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  THE WARZONE. THE HAWKINS store is perfect for hicks and defeating interdimensional monsters. Eddie Munson showed it to them and where it is on the map.

Problem is, no one can see Eddie Munson thanks to his accusations.

Thankfully, Max has an old Michael Myers mask that the younger kids recognize from two Halloweens ago.

That is how they ended up sneaking through the trailer park, Eddie in a mask looking absolutely ridiculous. Brooke has to contain her laughter as they approach a neighbor's camper.

They all look ridiculous, actually. A big group of people attempting to stealthily move through this place. Brooke is sure at least one person has seen them. It probably would've been easier if Eddie changed clothes but—whatever.

Eddie runs alongside the camper and opens a small window. He hops in, Stella right behind him. Her face has gone a bit paler. The window is small, very small. Everyone notices her hesitation. Stella feels stupid. It's a fear no one else around her would understand. Eddie sticks his hand out, cocking an eyebrow when Stella doesn't take it.

"Stella, we have to go," Nancy calmly tells her.

She steps back, completely dismissing Eddie's helping hand, "You guys go and then get the door open for it. I'm not gonna fit in that window." Her voice is low on the last part. No one can see Eddie's reaction but he just nods and lets the others come in. Steve goes in and then Brooke and the rest of them. Eddie pops himself in the driver's seat and Brooke, Robin, Steve and Paisley join him.

Eddie is cutting wires seemingly at random. "Ed, is that safe?" Paisley asks, face twisted in worry. "Where'd you learn how to do this?" Steve asks as well. "Well, when the other dads were teaching their kids how to fish or play ball, my old man was teaching me how to hot wire. Now, I swore to myself I wouldn't wind up like he did, but now I'm wanted for murder, and soon, grand theft auto. So, uh, I'm really living up to that Munson name," Eddie says, clicking the wires together.

Brooke watches the wires spark, "Guess we're both living up to our names, huh?" Eddie looks over his shoulder at Brooke with a tight lipped smile. Steve gives Brooke a sympathetic look, wanting to deny her claim of ending up like her dad or mom. Difference is, Brooke is a good person, Brooke takes care of Danny. Though it's not her job, she does it and she does it well.

Nothing like Shawn and Kathleen.

"Eddie, I'm not sure I love the idea of you driving," Robin nervously says. "Oh, I'm just starting this sucker. Harrington's got her," Eddie replies, smiling at Steve, "Don'tcha, big boy?"

Steve looks back at him, confused but doesn't say anything as he and Brooke share a look. The engine starts and music erupts throughout the camper. "Don't forget my girlfriend, thanks," Eddie pats Steve on the back but their smiles drop once the owners of the camper begin to bang on the side of it. They lean up against the windows, yelling at the panicked teens.

"Switch! Switch!" Brooke yells, spinning her pointer finger around as she hops into the passenger seat. Steve gets in the driver's seat, "Everybody hang onto something!"

"Oh my God! Let's go!" Lucas shouts.

"Do you want me to explode them?" Penelope asks, all too excited. A collective NO leaves everyone's mouths. "Drive, Steve! Drive!" Dustin yells. Steve puts the camper in drive. Paisley falls back onto her ass and the sticky floor of the camper. "Steve, slow down!" Brooke shouts. She pops the door open for Stella.

"Get in! Get in!" Robin shouts as Stella hops into the moving vehicle. She falls forwards into the floor, looking up at everyone. "You okay?" Eddie asks. "Fine! Keep going," Stella pops up to look out the window, "They look pissed!"

"We stole their car and home in one day. I'd imagine they'd be pissed!" Danny retorts, fingers gripping the table with white knuckles.

Steve just has his pedal to the metal, "Hold on!"

"Trying!" Brooke says. The wheel in his hand spins around violently. They all brace themselves when he knocks over someone's trash.

Paisley sits on her knees behind Steve's chair, fearfully looking out the large windshield. The driving is erratic, the tires are screeching but they make it out of the trailer park.

"We're not dead?" Paisley asks. Steve takes a deep breath, smiling, "You doubt me that much?"

"Yes," Paisley dryly answers. Steve just deadpans, eyes on the road while Brooke and Robin giggle at him being offended.

WITHOUT THE THREAT OF anyone, the ride has been actually kinda nice.

