"He said he was building something," Elle explained to everyone. "That it was all for Will."
"Is he talking about the flayed?" asked Max.
"Yes," Elle replied.
"So it's building an army, just like we thought," said Lucas.
"But it's not building it to spread," Mike added. "It wants to kill Will."
"He also said he would kill all of us afterwards," Elle mentioned.
"That's nice," Max sarcastically remarked.
"It's not too late," Jonathan assured everyone. "We can still save him."
Jonathan grabbed an ax. Nancy took her dad's shotgun off the wall.
Everyone ran out of the house and got into Nancy's car. They drove away from the house. Next stop, Brimborn Steel Works.
Stranger Things 3
Chapter 7
The Bite
Thankfully, Brimborn wasn't that far away. The septet made it to Brimborn. Thankfully, there was no sign of Billy or the Mind Flayer anywhere. The septet got out of the car and ran inside the mill.
Once inside, what they saw next scared them. A giant monster was right there. It was like the thing they encountered at the hospital, only ten times bigger. It held Will high in the air with one of its tentacles.
Elvis was the first to move. He took off and flew towards the monster. He grabbed Will and pulled him free. Elvis then landed on the ground, carrying Will with him.
"Will, are you okay?" he asked. He realized he was really close to Will's face and blushed.
Will slowly opened his eyes. His site was fuzzy given he just woke up.
"Mike?" he asked. He fully came to and saw it wasn't Mike. It was Elvis. He felt a tingle on the back of his neck, then saw the monster coming from behind. "Elvis, look out!"
It was too late. The monster grabbed Elvis and roared.
In the Russian base, Dustin was driving back to the elevator. Erica was sitting in the seat next to him. Steve, Robin, and Barb were sitting in the back.
"Jesus, slow down!" Steve yelled. "What is this? The Indy 500?"
"It's Indy 300," Robin corrected.
"Let's say a million," Barb suggested.
The three teens broke down laughing.
"What is wrong with them?" Erica asked Dustin.
"I don't know," Dustin replied.
The pentet reached the elevator. Dustin and Erica got out and opened the back. They pulled the teens out.
"Here goes nothing," Dustin muttered as he scanned the keycard. Thankfully, it worked.
The five got in the elevator and rode it up. Steve got on a cart while Robin and Barb held onto it. Steve pretended that he was surfing.
"Are they drunk?" Erica asked.
"Why would they be drunk?" Dustin asked back.
Steve "wiped out" and fell to the floor. Dustin went to check on him.
"His pupils are dilated," he told Erica before turning to Steve. "Are you drugged?"
"For the last time, Dad," Steve replied. "I don't do drugs. I only do marijuana."
"Are you dying?" Dustin asked.
"We all die, my crazy child friend," Barb replied. "It's just a matter of how and when."
Dustin ignored that and asked Steve, "Where's your car?"
"The car's off the board," Steve replied. "They took the keys."
Once the elevator stopped ascending, the pentet ran out.
"Can you taste the air?" Robin asked.
"Yeah," Steve replied.
The three teens held their tongues out to let in as much fresh air as they could.
Dustin and Erica saw Russians coming at them.
"Shit," Dustin muttered.
Dustin and Erica turned back and grabbed the teens' hands. They found a door nearby and ran inside.
"Why are we running?" Steve asked.
"Woo-hoo!" Robin and Barb shouted.
Jonathan grabbed his ax and hit the Meat Flayer's tentacle with it. It didn't slice off the tentacle, but it was painful enough to force it to let go of Elvis. Jonathan kept slicing at the tentacle until it slapped Jonathan to the side.
The tentacle reached for Jonathan. Nancy fired her shotgun. It was a direct hit. Nancy shot a couple more times until she ran out of ammo. She was screwed. The tentacle reached out to Nancy, ready to flay her.
Something kept it from touching Nancy's face. Elle was using her powers to keep it still. She then pulled the tentacle off the monster, making it jolt in pain.
