Mike, Lucas, and Dustin always thought boy scouts were lame. The couple of pigeon scouts at their school were some of the most annoying bigmouths in their classes. Still, all that time in the wilderness came with its benefits, like for example, knowing about the tunnels that lead to the ventilation tubes of the underground facility known as Hawkins National Laboratory.
Dustin had befriended one of these boys, who he had spotted at Settler Quarry. Because he had no need for it at the time, it didn't seem useful to bring it up to the rest of the party. Who knew they would be heading on a mission like this ever again? Thankfully, Dustin had a map and a good memory to take them back through its secret entrance.
Dustin orders each member of the party to carry as many items from the trunk of Mike's car as they can.
Max pulls out a 50-foot rope with a grappling hook.
"Whoa! Hey, let me help you with that," Lucas says appearing suddenly and reaching to take the heavy items off her hands. She stops him just as suddenly pushing his hand away.
"What are you doing?" Lucas looks like a deer caught in the headlights. "Do you think I can't take care of myself? I can help just like everybody else!"
"I just wanted to help..."
"Yeah, well don't take my choice away from me; I'm stronger than I look."
"I know that," he pauses awkwardly and lets her have it. He reaches into the trunk to take something else they might need. They share a couple of moments of silence before they begin the march from the edge of the water to the tree line.
Originally, Max worried that this mission would take them back to the mall. She hadn't been to that site since it closed permanently. It was still amazing to the boys how the Russian forces had succeeded in developing such an entire complex in plain sight under the guise of consumerism. Max could only think about her stepbrother. Now, all that was over, and just a shell reminded them of what happened on July 4th.
Eleven was watching Max since she had gotten to Will's old house. She seemed more disturbed than usual, and after the last 24 hours, she was sure that Max was feeling all sorts of things, but she had not spoken about it yet. El lingered around Max in case she did become interested in telling her something.
Eleven had her own demons that haunted her. Although she hadn't spoken about almost feeling Hopper's presence when they'd gotten pulled over the night before, she knew that Max was the only person who might understand what that felt like—to lose someone and see them everywhere they turned. El sometimes saw him when she smelled cigarettes or heard a song on the radio or saw a dad with his daughter on the street.
"It's only a couple more yards ahead. Keep up!" Dustin called behind him just loud enough for Lucas who was all the way at the back of the pack to hear.
Dustin stops and takes a closer look at one of the trees.
"It's not going to fall on us is it?" Will asks him nervously.
"No, no way, if they didn't fall in the night, that has to mean they're still in good shape, but we should get into the tunnel to the lab now before we get caught in the next shocker out here. There's no place to hide," Dustin says ominously. Mike and Lucas lock eyes worriedly. Dustin stops again. His silence quiets the others who stop marching and stop breathing as he listens to the wind.
"Do you hear that?"
"I don't hear anything," El responds.
"Exactly I don't even hear birds," Dustin confirms. He waits another second as the tension builds before they all hear a loud crack and crunch that sound like it could be from a tree. They all turn their heads to see where it is coming from, but it is not above—it's below. The sound of the earth breaking apart!
"EARTHQUAKE!" Mike screams. Everyone yells, panicking as they lose their footing.
El's leg buckles under her.
"Mike!" she yells as she starts to fall down into pit that seems to be growing by the second as the mud slides blocking the direction that they came. Without thinking, Mike dives to hug her and drops onto his back as they both go sliding down the fast moving sludge.
Max can't keep her balance. She drops her rope in her hope to stay grounded. Her expression only shows fear. Dustin reaches for his friend's hand to keep her from sliding down into the hole. "I got ya," he says just before Lucas's body, being swept by a current of mud and lose branches, comes barreling towards him. Lucas and Dustin get knocked into each other, breaking Dustin's grip as Max goes sliding. Dustin gets knocked out cold while Lucas gets driven into a nearby tree. Will goes headfirst into the wet ground behind Max.
When Will wakes up, he is in the process of being shaken by Max who's covered in dirt and barely recognizable without her signature red hair which has now gone dark brown. Will's long hair is muddy in his face. "What happened?"
"I don't know. We lost the others. We have to find them."
Mike wakes up to El's choked crying. For the most part, his bravery helped cushion her fall, but at the end of the slide was a sea of broken trees and rocks and it looked like they were both stuck in a new cave.
"El, El, are you okay?" She picks her head up when she hears him and shakes her head biting her lip. She points her eyes downward. Mike is overwhelmed by the sight of her blood. He had seen this once and hoped to never see it again. The scar on her leg, which had been viciously clawed months back by the Mind Flayer, was reopened. If he didn't get her help soon, she could bleed out. "Oh god, don't worry El, I'll get us out of here. You'll be fine," she nods pleasantly, but not that hopeful.
~A.N. So excited to be back. I rewatched nearly all of Stranger Things Season 3 on July 4, 2020 so I have the burst of creative energy to add more stuff. Things in the story will only get messier. Thanks for those who just found my story and are giving it a read!