Chapter 21: Preparation
Andy woke up within the Void, his consciousness rising slowly like it was emerging from deep water, passing through layers of memories and emotional barriers before finally returning to this familiar, fake shell.
He blinked, his gaze falling upon his own eight-year-old hands.
Tears welled up without warning.
They were not tears of sadness, nor were they tears of fear; they were a complex mixture of relief, gratitude, and determination.
They slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the drawing paper, blurring the crayon lines like raindrops falling on parched earth.
So that was it.
It wasn't that I couldn't find the exit.
The exit has been here all along.
In this meticulously constructed dream, in this cage woven from his most cherished memories.
Henry had given him everything he once craved: the "normal" life of the Lab, Henry's "care," Eleven's "companionship," the "existence" of his siblings, and even that "safe" world outside where Will lived a normal life.
It was all too perfect—so perfect it was unreal.
And the real exit was to acknowledge this unreality and reject this false beauty.
It was... to break it with his own hands.
"Are you alright, Twelve?"
A hand rested on his shoulder, gentle and carrying just the right amount of concern.
Andy did not turn his head. He didn't need to look; he knew exactly who it was.
It was Henry, wearing a white shirt, his blond hair perfectly styled, and his blue eyes filled with precisely measured worry.
Andy slowly raised his head, tears still on his face, but he was smiling.
It was a genuine, heartfelt smile, mixed with sadness, understanding, and... farewell.
"Henry..." he said softly, his voice a bit raspy from crying, but exceptionally clear.
Henry's brow furrowed slightly, as if he were seeing unexpected data. "Twelve, you—"
"I've always known your name, Henry," Andy interrupted, his voice calm.
"Not Peter. It's Henry Creel. Subject 001. My brother, and... the person who locked me in here."
Henry's expression froze, and deep within those blue eyes, something flickered.
For the first time in the dream, Andy took the initiative to reach out—not to push away, not to attack, but... to touch.
He gently placed his hand on Henry's face; the sensation was real—the warmth of the skin, the contour of the cheekbones, the stubble on the chin.
Everything was so real, so... heartbreaking.
"I wish so much that all of this were real," Andy whispered, tears welling up again.
"You, Eleven, and the other siblings, staying by my side just like this. No running from the Lab, no burden of powers, no threat of monsters. Just like... a real home."
Henry was silent for a few seconds. Then, he spoke, his voice still in that gentle, mentor-like tone, but with an almost tender quality at its core that Andy had never heard before:
"As long as I am here, I will always be with you."
If the real Henry had said these words, Andy might have been moved beyond measure.
But here, in this fake world, it only confirmed Andy's judgment.
This Henry was constructed according to his deepest desires—a Henry who would always be with him, protect him, and never turn into a monster.
Andy smiled, tears in his eyes.
"Thank you, Henry," he said, his voice choked but firm. "Thank you for your care and companionship in the past, no matter what you were supposed to be like or what your purpose was."
The real Henry, the monster in the Upside Down, might never know these words, but Andy needed to say them.
For the boy in his memory who once gave him candy, taught him to control his powers, and told him stories at night.
No matter what that brother became later, that time was real.
That care once gave a lonely child a sliver of warmth.
Then, Andy's hand slid down Henry's cheek to the side of his neck, stopping at a specific spot.
There, beneath the skin, next to the carotid artery, was a small, hard bump.
Soteria.
Named after the Greek goddess of safety and salvation; this was the code name for the miniature device implanted in Henry's body—he had seen this data in the past.
Its true function was to suppress powers, track location, and, if necessary... execute "control measures."
Andy remembered that when he escaped from the Lab three years ago, it was Eleven who had helped Henry remove the soteria from his body.
Now, in this illusion, this "Henry" also had a soteria in his body.
Perhaps it was left by the monster Henry, or perhaps it was a projection of the real Henry's memory in Andy's subconscious.
Regardless, Andy knew what to do.
"Bear with me."
He said it softly, as if comforting, yet also as if saying goodbye.
Then, his psychic power condensed.
It was not the restricted psychic power suppressed by the illusion in an eight-year-old body.
It was the psychic power from the real Andy, the strength of the twelve-year-old boy who had experienced the Upside Down, torn through dimensions, and burned in despair.