Brooke has been looking out the window, watching the trees pass by. It feels like a road trip, oddly enough. Even though most of them are covered in Upside Down gunk and they're not going to another state, no, they're going to a weapons store instead. She looks back every so often, eyes on Danny and the rest of them. Danny seems content right now, taking in the peace before it gets worse again.

She turns towards Steve, a fond smile on her face, "Is it hard to drive?" Brooke asks, referring to the camper. Steve shrugs, "Not half bad. Considering that this is a.....house." Brooke chuckles, smiling to herself. Steve looks back at her twice, wondering if he should say what he wants to next.

"Yeah, it's......it's silly, but I...I've actually.....I always had this dream that I have this really....really big family," Steve gauges Brooke's reaction but there's a small smile on her face so he continues, "I'm talking, like, uh, a full brood of Harrington's. Like, five, six kids."

Brooke's face drops, "Six? Five?" She whispers, stunned by Steve. They've never really discussed a family in their future. Both of them come from shitty home lives, not really having the best examples of how to raise a family. Brooke wouldn't mind being a mom, she already feels like one anyway. She had to be one for Danny. Brooke doesn't hate it, she likes being the one to take care of Danny. Brooke just wishes she didn't have to. She wishes they had good parents.

"Yeah, six little kids. Three girls, three boys. And....and every summer, I figured all of us Harringtons, we would pack into something like this and....see the country. Maybe, uh, follow Queen around on tour or...something," Steve says, still analyzing Brooke's reaction.

The image of their family floods Brooke's mind. Steve dressing up the girls, being overprotective like he normally is. Him teaching the kids how to swim like he prides himself in or play basketball like he's tried to teach Brooke and Paisley. A warm, swirly feeling forms in her stomach at the mere idea of it. In ten or so years they could have their first kid, be married and all because Hawkins was under fire and the two enemies found a safety net within each other.

"Like, the Rockies or Grand Canyon?" Brooke asks. "Yeah, maybe even Yellowstone," Steve adds on, "End up in some beachside town in California. Spend a week parked in the sand," Steve trails off, now imagining their family as well, "Learn how to surf or something."

They'd have a mix of their parents' attitudes, gunning for trouble everywhere they go.

Brooke curls herself up in the seat, "I'd like that, Steve. But, I think you'd suck at surfing, pretty boy." Steve rolls his eyes, but his brain processes the, 'I'd like that,' part, catching that Brooke wants this as well.

"Yeah?"

The way Steve says it makes Brooke almost nervous, knees getting closer to her chest, "Yeah," She says tenderly, "Just......maybe size down to about 4 or 3 kids?"

Steve chuckles, "If only we had some practice, right?" Brooke looks back at the quiet kids, "True. But, they did get caught by the cops so, we, uh, we might wanna work on that."

Steve nods softly, eyes back on the road as the couple takes in the conversation. The one they have been borderline avoiding since they started dating nearly a year ago.

  AS ODD AS IT is, Brooke has a smirk of a smile across her face at the sight of weapons. The place is crowded though, surely getting supplies just in case Eddie Munson just so happens to stroll past their homes.

Ready to kill a man based off of....little to no evidence.

"So much for avoiding angry hicks," Robin comments. "Considering the smiles across Penelope and Brooke's faces....we've been traveling with angry hicks," Steve says which earns a shove from Brooke and a glare from Penelope. "Let's be....fast," Nancy says.

"Definitely," Erica adds on.

Brooke is being followed by Danny and Max, looking around at all the people. "Can I get a gun?" Danny asks. Max and Brooke stop in their tracks, piling useful items into their basket. "No," Brooke drags out the 'O'.

"Good. Thought you were gonna say yes," Max says. Brooke cocks her head back, mildly offended Max would think she'd let her brother have a gun.

Paisley's hand glosses over a brown leather jacket, "Steve." He hums in response, walking over to the girl. "Here," Paisley hands him the jacket, realizing he found a camo shirt to cover his once shirtless body. Steve eyes the jacket. It's not bad, actually.

"Huh. Good pick, Slora," Steve says, grabbing it off the rack. "Of course I picked well. Where do you think Robin got her polo from? Me! She stole it," Paisley rolls her eyes but an adoring smile goes across her face. Steve smirks, "What are you gonna do after all of this?"

Paisley raises an eyebrow, grabbing a purple bandana that oddly enough has the matching pattern to her name. A paisley pattern. "What do you mean?" Paisley asks. "Robin told me your little deal," Steve winks, walking away from Paisley swiftly. She stays in place, hands in the middle of tying the accessory around her wrist.

