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  BROOKE LIMPS ALONG THANKS to Paisley and Casey holding her up. She's starting to regret wanting to follow after Dart. "You're sure that was Dart?" Lucas asks Dustin.

  "Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt," Dustin answers. Brooke can feel the blood seeping into the makeshift cloth Max had found, she just knows it'll be infected. "He was tiny two days ago," Max says. "The little shit grew three times its size then according to Dustin and the skin Steve and Brooke found," Paisley tells Max. "Yeah, it molted," Dustin agrees with her.

   "Malted?" Steve asks. Even with the pain in her leg Brooke rolls her eyes at him, "No, Steve, molted," Brooke corrects him. "He shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms," Dustin explains.

   Casey keeps looking to his right to make sure Stella is still there. She's shell shocked by the fight with the monsters. He's asked her way too many if she's okay and it's the same simple nod of her head that lets him know his best friend is not okay.

    The trees once again look like monsters to Brooke. The only light is their flashlights that barely do anything. "Is he gonna molt again?" Casey asks. "I can only assume yes, and soon. When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it. And he's gonna bring his friends," Dustin says with a sigh. Steve keeps wanting to look over his shoulder at Brooke but he doesn't want to annoy her, he has a feeling being in pain just makes her more pissed off. He keeps hearing her winces of pain every now and then.

   Steve sighs and looks at Dustin, "Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats." Lucas walks in front of Dustin and stops him, "Wait, cats?" He yells, "Dart ate a cat?"

    Brooke stops but she can't really put pressure on her leg. It's horrible. The burning is only getting worse but that's the least of her problems at this point. "No, what? No," Dustin lies. Brooke and Paisley look at each other confused.

   "What are you talking about? He ate Mews," Steve says. "Yeah, remember? I made that joke you didn't get," Brooke giggles. Stella steps forwards, "A cat? It ate a CAT?"

   "Let's not yell....." Casey calms her down. "Wait, Mews? Who's Mews?" Max asks. "It's Dustin's cat! That Dart ate!" Brooke says with a hand on her hip. "Brooke!" Dustin yells at her but she just shrugs. All Brooke thinks is that she's relaying information to Lucas and Max.

   Lucas shoves Dustin by his shoulder, "I knew it! You kept him!"

   "No! No. No, I.....No, I......He missed me. He wanted to come home!" Dustin spits the truth out. Brooke separates herself from Paisley and Casey but he stays right next to her to watch out. Steve hears her walking along the rocks behind him. He watches her feet to make sure she doesn't trip. Steve marks it up to his guilt—that's the only reason he's keeping an eye on her.

   "Bullshit!" Lucas curses. "I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?" Dustin yells. "Guys, who cares? We have to go!" Max tries to calm the boys down. "I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!" Lucas yells.

   Brooke leans over between Max and Steve, "You think Dart will hear this and just eat one of us?" Brooke chuckles but notices the small amount of fear in Max's face. "I'm kidding," She whispers and backs up from the redhead.

   "You told a stranger the truth!" Dustin shines the light in Max's face. Max scoffs, "A stranger?" Paisley facepalms when more arguing starts up again. "You wanted to tell her, too!" Lucas says, "And Brooke told strangers too!"

   "I yelled at her for that already!"

   Brooke draws her eyebrows together, "I wouldn't say yelled, Henderson—"

   "Doesn't matter! I didn't tell her, Lucas, okay? You did!" Dustin cuts Brooke off. She steps back from the arguing children when a screech rolls in the distance. Stella and Steve hear it too.

   Brooke limps towards him, completely ignoring the kids. She carefully walks down the hill Steve is on. "Fuck, I didn't imagine that?" Brooke whispers and looks up at Steve. He glances at her, the guilt from her injury runs through him and he looks away. Stella steps between the kids who don't stop their yelling, "That's the monsters," She says looking towards Brooke and Steve for confirmation.

   Steve nods at her and then calls out to the others, "Hey, guys?" The yelling doesn't stop. Brooke and Steve are both tired of hearing them. They both turn towards the group, "Guys!" The teens yell.

    The kids jump but stop yelling nonetheless. There's another screech in the distance. Steve and Brooke walk towards it. Paisley and Max stay back for a second. "Guys, why are we going towards it?" Max yells at her friends that are walking away. Even Casey and Stella go with them. Paisley and Max look at each other as Max shouts, "Hello?" At them.

    Paisley takes one step forward, "Shit, come on."

