I am starting to get more and more excited about this story. I am about at the part that prompted this whole idea.

I am still looking over my own work, and i am only human so all errors are still mine.

"Explain to me again how you got a creature… from another dimension… and then lost it?" I asked standing in front of Dustin. The moment Dustin hesitated at the store I found myself halting my search for El and in place was now standing in Steve's living room with several bags of beef in the kitchen.

"I found it." Dustin shrugged and I just scowled at him.

"You just… found… and instantly thought I'm going to keep it?" I asked frustration laced in my voice. "Did you tell anyone."

"Mike, Will, Lucas and the new girl." He smiled and I just stared at him in disbelief.

"Please tell me this is a joke?" I breathed out.

"Go easy on him, the thing went from harmless to man eater overnight." Steve said from his spot beside me.

"Don't even…" I turned, pointing at him. I was still upset with him for how he acted at school. "And how did you even get involved?"

"Oh, I was going to see if I could find Mike or Nancy." Dustin spoke up. "Steve was there planning to apologize to her or something, had a whole bouquet of flowers."

"Apology." I nodded, looking at Steve crossing my arms. "Interesting."

"Its not like that… I…"

"I don't care." I rolled my eyes. "We have other issues. That thing is out there…"

"Right, which is why we got the meat.'' Dustin pointed to the kitchen.

"And what was your plan exactly?" I asked.

"Well, we were going to lure Dart…"

"Dart?"

"Oh yeah, short for D'artagnan." Dustin said a little to enthusiastically. "He like nougat so I figured…"

"You named it?" I questioned in disbelief before shaking my head and holding my hands up. "Okay and where were you going to lure him?"

"Well…"

"And once you found him how were you going to kill it?"

"Uh…"

The lack of plan is why I found myself the next day standing beside Steve's car on the side of a railroad as we grabbed the meat and supplies we had gathered the night before. I had managed to convince them to stay put for a night and come up with a real plan that involved daylight to lay a trap. I didn't sleep the night before, between El and Dustin's pet I was anxious, not to mention the side eyed glances I was getting from Steve who I was trying to keep a distance with.

"Where is this junk yard?" I asked leaning on the car as Steve opened the trunk.

"Just down the track." Dustin pointed and I looked in the direction of his finger. "Its far enough away that no one should be around."

Before I could reply there was a crackling in the radio Dustin was carrying and he put the bucket he had in his hand and lifted it up.

"This is Lucas. Do you copy? Dustin?" Lucas's voice came over the static.

"Well, well, well, look who it is." Dustin stepped away to answer his radio.

"Sorry, man." Lucas apologized, "My stupid sister turned it off."

"Hey Roni." Steve said from beside me as he grabbed his backpack. "Look about at school i…"

"It's fine." I cut him off shortly. "I get it."

"Listen, I just…"

"Steve just don't." I shook my head, turning my attention back to Dustin who was explaining the situation. "Dustin lets go!"

"Wait, who's that?" Lucas asked. "Was that Veronica?"

"Yeah, look man, I'll explain later." Dustin sighed. "Just meet Roni, Steve and I at the old junkyard."

"Steve?" Lucas asked and I tried to hold in my laugh as I looked at my feet.

"And bring your binoculars and wrist rocket."

"Steve Harrington?" Lucas repeated and Steve slammed his trunk shut.

"All right let's go." He said grabbing a bucket.

"Just be their stat. Over and out." Dustin turned off his radio and grabbed the second bucket. Walking a few paces ahead of them I let them talk and kept to myself as I played out the events that could happen tonight, and what my plan was to keep them safe.

"All right, so let me get this straight…" Steve started after several minutes, "you kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who… who you just met?

"All right, that's grossly oversimplifying things." Dustin said and I chuckled listening to them, before turning around and walking backwards.

"What made you think that a girl would like a… slug like thing?" I asked. Steve nodded before throwing meat down on the railroad tracks.

"An interdimensional slug." Dustin corrected and I rolled my eyes and turned around again. "Because it's awesome."

"Not the word I would use." I mumbled.