This power broke through the limits of the illusion, like an invisible scalpel, precisely cutting into the skin of Henry's neck.
"Ah—!"
Henry let out a short, genuine scream. It wasn't the performance of an illusion character following a script, but a real, physiological cry of pain.
His body trembled violently, and his blue eyes snapped wide, filled with unbelievable shock and... pain.
A small, metallic device popped out of the wound and fell to the floor with a crisp "clink." Its surface was stained with blood, reflecting the cold light under the constant illumination of the Rainbow Room.
Soteria.
Now, this goddess of safety and salvation truly ought to protect him.
Henry clutched his bleeding neck, taking two steps back, his eyes fixed on Andy.
The look in his eyes was too complex to decipher: shock, pain, confusion, and a hint of... relief?
"You..." he began, his voice hoarse with pain, "how did you..."
Andy did not explain; he stood up and looked at Henry, at this fake but now incredibly real "person."
"Help me escape from here."
Andy said nothing more, just quietly meeting Henry's gaze.
Henry looked at him, and a few seconds of silence passed.
In the Rainbow Room, the other children stopped playing with their toys and turned their heads; there seemed to be some kind of... glitch in their eyes? Like a program error, like a setting being broken.
Then, Henry nodded, the movement slight but certain.
Andy turned and walked toward the door of the Rainbow Room.
His steps were steady, each one hitting the floor with a faint "tap-tap" sound.
Behind him, Henry stood tall. Though his neck was still bleeding, his expression had become... different.
It was no longer that perfect, gentle mentor mask, but a more real expression mixed with pain and determination.
"Go!"
Henry said, his voice not loud, but exceptionally clear in the silent Rainbow Room.
Andy did not look back.
He reached the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open.
Outside the door was not the usual empty corridor.
Instead, there were fully armed guards.
Wearing gray uniforms and holding cattle prods and riot shields, their faces were set in trained indifference and alertness.
They had clearly received the alarm triggered by the removal of the soteria and were waiting for him here.
Andy stopped and looked at the guards, at the crackling cattle prods in their hands, and at his own face reflected in the shields—eight years old, thin, with tear stains still on his face, but with fire in his eyes.
He was not afraid.
Because he knew this wasn't real.
Or rather, this was the "real" test, the final line of defense of the illusion.
"Step aside," Andy said, his voice calm.
The guards did not move. One of them raised a cattle prod, blue sparks dancing at the tip.
Then, a sound came from behind Andy.
Footsteps. The footsteps of many people.
He turned his head.
In the Rainbow Room, all the children had stood up.
Eleven, Number Eight, Number Nine, and even Number Six, who was already dead in reality, along with the children who had just entered the Rainbow Room.
They came out from the tables, from the corners, and from the piles of toys, walking behind Andy and standing in a row.
Their faces were no longer indifferent. Instead, they wore a strange expression mixed with confusion and determination.
Like sleeping people being awakened, or programmed machines suddenly gaining self-awareness.
They looked at the guards without any fear in their eyes.
Henry walked to Andy's side. The blood from his neck had already stained the collar of his white shirt, but his expression was unusually calm. He looked at the guards, then turned to Andy and nodded.
Andy understood.
This illusion, this cage built with his memories, had not only trapped him but also these "children from his memory."
They were part of the illusion, but perhaps... they had some level of "consciousness" too?
"Thank you," Andy whispered, not just to Henry alone, but to all the children standing behind him.
Then, he turned, faced the guards, and took the first step.
The guards rushed forward.
Cattle prods swung and shields pushed forward in well-trained tactical movements.
But Andy did not stop.
He raised his hand, and an invisible force, like a wall, pushed forward.
The first three guards who rushed up were like hitting an invisible truck; they flew backward, slammed into the corridor wall, slid down, and stopped moving.
The other guards were stunned, but their training made them continue their advance.
More guards poured in from both ends of the corridor, some even holding tranquilizer guns.
Andy kept moving forward. With every step, there was a burst of psychic power, like invisible fists knocking down the approaching guards.
His nose began to bleed, and his brain started to feel dizzy, but he did not stop.
Behind him, the children also began to "act."
Most of their abilities were restricted or simplified in this illusion, as they were only as they appeared in Andy's memory.
