✓ Adventures In Babysitting / Steve Harrington ¹

𝙭𝙭𝙞𝙞. great escape

"Hey, Dustin," Erica calls, her eyes set forward. 

"Yeah?" Dustin calls back.

"How big did you say that Demogorgon was?" Erica asks timidly.

Abby looks to see what Erica is staring at. Her mouth drops as her eyes land on the wide cage linked with fluorescent sticks of light. It looms over Erica and casts a shadow behind her as she continues to share. Abby only hopes that whatever monstrosity from the parallel dimension that the Russians are opening up does not arrive any time soon.

Dustin spreads his arms, his attention still solely fixated on locating the keys as she spreads his arms wide and steps off of the cart.  "Big.  Nine feet or so.  Why?"

Abby digs around in the nearby stand.  Perhaps the keys have been buried beneath the stacks of paper or under the nearby flower pot.  She almost laughs at the novelty of the small plant, it's something nice in a base full of horrors.  Dustin's eyes land on the small silver safe that hangs on the wall and withdraws his small blue screwdriver once more.  Abby watches as he inserts the end of the screwdriver into the lock and twists twice before the door swings open.

There's a wide grin on his face he withdraws the keys.  "Found 'em."

"Awesome," Abby replies as Dustin drops them into her outstretched palm.  They turn back to Erica with excitement gleaming in their eyes only to find that Erica is not there.  Shit.  "Erica?!"

Suddenly there's a loud buzzing from the other side of them.  Abby lets out a shriek as her heart starts to pound in her chest.  They whirl around to see Erica standing before them.  In her hands, she holds a long metal stick, at the end, electricity crackles loudly with a soft luminescent blue.  It radiates a wave of heat as it hovers dangerously close to Abby and Dustin.

"What the fuck?  Put that down, kid!" Abby exclaims.

"What the hell is that?!" Dustin demands.

The electricity shuts off and Erica wears a proud smile as she shrugs, "A deadly weapon.  Could be useful."

Dustin flinches back as the electricity crackles once more.  "For what?"

"What do you think?" Erica replies.  "Taking out Commies, saving your friends."

"I thought you were more realistic than that, nerd," says Dustin.  Erica only rolls her eyes and climbs into the cart.  "We don't even know where they are, and even if we did, there are a million guards in there with weapons way deadlier than that."

"She isn't wrong, though," Abby admits.  "I mean, even if we do manage to get help, we'll still need all that we can to help.  That thing is better than having nothing."

Dustin nods.  "Right, but the best thing we can do for them is to get out of here and find help."  he starts to climb into the cart and slowly pushes the prod away from his face as Erica extends it towards him.  "Easy with that.  Our chance of surviving, and theirs, rise substantially.  Just trust me on this, please?"

Erica doesn't say anything in response, she only lowers her weapon as Dustin clambers into the cart.  She doesn't need to say anything.  Both Abby and Dustin know that she only wants to help, even if her idea of helping doesn't completely line up with theirs. 

Abby takes a breath and climbs into the cart.  She places her hands on the wheel and turns the ignition.  The engine rumbles beneath them as a grin spreads across Abby's face.

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*

Alarms blare around them and red lights flash across the hallways as Abby clutches the steering wheel tighter to keep her hands from shaking.  Her knuckles are white as they steer the cart away from the hallway that branches off of the main hub where the canisters of green acid that they had smashed bubbles and eats away hungrily at the floor.  Hopefully, it's a long enough distraction to rescue Steve and Robin.