𓆩♡𓆪

DUSTIN STANDS ON TOP of the elevator, Cerebro in hand. Paisley didn't sleep, nothing could help her. None of their ideas opened the stupid door.

Robin has her head rested against Paisley's shoulder. The small nap she took earlier on her shoulder still leaves swirls in the girl's stomach. The somewhat dark circles beneath Robin's blue eyes makes Paisley get butterflies. The old eyeliner fading on her waterline. It's annoying how ethereal she still looks after like 10 hours in an elevator.

Steve sits in the corner not far from the two girls.

"He's driving me crazy with that thing," Paisley groans. Steve sighs, "And that damn battery is gonna drain. Hold on, I'll tell the shithead," Steve tiredly waves off Paisley, hoisting himself up.

That leaves the girls. Erica had woken up a bit ago, automatically complaining but Paisley can't blame her. "How can these Communists build the fastest elevator known to man but can't build an emergency exit?" Erica says, throwing her head back.

Robin and Paisley get up to stretch their legs that are filled with pins and needles. "Maybe they aren't as smart as we thought," Robin shrugs, walking back over to the God forsaken buttons. There's a sudden noise of a water stream from next to Paisley. She looks up and is immediately disgusted when she realizes that Steve is peeing.

Robin stops for a second to also try and hear if it's actually Steve's piss stream.

The blonde's face twists into disgust, "Can you redirect your stream, please?" She yells. Paisley holds her head, shaking it in disappointment, "Steve, no one here wants to see that!"

Steve zips his pants up, "Would you rather I take a shit?" His voice echoes. The phrase is repeated one too many times. Paisley mocks him in a high pitched voice, "In a Russian's mouth, maybe," She says in her normal voice. Paisley's throat feels like sandpaper as she swallows. Her spit has been the only source of hydration.

My dad must be losing his mind, Paisley thinks.

Metal against metal clanging makes Robin and Paisley whip their heads around. Erica is banging a tube against a metal container. "Hey, hey! Be careful, careful, careful!" Robin runs over to the girl. Paisley walks over, her patience already thin from lack of sleep, "We don't even know what this is! Do you wanna die?" She bitterly asks.

"Exactly. It could be useful," Erica retorts. Robin holds up the green tube, "Useful how?" Paisley is used to Dustin and the other kids, Erica is just on another level. She isn't unbearable persay, Paisley definitely likes her but she's like, 10. Younger and louder than The Party.

"We can survive down here a long time without food, but if the human body doesn't get water, it will die," Erica continues her argument. She reaches for the tube but Robin pulls back, "I hate to break it to you, but this is not water."

"No, but it's a liquid, and if it comes down to drinking that shit or dying of thirst, I drink," Erica sarcastically smiles at the older teens. Paisley sighs loudly with a glare, "When it burns you from the inside out, don't scream, Erica."

"I don't remember you being so whiny, Paisley," Erica says, grabbing the tube from Robin when she gets distracted. Paisley flashes her eyes at Erica, "Do I look like I want to deal with any of you? Much less a child!"

"I'm 10 and smarter than all of you!"

"Oh my God, you're worse than I remember—"

"A lot has changed since I was 7, Paisley. I'm smarter, prettier and funnier!" Erica puts three fingers in Paisley's face. She puffs her cheeks up, opening her mouth to say something else when Robin grabs her arm, "There's a whirling behind the door. I think people are here. Get up top, go!" Robin rushes Paisley to where the boys are.

Paisley peeks her head out of the trapdoor, "We've got company." Steve and Dustin glance at each other with worried looks. Paisley quickly pulls herself up so that Robin and Erica can safely get up.

Steve rushes over, "Uh, okay," He glances around, "Just—stay away from the openings!"

They all nod and follow instructions. The door opens below them and two Russian men come in with dollys. Paisley holds her breath. She starts to blink rapidly as she tries her best to still focus on the men. They talk in Russian before leaving the elevator.

Steve puts a finger to his lips, jumping down with the tube. He puts it under the door to let them all shimmy under. Erica, Dustin, Robin and then Paisley slip out under the door. Her brown eyes fearfully watch the tube start to crack under pressure as Steve slides himself under.

