SOMEONE COULD HAVE CUT THE TENSION IN THAT ROOM WITH A KNIFE. It wasn't just the awkwardness between the four of them, but the fear of the monster showing up at any point in time. Sara couldn't help but toy with the thought: what if the lights didn't blink when it turned up? She tried to ignore that, focusing instead on watching the off Christmas lights above.

Fear made her mind muddled—and the other three were absolutely radiating it. Their thoughts were so loud, she had to try to focus on not reading them.

It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes since Sar had broken up Steve and Jonathan's argument, and the four of them were standing in the Byers' living room in wait. "Remember," she was telling Steve for the tenth time, "don't step in the trap please." Her eyebrows were furrowed in genuine concern (he was just amused she thought he was enough of an idiot to step in the bear trap down the hallway) (he probably was).

"I know, Sar," he assured her, the slightest smirk on his face.

She glared playfully at his light-hearted smirk and raised her eyebrows. "'Cause if you get stuck in that then we can't get you out without getting eaten. Just letting you know." Nancy was checking the bullets in her gun again. Sar could see her swallowing nervously, eyes darting around as if the monster would show up any moment. Nance clicked her gun in place, looking down with firm eyes. Because Hell, this thing had taken her friend.

When the first light flickered above Sar's head, her eyes jolted up to stare at them. The glaring of them hurt her eyes, sending rainbow flickering across the walls. "The lights," Jonathan said, as if the four of them weren't already watching them.

"Shit," Sara shuddered. She couldn't help the way her shoulders trembled and her axe was shaking in her hands.

They were stepping back slowly, eyes darting around as they turned on the spot. "Where is it?" Nancy was asking, the fright seeping into her voice. She was creeping closer to Sar, eyes darting. The flashing lights cast eerie shadows over each of their faces.

"I don't know." The room was filled with the sound of their shaky breaths. Sar was sure her heart was about to break through her ribs. She had to focus on breathing, otherwise she might stop. She swallowed shakily, eyes wide and blue.

Something smashed into the ceiling. Sar jolted away instinctively, standing beside Nancy, who was raising her gun. Pieces of the roof began to fall in huge chunks, shattering against the Byers' living room floor. Sara saw that from inside, there was that goo that was the gate between their worlds. Nancy started firing at the monster, bullets breaking through its skin. Then the ceiling broke in. The monster fell down on all fours, slime sticking to its body in long pink strands. She heard its growl. It wasn't like any growl she'd ever heard before: a low warbling sound that rose at the end of its call. It was, she decided, the most terrifying thing she'd heard in her life.

"Go, go, go!" she exclaimed, shoving Steve. Nancy and Jonathan were already sprinting towards the corridor, the other two close behind. Sar jumped around the corner as its body cannoned past her and slammed against the far wall. She took a flying leap over the bear trap, feet skidding on the carpet. Then Steve was grabbing her hand and pulling her into Jonathan's room. The door slammed shut behind them.

They stumbled back into the room, feet falling over the carpet. Jonathan had the lighter on in his hand and Nancy with her gun pointed towards the door. "Holy shit," Sar whispered to herself, backing away from the closed door. They were in Will's room, the lamps surrounding the bed flickering wildly. The four of them were panting loudly.

The monster could be heard rumbling lowly outside. "What's it doing?" Steve asked.

Sar stayed close to him, shoulder brushing Nancy's. Her eyes were wide as she watched quietly. "I don't know," she whispered. All of their eyes were focused on the yo-yo thrown over the green chair. The electricity jolted suddenly and the lights flicked back on. Sara found herself jumping slightly.

"Hear anything?" Nancy asked quietly after a moment. Sar's eyes were darting between the yellow yo-yo and the door, also sending fleeting glances behind unless it somehow turned up behind them. Sar could hear her own breathing.

Jonathan narrowed his eyes for a second. He flicked the cap over his lighter. "No."

"This was such a shit plan," Steve was whispering to himself.