Eleven raised her hand. Though there was no obvious effect, the guards' movements seemed to slow down, as if encountering invisible resistance.
Number Eight tried to interfere with the guards' consciousness with mental energy; though it only had a slight effect, it was enough to create chaos.
Number Nine closed her eyes, and then streaks of fire spread along the walls.
They were all helping Andy in their own small ways.
Just like... real siblings.
Just like what Andy had once fantasized about—what it would be like if the children of the Lab united, if they hadn't been broken apart, isolated, and trained as tools to compete with each other.
Now, in this fake world, in this dream that was about to shatter, they had briefly realized that fantasy.
Andy felt his eyes burning.
But he did not stop.
He walked through the corridor, knocking down guard after guard and passing through one security door after another.
The children followed behind him like a small, strange army.
Henry walked beside him. Although injured, his gaze was firm, occasionally using his more precise psychic power to assist Andy and repel threats attacking from the sides.
The scene was chaotic and... brutal.
The guards were the "immune system" of the illusion, trying to repair anomalies and maintain order.
The children were Andy's awakened consciousness, trying to break free from the shackles.
Gunshots rang out, along with the crackle of cattle prods, the shouts of guards, the heavy breathing of children, and... a low sound, like the world itself was vibrating.
Cracks began to appear on the walls, like flickering, unstable lines on a malfunctioning TV screen.
The lights on the ceiling began to flicker. The floor seemed to shake unsteadily.
The illusion was collapsing.
Because of Andy's will and the "awakening" of memory, this fake world could not contain such intense, real "rejection" and "resistance."
Finally, Andy reached that large door—the exit of the Lab.
Andy stood before the door, panting heavily. His face was covered in sweat and blood.
In the corridor behind him lay dozens of guards, with some watching warily from a distance, not daring to approach.
With Andy's thought, the heavy metal door slowly slid open to both sides.
Light poured in.
It was not the constant, cold light of the Lab, but... natural, warm light, carrying temperature changes and fine dust.
Outside the door was a forest, the forest of Hawkins. The trees were dense, sunlight dappled through the leaves in mottled patterns, and the air was filled with the scent of earth and pine.
That was... freedom.
Andy stood at the doorway, light and shadow carving lines of brightness and darkness across his face.
Half of him was still in the shadows of the Lab, while the other half was already bathed in natural light.
He turned around and looked behind him.
The children stood there, looking at him with complex gazes—there was expectation, hesitation, fear, and also hope.
Henry's neck was still bleeding, but he looked at Andy with an expression that was almost peaceful.
It was as if he had completed some kind of mission, as if he could finally... rest.
Andy's gaze finally landed on Eleven.
The eight-year-old Eleven, wearing a light-colored hospital gown with her head shaved and large eyes, held a familiar look of trust and reliance.
Andy looked at her and nodded.
"We will be together forever," he said, his voice very soft but exceptionally clear in this quiet moment. "Wait for me, Eleven."
This wasn't a promise to this illusionary Eleven; it was a promise to the real Eleven.
A promise to the Eleven in the bathtub, in the real world, who was currently struggling to maintain the connection.
Then, Andy turned and took that step.
From the shadows of the Lab, he stepped into the light of the forest.
But the very moment his foot touched the ground—
The world shattered.
It wasn't an explosion or a collapse, but rather like a mirror being smashed, like a TV being switched off, like... waking from a dream.
Darkness.
Then came the pain.
A sharp, full-body pain, like countless needles piercing every inch of skin, every muscle, and every bone simultaneously, along with a sense of restriction.
Andy snapped his eyes open.
His vision was blurry and bloodshot as he adjusted to the dim light.
Thick, pulsing, fleshy vines covered in dark red veins wound around his body like giant pythons, densely packed from his ankles to his neck, almost cutting into his flesh.
He could feel the vines wriggling, slowly tightening, and injecting some kind of cold, viscous liquid into his body.
He was back in the Upside Down.
The air carried that familiar scent of decay mixed with the smell of blood. More vines hung from the ceiling like grotesque decorations or tentacles waiting for prey.
Andy turned his head with difficulty and looked to the side.
Will was there.
Similarly entangled by vines, he was suspended in mid-air about six feet away from him.