The Meat Flayer got angry. It sent a couple of tentacles towards Elle. Elle used her powers to hold them back. Elle destroyed both tentacles.
However, a third one snuck from behind and grabbed Elle by the ankle. This tentacle came from the monster's actual mouth. Mike and Max grabbed Elle's hands to try and save her.
"Shoot it, Nancy!" Mike screamed.
Nancy reloaded the shotgun and shot the monster in the mouth.
"Lucas!" she shouted.
Lucas grabbed the ax and hit the tentacle. Nancy continued shooting the jaw. After a while, they finally got rid of the tentacle.
"Elle, are you okay?" Mike asked Elle.
Mike saw that the tentacle was still latching onto Elle. He pulled it off.
The monster stared down at Elle and roared. Elle got up. She stared up at the beast. She reached out her arms and screamed at the top of her lungs. She was holding it back, but just barely.
Will stood up and saw what was happening. He got scared for his friends.
"No!" he shouted as he reached out his arm.
The monster's mouth split open. The Meat Flayer was stunned.
Elle passed out due to exhaustion. Will did the same.
"Let's get out of here!" Mike shouted.
Mike grabbed Elle to help her stand. Elvis did the same to Will.
The group ran out of the mill and got in the car. Nancy started the engine and drove away from the mill.
Dustin opened a door and looked around. No one was around.
"All clear," he told everyone.
The Scoop Group left the halls and found themselves in the movie theater.
They ran into one of the screen rooms, which was showing Back to the Future. Dustin found three convenient empty seats at the front of the row.
"Sit here," Dustin ordered.
"These seats are too close," Robin whined.
"Then don't watch the movie," said Dustin.
"We want to watch the movie," Robin complained.
"Then watch it!" Dustin raised his voice.
Everyone else in the theater shushed Dustin, even Barb, Steve, and Robin.
"Sorry," Dustin apologized in a calmer voice before turning back to the teens. "Stay here."
Dustin and Erica walked to the other side of the row, where there were a couple of convenient empty seats.
"It's official," said Dustin. "I'm never having kids."
"What are we doing here?" asked Erica.
"We're laying low, like Oswald."
"Oswald was found in a theater and shot to death."
"A week later."
"Point is, his plan didn't work."
"Only because it was a setup. He was just a patsy."
"You better be joking."
The woman behind Erica shushed her. Erica shushed her back.
"We need to get out of here," said Erica.
"Alright," said Dustin. "You watch Tweedledee, Tweedledoo, and Tweedledum. Make sure they don't go anywhere."
"Where are you going?"
"To find us a ride."
Dustin grabbed the walkie from his bag and walked outside the theater.
Meanwhile, Hopper, Joyce, Murray, and Alexei were driving back to Hawkins. Alexei was explaining everything to Murray, while using drawings to show it.
"What's he saying?" asked Hopper.
"He's showing me the location of the keys to turn off the machine," Murray replied. "There are two, not one."
"Two-man rule," Hopper realized. "Two men, two keys, like a nuclear launch."
"To retrieve the keys there is a vault," Murray continued. "And to open the vault, you need to enter Planck's Constant. It's a famous number."
"So we get the keys and turn the machine off?" asked Joyce.
"That's what he says," Murray replied.
"That shouldn't be too hard," said Joyce. "We can do this."
"Did you forget the part where he said the base is an impenetrable fortress?" asked Hopper.
"Yeah, but there has to be a way in," Joyce retorted.
"Yeah. Our military."
"Who are coming."
"We don't know that anymore because you yelled at them like it was a parent-teacher conference, then you hung up on them, so we don't know what the hell is going on because we're on our way to rescue our children from the big bad Fourth of July celebration."
"Well if you can't handle this, turn around and drop me off first!"
"What are you gonna do? Walk back to Hawkins?"
"I will do anything if it gets me away from you!"
