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aloneinthehellfire · 1 year ago

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Chapter Eleven: Once Bitten

Gates Of Hell Masterlist

Word Count: 7.3k

Warnings: swearing, violence, horror, family issues

[A/N: Okay, I lied when I said this would be the last chapter because I hated the first draft and decided to alter everything so now we get some extra time with our favourite enemies to... we'll see ;)]

Once Bitten

April 3rd, 1985 Morning of The Apocalypse

The alarm startled you, heart racing as you reach over and smack it silent.

You had been led down staring at the ceiling for a while now, waking up earlier than you intended to. That faceless thing was in your nightmares again, grey claws ripping into you before you woke up in a fit of sweat. You didn’t cry this time. That was promising.

The ‘support group’ Hopper was sending you to wasn’t helping anything. They expected you to talk about drugs, an addiction you apparently had two years ago, so that they could treat you like a project. You only attended because you were sick of feeling crazy. Hopper didn’t believe you. Hell, you didn’t believe you.

It took all of 20 minutes to get ready, stuffing your backpack with textbooks you’d be ignoring. But you had to look the part, to convince your father that you were trying.

As you slip out of your room, the familiar smell of Eggos filled the air. El pretty much refused to eat anything else for breakfast.

“Y/n.” El’s small voice calls out, her now shoulder-length hair swinging as she peels her eyes away from the TV.

“Hey.” You smile, dropping your bag and joining her on the couch. “You seem cheery.”

“Uh-huh.” She nods and you notice she has her hands behind her back. “Hopper got me a present.”

“Really?” You raise an eyebrow, amused. El was an easy kid to please, but she looked much more excited than she has before.

“Do you wanna see?” She asks and you laugh.

“Obviously.”

Another smile and she brings her hands around towards you, curling them into fists and stretching out her arms. You laugh again at her actions, shaking your head.

“What am I meant to-” You begin before your voice catches in your throat. Something blue was staring back at you, adding salt to an ever-growing wound consuming you. “Is that…”

“Hopper’s band.” El says as if she’s repeating it from practice, fiddling with it. “He said I was important. I’m going to take good care of it.”

Tears were already pooling in your eyes before you had even assessed the situation. Your little sister’s hairband now wrapped around the wrist of a girl you had only met a year ago. The last remaining part of your sister given to a stranger she’d never known. Hopper gave El something so important to you like it was nothing.

“Okay, I’m heading out soon.” Hopper announces as he steps out of the bathroom, fixing his hat. It was the only room with a mirror, a luxury if you woke up early enough. “Y/n, you ready to go?”

You don’t respond and he turns to where you and El sit together, frowning.

“Y/n?”

“How could you?” You whisper out and El looks up surprised. Looking into her eyes, you take a deep breath before forcing a smile. “Hey, could you go to my room for a little bit? I wanna talk to Hopper. You can go through my comics again.”

He tenses at the mention of his name rather than ‘dad’, but you ignore it.

“Okay.” El nods hesitantly, slipping off the couch and disappearing to her room. You should have waited for the click of the door closing, but you were unaware she’d be following the rules; leave the door open three inches at all times.

“Did you give El the hair band?” You stand up to face him and shoulders relax, taking a breath. It looked like he was expecting this conversation, running a hand down his face as he takes a step towards you.

“I did.” He admits softly, meeting your eyes.

“Why?” You shake your head slowly with blurry vision. “Why would you do that?”

“Because she’s our family now.” He starts, frowning in attempt to think through his words. Hopper had never been good at expressing how he felt. “It felt right.”

“It felt right?” You repeat, struggling to not raise your voice. There was an indescribable pain building in your chest that made you want to scream, to cry and sob until it washed away. “Replacing Sara feels right?”

Hopper’s face falls. “I’m not replacing her.”

“I sure feels like it.” The first tear slips down and you angrily wipe it away, letting your hand point to your bedroom door. “You can’t just treat her like a second chance!”

“I’m not.” He says calmly, too calm for your liking. “Let’s just take a breath.”

“Do not tell me I’m crazy.” You warn, voice cracking and destroying your attempt at steadiness. “Ever since you brought her here, it’s like you completely forgot Sara ever existed!”

“I can never forget.” He raises his voice now, ever so slightly to ensure you knew he was serious. “I think about her every single day. But we can’t just keep holding onto the past-”

“She wasn’t some kind of pet, she was real! Family!” You cry, stepping forward with a frown. “She was my sister, your daughter, and you’re just throwing her away! That hair band is all we have left!”