   The screeching leads them to a hill basically overlooking Hawkins. "I don't see him," Dustin says. Brooke squints at the lights in the distance. Lucas looks through his binoculars, "It's Hawkins lab."

     Brooke had never been to Hawkins lab. The only thing she knows is what El and Hopper have told her. It's a horrible place that makes these kids their guinea pigs. "That's where they're going. They're going back home," Brooke says and clenches her jaw. She looks down and through the forest, "The forest is the only way through."

   "Brooke, your leg," Paisley points out. Brooke knows she should feel thankful for everyone being so watchful over her but she just feels like a child. She's gotten worse injuries and plus the burning is subsiding, or maybe it's getting easier to deal with.

    Brooke rolls her eyes and starts the scary walk down the hill. "Brooke, what the hell are you doing?" Dustin yells. "Yeah, come on. We don't have time for another injury," Steve plays it off like he's not actually concerned about Brooke's leg.

   Brooke takes another step and a deep breath, "See, I'm fine!" Her left foot steps forwards. Her sneakers slip on a root in the ground and she can't catch herself as she rolls down the hill.

  "Oh, shit! Brooke!" Paisley shouts. "I told her! I goddamn told her!" Steve throws his hands in the air and follows after Brooke, carefully unlike her. "Steve! Steve! Oh, Jesus, come on!" Dustin tugs Lucas down the hill.

   Brooke hisses in pain as she lays on the grass. The thick branches of the trees above her cover the moonlight. "Fuck. I'm so stupid and stubborn, goddamnit," Brooke curses and pushes herself up. She's happy she can't see if her leg is bleeding even worse than before.

  Paisley runs down the hill, "You absolute dumbass—"

   "Shut up, Paisley," Brooke warns her, hissing in pain again. Steve runs over to her with his flashlight on the wound. "Brooke, what did we tell you?" He asks. Steve's face contorts into one of disgust the closer he gets to her leg.

   Steve steps forwards to help Brooke up but Casey gets to her before he can. His jaw clenches when he sees the blood now dripping down her leg.

   Brooke makes the mistake of looking down at her wound and thanks to all the flashlights on it, she can now see the damage, "Ah, shit." The blood tickles her leg as it makes its way down to her already red Converse.

    "That's so much worse now. She needs to get this, like, stitches or something!" Max says. Brooke looks up at her, the mix of worry and fear very obvious now that the blood can't be hidden. "Stitches?! Fuck sakes. Brooke," Paisley stomps over to her, "You're okay. It's dark. You'll be okay."

  "Yeah, once we get to safety we'll patch you right up," Casey pats her back. Though they're both reassuring her, Brooke couldn't feel worse. "I think the infection is getting to my brain," Brooke dramatically says.

   Steve's jaw is still clenched. She's so impulsive. What was he supposed to expect? Guilt mixes with anger now and it's hard to tell which emotion he really feels at this point. "If you had just stayed on the bus, you'd be fine," Steve tells her.

   Brooke snaps her neck up to look at him. A serious expression on his face. "Yeah, no shit but you would've died—"

  "I would've been fine. I almost had the bat! Now you're injured and slowing us down!" Steve doesn't think before he speaks and the words spill out. He tries not to show the regret he feels on the inside. Brooke is stunned. She almost thought she doesn't hate Steve Harrington. Watching him with the kids and apologizing to her. Brooke almost thought there was a chance to be fine with him.

   Casey steps forward, "Alright, man. Let's calm down. She risked her life."

   "There was no reason to, Windward. Who are you to tell me to calm down? You just got here. You should've left when you had the chance," Steve scoffs. Anger boils now in all three of them. Casey's opinion on Harrington has always been wobbly but this sudden anger towards him is really the icing on the cake right now.

    Steve walks ahead of them and back on track to the Demogorgons. The kids look between an injured Brooke and Steve not knowing who to follow to stay with. Brooke pushes Casey off of her. She suddenly feels like a damsel in distress with his hand wrapped around her forearm.

  "If I had just let your ass die, we wouldn't be in this situation and I'm really starting to regret my past decision," Brooke yells. "Oh," Lucas drags out. Max smacks him on the arm.

   Dustin knows it's only going to get worse from here, "Guys, we need to follow after Dart."

  "Yeah, as much as I would love to see Brooke beat Steve's ass, we gotta go," Stella juts her thumb out towards the screeches. Steve keeps his back turned to the group. His words have already gotten him into deep shit in a matter of seconds, so he keeps his back turned and keeps walking.

