Chapter Eighteen

I'm not going to lie, I felt a little uncomfortable that Max was driving very fast down a pitch-black road with three kids plus Steve squished in the back, while I tried to guide Max to this hole they were talking about. We're going to distract the Demo-dogs while El tries to close the gate.

But hey, if it keeps my Dad and El safe, then I'm fine with it.

"No, don't touch it," I heard Dustin speak in the back and I looked over to see Steve waking up from his slumber. I cringed every time I looked over at him, he has blood everywhere on his face. "Hey, buddy... It's okay. You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up a fight. You're okay."

"Okay," I turned back to the map I was holding onto. "You're gonna keep straight for half a mile, then take a left on Mount Sinai."

"What's going on?" Steve slurs out and Max turned her head to look at Steve for a quick second. "Oh, my God!"

"Just relax. She's driven before." Dustin tried to calm him down.

"Yeah, in a parking lot." Mike fires back.

"That counts." Lucas defends.

"They were you gonna leave you behind." Dustin began. "But Juno and I promised you would be cool, okay?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Steve began to completely freak out. "What's going on?" Max steps on the gas as Steve was freaking out.

"Hey, hey, Steve." I turned to Steve and he makes eye contact with me. "Just be cool okay? Max's doing great so far."

"You don't even know how to drive!" Steve cried out to me, which was true. "No! Slow down! Stop the car. Slow down!"

"I told you he'd freak out." Mike groaned.

"Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus!" Max snapped at all of them who were arguing in the back.

"Oh, wait!" I cried out to Max. "That's Mount Sinai. Make a left." Max turns sharply, and I fling into the car door. "Whoa!" She had smashed into a mailbox causing Steve to freak out some more.

Within seconds, we pulled into a field where you can pick pumpkins and Max pulled to a stop right outside a large hole being dug out.

"Hello!" Steve cries out, his eyes wide.

"Incredible." Mike breathes out.

"I told you, Zoomer." Max climbed out of the car and I do too, finally being able to have some fresh air. I walked to the boot of the car and opened it as the kids come and gather the gear with me.

Steve stumbles out of the car as I grabbed the gasoline. I put goggles and a bandana around my mouth, along with the kids did the same.

"Guys," Steve mumbled out. Steve leans against the car. "Oh, no, guys." He moans. I walked by with the gasoline in my hand. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Steve questioned me but I completely ignored him. "What are you, deaf? Hello?" Mike comes in behind me with a rope. "We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear. Hey, there is no chance we're going in that hole, all right? This ends right now!"

"Steve!" Dustin cuts him off from his ranting. "You're upset, I get it. But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance. Now, I know you promised Nance that you would keep us safe. So, keep us safe."

Dustin hands him a bag of gear while Mike, Max, Lucas and I set up. Steve gives Dustin a spiteful look and takes the spiked bat and backpack.

Once we got the rope in the hole secured, Steve jumped down in the hole as we do one by one. "Holy shit," Steve muttered as we entered. We were in a tunnel system, white particles are floating in the air. Mike was holding a hand-drawn map.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way," Mike tells us, pointing in the direction with a torch as we all manoeuvred forward.

"You're pretty sure?" Dustin questioned him. "Or are you certain?"

"I'm 100% sure." Mike turned to Dustin. "Just follow me and you'll know."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Steve cuts us off as we tried to begin to walk that way. "Hey, hey, hey." He leaps forward in front of Mike. "I don't think so. Any of you shits die down here, I'm getting the blame. Got it, dipshit? From here on out, I'm leading the way. Come on, let's go. Come on. Hey, a little hustle!"

And with that, we all rushed after Steve as he guides us down the dark tunnels. I stayed close by Steve as he was practically dragging me down the tunnel. Steve had taken the map and eventually let go of me as he continued to guide us. We'd walked probably a good 1km before finding a diversion between the tunnels.

"God," Lucas says, looking around the tunnel.

"What is this place?" Max asked, her voice echoing.

"Guys, come on, keep moving," Steve insisted, leading us through a tunnel. "Guys, come on. Keep moving." Steve tells us.

"Shit!" I heard Dustin cry out, my eyes widen and I turned around, Dustin was on the floor, waving frantically. "Help! Help! Help!"

"Dustin!" I yelled out, running towards him, holding my gun out, looking around for any Demogorgos.

He kept screaming and carrying on as we tried to get him to calm down. "What happened? What happened?" Steve demanded.

"It's in my mouth!" Dustin whined. "It's in my mouth! Shit!" He kept coughing. Dustin looked up once he was done and it seemed like it was alright. "I'm okay."

"You kidding me, right?" I huffed before putting down my gun.

"Very funny, man," Steve grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Nice. Very nice."

