Day Three
Dustin
The car was filled with a stunned silence. From below his feet, the road hummed lifelessly. Before them, an unremarkable stretch of asphalt extended. All four windows were rolled down and his hat, which fluttered dangerously in the crossing breeze, was now pinched tightly between his knees. After gulping air for nearly ten minutes, he'd finally caught his breath and was motionless in his seat, except for the uncontrollable twitching of his jaw – a muscle spasm he attributed to the fading panic. Squeezed next to him, Will was calm and reserved, but Dustin was astonished that Will had spent a week in the Upside Down. It inspired hope in him that Lucas was still alive. And it instilled in him the conviction he needed to return for Lucas.
"How's your hand?" Nancy asked.
From the passenger seat, Jonathan turned halfway, his eyes cast down. "Better," he said, nodding. A strip of plaid flannel was wrapped around his palm as a makeshift bandage. The cut wasn't bleeding freely anymore, but Dustin still shuddered when he saw the streaks and rivulets of dried blood caked in his knuckles and under his fingernails, and smeared across his forearm.
A sign for River Valley passed and Steve steered them into the right lane, watching for their exit. He hadn't uttered a word since they'd pulled off the road earlier to switch drivers and bind Jonathan's hand. But at the stop he'd pulled Jonathan aside and, from what Dustin could tell, they'd had a heated discussion. He assumed it had something to do with Nancy since both of them kept glancing back at her, but she didn't acknowledge the looks until Steve's voice raised, "You messed up, Byers," and he shoved Jonathan back with an open-handed strike to his chest.
"Steve!" Nancy shouted. She slid off of the Ford's hood and marched over angrily.
Dustin rolled his eyes and climbed back into the car, muttering to Mike, "Frigging teenagers."
In the road, Jonathan assured, "It's okay, Nancy," as she stomped up to them. He gave his eyebrows a shrug and headed back to the car. Steve asked Nancy a question, touching her arm apologetically, but she shook him off and stormed away. The rest of the car ride had been similarly tense, with the reality of Hawkins transforming into the Vale of Shadows and the apparent inability of them to act together without collapsing.
Moments after Steve pulled off of the highway, they saw the cars that overflowed the parking lot and lined the road to River Valley. Trucks were pulled up on the lawn and an RV was blocking three cars. "What is this?" Steve mumbled to himself.
Jonathan pointed ahead. "Try the path," he suggested. Steve ramped the Ford onto the dirt walkway and crawled along past a line of vehicles. The number had at least tripled since they'd left that morning. As they passed a small, blue hatchback, Jonathan said, "That's Donald's car." He looked around at the puzzled expressions. "My mom's boss," he explained.
Miraculously, the spot in front of Dustin's parent's car was still open. When they got out of the Ford, Dustin held Mike and Will back a little, letting the other three gain some distance. He lowered his voice and asked, "Now we know what we're getting into. Do you still want to go back for Lucas?"
"Definitely," Mike replied immediately. "He'd go back for us."
Will walked alongside them with his head hanging and his brow drawn thoughtfully. Of everyone, he had the most say in what their next move would be. He'd spent the most time in the Upside Down. He knew, firsthand, the danger they were facing. Finally he lifted his head and turned to them with a little nod. His face broke into a smile and his eyes shone brightly. "Let's do it," he said.
"All right!" Dustin laughed, clapping his hands together. "I still have my parents' keys." He patted his jeans pocket. "And we have one more day before Mike leaves, so we go back tomorrow."
The three grinned and slapped each other on the back, excited and anxious about the adventure, before the path ended and they were standing in a packed camping site. At least fifty to sixty people were milling around the cabins and pond. A few were setting up tents. Most of the rest were lugging suitcases, coolers or backpacks. In the middle of a crowd, Dustin recognized the sharp features of a young boy.
"Is that Troy?" he asked. "What's that asshole doing here? I am not sharing a cabin with him."
"Shh," Mike shushed him, holding his hand up. He pointed silently toward a small cluster of people standing next to the chief's Blazer. Dustin stood on his tiptoes to get a better look and identified Hopper, Officer Powell, Mr. Clarke and Mrs. Byers. He crouched and waved the other two boys in the direction of the Blazer. They crept around the edge of the crowd, staying out of site, until they were on the other side of the truck. Sitting down in the grass, the three of them pricked up their ears and eavesdropped.
"About twenty-five left after the first night," Powell was saying. "There's forty-two left. Most were just waiting for the all-clear."
"It's not happening," Hopper replied. "I talked to the suits guarding the Hawkins ramp a couple days ago. The evacuation isn't letting up any time soon. If these people have anywhere else they can go for the next week or so…"
"'Or so'?" Powell asked.
Hopper replied coldly, "Yeah, 'or so.' I don't know how long, okay?"
"Look, Chief," Powell began calmly. "I'm just trying to get a handle on all of this. First you have us evacuate the city for a radiation leak that we both know is bullshit, then the army or feds or whatever invades Hawkins and quarantines the whole damn city. And if that isn't enough, they come down to Chambersburg not three days later, telling me the area isn't safe anymore and I've got to move forty people north to this middle-of-goddamn-nowhere campsite. And then when I get here, you start talking about boogie monsters. So pardon me if I'm a little confused."
Dustin heard a sharp exhale of breath and he could imagine the chief's exasperated expression as his officer challenged him.
"I'm actually a little confused also," Mr. Clarke's voice added, "vis-à-vis this monster."
"Monsters," Hopper replied shortly. "Plural."
"Right," Powell said, disbelief ringing in his voice. "Monsters."
Hopper sighed again. "Creatures, then. Whatever you want to call them. All I know is the government had a hand in creating them or releasing them. For all I know, they're failed science experiments – a synthetic superhuman gone rogue." He paused and shifted his feet impatiently. "This is real. This is happening."
"Okay," Powell conceded. "What's the plan?"
"Like I said," Hopper repeated. "If any of these guys have somewhere they can go for an extended stay, get them out of here. Give them one of these business cards. They can call the number for an update on Hawkins. Some government official will answer. But don't – I repeat, do not indicate anything is going on outside of a radiation leak. You understand? I don't want a panic on my hands. Mention anything about monsters or government-created human weapons and you're going to incite a riot."
"I got it, Chief," Powell responded.
"Scott?" Hopper asked.
Mr. Clarke replied quickly, "Oh, I won't say anything. And if you need help, I'm happy to lend a hand wherever possible."
"Thanks," came Hopper's abrupt response.
After a moment of silence, footsteps receded into the crowd. Another lapse of silence passed, then Mrs. Byers asked, "Why would they evacuate Chambersburg too?"
A third sigh from Hopper. "Chambersburg is, what, ten, fifteen miles south of Hawkins?"
"Yeah, about that," Joyce replied.
"I think the monsters are moving," Hopper said darkly. "They're hunting." His voice dropped to just above a whisper. "And they're expanding their territory."
The conversation ended and in the lull afterward, the voices of the camp's new inhabitants buzzed all around them in an incoherent drone. Dustin turned to look at Mike and Will, reflecting their fear and doubt. The three wordlessly wondered how long before the shadow reached them.
A/N: Thank you, everyone, for your continued support and your faves, feedback and follows! It's a wonderful motivator to keep writing. And this story is rapidly reaching a dramatic end!
