"Dad, come in. What's your location? Over," Sarah said into the walkie-talkie held tightly in her grip, her eyes scanning the darkness before her. They were back at the cabin, or rather near the cabin, fanned out around the perimeter of the fog to determine how far it reached. Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Max had met them there, armed with their own walkies and weapons. Nancy and Jonathan joined the group after dropping Barb off with Karen and Ted. They had decided to leave a still-unconscious Mark at the Byers' where he'd be safer.  

"I'm about half a mile west of the cabin. Over," Hopper's crackly voice responded. 

"It's about half a mile from the north, but it looks like it's expanding. Over," Sarah responded. "Steve and Quinn, come in. What's it looking like on the east and south side? Over."

"Closer to three-quarters of a mile on the east. Over," Steve answered. 

"Same on the south. Over," Quinn added.

Sarah sighed in frustration. It was worse than she had been anticipating and it seemed to be growing at a rapid pace. She took a step backwards as tendrils of fog curled out from the mass of darkness, attempting to pull her in. 

Sarah pushed down on the talk button and waited for the beep to signify that it was time to speak. "Has anyone seen or heard anything? Over."

"There's something on the northeast side," Joyce answered. "Heard a howl about fifty feet in. Over."

"Remember, the second you see anything, walkie me and I'll portal to you. Over," Sarah reminded the group. She felt anxious having everyone separated but this was the only way to quickly assess the problem at hand.

"You worry too much," James chuckled, shrugging his hands into his pants pockets.

"I thought I told you to go away," Sarah replied, not even bothering to glance at him. Ever since she had made him visible to the others by controlling reality, she had been having a hard time getting rid of him. 

"But it's so much fun out here!" 

"If you're not going to leave me alone then at least make yourself useful," Sarah replied, her eyes still scanning the swirling fog for any shapes that indicated a threat. "Go scout out the perimeter up ahead."

"Now you're thinking," James replied with a mischievous smile, tapping his forehead with his pointer finger. 

As James moved out of her sight, a strange feeling overcame Sarah. She could see things that weren't immediately in front of her. Not through her eyes, but in her mind. It took her a few moments, but she quickly realized that she was seeing what James was seeing; tree branches clawing their way out through the gloom, the dark outline of a crow circling overhead, his brown boots crushing the fallen leaves beneath his feet...

"James, come back!" Sarah shouted once the sensation became too overwhelming.

"Miss me already?" James asked with a wink as he once more entered Sarah's sight. 

Sarah's upper lip curled in disgust. "Absolutely not. It just...that felt...strange..."

"Ah, we haven't gotten to that skill yet, have we?" James smiled. "That's how I was able to keep an eye on you when I was the Mind Flayer."

Sarah flinched as a shiver shot up her spine, decorating her arms and legs in goosebumps. With every new ability of James' that she used, the more she felt like she was becoming him. 

"Sarah, come in. Over," Joyce's voice called over the walkie-talkie, interrupting Sarah's thoughts. 

"This is Sarah. Over," Sarah responded immediately, her heart drumming and her ears perked for Joyce's response.

"I've got company," Joyce answered. "I can see something coming through the fog. Over."

"On my way. Over," Sarah replied. clipping the walkie-talkie to her side and staring into the darkness before her. She pictured a tree she knew grew on the northeast side, split down the middle from a lightning strike long before she had ever come to live at the cabin. A portal appeared, framing Joyce in the distance with her gun pointed into the thick fog.  

"Where is it?" Sarah asked after she had stumbled through the portal, James in tow. She saw it before Joyce could respond; a lone demodog crawling through the gloom, a low growl echoing in its throat. Sarah locked eyes with the creature as her fingertips radiated with electricity. 

Sensing another presence, the demodog hurled itself towards them, its claws ripping up the ground beneath its feet. Mindful that it could be something else entirely, Sarah zapped it with just enough electricity to subdue it, but not kill it. As soon as the beast was still, Sarah opened a portal beneath it, dropping into the pocket dimension that Adam had created to store the monsters they collected until Sarah could change them back.

"Thanks," Joyce said with a nervous smile, holstering her gun.

"No problem," Sarah replied. "Hopefully there's not many more."

As if on cue, a crackle erupted from the walkie at Sarah's hip and Lucas's voice broke through. "Sarah, come in. Demogorgon fast approaching on the southwest side!"

"On my way. Over," Sarah responded before disappearing into another portal. 