"Well even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I… I just… I don't know," Steve started and I slowed my pace to hear his next comment, "I just feel like you're trying way to hard man."

"Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right." Dustin said quietly.

"Its not about the hair man." Steve sighed, "The key with girls is just…just acting like you don't care."

"Even if you do?" Dustin questioned, and I pursed my lips at Steve's advice.

"Yeah exactly. It drives them nuts." He answered and I stopped in my tracks, Steve having been right behind me nearly running into me. "Roni?"

"Please tell me that's not your advice." I turned quickly scowling.

"Well yeah I mean…"

"Are you kidding me?" I looked between the two. "Your advice, to him on how to get a girl to like him is to not care? Please tell me you're joking."

"Well, I…"

"Okay, I can promise you, ignoring a girl and acting like you don't give a shit is not the way to go." I stated. "Take it from someone who has been treated like that her entire life… it's a shitty feeling and makes girls feel like crap, and you do that to a girl, there more likely to move on, or kick you in the nuts."

"Roni that's not what I meant, I just…"

"Do him a favor, give him advice that will help and not make him a douche bag." I said angrily before turning around and walking away again. The silence was deafening as we continued walking slowly.

"So um… how do you know then, when she likes you?" Dustin finally asked.

"You just wait until, uh… until you feel it." Steve answered hesitantly. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head but refused to turn around.

"Feel what?"

"Its like… uh, before it's gonna storm, you know," Stee answered, "You can't see it but you can feel it like this, uh electricity, you know?"

"Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere…"

"No." both Steve and I said interrupting him. Looking over my shoulder I saw Steve looking at me and I shrugged.

"No, no, no… its like a… like a sexual electricity."

"Steve!" I stated loudly.

"How would you describe it?" he asked me.

"Its… it's a feeling when you look at them its hard to breath. Nothing else matters just that person." I answered with a shrug.

"So that's when you kiss her?" Dustin asked and I turned around quickly, surprised.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Romeo." Steve shook his head. "Sure, some girls yea, they want you to be aggressive, you know strong, hot and heavy, like a… I don't know, like a lion."

"But others, they like to build up and make sure its worth it." I added quickly before Steve could say something else foolish.

"So what type is Nancy?" Dustin asked and I rolled my eyes again turning around. I picked my pace in hopes of avoiding the rest of the conversation. I wasn't sure what the rest of the conversation was however I heard snip its of 'She's different,' 'falling in love,' 'She's only gonna break your heart.' And the final thing I heard was 'Faberege Organics.' I wanted to continue to be mad, but hearing Steve tell Dustin his hair care regimen, including the Farrah Fawcett spray made it hard not to crack a smile.

We walked a few miles more before coming to an open area filled with metal scraps and old vehicles. Standing at the top of the hill looking over the area I nodded, turning to Steve.

"Not bad Henderson." I said.

"Oh Yeah. Yeah, this will do." Steve agreed. "This will do just fine. Good call dude." We walked further down, and I watched as the two of them dumped the remains of their buckets in a pile.

"I said medium well!" A voice yelled from across the junkyard. Lucas was standing with another person waiving at us and I watched Dustin's face crumble when he saw them.

"Who's that?" Steve asked and I elbowed him. "What."

"That's the girl." I said in a hushed voice and his eyes widened in realization. Grabbing as many sheets of metal as I could, I started layering them around the broken-down bus. The girl, Max, was beside me helping as we lifted a heavier sheet together.

"You work at the Arcade, right?" she asked.

"Yep." I nodded with a small smile. "And you are Billy Hargroves sister."

"Step-sister." She rolled her eyes and I laughed.

"That makes sense." I said. "He is…"

"Irritating, arrogant, self-centered…"

"That about covers it." I agreed.

"Is all this real?" she asked, looking back towards Dustin and Lucas behind an old car. "Like this is just some game right?"

"I wish." I said before getting onto the bus to push the seats against the windows. As the afternoon faded and the sun started to set, we moved barrels around the bus, creating a fortress around the vehicle all securing ourselves inside before shutting the doors. Sitting on the ground back against one of the walls I watched as Lucas used the ladder to go to the roof to look out for the Demogorgon.