Steve rolls to the side just in time. The glass shatters and green liquid bubbles next to them. Paisley helps Steve up and pulls him away from the sizzling green liquid.

"Jesus Christ," Steve breathlessly says. The group walks over to it. Whatever the hell it was, it had burned through the metal floor. "You still wanna drink that?" Robin asks Erica.

Paisley gives Erica an I told you so look.

"Holy mother of God," Dustin says. Paisley is trying to think what could cause such a reaction and how it could get so much worse but the long hallway lit up by bright lights. "Kill me. One of you, not the Russians," Paisley groans. The five start their long, long walk down the hall to mystery.

     NANCY PACES THE ROOM, explaining what she saw and what happened to Mrs. Driscoll last night, how it was the same thing that happened to Will last year.

The old woman's vitals are displayed on the yellow paper in front of Brooke. They're all low temperatures. "He likes it cold," Will says. Casey and Stella had shown up to protect Brooke, as odd as it is they listened to Steve, but now they've got themselves into a mess again.

They had no idea what Nancy saw when they stood on the Wheeler's wet lawn, trying to dodge the sprinkler.

Casey bites at his finger, "This old woman who was eating fertilizer—"

"Mrs. Driscoll," Nancy corrects him. Casey nods, "Yeah, sure, Driscoll. When did this shit happen?" Casey and Stella had tried the Wheeler's first last night but a very confused and annoyed Ted Wheeler told them they weren't there, 'Thank God.'

Each time Brooke and the kids left an area, Casey and Stella showed up at the area unknowingly just missing their friends.

"Last night," Nancy answers. Mike steps forwards, "Right, but what time last night?"

"Around 9," Nancy tells him. Brooke sits up from her slumped position. Nine seems about the time everything with Billy went down. "You waited all night to call?" Jonathan asks Nancy.

She stutters a bit before getting her words out, "I was waiting for the doctors to run some tests."

"You weren't there?" Will harshly asks his brother. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" Jonathan puts his arms to his side, obviously a bit annoyed. Brooke shifts her eyes between the couple. "Hallelujah!" Nancy sarcastically says. Both Lucas and Brooke glance at each other before Brooke cringes at them. The awkwardness in the air is becoming worse and worse. Being in the same area as a couple fighting is something Danny and Brooke are very used to but when it's their own friends, it's somehow worse.

Nancy senses the awkwardness, "Um, so, wha—what time was your...sauna test?"

"Around 9," They all say in unison. Brooke stands up from the couch, "Well, that proves your theory, Nance."

"She's flayed. Just like Billy," Mike says.

"Driscoll is—flayed?" Stella questions. "Oh God, why'd you question it?" Brooke sits back down with a huff. The boys had explained it all last night against her will. Also more DnD things she definitely doesn't give a shit about but she figured it was better than them replaying the Billy incident over and over again so she let them rant.

Mike explains it again, how the Mind Flayer takes over people's minds, basically becoming the Mind Flayer after he's successful. "If there are two flayed—" Lucas starts.

"There's more," Danny finishes. "Heather," El says, "Billy was doing something to her," El says and Brooke can see the pain on her face, "She was scared. She was screaming. Bad screams."

Brooke tilts her head, "What's a bad scream?" Aren't all screams bad? Brooke doesn't recall a time where a scream could've been a good thing. "Max said—"

Max quickly cuts El off, "Doesn't matter." Brooke thinks for a couple seconds and then she remembers the hickey conversation. Good screams. Jesus, Max tried to explain moans. Brooke hopes one of the kids does it so her or Hopper doesn't have to suffer through the talk.

"Wait, I'm lost. Who's Heather?" Nancy asks. "She's a lifeguard at the pool," Max explains. Nancy puts one foot forward, "Heather Holloway?" She asks rather urgently. Jonathan and Nancy both realize. They look at each other, "Tom," They say in unison.

Brooke knits her eyebrows together, "Tom? Your sexist boss, Tom?" Nancy runs a hand through her hair, "Yes, that one. We gotta go. Come on, cars. Now." She rushes upstairs.