"Children! Children! Children!" Murray yelled. "This interminable bickering was amusing at first, but it's getting stale and we still have a long drive ahead of us, so how about you cut the bullshit and admit your sexual feelings for one another?"
"Whoa, you are way off base!" Joyce screamed.
"Spare me the bullshit!" Murray shouted. "Yes, he's a bitch, I know. Probably reminds you of a bad relationship and you'd really like a nice man to settle down with, but admit it, you're really curious to know what he's like in the sack." He turned to Hopper. "And you. Ha! You're just a big jerkass who'd rather act tough than show his true feelings, because the last time you opened your heart and got hurt! And now, instead of admitting these feelings, you're dancing around one another with this mind-numbing and frankly boorish mating ritual. Please, for my sake, either stop bickering, or get out of this car, tear off your clothes, and get it over with already!"
Needless to say, both Joyce and Hopper were shocked by what Murray just said. They heard Murray talk to Alexei in Russian. They could tell that he was telling him what he just told them. It was even clearer when both Murray and Alexei started laughing. At this point, they were just annoyed.
Elle and her group drove over to a nearby mini-mart. It was closed for the night. That wasn't stopping them.
Nancy threw a rock to break the glass. Everyone walked inside.
They found the shelves that held rubbing alcohol and disinfectant. They laid Elle and Will down. Nancy opened Elle's pants to reveal a deep cut on her leg from when the Meat Flayer grabbed her. They checked Will's body for wounds. Thankfully, there were none to be found. Nancy prepared to clean Elle's wound.
"What are you doing?" asked Max.
"I'm cleaning the wound," Nancy replied.
"You're supposed to stop the bleeding first. Then clean, then disinfect, then bandage. I skateboard, so I know this more than anybody." Max put a paper towel over the cut and held it firmly, putting pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. "We're gonna need water and soap," she told the others. Nancy and Jonathan walked off to get that stuff. Max then turned to Lucas Elvis. "Get me a washcloth and a bowl."
"Why a bowl?" asked Elvis.
"Just trust me!" Max raised her voice.
Lucas and Elvis ran to find a washcloth and bowl.
Mike turned to Will.
"Will," he said. "If you can hear me, just know that I'm sorry for those things I said. I was an asshole. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry. Please, don't die on me."
Will slowly opened his eyes. He sat up slowly. His sight slowly became clear and he saw Mike.
"Mike?" Will asked.
"Will!" Mike shouted, happy that Will was okay. He wrapped Will in a tight hug. "You're alive. I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I was…"
Will covered Mike's mouth. "It's okay. I should be sorry. I was so scared of losing you, Lucas, and Dustin. I was afraid that once we gained different interests, we wouldn't be friends anymore."
"I know it's hard, Will," Mike said, taking Will's hand. "But no matter how much we fight it or deny it, things change. We can't stop it. But that won't break the bond that we have, and nothing can take away the special memories we share."
"Mike," Max told Mike. "Keep a firm hold on the wound. I'm gonna find Lucas and Elvis. They're taking too long."
Mike held onto the wound while Max walked away.
Nancy and Jonathan walked around the store to find water and soap.
"What did that thing look like to you?" asked Nancy.
"Like the thing in the hospital," Jonathan replied. "Only bigger."
"A lot bigger. Like, Tom and Bruce merged into one, right? Driscoll kept saying how she needed to go back to the source."
"Wait, you think Driscoll's in there?"
"Maybe. And maybe Heather and Janet, too, and God knows who else. I don't know how we're gonna kill this, but when we do…"
"We kill all the flayed."
"And we end this. All I know is, we need Elle."
Lucas and Elvis were looking around the cereal aisle for a bowl. There were no bowls.
"Why aren't there any bowls here?" asked Lucas. "What else would you use a bowl for?"
"I don't know," Elvis replied.
Lucas then noticed something better than a bowl. "Oh shit."
