Louise's car worked, but barely. The demon dog had apparently rammed into her car once its prey had gotten away, and it sputtered and stalled the whole way to the house. It took longer than it should have to get home; she swore she was about to get motion sickness from the stop and start of her car. Her telescope was still securely in the back though, so at least there was that.
The car barely made it to the entrance of the driveway before it gave out. She turned it off and on, but nothing. Dammit. This whole week sucked.
She headed for the house, to Dustin's room. His radio setup was impressive to someone, she was sure, but it was just bulky and cluttered to her. She searched around it, looking for the spare walkie-talkie before she stumbled upon it in a box next to the desk. It was somehow even more bulky than his new one.
She pulled the antenna up, and messed with the dial, in an attempt to radio in to anyone. Nothing. She turned it off and on, and hoped that would do something. Still nothing.
"Sweetie? Why is your car at the end of the driveway?" The sound of her mother's voice rang through the halls. Louise thumped her head against her brother's door for the second time that night.
With a sigh, she made her way down the hallway, to find her mother's tear stained face at the door. Her stomach sunk at the sight.
"Something ran into me last night, and now it's not working."
"Are you alright?" Her mother rushed over, and trapped her into a big hug before she pulled back, and ran her hands up and down Louise's arms as she inspected her for any scrapes or bruises.
"I'm fine, I'm okay mom. How are you holding up?"
Her mother pulled away as her eyes teared up again. "They haven't seen Mews. My Mews is gone." Her voice was warbled with unshed tears, and Louise felt her own eyes burn as they teared up as well.
"I'm sorry mom."
"No, sweetie, it's not your fault." Her mother soothed, and brought her in for another hug. Louise held on tightly to her mother, tears now breached and soaked her mother's shirt. Her mother was hurting, Dustin was in danger, and she had never been more useless. Her mother squeezed her even tighter.
"Where is Dustin?" She asked after a moment, and Louise leaned back.
"He's at a sleepover at the Byer's house. Something about an unscheduled dungeons and dragons thing." She lied.
"Good, he deserves a nice night out."
Her mother headed off towards the kitchen, and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. "Did you clean the kitchen?"
"Uh, yeah. Nervous energy."
"Oh, you're such a good kid."
Louise stared down at her Keds, which at this point were even more scuffed up than usual.
"I'm going to head to bed, I have work in the morning. Don't stay up too late, okay?" Her mother gave her a kiss beside her head before she headed down the hall.
Louise let out a deep sigh and shoved the palms of her hands into her eyes. The soft click of her mother's door as it closed was the only sound in the house. After a moment of unbearable silence, she tried to call Hopper again from the house phone, but it just rang and rang. She slammed the phone shut, and threw herself on the couch. She was so frustrated and annoyed. With a final huff, she fiddled with the walkie-talkie once more.
Louise hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep, until a crackle from the walkie-talkie woke her up. She quickly jumped up, and threw the knit blanket draped over her to the other side of the couch. The sun was bright through the window, and the faint smell of coffee that lingered made it clear that her mother already left for the day.
"Lou? Come in, Lou? Do you copy?"
"Dustin? Dustin, are you there?"
"You know that's not how you answer, over."
Louise rolled her eyes, and she would have been tempted to turn it off had the situation not been so dire. "My car broke down. I barely made it home, I've been trying to reach you all night."
Dustin's voice crackled over the walkie-talkie, "Sorry! Had the headset switched off. Were you able to reach Hopper?"
"No, he's still MIA. I can try again though. What's happening on your end?"
"Still laying bait. Steve's family had a lot of meat in the fridge," Louise could hear Steve's offense in the background and smiled, " and Lucas is on board now. He's meeting us at the junkyard."
"Okay, I'll find a way to meet you there."
"We've got this covered, stay put in case Hopper tries to reach out." Dustin tried to persuade her.
