The sun had gone down, and Lucas wouldn't let go of Max.
Not that Steve would blame him. They had gotten so close to losing her, he still felt that she could die any minute, but at least she was back. He was sure that nothing would ever scare him more than seeing her dull expression, her body hanging in the sky like a puppet on strings.
He could see blood staining her jeans slowly, right above her knees, and he put his hand on her legs, sending his healing power into her.
"I think you may have scraped your knees." Steve said softly, "Does anything else hurt?"
Max took a moment before responding. "I..I don't think so."
"How…" Dustin swallowed, as if he was scared to speak. "How did you escape?"
"The, the music opened a portal back here. And then I remembered all the good things that I didn't want to leave, I guess? Oh, and Robin was there." Max said softly, holding Lucas' hand.
That made Steve perk up.
"Robin? Robin was there?"
Max nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. She helped distract Vecna as I ran to the portal."
Steve turned to Dustin quickly, panic seeping into his stomach before it dissipated into nothingness.
"Dustin, can you radio them on the walkie talkies? Try and talk to Robin, just make sure that she's okay. We'll also need to meet up somewhere and compare notes."
"Sure."
Dustin managed to find the radio that he had discarded on the ground, pulling the antenna up and began speaking into it.
"Nancy, Robin, Mike? Does anyone copy? Over."
"We're一we're here." Mike responded. "Over."
"Is Robin okay? Did she fight Venca? Max, who's doing okay, she's alive and stuff, said that she was there with her. Over."
Mike's voice came through the walkie talkie, burdened and worried. "She's…she's okay. She blacked out for a while, but she's awake now. Her nose is bleeding a lot, like, way too much, but Nancy thinks that she'll be okay. We're headed to you guys now."
"Maybe that isn't such a good idea." Lucas said, shakily, and Steve frowned.
"What do you mean, Sinclair? What's wrong with them coming here? It's not like Vecna can't attack Max if she's not here. Chrissy died at the trailer park, remember?"
"That's not what I'm worried about."
Lucas then pointed to the street, where another car parked behind Steve, four teenage boys piling around it, glancing at the graveyard and talking loudly.
Will frowned. "Is that the basketball team? I can barely see in this dim light."
Steve didn't have any trouble seeing in the darkness, it was as if the sun hadn't gone down at all. He saw the boys as clear as day.
"It's Carver and his friends. What in the world are they doing here? I thought that they were looking for Eddie?" Steve asked, his hands instinctively forming fists, and Lucas nodded.
"That's what they were doing before!"
"But you ran away from them, didn't you? Maybe they're looking for you now." Will added nervously, and Steve nodded. It honestly wouldn't be surprising if that was the case. From what he could tell about the Hawkins High Basketball team, they seemed ruthless. A little too ruthless.
Lucas sighed heavily, looking down to Max, who watched him with fear in her eyes.
"We really don't need this right now, Max nearly died!"
"Listen, I'll go talk to them." Steve said firmly. "Find out why they're here. You four stay out of sight, use the darkness to your advantage. I'll find you after."
"But all of the flashlights are in the car." Dustin added. "Who knows how long it could take? It'll be pitch black!"
Steve pointed to his eyes, and then his wrist. "Adaption powers, remember? I have night vision, sort of."
Dustin opened his mouth to reply, but Steve held up his finger.
"Later, Henderson. You can ask about it later."
Dusitn nodded, and after one more hesitant look, Steve made his way back to the car, whistling a random tune as soon as he was a fair amount of distance away from the kids, hoping to get the attention of the others. Carver and his gang immediately saw him, Jason's lips forming a kind yet cruel smile, one that reminded Steve of Brenner.
He stopped that thought before it could go even further.
Steve stopped whistling, pretending that he had just seen them, and gave them the Harrington smile and his classic charm.
"Hey, guys. You're on the basketball team, right? The last game was awesome."
None of the teens seemed pleased by the comment, and Carver stepped closer.
"Hey, Harrington. Is there a party in the graveyard that I don't know about?"
"Sorry?"
"Well, that would be the only reason that you would be here, right?"
Steve scoffed, the smile dropping from his face. "What? No, I'm visiting my dead grandma. Not cool, dude."