“And now it is safe!” He shouts before exhaling. He turns around to recollect himself, speaking softly. “Do you know how long it has taken me to look at it with anything but guilt? Sara… her memory can now be protected by someone that deserves it.”

“A stranger?! El didn’t know her!” You sob. It was uncontrollable now, your rage. It came from a darker place, one you hadn’t visited in a while. It was frightening to know you could feel this kind of fury. “What about me?! Am I not worthy enough to take care of my sister?”

“That’s not-” He turns back around, holding a hand out before pulling away with it in a fist. “We can’t talk about this while you’re…”

“Acting up?” You scoff. You needed to get out of here, clear your mind. It felt like there was this weight pushing harder and harder on your lungs. If you stood here any longer, you were afraid you would be crushed completely.

So, you march straight over to your bag, slipping it onto one shoulder and pushing past Hopper.

“Hey!” He calls out as you make it to the door, angrily snapping open the multiple locks Hopper had installed. “Don’t walk away!”

As your trembling fingers catch the last metal rig, you rest your head against the door.

“If you wanted a new family, you should’ve said so.” You say lowly, refusing to face him. When he doesn’t speak, you slide the last barrier and hear the familiar click as you turn the doorknob.

“We both lost her, Y/n.”

Just as you pull the door open, you’re frozen. He sounded tired, broken. Like he was done fighting with you this time.

“I know we haven’t spoken about it.” He continues, his voice hoarse. You could hear his boots clumping against the ground as he slowly tries to close the distance. “But I’m here-”

“Don’t bother.” You interrupt, turning around. Tears were staining your cheeks. You never truly met his eyes, fixated on the bridge of his nose because you knew if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be able to win this argument. Why did you care about winning?

“You’ve been nothing but a- a shit father to me ever since she died! Like you don’t even like me!” You yell, hoping it’ll keep him away from you. He looks a little startled, but he doesn’t speak a word. And then those fears are rising to the surface, slipping out of your mouth before you could stop them. “Sometimes I wonder if you wish it were me that died instead.”

It was like his heart was visibly shattering, dawning his expression with pain. “Y/n-”

“I’m leaving.” You cut him off, swinging open the door and stepping outside, unable to resist turning around just one last time. “I’m glad you’ve finally found a daughter you can love.”

And with that, you slam the door shut, moving through the maze of the alarm system like second nature. You expected to hear the door open again, the thump of wooden floorboards beneath a sorry father’s weight, the familiar shout of forgiveness carrying in the wind.

It stayed silent, as quiet as the tears that dripped down your cheeks. He wasn’t coming after you this time. You’d finally won.

But what did you really win?

Steve visibly buffers as his eyes keep darting between you and Billy. He hated how you smiled at eachother like you were passing secret notes with your eyes. He hated it so much he couldn’t resist blurting out the first thing in his mind.

“How do you know eachother?” Steve questions, a frown permanently staining his delicate features as his eyes flicker between you and Billy. It was unsettling. More than unsettling. Worlds colliding in a heaping pile of flames.

“Oh, we go way back.” Billy replies suggestively, smirking at how uncomfortable Steve looked. “What’s the matter, Harrington? Not expecting that?”

Your worn expression of unamused proportions flickers between the two as they inch closer. Steve looked like he wanted to throw a punch, whilst Billy looked intentionally smug about it.

“I sense I’ve missed something.” You decide, looking to Robin as she threw a dirty look to the boy clad in denim. “Okay, calm down, no one’s trying to kill eachother.”

“That’s not what happened last time.” Steve spat, still glaring at Billy. Your eyes widen.

“Huh?” You prompt, a flash of unrecognisable guilt in Billy’s features before he’s smirking again.

“Old times.” Billy’s vague answer doesn’t settle the bubble of anxiety you feel in your stomach.

“Why are you here?” Robin glares and your brows shoot up. You knew she didn’t like him but you didn’t expect the scowl on her face to hold such anger.

“That lot was practically dragging Max out the house.” He nods in the direction of the Party, their heads lowered as they share in a hushed discussion, completely oblivious to the older kids. “Didn’t have enough room in the chief’s car so I drove us here.”

“I didn’t see your car.” You frown and he purses his lips.

“It… blew up.”

Steve snorts, not even trying to hide it.

“Damn monsters.” Billy throws a pointed glare before returning back to you. “I actually volunteered to go down to the flippity thing.”

“Upside down.” Robin scoffs, crossing her arms like she had more knowledge of the situation than the blonde boy in front of her.

“Whatever.” He dismisses, resting a hand on his hip. He smirks at you. “Figured I got nothing better to do.”

