[ 20 ]

     THE VISCOUS SUCKING sound of boots squelching in the soggy, soft membrane of the tunnel was loud, even through the rubber hazmat suit Jodie had fastened around her. It was like something out of Alien and she was Sigourney Weaver. 

     Grey specs of matter floated past the trio's view as they pushed through the opening, into what looked like another time. Jodie swallowed the building lump in her throat and caught her breath as she took in the sight.

      It was dark. The only light to guide them was the three beams from their flashlights, and they didn't even provide much comfort. 

     Spindled spires of what looked like cobwebs, mucus, or some strange combination, climbed over every surface of this 'Upside Down' Hawkins. Jodie's eyes flinted about, her pulse climbing. 

     "Hey," Jim steadied her with his hand, "you alright?" 

     Jodie inhaled slowly but turned to face him through the shield in her suit. "I'm just peachy." 

     Jim checked on Joyce next, voice calm and slow. "You doin' alright there, Joyce?" 

     Joyce's eyes were as wide as saucers, skipping from place to place as they pushed through the town's streets. "Y-Yeah," she stuttered. 

     "I need you to relax, okay?" The even, calm tone of his voice soothed Joyce and she blinked away the rush of fear. "I want you to slow down your breathing. Take deep breaths. In and out," he instructed. 

     Jodie could hear Jim's voice echoing in the world around them. Even though it looked like Hawkins, the dark sky and black void of the horizon made it feel small and unnatural. It felt like they were in a catacomb.

     Jodie breathed slowly and watched the dark horizon, scanning for any sign of life. She really wished she had her knife, or at least something to utilize in case the worst happened on this rescue mission. A long, hard baton was fastened to the belt of her suit. Jodie ran her hand down the length of it, feeling the sturdy cold metal through her rubber gloves. 

     'This will have to do,' she wearily thought.

     Jodie's mind wandered to the kids as they progressed through the Upside Down. She hoped they were safe, that Jonathan and Nancy were watching out for them, that Jane was still protected and away from Dr. Brenner. 

     Once they reached the drop-off from the outskirts of town, the trio took the fork in the woods towards the direction of the Byers' house. Grey matter continued to swirl in the air, menacing but somehow gentle at the same time. 

     Jodie eyed the floating mites with distrust. 

      The doctors had said the air was toxic. Were these the cause? What would happen if she tore a hold in her suit? If they'd somehow breathed the dust in? The thought made her shudder. 

     Whatever had happened to Jamey, Jodie desperately hoped he'd never ended up here. 

     As Jodie, Joyce and Jim wandered through the woods, with the eerie quiet settling around them, they came across what appeared to be a neon yellow egg sack. Hopper drew closer to it and reached out to the opening. 

    "It's breeding," Jodie scoffed in disbelief. "You mean that there's more than just one?" Jodie shook her head as Hopper shot her a withering glance. Jodie could see the reprimand in his eyes. He didn't need her scaring Joyce more than the woman already was. He didn't need to say it for Jodie to see it on his face.

       "We're close," Joyce said, interrupting their staring match. "To Castle Byers." 

     Unlatching the baton from her side, Jodie steadied herself for whatever was to come. It had been uneventful so far, at least as far as Alien terrain went. The last thing she needed was to fall into a false sense of security.

      Jodie and Jim fell in line behind Joyce as she rushed towards a rubble heap. A small wooden sign painted 'Castle Byers' lay on the ground amidst a pile of broken branches and torn sheets. Whatever state the fort was in now, it wasn't good.

       "WILL!" Joyce called out, voice shrill and scared. "WILL?!"

     Scanning the rubble, Jodie kicked over wooden panels and tore at bedsheets, hoping to uncover Will Byers. "Will?" She called, pushing rocks and tossing stuffed animals. There was no sign of him.

     "WILL?!" Joyce screamed again, her voice carrying on the wind. 