She has no idea where Steve went, he's out of sight. But, Robin can still see Paisley as he approaches his blonde best friend. "How many do we need of these?" Robin asks, dropping gas canisters into their cart. "Like, five or six," Steve replies.

Robin looks up, noticing a man in Paisley's space. She's giggling at whatever bullshit is leaving the man's mouth and it makes Robin sad. Steve notices her sudden frozen body, eyeing the same thing Robin is. "What are you gonna do, Robin? Stand and gawk or punch the guy in the face?" Steve says, pushing his best friend to get what she wants, what she deserves. The two girls deserve each other.

"Shut up," Robin harshly tells him. She can tell Paisley is just being nice to the man. They're in a weapon store and men know no limits if rejected. Paisley knows that from Billy Hargrove, mad at her for the rejection even while he's getting his ass beat.

Robin steps to get Paisley out of the situation, ignoring the feeling that is making her sick as she watches the man flash a smile at Paisley. The brunette feels eyes on her and turns towards the feeling, smiling in relief when she sees Robin. Completely ignoring the man, she steps away from him and Robin can see him look defeated over the pretty girl's shoulder.

"Did you see the jacket I picked for Steve? I got you both all dressed up!" Paisley smiles, pointing at the leather jacket Steve has on. As Robin's eyes flicker up and down on Paisley, she realizes the sadness was jealousy. The hole in her heart becomes filled again as Paisley softly grabs onto her wrist, sliding her fingers under Robin's bracelets. "Well, I've never doubted your fashion sense," Robin smiles.

Penelope can't help but chuckle to herself. Everyone has to buy weapons, meanwhile hers are always attached, a shotgun unneeded to blow someone's head off. Nancy cocks said shotgun next to her, asking how much it would be.

Penelope is staring down at the dark purple nail polish on her nails, thinking about what color she should do next. Maybe a dark red or blue. Something dark.

"Hey, can I see this real pretty .375, please?" A familiar voice is heard next to Penelope. Nancy's eyes widen at the sound, making sure she's hearing it right before she turns to him. Penelope can feel Nancy's body become stiff against her arm, "What's wrong with you?"

Nancy doesn't say anything, her eyes are just on the boy next to them. Penelope follows her eyes and they land on Jason, Brooke's cousin and Chrissy's vengeful boyfriend.

"Oh," Penelope whispers, raising a cocky eyebrow. The blonde stands up, attempting to block Nancy from Jason's eyesight as she looks around for Brooke but Jason has already spotted the Wheeler girl.

"Nancy Wheeler," Jason says. He sounds delusional, his tone leaning on insane. Penelope and Nancy turn towards him at the same time. The gun he had picked wiggles, pointed at the two girls. "Wouldn't expect to find you here," Jason says, disregarding the stranger that is Penelope Bauman. "Yeah, well, it's just.....scary times," Nancy says.

Brooke had found Erica at some point, joking around as they push a cart around. They round a corner but stumble back at the sight of Jason, Penelope and Nancy in the same proximity.

"Shit," Erica curses. "Yeah, shit," Brooke says, much angrier than the Sinclair girl. Jason begins to slowly get closer to Nancy and Penelope and Brooke speeds up her walking.

When she gets closer, she can see Penelope's fingers dancing at the side of body. Jason is now in Nancy's face but she's unfazed, Penelope is the one pissed off. Suddenly, Jason grabs the barrel of the shotgun in Nancy's hand roughly. Brooke takes a small step but she knows Nancy can handle herself so she stays put watching Penelope's fingers speed up. It's like she's feeling all of Jason's nerves, deciding which ones to disrupt.

"...and redirect it," Jason says, hand still on the barrel. Nancy glares at him when he doesn't let go. "Well, you look nervous," Jason says.

"Maybe because you're in her face and have been shouting about Satanic Panic all week," Penelope seethes. Jason looks towards her, acknowledging her existence for the first time, "Who are you?"

"Penelope Bauman. You're Jason, Brooke's cousin," Penelope smugly remarks but Jason's hand is still on the barrel. "Like I said, scary times," Nancy says, not a wave of fear in her words. The way Jason is looking at her, it's like he's convinced himself she's involved in this mess because he believes her brother is.

