Mike and El ran to each other and embrace in a hug. "Aw." Lyn coos, letting the crowbar fall to her feet.
"I never gave up on you. I called you every night." Mike leaned back from the hug to tell her.
"Every night for 353 days, I heard." El nods her head.
"Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" Mike narrows his eyes in confusion.
"Because I wouldn't let her," Hopper walks towards them. In confusion, Mike steps out of the away so Hopper could be next to El. "What the hell is this? Where have you been?" He asks her.
"Where have you been?" She shot his questions back at him. Instead of answering her, he pulls her into a hug.
"You've been hiding her. You've been hiding her this whole time!" Mike, finally realizing what was going on, gave Hopper a couple shoves to the back.
"Hey!" Hopper grabs Mike's jacket to stop him from shoving him again. "Let's talk. Alone." He drags him to another room.
Lyn ran over to give El a hug. "I'm so glad that you're okay." She sways her side to side.
"I miss you, big sis." She smiles up at the older girl.
"You always could melt my heart." Lyn cups her face and gave her a big kiss on the forehead.
Lucas and Dustin pull El away to give her a hug. "We missed you," Lucas told her. Lyn smile, it was always nice to see Lucas and El getting along since the beginning had been rocky. She hopes that soon it would be like this with Mike and Max.
"I missed you, too." El hugs them tightly.
"We talked about you pretty much every day," Dustin spoke into her ear. They let go of each other. Dustin gives El a smile.
"Teeth," El reaches out to pull on his bottom lip to see his fake teeth more clearly.
"What?" He pulls away from her hands to ask.
"You have teeth." She stares in amazement.
Lucas and Dustin share a smile. They miss El learning new things every day about the world they lived in.
"Oh. You like these pearls?" He purred at her the way that only his mother adored. Lucas shook his head. El leaned back and stared at him wondering what the purpose of that noise was.
"Eleven? Hey. Um, I'm Max. I've heard a lot about you." Max walked over to them and stuck her hand out, but El walks past her to give Joyce a hug.
"That's weird. El is normally happy about meeting new people." Lyn put a hand on Max's shoulder.
"She has been trapped in a cabin for a long time, only interacting with Hopper. She probably picks up the antisocial behavior from him." Lucas tried to make Max feel better, but she didn't look convinced.
They watch as Joyce took El to Will's room. When they came back out and went into the kitchen, everyone got up to follow them. "You opened this gate before, right?" Joyce points at the paper that had close gate written on it.
"Yes." El nods.
"Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?" Joyce asks.
Lyn held her breath as El stood there staring at Joyce. "Let's do this." El nods her head in determination.
"I'll be there with you every step of the way, just like the last time." Lyn went to stand on the other side of El.
"No, you stay here with the boys." El shook her head.
"No ways, we want to help you." Dustin took his place at the table by his sister.
"We want to go with you." Lucas went by his buddy side.
"Where are we going?" Hopper walks into the room with Mike by his side.
"I'm going to close the gate." El turns around to tell him.
Hopper let out a sigh as he leans against the wall. "It's not like it was before. It's grown, a lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs."
"Demo-dogs," Dustin corrected him. Lyn let out a sigh, what did it matter what they called them.
"I'm sorry, what?" Hopper looks down at him.
"I said, uh, Demo-dogs. Like Demogorgon and dogs. You put them together, it sounds pretty badass," Dustin explains to the officer. Lyn let out another sigh, normally Dustin's ability to see the cool side of anything humored her, but now wasn't the time or the place.
"How is this important right now?" Hopper cut off the hyperactive teenager.
"It's not. I'm sorry." Dustin shook his head and look away from the man.
"I can do it." El looks at Hopper knowing he would be the one to object.
"You're not hearing me." Hopper glares at his stubborn adopted daughter.
"I'm hearing you. I can do it." El matches his glare. Lyn's eyes were darting back and forth between the two like she was watching a tennis match.
"Even if El can, there's still another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies." Mike said, making everyone look at him.
"I thought that was the whole point," Max asked, not seeing what the problem was.
"It is, but if we're really right about this... I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayer's army..." Mike trails trying to get his words together to make his point.
"Will's a part of that army," Lucas's eyes went wide in realization.
"Closing the gate will kill him." Mike nods his head. Lyn looks down at her feet, feeling defeated. She wonders if the monster was smart enough to possess Will because he knows them, the only group who was willing to fight him, wouldn't kill Will or if Will was the only one he could reach because he's been to the Upside Down before.
Joyce walks out of the kitchen and to Will's room. Lyn moves to follow her to make sure she didn't do anything drastic. Everyone must have had the same concern because they were following after her too.
"He likes it cold." Joyce looks over at the open window.