In front of him was a whole assortment of fireworks and explosives. One of them was labeled as "Satan's Baby".
"Have you ever shot one of these?" Lucas asked Elvis.
"No," Elvis replied. "Is it sweet?"
"That's an understatement."
Max found them.
"That doesn't look like a bowl," she scolded.
"It's way better," Lucas assured. "There's a reason this warning label says '18 or older'. This sucker is filled with 150 grains of black powder, AKA gun powder. Strap two together and it's bigger than an M-80. Five of them, we got ourselves a stick of dynamite."
"You want to kill this thing with fireworks?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
"Yeah, Eleven." Max tossed the "Satan's Baby" fireworks back to Lucas.
"Against that thing?" Lucas retorted. "She'll need backup."
Max rolled her eyes and walked away.
Lucas gave the box to Elvis. He then handed him more pyrotechnics to hold.
"Does it hurt?" Mike asked Elle as he pressured her wound.
"A little," Elle replied.
"You'll have an awesome scar. You'll look more badass."
"Bitchin."
"Yeah, bitchin."
"This is a code red!" a voice shouted from Mike's walkie. "Do you copy?"
Mike grabbed the walkie and answered. "Dustin?"
"Mike!" Dustin's voice shouted. "I'm glad to hear your voice again. I know I've been MIA for a while now, and I'm sorry. It's not because I'm mad. I was trapped underground in a secret Russian base."
"Dustin, you're talking too fast," said Mike. "I can't understand you."
"I know it sounds crazy, but Russians have infiltrated Hawkins. They're opening a gate. And now they're after us and we don't have a way out of here. I need you to come get us. Can Nancy drive?"
Dustin's voice slowly became weaker and weaker. After a while, Mike couldn't hear Dustin anymore. It was just static.
Dustin ran out of battery. He went back to the theater and approached Erica.
"Do you have batteries?" he asked.
"Why would I have batteries?" Erica retorted.
"I usually carry batteries all the time, but I only have four. I need eight. We'll need to switch to Plan B."
"What's Plan B?"
They turned to the other end of the theater. Steve, Robin, and Barb were gone.
"Where are they?" Dustin asked.
Outside the theater, Barb was drinking water from the fountain. Steve was pacing. Robin was processing everything she saw in the movie.
"I wasn't completely paying attention," Robin said. "But I'm pretty sure the mom tried to bang her son."
"They're the same age," Steve retorted. "What's the big deal?"
"He went back in time," Robin replied.
"Then why is it called 'Back to the Future' if he's going to the past?"
"Because he has to go back to the future, which is his time." Robin turned to Barb who was still drinking from the fountain. "You had enough. It's my turn."
Robin shoved Barb away from the fountain and started drinking the water.
Barb looked up and saw gorgeous lights above.
"Whatcha looking at?" Steve asked, as he looked up too.
Both of them were mesmerized by the lights.
"Hey Robin, check this out," said Barb.
Robin stopped drinking from the fountain and looked up at the lights.
"Wow," Robin said as she, too, got mesmerized.
After a while though, all three of the teens started to feel dizzy. They felt like they couldn't hold it in anymore.
Steve ran into the boy's bathroom, while Barb and Robin ran into the girl's bathroom.
Barb and Robin ran into the nearest stalls and… let it all out.
Hopper and his group headed to the fun fair in search of their kids. He and Joyce got out of the car. Murray was about to do the same.
"No," said Hopper. "Stay here and look after the Russian."
"I can help look," said Murray.
"No, you'll scare the children."
"If this is about earlier…"
"Stay put, Freud! You hear me? Stay put!"
Hopper and Joyce walked off, leaving Murray and Alexei to rot in the car.
"Say what you want about Kline," said Hopper. "But he knows how to throw a party. Sorry about him, by the way."
"Larry?" asked Joyce.
"No, Murray. He's a sick individual who likes to get under people's skin. So let's not let him get under our skin."