Will's head hung low, his eyes were tightly shut, his face was as pale as paper, and his lips were purple.
"Will? Will!"
He shouted, his voice hoarse and weak because his throat was being compressed.
Will didn't react. His chest had a faint rise and fall, but it was extremely slow, almost invisible. He looked... like a corpse that wasn't quite dead yet.
But now was not the time for thinking; he had to break free and save Will.
Andy closed his eyes and concentrated.
He first tried to sense the state of his mental power, carefully mobilizing the strength deep within his consciousness.
Slowly, like drawing water with difficulty from a dried-up well, he felt a trickle of power flow.
It was very weak and very difficult, but it definitely existed.
And... it seemed to have recovered somewhat compared to before he was dragged into the illusion?
Andy didn't know how long he had spent in the illusion, but in the real world, perhaps only a few hours had passed.
During this time, his body might have gotten some rest, and his mental power had seen some natural recovery.
More importantly, the "awakening" and "breakthrough" in the illusion seemed to have some kind of... strengthening effect on his real mental power?
Like training muscles in a dream—though one doesn't immediately become stronger upon waking, that breakthrough of "will" might have triggered some deep potential.
Regardless of the reason, Andy now had some power.
Not much, but perhaps enough.
He opened his eyes, his gaze becoming sharp.
Then, his mental power erupted.
It wasn't a large-scale, wide-area impact like in the illusion, but a precise, concentrated cut, like an invisible blade.
He aimed at the vines binding his body.
"Rippp—!"
A teeth-grinding tearing sound rang out, the sound of air being squeezed as fleshy tissue was forcibly ripped apart.
The vines binding Andy were instantly forced open and torn apart by the invisible force from within. Cold liquid sprayed from the breaks, splashing onto Andy's face with that decaying smell.
The severed vine limbs squirmed on the ground like cut earthworms. Andy fell from mid-air, his feet hitting the ground; he stumbled but stood firm.
He panted heavily, his nose starting to bleed again, and his brain felt dizzy from overusing his power. But he didn't stop.
He turned toward Will.
The same process followed, but it was more careful and more taxing.
Using his mental power, he bit by bit pulled the vine out of Will's mouth.
Andy could feel that the vine went deep into the throat, possibly even entering the esophagus or windpipe.
He had to be extremely careful not to damage Will's internal organs.
Sweat soaked Andy's tattered clothes. His vision blurred from dizziness and the nosebleed. But he forced himself to concentrate, concentrate, and concentrate more.
Finally, with a "pop," the vine was pulled out by its roots.
Will's throat made a faint gurgling sound, and his body twitched.
Andy quickly caught Will as he fell from mid-air and gently laid him on the ground.
Will lay there motionless. His eyes remained closed, and his breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible. His skin was ice-cold, his lips were purple, and his face was as white as a corpse.
Andy knelt beside him, his fingers trembling as he reached for Will's neck.
There was still a pulse—very faint, very slow, but it was indeed still beating.
He was still alive, but in terrible condition.
Andy didn't know what Henry had done to him, what the injected liquid was, whether Will was permanently damaged, or if his consciousness was still there.
But in any case, he had to get help as soon as possible.
Andy stood up and looked around.
This place looked like a library, with high bookshelves, though most had collapsed. Books were scattered everywhere, covered in grayish-white spores and black slime.
Part of the ceiling had collapsed, revealing the dark red sky outside. The floor was that elastic black substrate, but the outlines of the original tiles could still be seen.
The windows were still there, but the glass was shattered, and outside was the eternal dark red haze of the Upside Down.
Andy looked around and saw a broken sign on the wall. The writing was blurred but still legible—Hawkins Public Library.
Andy carefully sensed his surroundings; aside from the slowly wriggling vines and floating spores, he felt no obvious threats.
Maybe Henry wasn't here? Regardless, this was an opportunity.
Andy dragged Will to a relatively clean corner, leaning him against a collapsed bookshelf. Will's breathing was still weak, but at least it wasn't getting worse.
Andy knelt beside him, checked his vitals one last time, then stood up and walked to a relatively open area in the center of the library.
He needed to open a gate.
He needed to concentrate all his remaining power to tear open a rift connecting to the real world, right here in the library.
