Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

*Also, wow, the last chapter was published on this fanfic's 3rd anniversary. The 3RD ANNIVERSARY! It wasn't even intentional, but...I've been working on this for three years now...just wow.*

The second Larry saw Joyce and Jim at the fair, his smile for the camera waned. He remembered their deal: he would show them the records, they would keep quiet about the fight and wouldn't bother him any longer.

He didn't promise that he wouldn't tell those commies about their presence.

Back in the convenience store, Mike's bite was cleaned, disinfected, and patched up. The health isle was a bit of a mess because of it, but it was worth it. The boy drank some water Terry gave him as the woman got out the walkie and asked into it, "Kali, sweetie? Are you there?"

"Yes, Mum, I'm here," the teen answered. "And we found Dustin."

The kids looked up with hope. "Can we hear him?"

A few seconds later, Dustin's voice came through the walkie. "Ms. Ives!"

She smiled. "Dustin, I'm glad to hear you're alright."

"Yeah, I was trying to talk to Jane, but my batteries went out." So that explained why the audio was what it was earlier. "Kali and Jonathan told me you guys already know about the Russians?"

She nodded. "Yes, she told us about what you and Steve told her." That made her realize something. "Where is Steve, by the way?"

"He's...somewhere, but we escaped together, so we'll find him." Everyone looked relieved to hear that.

"But how did you guys know that the hole was being reopened in the mall?" he asked, looking around the whole movie theater with everyone else.

"Mrs. Byers called me earlier and told me about it," Terry answered. "We don't know where she is though...and Hopper too."

He sighed. So much for Plan C. "Well, okay, we'll still be looking for Steve. We'll keep you guys updated-"

"Wait, hold on," Erica cut in, snatching the walkie from his grasp.

"What-Erica-"

"Hey, Ms. Ives?"

Lucas's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull when he heard her voice. Terry looked confused. "Who is this?" she asked.

Lucas stood up and walked to her, grabbing the walkie from her. "Erica, what are you doing with Dustin?!" he asked in a panic.

Jane and Will looked surprised. "Your little sister?" Jane asked, confused.

"You have a sister?" Mike also asked, more confused.

They heard Erica scoff through the walkie. "Ask Dustin. I just wanted free ice cream."

He looked worried for her. "A-are you okay?"

"Do I sound like I'm not, nerd?"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head at her response. "Okay, don't need to tell me twice."

The teens were grinning at the siblings' exchange, trying not to snicker. "You sound fine too, which ya are...right?" she asked him.

"Yup, still all in one piece," he answered dryly. "Just stay with Kali, Jonathan, and Dustin until we get there, alright?"

She looked weirded-out. "I'm not two anymore. I know how to stay safe. And you should be too."

"I will!"

"Then I'll do the same!"

"Okay!"

"Okay!" She then handed the walkie to Dustin, the curly-haired boy a bit weirded-out by their weird exchange.

"We'll keep her safe and keep looking for Steve. You guys get here as soon as possible, alright?"

"We will, dude," Lucas replied. "Over and out." He shortened the antennae. At the same time, Jane and Will supported Mike up onto his feet. "Let's go then." Everyone nodded, Andrew pushing the cart of fireworks to the entrance while everyone followed.

When they all left though, a small puddle of Mike's blood began moving...and squelching.

Looking up at the ceilings lights made Steve and Robin so dizzy that they ran into one of the movie bathrooms and threw up in the toilets. Steve flushed the last of his vomit, hearing his co-worker say from the opposite stall, "Hey, the ceiling stopped spinning for me. It stopped spinning for you?" The jock looked up, seeing the ceiling...as a ceiling.

"Oh wow," he said. "You think we puked all that shit up?"

"Hmmm...maybe, ask me something."

"Ask you something, alright..."

She then said in a Russian accent, "Interrogate me."

He chuckled at that. "Okay, um..." He began thinking, leaning against the toilet. He thought up of a stupid question. "When's the last time you pissed yourself?"

"Today," she answered instantly.

He looked surprised. "Wait, really, when?"

"When the Russian doctor took out the bonesaw."

He snorted and began laughing. "Oh my God..."

Robin began laughing as well, adding, "But it was just a tiny bit though!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking that some of it was still in her system, probably. They continued laughing for a bit, then the teen girl sighed. "Okay, my turn."

"Alright."

She didn't say anything for a bit, then finally asked, "Are you...in love with Kali Ives?" He wasn't going to lie, that question threw him off a little. "I mean, from what you said about her in that room...you sounded like you really care about her." He did, he really did.