     Hopper's eyes scanned the scene, looking for any trace of a struggle or tracks. After a moment, he waved the women to him and headed north through the thread of trees, flashlight pointed low. Jodie wasn't sure what he'd found, but she followed without question.

     While they continued to search and call out for Will, Jodie's mind wandered back to Jameson.

— NOVEMBER 1982;

It took 12 anxious hours for Jodie to return to Hawkins. When she hopped off the Greyhound and stumbled numbly to her parents' door, the red and blue lights of police cruisers flashed in the night. '

     The brick siding of the house looked ominous and dark with the colour contrast. 

     "Jodie," Officer Callahan said, catching the woman by her small shoulders. 

     "Phil," Jodie sighed, feeling a moment of security in his touch. "My brother, did you find him? What's-What's goin' on?"

      Phil Callahan ran a pale hand across the pale plains of his face, scratching at the patch of hair on his upper lip as his mind wandered over the words he fought to say. "Jodie, we've taken your parents' statements. But, no... no, we haven't found him yet." 

     The bottom of Jodie's stomach dropped to her knees. She collapsed into Phil's arms and he held her tightly, assuring her they would figure it out. Even though his touch was reassuring, Jodie felt the dark roots of despair curling around her insides. 'Where the hell are you, Jamey?'

     "Did you hear that?" Joyce asked Jodie, snapping her from her dark thoughts. 

     Though she hadn't been paying attention, Jodie strained her ears. In the distance, a low howling sound echoed through the void. It was guttural and far-off. Jodie shone her flashlight towards the sound. It faded into the distance and settled uneasily on the horizon. 

      "What the hell was that?"

     They pushed forward, rushing towards the sound. Jodie dodged broken branches and vicious vats of mystery goo on the ground as they called out for Will. Her heart ached to see him. Him, with his wide brown eyes and gaping smile, alive and well and ready to come home. 

        Fuck, Jodie wanted that so bad. She needed to see this through, not only for Joyce but for herself... for Hopper too. 

      The trio came across a wooden shack amid the woods, covered in dark twisting branches and hidden partially in shadow. Jodie drew near the windows and shone her light through the dust-covered panes, catching refractions of grey matter and clouds of dust in the rays. 

     "It's my shed," Joyce told them, voice barely above a whisper.

       Jodie stepped away from the she'd window and took in the sight, seeing it through new eyes. She hadn't even recognized the place. Joyce drew closer, a yellow blip on the grey scene. "It's my house, right there." 

     Jodie's gaze trailed towards the Byers home, not recognizing it in the low contrast of the Upside Down. "Everything looks the same," she said, "but I don't recognize anything."

     Joyce agreed silently and approached the back patio of her home, shining her flashlight at the ominous tentacle vines that entangled her drains and crawled over her roof. Jodie stepped beside her and offered a firm nod. "Let's do it." 

     The door creaked slowly as they entered the home. Hopper protectively stood in front, guarding the pair as he swivelled his gun around, checking the perimeter as they stepped inside.

        Jodie clutched her flashlight tightly in her right hand, while her left reached towards her baton. 

       "Careful," Jim said. His eyes trailed over Jodie's itchy hand as it tightened and untightened over the baton's handle. His voice was soft and steady as his pale eyes met hers. Jodie felt the calm before the storm as she watched his lips part. "Easy, easy."

— NEW YEARS EVE 1982;

"Easy, easy." 

     Jodie stumbled across the threshold of the Hideaway's door as the Chief of Police ushered her from the building. Groaning, the bottle blonde swiped at his large, heavy hands as they gripped her waist and steadied her. "Woah, woah -- buy me a drink first Officer--" 

"--Chief"

"--Whatever," Jodie hiccupped.

    He was a handsome man, even though tequila glasses. With a scruffy stumbled chin and a stern downturn on his hard mouth, Jodie could tell he was playing into this 'bad cop' role. But, the glimmer of amusement in his eye was calling her name.