One of Jason's friends muttered in agreement, a kid that Steve recognised as Patrick, and Carver gave him a sharp glance.
"Nonetheless, we've been looking for you. You know what happened to Chrissy, right?" Carver's smile dropped off his face too, and Steve wasn't surprised.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, man, she seemed really nice."
"We think we know who did it. Eddie Munson. Do you know where he is?"
Steve shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest leisurely. He was glad that he had become such a good liar, he had a feeling that his lies would save someone's life tonight.
"No, sorry, dude. I haven't seen him since I was in high school."
"What about Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, or Lucas Sinclair?" One of Jason's buddies asked, stepping forward. "You babysat them, right?"
"For a while, yes." Steve said, keeping his tone easy. Inwardly he was reeling. They were looking for Dustin and Will now, too? How desperate were these guys?
He recovered from the confusion and fear, and took a moment to think about what he would do if Robin or Dustin had died, or any of the Party. Would he be hunting people, like Jason?
Steve didn't know. He didn't really want to answer that.
"And now?" He was asked, and Steve pushed the thought away.
"Not really. Between my memory loss and trying to get on my feet, I haven't been babysitting much. And, aren't they old enough to not need a babysitter?"
"That's not the point. Do you or do you not know who they are?" Carver asked, stepping forward, and Steve held his ground.
"No. I don't know where they are."
Carver smiled, a wicked, dark smile, and he pointed behind Steve. "Then, who's that?"
Steve looked back slowly, remembering what happened last time, the kids being stupid enough to show their face in the window, so that Billy saw them.
Please no. Don't you guys dare
And there Dustin was, standing at the top of the hill, looking down on them, worry in his eyes.
"I didn't take you to be a liar, Harrington. Hey, Henderson! Can you come here, so we can talk to you? Yeah, you. I would recognise that stupid hat anywhere."
Jason stepped forward, his hands in fists, and Steve snarled, shoving Carver back.
"Stay away from him. He has nothing to do with Chrissy's death."
"And how do you know that, King Steve?" Another one of his friends said, the one that stood beside Patrick. "Were you there when it happened? Did you kill her?"
"What? No!"
"Then you won't mind if we have a little chat with your kid, would you?"
Patrick was strangely quiet throughout the whole encounter, and somehow that bothered Steve. Somehow he noticed. Yet, he soon paid it no mind, Dustin was in trouble. They all were.
Dustin had started to walk forward, his body tense with what had to be fear, and all Steve wanted to do was wrap him in a hug, protecting him from the horrors of the world.
"Fine. But don't touch him."
Carver nodded, and Dustin finally reached them, the headlights from Carver's car illuminating his face even more. The younger boy watched Jason with no fear, but his body betrayed him, as it was as stiff as a stone.
"Hey, Jason."
"Let's not worry about pleasantries, kid. Where's Eddie?"
"I have no clue where he is! We're just friends in Hellfire, that's it!"
"You mean that evil club? I'm assuming you know how he killed her, then?"
Jason was getting all up in Dustin's face, and Steve could barely restrain himself from rushing to Dustin's aid. As if one of Jason's friends could see his anger, he held him back, his hand tight around Steve's arm.
"Let go of me, dude."
The teen didn't say anything, and Steve knew that it was hopeless. The only way they would be getting out of this was resorting to violence, and Steve knew that it would be risky.
They were in troubled waters, and if they weren't careful they would drown.
"No, of course I don't know how he killed her, or if he killed her at all!" Dustin continued. "You're getting really desperate if you're hunting down the people in the Hellfire Club!"
Jason nodded, appearing satisfied with Dustin's answer, but another one of his buddies rushed over to Dustin, something shiny in his palm.
"Hey!"
Dustin was pulled back, a knife held to his throat, and the other teen snarled.
"Start talking, I know that you're lying!"
Steve saw the knife held against Dustin's throat, the fear in Dustin's eyes, and saw red.
"Let go of him!"
Jason frowned. "Chance. Let go of him."
"I know he's lying, Carver." The teen, Chance, said, "Let's make him squeal, Harrington, too. Why in the world would they be in a graveyard other than to practice the same evil that killed Chrissy?"