"What?" Hopper looks down at her concern.
"It's what Will kept saying to me. He likes it cold. We keep giving it what it wants." Joyce went over to close the window. Lyn, who was standing by the fan turn it off.
"If this is a virus, and Will's the host, then…." Nancy looked down at Will lying down lifeless on the bed. He was pale and his skin was sticking to his bone. If it wasn't for his chest going up and down, Lyn would have thought he was dead.
"Then we need to make the host uninhabitable." Jon finishes the thought for her.
"So if he likes it cold..." Lyn said but wasn't able to finish the sentence because of how much pain she knew Will was going to go through to get the monster out of him.
"We need to burn it out of him." Joyce looked down at her son. Part of being a mother was that you did whatever to protect your kids even if it would bring them pain. For a normal mother that would mean making them take medication when they were sick or taking them to the doctor to get their shots. Joyce wasn't dealing with a normal son. She was dealing with a possessed one. She would do whatever it took to get back her normal son.
"We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time." Mike tried to think of a place that Will didn't know.
"Yeah, somewhere far away," Dustin nods his head in agreement.
"I got a cabin that no one knows about. It's where El and I have been living." Hopper told the room.
"I'll take him." Jon stood up.
"Be careful." Nancy hugs him tightly. Hopper picks Will up. Jon pulled away from the hug and they stare into each other's eyes for a few seconds.
"I will." He promises her and took his keys out of his jacket pocket to follow Hopper outside. Joyce was right on their heels.
"You okay?" Lyn looks over at Steve with pity, to have to watch the girl he loves with someone else on the same day she broke up with him.
"I'm okay, I'm great." He scoffs and shrugs.
"I don't think anyone doing great right now." Lyn shook her head at him.
"It doesn't matter whether Jonathan was there or not. It wouldn't have worked out. At least she's happy." Steve gave another shrug and a weak smile.
"I'm going to look for something to board up the house with." Nancy walks outside.
"I'll go with her." Steve follows her out.
"The apocalyptic could be upon us and there still a disgusting romance in the air." Max stuck her tongue out.
"Are you talking about Lucas and you?" Lyn let out a laugh at Max's shocked face. "Thanks, kid. I need that. Come on, I know where the ice cream sandwich is hidden." She pats her on the back and led her to the kitchen.
Nancy and Steve were digging through the trash and pulling out things that could board up the windows. "You should go with him." He nods towards the Byers car.
"What?" She looks up at him shocked. She thought he was going to want to talk about them getting back together, so she was surprised when he brought up another guy. Not just any guy, but the guy that she had sex with last night.
"With Jonathan," He told her like that was what she was confused about.
"No, I'm... I'm not just going to leave Mike." Nancy concentrated on digging through the trash.
"No one's leaving anyone. I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but it turns out I'm actually a pretty damn good babysitter." Steve went over to help her pick up something that was too heavy for her.
"Steve." She shook her head, looking up at with him sad eyes. She never meant to hurt him, she wishes she did things differently.
"It's okay, Nance, it's okay," Steve reassured her. He loves for her was pure. He wanted her to be happy no matter what. He could see now that they would have never worked out. Even if the Upside Down never happened, eventually Nancy would have gotten tired of the partying and his snobby friends. Even though he gave up his popularity and friends for her, he regrets nothing. He actually would always be thankful to her for helping him become a man he could be proud of.
"Steve, you weren't a shitty boyfriend, you just weren't for me. But, I know a girl you're perfect for." She nods towards the house.
"Rosalyn's a friend." He shook his head.
"The best romance comes out of friendship. It's okay, Steve." She smiles at him.
"Stop with the cliché and go to him." He waves his hand.
"Thanks, Steve," She ran past him to get to the car before Jon drove away.
"I love you, El. Now go kick some ass." Lyn pulls the girl into a hug. "Hurry back, I need to get the grease out of your hair and get you into some cuter clothes." She let her go.
"I'll be as fast as I can." She nods to her. "I love you, too." She adds on when she realized she didn't say it back.
Mike steps in between them. "I'll walk you to the car." He grabs her hand. They walk out the door together.
After the sounds of the cars pulling out of the driveway, Mike and Steve came back into the house. Lucas and Max were sitting in the hallways. Mike went to sit in Will's room.
"We should preserve this? Lyn help me carry this into the kitchen, we'll put it in the fridge for now." Dustin stood over the Demo-dog's dead body.
"Ew, no. I'm not touching that. You are not going to do that to Ms. Byers's fridge. Have some respect." She glares at her brother.
"This is a scientific discovery." He points at the dead body.
"It's already been discovered. It's just not publically known." She sat down on the couch and pick up an X-men comic that was on the table.