The rest of the day fell into a similar pattern; members of the party calling for Sarah's assistance when they saw a demo-monster and Sarah coming to help. After hours of portal-ing back and forth, Sarah could feel her energy and her powers depleting. It was also growing increasingly dark, making it more difficult for the party to see any threats. 

"I think it's time to call it a night," Sarah said into her walkie, her legs wobbling under her weight from the fatigue. "We haven't seen anything in an hour so I think it's safe to say we've eliminated the threat for now. Over."

A chorus of good-nights and good-byes came in through the static until it was finally silent. While they had captured a total of twelve demo-monsters, Sarah still felt a strong sense of unease brewing in her stomach. She didn't want to let anything slip through her fingers.

"I'll stay, you go home and get some rest," James offered. 

"Stay?" Sarah asked, her nose wrinkling in confusion. "What the hell do you mean?"

"Well, you already did it earlier," James explained. "When you sent me to search the perimeter and we were out of each other's sight?"

"And what if something happens?" Sarah asked.

"Are you worried for me?" James feigned surprise, pressing his hand against his chest. 

"No, I'm worried that something will get out before I can portal here to stop it."

"Just trust me."

"Fine," Sarah said with a deep sigh. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to fall into a horizontal position and crash.

Leaving James behind, Sarah opened a portal to Hopper and joined him and Adam on their journey back to Hopper's truck. Once again, the strange sensation overtook her and she tried her hardest to ignore it, but it was going to take some getting used to. 

"I need to go back to Helia," Adam informed Sarah. "Recharge."

"Of course," Sarah replied with a smile. "Thanks for your help."

Adam nodded to Sarah before disappearing through a glowing golden rift that opened before him. 

"Where's your little friend?" Hopper asked as they continued their journey back to his truck. He glanced behind Sarah, searching for James' telltale curls and mischievous smile. 

"He's going to stay and keep an eye on things," Sarah answered.

Hopper raised a brow in response as he waited for Sarah to elaborate, but she did not continue. 

"So, what's the next move?" Hopper asked once he realized that he wasn't going to get an explanation. 

"Sleep," Sarah replied, her fatigue leaking through her voice and down her limbs. She could feel every cut and sore on her body throbbing but she was too tired to dignify the pain. "Then I don't know."

"Can you change it back? Like you did with Mark?" 

"I'm not sure," Sarah answered with a huff, folding her arms behind her head as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and then released it back onto her shoulders. "It feels...different."

"We'll figure it out," Hopper said with a reassuring smile and a pat on Sarah's shoulder. 

When they got to Hopper's truck, they found Joyce and Will already waiting for them. Nancy and Jonathan had left shortly before, as they were planning to stay at the Wheeler's until the cabin was cleared.

"Everybody went home?" Sarah asked. 

"They said they'll be back tomorrow," Joyce informed her. Sarah nodded as she climbed into the truck, but paused when she realized that someone was missing.

"Where's El?" Sarah asked, her head frantically whipping from left to right in search of her sister.

"She went with Mike," Joyce answered, trying her hardest to hide the knowing smile that was growing on her face. "Said she wanted to talk to him about something."

"Really?" A matching smile appeared on Sarah's face. Hopper was the only one whose face remained stoic. 

"Not this again," Hopper grumbled to himself as he climbed into the front seat of his truck.

As Sarah collapsed into the back seat, she felt grateful that they had driven over. They could have used one of her portals, but since they didn't know exactly how far the Upside Down extended, Sarah had been worried that she'd drop them all right in the middle of it. As the car crawled along the leaf-strewn streets, her limbs melted into the cushions and her head lolled back against the head rest until her eyelids slowly sank shut. 

Nightmares awaited her.

☆ ★ ☆

"So...how have you been?" Mike asked Eleven, his clammy hands clenching and unclenching the steering wheel. He forced himself to look at her as he spoke, but he struggled to meet her brilliantly brown eyes. 

"Good," Eleven answered. Unlike Mike, she had no difficulty looking at her conversation partner and was busy studying him while he wasn't looking. It had been almost a year since they'd seen each other last, when they had all returned home to Hawkins for Christmas, but this would be their first time talking one-on-one since the break-up. "How about you?"

Mike took a moment to answer. "Good," he answered through a forced smile that wavered the longer he held it. "You're liking Oregon?" 

Eleven nodded her head enthusiastically. "Very pretty. I like being somewhere other than...here."

