Chapter 46: Does Not Compute

Ben doesn't stop until he gets to his bike. He scrambles at the lock, trying to get it free. He barely even checks to see if his lock is wrapped around his seat before taking off. His life depended on it. He wasn't going to let that thing get him.

"DUDE!" Dustin calls out. He'd just come to the door, only to watch Ben peddle off properly and out of sight. "DUDE WAIT!"

After a moment of collecting himself from what they'd been through, Dustin sat on the steps of the middle school, the wind picking up as it was going to start raining soon.

"What the hell?" he mutters under his breath.

He takes his cap off for a moment, replaying the scene over, trying to figure out what set Ben off.

The equipment came to life… weird, but it could have been a power surge. The weird carnival music… weirder, especially since he'd heard it before, but it was a similar tune back when he'd picked up the Russian frequency. The laughter… very weird and extremely creepy… The lights flickering… weirdest and too similar to the presence of a Demogorgon. And finally, the spoken words… about floating and saying it was going to get them… that might make you wet your pants and run, but again something he'd heard before. What could it mean?

Had Ben heard this before too? Did he know what it meant? he wonders. That had to be the explanation and from him literally fleeing for his life, it couldn't be good. Either that or Ben hates the carnival and clowns.

Suddenly, a hand taps him on the shoulder.

Dustin nearly jumps out of his skin. He turns to see Mr. Clarke standing there.

"Are you okay Dustin?"

"Fine," he lies. "Just needed some air after what happened."

"What happened to Ben?"

"He left. Ran out like the place was on fire."

"Well, having machinery malfunction like that can be scary, especially with the risk of electrocution."

"I don't think that was it," Dustin disagrees.

"Well, there's no other explanation. It's why the motherboard is still in need of intense repair. I appreciate your help Dustin, but I'm also going to have a professional take a look at it."

While disagreeing silently with the first part of the sentence, Dustin just nods his head.

"I'll lock up for you Mr. Clarke," he offers, standing up.

"You don't have to do that Dustin; I want to make sure you get home before the rain starts."

The science teacher gazes at the darkening clouds, the playground around the school getting darker and darker with each passing second.

"I don't mind, and I'll be sure to do it quickly."

"All right. And thank you for all your help today."

"No problem," Dustin says, smiling at his favourite teacher. It didn't matter that Dustin was now in high school now, Mr. Clarke was always going to be his favourite. His enthusiasm and passion for science, his open-minded approach to learning, and his willingness to help his students and answer any questions they had, including ones that actually helped save Will's life, unbeknownst to the teacher of course.

The curly-haired teen takes the keys from Mr. Clarke.

"Also, if you see Ben, make sure to thank him too."

"Sure," Dustin says, before vanishing through the middle school doors.

He walks down the hallway and gets to the A/V room. He hesitates at the door for a moment before entering.

The place looked normal. Their Pepsi cans still sat there, untouched from the last time they drank from them. Dustin's bag covered in various pins and patches sat on a chair in the corner. The equipment box and tools are still next to the motherboard. Above everything else, it was eerily quiet. After nearly having his eardrums burst from the sound, the dead silence left a sort of ringing in the ears and his head. The carnival music seemed to be burned into his brain… how distorted it sounded.

He takes slow steps towards the open space he'd been working in, almost expecting it to explode or spring to life again. Instead, it stayed quiet. No flashing lights, no knobs turning on their own, no creepy voice coming from within.

He stops and waits in the silence.

After what feels like 20 minutes and sucking in a sharp breath, Dustin decides to put his fear to rest. He'd faced a lot worse than just some malfunctioning equipment. He cleans up most of the tools, putting them back where they need to be, throwing the soda cans in the trash, and putting the covering back over the motherboard. He screws everything back and goes to grab his bag.

He then goes to the nearby fuse box and turns off all the power to the equipment. He remembered Mr. Clarke told him that when the A/V club was started in the school, the deal was to make sure the power was off after meetings were adjourned to avoid a cataclysmic electric bill that ate up the school's entire budget. "All for some stupid radios" the principal at the time had said to Bob Newby and Scott Clarke.

The plugged-in equipment stops humming and Dustin then turns to leave. He shuts the light off and locks the door.

He then goes back to Mr. Clarke's classroom to drop off the keys. The teacher was nowhere to be seen, probably in the teacher's lounge or in the bathroom. Dustin just leaves them on his desk and walks toward the exit.

As he's leaving, something stops him.

It's very faint, he almost doesn't hear it at first. But some kind of twitching or an itch in the back of his mind causes Dustin to stop. He strains his ears to hear it. Slowly, it grows louder.

His heart skips a beat when the sound of a pipe organ playing a joyful tune. It was the music. The same damned music!

HOW! He screams in his head. HOW THE HELL IS IT STILL…?!

Dustin grips the handle of the door. He just wanted to walk away, but… He had a responsibility. He had to check.

Sighing in frustration, he walks back the way he came. He storms down the hall, not even thinking about grabbing the keys again. He had to know that this was real and not just a hallucination… even though the first one wasn't one either.

He cautiously approached the door and wished it wasn't true, but it was… It's the music. The kind you would hear and see a clown dance to at a circus. It still sounds distorted and some parts skip a little like a scratched record player. The one good thing is that the door muffles the volume, which would once again be ear-shattering if it was open.

Dustin just stood there, unable to understand what was happening.

THE EQUIPMENT IS OFF! THERE IS NO POWER! He screams in his head in frustration. How could any of this be… possible? Someone had to be messing with it…

Or maybe…

Maybe Ben had the right idea, he ponders.

Biting his lip, he forces himself to step forward. He had to at least check to see if he'd done what he was supposed to do (not realizing that he didn't have the keys to open it).

The second he puts his hand on the locked doorknob, the music ceases and everything is quiet again.

Dustin swallows and immediately retreats to the opposite wall. He's so confused and scared that his big brain is failing to compute. What was happening? Why was this happening? How was this happening?

A buzzing… like the sound of static interrupts his panicked thoughts. He presses against the wall and stops breathing entirely. There's no music, but then a voice whispers, in the same tune as the static, but Dustin heard it loud and clear.

"You're… next…"

That was it.

Dustin bolts down the hall and out the door, not stopping until he gets to his bike. He ignored the wind rusting around him or the fact that the clouds were about to drop a ton of rain on him. He removes his chain, pulls his bike off the rack and peddles away.

A/N: Another chapter, shorter but with a heightened sense of dread. Thank you to everyone who reviews my story, it means a lot to me.

Response to Reviews:

FanBoy01: I love that you summarize all my chapters. I find it very fun. I hope you keep doing it

Larry: I've certainly considered it. We'll have to see.

GlaringEyes: Yes, Derry is definitely leaking into Hawkins. We're all aware of the deal that the Mind Flayer and the Deadlights have formed, but none of the characters do... yet. Yes, they need to mobilize ASAP.