"I'm not. I haven't."
"You just seem a little more quiet than usual."
"I just want to find the kids."
"Yeah, me too."
Hopper and Joyce walked past Kline, who was busy playing a game with some girls. Kline saw them.
He ran to his car and grabbed his phone. He called the Commies.
Back at the store, the kids were carrying the pyrotechnics with a cart. Mike just informed them of the situation with Dustin.
"The movies?" Lucas asked. "Dusitn's so freaked out about the gate, he decides to go watch a movie? Makes total sense."
"You're positive he said 'gate' and not 'great'?" asked Max.
"Yeah. That would explain how the Mind Flayer is still alive."
"We just have to shut it again," said Nancy. "And the monster dies."
"But if not, we always have Lucas' fireworks," Max teased.
"You're doubting me, aren't you," said Lucas.
Once they were done throwing up, Barb and Robin flushed the toilets.
"The ceiling stopped spinning for me," said Robin. "Has it stopped spinning for you?"
Barb looked up at the ceiling and said, "Holy shit. No. You think we puked it all up?"
"Maybe. Ask me something. Interrogate me."
"Sure. When was the last time you pissed yourself?"
"Today, when the doctor took out the bone saw. It was just a little bit, though. My turn. Have you…" Robin paused to come up with a good question. She found it. "Ever been in love?"
"Yeah," Barb replied. "Nancy Wheeler. Eighth grade. She didn't return my feelings." Barb covered her mouth. She let it slip that she was a lesbian.
"Nancy's a priss," Robin remarked. "If you want to date a girl, that's fine, but why her?"
Barb sighed in relief knowing Robin's okay with her sexuality.
"She isn't really," Barb said.
"Are you still in love with Nancy?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I guess because I found someone better for me. It's crazy. Ever since Dustin came home, he's been all like, 'You gotta find your Suzie.'"
"Who's Suzie?"
"Some girl from camp. I guess his girlfriend. To be honest, I'm not completely sure she's real. But that's not the point. The point is, this girl, the one that I like, it's someone I didn't even talk to in school. I don't know why. It's stupid. Dustin's right, the hatred for same-sex romance is just a bunch of bullshit anyway. Because when I think about it, I should've been hanging out with this girl the whole time. First of all, she's hilarious. I feel like, this summer, I have laughed harder than I ever laughed in a long time. And she's smart, way smarter than me. She can crack top secret Russian codes, and she's unlike anyone I've ever met before." Barb didn't hear Robin coming from the other stall. She got concerned. She tapped on the stall wall. "Robin? Did you just OD in there?"
"No," Robin assured. "I'm still alive."
Barb slid under the gap in the stall to sit next to Robin.
"The floor's disgusting," Robin warned.
"I'll live," Barb assured. "I already have blood and puke all over me. So, what do you think about this girl?"
"She sounds awesome," Robin replied.
"She is awesome. And what about the other girl?"
What happened next was what Barb least expected. Robin grabbed Barb's shoulders and pulled her closer. Robin leaned forward, puckered her lips, and locked her lips onto Barb's.
Barb pulled out of the kiss completely speechless.
"Barb, did you just OD?" Robin asked.
"No," Barb replied. "I'm just shocked. Can we do that again?"
Robin nodded.
Robin and Barb leaned towards each other and locked lips once more. They held each other and savored every second like it would be their last.
They were so caught up in the moment that they didn't hear Dustin, Erica, and Steve enter the room. Dustin was initially gonna yell at the teens for wandering off. However, he couldn't help but feel happy for his friend getting the girl she loved.
At the carnival, Alexei was continuing to explain to Murray how turning the keys would stop the machine, and cause it to blow up.
Afterwards, Murray said, "I ya stanu grazhdaninom Ameriki i prisoyedinyus' k vesel'yu, da? (Translation: And I become an American citizen and join in the fun, yes?)"