He nodded, looking serious. "Yeah...I do."

"Care about her...or love her?"

He shrugged. "Both." He sighed. "I mean, I found her hot when we first met, not gonna lie. I went for her because she wasn't white, but it turns out that she's..." He shrugged again. "I dunno, she's a lot different from all my other exes, in more ways than one."

Robin didn't say anything for a few seconds, then asked, "How?"

He looked up, thinking about his girlfriend. "She's smart, she's funny, and she's always so headstrong. You push her down, she'll get back up and push you too." In the other stall, Robin nodded and looked thoughtful. "She's also so...brave, like, she'll take risks and never go back. She's adamant to see them through." He smiled. "Whenever I try to...charm her, she charms me back. I kick myself down, she brings me back up and gives me a pep talk on why I shouldn't do that. I never thought I would find that attractive, but...here I am, still with her and still trying to be the best I can be...for her and for myself." He leaned back against the wall. "That's why I love her. And honestly? I don't really see myself with anyone else." Robin was silent, looking more thoughtful and interested. From the sound of it...

"She sounds amazing," she said softly.

He nodded. "She is."

She sat with her knees to her chest, looking a little...melancholic. "It's...good that you love a girl like that."

The way she said that and the fact that she said nothing after made Steve concerned for her. "Robin?" She didn't answer, even when he tapped the stall. "Did you OD in there?"

"No..." She leaned back against the wall. "I'm still alive." She deeply sighed after. He then thought that she sounded like that because of...well, what she told him earlier in that interrogation room...her "obsession" with him. Serious, he shifted himself to get more room and slid into her stall. She smirked at him. "You know that floor's gross."

He shrugged once more. "I'm already covered in puke and blood, so..."

She scoffed. "You're gonna hug your girlfriend in that shit?"

He shook his head. "No, even though I really want to." She grinned before it fell shortly after. He gave her a forlorn look. "Listen, Robin, I know you were obsessed with me back in school, you told me that, but I'm sure you'll find the right guy in the future." Hearing that made her tense up and purse her lips, looking down. "You might think you're shit, but you'll find someone that thinks you're not, that you're...well, worth it. You're turning out to be a good friend to me and I'm sure any guy will be lucky to have you because-"

"Steve." He stopped, hearing the somber tone of her voice. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists. "You think I'm a friend?"

"Well..." He used his hand to gesture between the both of them. "We're talking like this right now and you actually turned out to be a cool person to hang out with." She smiled, just a little.

"Would you even want to be my friend if I told you..." She trailed off, looking more sad.

He frowned, looking more concerned. "Tell me what?"

She took another deep breath, looking straight into his eyes...hers filling with tears. "It's not...what you think," she said, her voice sounding a little choked. She shook her head. "I'm...not what you think."

He kept his concerned look, wrapping his arms around his knees. "What are you talking about? You're a great-"

"No, listen to me. I'm not like your friends...or Kali. The reason why...I was obsessed with you was not because I had a crush on you." He was genuinely shocked to hear that, but didn't say anything and let her continue. "I was obsessed because..." She shook her head again. "Because she couldn't stop staring at you."

"Kali?"

She shook her head again. "In that class."

"...Mrs. Click?"

She chuckled sadly at that. "Tammy Thompson." That name was familiar to him. She looked away from him. "She kept looking at you like...I wanted her to look at me." He was completely perplexed. "But she never did. She only had her eyes on you and your stupid hair." He didn't take that as an insult. She looked up at him again. "I didn't understand because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor...and you asked the most stupidest questions and you were a complete douchebag!" He couldn't deny any of those, his lips drawing to a fine line. "And you...you didn't even like her. That was why every day, I went home and just screamed into my pillow." There was silence for a bit.

"Tammy Thompson's a girl though?" he asked.

She nodded, looking like she was about to cry. "I know."

"But..." He trailed off, finally putting the pieces together. She wanted Tammy to look at her like she was to him. Tammy wanted to be with him at the time, but he rejected her. But she still ogled at him because she found him hot...

His jaw dropped and he leaned back, muttering, "Oh my God..."

She smiled sadly. "Yup...oh my God." He just sat there and took his time trying to process this. Robin didn't have a crush on him...she was obsessed with him because she had a crush on a girl that found him hot. He never...he's heard of people like her, but he never thought he would meet one. That was...

Robin looked at him, a sad, wry smile on her face. "Steve...did you OD over there?" she asked joking, her voice still low.