They follow after her and get outside to their cars. The kids pile into the Wheeler's car but Brooke quickly realizes there's no room for all of them. "We can take my car, Nancy," Casey calls out. Stella notices Brooke's frozen body, more like lagging in place. Stiff motions.

Brooke takes a deep breath and leans her body into the car on Jonathan's side, "Don't let me in the car with him."

Jonathan sighs, he forgot Casey is her ex for a second, "Brooke—"

"Jonathan," Brooke harshly says his name. He lets air out of his nose and she does the same with a head tilt. "Brooke, it's a short ride," Jonathan tries to reason but he knows it's no use. Brooke continues to glare into him. Nancy leans over the seat, "Brooke, you go with them now, you won't have to later. Also, where's Paisley?"

Brooke has an urge to kick the car, "Working. Steve is too before you ask." Nancy and Jonathan raise an eyebrow at each other. He turns back, "We—weren't going to—"

"Okay, well, I'm not sitting with Casey—"

"Holy shit! I'll come with you. Can we go now?" Danny slams the car door. Brooke stands up from the car, "So much attitude—"

"You are more stubborn than an ox. Let's go," Danny shouts as he walks over to Casey's Honda. Brooke scoffs, rolling her eyes. Jonathan smiles, "There you go."

"Fuck off, Byers," Brooke flips them both off as she follows after her brother. It's probably for the best that Steve and Paisley stay at the mall translating their bullshit Russian.

Casey and Stella jump at the sound of the back door opening. Casey turns to the youngest Martel, "Danny?" Brooke opens the other door, sliding into the backseat where Casey and her spent many hours in. Hands not being able to leave each other.

She scoffs in disgust but then an evil idea comes to her head, making out with Steve in the back of Casey's car. It might not even piss him off but it'll at least make Brooke feel satisfied.

"Brooke?" Casey says louder. Brooke scowls at him, "Follow them, Windward. Hi, Stella," Brooke waves. Stella slowly waves back, glancing at a nervous Casey. She turns the music up which does almost nothing to drown out the loud tension.

MEANINGLESS CONVERSATION HAS BEEN going on for way too long for Paisley. It's humid in these scary tunnels and Paisley is wishing she had a dick to whip out and piss with right now. The conversation keeps going from what's the most useless superhero (which Paisley can and wants to participate in) back to what the hell could be in those tubes and at the end of the tunnel, which Paisley would rather not think about.

"You think they built this whole mall just so they could transport that green poison?" Steve brings up the subject again. Her feet feel like they're dragging behind her. Had she known she would've been walking this long, Paisley would've opted for her new Vans, not the old somehow still together Vans.

"I very seriously doubt it's something as boring as poison," Dustin says, "It's gotta be much more valuable, like promethium or something."

"What the hell is promethium?" Steve asks. "It's what Victor Stone's dad used to make Cyborgs's bionic and cybernetic components," Robin very quickly and easily explains.

"Yet, Starfire remains superior," Paisley comments with a breathy laugh. Totally not because she wears a skintight suit, no, it's a bonus though.

"You're all so nerdy, it makes me physically ill," Erica fakes a gag. "No, no, no," Steve hastily begins to deny this, "Don't lump me in with them. I'm not a nerd, alright?"

Paisley cocks her head back, acting more offended than she actually is. "Why so sensitive, Harrington? Afraid of losing cool points to a 10 year old child?" Robin teases him. Paisley lets out a laugh that was far too loud for such a small joke. The others side eye her, knowing as well that it wasn't that good to react so loudly.

Steve shakes it off, "No, I'm just saying I don't jack shit about Prometheus."

"Promethium," Dustin and Paisley correct him. "Prometheus is a Greek mythological figure, but whatever. All I'm saying is, it's probably being used to make something," Dustin goes on to explain.

Paisley wants to scream but it would for sure travel down the hall too quickly and next thing you know, they'd be killed by Russians, at least that's logical in Paisley's head.

