1983 || Stranger Things

ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ | ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴘʀᴀɴᴋ

      "Hey, where's Max?" Dustin asked, turning to Julie.

      Julie racked her brain, before remembering what Max had told her earlier. "The arcade. She's bored, because all of you are being douches to her."

      Dustin's cheeks flushed red. "It's all Mike, I swear. Lucas and I want her in our Party, but Mike says no." Dustin tried to cover.

      "Still, Dustin, she's really sad, even if she doesn't show it to you guys."

      Dustin turned back facing forward, and Julie turned her head to look out the window. Hammer to Fall by Queen started playing on the car started playing as the sun set and Steve drove into the night.

      'Here we stand or here we fall. History won't care at all'

      No one spoke for a little bit, the only sounds coming from Freddie Mercury's voice and the car engine. It was uncomfortable for everyone, until Steve sparked a conversation again.

      "Wait a sec. How big?" Steve asked Dustin. Julie thought of something else entirely for a second after Steve spoke.

      "First it was like that," Dustin said, his fingers not very apart from each other, demonstrating Dart's size. "Now he's like this." Dustin's hands were now far apart, indicating that Dart had grown immensely.

      "I swear to God, man, it's just some little lizard, okay?" Steve said, one hand on the wheel.

      "This is not a lizard, Steve." Julie spoke up from the backseat, recalling the slimer running through the school.

      "How do you know?" Steve asked both Dustin and Julie, glancing at each of them.

      "How do I if it's not a lizard?"

      "Yeah, how do you know it's not just a lizard?"

      "Because his face opened up and he ate my cat."

      "Aww, Mews!" Julie said sadly, showing her fondess for the Henderson family cat. She had cat-sitted for Claudia and Dustin numerous times, so she was sad to hear that Mews had been brutally murdered.

      "Yeah." Dustin said sadly.

      Steve nodded, accepting that Dart was not just a lizard. 'We're just waiting for the hammer to fall'

      The trio arrived at Dustin's house and all climbed out of the car. Steve opened the trunk, tossing the keys to Dustin and Julie pulled out the bats. She gave the nail bat to Steve, and took her barbed wire one in her hands, turning it every which way.

      Steve and Julie took flashlights, Dustin leading them over to the storm cellar. "You locked him in here?" Julie asked, tapping one of the door's with her bat.

      Dustin nodded, and Julie was about to say something else, but Steve's hand flew over her mouth. She looked at him in confusion. "I don't hear shit." he said after a moment, releasing his hand from Julie's face.

      "He's in there." Dustin said.

      Steve looked at Dustin for a second, before turning back to the storm cellar and hitting his bat against the lock. Steve grew frustrated, and turned to Dustin and Julie, shining the flashlight in their faces. "All right, listen, you two. I swear, if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you're both dead."

      Julie blocked the light away with her hands, gently knocking the flashlight down with her bat. "It's not." Dustin said.

      "All right?" Steve asked once more, bringing the light back to them.

      "It's not a prank." Dustin promised the teen in front of them.

      "Get it away." Julie said, once again pushing the flashlight away with her bat.

      Steve looked at both of them, before nodding at the cellar. "You got a key for this thing?"

      "Look at you, being brave." Julie teased.

      "Shut up."

      Dustin got a key and unlocked the cellar, stepping back so Steve could open it. Once it was open, Julie and Dustin appeared on both of Steve's side, shining their lights down into the dark cellar.

       "Let me see that." Steve said, taking Julie's light from her. Upon first glance down the now-lit storm cellar, Dart was no where to be found.

      "He must be further down there," Dustin said. "I'll stay up here in case he tries to escape." the boy said, and Steve turned his head to look at him. Dustin met his gaze, and Steve looked back down the cellar with a shake of his head.

      "Okay. Let's go, J." Steve announced, standing up from his kneeling position and looking at the only girl there.

      "Whoa, whoa. Absolutely not."

      "You're really going to make me go alone?"

      "I've already delt with this slimey monster, it's your turn. Have fun." Julie said, gently pushing Steve towards the steps.

      Steve rolled his eyes and sighed. "If I get eaten, I'm blaming you." he grumbled, turning and starting to walk down the steps.

      "Whatever floats your boat." Julie said, leaning against her bat.

      After a moment, Dustin and Julie heard nothing from Steve. "Are you alive?" Julie called to him, but got no response.

      "Steve, what's going on down there?" Dustin asked, inching closer to the storm cellar.

      A bright light that belonged to Steve's flashlight appeared, along with Steve's body. "Get down here." he said, and Julie unfortunately followed Dustin down.

      When they reached the final step, Dustin and Julie saw Steve holding molted skin on his bat. "Is that his skin?" Julie asked.

      "Oh, shit," Dustin cursed. Steve moved his flashlight over to a corner of the cellar where bricks were removed and there was a large hole. "Oh, shit!"

      The three of them walked closer, and saw that there was a tunnel in which Dart escaped from. "No way," Dustin said. "No way." he repeated.

      "Jesus." Julie said under her breath, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

      "Well, this sucks."