Chapter 29: The Cracks in the Undercurrent
Morning light struggled through the cracks of the small basement window, casting a few hazy spots of light on the wooden floor.
Andy stirred on the fold-out bed, his eyelids heavy as if filled with lead.
After last night's mental connection with Eleven and perceiving the terrifying visions deep within Will's consciousness, a dull ache of exhaustion still lingered behind his temples.
He struggled to sit up, rubbing his eyes. The room was quiet, with only the occasional soft crackle from the embers in the fireplace from the night before.
He stepped barefoot onto the cold floor and walked over to the washstand Hopper had built for him.
Cold water splashed on his face brought a brief moment of clarity.
Andy smiled with satisfaction at the slightly boyish yet handsome face in the mirror.
He dried his face with his sleeve and walked towards the kitchen area.
Opening the small refrigerator, he found it neatly stocked with Hopper's hoard of frozen Eggos, a few cartons of milk, and some microwaveable meals.
He took out an Eggo, tore open the packaging, placed it in the microwave, and set the timer.
After overusing his brain last night, he needed to replenish his energy properly.
"Hummm—" The microwave started running, emitting a low, rhythmic sound.
At the same time, Andy couldn't help but recall everything that happened last night: the eerie mental space, the enormous shadow, the omnipresent screeching sounds.
"What exactly was that thing? Is it related to Henry?"
Andy leaned back against the cold kitchen countertop, his brow furrowed tightly.
Andy hadn't mentioned Henry's situation to anyone.
Because back then, when he fell into the dream world, when he was trapped in the illusion of his own memories from that time, he saw a secret he had accidentally discovered during a mental reading back then—a secret about Henry in the laboratory.
When he read it back then, perhaps because he was still young, Andy didn't understand what it represented.
But now it seems, maybe Henry wanted to kill everyone in the laboratory precisely because he didn't want that tragedy to repeat itself.
Does that mean Henry might have actually been innocent back then?
Andy didn't know what exactly happened to Henry, but he was willing to believe that Henry perhaps shouldn't be the monster he is now.
Moreover, he felt that perhaps it was because of this secret that the laboratory had been relentlessly exploiting Eleven for various experiments all these years, until they released that monster last year.
So, regarding Henry's presence in the Upside Down, Andy instinctively didn't want to mention it to anyone, not even Eleven.
And thinking of Henry, Andy couldn't help but recall the firsthand terrifying memory from a year ago.
A year ago, in that Hawkins Library corrupted by the power of the Upside Down, he and Will were bound and dragged by those slick, powerful vines, feeling despair and suffocation.
He remembered, just as the monstrous Henry approached, something special and cold injected into his body, suppressing his superpower.
Then, as his ability failed and he fell into the deepest sense of powerlessness, he was dragged into that world within his memory.
Thinking about it now, Will's condition last night was so similar!
Similarly, his consciousness was forcibly extracted or connected to an abnormal space, his body remained here, but his consciousness was tormented.
Could it really be Henry?
Andy's heart gave a sudden jolt.
If Henry truly still exists somewhere in the Upside Down in that monstrous form...
Perhaps his power can traverse space. Then, last night's incident targeting Will was likely a remote probe by him.
Only, maybe because Will himself wasn't in a fully stable state, or because of some kind of real-world dimensional barrier, Henry couldn't succeed directly this time like he did back then. He merely trapped Will's consciousness and conducted intimidation?
Recalling that experience, the cold sensation of being entangled by vines, the terrifying figure of the monstrous Henry, Will's terrified eyes when he was captured, and finally that slender vine probing into Will's mouth like a living creature... These images flashed and intertwined rapidly in Andy's mind, bringing waves of chills.
He wanted to grasp more details, to try hard to remember what happened after that, but his memory became blurry and chaotic at the moment the vine entered Will's mouth, leaving only a strong sense of foreboding that grew clearer and clearer.
"Ding—"
The microwave's sharp alert tone, like a pair of scissors, abruptly severed Andy's increasingly deep spiral of fearful associations.
He shuddered all over, jolted awake from the mire of memories, a thin layer of cold sweat actually seeping out on his back.
He let out a long sigh, shaking his head vigorously as if trying to fling those sinister images out of his mind.
"Forget it, I can't figure it out for now."
He muttered to himself in a low voice that sounded somewhat hoarse in the quiet morning.
"Wait for Hopper to go to the laboratory today, see what he can find out from there. Maybe... it's just a similar phenomenon, not necessarily really related to Henry."
He tried to use self-comforting speculation to soothe his uneasy intuition.
Opening the microwave, hot air carrying the toasty aroma of Eggos rushed towards him.