She knows it's the elephant in the room but maybe the elephant can just sit there, mind it's own business until it's right in front of Paisley's face and she can't deny it any longer. Which doesn't only apply to the green mystery tubes, it also applies to the smart blonde girl next to her.

It was somehow easier for Paisley to deny her sexuality rather than her feelings for Robin.

The conversation around Paisley was almost mute to her ears before Robin speaks up again, drawing her back in. "I mean, Hawkins. Seriously. Of all places. At the very best, we're a toilet stop on your way to Disneyland..." Robin trailed off. Paisley went to follow her but realization and confirmation seem to hit Steve and Dustin right in the face.

"Ow," Paisley whispers when Steve roughly pulls her back by her uniform. "You think the Russians know?" Dustin whispers. "About—"

"We determined this already, guys. There's no other reason for them to be here," Paisley whispers back. Steve throws his hands on his hips, "So it's connected?"

"Maybe," Dustin answers. "How?" Steve asks. Paisley shrugs, "I don't know. Russians are crazy when it comes to science shit, I guess. I don't think I'm making sense anymore. It's the lack of oxygen—"

"Paisley, you're fine. This is—"

"Possible," Dustin cuts off Steve. Robin and Erica realize that the other three are no longer beside them. The blonde raises an eyebrow as she turns on her doodled on sneakers, "I'm sorry, is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

The three pause and glance at each other, then back Robin and Erica.

Their pause is interrupted by static and then Russian men speaking. "Walkie," The three teens say as they run over to the source of the voices.

The man continues in Russian while they quickly grab the walkie. Robin takes it, "A trip to China sounds nice, if you tread lightly," Robin says in Russian, "It's the code."

Paisley snaps her fingers, "The broadcast has to be close. What do we know about this signal, Dustin," Paisley points to him. He smiles. "It can reach the surface."

A small, small sense of relief wages over the group. They're close to something, anything is great at this point.

"Let's go," Robin presses her lips together. Paisley jogs a bit to catch up to her, "How much further do you think?" Stupid question but whatever keeps a conversation works. It's usually not hard between the two anyway.

Robin shrugs, "Really can't be that far if we can hear them clearly," Robin turns to the girl, "You alright? You seem pretty anxious. You keep doing that rapid blinking thing—it's not an issue—"

"I mean, I'm probably anxiety riddled right now, yeah. How are you not?" Paisley playfully nudges Robin.

Robin does a double take, like she can't believe Paisley couldn't detect her obvious anxiety, "Uh, coping. Yeah, I'm scared though."

"Scared?" Paisley softly questions. Robin looks up from the trail her eyes have made across the floor, "Yeah, we have no idea what the motive is. It's scary."

Paisley hides her worry. She has a good idea of the motive but she has no idea if she has the time to warn Robin. If it's the small, slim chance it's not connected to the Upside Down then Paisley doesn't want the Russian equipment within the tunnel to somehow pick up on her loud mouth.

So, she presses her lips together, hoping the slim chance is indeed that chance.

DAGGERS FROM BROOKE'S EYES are being shoved into the back of Casey's head. Slick comments about his driving and the occasional accidental kick to his seat. Brooke isn't even sitting behind Casey, Danny is. She just extends her leg every so often.

The group's cars pull into the nicer part of Hawkins, close to where Steve lives of course.

Beautiful lawns and large houses make envy boil in the back of Brooke's mind. She's never outright said she was jealous of the rich—she just thought it's obvious considering the Martel house. Rotted wood and cracks in the ceiling. A lawn that is mowed maybe 5 times a year before Brooke decided enough was enough. Heather's house is much, much nicer of course.

Casey's car comes to an abrupt stop. Brooke's head hitting Stella's headrest in front of her. The boy has a smug look on his face, "We're here."

"Yeah, nearly gave me whiplash. Your mom needs to take this car away—and your license," Stella laughs, getting out of the car. Casey locks the car, fondly smiling from the other side, "But how would we hang out?"

Stella rolls her eyes, "I have a car." The two practically link elbows as they walk away from Danny and Brooke. The other group piles out and marches up to the front door.

