13~

Drive

Steve

"So tell me….Steve why would you be a perfect fit to work at Pete's pets place," Amy, the same woman who had been working there for over 30 years asked, looking up at him from where she had to look at his name for the fifth time in a row, which he was starting to take as a bad sign now.

"Well I just love animals," Steve answered, "Have my whole life it feels like. I just felt so drawn here and I think it's because of the animals. They must really need me. "

"Really? And how many animals have you had in your lifetime?"

Steve realized his mistake too late and looked over to Robin for help but she only shook her head at him slowly before she went back to petting one of the small kittens for sale. He was on his own.

"Well…. actually I've never had a pet before, but still I've always felt that I would be an amazing caretaker all the same. I mean animals just seem to love me. As well as the ladies."

The woman gave him a dry look for a long minute before she stood. "Well even without your experience it doesn't mean you can't learn and at the very least you can carry the big bags of food around. But let's test how well you actually work with animals first."

They got up and Steve followed after her to the back of the store where a wall of cages sat, cats of all colors and ages laying in them.

"If you can hold old Lolly you're hired," Amy said as she started to open the door with a key, "She is the best at letting us know if you really will work out here."

"Well this should be fun," Robin said, coming to stand behind them, crossing her arms with a smile on.

"Why do you want me to fail?" Steve asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't say fail," Robin answered, "Just to make yourself look like an idiot."

"Thanks," Steve said, sarcastically.

"Ready?" the older woman asked, "She is a moody old thing sometimes, probably older than you."

Steve looked over at the cat that she was talking about and watched as she had to basically pull it from the cage. It was an old gray ball of fluff, the green, yellow eyes looked to be burning with hate even before he put out his hands to take it.

"Here you go," the woman said, before placing the cat in his arms. For a moment it was like time stopped as Steve and the old Lolly looked at one another before the cats eyes lit on fire and what Steve could only say was a scream of madness at him before he felt the sharper nails dig into his skin a moment before the cat threw itself at his face.

Steve let out his own scream before dropping the cat and tripped over his own feet to slam into a birdcage that hung above him and watched as it was sent crashing to the floor where it popped open the little yellow bird was set free. But of course, that wasn't it. The birdcage had ripped open a big bang of dog food and later the sound of running pews made him look to the side where a group of dogs had jumped the small fence and were now running right for him.

Steve saw his life flesh pass his eyes a moment before he was saved by Robin pulling him to the side with her as they watched the dogs start eating the food as if it was their last meal.

For a moment all three of them watched this happen before Steve looked up at the woman who was redder than a tomato now. "So I take it I'm not getting the job then?"

"Get out!" Amy hissed at him and Steve didn't stay to argue with her. He and Robin booked it back outside.

"Well that was awful," Steve said looking out at the main town that was slowly starting to come back to life again after the mall had burned down. Shops once again opening. The once sunny morning now growing into a gray afternoon, another storm looked to be forming over the treeline.

"Ohhhh that was wayyyyy worse than awful that...that was a living nightmare like, the one where you go to school in your underwear but in real life," Robin said before she started laughing, "Only you Steven Harrington can something like that happen to you."

"You know I've never had that nightmare," Steve said as he started for his car.

"Of course you didn't, you probably wished to go to school in your underwear knowing you," Robin said, opening the car door and getting in along with Steve.

"It may surprise you to know but I actually don't think about himself all day, every day," Steve said.

"Sure you don't," Robin said looking out the front window and saw rain start to fall. "But look at the bright side, the pizza place seemed like they were going to call you back."

"You mean call you back, they didn't even let me look into the walk-in freezer like you."

"It was bigger than my bedroom at home," Robin added unhelpfully.

With a sigh, Steve pulled out of the parking lot and they started towards their next job interview at the movie theater.

"You know I've never seen the weather act like this in the summer" Robin said looking out the window as the light rain fell down around them like flower petals, light in the soft wind that had started up, the air getting colder suddenly, "Sure maybe October but not the end of July, it's never rained this much and what's with the fog all of a sudden are... we in a Stephen King novel? I really hope not, that doesn't work out well for anyone."

"It is weird," Steve remarked and felt as if it reminded him of something. Though what of he couldn't say. But he soon forgot as he turned on main street and was surprised to see the sidewalks now empty, for some reason the hair on the back of his neck started to stand, a chill going down his spine. With a look over at Robin, he could tell she was feeling the same way. Both knowing this wasn't normal, it had been a warm summer day moments ago with people all around, but now it was as if everyone had gone home without a trace along with the sun and all warmth.

Steve looked around himself for a moment, the fog rising higher into the air which he had never seen before….almost like it was trying to cover the whole town and suddenly a feeling of dread hit him as he realized what it had reminded him of. The night with those demodogs looked like this...

"Steve lookout!"

Steve was snapped back to reality then as he looked forward and saw a figure standing in front of them. Steve slammed on the breaks before he looked up to see the face of Mr. Keery, the old middle school janitor.

"Is-is that Mr. Keery?" Robin asked, her eyes wide.

"It can't be," Steve answered, the blood now cold in his veins.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked looking at him.

Steve swallowed hard before he answered. "Because he died that night on July the 4th, he had become part of the monster that we killed."

"Then how is he standing in front of us?" Robin asked, her voice shaking now, and Steve saw that their breath was fogging as the air grew more and more cold.

"That's a good question," Steve said as Mr. Keery faced them, his eyes black pools of nothingness as he tipped his head to the side looking at them like a cat looks at a mouse before it goes for the leap. "But I'm not staying to ask. "

Mr. Keery bore his teeth at them and a moment later started to run for the car, but Steve had already put the car into reverse and before whatever that thing was could take another step they were flying backward through the town.

"Steve, there's another one!" Robin said pointing to the back window but Steve had already seen them, he didn't know who they were which made what he did next easier.

He turned the car to the right sending it sliding and with the back of the car hit right into the figure. But instead of a body rolling over the car like in the movies it disappeared in a cloud of mist.

"What the hell are they?" Robin asked looking towards where there should have been a body but there was nothing.

"I don't know but it's not good," Steve said before he swung the car straight and slammed on the gas and they were off like a shot through the empty streets, hitting into figures as they went, all disappearing into mist as the car hit them.

"Where are we headed?" Robin asked looking around them as the fog covered everything in a blanket of nothingness as the fog got thicker, more and more things moving in the grayness out of sight from them. No one around for miles, everyone simply was gone.

"Where everything always starts. At the Byers."

AN

As always thanks for reading, it means a lot to me. If you want to review and give me your thoughts and or any criticism on what I could do better please feel free, it always helps. I hope your all doing well as you can be right now. Wishing you all the best 3 See you tomorrow.