   "Pussy," Brooke whispers. She walks forward ignoring the pain. "Brooke, do you need help?" Paisley asks with a sigh. "No! just—fuck off!" Brooke yells. Paisley is used to her outbursts but hurt still hits her heart. She almost wants to yell at Steve for even giving Brooke an attitude. For the past year Paisley and Steve have warmed up to each other. They each accepted the other being in Nancy's life. Brooke denied the change in Steve and just when Paisley thought she would have her I told you so moment, Steve fucks it up.

    Paisley struts right past the kids and Casey and Stella, right past a pissed off Brooke who doesn't even give her a second glance, and right up to Steve. "Steve, why'd you tell her that shit? She's already in pain and now she might chew one of our heads off. You've been on this road of trying to show her and everyone else that you've changed—"

  "I don't need a lecture from you, Paisley," Steve doesn't bother looking at the girl. Paisley huffs, "I know Brooke is difficult, okay? But it can't be the fact that she's best friends with someone who is probably screwing your ex girlfriend because I'm best friends with him and you give me your leftover chips at lunch, so, you don't have a problem with me! Brooke risked her life for you," Paisley finishes.

    They keep walking in silence for a bit before Paisley speaks up again. "She told me about the gas station and Halloween. Don't tell her I told you but I think she was grateful for it. Y'know, you pulling her away and driving her home," Paisley says and pushes her hair behind her ears as the wind blows through the trees. Steve's eyes widen. The day at the gas station is when he called her selfish.

Steve nervously glances at Paisley and then back at the path, "How do you know she's grateful?" Steve is genuinely curious on what a grateful Brooke Martel would sound or act like and how much she told Paisley.

"I think she just knows, like, deep down knows that it's okay to be helped, especially after the whole Demogorgon thing. Brooke has always had this mindset that if she can handle her dad or fucked up family then she'd be fine. It was always surviving in that house, never just living. Does that make sense?" Paisley looks at Steve who nods, "Brooke can protect herself, yes, but I feel like sometimes she wants someone to tell her fuck you, I'm protecting you anyway. So, I think she's grateful that you don't let her get away.....this probably makes no sense. I mean, you hate her, right?" Paisley hopes Steve can't see her playful smirk in the darkness of the woods.

   Steve looks over his shoulder at Brooke who is limping next to Max now. "You guys protect her," He whispers. "Yeah, but I think both Jonathan and I can admit she's stronger than both of us. I think deep down you both care about the other. Last year changed us. Who the hell knows what'll happen this time? Stop being a dickhead. Brooke is actually really kind once you know her," Paisley smiles at him. Steve weakly returns it back. She's right and Steve knows it.

   Brooke's an asshole, that's known throughout Hawkins but it's also known that she has found stray kittens and taken them home, that she has protected the boys since they were in Elementary and when Dustin got here she made him feel immediately welcomed and made sure Mike had no ill words to say about the boy. Steve knows how good Brooke can be, but he's always fully aware he deserves all the shit Brooke gives him, even if he's helped her out multiple times.

    Steve realizes that no one except Brooke checked on him after Nancy. He looks back over his shoulder again. Brooke has been here the whole time, not Nancy. He can't believe how stupid he was to think Nancy would ask him for help. He didn't even know she was gone until Tommy told him.

    Brooke feels eyes on her as Max briefly explains life back in California. She looks around and spots Steve next to Paisley. The new friendship makes Brooke roll her eyes but then continue to stare at him. Brooke flips him off and he turns back around.

  "She flipped me off," Steve whispers to Paisley. "Maybe don't stare at her after you just said she's a burden, dumbass," Paisley tells him and keeps walking forwards.

   THE LAB IN FRONT of Nancy and Jonathan is all too quiet. The rustling of the leaves and trees behind them catch Nancy's attention. Despite Jonathan's protests, Nancy goes to investigate. "Nancy," Jonathan grabs her tan coat. They both stand at the edge of the woods. "Hello? Who's there?" Jonathan calls out.

   Brooke speeds up as best as she can at the sound of Jonathan's voice. Her, Dustin and Steve stand with their flashlights on the two.

   "Steve?" Nancy calls out. "Brooke?" Paisley is the next to come out of the forest, "Paisley?" Jonathan yells out his best friend's names confused. Steve has to squint to make sure he's seeing this right. Maybe Paisley was borderline right, that Jonathan is or was probably screwin' Nancy.

    "Jonathan!" Brooke yells in excitement. The worry she's had from the past day or days, she can't tell anymore, is gone at the sight of the Byers boy and Nancy. She wants to run excitedly to them but Nancy's walk towards them makes Brooke feel like a child in trouble. "What are you guys doing here?" Nancy asks. The group starts to walk towards them as well.

