Dustin keeps pace alongside Mike and El. The couple keep their flashlight beams facing forward, and with their free hand, they grip each other tightly as they walk in the dark. Dustin looks back at them once. Eleven takes the opportunity to talk to him.
"How's Suzie?" Eleven asks him.
"She's good. Sleeping," Dustin looks at his walkie, which has the light off, indicating he isn't transmitting a signal to her anymore.
"Have you gone to Utah to visit?"
"No not yet, I was actually planning a trip this summer, but I think Suzie might decide to be a camp counselor for Camp Know Where so I'll just wait and see what she's up to."
"Oh okay," Eleven accepts what he says with a nod. Dustin knows the right thing to do is ask a question about her since she was making conversation with him.
"How are you liking high school?" he asks her with a smile.
"Not much," she fakes a smile. It is hard for her to talk about it. "It's weird. Very weird, even the teachers. School is pretty hard, and math-math is the hardest," she pauses. "I'm getting better though and Will helps me in science class. We're lab partners," she ends positively. Dustin beams.
"Awesome! Yeah man, we miss both of you around here. High school is…" Dustin just makes an uncomfortable face. El laughs. Mike huffs too.
After a moment Dustin realizes where he is.
"Hey, it's this way!" he says turning directions and walking quicker to the left. Mike and Eleven follow behind. Dustin dips into a small cave and disappears aside from the glow emitting from his flashlight. They finally realize their pack has broken up significantly. They look at each other panicked and then chase after Dustin. With their flashlights aimed in the opposite direction, they hope their friends will see, and follow, the light.
After squeezing through the suffocating entrance, they see Dustin has already got his flashlight in his mouth and he is leaning over a wooden box with confusing motor attached to it and white paper and a pen dangling inside. Before they can tell him the bad news about their friends, he asks them to direct their light so he can take down some measurements. He takes out the maps from his bag, a ruler, a pencil and a notebook to quickly scratch some notes. They watch in confusion. He grunts and sighs, but eventually, he seems to have what he needs.
"This is amazing! Absolutely amazing!" his smile beams. Eleven is confused but smiles with him. His radiant teeth-filled smile disappears when he realizes the others aren't with them. "Hold up! Where is everyone?"
"That's what we were going to say," Mike begins, sounding very rational, just as—
A second earthquake strikes. Way more forceful than the last.
"GET OUT! Get out-get out-get out!" Dustin repeats as they all make a break for the only exit. They each pass out of the cave. Eleven first covering her head with her arms, followed by Dustin who Mike pushes to get out ahead of him, and finally Mike who gets hit with a small rock to the face that makes his cheek bleed almost immediately. They are all just shy of getting trapped inside as a rush of rocks in a grayish white cloud of dust falls over them that's visible even in the dark. It reminds Dustin of that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Unfortunately, the earthquake isn't over just because they left the cave. It is still rumbling underneath them and sloshing around the water in tall waves. It shakes them aggressively. They slowly attempt to get up. While Eleven tries getting to her feet, she loses her footing and Mike's body bends as he tries to stop her from going down on the floor which is shaking up the loose gravel around them and smacking at their bodies.
Dustin puts the box machine, dancing messily in arms, down, but he is still holding onto everything else he brought with him, except for his stash of batteries which roll into the gravel and get washed away by the flowing water.
"Sh-I-i-tTTT" he says rumbling out the word with the vibration of their body.
By now, Will has caught up to his friends.
When the first tremor strikes, Lucas and Max hit the ground almost immediately. Trying to control themselves while they are on their knees, they roll onto their sides facing each other to protect their faces. Will is still trying to stand although the rumbling makes it extremely difficult. Max, peeking out through her crimson hair, sees him and lifting herself up against the pull and shaking ground around her, yanks him down to their level.
There is no screaming as they hold their breath and keep their eyes shut waiting for it to end. In a final rush of defiance, the typically still lake forces a tsunami over their heads that takes the three by surprise drenching them with no warning.
~A.N. Thanks for reading! :) I'm trying to have as many character interactions as possible. Dustin and El are super underrated. I loved when they met again in episode 7 of season 3. Leave a comment about which friend pairings are your favorite!