hold guns. They search every inch of the junkyard as they stalk towards the bus. Suddenly, Hopper takes out the three men before stepping in the bus.

——

That night, Jennifer and everyone else are at the Byers residence. Inside everyone is seated as Mike sits across and in front, explaining the stick figure drawing on a piece of notebook paper.

"Okay, so, in this example, we're the acrobat. Will and Barbra, and that monster, they're this flea. And this is the Upside Down, where Will is hiding. Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space."

"A gate." Dustin adds.

"That we tracked to Hawkins Lab. With our compasses."

"Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle." Dustin explains.

"Is the gate underground?" Hopper asks.

"Yes." Eleven says.

"Near a large water tank?"

"Yes,"

"How do you know all that?"

"He's seen it."

"Is there any way that you could... that you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this--"

"--The Upside Down."

Joyce whispers. "Down. Yeah."

Eleven nods.

"And my friend Barbara? Can you find her, too?"

With the picture of Barbara that Jonathan took at Steve's house and the walkie-talkie, Eleven sits in front of those items as her eyes are closed. The room is quiet as she focuses on finding the missing. The light shines down but begins flickering in a matter of seconds as the static becomes faint.

"I'm sorry."

"What? W-what's wrong? What happened?"

"I can't find them," Eleven's voice breaks at her own words.

As Eleven exits the room, the other's gather around; Nancy, Joyce, Mike, Jonathan, Jennifer, Dustin, and Lucas -- to come up with a plan. Hopper stands behind them in the corner of the kitchen.

"Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak."

"The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets."

"Like, she flipped the van earlier."

"It was awesome."

"But she's drained."

"Like a low battery."

"Well, H-h-how do we make her better?"

"We don't. We just have to wait and try again."

"Well, how long?" Jennifer asks, already knowing what answer she's going to get.

"I don't know,"

Joyce turns around as well as Jennifer and the others as they see Eleven standing in the disheveled room.

"The bathtub."

"What?" Joyce asks.

"I can find them. In the bath."

Dustin gets the idea to call someone.

"Mr. Clarke? It's Dustin." He says. "Yeah, yeah. I just… I have a science question."

He quiets down to let the other person talk. Coming back, Dustin looks at the group. Everyone, including Jennifer, stand in the kitchen waiting desperately for an answer.

"Do you know anything about sensory deprivation tanks?" He asks. "Specifically how to build one?"

Again. Everyone waits for an answer.

"Fun." He lies. "You always say we should never stop being curious. To always open any curiosity floor we find. Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?"

Within a minute or two, Dustin is seated writing down the info as every around him is quietly trying read what he's jotting down. Dustin soon finishes and hangs up the phone.

"Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?"

"I think so. Yeah."

"Good, cause we need salt. Lots of it."

"How much is 'lots.?'"

Dustin looks at the notepad for an answer before shooting his head up.

"1,500 pounds."

"Where are we gonna get that much salt?" Jennifer asks.

Hopper gets an idea as he rounds everyone up in the cars as they drive to Hawkins Middle School as the group separates. Jonathan and Hopper. Jennifer, Mike and Nancy. Lucas and Dustin. Eleven and Joyce.

When Jennifer arrives at a storage room, she can't enter due to the lock on the door. Her and Nancy look around for anything as Mike tries to break his way in by using his shoulder.

Jennifer soon finds a large rock, stepping toward the door and tells the two siblings to step back. Using the rock, Jennifer breaks the lock almost immediately as she drops the small boulder in her hand. She also removes the lock off the door, dropping it as well, kicking the door open.

"Woah,"

"I know." Nancy says.

Jennifer turns the lights on as Mike and Nancy grab the wheelbarrow and set it down as she brings out two large hoses. They get what they need before leaving, walking back to the school. Nancy pushes a wheelbarrow with two hoses as Jennifer hold another set as well as Mike.

"What did she eat?"

"What?"

"Eleven."

"Oh. Candy, leftovers, Eggos... She really likes Eggos."

"I knew you were acting weird. I just-- I thought it was because of Will."

