32; second time's the charm

THE GASOLINE LIT UP ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, HEAT BLARING ACROSS THEIR FACES. The fire bloomed in long rakes through the carpet and lit up the Demogorgon with white. The flames licked up its body. It screamed, thrashing from side to side, entire body alight. Sara raised her hand in front of her face, bracing her body against Steve. He had one of her arms in his. Sar's face was crumpled in a wince, face braced away from the light of the fire.

And then the Demogorgon was gone. Jonathan whipped past them to grab a fire extinguisher, spraying the foam at the fire until it died. The four of them started coughing from the smoke, Sar waving her hand in front of her face. She was inching away from Steve, axe falling limp by her side. The lights were still flickering wildly overhead. Sara was looking up at them, eyes narrowed. Jonathan stepped forward. "Is it dead?" Steve still had the baseball bat raised ahead of them.

"No," Sar whispered. Instantly the others looked over at her in alarm. Her hair was hanging in messy strands down across her sweat-ridden face, eyes widened in the sudden knowledge of horror.

All the lights in the house flicked off abruptly, encasing the four in darkness. Sar's heart leapt in her chest. But they'd had the lamps turned on before. She turned around, axe hanging limp by her side. Steve was next to her, just a silhouette in the darkness. The shadow was rising, illuminated only by the moonlight seeping in through the window. She heard its growl. "Steve!" 

The monster knocked the boy to the ground, standing with its claws crushing his ribs. Surely it would have gotten him had Sara not leapt forward, the others turning in horror. She let out an angry cry. The girl sunk the axe deep into the side of the monster's shoulder. Black blood sprayed, splashing across her shirt and face. It dripped down the handle and coated her fingers. The axe pulled from its side and Sar saw the pink crescent-shaped hack she'd cut from its side.

It turned. The blood was making rivets on the floor, twisting in drips beneath its unnatural feet. But still it turned towards her, face closed and claws scratching the low table beside them. Then it opened and revealed its gaping red jaws. It smelt like stale blood and rot.

She hacked at it again with a short cry, blade just glancing off its chest. She should have really practised with this before the encounter. Sar ducked back as it jumped at her, the back of her thighs hitting the coffee table painfully. Steve grabbed her arm and helped her scramble over it as the monster thrashed around, shattering the glass. She fell into him, slamming against his shoulder as her feet hit the ground. Nancy reached out to grab her other hand, dragging her up. "Come on!" Jonathan exclaimed, reaching out for them. "We have to go!"

The monster stood back up on its four legs, sliding shards of glass across the carpet. "Come on!" Steve was grabbing her wrist, pulling her down the hallway behind them. The axe slipped from her fingers. Black blood stained the carpet where it landed.

"Shit!" she yelled. Sar reached back for it as the Demogorgon hurled itself around the corner, taking off slices of wallpaper as it did so.

Steve launched back at her. "Leave it!" He grabbed a hold of her other hand, clasping their fingers together as he dragged her away. The two of them stumbled into Jonathan's bedroom.

"The door—" Nancy dove forward, reaching for the door. She stumbled back to them as the monster reared forward. It crashed against the doorway and roared. Nancy let out a loud cry and a gasp ripped itself from Jonathan's throat. Sar didn't make a noise. Her hand shot out, palms open as Steve stayed holding onto one of her arms. She reeled into its mind with a violent force. It was cold, and dark, and so, so empty it made Sar's insides churn and head swim as she threw a wall of thoughts at it—all her fear, all her terror, all her thoughts of I don't want to die

The monster stumbled backwards. It crashed into the wall behind, arms coming out to catch itself, as if it had been hit by an invisible force.

Sar's mind opened: opened like it never had before. She was somewhere else entirely—in a different existence, a different plane, or somewhere in the future.

     Steve was braced over her as they lay on the bus floor, before they began to scramble up. He was protecting her with his body. Something slammed against the outside of the bus as the kids yelled. A girl with red hair was screaming as the bus tilted. "They can't get in! They can't get in!" Lucas was shrieking.

     Steve shoved his feet against the panel covering the doorway. The metal began to push inwards. Sara cried out and slid down next to him, shoulders bumping. She shoved her feet down to hold against the assault of whatever was out there. The two of them braced against the seats behind them. Sar yelled again as the panels jolted their feet.