"So you really fought one of these things before?" Max asked and she looked at Dustin then Steve who just nodded flicking the lid of the lighter in his hand shut. "And you're like totally 100% sure it wasn't a bear?"

"Shit." Dustin cursed annoyed. "Don't be an idiot. Okay? It wasn't a bear. Why are you even here if you don't believe us?"

"Sheesh, someone's cranky." Max commented standing up and moving past Dustin to the ladder. "Past your bedtime?"

"That's good. Just show her you don't care." Steve said with a wink.

"Shut up Steve!" I exclaimed, throwing the small rock in my hands at him. He stared at me shocked at my outburst. "Dustin, you need check yourself because that was rude and ridiculous." Unfortunately, there was no walking away, there was just moving to a different side of the bus.

"Hey can we talk?" Steve asked sliding down the bus walkway to where I sat staring out the window.

"If I said no, would you go away?" I asked without looking at him.

"Roni, what I said… I didn't mean, I was pissed at Billy and Tommy for something they said in the locker room and I just…"

"What'd he say?" I asked, finally turning to look at him.

"It doesn't matter, I shouldn't have listened or let it bother me." he sighed shaking his head. "The moment I said it I regretted it, and I shouldn't have let you leave like that I just… I was trying to …"

"Not care?" I finished.

"What I said to Dustin, I didn't mean you, I wouldn't…" he hesitated as he met my eyes. "I don't want to be in that group of people that made you feel like that."

Before I could respond there was a growl from outside the bus that made us pause. Dustin, Steve and I all moved to the side of the bus and looked out the small windows we had created.

"You see him?" Dustin asked.

"No." I whispered squinting through the fog.

"Lucas!" Dustin called. "What's going on?"

"Hold on!" Lucas called down as we continued to stare out at the junkyard. "I've got eyes! Ten o'clock, ten o'clock!"

"There." Steve said pointing at an animal like being in the shadows slowly coming towards the clearing. Sure, enough it looked like a miniature Demogorgon stalking towards us and I instantly felt a chill run down my spine as images of my nightmares from the night before came to the forefront of my mind.

"What's he doing?" Dustin asked, looking as the creature stopped at the meat pile smelling it before stopping and looking around the yard.

"I don't know," Steve answered shaking his head. "He's not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?"

"Maybe he's not hungry?" Dustin offered.

"Maybe he's sick of cow?" Steve said, stepping back and turned to him scowling.

"Steve?" I questioned waiting but I could already see the wheels turning and I felt my stomach turn and my heart clenched as I realized what he was thinking. "Don't you dare."

"What are you doing?" Dustin asked as Steve moved to the door. "Steve?"

"Steve!" I hissed but he just turned, holding up his lighter and passing it to me.

"Just be ready." He said and before I could grab him, he grabbed his bat and left the safely of the bus. Dustin shut the door and I watched at the window anxiously as Steve swung the bat around slowly moving closer to the creature that still stood watching.

"What's he doing?" Max asked coming down the ladder to stand by us.

"Expanding he menu." Dustin answered.

"Being an idiot." I mumbled squeezing the lighter. The monster seemed to analyze Steve as he moved closer, moving his head to the side similar to a dog. I couldn't hear Steve, but I knew he was hoping he could antagonize it to move towards him. It just needed to move a little closer for Steve to get into position and we could torch it.

"He's insane." I listened to Max say.

"He's awesome." Dustin said with a smile. Just as I thought we could actually do this Lucas yelled from the roof.

"Steve watch out!" Lucas called and I quickly watched Steve and scanned the junk yard. Lucas had seen something.

"A little busy here!" Steve yelled back his bat held up.

"Three o'clock! Three o'clock!" There was a crunch of metal as something jumped on a car and I saw another creature stalking behind Steve.

"Shit!" I cursed, running to the door and opening it Dustin on my heels.

"Steve! Abort! Abort!" Dustin yelled as the animal charged towards him. I watched as Steve ran jumping and rolling over the hood of a car landing on his feet swinging the bat just as Dustin's pet jumped towards him. I took several steps away from the bus and lifted my hand up as the Demogorgon behind Steve came at his back. The creature stopped in midair and Steve turned staring at it in front of him before looking at me.

