Autor Note: This chapter is shorter than usual, so I can bring you a chapter today.
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A week had passed. Liam had called home to let them know he would take another week to return, which was met with immediate concern from his mother. She didn't hesitate to ask why he was taking so long, worried about what kind of things they might have encountered to cause such a delay.
He had to hand the phone to Carrie so she could calm her down, since he didn't have the patience to deal with long, emotional conversations like that. Carrie spoke in a soft, reassuring voice, telling her that they were fine and that everything was under control. During that call, she also mentioned that Leon had already returned home and that, from what it seemed, he had done so accompanied by the president's daughter, Ashley.
Hearing this, Liam's plans began to shift in his mind. If he had access to the president through Ashley, many things could change and become far easier—something he would definitely welcome. However, everything depended on what kind of president her father was, since he didn't seem to fit with any of the ones who should have been in office during those years.
The families who chose to go with Liam and Carrie had to contact a real estate company to put their houses up for sale. They sold valuable items, important memories, and belongings they never thought they would leave behind—but they did it anyway. Together, they gathered enough money to pay one month's rent on a large house located next to the mansion where Liam and Carrie were staying.
Liam asked Edward for a bit of help to make sure they would accept renting him that house, regardless of who the owner was. In the future, he planned to buy it once the gold mine started producing results. For that, he would have to wait at least another month to see the first income, so for now he allowed them to pay the first month themselves, with the promise that he would take care of everything afterward.
At the moment, they were traveling down the highway with six cars following behind his. They had entered a road with no signs of civilization around—only forests on both sides of the asphalt. They had been seeing the exact same scenery for about thirty minutes.
"Something changed," Carrie suddenly said, sitting up straight abruptly, her expression shifting from relaxed to alert in a single second.
"What did you feel, Carrie?" Liam asked seriously, without taking his eyes off the road, fully trusting her senses.
"I felt that something changed. It was similar to when Pennywise trapped us in the infinite loop and when we entered the Upside Down," Carrie said, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to identify exactly what felt different.
Liam nodded slowly, his expression hardening. He took out a radio the kids from Hawkins had given him and spoke in a firm voice. "We have a problem. It seems we've entered some kind of different dimension or space. We don't know what we might find, so make sure to follow my orders if we encounter unknown dangers."
There was a brief silence before the radio filled with static and overlapping voices as everyone tried to speak at the same time.
"What—"
"Why—"
"—"
"Enough." Hearing everyone start to lose control, Liam had to use his telepathy to calm them all at once.
This immediately caused Carrie to pout when she realized that telepathy would no longer be something he used only with her. That private space where only the two of them spoke was now being shared with everyone.
Liam glanced at her and could only shake his head, deciding to deal with that issue later.
"This is telepathy, one of my powers. You just have to think in order to speak," Liam said calmly, his voice echoing directly inside everyone's minds.
"What do you mean we just entered another dimension? Everything looks the same," came what sounded like Hopper's voice, filled with doubt.
"Kid, I don't know if I believe you. What you just said sounds absurd. I'm already regretting agreeing to this madness my kids convinced me to join," sounded like Mike's father, tense and irritated.
"Dad, I believe him. Let's wait and see what's happening before jumping to conclusions," Mike replied, trying to calm his father.
"This is weird. We leave one dangerous place just to enter another," Dustin said, clearly nervous.
"Guys, don't forget to do what Liam says. He and Carrie are strong—they can keep us safe as long as we do what he says," Steve said, trying to keep the group's spirits up.
"I'll do what you say. Just keep my family safe," Joyce said as she held Will tightly, as if afraid to let him go.
"Alright, speak one at a time. We still don't know what we're dealing with. Just stay calm, follow my orders, and I'll make sure no one gets hurt," Liam said seriously.
At that moment, as they continued down the road, a massive tree appeared, completely blocking the path. Liam slammed on the brakes, making the tires screech against the asphalt.
This caused the cars behind him to nearly crash into one another.
"What just happened? Why did you stop so suddenly?" Steve said from his car behind them.
"A fallen tree appeared in the middle of the road—and I know where we are now. I'll explain what we need to do afterward." Seeing the tree, Liam had already realized they had ended up in From, an extremely dangerous place that was difficult to escape.
But he had no intention of staying there for a month—not a chance. If necessary, he would burn down the entire forest to get out of that place after killing any supernatural being he encountered.
Unfortunately, he didn't know how the series ended, so he wasn't sure about everything he might face there. When he died in his previous life, he had only seen the first season and knew the second was about to be released.
Everyone got out of their cars to look at the massive trunk blocking the road.
"Looks like we'll have to turn around," Mike's father said, crossing his arms.
"That won't be necessary," Liam said calmly.
He turned to look at Carrie, who was already using her telekinesis. The tree began to rise slowly, causing shock in everyone watching—even those who already knew about Eleven's powers.
They knew Eleven wouldn't be able to lift something that heavy, even using all her strength.
"Bang." The sound echoed as Carrie dropped the tree to the side, leaving the road completely clear.
"Done. Let's keep going," Liam said. He didn't believe that simply moving the tree would get them out of that place. From the moment Carrie felt the change, he knew they were already trapped.
Liam looked up at the sky, watching as it began to darken far too quickly.
"Alright, do everything I say. Nighttime is when things will get dangerous," Liam said seriously.