Using telekinesis, he steadily levitated the scalding hot waffle onto a plate, opened the refrigerator, found Hopper's beloved maple syrup, and slowly drizzled it over the Eggo's grid pattern.
Then, he picked up a fork and, while absentmindedly eating breakfast, habitually sent out a strand of mental perception like ripples, spreading it to cover Hopper's cabin and its surroundings.
However, when he directed his perception towards the corner where Eleven usually rested, his heart suddenly sank.
It was empty. No familiar figure, only neatly made bedding and a patch of silence.
Seeing this, Andy immediately expanded his perception range: the cabin's porch, the edge of the small woods behind the house... Nothing.
His psychic power swept over a farther area like a fine net, finally catching that familiar, cautiously moving fluctuation tinged with confusion and a hint of anxiety about a hundred meters away from the cabin, on the roadside leading towards the main road.
"Clang!"
The metal fork in his hand slipped from his suddenly loosened fingers, falling onto the wooden floor with a crisp sound.
But Andy had no time to pick it up; his full attention was focused on establishing a mental connection with Eleven.
"Eleven? Where are you? Where are you going?"
His thoughts transmitted over, carrying clear surprise and concern.
On the other end, Eleven's consciousness first tightened slightly, then, after recognizing Andy's mental signature, quickly relaxed, and a strong surge of seeking-help emotion welled up.
"Andy! It's you! I... I'm outside. Road. I want to go find Mike."
Eleven's vocabulary was still limited, but Andy understood her meaning.
"Mike? Now? Why so urgent?"
Andy was puzzled, while simultaneously quickly pinpointing Eleven's exact location. His body had already involuntarily turned towards the door.
Eleven's thoughts came through, carrying anger from feeling deceived and a deep-seated sadness.
"Mike... he said he needs me."
"You said last night, I know, it's about Will."
The foot that was almost out the door was withdrawn. Andy, looking exasperated, returned to the dining table and picked up the fork.
He thought it was something major. Turns out she just missed her boyfriend.
Speaking of this, he couldn't help but recall the scene from his conversation with Mike last year.
Back then, he thought Mike was just overly excited because of him. Later, chatting with Eleven, he learned it was actually that jerk who forcibly kissed Eleven.
"Hopper... he lied to me. He promised, once the danger passed, I could go out, could see friends. But the danger won't pass, never will. I'm here, will never see Mike."
Her thoughts were somewhat disjointed, but her longing for Mike, combined with this morning's argument, prompted her to make this decision to leave on her own.
Andy could hear the barely perceptible sob deep within her consciousness. He remained silent for a moment.
Reason told him that while Hopper's concealment and restrictions were frustrating, they were, to some extent, to protect Eleven, to prevent her from being discovered by the laboratory that might still be searching for her, or other government departments.
But emotionally, he completely understood Eleven's loneliness and yearning.
She wasn't just the superpowered "Number Eleven"; she was also a girl who was just beginning to understand friendship and yearned for belonging.
More importantly, letting her wander alone outside now was far too risky.
She knew almost nothing about the layout of Hawkins. Once she got lost or encountered someone with ill intentions, the consequences would be unthinkable.
And, if her whereabouts were exposed...
"Alright, alright!"
Andy's thoughts finally came through again, carrying a hint of resignation and determination.
"Stay right there, don't move, don't run around, and don't let anyone see you. I'm coming right now to take you to find them."
In the end, he couldn't bring himself to make a decision that would disappoint Eleven. If he stayed with Eleven, at least he could ensure her safety and take her to meet up with Mike and the others safely.
As for Hopper... that would have to be explained later.
He quickly put on his jacket and shoes, glanced at the unfinished Eggo on the table, grabbed it with telekinesis and stuffed it into his mouth.
Then he pulled open the door, and his figure quickly disappeared into the morning mist among the trees.
Almost at the same moment, Hopper was driving his iconic Chevrolet Blazer police car, rumbling over the somewhat desolate road on the outskirts of Hawkins, wheels kicking up clouds of dust.
His face was gloomier than the morning mist, his thick eyebrows tightly knitted together, the knuckles of his fingers gripping the steering wheel somewhat white.
This morning had been really frustrating. Besides Eleven hitting her rebellious phase and having a big fight with him...
Last night's incident with Will and the pumpkin incidents these past few days had him feeling overwhelmed.
Recently, in the town, Halloween pumpkins had appeared in different areas, all similarly abnormally rotten inside.
And now it seemed it probably wasn't ordinary rot, but starting from the core, presenting an unnatural, charred, twisted form, as if some internal force had sucked the life out of them.
Even more unsettling, after the police station personnel searched and, at Hopper's insistence, mapped the discovery locations of these pumpkins, a clear picture emerged.
