Chapter Two: The Heebie-Jeebies

Steve couldn't help but reflect over the last few hours of his life. Somehow, he had been pulled into a situation where he was preparing a trap for a miniature "Demogorgon" in the middle of a dark and rusting junkyard. He had just wanted to apologize to Nancy. But, nope. Apparently not. Apparently he had become the designated babysitter for Dustin, Lucas, and that new girl Maxine. And God forbid if you actually call her Maxine. She would only answer to Max.

After about an eternity of waiting the damn little monster dog finally showed up, through the fog. But nothing could ever be easy. The stupid thing wasn't taking the bait, which was a pile of hamburger dowsed in gasoline. Then it hit him why it wasn't taking the bait; all it ate the entire time if it followed the trail they had left behind was cow. They needed to expand the menu.

Steve stood up and picked up his wooden bat with the nails. "Steve? Steve, what are you doing?" Dustin asked from behind him, sounding worried. He turned and saw that the middle schooler looked as worried as he sounded. He threw the lighter to Dustin who caught it.

"Just be ready."

Steve knew he was crazy. He absolutely knew it but…to hell with it. They needed to kill this thing, here and now. He stepped out of the bus, scanning the misty junkyard. At night, your eyes could play tricks on you and the fact that he was about to take on a beast from another dimension didn't help with that.

He heard the bus door shut behind him and the little monster dog growl ahead of him. He swirled the bat around and started to whistle for it. "Come on, buddy. Human tastes better than cat. I can promise you that." Why was he talking to it? The mist began to blow away in areas and then he could finally see it. It looked like a mutated dog with the faceless head of that monster he had helped fight last year.

That thing with its face that opened up revealing all of its sharp, killer teeth… It was no wonder he still had nightmares about it from time to time.

The monster dog seemed to stare at him, amazing feat since it had no eyes to stare out of. It was only a matter of seconds before-

"Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?"

Steve spun to his right where the voice had come from. He knew that voice, he that-oh, no. Billy Hargrove. As if on cue, Hargrove came strolling through the fog, lit cigarette hanging from his mouth, causal look on his face.

What the hell was he doing here? And now of all times?

When Hargrove was about three feet away from Steve he stopped and asked, "What are you doing here, amigo? And talking to yourself no less?"

"Could ask you the same thing," he said, barely taking his eyes off the dog, who mercifully, hadn't moved.

"Like the bat," Hargrove said, pointing to the bat he clenched in his hands. "Very do it yourself. Do you expect to see your ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend tonight? Gonna smash in his head, pretty boy?"

Steve wouldn't have been in the mood for this any time, but considering that their lives were currently on the line…Yeah, no. He wasn't dealing with this shit right now. "You need to leave," he said firmly.

Hargrove ignored him and took in his surrounding, but somehow managed to miss the monster dog standing ten feet away from them. "Not till I find my stepsister. Little birdie told me I could find her here."

"I don't know her. Are we done here?"

"Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Steve snapped. "Now leave."

Hargrove scoffed and shook his head. Steve's impatience and anxiety was growing by the second. He was continuously glancing between the dog and Hargrove making sure neither of them stepped any closer. "You know, I don't know, this whole situation, Harrington…it's giving me the heebie-jeebies. Cuz, my thirteen-year-old sister goes missing for most of the day, then I find her with you in the middle of an abandoned junkyard, and you lie to me about it."

Steve tightened his hold on the bat. "I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said. She's not here."

"Then who is that?" Hargrove said pointing to the top of the bus, where Max and Lucas were.

Well, son of a…

"Oh, shit," Steve muttered as he saw the two kids duck down too late. He turned back to Hargrove but before he knew it, he was being shoved down to the ground.

Hargrove hovered over him. "I told you to plant your feet." He then preceded to kick him in the stomach. Steve groaned in pain and saw that Hargrove was marching up to the bus, looking more than a little pissed off.

Oh, come on!

He was quick to get to his feet, pick up the bat, and run up to Hargrove so that he could pull him back away from the bus. He almost enjoyed the look of surprise on Hargrove's face but then he remembered that he couldn't get sucked up into high school feuds, not when actual lives were at stake. "Hargrove! You need to listen to me right now! You need to leave! It's a matter of life or death!"

"Wha'cha ya gonna do, Harrington?" Hargrove said, raising his arms out in a, come and get me, pose. "Scare me with your nail bat? Because believe me, you are gonna have to do a lot more than that to scare me off."

Steve was pissed off and scared and fed up with this guy from California who apparently didn't know how to button his shirt. So he shoved him against the bus. Hargrove rubbed the back of his neck and started laughing. Jesus, this guy was crazy. "So, you do have some fight in you after all, huh? I've been waiting to meet this King Steve I've heard so much about!"

Steve didn't get a chance to say anything because the little monster dog let out a terrifying sound. It was a mixture of a shriek and growl. Shit, shit, shit… He quickly retraced his steps and saw that the dog still hadn't moved, maybe a step or two, but otherwise nothing. He cursed himself for being stupid enough to let Hargrove of all people distract him. The guy was a total ass hat.

"Harrington?" ass hat in question asked, sounding a little on edge. "What the hell was that?"

"If you won't leave," he called over his shoulder, "then get on the damn bus!"

At that moment Lucas cried from the top of the bus, "Steve, look out! Look out!"

"I'm a little busy right now!"

"Three o'clock! Three o'clock!" the boy shouted.

Steve glanced over his shoulder and saw at least four more of these miniature monsters coming from out of the fog. Oh, shit, shit, shit… Dustin had opened the bus door and was screaming, "Abort! Abort!" Upon seeing that he was slowly being surrounded, he didn't have to be told twice.

Steve started to run.