My eyes were trained on the creature as I forced my energy towards it and swung my arm sideways letting it fly into a stack of barrel to my right. I could hear the other yelling for Steve to run as I stopped another one to my left and slammed it into another one several feet behind Steve as he ran towards me. Using both hands I clenched my jaw and groaned as I pulled a different car on blocks across the ground before lifting it and slamming it down on three incoming monsters. Steve grabbed my arm as he passed me, pushing me onto the bus and slamming the door shut.

"You're an idiot!" I shouted, shoving Steve's shoulder hard. He turned ready to say something when the snarling came toward us, and the door shook as the creature tried to get in. "Shit!" Quickly Steve grabbed a sheet of metal and placed it in front of the door. I could taste copper as blood from my nose touched my top lip and I swiped at it with the palm of my hand.

"Are they rabid or something?" Max asked.

"They can't get in! They can't get in!" Lucas repeated as the bus rocked more and I listened as the creatures climbed onto it. Looking at Steve who was using his feet to try and keep the creature from breaking in.

"Stay put!" I said to Max and Dustin as I rushed to the ladder. Looking back at Steve he was using the bat to keep the Demogorgon out. Quickly I climbed up and reached the roof of the bus just as one of them hit the roof. It seemed to watch me curiously before its mouth opened and charged towards me. Lifting my arm, I used my ability to lift it over my head and off the back of the bus. Another one clawed up the side and another behind me, with a yell I suspended them both in the air. They whimpered and tried to fight against me but dropped them, letting them crumble to the ground. Before I could recover there was a thump to my right, and I turned just as another one pounced in front of me. Stumbling back, I was closer to the ladder and roof opening of the bus then I though and I tripped backwards falling back through the hole. In a very ungraceful fall, I landed on my left side trying to catch myself.

The wind was knocked out of me, and I groaned rolling onto my back holding my shoulder grimacing. Max was beside me looking up at the opening just as the Demogorgon appeared in the opening. My reflexes had been dulled by the fall and I struggled to try and get up and pull Max away just as the petals of the mouth opened and it yelled loudly. Max screamed.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" Steve shouted, pulling Max back and standing over me holding his bat up. "You want some? Come and get it!" I watched as it made a step mouth open towards Steve but quickly stopped looking up and out at the distance before scurrying from the top of the bus. We could hear several footsteps and crunching of metal as all the monsters cleared the bus and then we were left in silence.

Slowly Dustin, Lucas and Max moved to the windows as I lay my head back taking a deep breath.

"You okay?" Steve asked holding his hand out. Opening my eyes, I tried to figure out if I was okay, and what I was feeling. I was exhausted, pissed, frustrated and … scared? But it wasn't scared for me, it was for everyone in the bus, and not a feeling I liked.

"Fine." I stated a bit harsher than intended taking his hand grimacing as he pulled me up. Slowly I rotated my shoulder and used my sleeve on my other arm to wipe the blood under my nose. Avoiding his eyes I moved slowly towards the door, listening to every noise as I slowly pushed the door open.

"What happened?" Lucas asked behind me. Steve was close behind, his hand lightly touching my back as we left the safety of the bus and stepped out into the junkyard.

"I don't know." Max shook her head as I pulled away from Steve.

"Steve scared them off?" Dustin posed and I contemplated the idea, but Steve responded before me.

"No. No way." He said. "They're going somewhere." The idea gave me chills as I thought of the over half a dozen monsters running through the trees right now. After a bit of arguing and stubbornness from the kids we all ended up following the creatures through the woods in hopes of finding where they were going. I walked in front with Steve a few steps behind me with the flashlight.

"Hey you sure your good?" Steve asked, making a few quick strides to catch up to me keeping the flashlight lit in front of us.

"Yeah." I said shortly focusing on the ground and trying not to trip.

"I really am sorry about what I said at school…"

"Jesus, Steve." I sighed, "I could give two shits about what you said at school. People have said worse things to me."