All the abnormally rotten pumpkins seemed to be distributed within a roughly radial area centered on the old site of Hawkins National Laboratory.
This was no coincidence.
Connecting it to last night's terrifying experience Andy and Eleven described—about Will's consciousness being dragged into a space similar to the Upside Down—a strong intuition, or rather a sense of foreboding, arose.
That mess at the laboratory probably hadn't been cleaned up at all.
Dr. Owens and his team were either hiding something, or they were foolish enough to be completely unaware of the new threat right under their noses.
The car pulled up roughly in front of the guard post at the outer gate of the laboratory. The gate had been repaired but still exuded a desolate coldness. Hopper flashed his badge, his face devoid of any pleasantries, his voice hard as he stated his business.
"Looking for Dr. Owens. Urgent matter."
The guard inside the post seemed to recognize this troublesome sheriff. Without much questioning, he quickly opened the gate.
A few minutes later, Hopper was standing in the spacious, tidy office of Dr. Sam Owens.
Owens himself was holding a cup of coffee. Seeing Hopper enter, he put on his usual smile, an attempt to appear relaxed and amiable.
"Sheriff Hopper! So early? Want some coffee? Freshly brewed, not bad at all."
Owens greeted him warmly.
Hopper didn't take him up on the offer, nor did he sit down. He strode directly to the desk and slapped the map marked with the locations of the rotten pumpkins onto the polished surface. His finger jabbed forcefully at the center of the map—the location of Hawkins Laboratory.
"Look at this. Grass, crops, trees... starting a few days ago, everything in this area is either dead or wilting. The radius is over three miles."
Hopper's voice was low and full of pressure. He circled the area on the map with his pen, over and over.
"And all the clues, all the traces, all point back here! Back to your safe, harmless laboratory!"
Dr. Owens set down his coffee cup, leaned in to look at the map, and raised an eyebrow. His expression, however, held more curiosity than alarm.
"Oh? These patterns... quite interesting, almost dizzying," he even smiled slightly, trying to diffuse the tension.
Hopper snapped his head up, staring at Owens incredulously, a vein pulsing faintly at his temple.
"You think this is a goddamn joke?"
"No, no, of course not a joke."
Owens immediately raised his hands in a placating gesture, but his tone still carried that infuriating, detached quality that grated on Hopper.
"I just... don't quite see how this relates to me, Sheriff Hopper."
"These phenomena, they're all spreading from here. From this laboratory."
Hopper's finger tapped the center of the map heavily again, emphasizing the point.
"That's impossible," Dr. Owens said, his smile fading, his tone turning firm.
"The last burn was two days ago, and it was contained."
"What if there's a leak you didn't monitor?" Hopper pressed.
"A leak?"
Dr. Owens repeated the word, a faint smile even curling at the corner of his mouth again, as if Hopper was speculating using terminology he didn't fully understand.
"I don't know the cause!" Hopper finally couldn't help but growl, leaning forward with his hands on the desk, staring directly into Owens's eyes. "You're the goddamn scientist!"
Dr. Owens was slightly cowed by his intensity, leaning back a little, but his expression remained professionally restrained.
"You're right about that. So, in my professional opinion, there's nothing to worry about," Dr. Owens said, still dismissive.
"Convince me," Hopper said, calming down.
"Convince you?" Dr. Owens asked incredulously.
"Yeah! You, and your nerd friends, are going to go to every single spot on this map, do your tests, or whatever the hell experiments, and see if anything turns up."
Hopper pointed out the simplest solution.
"Alright, so you're giving me orders now?" Dr. Owens refused outright. "No!"
"I kept your secret," Hopper said, not joking at all. "And you, don't let your stuff pollute my town. That was our deal!"
"I did my part. Now it's your turn!" Hopper pushed the map. "Convince me!"
A brief silence fell in the office.
Dr. Owens looked at Hopper's face, red with anger and worry, and tapped the desk unconsciously with his fingers.
He truly couldn't deny the existence of that tacit understanding. Hopper's cooperation was crucial for their low-key takeover and continuation of certain research.
"Alright," Dr. Owens finally sighed in compromise, his tone softening a bit. "I'll arrange a team to investigate these... plant anomalies. But you need to understand, this takes time, and the results will most likely just be ordinary agricultural or environmental issues."
Hopper nodded, but this wasn't the end. He had a more urgent concern.
"And that kid, Will Byers," Hopper said.
Dr. Owens's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly. "The Byers boy? What about him now? Our previous comprehensive examination showed all his physical indicators were normal, aside from some signs of malnutrition and mild PTSD. The psychological evaluation also..."