Dustin let out a sigh when his sister began reading the comic. "Steve, help me." He turns to the other person in the room.
"What, no." He shook his head.
"I'm doing this with your help or not. It's not like you have anything else to do." Dustin grabs the thing's legs and tries to drag it. He didn't even move it an inch.
"Alright, I'll help. Don't give yourself a hernia." Steve went over and grab its' arms. Lyn watches from over the comic as they carried the demo-dog that was wrapped up in a blanket into the kitchen.
Lyn hops off the couch when she heard things being thrown around. "What the hell are you two doing?" She storms into the kitchen.
"We have to make room." Dustin throws a container of food into the sink.
"Can you be careful?" She grabs the carton of eggs from him and put it on the table. "I'll do it." She pushed him out of the way. She organized it by putting the things that need to be in the fridge like milk and eggs on the shelves on the door while leaving out things that wouldn't spoil on the table like soda.
"I'll do this part." Dustin took out the shelves and throws them on the floor.
"Dustin!" Lyn growls at him.
"Alright, it should fit now." He turns around to two unimpressed faces.
"Is this really necessary?" Steve sighs. He was now holding the dead demo-dog like it was a sleeping child.
"Yes, it is, okay? This is a groundbreaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog." He snaps. He didn't get why people didn't understand that through this body they could learn more about this creature. They would be able to find out its weakness and thought process.
"All right, all right, all right," He sighs, wanting Dustin to shut up already. "But you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, all right?" He told him as he shoves it into the fridge. "Christ. Help me out." He curses when he realized it was a snug fit.
"What am I supposed to do?" Dustin looks for a spot he could squeeze in to help Steve push it in.
"Get the door, man." He snaps.
"Alright, I got the door." He moves to shut the door as Steve gave it one last shove to stay in and move out of the way quickly.
"Ew," Lyn grimace when she saw that a lot of the things sticky saliva was all over Steve's arms.
"Come here and give big papa a hug." He walks over to her with his arms out.
"If you touch me, we'll be burying you in the backyard like a dog!" Lyn ran away from him. She ran into the living room where Max and Lucas were cleaning up the glass from the broken window while Mike was pacing in the background.
"I'm washing my hands," Steve yells at her retreating form.
"Mike, would you just stop already?" Lucas watches his friend go back and forth with concern.
"You weren't in there, okay, Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs." Mike stops pacing to yells at his friend. Lucas didn't know what he was feeling. The girl he cared about was right next to him.
"Demo-dogs!" Dustin enters the room to correct him.
"The chief will take care of her," Lucas told him. The guy could take out multiple FBI agents at a time.
"Like she needs protection," Max scoffs as she sweeps the glass into the dustpan.
"I agree, she a real-life Jean Grey. You've seen what she did to those full-grown Demogorgons last time. These babies would be like a walk in the park for her." Lyn went over and wave the comic book she was reading around in the air.
"This isn't a comic book and El can't be reborn." Mike shook his head.
"Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it." Steve came in with a hand towel to dry off his arms.
"Okay, first of all, this isn't a stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench." Mike argues against him. Lyn smiles and sat on the couch to enjoy the show. Steve was about to find that these weren't regular kids who argue with only feelings. These kids came with facts, well thought out theories, and feelings.
"So my point is…." Steve started but wasn't sure what his point was anymore. Lyn shook her head. He was defeated before he could even stand up from the bench. "Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do." He throws the hand towel over his shoulder.
"That's not entirely true. I mean, these Demo-dogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away." Dustin could never pass up an opportunity to correct someone. Lyn leans forward in her seat to hear the plan.
"If we get their attention" Lucas follows Dustin thought process.
"Maybe we can draw them from the lab." Max looks back at him smiling.
"Clear a path to the gate." Mike began thinking about how they could get their attention.
"Yeah, and then we all die." Steve throws his hands in the air.
"That's one point of view." Dustin shrugs from behind him.
"No, that's not a point of view, man. That's a fact." Steve turn back to look at him like he was crazy.
"I got it!" Mike ran to the doorway. The rest of them share a look before following him. "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel." He bent down to point to the fork in the tunnel map that Will drew. He stood up and led them to the area that was a walkway between the kitchen and the living room. "So here, right here. This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire…" He kneels down to put his hands down on the large blue patch of papers on the ground.
"Oh, yeah? That's a no." Steve shook his head and points his finger to the ground.
"The mind flayer would call away his army." Dustin agrees with the plan.
"They'd all come to stop us." Lucas was excited to be able to help.
"We circle back to the exit." Mike continues with the plan.
"By the time they realize we're gone." Lyn realizes that with this plan they wouldn't have to fight them. It was brilliant.
"Guys!" Steve tries to interrupt them.
"El would be at the gate." Max smiles.