Steve couldn’t have rolled his eyes harder. Here Billy was, acting like this mission he probably heard about two minutes ago was merely an errand to run. He could try all he wanted, he would never be the hero he’s pretending to be. Never.

“Okay, listen up.”

Hopper strides back into the room, glancing to you with a smile which you feebly return, wanting to curl up in a ball. You still felt embarrassed about your outburst.

“Joyce and I are gonna come up with a plan. We need to work on both sides here, someone manning communications while others help El try and find this… thing we’re looking for. Nothing can go wrong here.” He addresses the whole room, a few nods on determined faces. “If Y/n’s right, and something else is out there controlling these gates, we’ll put an end to this for good.”

And if she’s wrong, she’s going to put everyone in danger they don’t deserve, you think, tightening your lips.

“Mike, Lucas, I’ll need a quick count on provisions. I don’t want us being in there any longer than a few hours but we need to be prepared.” He instructs, the two boys determinedly running off to carry out their duties. “Dustin make sure those radios are ready and fully charged.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Dustin salutes, swiping some batteries from the table before sauntering off into the next room.

“Will, Max, we’ll need at least two backpacks.” Hopper suggests and they nod, sending a quick look to eachother and disappearing into the sleeping quarters.

“As for now, Nancy I need you here so we can strategise.” He says and the girl looks confident as she walks up to the table, peering at the worn map covering the wooden inches. Hopper glances up. “You too, Billy.”

“I guess I’ll catch you later.” Billy winks at you, suddenly adopting a whole new persona as he respectively smiles at Hopper when joining the planning circle, even going as far as shaking his hand. Steve frowns. It’s weird. Very weird.

Robin sounds a hum and you turn to look at her. “Well. Since we got out of homework, what say we go relax-”

“Can you guys go on patrol?” Jonathan’s voice interrupts and you all glance over to where he was walking over, still pressing an ice pack to his head. “I’m meant to be doing it now with Nancy but she’s busy and I’m…”

“Concussed?” You tilt your head as he smiles weakly. “Been there. Of course we will.”

“Thanks.” He sighs gratefully, sending a reassuring nod to Joyce as her worried eyes follow him around the room.

“Great.” Robin claps her hand, smiling up at you both. “You guys have fun.”

“Wha-” You pout as she tries to walk away, your arm immediately reaching out and pulling her back. “Nuh-uh, you’re coming with me.”

“Do I have to?” She whines and you send her a look, one she’s only ever seen when you’re desperately needing an alibi. “Jeez, fine, whatever. Who doesn��t love the thrill of potentially getting your face ripped off in the morning?”

“That’s a… vivid image.” Steve twists his face in a grimace as you drop your shoulders. Robin is already surveying the weapons table when he leans closer to you. “She doesn’t have to come with us. I’m sure we can handle it.”

“Um…” You take a look at her, circling through all the different responses in your head. “No, I… I want her to come with us. If this apocalypse doesn’t end anytime soon, I just want her to know how to protect herself, maybe be a little more confident.”

Steve frowns as he watches you walk over to Robin, seemingly explaining which items would prove best in a fight. He felt a little twinge of disappointment when you didn’t want to go with him alone. After that talk, you opening up to him about something so personal, he assumed… he wasn’t sure what he was assuming.

“Wanna tell me why I’m your get out of jail free card?” Robin raises her brow and your lips tighten, reaching for a heavy knife and inspecting it. “Woah, okay, don’t tell me, message received.”

“What? No.” You shake your head, putting it back down. “I just want to help you be a little less scared, that’s all. We need to be prepared.”

“Uh-huh.” She sounds unconvinced, hand hovering over a pistol but you simply shake your head and she grabs the next item on the table. “The hell is this?”

You look down and widen your eyes. “Oh, Robs, be careful, that’s a-”

Her finger accidentally settles on a trigger and a jolt of electricity crackles loudly, a little too close to your hand and you jump back. It falls from her hand as she yelps, looking like a child that had been caught playing with their mother’s makeup. She notices the concerned looks from her peers in the room.

“My bad.” She raises her hand apologetically before reaching down at carefully picking the taser back up. She looks to you with a grimace. “Did I get you?”

“No, Robs. You get me, you fry me alive.” You breathe out, checking your hand. “Maybe we should teach you how to use that.”

“Perfect time, right?” Steve comments, leaning past you for his bat and you try to ignore how your heart rate increases when he’s close to you. “As long as you don’t tase us or yourself, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, give the clumsiest girl on the planet electricity, what could go wrong?” She expresses, but she takes the taser and turns her back to stomp her way up the stairs.