"Nice try, whiz kid. If Hopper were going to respond, he would have by now." Louise reasoned.
She could almost hear Dustin roll his eyes. "We don't know that."
"Just.. stay safe, okay? I'll hold off for now, but I will find a way to get to you."
Dustin sighed into the walkie-talkie, "Alright, Lou. I'll keep in touch, over and out."
With that, Dustin was gone and Louise was left to sit in the house in silence. She focused on the ceiling for a little longer, lost in her own pity and uselessness. Even last year she was of no help, she'd only become aware once things had escalated. At least last year she'd been able to help in the final battle, now she was stuck home with no way to help. Just her, her broken down car, and Mews's remains in the unmarked grave outback.
Louise shot up to her feet, with the sudden idea. Maybe she could help from home. There was a literal tunnel, which assumedly led to wherever the demon dogs were kept. And if Dustin's bait was luring the demon dogs out, then the tunnels would be deserted. She could find out where it went, possibly where it had come from.
She quickly grabbed the flashlight from her car, double checked the batteries, and entered the basement. It was unchanged from the night before, clear that Dart did not return. Steeling her nerves, Louise took a deep breath, and crouched down into the hole. On hands and knees, she crawled through slowly, flashlight lighting up what was just ahead of her.
So far, nothing. Just an ongoing tunnel, with the occasional slimy skin that brushed against her hands as she crawled. The tunnel veered sharply to the right, before it ventured down further. She didn't know how long she was in there, but the entrance was long behind her. The tunnel continued on, and she was left to wonder just how far Dart had gone. The tunnel finally opened up more, and there was more than one tunnel now. It led to a small hovel, which had multiple holes that lead in various directions.
Slimy skin coated walls, with a vine like structure all around. With shallow breaths, Louise looked on in horror. There was more than one demon dog, of that they'd already known. But the interwoven vines, and multiple piles of slimy shed skin….
There was even more than they'd originally believed. Which meant they were luring more than just Dart.
Louise quickly pulled the walkie-talkie out, and tried to reach Dustin.
"Dustin? Dustin? Stop what you're doing. Please, stop. There are too many. I repeat, there are too many."
Louise was met with silence, and she feared she was too far down for the antenna to reach. She quickly turned back from where she came, and crawled further up. She crawled, and crawled, and tried to reach Dustin every once in a while. She hadn't even realized how far she'd gotten. She dreaded whether it was the signal, or if she were just too late.
She pushed herself even further, and ignored the ache of her knees and palms the further she went. She only slipped a little on the shed skin that was scraped on parts of the tunnel walls, and continued on. Soon she was able to make out the light at the end of the tunnel, where the basement light blooded the room. She quickly climbed out, and stood up straight. She ignored the ache of her back, and tried to reach Dustin once more.
"Dustin? Dustin, are you there?"
"Lou? Did you hear from Hopper?"
"Dustin, you need to leave. You take Steve, and you leave. There are more than just a few."
"What? You're breaking up."
"Dustin! I went through the tunnels. There's even more. There's too many. Whatever trap you have planned, it's not going to be big enough!"
Dustin's response was warbled, and Louise wanted to throw the walkie-talkie in frustration.
"Run! Dustin, just run!"
The walkie-talkie crackled to life, but it didn't make any sound of comfort. Faint screams and snarls carried over, and Louise squatted down and covered her face in her arms. Her brother, Steve, and Lucas were ripped to shreds, and all she could do was sit in her basement and cry. Mom would never be okay again. I'll never be okay again. Life will never be okay again.
It felt like an eternity had passed before the walkie-talkie crackled to life again.
"Mike? Will? Lou? Anyone there?"
Louise scrambled for the walkie-talkie, and held back a sob as she replied "Dustin? Are you okay?"
"We're fine, we're all okay. Steve kept them at bay, and then they just...ran away?" The confusion in his voice was evident, and from his erratic breaths she could tell he had been panicked.