"Shut up," Sar said, creeping forward slightly. She had her axe raised, ready to sink it into any ugly monster face that reared its head. She pretended like her hands weren't trembling with fear. Sara gave the others a fleeting look, who nodded in approval, weapons raised. Then with a wince, very carefully, she swung the door open.

Jonathan was beside her then, and Steve close behind. The group of four crept slowly out into the hall. The bear trap was still forced open down the corridor. "It hasn't gone off," she confirmed quietly, glad the monster hadn't found some way to disarm the trap. So it wasn't that smart — or it wasn't showing it yet, at least.

"Yeah," Jonathan agreed in a whisper. Sara stuck close to Steve as they walked down the hallway, axe still raised. She carefully stepped over the trap, spinning around the corner.

The room was empty. "It's gone?" she murmured, eyes furrowed. She spun around on her heel, checking the other side of the room. There was no sign of the Demogorgon.

"Maybe we scared it off," Steve said.

"Not a chance," Jonathan put in. He had the spiked bat raised in his hands, looking around quickly. Nancy was stepping close beside them.

The blonde was walking off to one of the sides of the room, Steve following close behind. "It wouldn't have just... run off," Sar was whispering. She had her axe held tightly, knuckles blooming white from where they clutched the wood handle. She was taking each step cautiously. The couch had been overturned from their struggles, and there were claw marks raked in the Byers' walls.

"Holy shit," Steve murmured, eyeing them. Sar was trembling beside him, looking around. It could have been anywhere.

The lights began to flicker again, bathing them in colours of red, green, yellow and blue. She looked around, breath coming out shallow again. "No way," she whispered. She had her back pressed up against Steve's this time, the both of them turning in circles. Nancy and Jonathan had their weapons raised behind it.

Sar never saw it—but Steve did. He was the one to yell out a warning. The girl had turned to look to Jonathan; where the lights were flashing crazed overhead; and the monster was already there. She was beside him, after all. She yelled and pulled Jonathan backwards with one hand. Its claw caught her shoulder so she stumbled across the ground, separated from the group. "No!" Steve cried.

It threw Jonathan across the room so he crashed through the wooden dining table and then it leapt onto her. She felt its claws dig into her shoulders as she slammed back into the floor, the axe falling away from her. Her elbows braced against its neck as its mouth loomed above her head, whimpering. It had blood on its teeth and Sar faintly wondered what, or who, that had been. She drove her knee up into its chest as hard as she could, crying out as the beast's weight pressed down on her body. The other hand was stretching for her axe.

"Get off her, you son of a bitch!" The gunshot ripped through the back of the Demogorgon's neck, sending a spray black blood of black blood into the air. Another one fired, hitting it in the shoulder, and the monster raised itself up, looking at Nancy. The girl stumbled back slightly, gazing up at the beast. Sar sat up and slammed it across the face with the side of her axe. It reared back as she scrambled out from underneath it. A noise fell from her lips as it stood at its full height, casting a dark shadow over her body.

And then Steve was diving between her and the monster, spiked bat raised. He cried out as he swung. The weapon caught the monster in the side, sending it reeling back and stumbling through the wood remains of the coffee table.

"Steve!" she exclaimed. The Demogorgon took a swipe at him with is claws. Steve ducked under the blow, crying out and stumbling backwards. It reached for him again and he blocked the blow with a swift slam of the spiked bat into its arm. It screeched and then roared. The next blow caught its chest. She could hardly see the two through the flickering lights, just illuminating the determination on Steve's face.

With expert skill, Steve swung the bat in his hand before swinging it again. It screamed. Sar hefted her axe, ready to swing it into the Demogorgon's back. Then Steve was backing back towards her, arms raised with the weight of the weapon.

He yelled as he slammed the bat into it again. The monster stumbled backwards, falling back into the corridor. There was the snapping of hard metal and the Demogorgon screamed. It reached for them. "It's in the trap!" She pushed Steve back with one hand curled in the front of his sweater as the monster flailed around. Jonathan slid in behind her and chucked the lighter at the floor. 

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