Chapter 8 – The Junkyard
Hope, Steve, and Dustin gathered in the kitchen of the Henderson household after discovering that Dart had escaped. "WE HAVE A CODE RED!" Dustin yelled into the walkie talkie. "WHY CAN'T I GET HOLD OF ANYONE?" He yelled again, taking off his hat and pulling at his curly mop of hair in frustration, Hope rolled her eyes at his theatrical antics and turned back to face Steve. "Do you, uh, wanna change?" Steve asked Hope, pointing towards the blood stain. Hope nodded and looked down towards the stain. "Poor Mews." She stated sadly, shaking her head, and turned to walk towards her room. She figured she may as well throw on a nice top and some perfume if she was meeting Billy later. "An outfit change, really?" Dustin complained staring at his sister with an annoyed expression forming on his face "I can't walk around with cat blood on my clothes Dustin, people will ask questions!" Hope informed him with a shrug. Dustin's walkie talkie crackled, and a young girls' voice was heard on the other end. "Hello?" Dustin spoke into the receiver and the girl spoke, "Could you shut up with your whining?" She asked, attitude gripping to her words. "Erica?" Dustin asked, "Hmmm?" Erica spoke again and Hope and Steve watched as the two exchanged words. "Is Lucas there I have a …" Dustin started but Erica interrupted him, "A code red? Yeah, I heard." She said to him and Dustin frowned this time even though Erica could not see it. "I need to speak to Lucas." Dustin informed her again, more urgently this time. "It's urgent!" He added to show her he means business. "I don't really care so…" Erica responded, and Dustin cleared his throat, hurriedly. "Erica this is really urgent so if Lucas is there you need to tell him I have a code red!" Dustin informed her again and he heard Erica sigh out of boredom. "Well, I have a code for you instead, it's called code shut-your-mouth!" Erica spoke and then the static crackled through the radio and Dustin stared at the two older teens standing before him, shocked and a whole lot annoyed.
"Well since we can't get hold of anyone at the moment the best thing for us to do is lure Dart away from the town." Steve spoke and Dustin and Hope looked back at him. "And how do you suppose we do that?" Dustin asked, eyebrows raised and staring from his sister to Steve. "Well, you lured Dart out of the house with lunch meat, why don't we get some other sort of meat and lure him like…" Hope paused, thinking hard of somewhere they could lure the monster too. "The junkyard" Dustin finished, and Hope and Steve looked at the younger teen and then to each other and nodded in agreement. "What kind of meat do you think Dart eats?" Steve asked and Hope and Dustin both frowned at him. "Well, he ate a cat so probably cow?" Dustin suggested with a smirk on his face. Hope chuckled and Steve frowned at the siblings. "Fine, cow it is, let's get to the butcher!" Steve said, grabbing his car keys and the nail bat before heading for the door, not in the mood for the Henderson humour especially when he only had to deal with one Henderson regularly now, he had to deal with both. Hope and Dustin glanced at each other and nodded and, Hope quickly scribbled a note to their mom advising her that they were at The Wheeler's before grabbing her leather jacket off the coat rack and leaving after Dustin.
Once inside Steve's car, driving to the butchery, the teenagers were quiet. Thinking about how they were going to capture Dart once they had lured him to the junkyard. At least Steve had his bat. "We can burn him, like Jonathan, Nancy and I were going to do with the Demogorgon last year?" Hope suggested to the two loudly over a complaining Dustin who she had shoved to the back seat when she got to the car as he was sitting in the front, grinning from ear to ear, now he was sitting in the back rambling on about the meaning of shotgun. Steve nodded next to her, "That could work." He said but Dustin who was now quiet, said nothing. "So, besides the meat, we need gasoline." Hope checked off and turned her head to Dustin who was still holding his radio. "Are you done being a baby and ready to help out, since this is your mess after all?" Hope asked her younger brother who rolled his eyes at her. "I think you guys have got it all figured out." He responded and Hope turned back to face the road before them and sighed and shook her head and Steve laughed. "Dustin, are you seriously fighting with your sister because she took the front seat?" Steve asked, turning his head slightly to the annoyed teenager in the back but only slightly so he could keep his eyes on the road. "He'll get over it, I can see you're an only child, Dustin and I will fight over literally anything, well when we were younger, he just sulks now." Hope informed Steve who nodded casually but not before getting a look at Dustin through the rear-view mirror. Dustin had furrowed his brow and started fiddling with the nobs on the radio. "Where is everyone?" Dustin mumbled, talking into the radio again asking if anyone was available. "When I went to the Wheeler's, Mrs Wheeler said that Mike was at Will's, but no one is answering there, and Nancy was at some girls house." Hope scoffed and turned to her brother, "Nancy and Jonathan haven't been at school since the day after Halloween. Who knows where they are!" She told her brother who looked up, surprised. Steve cleared his throat, and the two siblings turned their heads in his direction, "Here we are!" He stated, pulling into an open parking spot, and stopping just outside the butcher. "Who's going to do the explaining?" Steve asked, while getting out of the car. Dustin's eyes darted from Hope to Steve and then back again. Hope just stared at Steve. "You do realize this is your mess though, right?" He asked Dustin, pointing an index finger at him. Dustin nodded, sheepishly, looking down at his feet.