"They just ran? Dustin, there are more than we originally thought. I don't think this was an issue of reproduction, unless they give birth like crazy."
"Yeah, we figured that out. How did you know?"
Louise sat there for a moment, and just stared at the basement steps. The doors were still flung open, and the darkness of night swallowed the light from the basement. It had been bright out when she'd gone down.
"Louise?"
With a sigh, she picked the walkie-talkie up again. "I went through the tunnel. Thought I could maybe reach you, from wherever it led. But Dustin, the whole thing… it's freaky."
"You went through the tunnels?!" The alarm in his voice was very apparent. "Why the hell would you do that?"
"I thought I could help! You were in more danger than I was!" She defended, while wiping the tears that had shed on her sleeve. "Anyway, it's a whole thing down there. I think they've been traveling underground. There were... Vines, and skin everywhere."
Dustin remained quiet, before his resigned voice carried over the walkie-talkie once more. "I think they are going back to the lab."
Of course they were.
"Just… come home, okay?"
His silence was loud, and while she hoped that maybe the radio had given out, she knew better. Louise stomped up the basement steps, through the house, and tossed the walkie-talkie at the couch. She was so tired of him always leaving her in the dark, as he rushed off head first into danger. Despite being the only guy in the house, she really wished he'd get it out of his head that he was the man of the house.
She grabbed her keys from the dining room table, and attempted to start her car again. It sputtered, and stalled, before giving out again. She tried over and over, and eventually it wouldn't even turn on. What the hell had the demon dog done to her car?
She slammed her hands on the steering wheel, before she leaned her head against the horn. Why was this her life? What happened to good old reliable transportation? She never had any problems with her old bike, aside from growing out of it. So long as there was air in the tires, it was ready to go.
Dustin's bike. He had left with Steve, so his bike had to be there. Louise quickly climbed out of her car and made her way inside the garage. Bingo, his bike was propped against the wall. Louise quickly pulled it out and placed it out front. She went back inside to grab the flashlight, and that stupid walkie-talkie.
She reached the dining room, where she'd left the flashlight in favor of her car keys, when the doorbell rang. Louise glanced over at the clock, and tried to guess who it would be. It was too late in the evening for house calls, and while she had hope that it was Hopper, she had a feeling that wasn't the case.
She swung the door open, and was surprised to find Billy there, hands in his pocket as he stared off in the distance. He was decked out in the finest clothes she'd seen him in yet, with the red shirt being left open aside from where they tucked into his pants. His hair was placed in an effortless way, though she suspected it was very intentional. His chest was smooth, and vaguely shiny, and he smelled like cologne. He looked like he stepped off of a movie set, like Michael from Grease 2. Louise's eyes reached his own, and she was ashamed of herself.
"Eyes are up here, Henderson." The ever-present smirk was in place, one eyebrow curled up, and his eyes shined with humor.
His smug face ruined the whole image. "Shut up, why are you at my house?" She tried to will the heat in her cheeks away, but to no avail. She could only imagine how red her face was.
Whatever humor he'd found was gone; his eyes bored as they wandered behind her. "I'm looking for Maxine, seen her?"
"Who?"
He rolled his eyes, and gestured to about chest height, only she refused to look there. "Maxine, the little redhead you met the other night? Seen her?"
"I can't say that I have, sorry."
"Funny, you don't sound very apologetic."
"She's not here, and this isn't my problem. Good luck though."
She tried to close the door on his face, but his arm shot out and held it open. Despite the best she pushed, he was stronger. Those muscles weren't just for show.
"Why do I get the feeling that you're lying to me?"
"Because you're a paranoid loser." Louise shot back, and tried to close the door once more.
"I'm not paranoid, I can just tell when someone is lying to me. You seem to be in an awful hurry, for someone who doesn't have anything to hide." He easily kept the door open, and Louise wondered if she'd ever effectively slam a door in his face. He'd stopped her at her car door, and he stopped her now.