Steve can’t help but laugh, hand on his hip. “It should be interesting.”

When you don’t respond, he looks down at you just in time to see you look away, clearing your throat.

“Uh, yeah. Totally. We should, uh, we should follow.” You blurt out, swiping the knife and nodding. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He says with a suspicious smile, amused at the way you’re avoiding his eyes. What were you hiding?

“Y/n.” Hopper calls out, ending a conversation with Joyce with a gentle pat of her shoulder and walking over to you, extending his hand to show you his keys. “The tank needs filling up, there should be some gas by the door.”

“Got it.” You smile, taking his keys, but he doesn’t bid farewell. “Anything else?”

“Just…” He sighs, frowning. “You shouldn’t have any problems, but the minute something is wrong- even just feels off-”

“We’ll be fine, dad.” You reassure, his lips flickering beneath his moustache at a name he hadn’t heard in a while.

“I know you will, kid.” He says as you jingle the keys and stuff them into the pocket of your hoodie, walking up the stairs to find Robin.

Steve goes to follow until a hand is on his shoulder, redirecting him back to Hopper’s stare.

“Don’t let anything happen to her.” His words aren’t a warning, rather a plea. Steve nods.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Steve nods, and he meant every word.

“So, why am I your Steve buffer?” Robin asks, practically jumping out behind you when you reached the next landing.

“Fuck, where did you come from?” You hold your hand to your heart, taking a breath.

“You. Harrington.” She narrows her eyes and you roll your own. “Don’t think I didn’t pick up on what’s going on here.”

“Yeah, just like you picked up on Miss Click’s secret affair with Dan Shelter?” You point out, her lips tightening.

“That was the only time I have ever been wrong.” She defends, crossing her arms. “It’s not like it hurt anybody.”

You scrunch up your face. “She almost got fired.”

“But she didn’t.”

“Yeah, because I took the blame so you wouldn’t get in trouble.” You remind her and she relaxes her shoulders, looking a little guilty. “Hey, not your fault, I wanted to do that.”

“You got detention because of me.” She said a little quietly and you let out a chuckle.

“Robs, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that was like two years ago-”

“Not then.” Robin corrects and your face drops. “If you hadn’t… if I just… you would have been okay. And you wouldn’t have had to survive the apocalypse with a guy you can’t stand to be around.”

“That wasn’t your fault.” You step forward, frowning. “It was mine. I… I wanted to get detention. That whole thing just gave me a reason to.”

“Who wanted detention?” Steve’s voice interrupts and you both stay silent, causing him to purse his lips. “Oh-kay, girl talk, huh? I get it.”

Robin stares at him in disbelief and you suppress a smile. Fuck. This was getting harder than you thought.

The reason you wanted Robin here wasn’t because you wanted her to be. It was true, giving her the skills to protect herself was going to be worthwhile, but part of you just wanted to keep her bundled up in bubble wrap, safely hidden away. You’re just afraid that if you go with Steve alone, you’ll do something you’ll regret. Something you promised your past self would never happen.

A stubborn promise slowly being shattered by Steve’s warm smile.

The walls around you were pale, much like the brightness of the bulbs hanging above your head. Your nerves were alight, waiting for them to begin flickering madly, stopping everything and everyone around you, the black dust…

None of it made sense. It wasn’t possible. Alternate dimension? Sure. Monsters? Yeah, why not. But freezing time? No. No way.

And yet, it happened.

You weren’t ready to talk about it yet, though. Not that you were sure anyone would believe you. It took Hopper to actually experience it before he believed you had almost been attacked. In fact, the only person you wanted to talk to was currently trailing behind you in a one-sided conversation with your chatty best friend. He seemed a little more open minded. Never called you crazy, genuinely wanted to listen. But you couldn’t talk to Steve right now. Not while you were having trouble looking anywhere but his eyes and lips.

So, instead, you lead Steve and Robin through the maze of harsh lighting, the soft drone of Robin’s voice muffled by your thoughts fighting to not recall the grinning monster that had thrown you into that wall, or dragged you through a pool of blood on the floor.

Behind you, Steve couldn’t resist the concerned gaze he had on the back of your head as you led them through eerie corridors, never stopping, barely looking at them. He knew you must be spiralling about everything that has been happening. He sees what it’s doing to you. The smart quips forced out of your mouth to stop you from thinking, that pause you always seem to have before striking a smile as if even your brain was struggling to hide emotion. He notices that wobble in your lip you catch between your teeth, any and every reason to stop yourself from admitting you’re not okay.