     Time of the Season filtered through the radio static of the bar and out into the streets. Jodie bobbled her drunken head and swayed to the beat, finally feeling free after all these long days. 'What's your name, who's your daddy? Is he rich like me?'

     Jodie smirked at the lyrics and swayed. The Chief steadied her once more and fought a chuckle, pressing his lips into a firm, straight line. "I love this song!" She sang with a laugh.

      "The Zombies are great," the man agreed. He slowly pressed his unsure hands on the woman's shoulders and guided her to his Police Cruiser. "I'm gonna take you home now. Do you remember where you live?"

      Jodie laughed. And laughed some more, until tears pricked the corners of her eyes and her drunken grin wobbled into a watery mess. The music faded as the police cruiser door opened. "I don't have a home," she replied, clearing her throat. 

      The chief scratched at his peppered chin, watching her with weary eyes. He tempered his response for a moment, not sure where to go. 

     The Hideaway had reported a drunk woman who needed to be taken home. There wasn't any disturbance of the peace, of course. They'd called out of concern. "A motel, then?"

     "I was hoping for yours, actually!" 

      "That's not an option, kiddo."

      "I'm  not a child."

        "Still, you're drunk."

       "So, if I wasn't drunk,--"

       "--It's still a no." 

      Jodie chuckled and eyed the man carefully with a wicked smile. Though she'd been kidding, and yes, drunk, he'd battled her back like a pro. 

      There was a place she'd wanted to go, she realized as she groaned and slid into the leather seat of the back of the police cruiser. 

      "I'd like to go to Benny's, please."

— PRESENT DAY;

     Jodie felt her consciousness pull from past to present as Jim's words registered. It had been the worst time of her life, and yet, if she could have gone back... a small part of her wouldn't mind. How she ended up here, now? It was beyond comprehension.

      Jodie followed Hopper as he continued the search of the house, looking for any sign of life. In the hall, dark blood streaked against the shag carpet. The air was dense with smoke and grey matter.      

      "It was hurt," Jim told them.

     Jodie carefully avoided the dark roots that tore through the hall as she followed Hopper's determined stride through the home. She recognized Jonathan's room as they turned through it, but they didn't find anything inside. 

     They followed the trail of blood as it led outside the home and into the street. 

      Jodie clutched her flashlight tightly, feeling sweat pebble her brow. How long had they been in here? Surely it had been some time now. It was hard to tell time with the pitch-black void hovering all around them. 

     And yet, the void kept stretching on. Jodie had first thought this place to be small, and contained. But, as they continued to walk the streets and follow the trail that lay ahead of them, she wondered if the Upside Down was as big as the world. 'How long would they walk?' Would they ever find Will?

     They walked and walked and walked until they were in the streets of Hawkins. Well past the residential area, the trail of blood seemed to lead them straight to the Public Library of Hawkins. Jodie shined a light on the embossed words of the building as they approached.

     "Does Will like to read?" 

     Joyce nodded, hardly able to say much as they approached the building. 

     "Let's head inside," Jim said.

— NEW YEARS EVE 1982;

"Two bacon cheeseburgers, Benny," the police chief said.

      Jodie grinned and tore the top off of the paper that wrapped around her plastic straw. Sticking the straw between her lips, Jodie shot the paper rocket into the man's ear. He grunted and swatted at the paper with a wry look in his eye.     

     "Hopper," Jodie said, reading his name tag with a slow, drawn-out voice. "Is that like, Jiminy Cricket or something?"

     "No, that's Pinocchio."

     Jodie yawned and nodded. "So, you're not a know-it-all insect that's determined to set wayward criminals right?"

      Hopper arched a brow with a curious shake of his head. "You sure can fill the silence, huh?"

      "I'd rather turn into a donkey." Jodie stuck her straw into her Coke and grinned at him with a wide, come-hither smile. "Than be a cricket."

     Benny approached the bar and slid the two burgers to his customers. His eyes flickered to the analogue clock on the wall "It's pretty late, Jim. I wasn't expecting anyone to come through until tomorrow." Benny rubbed at his eyes and looked from Jim to Jodie, curious but unquestioning. "Didn't expect to see you with my favourite gal."