"Hey. Hey! Hey! This is not happening." Steve claps his hands and yells at them to get their attention.
"But..." They stutter out to get shut down again.
"No, no, no, no, no. No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. We're staying here, on the bench. And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?" Steve crosses his arms over his chest.
"This isn't a stupid sports game." Mike glares up at him from his spot on the floor.
"I said does everybody understand that? I need a yes." He stares all of them down.
"'O ye, of little faith," Lyn walks over to put her hands on his shoulders. A loud engine revving and rock music playing loudly stop her from continuing to try to persuade him.
Max ran to the window at the familiar sound. "It's my brother. He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us" She gave Lucas a pointed look.
The tires screech from the abrupt stop he made and the music cut off. "I'll go out there." Lyn walks towards the door.
Steve grabs her hand. "No, I'll go out there."
"What, no. He might swig on you if he's that mad." She pulls her hand from his.
"What are you going to do? Distract him in the backseat. I'll go out there." Steve walks to the door. Lyn follows after him. "Stay here." He told her before going outside. Lyn grabs the door before it could close completely, so she could watch from that small opening.
"Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?" Billy got out of his car with a cigarette in his mouth.
"Yeah, it's me. Don't cream your pants." Steve rolls his eyes and walks down the porch steps.
Billy took off his leather jacket and throws it in the car before slamming his door. "What are you doing here, amigo?" He walks over to Steve.
"I could ask you the same thing, amigo." Steve mocks him as he meets him in the middle. It reminds Lyn of an old western standoff.
"Looking for my stepsister, a little birdie told me she was here." He said with his cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Huh, that's weird. I don't know her." Steve shakes his head.
"Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch." He put his thumb and pointer fingers up. He made them almost touch to show how tiny she was.
"Doesn't ring a bell, sorry, buddy." Steve shrugs.
"You know, I don't know, this..." Billy took the cigarette out of his mouth and took a step closer to Steve. "This whole situation, Harrington, I don't know. It's giving me the heebie-jeebies" He clicks his tongue.
"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" Steve cocks his head to the side like he was concern.
"My 13-year-old sister goes missing all day. And then I find her with you in a stranger's house. And you lie to me about it." He took another drag from the cigarette.
"Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what? I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said. She's not here." Steve let out a few bitter chuckles.
"Then who is that?" Billy points with his cigarette to the living room where the kids must have been watching from a window.
"Shit." Lyn curses. She ran out when Billy pushes Steve to the ground.
"I told you to plant your feet." He kicks Steve in the ribs.
"Billy! Billy! I'm sorry, this is my fault." She grabs Billy's arm to stop him from kicking Steve. "Max wanted to sleepover. I told her she could if she called her parents. She tried calling over and over but the line was busy. So, I told her that she could try again later. I guess I forgot about it. I'm sorry if I got you in any trouble." She pulls him flush against her.
"You were going to let my sister have a sleepover with a bunch of boys." He grabs her chin to make her look up at him.
"No, she would have slept in the room with me." Lyn shook her head.
"Well, I'll go grab Max and we can have a sleepover at my house. Get in the car." He grabs her arm tightly and throws her back towards the Camaro. Her legs hit the grill of the car and her back slam against the hood knocking the wind out of her.
"Fucking prick, I hope I dented it." She hisses getting up from the car. She notices the front door was wide up and Steve was getting up. "Come on, Steve." She helps him get on his feet and pull him back into the house.
Lyn gasps at the frightening sight of Billy holding Lucas up against the wall by his jacket. "You're so dead, Sinclair! You're dead." He yells into the younger boy's face.
Steve pull away from Lyn's hands and walk behind their derange classmate. "No. You are." Steve spins Billy around by the shoulders and throws a punch to his face.
"Steve!" Max yells. She knew the scary thing about Billy wasn't just the violence he could dish out, but the violence that he could endure.
"Come here, honey." Lyn went over to pull Lucas to them. They gave him a group hug.
Billy let out a long set of chuckles and giggling as if Steve tickled him instead of punching him. "Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh? I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about." He smiled in glee like blood wasn't dripping out of his nose.
"Get out." Steve pushes his chest. Billy stares at him for a second before taking a swing at Steve. He was able to dodge it and land a punch of his own that made Billy fall back on the kitchen table.
"Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!" Dustin cheers him on.
"Get him!" Mike joins the cheering.
"Murder the son of a bitch!" Dustin pumps his fist in the air.
"That's it, Steve!" Lucas jumps up and down.
The boys cheer him on as Steve seems to be landing most of the punch. The last punch Steve landed made Billy fall back into the kitchen sink. Billy reaches back and grabs a plate to smash it over Steve's head, making him crouch down to cover his face.