"I thought you were acting weird, too. I thought it was 'cause of Jennifer and Steve."

"Hey.." Nancy puts the wheelbarrow down. "No more secrets, okay? From no on we'll tell each other everything."

"Okay. Do you like Jonathan now?"

"What? No." She says. "No, it's-- it's not... it's not like that. Do you like Eleven?"

"What? No. Ew. Gross."

They continue on as Nancy gets the hose attached to the faucets, Lucas telling Nancy whether the water was colder or warmer. Jonathan and Hopper, cut open the bags of salt, dumping each bag out carefully into the water.

Dustin, Mike and Lucas surround the pool as the child slowly places the egg inside. For this experiment, the egg is supposed to float on the lukewarm, salty water. But unfortunately, the egg sinks to the bottom of the kitty pool. Jennifer listens in as her younger brother curses aloud, almost feeling bad. Jim adds two other bags of salt before the kids try again. This time, the egg floats evenly on the surface. They exchange smiles with each other, including Jennifer.

Soon, Eleven is ready as she slides her socks off then unhooks a watch, handing it to Mike as he puts it on his wrist. Eleven grabs the blacked out goggles from Joyce and slides them on. With the help of Joyce and Hopper, Eleven safely steps into the kiddie pool before sitting slowly. She lays on the water, floating. The electricity surges above as everyone around the pool looks up before back at the child.

What felt like eternity, Nancy grasps Jennifer's arm as she hears Eleven mutter her best friend’s name in hopes that she is still alive. Sadly, Eleven mutters 'gone' as Jennifer took that in consideration, knowing that Barbara is in fact deceased. Nancy begins crying as the child grabs Joyce and Hopper's hands in fear.

Joyce reassures Eleven, telling her that everything is okay.

"Castle Byers." Eleven says before going quiet again.

Joyce glances back at Jonathan then at Eleven.

"Will?" The young girl asks.

Joyce gasps at Eleven's words, Jonathan in shock as well as his mom.

"You tell him... tell him I'm coming."

On the radio, Will's voice is heard. "Hurry."

Joyce continues. "Okay. Listen, you tell him to-- to stay where he is. We're coming. We're coming, okay? We're coming, honey."

Eleven abruptly rises, scaring Dustin and his friend as she breathes heavily. She holds onto Joyce. The older woman comforts the scared girl. Eleven cries into Joyce's sleeve.

Soon, they get her out of the water and onto the bleachers nearby as towels cover her body. Lucas rubs a reassuring hand on Eleven's shoulder, warming her a little bit in the process. Jennifer watches as Nancy exits the gymnasium, staying in her place as before. Joyce explains the location of Castle Byers to the chief as he, the woman and her oldest son follow after.

Jennifer leaves the kids alone as she searches for the brunette, finding Nancy sitting in front of a large mural of a tiger that reads Hawkins Middle School. She sits next to the saddened girl. Jonathan soon joins after finding the two.

"We have to go back to the station." Jennifer says, staring at the wall across from her.

"Your mom and Hopper are just walking in there like bait. That thing is still in there. And we can't just sit here and let it get them, too. We can't." Nancy explains.

"You still wanna try it out?"

"I wanna finish what we started. I want to kill it."

Jennifer, Nancy and Jonathan pile in his car and drive to the police station before breaking in. They walk past a cop who is lounging and playing a game as the announcer on the radio speaks. It's indistinct to Jennifer's ears as she focuses on the plan, following the two teenagers into the Jim's office. Jonathan opens the door quickly and quietly, approaching the deak and grabbing the box and the other weapons before exiting. On the way out, Jennifer stops in her tracks, eyeing the extinguisher before yanking the object off the wall then proceeds to walk out into the parking lot.

Sliding into Jonathan's 1971 Ford Galaxie, the three teens get settled before fleeing the station and on the way to stop the monster that's out there terrorizing the Byers family.

#the bathtub #stranger things #stranger things oc #stranger things original character #stranger things fic #stranger things season one #stranger things 1 #st1 #st #jennifer henderson #steve harrington #steve harrington x oc #emily rudd

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