I sit next to Max as my brother plays with a lighter and Dustin paces the floor.

"So..." Max addresses my brother, "You really fought one of these before?"

Steve nods and I lean my head against the wall.

"And you're like, totally a hundred percent sure it wasn't a bear."

"Shit, don't be an idiot, okay?" Dustin says, "It wasn't a bear."

"Calm down Dustin." I say and he turns to me.

"Seriously? Calm down? Now?" I don't respond and he turns away, "And I thought you couldn't get any more stupid."

"Jesus Dustin chill out." Max says.

"Why are you even here if you don't believe us?" He turns back to her, "Just go home."

Max stands up and heads for the ladder, "Someone's cranky. Past your bedtime?"

She climbs the ladder and I stand up, keeping my face stoic despite the pang of hurt I feel in my chest at Dustin's words.

I stumble slightly and climb the ladder as well, not wanting to be near him at the moment.

I emerge onto the roof and stand up on the trailer, looking around at the fog as Max talks to Lucas.

I think about Will, wondering if he's gonna be okay. I hope he's not in pain right now, though I don't doubt that I would feel that tingling sensation if he was. Or I guess, if the shadow monster was.

I want him desperately to be okay, he's been through so much. For the sake of him and Joyce and Hopper and everyone I want him to be okay. He's one of my best friends now. I'm so close to him. I love him like a brother, even though I already have a brother that I love. It's been so long, and it's happening again. The inter dimensional goings on. I wonder if Eleven is just sitting at home right now, locked up. Probably. She would be really helpful in this situation. She could fix things. I haven't had the time to visit her like I said I would, but I will when this is all over. If it ever ends. Just give me a few more days I'm sure we can get through it.

I turn back into the conversation going on behind me, and sit down next to Max.

"My mom and my stepdad, they wanted a 'fresh start' away from him." I can piece together what they were talking about based on what I heard before when I was lost in thought, "As if — as if he was the problem, which is total bull."

I look at my feet, and fiddle with my fingers.

"And things are just worse now. My stepbrother's always been a dick, but now he's just angry all the time and . . ." Max frowns, "Well, he can't take it out on my mom, so . . ."

"So he takes it out on you?" I whisper in understanding.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you guys this."

"It's just, I know that I can be a jerk like him sometimes, and I do not want to be like him.
Ever." Max says sadly, "I guess I'm angry, too, and I'm sorry."

"Jesus! What's wrong with me?" She wipes her eyes.

"Hey." Lucas says, "You're nothing like your brother, okay? You're cool and different."

"And you're super smart." I add, smiling at her. She smiles back, tears in her eyes.

"And you're, like, totally tubular."

She laughs, and I shake my head.

"Nobody actually says that, you know."

"Well, I do now."

"And it makes you seem really cool." She sighs, "I just sort of hate my family right now."

"Trust me I know how you feel." I Sigh, looking at the fog everywhere. "My brother used to be an asshole, then he changed when I came back from the Upside Down."

"He's nicer now, but it sucked before. Lucas remembers."

"Yeah he was out of control. He beat her up in front of the whole school once."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. I guess it was for 'cool points' or whatever. But the point is he got better, maybe Billy will too."

"No really, you should've see her last year." Lucas says, "She would come to school with bruises and cuts and scars."

"Most of those were from my dad though."

"Yeah."

"Yeah." I mutter, "He's still pretty bad. Remember when I came to school with the big bruise and cut on my lip?"

Max nods, looking at my face. I know the cut's still there, but the bruise has died down and there's not as much swelling.

"Yeah. He was drunk, and I jumped out the window to get away then almost got run over by a car then came home and he was there again."

"Wow."

"Yeah then he sorta pressed my hand against the hot stove."

"Jesus that sounds awful."

"But it's fine. I'm used to it and Steve stands up for me now. It was way worse last year when they were both against me." I hold tears back and close my eyes, "And plus, my dad got a promotion and now has way more work, so we're often alone, which is great."

Max sighs, "That sucks man."

I shrug, "If you need anyone to understand I'm here for you I guess."

She smiles, "Thanks."

Suddenly, a screech echos through the junkyard, and we turn our heads towards the fog. Lucas grabs his binoculars and we all lean forward on the roof.

"Lucas! What's going on?"

"Hold on!" Lucas shouts and he searches through the fog. I hear a low growling sound and point to a shadow moving towards us.

"There!"

"I've got eyes! Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock!"

"Let me see." Max takes the binoculars and we both stand up.

"Wait you're sure that's not a dog?"

"What?" Lucas says and Dart screeches again. I take the binoculars and look through them, seeing what is clearly a Demogorgon child thing. Well it's not clearly anything. It's more of a Demogorgon dog. A Demo-dog.