   "What are you doing here?" Steve now asks. "We're looking for Mike, Will and," Nancy looks around at the familiar and unfamiliar faces behind Brooke and Steve, "Danny because he doesn't seem to be with Brooke like we had been hoping."

   Brooke steps forward a bit forgetting her injury at the news of her brother missing, "You can't find Danny?" Jonathan notices the cloth and then averts his gaze back to Brooke who is very clearly trying to hide the pain. "They're not in there, are they?" Dustin points towards the lab.

   "We're not sure," Nancy answers. Jonathan frowns, "Why?" As if on cue, the Demogorgons screeches come from the Hawkins Lab. Brooke feels as though she might be sick. Danny, Will and Mike are most likely there. She has sudden hate for the fact that Will and Danny are so inseparable.

   "So, they're definitely in the lab?" Casey asks. It's awkward for both him and Stella. These people, all except Max, have very obviously been through all this shit before. The two naive teens thought they'd be looking for a rabid cat or dog or some shit 13 year old boys keep but no.

   Jonathan tilts his head, "Casey?" He looks at the girl next to him, "Stella? Brooke, why are these two here?"

   Brooke scoffs, "Why am I the one that brought them here?" Jonathan waits on a proper response knowing his assumption is right. Brooke just shrugs, mocking Jonathan under her breath before leaning her body into Paisley. "Hi," Stella waves.

   "So, you haven't seen Will?" Jonathan asks the group. "No, we haven't," Dustin and Lucas answer. The group erupts into questions about where their brothers could possibly be, a slither of hope that they're not in the monster infested building.

   A couple minutes go by of chatter when Nancy and Paisley both hear the click of power being turned back on. They glance at each other before Paisley turns to the group. "Hey!" She yells and they all shut up at once. "The powers back on," Nancy tells them.

   "The gate! We can open—" Jonathan rambles. "We get it, Jonathan," Brooke's anxiety really started to bubble up in her stomach. She runs towards it with the others. Jonathan and her make it to the booth and he vigorously presses the button to let them in but nothing happens.

   He presses it again with no movement. "Let me try—"

  "Hang on," Jonathan pushes Dustin out of the way. "Let me try, Jonathan!" He pushes the older teen out of the way and presses the same damn button. Brooke feels as though she could pull her hair out with how annoyed she is, not necessarily at Dustin but she still takes her anxiety out on him, "Oh, wow. It's almost like pressing the same damn BUTTON wouldn't work, Dustin!"

   "Oh, shut up, Brooke!" He presses it again, "Son of a bitch! You know what...." Dustin continues to slam the big red button. Brooke hobbles over towards the others, "This is horrid."

   Stella stares at the gate, "Could be worse, you could be dead." The words pull a quiet chuckle from Casey but Brooke just continues her way over to Paisley.

    All of a sudden, the gate finally opens. "Hey, I got it!" Dustin chuckles thinking he opened the gate. They all stand in front of the tall gate watching it slowly fully open. It's agonizing for Brooke. The cheek she's been biting inside unbeknownst to her starts to bleed.

    Steve wonders if Brooke even realizes she's been tapping her foot as the others argue whether or not to go in. He knows it's bad when she misses an opportunity to yell. Steve regretted the words from earlier as soon as he said them but he feels like saying his sorry's to her mean nothing. He's called her selfish and a burden within a short amount of time. They're not even the worse things he's said to or about Brooke but Steve wants to smack himself in the face for the two insults.

  There's an odd amount of thankfulness he has towards Brooke for not leaving him with this mess all by himself.

    Brooke stares at the parking lot behind the gate. The lights bounce off different cars. Hopper's car. It's Hopper.

   "Hopper, he's there!" Brooke yells, happy with her realization. "What?" A couple of them ask. She limps over to the entryway of the gate, "There! His police truck!" Brooke points to it. If Hopper is here, that means Will, Mike and Danny have to be here as well. Does that mean El's been alone this whole time? Guilt strikes her a bit as she starts to limp towards the lab.

   "Hey, Brooke! Where are you going?" Casey yells and runs right over to her. "I'm going to find my brother. Stay here, Casey!" Brooke starts to hop backwards a bit before turning around to run.

    Steve's head drops to his hands, "Hasn't she done enough shit today?" He pushes himself off the car and starts running after Brooke, it's not like she can go that fast anyway right now.

