A/N: SSKSKSKSKSKSKSK I apologize for not uploading for so long! Home is a difficult place for me right now and I'd rather not get in trouble for watching Stranger Things in class lol! But oh my God I love every one of you guys, your comments as they make me laugh and I'm so happy you guys like this book so much ACK!! But uh yah I did not expect to have 5.9k reads hahahah!! Thanks again for the lovely support, you guys are all so awesome!!

The tires screech across the ground and the engines revvs as we drive to the destination that Lucas had given to me. My heart is always pounding lately, but now it feels like it's at it's worse. Steve is a mess, Will is possessed, El has to shut a demon gate and we're going to a damn ruin tunnel.

We speed silently across the driveway as Steve holds an ice pack to his face. I'm the eldest so they made me drive.

I look in the rearview mirror from hearing his heavy breathing. Shoot. He's stirring. He looks a little to the right, where Mike is.

"Nancy?" I hear him mumble.

Excuse you? I'm sorry...what?

Mike's head turns in his direction before he furrows his eyebrows confused at Steve. But he looks annoyed.

Steve groans and lifts his hand to his face.

"No, don't touch it." Dustin hushes.

Steve looks over to Dustin who seems fond to try and help him.

"Hey, buddy. Shhhh..."

I give Max a weird look and she returns the same. Let's just hope he stays calm...

"It's okay. You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass but you put up a fight. You're okay."

"Okay." Lucas asserts to me. "You're gonna keep going straight for half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai."

I smile at him. "Alright good."

"What's going on?" I hear Steve mumble.

Oh boy...

"Whoa whoa oh my god."

"Steve, just relax. She's driven before." Dustin says calmly.

"Yeah, in a parking lot." Mike argues.

Hey! Why do they think I can't drive?!

"That counts." Lucas responds.

"Oh my God!"

"They were gonna leave you behind. Except for Y/N and I." Dustin assists.

"Oh my God!"

"I personally promised that you'd be cool, okay?"

As I speed up, I can tell Steve gets even more shaken up and Max turns to look back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on?"

I step on the pedal anxiously and tense which doesn't seem to help.

"Oh my God, No! Whoa! Stop the car slow down!"

"I told you he'd freak out!" Mike hisses.

"Stop the car!" Steve wails.

"Everybody shut up! She's trying to focus!" Max snaps noticing the uneasy look on my face. I love Steve but it's scary when he's flipping the hell out. Well, kind of.

"Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai. Make a left!" Lucas yelps.

"What?"

"Make a left!"

I turn the steering wheel and accidentally hit a mailbox on the way doing so which startles me and scares Steve. The tires screech loudly all of a sudden and everyone screams in the dark car.

We finally get back on track and move forward again. I sigh, continuing to drive. The others calm down and Steve pants.

"I'm sorry Steve!" I apologize. "But it's not like I could argue against four kids to go outside and search the tunnels with two broken high school boys on the floor."

He grumbles something under his breath and Dustin sighs. "Steve, she cares. She's awesome. But she cares."

I smile lightly in the rearview mirror and I see Dustin return one of his adorable signature smiles.

We continue to drive the rest of the time in silence and before you know it, we've arrived to that big rotting pumpkin era. It skids to a stop with Steve screaming one last time.

"Argh Hello!"

"Whoa!" Dustin chuckles.

I pant and breathe frustrated, hands gripping the wheel with my knuckles so white. I let go of it and my hands shake.

"Incredible." Mike comments.

"Incredible..."

Huh!?

My eyes shoot open, looking around.

No, no no not now!

I glare up at the man, panting and getting as much air back to my system as I can. He chuckles.

"You and Five-"

"FINLEY!" I screech. My nose bloody and red.

"Finley." He says through gritted teeth.

"Will be very useful to me when I need you most. He can connect or destroy love lives. And you can make and create whatever you desire. I think you two will be so strong."

I glare up at him silently.

"But..." He turns away.

"But what?" I ask.

"I want to open up to a new world. A new dimension. A place we can explore, and experiment further. You and Five sadly will not cut out for the job."

"So are you just gonna test more kids, is that it!?" I yell.

He turns to me silently.

"Y/N."

"Why of course."

"Y/N?"

"And if you don't want to help me..."

"Y/N!"

My eyes widen and I sit up, nearly banging my head on the wheel. The car doors are open and Steve is wide awake. He stands by my door while the others begin to go down the hole.

"Y/n. Thank God. Please, don't make me deal with these damn kids alone."

I watch as Dustin glances at us with some sort of safety glasses and a bandana before walking down the hole. I sigh, sitting upright before we go to the trunk. Me and Steve throw on safety glasses and the bandana. He picks up the bat and I have a newly constructed flamethrower.

Me and Steve head down the hole"Y and I look around. It's very cold, damp and oddly blue with the tunnel being absolutely crippled yet massive. I gawk at my surroundings as Steve grunts with the final drop into the hole. His eyes are wide as he looks around.

"Holy shit."

