It's about nighttime and Dustin told everything to Steve. We didn't go to Dustin's place immediately as we needed to grab a hell of a lot of meat as well as supplies for some odd reason. And Steve brought me a walkie-talkie so I can connect to the station that Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas speak on.

I thanked him, he questioned about the scarf and tried to apologize but the conversation ended. I'm worried about Will. The last I heard of him, he had that episode and Jonathan nor Nancy has been around at school for the past few days.

Now it's silent between all of us as 'Hammer To Fall' plays on the stereo. Steve's driving the car, Dustin's in the front seat and I tiredly sit at the back.

When the boys went shopping for supplies, I had a couple of flashbacks of Finley, the man...and my time in the Upside Down. It wasn't pretty, and it's made me feel both nauseated and exhausted.

"Wait a sec, how big?" Steve suddenly asks. I pay no attention and I yawn.

Dustin and Steve have a conversation but it's not easy sleeping in a car on a rocky road. I shiver coldly and Steve sighs.

"Hold on..."

I flinch as a jacket is tossed in the backseat. "Put that on, stay warm."

I'm too tired to argue as Dustin speaks again so I unbuckle my seatbelt for a moment, slip the jacket on and put my seatbelt back on. I lean my head against the window but that annoys me, so I lean my head back. Dustin and Steve's voice get louder but it's none of my business.

"Because his face opened up and ate my cat!"

Wot. I open one eye confused as Steve seems stunned.

We finally arrive to Dustin's house and Steve parks the car. He gets something out of the trunk before shutting it again. The two boys leave me in the car before they do whatever the hell they do.

My eyes flinch as I squeeze them shut.

"Nghh..."

I hold my waist tightly. Growling emits from my lips as I suddenly get uncomfortable.

"NNGHNGH!!"

"You bit me!"

I hiss at the man and he shoves me in the room. Shutting the door.

"You know you are such a hassle to deal with?" He chuckles.

"I refuse to be another little science experiments, grandpa." I chuckle sinisterly.

He snickers. "No, you're a tough one. Even if you're bleeding, you still pick up a fight."

He looks toward the one-sided glass.

"But maybe the Upside Down will change that for you."

"The Upside what?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Grab her."

I let out a wailed scream as suddenly two men grab me from behind.

"NO!! STOP IT!! LET ME GO BASTARD!"

They grab a syringe or something from behind as I struggle in their grip.

"Y/N!! Y/N!!"

My eyes widen.

"STOP! LET ME GO!!"

I howl as they inject it into the side of my neck, my fingers losing their grip and my consciousness slipping.

"Y/N!! Y/N!?"

I shut my eyes only for a second and open them again to see Steve shaking me. "Y/N?! What happened are you okay!?"

"Steve, I..." I can't say anything more as everything fades to black and my arm drops down.

* * *

I grumble tiredly, moving my head slightly. My ears ring like I passed out.

"Oh good. She's waking up."

"Steve?" I mumble.

I try to sit up but I'm instantly pushed back down. "No. Stay." His voice is soft and I struggle in his grip.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, stop fighting me Y/N. It's just Steve."

I screw up my face and turn over. He sighs and takes a seat. "I've got bad news."

"How much bad news?" I mock.

"Too many. If you want, I can get you a coffee or some tea to help you wake up. But you were yelling again from what Dustin said was the flashback you were having and you passed out. Like you were drugged."

I groan and huddle myself. He sighs again. "Do you want a coffee? Yes or no?"

"Sure."

"Alright. DUSTIN!!"

"YEAH!?"

"WHERE'S THE COFFEE!!"

"Look in the kitchen, Steve! And don't shout!"

Steve walks out and I sigh, opening my eyes. I'm in a plain bedroom, one I assume to be spared. Someone else walks in and I shut my eyes again.

"Y/N?"

Dustin.

I turn over slightly. "What time is it?"

"Like. Nine in the morning."

I sit up and rub my head. "Are you okay? You mumbled 'the upside what' in your sleep last night when you were in the car. I think it was a flashback but still."

I frown. "They keep getting closer to the most traumatic memories I had when I kept visiting Hawkins in the past."

"Wait. Did you keep visiting Hawkins? I thought you said you up and left-"

"I got the coffee." We both look at Steve who visits awkwardly. I smile slightly and stand up. "Thank you Steve."

I take the mug from him and he nods. They give me a bit more time to wake up before all three of us sit in the lounge.

"What's the bad news?"

"Dart shed his skin. I trapped him in the basement but he clawed his way out and made a tunnel. He's somewhere out in the wide world now."

My eyes widen and I nearly choke on my drink. "Holdupholdupholdup! SO! You're saying that thing is out there now? Running about and free as a bird!?"

"Pretty much yeah." Steve nods.

"We got lots of meat, rubber gloves, buckets, everything we need to trail him to the junkyard."

"Junkyard, why there of all places?" I ask.

"Because things are getting worse. Dart has escaped, Hopper went missing, Nancy and Jonathan are out of town and we haven't heard from Will or Mike in a while."

I think about it for a moment. They said the other day his episodes were getting worse. "There must be something seriously wrong with Will then."

"What makes you say that?" Steve asks.