Once they had spoken to the butcher and requested the two buckets of chopped meat some eyebrows were raised but no questions were asked. Steve, Hope and Dustin made their way back to the house where they decided to park Steve's car before making their way to the junkyard on foot. Dustin's radio crackled and Lucas's voice was heard through the static. "Dustin?" Lucas called and Dustin dropped the bucket of meat, that he had taken out of the car, with a loud thump. He clicked the button on his radio and spoke, "Well, well, where the hell have you been?" Dustin asked Lucas, Steve and Hope continued what they were doing which was trying to the shove the gasoline in Dustin's school backpack which they had got from the house when they got back from getting the meat, along with other things, including snacks which Dustin said was mandatory.
"My stupid sister turned it off…" Lucas moaned, and Dustin rolled his eyes.
"Well, when you were having sister problems, Dart grew again, and we think he might be a baby Demogorgon." Dustin informed Lucas who was quiet.
"Is this really necessary?" Hope called to Dustin, waving around the three musketeers bars wrapped in plastic wrap. Dustin rolled his eyes at his sister before continuing to talk to Lucas, "Meet us at the old junkyard and bring your binoculars and wrist rocket." Dustin informed Lucas, "Who's we?" Lucas asked, "My sister and Steve Harrington." Dustin advised Lucas while he watched Hope shove the chocolate nougat bar into the backpack. "Come on, let's go!" Steve called to Dustin who picked up the one bucket of meat, "Steve Harrington?" Lucas questioned but Dustin spoke over him "Over and out." Dustin then turned the dial on the radio before watching Hope put the backpack over her shoulder.
The trio walked along the train track which had not been used in years. Dustin and Steve plopped meat along the ground as they went. Hope's scar was throbbing more than usual. She realized it was since they found Dart that it had not stopped throbbing and her mind started to wonder to what happened last year when the Demogorgon had scratched her and the pain she felt then, it was almost has great as the pain she had felt the day she saw the shadow hovering above Will on the field. She thought about the fear in Billy's eyes when he saw her scar being ripped open however she was bought back to reality when she heard Dustin tell Steve about why he kept Dart and Steve telling Dustin that the trick to getting girls is acting like you do not care and the fact that he uses Faberge hair products and Farah Fawcett hair spray. Hope stopped and turned to glare at Steve, "Please don't give my baby brother advice on how to get girls…" Hope scolded Steve who looked up after plopping down some more of the raw meat. Dustin rolled his eyes at Hope, "I feel like you're the one who needs advice on the company they keep." Dustin responded to Hope as they continued to walk, and Hope's cheeks flushed, crimson.