Steve can’t believe he knows all of these things. Four days ago he wouldn’t have even cared.

“I get why a person would hate Billy Hargrove. I mean… it’s Billy Hargrove.” Robin says, the only part of her rambling Steve finally managed to tune in to. She had a habit of cutting the awkward silence with a conversation even more awkward. Her speciality, really. “But why do you hate Billy? It’s not weird high school boy testosterone reasons, right?”

“No.” Steve sighs, finding the humour in her way with words. Robin felt like someone he wished he had as a friend, an easy talker. She always spoke her mind, regardless of the situation. She made him feel like he could say anything and she wouldn’t bat an eye. Well, maybe not anything. She’s made it pretty clear that she would do anything for you.

“Then what?” She scrunches her face. “You seriously looked like you were gonna murder him. So I have to assume you both had some sort of fight. Unless it’s for different reasons. Maybe Y/n told you about- but that doesn’t equate to holding yourself back from manslaughter-”

“What are you talking about?” Steve couldn’t help the chuckle escaping his lips. He takes a quick glance to where you trail in front, completely oblivious. “Y/n didn’t tell me she knew Billy.”

“Oh, right.” She nods, snapping her fingers. “I forget. You guys are mortal enemies or whatever.”

He chose not to respond to that statement. “What’s their deal anyway? They seem…”

“Chummy?” She suggests, groaning. “Ugh, barely. She seems to like him, though. No matter how many times I tell her she’s a poor judge of character, she just doesn’t seem to listen.”

“Like him? Like… like him?” Steve frowns and Robin grimaces.

“As if.” She says and he has to prohibit the breath of relief from sounding into the hallway. “They were partnered for a project way back. Pretty much spent almost every day together for two weeks before he stood her up and never talked to her. She kept calling but, alas, no response.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s an asshole who just uses women.” Robin comments with spite, “What other reason would there be?”

“So… he used her?” His face scrunches as Robin sighs.

“No. God, no, they had… I don’t know, a moment or something, but she’s too smart to be pining after him.” She explains, waving her hand in the air as she spoke. “Y/n would never let anyone take advantage of her again.”

“Hm.” Steve nods, staring at his shoes as they softly squeak against the floors. You seem completely not phased as you swing the gas can around absent-mindedly in your hand and he wonders if you’re too caught up in your own thoughts. You and Billy? It was as if the universe catches wind of his desires and throws a bullet hole in them. “Wait. Again.”

“What?” Robin looks up like she had already forgotten the conversation.

“You said again. Someone taking advantage of her again.”

The blood drains from her face. Steve can’t help but stop, causing her to stop with him. She looked somewhat mortified as she sends a panicked look your way. Thankfully, you really weren’t paying attention to them.

“No I didn’t.” She says plainly and he almost laughed.

“Robin.”

“No.” She shakes her head profusely. “I said… ag-ing. Ageing. Yes.”

“Ageing?” He cocks a brow. “You said that she wouldn’t let someone take advantage of her ageing?”

“She is ageing very beautifully.” She coughs and he narrows his eyes.

“Robin.”

“No.” She hold up her hand and steps back. “I will not be succumbed by your Jedi mind tricks.”

“Jed-what?”

“It’s not my business.” She states with a serious stare, tightening her lips. Her voice is a whisper, afraid of the echoing walls. “I… I don’t know when to shut up sometimes. Maybe I’m just trying to trick everyone into thinking I’m not constantly living in fear, but I will literally talk until someone stops me. And most of the time I don’t think before I speak. Like now, I- I have no idea what’s gonna come out my mouth and the next thing I know I’ve revealed something that isn’t even my business to be sharing in the first place.

“But-”

“Y/n is my best friend. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s my only friend and I don’t know what I’d do without her so please. Please. Just forget I said anything. I can’t lose her just because I can’t keep my mouth shut.”

If it weren’t for the overhead lights, Steve would never have noticed the glimmering tears pooling in her eyes. He knew she really meant what she said. She looked terrified. And Steve wasn’t going to be the person to ruin what Robin obviously cherishes most.

“Any chance they have some real food when we get back?” He finally speaks and she raises her head in surprise. “I’m starving.”

“I’m pretty sure all they’re gonna have is nutty bars.” Robin comments, flashing a small smile of appreciation. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she thought.

“Hey?”

They both whip their heads to where you stand at the end of the hallway, frowning. While you hadn’t been focusing on them, once the noise of their conversation had lowered you had taken notice.

