epitaph

Nine people from a little town Hawkins knew a secret. A secret, which had a scale of government, illegal experiments and abuse over humanity; a secret, which could be a final bullet in head, the last drop of blood or the last broken bone. A secret, which could give more suffering, more deaths than it already contributed to the newspapers and the town's memory. Maybe millions. Or maybe it all could be ended with the death of Earth. No one completely know. But everyone know that no one of the deceased didn't deserve their fate. They're remembered worthy, despite the fact that now all of them are part of effect of Mandel. In fact, including this, everyone knew a piece of secret. But the reasons of that apocalypse, which have been occurring for five years, know only nine people. That's the part of their collective memory, which they all will take in grave. Someone already did.

***

Firstly, there were more people. Eleven. Max died in coma. Ten. Will was erased from remembrances, notes and inner circle. Nine. Them both were just victims of an accident, not included in anywhose plans. Excluding Will. Will became too dangerous. Therefore, they keep the last few memories about one person who's exist no one will remember. Now she's just the echo of the past.

***

Each of them have their own feelings about her, their own thoughts. Hopper remembers her as a little friend he tried to establish relationships with, and also as almost his own daughter. Byers, especially Joyce, considered her as a girl, who soon became their familiar soul — a piece of their close-knit family. Lucas and Dustin — as dearly member of their company and just a super-cool girl from Maple Street. Steve, Nancy and Robin know her as a literally superhero. A girl, who can roll someone's neck with cracking her own. And Mike... Mike knows her better than anyone, having felt her with all his soul and heart, with all his being for five years: for him, she's a superhero not in ability, but in spirit; a cowered human in trouble, soaked in the rain, who foreshadowed long years of unimaginable events in which he became one of the main characters; the best thing that happened in his life, unusual love — when the heart was beating fast, like a rabbit, and they just wanted to weave their hands in one solid pattern, close each other's lips and fall into oblivion, so as not to know the future or the past — only the present. He still has stacks of her letters. Sometimes he locks the door and re-reads them. Blindly believes in the impossible outcome that she'll return through space and matter to them all back. It's better not to worry Mike at these moments. Each of them has a separate thread that stitches the whole picture of what happened in one picture — the mysterious girl with the tattoo, and the Hawkins National Laboratory, and the evil spirits from the Underworld, seemingly spawned by the Devil himself, although that's the way it is. But it will be burned in the same heap with gasoline, as the DND, and the piles of painted with colored crayons maculature. Where hospital shirt and yellow «Ben's burgers» T-shirt were burned once.

***

No one deserve the privilege to be involved into their secret. They promised and gave some kind of the vow of silence, that they'll never mention her real name out(side) of the group. Out of respect for her and her mother, her tears and for her stucked somewhere in Limbo conscience. Because heroes don't wear raincoats. They wipe the blood from the upper lip and eyes' corners.