      "Flatterer!" Jodie laughed. Despite the laugh, she was sobering up. Her smile faltered as she picked up the burger in front of her. She hadn't been one for eating the past couple of months.

     "Well, don't insult me," Benny egged Jodie on. "Dig in."

      The burger was delicious and flavorful as she took her first bite. Between chews, Jodie offered the patron a crooked grin. "The best burger you've ever made."

     "You always please me," he replied.

     "I aim to please," she admitted, taking another bite. 

      Jim watched the strange, drunk woman with an arched brow. He picked absent-mindedly at his plate of fries as he watched her. He could see the sobering sadness in her eyes, no matter how hard she fought it back for Benny.      

     "Benny, beer me!" She said after a couple of bites.

      "Benny, don't."

      "Aw," Jodie protested, turning to watch Jim with wide, pleading eyes. "Come on, you should have one too."

     "No beers," Jim cautioned.

      Ignoring his rejection, Benny slid two uncapped beers to the only customers in the place. "It's New Year's Eve, Chief -- I need someone to drink with anyway. On the house."

— PRESENT DAY;

      Carefully, and quietly, Jodie followed Hopper's lead through the library. A small, anxious spot in her brain wondered if they knew for sure where this trail of blood came from. Could they be sure it was Will's? And, what if it wasn't? What then? 

     The rows of library shelves seemed like bricked-up walls in a catacomb, lined with cobwebs and tangled roots. Jodie felt a heavy presence all around her. 

     The cobweb-like structures grew denser as they reached further into the library. It reminded Jodie of a spider's nest, and the further in they got, the more similar it was.

     "Oh my god," Joyce groaned in fear. Jodie turned to see what Joyce was talking about and found bodies folded into the viscous webs. Victims. Her mind raced back to Dr. Brenner's threatening conversation. 

     'Nine people,' Jodie racked her brain, trying to remember what number he'd given her. Nine people had gone missing since the gate had opened. Were they all trapped down here, being fed on by this monster? 

     Jodie's light panned down to the eye-less carcass of a red-haired woman. She nearly jumped out of her skin. "Jesus!" She squeaked, her heart thudding like a caged animal.

       "It's okay," Hopper quickly told her. "It's okay, look at me." 

        Jodie forced herself to look away from the woman, who seemed not much younger than herself, and to the sturdy frame of Jim Hopper. 

      Jim repeated himself quickly and firmly. "Keep looking at me. Don't look down." 

     Joyce ignored his lead, finding it all too much. Each woman wanted to abandon Hopper's demands, but Jodie was the only one to follow them blindly. The mounting fear that Will was a body among the crowd was sickening.

     Joyce flashed her light around the room, each movement more desperate than the last. Until, finally, she called out in a joyous surprise. "Will? WILL!"

    And, there he was, after everything.

     Jodie sat silently beside Jim in the waiting room outside Will Byers' hospital room. It was an odd combination of people: her, the Chief of Police, Mike's dad, and the pretty boy that Jonathan had beaten up.

     Jodie eyed the teenager wearily, reminding herself to get the story to that one later. Each of them looked like they'd been to hell and back. And, they most likely had. Jodie couldn't shake the shiver of the Upside Down from her spine. 

     For a moment there, she had thought they'd been too late. But, despite her doubts, Jim had been able to resuscitate Will and breathe new life into him. Jodie was happy to see it. 

      But, something deep inside of her ached, ached for what could have been. She hadn't looked too closely at the bodies that had collected inside the Upside Down Library, but Jodie wished now more than anything that she had. What if Jameson had been in there? Body or not, she couldn't stomach the not knowing.

     Her eyes formed a hazy film from the minutes of unfocused staring. Finally, Jodie broke the uneasy silence by turning to Mike. "Where is Eleven?"

