Rhiannon // Max Mayfield

12: Dying isn't funny

Alex was on the couch, messing with one of Bob's brain teasers as Max and Lucas cleaned the glass from the smashed window and Dustin and Steve were putting the demodog in the fridge to preserve it.

Alex had been ordered to stay on the couch by Mike and Steve, neither of the boys wanted her to injure herself further. She was blocking out everything Steve and Dustin were saying, the unlikely duo proving to be a good friendship.

She continued to mess with the brain teaser absentmindedly as her mind drifted back to the lab. Since she told the whole group the memories had started to plague her mind, the pain she went through. She didn't see Max's concerned glances or Mike's pacing.

"Mike, would you just stop already?" Lucas snaps at the boy loudly, breaking Alex out of her web of thoughts. This caused Alex to look at Mike, blinking rapidly to come back to reality.

The lab was over, ended done. She wasn't there anymore, she hasn't been there for six years, everything's fine. But when she let her mind wonder, it's like she was back there, just a helpless kid as they injected her with random stuff.

"You weren't there, Okay Lucas! That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs," Mike says to him, Worry taking over his expression as he fiddled with the buttons of his shirt.

Alex thought it was kind of cute how Mike worried for El. Over the year she had been gone, Alex noticed he had been quieter, more upset; like a piece of him was attached to her.

"Demodogs!" Dustin shouted from the other room, making everyone groan. Mike rolled his eyes, the constant correction getting under his skin.

"The chief will take care of her," Lucas assures Mike with a nod. Lucas wasn't good at comforting people, they had established that years ago and he wasn't the closest with Eleven either but he knew for sure that she could handle herself, the girl had superpowers for gods sake. They all knew that, deep down, that she would be fine, but there was that little though at the back of their minds, a feeling of doubt.

"As if she needs protection," Max mutters picking herself up up of floor. Alex sets the brain teaser on the small table as Steve walks in with a tea towel, wiping the demodog juices off his hands.

"We have to help them, who knows what those dogs can do-" Mike starts, pacing again.

"It's demo-"

"Shut up Dustin," Alex and Mike shout in unison, making the curly haired boy shrink back, "One of those things ate your cat, ate Bob, almost at Alex and it'll eat Hopper and El next." Mike stressed.

Alex laughed a little at the mention of her name, causing the others to look at her as if she was insane. Alex just held her hands up in defence, "What, i think it's funny that i almost got eaten by a dog!"

"Dying isn't funny, Alex," Steve spoke back, not even understanding what about it was amusing to her to begin with.

"The face of optimism here folks," Alex mumbled, ignoring Steve completely, causing Mike to throw a cushion at her.

"Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it," Steve says to Mike who was still stressed, "All right?"

Alex rolled her eyes at Steve's analogy, basketball games and killing demon dogs were way different.

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game," Mike says to Steve, also rolling his eyes, "And second, we're not even in the game, We're on the bench,"