"Billy!" Max and Lyn scream.
"Holy shit!" Mike screams. Steve was stumbling around as Billy advance on him.
"Shit!" Dustin had to duck to avoid Billy's next punch that connected with Steve's jaw. Steve stumbles back into the living room.
"No one tells me what to do!" Billy headbutts Steve.
"Billy that's enough, you made your point." Lyn moves in between them.
"Really, because you're not in the car where I told you to be, now get going! If I have to carry you there when I'm done with this, you'll be riding in the trunk!" He shoved her away before turning back to Steve. He pushed Steve on his back and straddled his chest to rain down punches on his face.
"You're going to kill him," Dustin screams.
"Stop! Stop! WE'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, JUST STOP!" Lyn begs him, not wanting her best friend to die.
Max pushes her way through them with a tranquilizer shot that was being used on Will in her hand and she slams it into Billy's neck. She pushes the drug into his veins.
He got up and tower over his stepsister. Lyn pushes Max behind her. "What the hell is this?" He pulls the needle from his neck. "Where is that little shit, Rosalyn? What did she do?" He asked as his vision blurs. He felt weaker by the second. Lyn took a few steps back as he advanced on her.
"She was helping you calm down." Lyn reaches out to push him. He fells backward, giggling as he lands on the floor.
Max grab Steve's bat and raise it over her shoulder like she was at the plate. "From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?" She threatens him.
"Screw you." He hissed at her.
She swung the bat down. The nails making an impressive sound as it lands an inch away from his groin. He looked down with fright on his face for the first time in the Byers house. "Say you understand! Say it! Say it!" She lifts the bat back up.
"I understand." He groans
"What?" She gasps, amazed that he actually said it.
"I understand." He said before passing out.
Max drops the bat and grabs his keys from his pocket. "Let's get out of here." She turns to her astonished audience.
"Everyone grab your backpack. The boys will get Steve into the car." Lyn nod to the boys that were still in shock by Max going mad on her stepbrother.
"I'll get your backpack." Dustin nod to his sister before running into the kitchen. Lucas and Mike ran to the kitchen with him.
"You can drive that?" She nods to the keys in Max's hand.
"Yeah, but I only practiced in parking lots." Max nods.
"Let's good enough, there aren't many cars on the road this time of night. I got to fix his face." She nods to Steve.
"I got this." She nods, feeling on top of the world since standing up to Billy.
"Here," Dustin passes his sister her backpack and an ice bag. Lucas grabs Steve's feet while Dustin grabs under his arms. Mike clears their path for them. They got Steve into the backseat of Billy's car.
Lyn slid in and put Steve's head and shoulders into her lap. "What are you doing? Aren't you driving?" Mike asks.
"Max got it." She points to the girl getting into the driver's seat.
"Max is driving?" Dustin screams out.
"She knows how and I'm the only one who knows first aid. Do you want Steve's face to get infected?" Lyn glares at them.
The boys share a look before getting in the car. Lucas took the passenger seat. Lyn uses all her strength to lift Steve up so Mike and Dustin could slide in. Dustin had Steve's torso on his lap and Mike had his legs and feet on his.
Max started up the car. Lyn pulls the first aid kit out of her bag. "Here, shine the light on his face." She hands the flashlight to Dustin. He did as he was told as Lyn use an alcohol wipe to clean the dried blood off.
Max pull out of the driveway, as Lyn put disinfectant and bandages on his face. "Nancy?" Steve groan, staring at Mike in confusion. The expression was returned to him by Mike. Lyn giggles at his mix up while holding the ice bag to his face.
"No, don't touch it." Dustin grabs Steve's hand that was about to touch his bleeding forehead. The cut from the plate was the only thing Lyn was still trying to get to stop bleeding. "Hey, buddy. It's okay. You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up a fight. You're okay." He tried to soothe him.
Steve looks upfront when Lucas started talking. "Okay, you're going to keep straight for half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai." He gave Max's directions.
"What's going on?" He looks at the driver's seat when he saw red hair. Max turned around to look at him. "Oh, my God!" He gasps.
"Just relax. She's driven before." Lyn pushes him back down when he tried to sit up.
"Yeah, in a parking lot," Mike rolls his eyes.
"Not helping right now." Lyn glares at him. Steve sat up pushing Dustin into Mike. "Steve, you have to calm down." She kept the ice bag on his head.
"Hey, Buddy. Mike and Lucas wanted to leave you behind. We argue about it in the kitchen, but I promise you wouldn't freak out. So be cool." Dustin nods along.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on? Oh, my God. No! Whoa! Stop the car. Slow down." He screams as Max speeds up.
"I told you he'd freak out." Mike throws Dustin a glare. The guy was only going to try and stop them.