     Mike's sheepish gaze fell to his hands and he softly answered. "She's gone." 

     Jodie's spine straightened as she leaned towards the kid. "Gone where?"

     "She's... she's just gone," Mike told her again. "She disappeared with the monster." 

     Before she could overreact, underreact or anything in between, Hopper pressed a hand against Jodie's shoulder. "Don't get into this now. Let's focus on Will."

     Just in the knick of time, Jonathan came to the visitor's room and grinned at the trio of boys. "Will's awake." And then, they too were out of the room.

     Wetting her bottom lip with her tongue, Jodie excused herself from the room. She walked through the halls of the hospital and straight out into the early morning air, tossing the door open with a bang. 

     Jodie's hands shook as she reached for the pack of Camels in her jacket pocket. When she lifted the lid, it was empty. 

      "Fuck," Jodie hissed. She roughly yanked the empty pack from her pocket and ripped at it, tearing and smooshing it into a tight, little plastic and paper ball. "Fuck, fuck fuck!" She wailed, throwing the ball of trash against the stairwell in front of her. 

     She had been close. She had been so fucking close to the answer, to finding out more. And, the girl was gone.

      Jodie's anger turned into wry, unamused chuckles as she flopped against the brick wall of the hospital's stairwell. "God damn it."

     The door to the stairwell opened carefully and Hopped stepped into the low, halogen light of the space. Jim didn't say anything as he gingerly placed his hat on his head and shook a cigarette loose from his pack. 

     Without saying a word, Jim offered a cigarette to her. Jodie stifled a sigh and took the peace offering, pressing her low back against the wall and staring up at the moonlit sky. The stars were beginning to blink out of sight. It wouldn't be too long before the sun would break over the horizon, banishing night.

     The corners of Jodie's mouth wobbled as she inhaled cigarette smoke. It was hard to smoke and sob at the same time, and she didn't really like the idea of the latter at the moment. 

     Jodie locked eyes with Jim, wanting to say 'We were so close' or, 'I was so close' but she couldn't find the words. Some part of her, somewhere deep inside her chest, knew that if she spoke now, she would simply start crying all over again.

     "I know, Jode. I know." 

— NEW YEARS DAY 1983;

Four beers in and the hard stuff was finally being cracked open at the stroke of midnight. Benny had decided to seclude himself with the dishes in the back of the kitchen, leaving Jim and Jodie to trash-talk each other. 

     Hopper was being very careful in his approach, trying to keep the woman's mind off her missing brother. He decided she was a nice enough girl, pretty, stubborn as an ox, and had a mouth like a sailor when you got her going. 

      And, at midnight, he had kissed her cheek. All in the name of good-harmless distraction.

— PRESENT DAY;

     "Hop," Jodie said, watching the blinking stars. "Do you think things would be different? If Jamey had never gone missing. Or, do you think that, somehow, we'd still be right here... every time, in every universe?" 

     Jim inhaled deeply, feeling the nicotine spread through his marrow before slowly exhaling a pillar of smoke. He pondered the question for a moment but finally answered in a soft voice. "I think," he paused for a second, "I think the world is random and chaotic -- messed up. But, I'm glad I'm here with you now." 

     And then, nothing else was said between the pair for a long time. 

     Jodie watched Jim out of the corner of his eye as he descended the stairs and began to walk into the night. And, she watched without speaking as a black Mercedes picked him up off the side of the street and took off.

     Jodie finished her borrowed cigarette and stomped it into the dirt. Whatever they'd gotten themselves into, it was far from over. 

     She just wasn't sure that she had the stomach for it anymore.

_______

sorry for the delay with this one, I'm trying to be better at updating for yall! 

by the time this comes out, we will have hit 120K reads eeekk!! shout out to yall, it's all you! more to come and hopefully soon, love ya!

did you catch the references? bet you didn't expect a little Hittier action in that chapter (and yes, Hittier is the bottom of the barrel ship name because I decided to name my character with a JO name)