He shook his head and answered, "No, I was just...thinking." She just nodded again and brushed her hair back, looking away. He then thought about hanging out with Tammy...and why he rejected her. "So...Tammy." He shrugged. "Back then, I would've dated her because she was cute and all, but..." He shook his head and looked at his friend. "She was a total dud."

She looked at him, a bit offended. "N-no she's not."

He scoffed. "Yes she was. She wants to move to Nashville and become a singer."

Now she looked at him weird. "She has dreams-"

"That'll never come true because she's an awful singer."

She raised her eyebrows. "What?"

He nodded. "It's true, she sounded so tone-deaf! Have you heard her? She sounds like..." He then tried to imitate her singing, singing atonally. That made her smile and laugh.

"Stop," she playfully demanded of him. He still kept going though, making her laugh more. "Stop, she does NOT sound like that!"

"She sounds EXACTLY like that!"

"She does NOT! You sound like a Muppet!"

"SHE sounds like a Muppet! Like a Muppet giving birth or some shit!" Robin laughed again as he began singing as Kermit. She then joined his awful singing and continued laughing. "See? Just like that!"

"I know!" They continued laughing together, enjoying the company as great friends.

However, they stopped when the door suddenly opened up, showing Dustin and Erica. Dustin looked very annoyed. "Okay, guys, what the hell?" he said, his tone matching his expression. They still continued to laugh though, much to his dismay.

The little girl shook her head and looked to her right. "Hey!" she called out. "Your boyfriend's in here!" Hearing that made Steve stop and look shocked.

"Wait, what?" he asked before standing up. The freckled girl did the same.

Dustin and Erica moved out of the way to show Kali and Jonathan arriving at the doorway. He gasped, not only finally seeing his girlfriend again, but also his best friend. He looked over the moon, as was his girlfriend. "Steve!" she exclaimed happily.

"Kali, holy shit!" He spread his arms out to hug her, but then stopped. "Wait." She stopped as well, looking puzzled. "I'm covered in blood and vomit."

Her eyes widened, then she backed away, scanning him from top to bottom. "Oh wow, you even smell too."

Jonathan scoffed. "I'm surprised you noticed that he smells like shit, but not the fact that he looks like shit."

Steve rolled his eyes at him. "Nice to see you too, Jonathan."

He laughed. "But it's good to see that you're alright...mostly."

"Yeah, I was starting to worry about you," Kali added.

He smiled at her warmly. "Trust me, I got myself through hell to get back to you." She smiled back at him.

"You're forgetting about me," Robin said, chiming in and standing next to him.

Kali pointed at her. "What are you doing in the men's bathroom?"

She shrugged. "Did the kids tell you guys everything?"

"Yeah," Kali and Jonathan answered at the same time.

"Then we need to get out of here."

"We do have our cars," Jonathan stated, pointing back. "We'll wait in them until the rest of the group arrives."

The dirty-blonde-haired girl looked confused. "The rest of the group?" Everyone then left the bathroom as Steve told her what the rest of the group was.

Billy's car parked at the convenience store Michael and the others left. He and Stacey got out of it, stepping into the small building. The lights were flickering and they looked around with their stone-cold expressions. They walked to the health isle, seeing the blood and bowl of bloody water left there. They walked towards it, the two of them crouching down towards the squealing blood. The two of them dipped a finger into it, closely examining it.

Then their pupils dilated, the veins blackening.

Becky and Carl were enjoying this fair with Tina, but Terry and the kids still haven't arrived yet, making them worry a little. But for now, Becky wanted to try the Graviton. Carl decided to stay behind to look after Tina. At the same time, while Joyce and Jim were walking around, the brunette spotted him. She grabbed Jim's arm to stop him, saying, "Hey, look!" She pointed at Carl waving his wife goodbye as she was getting into the ride. The fact that they were there was a cue for them to get to them and get answers.

They ran and finally reached to Carl, Joyce shouting, "Hey, Carl!" He looked up at the two adults approaching, looking both puzzled and concerned.

"Joyce? Chief Hopper?"

They stopped in front of him, but Joyce's eyes went to Tina, who was still sucking her stuffed animal. "Awww~, is this Tina?"

He nodded, smiling. "Yes."

She crouched down and smiled at the baby, saying in a baby voice, "Hi~. I'm Joyce, your mommy's friend~." She patted her head. "You remember my voice, from the phone~?" Looking at that baby had all sorts of feelings wash over Jim. A small baby girl...

She looked just like Sarah.

He gulped and looked away from her, looking at Carl. "So, Carl?"

He looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Where are Terry and the kids? We can't seem to find them around here."

He looked puzzled. "Actually, Becky and I haven't seen them either."

That surprised both him and Joyce, the woman standing back up. "You haven't?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Terry told us that she and the kids will get here, but we don't know when." He shrugged. "We're just hanging around."

Joyce nodded while Jim looked away, getting more worried. Suddenly, the woman say a suspicious-looking man staring at them, making her grab the police chief's wrist. "Jim, we need to get in."

He looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"We're going in." She then dragged him away from Carl and Tina, the dark-haired man becoming more concerned about them. They then got into the ride, spotting Becky and going to her.

"Hey, Becky!" she called out to her as they got close.

She turned, her face lighting up at the sight of the two of them. "Oh, hey there, Joyce, Jimmy! Funny seeing you two together here."

Joyce nervously laughed while Jim faked a smile. "Well, you know, we both have the same taste in rides." She looked up at him. "Don't we?"

He kept faking and nodded. "Yup." Neither of them knew what they just got into, but as long as they were hiding...

"Well, let's get against the wall and give it a whirl!" They did as told before an alarm went off and the door closed. Once the ride started though, they were practically stuck against the wall, their hearts racing and skin crawling due to the speed and power of this thing. Becky let out a cheer, saying enthusiastically, "Here we goooo!"

Jim and Joyce were trying their best. They looked at each other, then held each other's hands, being supportive and never letting go.

The six were getting out of the theater, managing to blend in with the crowd also exiting out of them. They all smiled at that working. "Alright, we just need to get your cars and wait for the others," Dustin said. "And then after we close the gate and kill the monster, home, sweet, home."

Steve visibly cringed at that, getting Kali's attention. "Steve, why are you looking at him like that?" she asked. The curly-haired boy looked confused and looked back at him.

He pursed his lips and answered, "Soooooo, while I was drugged, I might've told the Russians your full name."

Everyone looked appalled at him. "You what?!"

"I was drugged, okay? I didn't know any better."

"You didn't tell them my name, right?" Kali asked him.

He nodded. "I'm sure I didn't."

"Yeah, can confirm," Robin added.

That made Dustin scoff. "Okay, so you don't say your girlfriend's full name, but you said mine?!"

"I'm sorry, okay?!"

The freckled teen suddenly looked scared, saying, "Guys." They saw her stop, so they did the same. They then saw what she was seeing...

The Russian men that were chasing the four before, seeing everyone out.

Kali and Jonathan looked confused, the auburn-haired teen asking, "Who are they?"

"Russians," Erica answered, now making them look just as scared.

"Abort," Dustin whispered. The second one of them took a look at them, he repeated, "Abort!" They then began running away, working against the crowd. They ran to the escalators, but red rope blocked the way.

"Shit!" Jonathan whisper-shouted.

"Wait, like this!" Robin also whisper-shouted before getting to the middle and sliding down it. It was a quicker escape, so the teens went down with her, then the kids.

Becky had exited the Gravitron after Joyce and Jim. As she joined up with her husband and daughter, she saw them run away...holding hands. She was curious before drawing to a conclusion.

"Are they together?" Carl asked.

She shrugged. "Looked like it from where I was standing." She guessed that made sense because they did hang out with each other during high school. Besides, it was good that Jim moved on from her sister, like, well, her sister did.

...

Joyce had split up from Jim to find Murray and start up the car to get the hell out of here. They exited the fair, but then saw Larry near his car. She stopped, immediately thinking it was him that told the Russians they were here.

Murray stopped and turned around, asking, "Why did you stop?"

She looked back at the mayor angrily and stormed towards him. "Hey, Larry!" she yelled at him.

He turned around and smiled at her. "Oh, Joyce, how are-" He got cut off when she punched him, making him yelp.

"Did you tell them we were here?! What about our promise?!"

He held his jaw and faced her. "I didn't promise that I would never tell them of when I'll see you two." Her jaw dropped, feeling betrayed. She punched him in the face again, making him scream this time.

"Selfish dick!" She then stormed away from him, leaving him in pain.

The six have hid behind a counter of a restaurant in the food court, hiding from the Russian soldiers looking for them. They were terrified. Not only were these men armed, but they had no means of self-defense either. Kali had completely turned off the walkie for good measure.

They heard one soldier say something...not too far from them. They were all breathing heavily, staying as still as they could. They then heard footsteps getting closer to them, making them incredibly tense. Kali looked around to see if there was something, anything, to use as an improvised weapon.