"Stop the car!" Steve screams.
"Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus!" Max turns around to yell at them.
"Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai. Make a left." Lucas points to the left.
"What?" Max gasps at him.
"Make the next left." He screams. Max didn't have time to slow down, so she made a hard left making everyone lean towards their right. She ran over someone's mailbox. Lucas let out a high pitch girly scream. Steve shoves his head into Lyn's neck as he sobs in fear. Mike, Lyn, and Dustin were holding onto their seats for dear life. They let out a breath of relief when she made it.
"Oh, she did it. Good job Max, going that speed and keeping control of the car, that amazing." She leans forward to pat the girl on the shoulder.
"Thanks." She smiles back at her.
"Why aren't you driving?" Steve screams at Lyn when she was back in her seat.
"I'm the only one who knows first aid." She rolls her eyes at his drama queen act.
"What does it matter if my face gets clean up if she kills us in a car crash?" Steve throws his hands in the air for extra effect.
"Did you see her make that turn, she's fine? Now hold still, I got to finish cleaning the cut on your forehead." She pushes him down, so he was back in her lap. She fixes up the rest of Steve's face as Max drove. She was done when Max stops the car.
"Whoa! That was incredible." Mike admitted.
"I told you, Zoomer." Max smile smugly. The boys got out of the car and ran to the trunk that Max pops open.
Steve falls out of the car. Lyn step over his body. "Guys… oh, no, guys. Hey, where do you think you're going? What are you, deaf? Hello? We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear. Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, alright? This ends right now!" He screams at them as they got ready.
Lyn ties a bandana around her head, so the only her eyes were showing. She put on a pair of goggles and thick gloves she wore to work on the car. She throws her backpack on. She slides the hairspray in her back pocket and kept the lighter in her hand. She was going to wait for Steve and Dustin but when she saw Lucas, Max, and Mike walking to the hole in the ground, she follows after them.
"I'll go first." She ran in front of the three kids. She grabs the metal peg that had a rope tied to it from Lucas and drives it into the ground. She throws the rope in and waited to see if there would be a thud. She eventually heard it. It was small and in the distance but it was there. She slides down the rope, being careful to keep her legs that were only clad in fishnet leggings out so she wouldn't get burnt.
Her feet touch the ground. "Holy shit," She gaps at the giant tunnels. They were so big that she could stretch her arms above her head and still not be close to touching the top. She pulls her flashlight out of her bag to look around to make sure there wasn't anything lurking around. "Come on down." She calls.
She kept watch as one by one they slide down the rope. "Holy shit," Steve gasps when he looks around the large tunnels that were under the city.
Lyn turns around to smile at him. "Good to see you join the party, buddy." She pats his shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way." Mike shines his light down one of the tunnels after looking at the map.
"You're pretty sure, or you're certain?" Dustin asks him.
"I'm 100% sure. Just follow me and you'll know." Mike went to walk in the tunnel, but Steve stops him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey, hey. I don't think so." He yells out, stopping Mike from continuing on.
"What?" He snaps at the older teen, who he still thought they should have left at the Byers.
"Any of you little shits die down here, I'm getting the blame. Got it, dipshit, so from here on out, I'm leading the way. Come on, let's go." He grabs the map and walks into one of the tunnels. Mike and Dustin were fast on his heels. "Come on. Hey, a little hustle." He yells back when he saw that the rest of them weren't moving.
"Let's hope he can read the map." Lyn sighs and waves for Lucas and Max to go in front of her.
They follow Steve through the tunnels. "God," Lucas sighs when his flashlight accidentally went up when he went over one of the many bumps down there.
Max and Lyn move there lights up to see what he saw. "What is this place?" Max whispers. Lyn grimaces at seeing the red flesh like things on the ceiling. She wasn't sure what it was, but it reminded her of the pumping organs that she would see in health class. The black dust that was everywhere shines whatever the flashlights went making it hard to see.
"Guys, come on. Keep moving." Steve turned around to yell at them. Lucas, Max, and Mike hurry along after him. Lyn was behind Dustin. He was stilling staring up at the ceiling.
"What the hell?" Dustin tilts his head. The things seem to be taking a deep breath as it grows bigger than it threw up all over him.
"Shit!" Lyn screams and helps her brother to his feet.
"Help! Help! Help!" Dustin stumbles forward with his sister's help.
"Dustin!" His three peers ran back for him.
"What happened?" Steve looks over at Lyn.
"The thing threw upon him." She points to the organ in the ceiling.
"Gross!" Max gags.
"It's in my mouth! Some got on my mouth! Shit!" Dustin screams as he knelt over coughing and spitting on the ground. He took a few deep breathes before looking up at them, "I'm okay."