     A claw burst through the metal panel, dragging down the length of the floor beside Sara's leg. She cried out as it barely missed her and Steve grabbed hold of his bat. He swung it downwards with desperate furiosity, slamming the spikes through its tough, slimy skin before its claws could reach her. The limb shot back out of the bus, trailing black blood——

Sara fell back. Steve yelled and caught her by one arm, so she was hanging against his side. He grabbed her by the other wrist to pull her up against his shoulder. She was blinking slowly at the monster through the doorway as blood ran from her nose. What had that been? What had that been?! It couldn't be possible for that to be happening

"Close it! Close it!" Jonathan and Nancy darted forward to slam the door shut, locking it with shaky hands. They took a step back, breaths shaking through their bodies. Their shoulders trembled.

It was quiet for a moment. "Do you think it can get in?" Steve breathed. He and the others exchanged wide-eyed looks, while Sar held on loosely to his neck. He kept his arm wrapped around the drained girl. The monster shattered through the door. The wood broke beneath its large body and it stood on it on all fours. The growl was low in its throat.

The three teenagers gasped, Nancy and Jonathan taking hasty steps back so they bumped into the two behind them. Steve was still holding Sar up by her arm. She couldn't find it within herself to gasp. Short, quick breaths were breaking through her lips as Steve took another small step back with her. She was too exhausted to move, hand grasping weakly at Steve's back.

"The window!" Jonathan exclaimed. He and Nancy darted towards it, and Steve momentarily left Sar to help them get it open. She heard the struggling of wood against wood as they desperately tried to force it open. The Demogorgon stepped forward into the room, body filling the entire doorway. Its face was still closed as it watched them, arms extending.

She reached out her hand. Whatever had made the monster stumble back, it had been her. And she could do it—

"No—" Her voice broke. The monster took another step forward as her eyebrows furrowed impossibly, lips twisted into a gasp. Her fingers trembled in the air. She couldn't...

"Sar, come on!" The others were escaping through Jonathan's window. Steve grabbed the girl forcefully by the hips, dragging her backwards. She stumbled as he dragged the dazed girl off her feet and out of way of the monster's grasping hands. He pulled her out the window. The two of them stumbled onto the ground. Steve had his arms wrapped around her still, trying to lift her up. She didn't move from her position on the ground. Her head was throbbing intensely, and she was acutely aware of the blood coming from her ears. She struggled to keep her vision in focus.

Steve knelt over her, trying to help her up. He placed a hand on her face as he looked at her. "Are you okay?" he was asking. His hand was warm against the cold of her cheek. "Are you okay?" She blinked back at him dazed. Steve furrowed his eyebrows in concern before pulling her to her feet. "We need to move." He stayed holding her wrist. "Sar." He put both his hands on her cheeks. When she didn't reply he looked behind him to Nancy and Jonathan, putting his arms around her. All the lights in Jonathan's house could be seen flashing through the open window, lighting up the woods. He began to walk backwards, dragging Sara along with him. His foot hit a stone and he stumbled again. Nancy reached out to catch his shoulder.

The Demogorgon ripped through the window, glass spraying across the grass and wood twisting under its weight. It slowly straightened back up on its two legs, face opening into that gaping hole of blood and gore.

Fear disabled her: not just her's, but all the others too—so violently afraid it twisted her own mind. She could hear all their thoughts, and feel the panic in the air.

Oh God, oh God, we're going to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die— Nancy's were practically sobs in her mind, so, so frightened and shaking that Sar just wanted to hold her friend and tell her it was going to be alright—though she knew it wasn't true.

It's going to catch us. We're going to die. I'm never going to find Will and Mom is going to be alone— Jonathan's came frantically, like a heartbeat. Mom is going to have to bury me alone.

Steve's were so afraid. They were so afraid, but still, he held her protectively. I'm not ready to die. None of us are ready to die—why does this have to happen to us? We just want to live—

Sar was clinging to Steve securely, feet dragging almost uselessly against the wet grass. Whatever she had managed to do, it had sucked the strength out of her. There were two tracks of blood running from beneath her nose, breathing loud and sharp. They couldn't help but think of what she'd said about minds. "Like a rubber band."

She was way too ill to run. Her hands were scraping uselessly as she tried to stand, eyes flickering in and out of focus. She was trying very hard to pull her consciousness back to her. Maybe Steve could carry her—but how far would they get? He looked down at her, head resting on the slope of his arm and lips trembling. Blood stained her ears.

Nancy helped to steady her as the four teenagers faced off the monster. It stood in front of them, fangs dripping with saliva.

Their plan had failed.







•°°•

OOO Sar's powers are getting stronger!!! 

I can't believe we reached 2k already! Thanks to all of you so much! We're nearing the end of the story now, only about three more chapters to the end. Then we'll be in season 2 territory! Also sorry for any mistakes I haven't had time to completely edit this

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