"I suddenly have a bad feeling about this." I grumble.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way." Mike says aloud carrying some sort of paper map.

"I'll protect you if anything goes wrong." I say lowly to Steve. "I should protect you."

"We can protect each other." I opinionate.

He nods and decides to go with that before the both of us uneagerly take our first few steps into the tunnel.

"You're pretty sure, or you're certain?" Dustin asks.

"I'm one hundred percent sure. Just follow me and you'll know." He answers.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Steve hesitates. "Hey, hey, hey, hey I don't think so."

"What?" Mike turns around as Steve and I walk up to him.

"Any of you little shits die down here, either me or Y/n are getting the blame. Got it, dipshit?"

Steve turns around slightly. "From here on out, I'm leading the way. Come on let's go."

He may not see it but a glad smile forms under my bandana. I love him so much. This is why.

Protector Steve!

"Come on. Hey, a little hustle."

We continue to walk through the tunnel in a little silence through with being alarmed and scared of any danger. We walk down a little bit with me and Steve being the two leads. The ground beneath us squishes a little but in such a disgusting way.

"God." Lucas groans.

"What is this place?" Max asks softly.

"Guys, come on. Keep moving." I order aloud.

I don't know what this place is either...

All of us keep on moving, one in front of the other.

Wait a minute...

I'm suddenly alarmed when there's a burst of some sort of spray and I hear Dustin scream. "Shit!"

"Help! Help! Help!" He screams which makes all of us quickly turn around.

"Dustin." Mike.

All of us call his name as he runs over to us and falls to the ground. My eyes widen with shock as my heart is caught in my throat.

"What happened? What happened?!" Steve asks alarmed.

"It's in my mouth!" Dustin whimpers on the ground. "Some got on my mouth! Shit!" He screeches.

At that moment, he coughs and gags and I look around for anything I can do. But there's nothing!

"Oh shit!" Steve murmurs.

Dustin spits then look back up at us with his bandana around his neck. With a moment of silence, he stares at all of our fear-filled faces.

"I'm okay."

Max sighs and I feel my heart both sink with relief and pound with frustration.

"You serious?"

"Very funny, man." Steve shrugs. "Nice. Very nice."

"Jesus, what an idiot." Max says as the others walk off.

I stand there as he lowers his head sadly. I lean down and help him to his feet. He smiles lightly at me before putting on his bandana. This makes me feel happy and a little fuzzy.

"Thanks, Y/n."

"I have a feeling you weren't joking. We should get up with the others."

He nods and the two of us run ahead. Steve flashes his light around as he creep into a new area of the tunnel, me staying close my Dustin's side this time.

"All right, Wheeler." Steve huffs. "I think we found your hub."

The all of us stand in a small group, looking at the large gaping sight in front of them. I look around. Many other tunnels connect to this one big hub and I feel my hand tingling in a weird feeling. A feeling I didn't realize I could have.

Heat.

Warmth.

Hot.

Will!

"Let's drench it." Mike commands.

And that's exactly what we plan to do. We pull out flamethrowers and gasoline for lighters and matches. Dousing the place in nothing but gasoline and flammable oil. This place is gonna burn.

"All right, you guys ready?" Steve asks.

We made our way back to the front once we were finished and now the whole place is indeed. Drenched.

"Ready."

"Ready."

"Ready."

"Ready."

"Ready." I nod.

"Light her up." Dustin says as Steve pulls out a lighter.

Steve pants, before facing forward. "I am in such deep shit."

He flicks the flame up and I feel the warmth get warmer than what it has to be. I know Will has to play a part in this. Joyce must be trying to burn the monster

Out.

Time seems to slow down as Steve throws the lighter in such a long swing. It touches the small bit of gas and already begins to set a fire. It begins to burn the place whole as the flames rise and vines scream.

"Go, go, go!"

"Let's go, let's go!" Steve and all of us run.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

I can hear the monsters growl as they chase us through the tunnels trying to stop the fire. One foot in front of the other, fast as lightning and quick as a bolt. Some how ever, are just not that fast.

I scream as one of them leap on me and then another, and another. One bites into the crook of my neck and I hear my voice echo out in a howl.

"Y/N! NOOOO!!"

I fall to the ground as Steve runs back to help me with the three or demo-dogs on my shoulders. He whacks them off but I still feel my blood run cold.

"Y/N...! No! Hold ON! HOLD ON!!"

"S-Steve..."

My side, neck and arms and legs all hurt. Too weak to move, Steve lifts me up from the ground and makes a run.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!?"

"SHE SOMEHOW GOT ATTACKED!! JUST RUN!"

My eyes blur with both blood loss and tears. I can barely see the walls let alone Steve's face as my ears ring.

This is the end. End of all things. It'll be over. The battle. The monsters.

I feel myself become numb, soon unable to hear a word they say. A word Steve says. And even the running footsteps of him I can't seem to feel. Everything slows down.

This is the end.

Of The Upside Down.

Of the battle.

Of me.