"If I become a member of 'your party' like Max? Max was willing to call me a theorist because of how I'm able to figure out things like that." I snap my fingers.

"So, you're good at math or something?"

"No. I'm failing Math."

It's quiet for a moment, before Dustin speaks up again.

"I think you may be right. But right now, we need to get everything out of the car and we need to go! We're running out of time."

Dustin runs out, leaving me and Steve. I scull my drink and put my mug in the kitchen.

"Hey."

"Steve, let go."

"Y/N, please. I didn't mean to hurt you. You didn't let me explain." He says in a hushed tone.

"Please, just give me five minutes to apologize-"

"I get that you're sorry and I accept your apology but bloody drop it, we're running out of time."

"Y/N I wasn't finished!"

I run out the door after Dustin followed by Steve.

Dustin drops two buckets of meat to the ground, Steve gives me a pair of gloves which I slip on. Steve brings out a can of gas and I grab Steve's bat and carry it like a katana in a case. Yes, laws of physics or not Imma do it! >:3

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." Dustin turns his back to us. Me and Steve pause and I realize it's the microphone Dustin has around his face. I proceed to keep going. I hear Lucas' voice on the other end, something about his stupid sister turning it off.

He explains to Lucas in a nutshell about it then orders him to meet at the old junkyard.

"Just be there stat! Over and out!"

We begin walking away from his car and into the forest, Steve carries one bucket. I carry the bat. Dustin carries the other. I examine the bat, covered in nails that are sticking out. Yikes. Has he used this thing before?

* * *

Dustin tosses a piece of meat as I follow the two lads behind.

"Alright, so let me get this straight. You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who...who you just met?"

Max?

"All right, that's grossly oversimplifying things." Dustin states.

We've been walking on a train track for a bit now as they toss meat to lead Dart to some sort of trail. Which I presume will lead to the junkyard.

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" Steve asks.

"An interdimensional slug? Because it's awesome."

In your eyes Dustin. Not Max's...

"I don't know. I just feel like you're trying way too hard."

"Well not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?" Dustin states.

Steve looks behind to look at me slightly and I blush, looking away. Steve's hair is nice but that's not why I like him...Wait.

"It's not about the hair, man. The key with girls is just...just acting like you don't care."

My eyes widen. Seriously? It depends on what guy acts like that with what girl!

"Even if you do?"

"Yeah, exactly. It drives them nuts."

I bite my lip. That's sure not how you were acting before. Caring all about Nancy, getting drunk then...us.

"Then what?"

"You just wait until, uh..."

He turns around and tosses a bit of meat. I scoff and he chuckles before facing forward again.

"Until you feel it."

"Feel what?"

"It's like before it's gonna storm, you know? You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh...electricity, you know?"

I raise my eyebrow confused. I'm trying not to listen to their conversation but it's kind of hard when they're talking loudly in front of me.

"Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere-"

"no, no, no, no, no. Like a...like a sexual electricity."

Excuse you?!

I glance at Dustin who doesn't seem as shocked as I am.

What like the night we had before!? Huh, Steve!?

"Oh."

"You feel that and then make your move."

"So that's when you kiss her?" Dustin asks raising his head a bit.

"No, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Romeo."

"Sorry."

I roll my eyes. Fucking Steve, giving off mixed messages to poor Dustin.

Steve says something about how some girls want you to be aggressive like a lion or stealthy like a ninja. And then Dustin asks a peculiar question.

"What type is Y/N?"

My head raises up. I thought Dustin would've asked that about Nancy more than me!

"Y/N's different." He states turning his back to me. I shrug my shoulders and look down. "She's different than the other girls."

"Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess."

"Yeah. Yeah, she is."

Hello!? I'm right here! I mumble something under my breath and keep following them.

"But, this girl's special, too, you know." I hear so much sincerity in Dustin's voice and I glance up. "It's just, like, something about her."

I see Steve's face shift and he stops walking. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey."

"What?"

"You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?"

Dustin hesitates. He so is. Jesus. "Uh, no. No."

"...Okay, good. Don't."

"I won't."

"She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit."

I frown and look down in shame. I dunno if he's saying that about Nancy or me. I was upset when I ran out of his house but...damn. Maybe I should've let him explain...

There's an uneasy silence between all of us for a while. The trees rustle in the wind as our footsteps crunch the leaves in the tracks.

"Fabregé."

"What?" Me and Dustin ask looking up. That came out of literally nowhere.

He silently points to his hair. Ohhhhhhh. "It's Fabregé Organics."

"Use the shampoo and conditioner, and when your hair's damp...It's not wet, okay?"

I stifle a laugh as he turns and stops. "When it's damp..."

"Damp." I repeat softly.

"You do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray."

"Farrah Fawcett spray?" Dustin chuckles.

"Yeah, Farrah Fawcett." Steve snarls. "You two tell anyone I just told you that, an your asses are grass. You're dead, Henderson and Mayfield. Do you understand?"

I cross my arms. "Yeah, sure."

"Yep."

Steve sighs before continuing down the trail. "Okay."

I shake my head and continue following the two boys.

My legs hurt...I hope we can get there soon...