I continue to look through the binoculars, when suddenly I see my brother step out of the trailer. My stomach drops. What the hell is he doing?

"Steve?" I whisper, rushing to the ladder and climbing down after Max.

"What's he doing?" Max asks.

"Expanding the menu."

"No way." I say, looking out the window.

I watch him, and my first instinct is to go out and help him. But there's only one dog sized monster, and my brother can handle himself.

"He's insane." Max whispers.

"He's awesome." Dustin grins.

"He's my brother." I grumble, standing closer to the door. I grab a metal crowbar from the ground and hold it, ready to run out and help if needed.

"Steve!" I hear Lucas shout from up top.

He shouts something back and I hear Lucas shout again.

"Three o'clock! Three o'clock!"

I look to his three o'clock and swear, seeing another Demodog approaching us.

I slam open the door and rush out as Dustin shouts from behind me.

"Steve! Abort abort!"

He looks behind him, and sees me running towards him.

"Oh no....Liz ge—"

I sprint past him and swing as hard as I can, taking out the Demodog midair as it tries to pounce on Steve. Other dogs attack him, and he jumps out of the way, sliding across a car and hitting one with his bat.

"Steve!"

"Liz!"

"Hurry!"

"Come on!"

I hit one more dog and turn, running into the trailer after Steve. The boys slam the door closed and my brother falls on me, squishing me to the floor. I squirm free as the Demodogs bang at the door.

"Shit!" I yell and grab a board to help cover the door.

"Are they rabid or something?" Max shouts and I push the board in place as the banging continues.

"They can't get in! They can't!"

I hear banging on the other side of the trailer, and I shout out as it moves the trailer from side to side. A claw scrapes against my face and I turn back to the door, crying out as a hand breaks through the aluminium.

"Shit!" Blood rushes out of my cheek as my brother hits at the animal and the other three run to the other side of the vehicle. Steve grabs my arm and throws me toward the others as well, and I fall backwards into Max.

"Is anyone there? Mike? Will? God! Anyone!" Dustin shouts into his mike and something bangs at the wall I lean on.

"Shit!" Another claw scratches at me, slicing into my hip as the metal bends where the dog punctured it. We scramble to the other wall, falling into each other.

I watch my brother continue to hit the monsters away, and Dustin continues to shout.

"We're at the old junkyard, and we are going to die!"

I stumble forwards after Lucas bumps into me, and hear a thunking coming from above.

"Shit."

Max goes to the bottom of the ladder, and I watch as the Demodog comes into view. It purrs, and she screams.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" I pull Max out of the way and Steve points his bat at the sunroof. The dog opens its face and roars, spitting saliva everywhere, "You want some? Come get this!"

I wait for him to stab at the beast, but it suddenly stops looking into the trailer, looking to its left. I breath heavily as the trailer shakes, forcing me into a sitting position so I can hold on to the seat.

The Demodog suddenly jumps from the roof, and the trailer shakes again.

We stand in silence and confusion as our breathing slows and our distressed sounds fade.

Steve walks from the vehicle and I follow, feeling the blood on my face and hip drying in the cold night air.

"What happened?" Lucas says.

"I don't know."

"Steve scared 'em off?" Dustin says behind me.

"No. No way." Steve rests his bat on his shoulder and turns to us, "They're going somewhere."

I watch the dogs disappear into the fog, and lean tiredly against the trailer. Beads of sweat dry against my forehead, my legs so wobbly I put all my weight on the wall behind me. Dustin, Lucas, and Max head into the trailer, but Steve looks down at me angrily.

"What the hell were you thinking out there?"

"What do you mean?" I stand up straighter.

"You running out in the middle of those—those dogs. I could've done it on my own!" Steve lowers his bat.

"Oh I don't doubt that." I shrug, "I just didn't want to risk it."

He sighs, "I wasn't gonna get hurt."

"Yes but you could've."

"God Liz! You're impossible aren't you?" Steve says, smiling slightly but shaking his head. "Come on."

He walks past me and into the trailer, ruffling my hair slightly. My braids are already messy, because I've slept in them, and ran in them. And driven in them. And fought inter dimensional beings in them. But I keep them in cause it holds my hair out of my face.

I look out into the low fog, a chill running though my body as I try to make out anything in the distance. Nothing catches my eye, and I head into the trailer, leaving the eerie silence behind me.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Hellooooooo

I'm really trying to update. But with school soccer and big projects it's a tad bit tricky.

Correct me if I missed anything! Suggestions! Comments! Anything! I feel like you're all dead sometimes.