"You serious?" Lyn glares at him. She thought the thing might have poisoned him or something. But, come to find out he was only freaking out.
"Very funny, man. Nice, very nice," Steve shook his head before continuing on through the tunnels.
"Jesus, what an idiot," Max shook her head and follow the older teen. Mike and Lucas were quick to continue on with their journey. Lyn yanks her brother up to his feet once again before going ahead.
"Hang on. Wait, wait." Dustin ran after them.
They continue on in silence until Steve stops in his tracking making the rest stop also. He looks down at the map before slowly creeping out of the tunnel. "Alright, Wheeler, I think we found your hub." He steps out. Lyn looks out to see a big round room that all the tunnels lead to.
"Let drench it," Mike said through clench teeth. Lucas began spraying the ceiling with gasoline, while the rest of them pour it around the room. Lyn pours some around the ring of every tunnel except the one they were going to use.
When they were done every inch of the place was drenched in gasoline. "I'm empty." Lyn throws her container into one of the tunnels. She joins Max and Dustin that were waiting inside the tunnel they came from.
Mike was the last to join them. "You ready?" Steve looks back at them. He was kneeling in the front with a lighter in his hand.
"Yeah," Mike nods.
"Ready." Max got to her feet.
"Ready." Lucas and Lyn nod their heads.
"Light her up." Dustin cheers.
"I am in such deep shit." Steve pants and flicks the lighter on before throwing it into the hub. In the pitch darkness, the teens saw the blue flame surround the lighter before the whole room was shallow in red flames. Fear spike up in Lyn when tentacles sprout up from the ground. Demogorgon familiar cries of pain fill their ears. "Go, go, go!" Steve pushes them forward.
Lyn ran through the tunnel, trying to keep her feet off the ground as much as possible. She kept imaging a tentacle came through the ground to grab her. Lyn was in such a panic state she couldn't hear Steve encouraging them to keep going and Dustin screams of oh my god.
The only thing that took Lyn out of her state was when her fear came true when one of the tentacles grab Mike. "Help! Help! Help! Help!" He screams echoes through the tunnels.
Lyn ran back for him and grab under his arms to pull him, but the small tentacle proves to be stronger. "No, no, no." Tears ran down her face as she pulls even harder. Lucas and Dustin join in to pull him.
"Everybody back! Back!" Steve slams the bat down on the tentacle. It let go of Mike making Lyn feel like she could breathe again.
"You good?" Lucas pulls Mike up his feet.
"Is your leg okay? Shake it around for me." Lyn looks down at the leg that it grabbed. Mike shakes it to show that he wasn't injured.
"Guys, we got to go!" Steve screams. Lyn looks over to see a big demo-dog standing in front of them.
"Dart," Dustin step in front of the group. He lets out a little noise that was similar to purr at being called by his name.
"That could have been a coincidence. We can't see the butt, we don't know if that's Dart." Lyn grabs her brother's arm. At hearing its name again, it turns to her and wiggles his butt. "Just great, we're going to get eaten by your pet, Dustin." She sighs.
"Dustin, get back." They scream at him when he started inching forward.
"Trust me, please." Dustin put his hand up but didn't turn around. "Hey. It's me, it's me. It's just your friend, it's Dustin." He pulls down his bandana and pushes up his goggles. "It's Dustin, all right? You remember me?" He smiles. Dart crouch down as he inches closer. "Will you let us pass?" His answer was a large snarl as Dart open up his flower mouth to show the millions of large sharp teeth he now had.
"Bad Dart! Bad Dart!" Lyn screams making him close his mouth and hang his head.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the storm cellar. That was a pretty douchey thing to do. Are you hungry? Yeah," Dustin put his hands up to apologize and slowly took off his backpack and reach inside.
"He's insane," Lucas whispers.
"Don't," Mike warns.
"Shut up." Steve hisses.
"I've got our favorite. See? Nougat," Dustin held up a three musketeers bar. "Look at that, yummy. Here, all right? Eat up, buddy." He opens up the candy and throws it on the ground. Dart was eating it happily off the floor. Dustin waves them to sneak past, which they did as fast as they could. "There's plenty. I've got more." Dustin opens up another candy and drops it on the floor. He got up and walked around Dart to join them. Dart watches him as he did before going back to eating. "Goodbye, buddy," He smiles down at his pet before putting his bandana and goggles back on.
"Come on." Lyn grabs his arm. She had to drag him along until they couldn't see Dart anymore. They were running to opening when the ground shook under them, knocking them all down. "Oh shit!" She gasps, pulling herself up.
"What was that?" Max uses the walls of the tunnel to pull herself to her feet.
The monsters roar echoes through the tunnel as it shook again. "They're coming." Mike gasps.