Dustin looked to Steve, his eyes wide and panicked, and Steve knew what he had to do. He may live to regret it, but he couldn't let Dustin get hurt.
Steve looked behind him, at the teen that held him, at Patrick, who backed away nervously, and made the first move.
Yanking his arm away from the teen holding onto him, he slammed his fist into the teen's stomach, causing him to stumble to the ground. Jason yelled, running towards him, and Steve got ready for him, throwing a punch into Jason's stomach.
"Let him go!" Steve yelled, and Jason plowed into him, throwing him to the ground. Fists slammed down onto his face, his stomach, his skin, but none of it hurt.
Someone kicked him in the ribs, and he didn't even pretend that he could even feel it. He was done playing pretend. He grabbed the leg, dragged the person down and got up himself.
He frantically looked for Dustin, who was now standing to the side, Chance no longer holding a knife to his throat.
Steve didn't even get a second to question where Chance was until a knife stabbed through his back.
Pain burst forth in his body, and Steve gasped, distantly knowing that the sensation was new, that his body wasn't used to it, that a wound would exist, before reaching behind him and pulling the knife from his back with a pained groan.
He could feel blood seep out of the wound at an alarming rate, before slowing down to nothing.
He didn't have time to react when another pocket knife swung at him, cutting his cheek and nose, making blood fall into his mouth. It only stung for a second before the pain began dulling.
"Chance! Stop it! Put the knife away!"
Then, all of the fighting stopped. Steve rushed over to Dustin, pulling the younger boy behind him as the four teens watched him in awe.
"Harrington." Jason said, his eyes wide. "What are you?"
"What? Your friend just pulled a knife on a freshman! What is wrong with you?"
Jason weakly pointed to his face, a fearful look on his face. "You're…you're healed already."
Steve put his own fingers to his cut, or, where the cut should've been. It was gone, all of the blood dried and no blemish to his skin.
"Oh, no." Dustin whispered from behind him, and Steve stared Jason right in the eyes.
"It must be a trick of the lights, Carver. Now, back off! We didn't kill Chrissy, and I don't think that you want to put murder on your rap sheet, do you? Because your friend nearly killed me and a 15 year old kid! Now back off!"
"You're a freak." Chance said, "You're a freak."
Jason and his friends waited one more second before running to their car, screaming for them all to rush and get out of there, scrambling to close the doors, watching Steve fearfully until they had driven out of sight, and Steve could still feel their stares.
He realized that they were afraid of him. Afraid of what he was. What he could do.
The thought made him sick. So sick that he actually felt it, burning in his stomach, tickling the back of his throat, avoiding his adaptation powers like the plague.
He couldn't get rid of it. He felt like he was going to puke.
"Steve?" Dustin asked, and Steve frantically shoved him to his own car, scared and confused and so desperate to escape.
"Car. Now. They're going to come back with backup, I know it." Dustin nodded quickly, accepting Steve's truthful yet dishonest reasoning, and hopped into the front seat. Steve then ran up the gravestones, seeing Max, Lucas and Will right away, and called them back down to the car.
Max was still shaky on her feet, and Steve didn't waste a second in running up to her, picking her up in a bridal carry, and ran her to the car.
"Steve? Are you sure that they're going to come back?" Lucas asked, following behind them quickly, and Steve nodded.
"They know I have powers. I tried lying my way out of it but I don't think they bought it."
Lucas nodded, hopping into the car and sitting beside Max, Will beside him.
Steve didn't waste a second pulling out onto the street and heading into town, his hands shaking against the steering wheel.
All five of them sat in a tense silence, the dark yet light world flying past them as they drove, and Steve could feel his calm, neutral demeanor failing. Like cracks forming on a glass cage, pushing and spreading with every ounce of pressure, his emotions, all of them, emerged. He didn't just feel sick anymore. He felt fear and worry and anger and sadness and hopelessness and failure and every emotion that he shouldn't have been feeling seeping through, unfiltered and unrestrained. His powers didn't take them away, no matter how hard he tried, and he couldn't stop feeling it all.
He knew that, if anyone said a word, the glass would break, and everything would come spilling out.
It only took a moment until someone spoke that word, and Steve shattered into a million pieces, shattered like never before.