Suddenly, a car alarm went off, making everyone gasp and tense up more. The footsteps stopped and it seemed like the soldiers were focusing on the new expensive car that was on display. They were confused on why it was making that noise before Jonathan and Kali exchanged glances.

"Mike," they both whispered.

Surely enough, on the top level of the mall, he was there, his head tilted down and his nose bleeding. The rest of the group were there with him, looking down at the soldiers as they looked up at them. He then forced his hand forward, throwing the car towards them, they screamed, being hit with the vehicle at full force, before it tumbled and crashed against another restaurant.

The six slowly peeked over the counter they were, seeing the men's corpses. They then saw the wrecked car not too far from them. Finally, they looked up, Jonathan and Kali smiling as they saw the entire group on the top level. Dustin was especially happy to see his friends again.

...

When the rest of the group went down, the six met up with them. Dustin got to Mike, who was supported by Jane, keeping his smile and laughing. "Dude, you threw that thing like a Hot Wheel!" Mike smiled before they shared a hug, Jane joining in as well. Terry had also hugged Kali and Will with Jonathan.

Lucas and Erica approached each other, Lucas looking relieved. "I'm so glad you're alright," he said.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to explain to Mom that I died," she answered sarcastically.

He shook his head. "Glad you're alright too. But what are you doing with them?"

She scoffed and pointed at the teens. "I told you to ask them. It's THEIR fault."

Steve put his hands on his hips and nodded. "Yeah, actually, that's totally our fault."

Robin leaned over and whispered to him, "When you said Mike had powers..."

He nodded, pointing back at the car. "Just one of them," he said.

She looked awed. "Wow..."

"Wait, wait, wait," Erica said, pointing at the freckled boy. "That nerd's Mike?" He looked confused at her usage of the word.

"Who are you?" Steve asked, pointing at Andrew.

"Andrew," he answered. "I'm a friend of Ter-Ms. Ives. I've been mixed up with the Mind Flayer situation."

"And who are you?" Terry asked Robin.

"I'm Robin, Steve's co-worker," she answered.

"She's the one that cracked the code," Kali added.

Steve nodded. "Yup, that's how we found out about the Russians."

"So those guys are the Russians?" Max asked.

"Yup," Erica answered.

"I'm just glad we were able to save you guys in time," Terry stated.

"Yeah, it was close, Mum," Kali replied.

"We also told them about what's going on with the Mind Flayer and the Flayed," Jonathan added.

"That sounds crazy though," Robin said.

"Well, you just saw Mike throw a whole car at the Russians with just his mind," Andrew said.

"But monsters made of melted people?" Erica asked, skeptical. "Yuck."

Just as everyone else continued talking with each other, Mike had limped away from them without notice. He was panting and sweating, the blood from his nose getting messy. He was tired because of his constant use of his powers, but he was also feeling pain that rose up and up by the second. His breathing was labored and his sight was getting hazy. His ear began to ring loudly, him covering them and shutting his eyes. He felt like pain was snaking through every fiber of him. He whimpered, trying not to cry and get over it.

But he couldn't.

Unable to stand now, he groaned and collapsed on the floor. Everyone stopped talking and saw him. Jane gasped and bolted to him, kneeling down and turning him over. "Mike?" she asked worriedly. "Mike, are you alright?!" Everyone else ran to him, crowding around.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Erica.

"M-my leg..." he replied, his voice strained.

Terry and Andrew were the nearest to his leg, so they quickly removed his blood-soaked bandages. Once it was nearly removed, it showed that Mike's bite had a...pulsing yellow-red-pink lump. Everyone looked aghast, exclaiming in disgust and covering their mouths. Suddenly, that lump began moving, making Jane and a few others scream.

Mike gritted his teeth, grunting in pain. She looked over at him, seeing how pained he was. Her eyes became watery once more as she grabbed his shoulders. "Mike! Mike, hang on!" she said, her voice sobby. "Brave through it! Please! MIKE!"

Unable to properly respond, he let out a blood-curdling scream.

Stopping right here. What do you guys think of this chapter? Any mistakes or typos I might've missed?

The coming out scene was another part I've been waiting to write about! Since Steve and Kali are still much in love, it's much different, from Steve saying why he loves Kali to the realization that Robin never had a crush on him to begin with. Hope all of that was well-written!

Yeah, I changed the Joyce and Kline scene a little, only because the original felt like a moment in a comedy than a moment in Stranger Things.

Now we're going into the finale! I can't to show you guys how I'll write it! So keep supporting this fanfic and I'll see you in the beginning of the finale! :D