Mike nodded along with Eleven's response. Even though Dr. Brenner had long since been killed and the Lab had long since been torn down, he understood that there were unpleasant memories glued to Hawkins; woven into the very fabric of the town.

"How's the job hunt?" Eleven asked, changing the topic.  

"Oh, you know..." Mike sighed. "Terrible."

Eleven placed a hand on Mike's arm and stared into his eyes with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you'll find something."

With this gesture, Mike was finally able to look into Eleven's eyes and he instantly became lost in them. He felt like his soul had been tugged out of his body and sucked into the endless circle of her iridescent irises. Mike ran his tongue over his dry lips, his body subconsciously leaning closer and closer to Eleven. 

When Mike was within inches of Eleven's mouth, he snapped out of his stupor and re-righted himself in his seat. "S-sorry," he stammered. "I shouldn't have done that. I know you have a boyfriend."

"It's okay," Eleven answered, her cheeks glowing at the corners of her bright smile. 

Before Mike could even register what was happening, Eleven had pressed her mouth against his and once more, he became lost. He felt his body melt into hers, felt her warmth intermingling with his own in the chilly car. It simultaneously felt like an eternity and a split second had passed by the time they parted. 

Mike stared at Eleven, both speechless and breathless, with a smile threatening to split his rosy face in half. "I--" Mike began before the words once more left him.

"I don't have a boyfriend, by the way," Eleven informed Mike, whose face became even redder. "There was a guy I was talking to, but..."

"But what?" Mike asked, finally able to speak again. His heart was beating so hard in his chest that he could hear it echoing in the car. 

"But he isn't you," Eleven answered. 

They kissed again, this one even more deep and passionate than the last.

☆ ★ ☆

Sarah awoke just in time for the truck to pull into the driveway. She stretched her legs out under the seat in front of her and pushed herself upright. In the ten minutes it had taken to drive from Hopper's cabin to the Byers' house, she had gotten some of the deepest sleep she had received since the whole mess began. 

Sarah slowly meandered up the driveway and to the front door, following behind Hopper, Joyce, and Will. She couldn't stop picturing the bed that awaited her inside. She could feel her limbs protesting her movement, wanting to collapse once more. It would only be a couple minutes, she told herself. Then she could return to her peaceful slumber. 

But the sleepiness was startled right out of her by a scream at the door.

Sarah ignored the pain and aches ripping through her arms and legs as she bolted up the rest of the driveway and pushed herself through the front door. Joyce and Will stood frozen in the doorframe while Hopper knelt down beside the couch, blocking Sarah's view of whatever they had been screaming about. 

"What is it?" What's--" Sarah began to ask when Hopper shifted and Sarah was able to see the source of their fear. "Fuck!"

A third color had joined the yellow and white stripes on Joyce's couch; a dark red. It spilled from the pool sitting on Mark's chest like a waterfall, staining the cushions through to the stuffing. In the middle of all the blood, the handle of a kitchen knife jutted towards the ceiling, the silver blade completely embedded in Mark's chest.

A soft groan escaped Mark's pallid lips, alerting Sarah that he was still alive, albeit barely.

"Mark, stay with me, it's going to be okay!" Sarah shouted, her hands fluttering around his body to find a way to stop the bleeding, but failing. Taking out the knife would only cement Mark's death and there was nothing within her skillset that could reverse the damage. She almost wished that James was there with her. He had guided her through the earlier messes. But in the back of her brain she could see the fog and the darkness of the Upside Down and knew that his help was out of reach.

"It's not looking good, he's lost a lot of blood," Hopper said quietly, his unblinking eyes glued to the knife sticking out of Mark's chest.

"Mark, please, who did this to you?" Sarah pleaded, ignoring Hopper. "Can you tell me who did this to you?"

An indecipherable gurgle escaped Mark's lips, splattering blood onto his cheek. 

"Shit, shit, shit," Sarah muttered to herself, her thoughts flying through her brain at a million miles per hour. She had to do something, try something, to save Mark. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on Mark's atoms, willing them to stich themselves back together, but nothing was happening.

Sarah could hear Joyce talking to 911 on the phone but she knew it was too late for them to do anything. It was too late for her to do anything. 

Another mutter came from Mark, this one a little clearer than the last.

"What?" Sarah asked, her heart beating in her ears and making it difficult for her to hear. "What did you say?"

Mark used the very last of his energy to choke out a single word, "Rose."

And then he died.

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★