"Kto skazal, chto nuzhno byt' amerikantsem, chtoby prisoyedinit'sya k vesel'yu?" Murray asked, holding Alexei's shoulder.
The two left the car and walked into the fair.
"Net nichego boleye amerikanskogo, chem eto. Zhirnaya yeda, urodlivyy dekadans, fal'sifitsirovannyye igry, (Translation: It doesn't get more American than this. Greasy food, ugly decadence, rigged games.)" said Murray.
Alexei looked at the games and saw everyone having a good time.
"Oni ne vyglyadyat podstroyennymi, (Translation: They don't look rigged)" he said.
"Oni sozdayut illyuziyu spravedlivosti, no eto vse razvod, ulovka, (Translation: They create the illusion of fairness, but it's all a scam, a trick.)" said Murray. "Polozhit' svoi den'gi v karman bogacha. (Translation: To put your money in the rich man's pocket.)"
Murray gave Alexei some tickets so he could try the games out for himself. Murray left to find food.
Hopper and Joyce found Karen getting on the zero-gravity ride. They quickly got on.
"Karen?" Joyce called out.
"Joyce," Karen said happily. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Where are the kids?"
"I don't know. Last I checked, they were all at Mike's place. That's just summer."
"They're probably getting themselves in trouble," Ted remarked.
The worker was about to start the ride.
"Last warning you two," she said to Joyce and Hopper. "Get on the wall."
"Hold the ride!" Hopper demanded.
"Over my dead body, asshole!" the worker yelled before starting the ride.
The speed of the ride forced Joyce and Hopper onto the wall. The ride was fast and unpleasant. Joyce and Hopper held each other's hands for comfort.
The Scoop Group waited for the movie to end so they could blend in with the crowd.
"Now we just need to get on the bus and home sweet home," said Dustin.
"We might not want to go to your place," said Steve. "I may have told the Russians your whole name while I was drugged."
"Why didn't you resist? You tough it out, like a man."
"Easy for you to say."
Their argument was interrupted when they saw Russians guarding the exit. The pentet ran in the opposite direction. They saw the escalators blocked off. They got in between the escalators and slid down.
Back at the carnival, Alexei was having the time of his life. The games weren't rigged. He even won a Woody Woodpecker plush.
Alexei found Murray at a corn dog vendor. Murray smiled and cheered seeing Alexei with the prize.
The moment was short lived, though. Grigori showed up out of nowhere and shot Alexei in the stomach.
"Alexei!" Murray yelled.
Alexei got dizzy and his vision blurred.
Murray grabbed Alexei and carried him someplace safe. He gave Alexei some clothing to put pressure on the wound. He then ran to get help.
Murray found Hopper and Joyce climbing out of the zero-gravity ride.
"Jim, they got Alexei!" he called out.
Hopper saw Grigori walking towards him.
"We gotta go," he told Joyce.
Hopper and Joyce held hands and ran in the opposite direction. They saw another person walking towards them. They ran in a different direction.
"Find Murray, get in the car, bring it around back," Hopper ordered Joyce, handing her the car keys.
Joyce ran to find Murray.
Hopper ran into the funhouse. He was followed by one of the Russians. Hopper hid until the man walked inside. He beat the guy to a pulp.
Joyce found Murray. He took her to Alexei. It was too late. Alexei was dead.
"Oh no," Joyce cried.
Hopper didn't give his enemy a moment to breathe. Hopper beat up the Russian until he couldn't move anymore.
Hopper grabbed the man's gun and walkie, then ran into the next area.
Joyce and Murray left the fair, heading for the car. Joyce stopped herself. She saw Kline.
"Hey Larry," she said, walking up to him.
She then slapped Kline and kicked him in the crotch.
Hopper found himself in a mirror maze. He hid, waiting for the time to strike. He knew an enemy was there looking for him.
When the time was right, Hopper fired the gun and shot Grigori multiple times in the stomach.