“You guys good?” You ask and Robin steps forward, patting Steve’s back.

“Oh yeah, we’re peachy.” She grins, “Practically besties now.”

“Don’t say besties.” Steve shudders and you tilt your head in disbelief.

“Really?” Your eyebrow raises and you decide you really didn’t need to spend energy on this. “Whatever, let’s get outside before it gets dark.”

With no objections, a few short steps later lead you stepping over a pile of broken glass, looking up at the foreboding red sky. It would have been a pretty sight if you hadn’t of known what caused it.

“The sun’s setting pretty fast.” Steve announces, brows pinched. “Let’s get this ride filled up and get the hell out of here.”

“Amen.” Robin shivers, the cool crisp of air hitting the back of her neck that remained uncovered from that impulsive haircut.

You’re already at Hopper’s police car, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia when you look at it, as if it hasn’t only been three days. But it’s different this time, because you honestly couldn’t say you were ever going to see this car again. Thinking of the worst will only heighten your anxiety, but expecting disappointment saved you from those harsh realities hitting any harder than they should.

“How long is this gonna take?” Robin whispers out, wrapping her arms around herself. “It’s cold and I’d like to be back inside with all the other nice, shiny weapons.”

“Almost done, Robs.” You sigh, discarding the empty can and picking up the second from the ground. “There might be a blanket in the backseat if you really need it.”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll survive.” She shakes her head, bouncing on her feet by shifting back and forth between each foot.

When Steve finally had enough, he rolls his eyes and slides his jacket off, holding it out to her. Robin’s eyes are wide as she silently accepts it. Anything was better than the sharp air she stood in. It was April, for god’s sakes, and here she was, shivering like she was trapped in an ice cube.

“Thanks.” She mumbles and Steve hums. She looks up to see he was distracted, eyes unwavering. Her first thought was that he was keeping an eye out, but when she followed his gaze she realised it was rather keeping an eye on. Which on the scale of normal to ‘hey, look, an apocalypse’, it was weird.

“Unbelievable.” Robin mutters to herself.

“Huh?” Steve finally tears his eyes away from you to see Robin looking up at him with a scowl. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You know what you did.” She glares, folding her arms and hugging herself tighter.

“I can honestly say, I don’t.” He blinks and her lips tighten.

“You do anything to ruin it, anything at all… I will hurt you.” She warns and Steve physically recoils.

“Did I get another concussion and forget about it?” He frowns, “What-”

“Okay, all set.” You announce, dumping the final can and turning with a smile. “Let’s get back inside- Robs, why do you look like that?”

“See?” Steve expresses, clicking his tongue, “I don’t know, she’s-”

When Steve turns to Robin, all he sees is a pale face and wide eyes, the complete opposite of the look she had given him seconds ago. He felt his arm hairs raise like soldiers on a field of goosebumps, prickling in the ice-cold of her terror.

“We have to get inside.” She whispers, voice cracking.

Everything felt dead silent, your heart rate beating your ear drums and you slowly turn your head to glance over your shoulder.

A pair of eyes lock onto you, masked behind the blood dripping from the mouth of what once used to be a person, now turned monster. She looked about your age, wearing jeans and a hoodie, much like the clothes currently clinging to your body. Except she looked at you with hunger, a sliced mouth ripping apart her skin into four sections. But that wasn’t the part that made your insides twist.

You found another pair of eyes. And another. And another. And another. A sea of dead, endless eyes, all looking at you like they were angry, like they held a deep and dark grudge against your very existence. Your breath didn’t hitch. It simply couldn’t when you couldn’t even breathe.

Her dead eyes were looking straight through you, and you couldn’t do anything for her – all that blood. You couldn’t -There was so much blood.

They all looked like corpses with agility, the concerning wait as they hunger for their food, but never attacking. They looked like an army.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” Steve curses, muttering under his breath as he cycled through the ideas of escape swarming in his eyes. The three of you couldn’t fight them off. There were so many, he was sure he lost count. And they were here. Why were they here?

“Why is no one counting to three?” Robin asks in a panic and you both look at her with silent confusion. “Usually someone is counting to three whenever we have to run away from literal death. Someone needs to count to three right now or I’m gonna freak-”

“Okay, okay, just calm down.” You hiss, grabbing her hand and she tightens her lips. You look up to Steve, “We counting to three?”

“I don’t see any other option.” He whispers back, chest rising heavily. He watches the indecision flash behind your eyes as you struggle.

“One.” You eventually say and Robin stands a little straighter, nodding as she turns herself towards her end destination.