    As Brooke gets closer, she can hear the Demogorgons clearly as well as Joyce and Hopper's voices. The lights from the lab shine on people and Brooke can finally tell it's her brother and his friends.

   "Danny!" Brooke speeds up. "Brooke! Brooke! It's not safe!" The girl obviously hadn't realized Steve chased after her. She ignores him calling out for her but marks it down in her notes of unnecessary things Steve has done the past few days.

  Danny blinks a few times and looks at Mike, "Is that...Brooke and Steve?" He asks. Mike squints, holding Will close to him, "What the shit?"

   Brooke makes it to her brother with her leg on fire again. Their arms wrap around each other. "Holy shit. Are you okay? Are you all okay?" Brooke touches each of the boys as if to make sure they're actually alive and breathing. Her gaze falls when she realizes Will is unconscious in Mike's arms.

   Steve gets to them and wants to yell at Brooke for making him run that far but he knows she'll just say, 'Well, it was your choice,' or some bullshit so he keeps his mouth shut. His eyes also fall onto Will who both boys are now holding, "Is—is he okay?"

    "Yeah, real okay, Steve," Brooke sarcastically answers. Hopper catches their voices behind him. Hopper and Brooke make eye contact but she can't tell if he's mad she somehow ended up here or surprised Steve followed her all the way here and not Paisley or Jonathan.

   Hopper's mouth falls agape to say something as Brooke steps closer and closer to him but Joyce's screams make everyone freeze. Brooke's blood goes cold when she realizes what is happening behind Hopper. It feels like everything is in slow motion. Brooke rushes to the door but Hopper pushes her back as he goes in with his gun.

   Bob Newby is getting killed by the same thing that nearly killed Brooke not once but twice. Joyce's screams fill Brooke's brain. She stumbles forwards a bit in complete shock as its claws dig into the man.

   Danny and Mike keep yelling, asking what's happening but both Steve and Brooke are too in shock to fully answer them. All Steve can do is push the boys back.

   Brooke's stomach turns as the shots go off. It's like she can hear the flesh being ripped off of Bob. Her head goes dizzy at the gore in front of her and hearing the screams of pain from Bob. Her hand goes over her mouth when the Demogorgon starts devouring Bob.

    Once Steve knows the boys will stay put, he notices the limpness in Brooke's body. He's been trying to ignore the screams but it's like he can't look away as he tries to hold Brooke up. Joyce screams her lover's name as they burst through the doors. Hopper has to drag her out.

   "What happened?" Mike screams. Now Joyce's sobs fill Brooke's ears. She manages to push herself up thanks to Steve who still has a hand on the middle of her back. Steve has to look away now seeing the body of someone eaten and bloody. He tries to turn Brooke's head away knowing her phobia but she swats his hand.

    The Demogorgons slam against the glass doors. Brooke notices Joyce still trying to fight her way inside of the building. "He's gone! He's gone!" Hopper repeats the harsh reality to his friend. Brooke's heart breaks into a million pieces as both her and Joyce get pulled away from the scene. It's not because she just witnessed a brutal death but because the woman she sees as a mother just witnessed the brutal death.

   Brooke still feels like putty in Steve's arms. Headlights and the sounds of a car honking bring her back for a good second. "Come on! Get in!" Jonathan yells.

  "Can you stand up?" Steve quickly but gently asks her. Brooke swallows but nods her head yes and pushes herself from his arms. "Brooke, let's go!" Danny yells as he's dragged to the car by Mike.

   "Go! I'm going with Hopper! You will be okay!" Brooke yells back. Danny hesitates for a second but the Demogorgons slamming at the window again seals the deal for him. Her, Steve and Hopper all run to his truck. Brooke has to take a breather as she sits in the passenger seat. "We gotta get the others, Hopper," Steve tells him. Hopper doesn't have time to really question why there's so many people involved, he just steps on the gas sending Steve flying back a bit.

   They get to the kids and Casey and Stella. Hopper yells at them to get in but it feels like an echo for Brooke as she tries to bring herself down from the anxiety and dizziness of it all. She didn't even know Bob all that well, only when Joyce would insist she join them at movie nights. Brooke is obviously saddened by the loss but she can't imagine what Joyce feels.

    Steve sits in the window seat, whether he did that on purpose to check in Brooke through the mirror is unknown to him or anyone else. Brooke's body continues to shake but the one thing that stays in her mind of bouncing thoughts is that she's thankful Steve pushed the boys back, she's thankful he didn't let Danny or Mike see what they saw.