Penelope's fist is clenched now and Brooke is half expecting Jason's whole head to explode all over Nancy but it doesn't, instead parts of body begin to twitch. It doesn't seem to bother him as he gets closer to Nancy, "Now, your brother, he, uh....is he here with you by chance?"

Brooke takes a breath, remembering that her own brother is in Hellfire, the club Jason has deemed for the new Hawkins Witch Trials.

"Mike?" Nancy questions, noticing Jason's sudden twitches as well now. "Mike."

"No," Nancy nods her head.

Brooke comes out of hiding once she hears, "What about his friends? My cousin?" His arms are twitching and his grip on the gun is still tight. The look in her cousin's eyes is evil, devious and vengeful.

"Jason," Brooke calls out and he whips his head towards her, "Let go of the gun and go insane somewhere else."

"Let. Go," Nancy says more sternly. Brooke is staring down Jason when he winces, holding on his arm in pain which finally makes him let go. He gasps in pain, "What the hell?" Penelope smirks to herself, making the pain worse for him. He jumps back, looking at his cousin, "You...." He trails off. Brooke laughs. Jason thinks she's doing it, that she's causing this pain. His Adam's apple nervously bobs as he leaves the area and away from the girls.

Penelope's fist stays clenched until Jason is out of sight, reveling in the boy's pain.

"You alright?" Brooke asks them, mostly Nancy. "Yeah. Let's get the fuck out of here though," Nancy says, grabbing her gun to pay while Penelope and Brooke go to gather the others.

Telling them who is there, Brooke busts open the door to the camper, "We gotta go."

"Your old friends are here!" Erica exclaims. "Shit!" Lucas curses. They all quickly get into their seats again, holding bags upon bags of deadly items. "Start her up!" Danny shouts as he flops into his seat. "I'm going! I'm going! Sit down!" Steve yells, starting the vehicle up. It rumbles beneath them and this time Brooke buckles up. It rolls through the parking lot and as Brooke stares out the passenger window, she spots Jason staring them down.

A bad feeling rolls through her, knowing how the death of someone you care about deeply can affect those who are cursed to be a part of her family.

  BROOKE'S BACK IS AGAINST an old, plastic chair, zoning out as she watches Danny and Dustin get tackled by Eddie in the distance, Stella laughing loudly at the three. They had found a field secluded enough for them to get their weapons and shit together.

Paisley and her are at the other end of the camper from Steve and Robin as they pour gas into empty alcohol bottles. Metal against metal makes Brooke come back to life, looking at Paisley sharpening the knives the two got.

"What's going on with you and Robin?" Brooke whispers. Paisley huffs, "What's with your and your boyfriend asking me that? Relationship problems are futile right now, Brooke."

"You say that but you keep giving her fuck me eyes or something," Brooke chuckles. Paisley completely stops her movements now, deadpanning at Brooke, "We've never....we've never fucked, dude." Brooke takes the sharpener and the knife into her own hands now, "I know. I know."

There's a moment of silence, the only thing heard between them in the knife getting sharper and sharper.

"Do you love her, Paisley?"

Brooke's question makes Paisley's ears ring. She rubs her hands over her face, glancing at Robin, "Yeah. But, you know how you're supposed to follow your gut?"

"Yeah?" Brooke questions. "There's a gnawing feeling....a horrible gnawing feeling that something is gonna happen," Paisley bites her lip. "That's not very optimistic best friend of you," Brooke tries to laugh off her worry, knowing she feels the same.

Paisley looks down towards the ground, "I'm not sure how much of that I have left in me."

"Don't say that," Brooke frowns, "I can't do this without you. You are going to get out of this and you are going to marry Robin because you guys are meant to be and I will be your maid of honor because.....I will also make it through this."

Paisley forces a smile, looking between Steve and Robin, "You two okay over there?"

"Would be better if I could have my girlfriend back," Steve shouts back, desperate to feel Brooke's arms around him or lips on his. "What a loser!" Brooke says, nonetheless getting up to take a seat next to Steve, "Miss me that much?"

Steve moves some hair from her face, a look of love across all his features, "No, no, not at all." There's a flash of nervousness on his face but it quickly goes away when Brooke's hand caresses his cheek, "You okay, babe?" She whispers the pet name. He coughs, "We're gonna go to that Queen concert." He confirms as a way of reassurance.

"Of course. Of course, Stevie," Brooke softly says.

———

two more chapters guys