"So then who are you mad at?"

"You!" I stated loudly finally turning to him. He paused surprised before collecting himself and catching up to me again. "Your heroics that you pulled back there, the charge into danger regardless of the outcome of if you would die."

"What was the alternative Roni, wait and see or send you out?"

"Yes!"

"Wait are you serious?" Steve asked grabbing my arm and pulling me to the side as the kids past us. "Roni…"

"You're not supposed to care!" I said running a hand through my hair trying to avoid his eyes.

"I said I was sorry about that." He quickly said concern on his face.

"No… Just… Ugh…" I groaned, closing my eyes. Lowering my voice, I finally gave Steve a long hard look before continuing, "I was made… trained to be the first line of defense to protect the labs assets. That's what I am, why I am… I'm the one that no one is supposed to give a damn about and if I don't make it, then so what…"

"So what? Roni…"

"Steve, I am the expendable piece in this chess match," I gave him a small sad smile and looked at the kids a few yards ahead of us. "I watched El disappear, I couldn't save Barb… I refuse to watch you or them, get killed… I can't, because I give a damn and I care and I'm going to fight like hell to protect that."

Stepping away I turned away from him before he could think of something to say and followed behind the group of kids, who started to talk about Dustin's pet.

"You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas asked as I finally caught up. I could hear crunching behind me and the glow of light that told me Steve was right there behind me.

"Yes, he had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt." Dustin answered.

"He was tiny two days ago." Max state.

"Wait, how did you see him two days ago?" I asked and Max turned to me while Dustin looked wide eyed as I scowled at him.

"At school." She shrugged.

"School… hold on you brought that thing to school?"

"I thought I discovered a new species!" Dustin defended, "But then Will said it was something from the Upside down, and he was small but then he molted like three times already."

"Malted?" Steve tried to enter the conversation and I rolled my eyes.

"Molted." I answered.

"Shed his skin to make room." Dustin added.

"Okay so when is he gonna molt again?" Max asked.

"It's gotta be soon." Dustin answered with a shrug. "When he does, he'll be fully grown or close to it. And so will his friends."

"Yeah and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats." Steve added, not realizing the information he had just revealed. I turned quickly, looking from Steve to Dustin who looked at Steve with a scowl and was mumbling for him to stop.

"Cat?" Lucas questioned. "Dart ate a cat?"

"No, what? No." Dustin shook his head, but his voice instantly went high giving him away.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked confused, not realizing the commotion that had just been caused. "He ate Mews."

"Mews?" Max asked, "Who's Mews?"

"Your Cat!" I stated loudly. "He ate your cat, and you're just now telling us this?"

"I knew it!" Lucas stated loudly, stopping and pulling Dustin towards him so they were face to face. "You kept him?"

"Kept him?" I asked, "When did you lose him?"

"No!" Dustin insisted before relenting and started to get defensive. "No… No I … No I… He missed me. He wanted to come home."

"Dustin." I said under my breath closing my eyes.

"Bullshit!" Lucas nearly shouted.

"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?"

"Oh so now you admit it?" Lucas said victoriously.

"Guys who cares? We have to go!" Max stated trying to step between them but Lucas just shook his head.

"I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!" I scowled as I listened to Dustin and Lucas argue. Dustin started going off on Lucas about Max. I stepped back and crossed my arms watching them argue. As they continued I could hear a screech in the distance that force my attention up the hill we were climbing.

Steve came up beside me scowling shining his light up through the trees. When we heard the sound again we looked at each other and I started moving up the hill.

"Hey guys?" Steve called behind me. "Guys!"

"No, no, no, hey guys, why are you headed towards the sound?" Max called after us but no one turned or stopped. Once we reached the top my heart clenched and I felt myself start to shake.

"I don't see them." Dustin said looking through the dark.

"It's the lab." I choked out swallowing the lump in my throat.

"They're going back home." Lucas added. Taking a shaky breath, I looked at Steve concern looking back at me while he started back at my fear-filled ones.

Thanks again for reading. I am always open to comments and suggestions.

I appreciate Likes and Follows.

Hope to see you back for the next chapter.