"Hey," Danny nudges his sister, "Are they dating? Stella and.....Casey." He speaks carefully, not knowing if the implication would set Brooke off. Eggshells when it comes to Casey.

Brooke scoffs, crossing her arms as she walks up the slight hill, "Stella clearly likes him," Her eyes glance at Casey's big smile, "And I think he likes her." Danny gasps. He's not surprised, really. He's more surprised Brooke said it out loud. Like something is making it easier to accept.

Nancy and Jonathan stand at the front of the group. Nancy rings the doorbell a couple times but nothing comes of it.

Birds chirp between the silence. They chime the doorbell again before turning to El. She understands immediately, flicking her head to open the door.

It hits the wall behind it. The big house is oddly quiet as they all step in.

"Tom?" Nancy calls out, "Heather?" Coldness wraps itself around Brooke's body. She shivers, "It's cold in here, guys." Knowing what it most likely means, Danny and Will glance at each other.

They continue to walk around the house until they get to the living room. "Hey, wait," Stella sniffs the air, "Anyone else smell that or am I having a stroke?"

The others sniff the air. The smell of bleach and lemons fill their lungs. They follow the smell into the kitchen where cleaning supplies are spilled all over the floor and the counters.

"Jesus, I think this is shaving off years of my life," Brooke says and closes her nose with her fingers.

"More chemicals," Nancy says. Brooke steps forwards. What she thought was a counter is actually the fridge on its side smashed in. "You think they're guzzling this shit?" Jonathan picks up cleaning supplies.

"Yeah, either that or they just went on a hell of a cleaning spree," Nancy comments. The chemicals feel like they're burning Brooke's eyes the closer she gets. "But last year, Will didn't eat chemicals. Did you?" Max questions.

All eyes are now on Will, nothing new for the youngest 'Town Freak'.

"No. This is something new," Will says. "Mr. Clarke, fifth grade. Posit. What happens when you mix chemicals together?" Mike asks to jog the memories of his friends. "You create a new substance," Lucas, Danny and Will answer.

"Alright, so what if they're making something?" Danny suggests. His shoulder grazes Will's. Eyes interlocking for a second before quickly turning away.

"In themselves? I mean, come on, if you drink this crap, it'll kill you," Max says. "Yeah, if you're human," Lucas adds on.

Walking around the house is like a bad stage play. Their dinner is still on the table. Brooke steps into the living room first. She sees the wine bottle on the rug and then the blood stain in that same rug.

Her eyes roll back as she lets out an involuntary gag, "Blood. There's blood. Oh, fuck me." She walks away with her eyes closed.

Nancy hurries over, realization hitting her, "Yesterday, Tom had a bandage on his forehead." Her blue eyes fall to the same wine bottle Brooke spotted. Blood is on the bottom of it. Nancy looks at Brooke and Jonathan, "He was attacked."

Nancy is putting the clues together. The rug and the blood stained carpet. Each clue leads to another area of the house.

Rope sits in the middle of the bedroom. Jonathan crouched down, "They must've tied them up and taken them somewhere."

"Mrs. Driscoll, she kept saying, I have to go back. What if the flaying, is taking place somewhere else? There must be a place where all this started, right? A source," Nancy figures out. This is why Nancy was always so good at hide and seek. Never leaving clues, only finding them and putting them together like this.

"Somewhere he didn't want me to see," El says. "Alright, then we need to find the source and stop him. Or just stop it from spreading," Casey claps his hands together.

Brooke closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, "How look, he's smart again!" Stella looks up from the floor, "I don't think he really ever stopped, Brooke."

Brooke is surprised at the girl's tone. She cocks her head back a bit, "No, no. I forget that pretending to be interested—"

"Brooke," Jonathan cuts her off. There's no way he's dealing with that right now. They can bicker any other time. Everyone looks away from the two. "How do we find it?" El asks.

"Mrs. Driscoll. If she wants to go back so badly, why don't we let her?" Will suggests. "So, we have to kidnap someone's grandma? Hmmm.....Yeah, I could be doing much worse things right now," Brooke tilts her head with a small smile.

———
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