"Run! Run! Let's go! Let's go!" Steve led them back and through another tunnel. Luck and timing were on their side because there was the rope that they climb down on.
"There, there!" Lucas points to it like they didn't have eyes of their own.
"Come on! Let's go. Go, go, go! Let's go! Come on! Come on!" Steve grabs Max that was the closest to him and shoves her up the rope. The next to be pushed up was Lucas and then Mike.
"Oh shit." Steve and Lyn curse when the roaring got louder. A demo-dog's shadow was seen on the wall of the tunnel.
"Dustin gets up." She grabs her brother to push him up and when he was in reach Lucas and Mike pull him up.
"Steve, climb up." She grabs the bat from him.
"What? Are you crazy?" He glares at her.
"I've seen you climb the rope in gym class in record speed. I know you can do it. I've never been able to climb to the top. Just go. We both don't have to die." She pushes him towards the rope and lifted the bat over her head as the demo-dogs turn the corner.
"No one here is dying today." Steve pulls the crowbar from her backpack and lifts over his head. Demo-dog ran towards them. Lyn grips tightly to the bat ready to strike the first flower mouth that came their way, but it never did. Lyn stares down in amazement when the worst thing the dogs did was bump into their legs as they ran past them. Steve pulls her close to make sure she didn't get knocked over and trampled by them. He held on tight until there weren't any dogs left.
"Come on, you're making it to the top today." He bent down and laces his fingers together and held out his hands' palms up. She put a foot into his hands and he hoisted her up. She climbs up until she felt four pairs of hands grab at her arms. She helps them as she crawls out of the hole in the ground.
"Stop offering to die for people." Dustin slaps her in the back of the head. Lyn pushes him away to help Steve who was trying to climb out of the hole. When he stood up the Camaro high beam turns on. They cover their eyes to prevent being blinded by the lights.
They put down their arms when the lights turn off. "Go Eleven." Mike pumps his fist in the air. Lyn and the rest of them join him as they jump up and down.
"Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!" Dustin ran around the house.
"Where did you see it last," His mom was in her rocking chair cuddles with Tews, the Siamese kitten that Lyn got her as an early Christmas present.
"Right here, where I put it," Dustin went into the kitchen and move the cat food to find the paper bag.
"What's in there that's so important anyway? You look fabulous, baby." She smiles at him dressed up for the snowball at least from the waist up. He had on a dark blue plaid sports jacket, a light blue button-up underneath it, and a dark blue bow tie. From the waist down he was dress more casual in his brown jeans and white Ghostbusters sneakers.
"Need any help with that?" Lyn yells from her spot on the couch, where she was watching A Christmas Carol.
"No, I got it." He screams back as he ran to his room.
The door rang making Lyn run to open it. "Hey Steve, thanks again for taking Dustin. He thinks I'll embarrass him if I take him." She smiles at her best friend.
"It's no problem I like hanging out with the little man. And, let's be honest you would embarrass him." Steve laughs.
"I wouldn't mean to." She glares at him as she leans against the door frame. "So, I was thinking that after you drop him off, you could swing back over here and we could watch movies and eat pizza." She smiles. She knew it was a hard week for him since Jonathan and Nancy were publicly together now. They waited a little while out of respect for him. After Steve reassures them that they don't need to keep him in mind, they finally show up at school together.
"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not a girl? I don't watch romance movies, stuff my face, and cry my eyes out to get over someone." He rolls his eyes.
"We are watching action movies. Come on, I rented First Blood, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Dirty Harry. Nothing is funnier than my mom dreamy sighing every time she sees Clint Eastwood." She wiggles her eyebrows.
"I'll like a meat lover's pizza. For the record you didn't convince me, Clint Eastwood did." He winks at her making her laugh.
"Come on in," She moves inside and wave to him. Steve shut the door behind him. "Dustin, Steve here to take you!" She yells up the hall.
Dustin ran out with his hair gelled back and style like Steve's. "Oh Dusty," Lyn grabs the camera to snap a picture of him.
"This is why you're staying home." Dustin walks around her. "Thank you for taking me, Steve." He nods to his friend.
"I got you, buddy. I love the hair." He fist bump with him before they walk out.
"Have a good time." Lyn waves to them. She went into the kitchen to order the pizzas before she went back to the living room. She sat on the couch as the ghost of Christmas present paid Scrooge a visit.
"Our little boy is growing up. He doesn't need us to take care of him anymore." Claudia let out a sad huff. "But, you need me, don't you, baby." She coos at Tews.
Lyn stares at her mom and the kitten, feeling the yearning to take care of something. She shook her head and turns back to the TV. She didn't want to be like her mom, who constantly needed something to depend on her. She needed to start a new path in her life.