Dustin was obviously referencing Billy and the fact that he had seen Hope and Billy in a compromising position. Steve did not need to know about Billy and Hope at this moment. "What are you talking about man, your sister hangs around some of the best people in Hawkins…" Steve interrupted, pointing at himself and laughing, and Dustin scoffed, "You don't look like the type of someone who tries to run little kids over as a joke." Dustin advised Steve, eyeballs tearing through Hope's as Hope's facial expression changed to confusion. "Excuse me?" Hope asked Dustin, through gritted teeth, stopping in her tracks making Steve and Dustin stop too. "Just saying…" Dustin added with a shrug, now trying to change the conversation, realizing he probably should not have said anything in the first place, seeing his sister's eye's flash to darkness. Steve's eyes darted from Hope who was staring at Dustin with a hard expression on her face and to Dustin who was staring at the meat bucket, grabbing a new handful. "He did what?" Hope pressed on, teeth still gritted, staring at Dustin. Steve had no idea who they were speaking about, but he did not think this was the right time or place since they still had Dart to worry about and they were nearing the junkyard. He could see Hope getting angrier every second that passed that Dustin kept quiet. "Dustin!" Hope cried out, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. Dustin looked up quickly, "What did he do?" Hope asked, eyes dark and glaring at Dustin, not mentioning any names but both siblings knowing exactly who they were speaking about. Dustin shook his head and pointed in the direction ahead of them changing the subject, "We're nearly there!" He exhaled in relief and started walking past his sister a little too quickly for Hope's liking. "Chill." Steve pointed at Hope who watched as Dustin walked up the embankment and into a clearing, disappearing from their line of vision. Steve jogged after Dustin, plopping some more meat down on the ground, leaving Hope seething with anger. Had Billy Hargrove tried to run over Dustin and his friends? The thought running through her mind as she made her way up the hill and hearing Lucas yell, "I SAID MEDIUM WELL!"
Hope looked towards the broken-down bus and saw Lucas on his bike with Max, Billy's sister, standing up on the back of it, her fiery red hair blowing in the wind. "Who's that?" Steve asked Dustin, looking from Dustin to the other teenagers and then back again, seeing Dustin's face drop. "No one…" Dustin responded before shaking his head and walking over to Lucas. Hope watched as Dustin dragged Lucas away from Max and they crouched low behind some sort of barrel. Max smiled at Steve and Hope and Steve and Hope looked from each other and back to Max. "I'm Max…" She introduced herself to Steve and smiled at Hope, "We've already met?" Max reminded Hope who nodded and looked back at Dustin and Lucas who were whisper arguing. "How did you guys meet?" Steve asked the two girls while Hope tried to get Lucas and Dustin's attention without making it obvious. "The arcade…" Hope quickly responded, giving Max a look that stated do-not-say-another-word. Max nodded and smiled, rolling her eyes at Hope.
They started boarding up the bus, a safe place for them to hide out when Dart arrived on the scene. Steve had to first scold Dustin and Lucas for bickering about Lucas bringing Max before they could start doing anything. Once the bus was boarded up securely with sheets of metal and wood they had found lying around and Max had found a ladder that they could use to climb up to the top of the bus to keep a look out for Dart.
Once they were inside the bus after dropping the remainder of the meat in the clearing the teenagers waited for something to happen. The sun had disappeared, and darkness had come fairly quickly.
Hope had forgotten about her date with Billy, especially after what Dustin had told her what he did to the kids, the anger had subsided, but her scar was starting to act up again as an eerie fog loomed over the junkyard.
Hope rummaged in the backpack and bought out her box of cigarettes she had stuffed in the front pocket and lit one with the lighter Steve was flicking on and off. She stuck her head out of the door of the bus and blew the smoke once she had inhaled. Dustin frowned at her before turning to Max who had asked Steve if they had really fought one of the creatures before. Steve had just nodded, and Dustin snapped at Max when she asked if they are sure it was not a bear or something… "If you don't believe us then why did you come?" He questioned her before she rolled her eyes and climbed the ladder to sit with Lucas who was keeping a look out.
Hope threw the cigarette butt out of the bus far away from the gasoline they had poured onto the grass from the meat pile and closed the door before sitting on the ladder and hearing Max talk to Lucas about her life in California and why Billy was so angry all the time and that he sometimes took his anger out on her. Hope chewed on the skin of her thumb, well what was left, and heard Max tell Lucas she did not know why she was telling him all the stuff about her life. Hope felt the need to listen to Max while she spoke about Billy and even though Hope seemed to believe what Max was saying she felt like she was drawn to Billy even more for some odd reason, even though she was still pissed off with Billy after finding out what he did to Dustin and the rest she realized she was already sort of forgiving him. It was crazy to her and she felt frustrated about it, but she could not stop her intense feelings that she felt for him when they were together, they did not know each other in the slightest but Hope felt like she needed to get to know him and it scared her for how intense her feelings towards him were. She shook her head to herself, embarrassed at herself for feeling this way.