"Well, you're wrong. I don't know where she is, I haven't seen her since the other night. Now can you please leave me alone?"
Billy just glared down at her, shoulders squared. He had a dangerous air about him, like a switch had been flipped. It felt as if he was suddenly larger than he actually was, and it made her uneasy of what he'd do next.
"I have a hunch that she's been spending time with the kids your brother hangs out with."
"Then check the Wheelers, that's where they're usually at." Louise tried one more time to slam the door shut, but it was futile.
"See, I just came from the Wheelers, they weren't there. And Mr. Wheeler said this was where they were for the night, something about a, what did he say? Game sleepover?" Billy twirled his fingers in the air, as if searching for the words. He had that false charm about him, while something dangerous lurked just beneath the surface.
Louise stepped closer, and shoved her finger into his chest, pissed that he'd try to intimidate her in her own house. "Mr. Wheeler doesn't know his head from his ass, let alone where his kids are at any given moment. They aren't here, now go away!"
The finger that pushed into his chest might have been a tad too far, because Billy's nose flared and he shoved her aside as he stormed into her house. He marched up and down the hallway, calling out for Max.
"They aren't here, and I didn't give you permission to come in!" Louise chased after him.
He was now in her room, and beelined for her telescope. "This looks important. Tell me where Max is, or I'm smashing it."
Enraged, Louise launched herself at him, and tried to wrestle her old telescope from his grasp. He pushed her off, and she landed on her mattress. She bounced twice, before she reached out again for him.
"Just stop! She isn't here, I don't know where they are!"
Billy shot her a glare, before he raised the telescope out of her reach again.
"You're a horrible person! You can compete with Steve all you want, but you'll never compare! Even when he was a dick, he was never as cruel as you. No wonder Max ran, I would too!"
This caused Billy to freeze, the look he gave her filled with pure malice as she continued to reach for her telescope. She acted like she didn't care, but this was the last thing her dad had gotten for her. The last time they'd really spent together, and the only real reminder that her dad cared about her.
The walkie-talkie crackled, and it seemed to shock Billy into moving again. He shot her a glare, and tossed the telescope on her bed before he took off down the hall. Louise chased after him, and tried to reach for the walkie-talkie before he did.
Billy had made it to the living room, when she'd pulled him back with a grip on his arms. She tried to pull him down with her weight, as he tried to push her off. She felt her nails as they scraped across his leather jacket, and some of his skin when she reached for the collar of his jacket. He had his hand on her face as he tried to push him away, and she was quickly wrestled to the floor. He had her pinned down, and his eyes bared down at her in anger as she glared up at him. He tried to push her off of him, but she locked her legs behind him, and did her best to hold him in place while she prayed that Dustin would stay off the line.
"Lou? Louise, come in? We found Hopper. I repeat, we found Hopper. We're headed for the Byer house, you stay put, okay?"
Both teenagers were frozen on the floor, and Louise could feel her eyes grow wide. Billy let out a huff, and pushed off of her. She was too stunned to fight back, her legs easily being released from their hold. He made his way to the door, and she scrambled after him.
"Billy, no!"
He ignored her, and quickly climbed into the driver's side. Louise made a split second decision, and slid into the passenger side as he started the car, and had only just made it in when he quickly took off down the street, which forced the door to slam shut.
"Get the fuck out of my car, Henderson!" He yelled as he slammed on the brakes.
"No!" She argued back, and braced herself for if he tried to forcefully eject her. He slammed the steering wheel, let out a curse, and then sped off down the road. Louise quickly buckled up in case he decided to just push her out of the car.
"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" He said after a while of silence.
Louise glanced from the road to him, and took note of his profile. He was still annoyed, given the grip on the steering wheel. "It's hereditary."