"Just because you didn't find anything, doesn't mean there's no problem!" Hopper interrupted him.
"Is it possible that the kid, having been in the Upside Down for almost a week, might have been subjected to some kind of... 'contamination' we can't detect with regular instruments? Or left some kind of connection?"
"Have you discovered any new, specific symptoms, Sheriff?"
Dr. Owens leaned forward slightly, his tone now carrying a trace of genuine inquiry. After all, anything involving the Upside Down always touched the most sensitive nerves of the Lab researchers.
Hopper opened his mouth, only to find himself in a dilemma.
He couldn't directly reveal what Andy and Eleven had seen through their mental connection. That would expose their existence and abilities.
But he desperately wanted the Lab to take seriously the extraordinary danger Will might be facing.
"I... don't have concrete evidence."
Hopper weighed his words, choosing to rely on a sheriff's intuition and observation.
"But that boy, his recent state is very off. The things he sees, feels... it's not something nightmares or 'post-traumatic stress' can fully explain. It's a feeling of... being haunted. I've seen a lot of scared people, but Will's fear is different. It feels like something is still... affecting him, maybe even watching our side through him."
Dr. Owens listened. The initial seriousness on his face slowly morphed back into an expression mixed with skepticism and dismissiveness.
"Sheriff Hopper," he leaned back in his chair. "I understand your concern for the townspeople, especially for a child who has experienced trauma.
But science requires evidence, not feelings or conjecture. What you're describing sounds more like a psychological issue. It might require more specialized child psychology intervention, not physical testing at the Lab."
He raised a hand to forestall any possible rebuttal from Hopper. "Here's what I'll do. Regarding Will Byers, we can move up the regular follow-up exams we promised.
I'll arrange a more detailed examination, including some deeper neurological scans. But until then, based solely on a feeling that something's wrong and a few rotten pumpkins..."
He shrugged. "I think you're overreacting a bit."
Hopper looked at Dr. Owens's face, which seemed sincere but actually held a sense of distance and academic superiority. He knew it would be hard to get more direct help or warning from him today.
A wave of helpless anger churned in his chest.
He understood the other man had his own position and protocols, but he trusted his own intuition more, and Andy and Eleven's discoveries that couldn't be spoken aloud.
"I hope your examination actually finds something, Doctor."
Hopper said finally, his voice tired and carrying a hint of warning. "For everyone's sake."
He said no more, turned, and strode out of Dr. Owens's office, his heavy footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.
He needed to contact Joyce as soon as possible, to remind her to watch Will even more closely.
Similarly, he needed to go back to Andy and Eleven, to see if they had any other way to more concretely prove what was happening to Will.
After Hopper left, Dr. Owens stood alone by his desk, looking at the map with its spiraling marks. The relaxed expression on his face gradually faded.
He picked up his now-cold coffee and took a sip, his eyes becoming deep and complex.
He picked up the internal phone and dialed a number. "It's me. Sheriff Hopper was just here. Mentioned some peripheral anomalies.
Also, he brought up the Byers boy again... Yes, schedule a follow-up exam.
And, dispatch two additional field teams. Take samples according to the points on this map. Focus on organic decay rates and residual energy spectra. I want a report as soon as possible."
He hung up the phone, walked to the window, and looked out at the seemingly peaceful woods beyond the laboratory.
Just how deep was the mess Brenner had left behind?
Dr. Owens's brow also gradually furrowed.
He, too, was beginning to realize that perhaps Hopper's concerns weren't completely unfounded.
Meanwhile, after last night's party, Nancy and Barbara also didn't seem to have returned to their former relationship.
And similarly, the relationship between Nancy and Steve seemed to be taking a strange turn.
Steve Harrington, before Billy came to this school, he was still King Steve. Perhaps he still was.
He didn't feel Barbara's incident had anything to do with him and Nancy at all. In his view, he had merely invited Nancy over to his house, and Barbara just happened to encounter a monster by the pool.
Steve had been constantly changing himself, constantly compromising, all for Nancy.
Perhaps he was getting better, but his indifferent attitude towards Barbara still stung Nancy.
Steve's attitude was as if, as long as Barbara returned safely, everything could go back to the way it was, as if nothing had happened.
The guilt over Barbara, coupled with the fact that their relationship didn't seem as close as before after returning from the Upside Down, and topped with Steve's nonchalant attitude—Nancy had had enough of this life.
Outside the school gymnasium, Nancy formally broke up with Steve.
[Goal Tracker]
PS 500 → 1 Bonus Chapter
Reviews 10 → 1 Bonus Chapter
If you enjoyed it, consider a review.
P1treon Soulforger has 20+advance chapters