Hope closed her eyes as she tried to stop thinking about Billy, but her scar started to throb incredulously as Lucas yelled from the top of the bus." I've got eyes, 10 0 clock!" Hope, Dustin, and Steve dashed to the windows of the bus and stared through the gaps of the sheets of metal and planks of wood that they obviously had not secured tightly enough. "I can't see him" Dustin spoke, quietly, and Steve pointed to an opening in the fog where Dart was slowly making his way towards the meat. Hope's scar burned as she locked what she thought was eyes with the creature. She pressed her index and middle fingers down on the scar tightly, and she closed her eyes, the pain subsided a little but when she opened her eyes again and looked down at her scar those same vines were back, protruding from the scar which was pulsing a little. "Why isn't he taking the bait?" Dustin asked and Steve shrugged. "Probably tired of cow..." Steve stated before getting up and grabbing the bat and walking past Dustin, not noticing what was happening to Hope who was next to Dustin "Be ready." Steve said as he threw the lighter at Dustin and swung the door of the bus open and retreated down the steps. Max stumbled down the stairs quickly, "What is he doing?" She cried. "Expanding the menu." Dustin responded and the two teenagers watched Steve taunt the creature. Hope gasped as the pain increased in her arm and Dustin and Max turned their heads in her direction. "Are you okay?" Max asked her, staring at the now visible scar and Hope shook her head but did not say anything. The pain was like stepping on a piece of glass and the glass stabbing the skin multiple times before setting on a place in the skin. Her eyes began to water, and she looked up at Dustin and Max before Lucas yelled from the top. "STEVE, WATCH OUT!" "A little busy here!" Steve called and Lucas shouted again, "THREE O CLOCK!" Lucas cried and Dustin spun his head back to the clearing and saw another creature like Dart sitting on top of an old, abandoned car. "SHIT!" Dustin screamed. He dashed past Hope and tore the bus door open, "STEVE, ABORT, ABORT!" He called out and Steve turned around and started running back to the bus not before he got a good swing and hit of one of the creatures.
Steve slammed the bus door just as one of the creatures banged its body against it. All of the creatures had started to slam against the side of the bus. Dustin tried to pull Hope up off the floor as Steve got the bat ready to swing at any moment. "IS ANYONE THERE, GOD ANYONE?" Dustin cried into his walkie talkie as Hope was still slumped on the ground holding her scar, almost as if she were no longer comprehending what was happening in the moment. "WE ARE AT THE OLD JUNKYARD AND WE ARE GOING TO DIE!" Dustin cried again as the bangs got louder and forceful and a creature was now on the roof of the bus.
BANG, BANG, BANG.
Max who was standing at the end of the ladder, ready to climb up it, screamed when she saw the creature appear at the hole in the roof on top of the bus and Steve pushed her out of the way. "WANT SOME OF THIS?" He yelled at the creature which had opened its flower petal mouth and showed its hundreds of teeth while it screeched. Just as Steve was about to smash the monster with the bat it stopped screeching and turned what you would call its head in the other direction and stared into the distance before hurtling down off the bus and disappearing along with the others.
Silence.
The party looked around at each other. Dustin dashed to Hope who was still crouched low, but the pain seemed to subside. She blinked and looked up at Dustin who sighed in relief. "What happened?" She asked, looking around at the shaking children and then at Steve who had opened the bus door carefully and was peering out into the darkness. "We were just attacked by some…" Max started to say but she did not know what to call them. She looked at Hope, confusion filling her face. "Wait, you really don't know what just happened?" Max asked her and Hope's gaze found Dustin's and she frowned, "I can't remember, I think I blacked out?" Hope questioned, getting up from her position and looking around for Steve who had exited the bus with Lucas. Dustin and Max stared at each other with worried looks on their faces. "Whatever happens to you seems to happen when something from the upside down is either attacking or in close proximity." Dustin started but Hope waved him off as she also exited the bus. "Do you think you scared them off?" Lucas was asking Steve who turned around and looked at Hope once she joined them. "Everything okay?" Steve asked her, he had noticed that she had frozen when the attack started but he was supposed to protect the kids so he could not assist her at that moment. She nodded as Dustin and Max joined the party outside. Dustin's eyes kept darting in Hope's direction, just to make sure she was actually okay. "I don't think I scared them off…" Steve started and looked back at the party after his gaze scanned the junkyard one more time to make sure they were indeed alone.
"I think they're going somewhere!" Steve ended, swinging his bat over his shoulder, staring at shocked facial expressions.