𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 ✧ robin buckley

10 | the key

"What about being American heroes?" Erica raised her brows, "I wanted the US Military in here busting some Commie ass."

"We can tell them when we're safe on the surface," Dustin argued back shaking the keycard.

Or not. Azalea thought.

She hoped against all hopes that they would get out of there safely, and then somehow convince them to pretend they saw nothing. But that seemed less and less likely the more they saw.

After what she saw, could she even pretend to she saw nothing? Or did she have a bigger moral obligation to tell someone to stop the Russians?

Maybe she could warn her dad before they tell the US Military—save her dad, save America.

Everything could still work out, right?

"Guys," Robin's voice echoed from a side hallway, "There's something up there."

Azalea went with the rest of the group towards her. Robin was perched a couple steps up the hall, the door at the end of the hall glowing blue.

Wordlessly, they all climbed the stairs, the blue glow lighting up their faces as they got closer and closer. Robin held the door open for the crew as they snuck into the room.

Azalea slowly walked behind Dustin to the door where the light was emitting from.

Her heart sank and breath caught.

Behind another glass full of scientists and Russians was a giant machine whirring and screeching, blue light blasting out the front with electricity crackling around it.

It was the 'Key' from her dad's booklet.

Even more terrifying was what it was shooting at. The wall had a large tear in it, vines hanging between it and large particles emitting from it. A deep red hue came from behind the tear. The wall looked like it was breathing, like it was alive.

The vines, the particles, the cold feeling in the room. She'd seen this before.

They were re-opening the gate to the Upside-Down.

"Holy shit." Dustin muttered in front of her, echoing her sentiments exactly.

"The gate," Dustin and Steve gulped.

"No, no, no, no, no," Azalea cried, cursing under her breath.

This is what her dad was working on?

"We have to go," Azalea said wide-eyed to Dustin and Steve, "Now."

Steve and Dustin pulled Robin and Erica away from the door and out of the room back into the comms center, follow Azalea who was racing down the stairs in a spiraling panic.

"I don't understand." Robin called after them, "You've seen this before?"

"Not exactly." Steve answered.

"Then what, exactly?"

Dustin licked his lips nervously, "All you need to know is it's bad."

"It's really bad." Azalea added, hands pressed on her face in fear.

"Like, end-of-the-human-race-as-we-know-it kind of bad." Dustin expressed.

Robin eyed Azalea in worry, "And you know about this how?"

"Um, Steve?" Erica piped up, "Where's your Russian friend?"

The group all looked around the room. The Russian man was gone.

Just then an alarm started blaring, a light in the room flashing red. Azalea felt her chest tightening. They were dead. They were so dead.

"Shit." Steve cursed, running to open the door. Which turned out to be a very bad move as the Russian soldiers were right outside.