“Two.” She replies, just as quiet as she shook. She wasn’t cold anymore.

Steve meets your eyes with a frown, his gaze flickering between you and the angry mob of monsters in the distance. You seemed prepared, desperate. For a moment, he really thought he wouldn’t say anything, too afraid that you’ll pull your usual self-sacrifice. So, he reaches out and grabs your hand, your eyes widening ever so slightly at the touch, but he wasn’t about to let you repeat past mistakes.

“Three.” He finally breathes, and then it’s a rush of motion.

You’re all taking off, sneakers tracking up mud as you sprint across the grass. Robin was slightly ahead, gripping the taser tightly in a fist. You had Steve’s hand to hold on to instead, feeling him tug you along every so often.

He finally drops your hand when you reach the lab, fully aware of the singular gap of shattered glass you all had to jump through. You feel the familiar crunch beneath your feet, risking a rushed look over your shoulder before you come to a complete stop, frowning with heavy breaths.

They hadn’t moved. Not one turned monster had tried to catch their prey. They were simply… watching.

There was a tug on your hand again and you stumble back into a run, feeling Steve’s resolute fingers intertwining with yours the entire time you weave through the hallways, back to that familiar bunker door, even all the way down those echoing metal steps until you were back in a room of safety.

Heads whip your way when Steve eventually releases your hand, using his to run it through his hair as he took in deep breaths.

Robin was a little more dishevelled, dropping herself to the ground to lay on her back.

“I… am… never… doing… that… again.” She managed to sound out, squeezing her eyes shut with a hand over her heart.

You try to suck the oxygen back into your body as you lean against a wall, earning a cocked brow from the mullet wearing boy at the centre table.

“Quiet night?” He jokes, but your serious expression changed his tone immediately. “What happened?”

“Monsters.” Robin gasps, finally sitting up. “I fucking hate monsters.”

“What happened?” Hopper repeats, pushing away from the table and walking over to you with a concerned frown etched between his brows. “Are you okay?”

“We’re fine.” You nod quickly and he lets out a sigh of relief. “The chevy’s all fired up.”

You toss him the keys and he snatches them out of the air with one swift fist.

“What did you-”

“Y/n?”

You feel your body stiffen as the sweet and quiet voice calling out to you. For just a moment, you could have sworn it was Sara.

You peer around Hopper to find El pushing out of the group in the corner, her face breaking into a smile and before you know it, she’s ran up and wrapped her arms around you.

“I missed you.” She states, voice muffled by your hoodie.

Tears prick at your eyes as you rest your head on hers, embracing her like she might slip away from you. “I missed you, too.”

“Awwww.” Dustin coos, looking like he might cry, too.

“It’s gonna be okay.” Lucas pats his back, a crack in his voice as he dons the same emotional expression.

“Men.” Max rolls her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips all the same.

“When did you wake up?” You ask softly, pushing her away only enough to see her face. Her curly hair was a bit of a mess, dark circles under her eyes.

“A while ago.” She responds, glancing at Hopper. “Hopper needed to talk to me.”

Hopper’s warm smile quickly dropped as he clears his throat, nodding.

“It’s about the plan.” He explains in its simplest term, meaning that he didn’t want you to know all of it, at least not until he had spoken to El first.

“Yeah, okay.” You force a smile, finally letting her go. “We’ll talk later.”

She beams up at you as she follows Hopper out of the room and into the adjoining one. You watch them start to talk behind the glass, like you were observing a secret conversation you’d never be a part of.

“You guys gonna tell us what the hell happened to you, then?” Max raises a brow, shrugging when people look at her as if to say ‘really?’. “What? I’m just asking what we’re all thinking.”

“We had a run in with a hoard of people.” Steve sighs, rubbing his temple as he sets his bat back on the table, returning his hand to his hip. “Well, not really people.”

“Weird mutant people.” Robin corrected and Steve nods, pointing at her.

“Demopeople.” Dustin whispers out and Steve does a double take.

“Really? Demopeople?”

“You got another name you wanna share with the class?” Dustin spits and Steve rolls his eyes.

“Sorry if I just think we could be a little more creative here. Demogorgon. Demodogs. Demopeople. It’s just getting a little repetitive.”

Dustin stares at him with a deadpan look. Steve doesn’t take the hint.

“What’s next. Demobirds? Demobats? Demohippos-”

“We get it, Steve!” Dustin stresses and Steve just pulls a face.

“God, why are they like that?” Robin shivers as the image reawakens in her mind.

“We think it could be a virus.” Mike announced, so casually as if it was a conversation about dinner.

