𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

ⅰ 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒘𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒃

THE LEAVES CRUNCHED UNDER THEIR FEET AS THEY WALKED IN SILENCE. The group walked along the tracks, their torches illuminating their way following to where they hoped to find Dart and his army. "Hey uh, Chris?" Steve spoke quietly swinging his bat slightly. Chris hummed in response, picking at the blood on the edge of her nose. "I um, I wanted to say thanks," Steve stuttered slightly looking up at her. "For saving mine and Miya's asses back at the bus." Steve smiled throwing a glance back over his shoulder at Miya.

"I guess you're welcome, but you don't need to thank me," Chris giggled kicking a rock down the tracks. "I did get my arm torn to shit. But I was pretty cool though." Chris laughed with Steve.

"How is your arm?" Steve asked a wave of worry washing over him, pointing his torch at the bloody flannel shirt wrapped tight around the wound still.

"Dull pain, but all good," Chris hummed, holding her torch ahead. Chris looked over her shoulder watching the kids bicker. "Well, they seem normal."

"You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas, with Max at his side, piped up behind Dustin. Alex and Miya stood at the very back just in case something ran up behind them.

"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt," Dustin nodded walking just behind Steve.

"He was tiny two days ago," Max thought out loud.

"Well, he has moulted three times already," Chris reminded walking along the track rail again.

"Malted?" Steve questioned tugging Chris off the tracks.

"Molted," Dustin repeated, shining his flashlight on the floor. "Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms."

"When's he gonna moult again?" Max asked shivering at the wind.

"It's gotta be soon.," Alex figured glancing behind her.

"When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it," Dustin explained.

"And so will his friends," Miya concluded.

"Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats," Steve commented his flashlight pointed to the side.

"Wait, a cat?" Lucas questioned jumping in front of Dustin to make the group stop walking. "Dart ate a cat?"

"No, what? No." Dustin tried brushing it off.

"What are you talking about?" Chris questioned confused looking between the kids.

"He ate Mews," Steve said in a confused voice.

"Mews? Who's Mews?" Max questioned looking between the group.

"It's Chris and Dustin's cat," Steve answered, his eyes darting around the group.

"Steve!" Dustin yelled in frustration.

"I knew it! You kept him!" Lucas yelled in a small triumph.

"No!" Dustin yelled in anger.

"And you knew!" Lucas said accusingly, pointing a finger at Chris.

"Not until he ate Mews," Chris explained. "You said you'd tell them," Chris pointed out glaring at her brother.

"And I am, he just missed me. He wanted to come home," Dustin tried to explain away.

"Bullshit!" Lucas yelled. Steve looked between the group wide-eyed and confused.

"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon," Dustin defended. "Okay?"

"Oh, so now you admit it?" Lucas yelled.

"Guys, who cares? We have to go," Max called out the older teens nodding in agreement.

"I care! You put the party in jeopardy!" Lucas yelled shaking his arms for emphasis. "You broke the rule of law!"

"So did you!" Dustin shouted in defense.

"What?" Lucas exclaimed confused.

"You told a stranger the truth!" Dustin screamed pointing his flashlight in Max's eyes.

"A stranger?" Max scoffed stepping closer.

"You wanted to tell her, too!" Lucas yelled back at Dustin.

Steve turned away looking out to the woods. "You hear that?" Steve asked, glancing at Chris. Steve stepped away, off the edge of the tracks. Chris stepped over to him shining her flashlight as well.

A second growl ripped through the air and Chris looked up at him. "I heard that," Chris mumbled, looking to Steve who nodded shining his flashlight that way. "Guys?" Chris called out, her voice getting drowned out by the kids arguing. "Hey?"

"Guys!" Steve called out louder cutting the kid's argument short and another set of screeches rang out. Chris looked at the group before running to the sound, the others jogging behind her.

"No, no, no. Hey, guys, why are you headed towards the sound?" Max called out to the group as ran.

"Max let's go!" Miya called holding onto Alex's hand. Max sighed before following after them.

They ran to a clearing of trees, the lookout over Hawkins. The screeching continued, bouncing in the air in an echo.

"I don't see him," Dustin spoke his eyes searching the town.

"No one can, Lucas?" Chris asked as Lucas scanned over Hawkins with his binoculars.

"It's the lab," Lucas confirmed staring in its direction.

"Hawkins lab?" Chris asked and Lucas passed her his binoculars.

"You okay?" Dustin asked, looking up at his sister. Chris tensed up the images of the crisp white walls flashing in her mind.

Chris looked back at him and passed Lucas his binoculars. "Let's go," Chris ordered, turning back to the tracks.

෴

STEVE AND CHRIS LET THE GROUP THROUGH THE WOODS. The grass and snapped branches hitting their legs as they headed for Hawkins lab. Aside from their footsteps, it was quiet, until a voice rang through the woods. "Hello? Who's there? Who's there?" Chris and Steve looked at each other. Chris looked over her shoulder at Alex, wondering if she had heard it.

"Is that-?" Chris whispered carrying on. Chris broke through the tree line, staring out at Jonathan and Nancy in shock.

"Steve?" Nancy called.

"Nancy?" Steve asked

"Chris?" Jonathan said in surprise.