He then heard people advancing. He knew he didn't have the ammo to shoot all of them.
He ran out of the funhouse. He was picked up by Joyce and Murray.
A Russian spoke on the walkie Hopper took.
"Hey, translate that for me," he told Murray, giving the walkie over to him.
"We found the children," Murray translated. "They're in the lower level of the mall. Keep all entrances locked down. I repeat. Keep all entrances locked down."
At the mall, the Scoop Group was hiding behind a desk. However, their breathing was a little too loud. The Russians head them. They walked closer towards the kids, ready to call out to them.
Then the alarm of the nearby car went off.
"Kakogo cherta? (Translation: What the hell?)" said one of the Russians.
On the above floor, Elle, Mike, Lucas, Max, Will, Elvis, Nancy, and Jonathan were all standing on the balcony, staring down at the Russians. Elle was using her powers to activate the car's alarm.
Elle then lifted the car into the area. She moved it right above the Russians. She flipped it upside down. Finally, she dropped the car at a fast rate, crushing and killing the Russians.
The Scoop Group ran towards the center of the mall. Elle and her group walked down the escalator.
"You flung that thing like a hot wheel," Dustin said, hugging Mike and Elle.
"Lucas?" Erica said, shocked to see her brother.
"What are you doing here?" asked Lucas as he hugged his sister.
"Ask them, it's their fault." Erica pointed at Steve, Robin, and Barb.
"Yeah, totally our fault," Steve sarcastically remarked.
Nancy and Jonathan approached Steve. Steve kissed Nancy on the lips, and then Jonathan.
"Can someone tell me what happened to that car?" asked Robin.
"Elle has superpowers," Dustin explained. "She threw it with her mind."
"That's Elle?" Erica asked, pointing at Elle.
"Who are you?" Nancy asked Robin.
"I'm Robin," Robin replied. "I'm Steve's coworker, and Barb's girlfriend."
Barb kissed Robin on the cheek to prove she was being serious.
Nancy hugged Barb, signifying she is supportive of this relationship.
"They cracked a code, which is how we learned about the Russians," said Dustin.
"What Russians?" asked Jonathan.
"Those were Russians?" asked Max.
"Didn't you understand our code red?" asked Dustin.
"I didn't understand half of what you were saying because you were talking so fast," said Mike.
"God dammit, low battery," Dustin realized. "At least it all worked out."
"So those were Russians?" asked Lucas. "What does that have to do with the gate?"
"It has everything to do with the gate," Dustin replied.
Everyone heard a thud. They turned and saw Elle on the floor crying.
"What's wrong?" asked Mike.
"My leg," Elle cried.
They removed the bandages to reveal that Elle's wound had gotten bad. It was completely swollen, and there was weird white stuff moving around it. Whatever it was, it was hurting Elle a lot.
"Elle, are you okay?" Mike asked.
Elle replied by letting out a loud scream.
A.N.
This was intense.
First off, Alexei's death. Alexei was a nice character. He's not my favorite, but he was likable. It was sad to have him die again, but it's also relieving. No more Russian interactions until part 4. The Russian bits were pretty difficult. I always had to switch from my Doc tab to a Google Translate tab, and those parts were just not fun to write for me.
Nancy being Barb's first gay crush was a last minute idea. Nancy rejecting Barb would give Barb a reason as to why she's so nervous about confessing to Robin. I'm sorry if that felt forced.
Barb has finally confessed her feelings for Robin. And this time, she got the girl. That scene was a really fun write, seeing these gay lovebirds successfully hit it off during a time period where these sorts of things were rare. I decided to have Steve throw up in the boy's bathroom, so Barb and Robin's confession can be just them.
And my favorite part of this chapter, Will and Mike reuniting and reconciling. The scene was inspired by Anne, Sasha, and Marcy's reunion in Amphibia's penultimate episode.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading. Please favorite, follow, and review.