“Virus?” You ask, feeling a little startled by his suggestion.

“Don’t worry, none of us have it.” Dustin pats your back and Steve hides a smirk when you slowly push his hand away.

“Why do you think it’s a virus?” You persist as a shiver ran down your spine. You wrap your arms around you to mask the sudden feeling to your friends. They didn’t seem to take any notice.

“You guys seen them before?” Steve asks, glancing at you when he sees you jolt, trying to cover it up.

“A few.” Nancy replies this time, and the others nod in accordance. “A lot of people in town were like that.”

Their faces said everything they didn’t. You know because you’ve had that expression, the dawning realisation that the person trying to kill you wasn’t really a person anymore.

“Mr Holloway?”

His wild eyes suddenly darted upwards, staring at you.

Then, he pounces.

He’s snarling as he claws at your jumper, pulling you down to the ground with him. In haste you try and push him off of you, but this man was a lot bigger than you, wrapping his hands around your throat and smashing your head into the cold ground.

Struggling against his weight, he rears his head closer to you.

“Stop!” You try, his tightening grip on your neck releasing the word as a strained whisper.

“But how did they get it?” Robin questions and Will looks up from where he had been staring down at his hands.

“An infection.” He says quietly. “All of those people… they were bitten.”

“By the Demogorgons?” Steve’s eyes are wide with mild terror and curiosity.

“And the demodogs. Maybe.” Lucas adds.

“Whatever it is, it’s not getting in here. Now come on, we have work to do.” Joyce reminds them gently and the boys collectively sigh before trailing over to where Max was already sat.

Steve watches as she bats away Dustin’s hands, his pout when Max won’t give him the radio. It was strange to see how normal everyone was reacting to this whole situation, even the indication that any one of them could be infected with a virus that could turn them into monsters, no, zombies. But that normality was probably the only thing keeping everyone sane right now.

Could there really be some kind of virus? It made sense, people with the mouths of the very creatures that had attacked them. But surely that was barbaric. No way was the Upside Down going to be that creepy.

“What a load of bullshit, right? A virus?” He scoffs out a laugh, hoping you’ll laugh too and set his mind at ease. He wants you to agree that it is all a lie, that there wasn’t something else out there to be afraid of.

But when he looks over at you, your face has fallen, and you look ill.

“Y/n?” He whispers out and you clear your throat.

“Huh? Sorry, I’m… tired. I think I’m gonna grab some sleep.” You nod, eyes directed at him but not really looking. It was like you were in a haze, accompanied by a concerned look on Robin’s face.

“You feeling okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I didn’t really sleep last night so… so I should try.” You say a little airily, convincing yourself more than them.

“Do you want me to-”

“No.” You cut Robin off with a smile, already heading to the door. “No, I’m fine. Thanks, though.”

You pushed through the doors and left them stood there, exchanging glances of worry.

“She’s not okay.” Steve states and Robin almost rolls her eyes.

“No shit, Sherlock.” She mumbles, talking again before he could retaliate, “Maybe she’s just scared? I mean her dad is about to go on a suicide mission down into a place crawling with all kinds of chomping virus monsters. I’d be pretty god damn terrified too.”

“Yeah.” Steve agrees, but he was lying. Something felt wrong. He’s been there when you’ve been through something traumatic, and right now he doesn’t think he’s ever seen you look more phased in the last three days than you did just then.

You lower yourself into the sleeping bag in the far corner. It looked untouched, all the others spare from two were covered in various trinkets, creased from use. You figured the two at the very back were made up for you and Steve. When you settle on the ground, you notice a familiar black and bulky material, a bag you hadn’t seen since detention. The one Hopper found when he tried to look for life in a building surrounded by dead bodies.

Hopper. Your dad. Why weren’t you reacting more to this? You had fought, screamed, cried when he suggested he’d be going. And now he’s officially heading there, and you feel numb. Maybe too much has happened for your brain to take notice of how fucked up everything really was. Or it could be because you had more pressing matters to occupy your brain storage.

It could be a virus.

A load of bullshit, right?

An infection.

Your hands shake as you reach down with your eyes squeezed shut, painfully rolling up your jean leg that had seen better days.

When you open them, you’re staring down at a torn piece of fabric wrapped around your ankle, a single tear trickling down your cheek. You strip away the bandage and choke back a gasp.

Small little puncture wounds wrapped across your skin, like teeth marks. And there were black veins too, snaking across your flesh, creeping up your leg.

“Fuck.”

Chapter Twelve: Down The Rabbit Hole ->

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