Silence filled the car for most of the drive, and Louise took note of the trees that blurred by and how this wasn't so different from the other night. His car was still immaculate, aside from the slight scuff marks her shoes had left on the edge of the seat. She was honestly surprised that he hadn't cleaned it already. It added character to the otherwise blank interior, being the only sign that the car was ever used.
She glanced over at him every once in a while, his gaze focused on the winding road ahead, hands still clenched tightly on the wheel. She was afraid of what he would do when they got there. Surely Billy wouldn't do anything with the town sheriff present. Maybe Hopper could subdue him if he did. She wished she'd grabbed that stupid walkie-talkie to warn them of what was to come.
"You missed the turn." Louise quietly noted as they sped past where they needed to go.
Billy huffed before he slowed down, and made a dramatic U-turn. An illegal U-turn at that, but she already knew that he drove erratically with no care to the law.
"Why are you always such a dick, anyway?" It slipped out without thought, and Louise tensed at the glare he shot her.
"Why are you always such a goddamn nuisance?"
Louise crossed her eyes, and looked out the window. "I take that as a compliment, considering that you're the most insufferable person I've ever met." She could feel his stare, but she refused to look at him.
"Pulling out them SAT words, Henderson?"
Louise refused to take the bait, and instead focused on the trees as they passed by.
"What? Suddenly you don't know how to speak? Shocking."
"Why are you being so pissy anyway?" She finally turned her glare to him. His hands briefly squeezed the steering wheel before he eased up.
"I should be at third base with Tina by now, but instead I'm out here with you, hunting my pain in the ass, wayward step-sister who has a tendency of sneaking out. Because thirteen year olds need a permanent babysitter, and why be a responsible parent when you can make your son do it?"
Louise crossed her arms, and focused on the side of his face. His jaw ticked with anger, and the earring dangled from his ear with the slight shake of his head. "You aren't missing much. Tina doesn't really have a personality, outside of trying to impress Carol." And you, she added to herself.
Billy smiled, and swept his tongue over his teeth. "It's not her personality I'm interested in."
Louise gagged, before she fully turned to face him. "You're disgusting!"
"I'm a guy. Maybe you'd be more familiar with the opposite sex if you didn't have headgear and dress like Rainbow Brite."
"Fuck you!" Louise snapped, not knowing why she let his insult get to her. He was being an ass, because that's all Billy ever knew how to be. She liked how she dressed. It was comfortable, and her mother helped pick them out. Her braces would be off soon anyway. Hopefully.
"Not if you were the last set of tits on earth." He sneered back.
"You should be so lucky, you jackass."
The remainder of the car ride was in silence, and Louise kept her arms crossed as she looked down. She refused to let that jerk know that he hurt her. She rolled the window down some when he lit a cigarette, not in the mood to have another argument with the jackass. He'd probably puff them out even faster. If he noticed her rolled down window, he kept the comments to himself.
The car eventually slowed down as they pulled up to the Byer house, before it came to a complete stop. She was surprised to see Steve as he left the house. He looked pissed off and tired, and Louise quickly took note that the only other car was Steve's. She had a bad feeling that Hopper wasn't there, and the dread that had been present the whole car ride only bubbled up more.
Billy seemed almost giddy as he shut the engine off, and slowly eased out of the car. Louise quickly unbuckled and followed suit, her gaze shifted between Billy, Steve, and the kids that hid behind him.
"Am I dreaming, or is that you Harrington?" A cloud of smoke made its way over to her.
Steve let out a sigh, hands still at his waist. "Yeah, it's me, don't cream your pants."
Louise briefly waved at Steve, which from the corner of her eye earned her a glare from Billy as he shimmied out of his leather jacket. They both walked towards each other, and Louise tuned out whatever pissing contest they both seemed to be in. She focused on the window, where Max, Lucas, and Dustin were posted.
"You know, I'm getting real tired of people lying to me."
"Shit."
Louise tore her gaze from the kids as they ducked down, and towards Steve, who Billy had just shoved to the ground.