"Jesus, what an idiot," Max mumbled as we all turned on our heels and continued to walk and I had to agree with her.

"Hang on. Wait, wait." Dustin called as he catches up with us.

"Pull that shit again, Henderson, I swear to God." I gave him a heavy glare, eyeing him.

He shrunk back. "I won't, I won't."

As we continued down the tunnels, Steve aimed his flashlight at the map and slows to a stop. "All right, Wheeler. I think we found your hub." There's an exclusive chamber, with several tunnels meeting and vines stretching across the ground. We sweep our flashlights all over the place, checking them out.

It sent shivers down my spine, and I kept getting flashbacks to the first time I had been in the Upside Down. It's not nearly as scary, knowing I had these guys as well.

"Let's drench it," Mike stated and that's what we did. As a group, we drenched the hub in gasoline, every goddamn corner.

Once we had finished, I felt happy that we did something to help. We all gathered around our exit tunnel, Steve holding the lighter. "All right, you guys ready?" Steve asked us.

"Yeah," Mike responded for the rest of the group.

"Light her up." Dustin agreed.

Steve flicks the lighter open. "I am in such deep shit." Steve pants before he lights the hub on fire. We made a dash for the exit, rather than walking like last time through the tunnels, we sprinted.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," I muttered under my breath as I dodged all the vines on the tunnel, trying to get back to our hole.

"This way, this way!" Steve was in the front, leading us back through the tunnels. Mike trips up, a vine grabbing him by his leg and he calls out.

I stayed behind and was panicking. "Steve!" I yelled out, my voice strained. "Steve!"

"Juno!" I could hear the panic in his voice as Mike was crying out. "What's wrong—Shit!" Steve grabbed his spiked bat. "Everybody back! Everybody back!" Steve slashes the vine with the bat, and the vine releases Mike.

"Guys we gotta go—" Dustin was cut off by a snarl in the distance and we all turned around, seeing a baby Demo-dog there. "Dart." Dustin starts to move towards him. We tried to stop him by talking but Dustin shushes us. "Trust me, please."

"He's crazy," I murmur under my breath as I clutched onto Steve for dear life.

"Hey, it's me." Dustin began and took down his mask and goggles. "It's just your friend, Dustin." Dustin crouches down. "It's Dustin, all right? You remember me? Will you let us pass?" Dart snarls at Dustin. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the storm celler. That was a pretty douchey thing to do. Are you hungry? Yeah?" He brings out a chocolate bar.

"He's insane." Lucas hisses and we tell him to shut up.

"I've got out favourtie. See? Nougat." Dustin shows him the candy bar. He unwraps it and places it on the ground as if it was a peace offering. "Look at that. Yummy. Here, all right? Eat up, buddy." Surpinsgly, Dart begans to eat it. Dustin began to wave to us, motioning us to come past him.

I grip onto Steve's hand as we bypassed him quickly, Steve glancing at me with worry in his eyes. I smiled at him and he smiled back at me, I gave him a peck on the cheek, trying to tell him everything will be alright.

Dustin stood up as the last one to leave and looked at Dart as he was still eating. "Goodbye, buddy," Dustin gives his goodbyes. I felt a little sad for him in that moment, but I knew this was the right thing to do.

"Let's go, let's go!" Steve rushes us and we begin to run towards the exit. The tunnel quakes, knocking all of us off our feet and I gasped loudly.

There were screeches in the distance, my eyes widening. "What was that?" I asked, absolutely terrified.

We spin around to see lots of Demo-dogs running towards us and my eyes widen. "Run! Run!" Mike yelled out and we did, we run towards the exit.

Once we got there, me and Steve shoved the kids up the rope. "All right, Jun, you're next!" Steve panicked, trying to get me to go up.

"No! Steve! You're first!" I argued back and we spent all that time arguing with each other, we barely saw the Demo-Dogs rushing toward us. There were hundreds of them and I let out a scream, clutching onto Steve.

Steve picks up the spiked bat and pushes himself in front, the kids yelling at us to come up. We didn't even have to fight as the demo-dogs rushes right past us. My mouth dropped open as Steve wraps an arm protectively around me.

"Eleven," Mike spoke and I had to agree with him. They were closing the gate which means we have to get out of there now.

"Okay, Jun, get up." Steve quickly told me and I nodded and grabbed onto the rope, shimmering up the rope. The kids helped me up and I have never been thankful for fresh air until now. We helped Steve get up and I collapsed into his arms.

He hugged me tightly, wrapping his arms around me. "Oh, my God." I breathed out and looked at the lights on Billy's car as they brighten, which is far from normal.

But, knowing we had achieved the impossible, made life feel slightly more normal.