"Jonathan?" Alex spoke walking in front, Miya close behind her. The group walked out further, finally meeting on the road.

"What are you doing here?" Nancy asked once the group were close enough.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked back.

"We're looking for Mike and Will," Jonathan explained.

"They're not in there, are they?" Dustin asked concerned.

"We're not sure," Nancy said honestly.

"Why?" Jonathan asked when a screeching rang out.

"'Cause of that," Miya noted, looking to the large gates.

Everyone started to either argue or loosely explain what had been going on. Steve and Dustin yelled the loudest, arguing over each other with Miya correcting them every now and then. "Hold on-" Jonathan called out in the mess, and everyone stopped to stare at him "-Did you just say, Chris has powers?" Jonathan pointed at Steve, his eyes darting to Chris quickly.

"Yes keep up," Steve scolded before continuing to explain the bus attack; Enforcing the bus, finding dart, Chris getting bit, running here. A loud thunk sounded out from the lab and the lights overhead sprung to life.

"The power's back," Nancy called out stepping away. Everyone looked at the lab before Jonathan darted for the control panel. "Wait Chris, what sorta powers do you have?" Nancy asked as Jonathan and Dustin fought over the panel.

"No, no way," Miya said plainly, "She used too much today" The kids nodded in agreement.

"Like what?" Nancy said not really believing them.

"She threw a car, welded the entirety of a bus, made shields, and used her mind to lug metal 

around. And got her arm bit." Dustin snapped, before trying to push Jonathan from the panel. "Let me try."

"Hang on..." Jonathan argued. Nancy looked to Chris in a plea.

"If it were Dustin in there..." Nancy trailed off. Chris sighed clenching her fist on her injured arm.

"No way," Miya insisted.

"I'll give it a shot," Chris nodded stepping up to the large black gate. Chris held her arm out the embers following the gate, attaching to it like a magnet. Chris's breathing started to increase in deep huffs as she tried to detach the gate. A sharp splitting pain shot through Chris's temple and she winced, her hand shooting to her head. "I can't- I'm sorry-" Chris stopped in a panic, "I just, I can't right now," Chris spoke in sincerity reaching back and gripping Nancy's hand.

"I told you so," Miya snapped leading Chris from the gate, slipping her sleeve over her hand and wiping the blood from under Chris's nose. Nancy sighed but smiled in understanding, the gate rattled disrupting them and they looked to the side seeing the gate slowly reeled open.

"Hey! I got it!" Dustin chuckled, and Jonathan slipped out from behind him, "I got it!" Dustin stepped out as well, and the kids watched the gate open fully. But his proud smile dropped when the same growls ripped through the air.

Nancy and Jonathan looked at each other before jumping in their car. "Wait!" Chris yelled holding onto Jonathan's car door, "Give them some time, if they got the gate open then they have to be close to getting out." Chris reasoned holding onto Jonathan's car door. Jonathan tried to close the door but Chris held it, "Ten minutes Jonathan. Just ten." Jonathan sighed and nodded setting a timer on his watch.

"Lets us come with you," Alex spoke up, her hands shaking slightly at her sides. "If anything goes wrong-" Alex held out her pole.

"We'll be your defense," Miya agreed with a nod, bouncing the axe slightly in her palm. Nancy nodded and the two girls got in the car, squishing close together.

Ten minutes went by quicker than anything in Chris's life, notified by the high pitch buzzing on Jonathan's watch. "I have to Chris," Jonathan sighed, gripping the gearstick. Chris nodded in understanding and the two sped off.

"Shit," Chris mumbled running a hand through her hair, pacing in a circle. The deep and guttural growls still erupt from the lab.

"They'll be okay Chrisanna" Dustin reasoned walking up to her. Chris chuckled softly, but with no humor behind it.

"I have heard that sentence more times in just one night than my entire life," Chris joked, looking down at her brother with a smile.

"That's because they will be. I mean you gave Miya an axe," Dustin reminded laughing softly. Chris smiled at him knocking his hat off. "Hey, you bitch." Dustin mumbled.

"Guys?" Max called standing in the middle of the road. Two cars raced towards them down the road.

"Get out of the way!" Steve yelled gripping Lucas and Max by the shoulder and ripping them back. Chris grabbed Dustin's arm pulling him away. The horn honked and Jonathan's car whizzed past, Joyce, Mike and Will shoved in the backseat. The chief's police car stopped by the kids, Hopper in the driver's seat wearing blue scrubs.

"Let's go," Hopper called waving the kids over. Chris ran to the back door, holding it open The kids clambered in through the back and Steve through himself in the passenger seat next to Hopper. Steve was yelling for everyone to get in. Chris held Max's hand helping her up, Lucas pushed himself off of Chris's shoulder and Chris pushed Dustin in by his back. Chris hopped in last having to squeeze in beside the three kids at the back.

"Go! Let's go! Go!" Steve screamed and slammed the door his shouts for Hopper to drive just increasing. Chris looked through the back window, flicking her hand and the gate rapidly rolled shut, bouncing on the lock slightly.

"I thought you couldn't use your powers?" Max asked watching Chris wipe her nose.

"Throwing something shut is easier than unlocking an electrical panel designed so people like me can't open it," Chris mumbled, still glancing over her shoulder.

෴

❝ there's a calm in my 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 ❞