But first, he needed to contact Eleven and confirm that the real world was ready on that side.
Andy closed his eyes and forced himself into the Void.
This process was harder than ever before.
Concentrate, concentrate... consciousness sinking into the darkness.
Then, he "stood" in the Void.
It was still a place of darkness and silence, but Andy could feel that the connection—the one maintained by Eleven—was still there.
Like a tiny, glowing thread, faintly visible in the darkness, it led to somewhere far away.
He "walked" along that thread.
"Eleven, Eleven, are you there?"
He called out in his mind, his voice weak but filled with urgency.
In the real world, Eleven was still floating in the makeshift sensory deprivation tank, eyes shut, breathing slowly.
Her face was even paler than before, with dried blood in her nose, showing she had overexerted herself.
Beside the kiddie pool, Joyce knelt on the ground, her hands tightly clutching Eleven's hand, as if praying or waiting for some miracle.
Hopper was in the living room, packing gear and preparing to leave at any moment.
Nearly half an hour had passed since Andy said "I need some time to prepare" in the Void, and then the connection had become extremely weak, almost breaking.
Eleven had been maintaining the minimum connection, but it was clearly very taxing.
Everyone was in a state of extreme anxiety.
Just as this oppressive waiting was about to drive people crazy, a voice suddenly came through the walkie-talkie.
Weak, distorted, and mixed with a lot of static noise, but it was definitely Andy's voice:
"Eleven, Eleven, are you there?"
In the bathroom, Eleven's body suddenly jerked.
Her eyes didn't open, but her brow furrowed tighter, and her lips parted slightly as if responding.
"Andy, I'm here." As Eleven entered the Void, the two met once more. "Eleven, we're inside the Hawkins Library in the Upside Down. Will's in really bad shape. I need someone to help me."
The library?
The people in the real world looked at each other.
Hawkins Public Library was located downtown, very close to the middle school, about a five-minute drive away. It was a relatively easy place to reach, but also very public and easy to be spotted.
"Joyce and I are going to the library," Hopper made the decision immediately, his voice decisive. "You guys stay here and watch over the girl."
He had already put on his jacket and checked his service revolver.
His expression was one of professional calm, but there was an unquestionable determination in his eyes.
"No, I'm going too!" Jonathan stood up, his voice firm. He was Will's brother; there was no way he could sit at home and wait for news.
"And me," Nancy also stepped forward. "Barbara is still over there. I can't just leave her alone."
Hopper turned around and looked at them, his gaze stern: "No! The situation at the library is unknown and could be very dangerous. Joyce and I will go and bring Will and Andy out. Then I'll need someone here to receive them and take care of them. And,"
He looked toward the bathroom, "Eleven needs protection. If the people from the Lab come looking, you have to protect her."
His reasons were sound and his logic clear. But Jonathan and Nancy obviously didn't accept it.
"No! All of you stay here. I'll bring them back."
Hopper didn't give the others any chance to argue further, walking straight out the door to get to his truck.
In fact, if not for the need for someone to take care of Will and Andy after bringing them out, he wouldn't even want Joyce to get involved in the unknown danger.
After the two left, those remaining gathered together.
"If Andy and Will come out, Hopper will be in an even more dangerous position on the other side by himself."
Since she couldn't go, Nancy also calmed down and analyzed the current situation.
"Maybe we can find Barbara through Eleven again and pass the message to her?"
However, as soon as Jonathan made this suggestion, Mike immediately refused.
"No, Eleven is already really weak. She was in the pool for so long just now and has been using her abilities constantly. She's only just started to rest."
"But Hopper is over there all alone, like bait. That monster will definitely attack him, let alone finding Barbara."
Nancy pointed out the current dilemma.
"Also, what happens after finding Barbara? If Andy's gate can't be sustained and closes, they'll only be able to come out from the Lab's side. They might all be captured by the government."
"Then what can we do? We can't possibly break into the Department of Energy."
"But we can try to draw attention away from them!"
"How?" Jonathan asked.
"Kill that monster!" Endless rage burned in Nancy's eyes.
[Community Goals Ongoing]
500 PS = +1 Extra Chapter
10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter
Reviews are always appreciated.
P1treon Soulforger (15+ advance chapters)