Life in Hawkins

Chapter 37 The flayed

     We still continue to walk, we're all getting tired and minds running with questions, what's going on?

     "I mean, you have to admit, as a feat of engineering alone, this is impressive" Dustin says. "What are you talking about? It's a total fire hazard. There's no stairs, there's no exit, there's just an elevator that drops you halfway to hell" Steve explains. "They're commies. You don't pay people, they cut corners" Erica adds. "To be fair to our Russian comrades, I don't think this tunnel was made for walking" Robin says. "I agree, they made almost the perfect system for transporting their cargo. It all comes into the mall like any old delivery" I say. "Then they load it up onto these trucks and nobody's the wiser" Robin adds. "You think they built this whole mall just so they could transport that green poison?" Steve questions. "I very seriously doubt it's something as boring as poison. It's gotta be much more valuable, like promethium or something" Dustin states. "What the hell is promethium?" Steve asks confused. "Its what Victor Stones dad used to make cyborgs bionic and cybernetic components" Robin explains. "You're all so nerdy it makes me fiscally ill" Erica replies fake gagging. "No, no, no. No, don't lump me in with them. I'm not a nerdy alright?" Steve says. "Why so sensitive, Harrington?" Robin asks sarcastically. "Afraid of losing cool points to a ten-year-old child?" I question. "No, i'm just saying I don't know jack shit about Prometheus" Steve defends himself. "Promethium" I correct. "Prometheus is a greek mythology figure, but whatever all i'm saying is, it's probably being used to make something" Dustin says. "Or power something" Robin adds. "Like a nuclear weapon?" Dustin suggests. "Totally" I agree. "Walking towards a nuclear weapon. That's great. That's great" Steve says in a sarcastic tone. "But if they're building something, why here? I mean, Hawkins seriously, of all places. At the very best, we're a toilet stop on your way to Disneyland, but maybe that's it" Robin asks, confused.

     Stopping at the same time, like the gears are turning in our heads. Dustin, Steve, and I stop looking at each other like we had the same idea. "You think the Russians know?" Dustin asks. "About-" Steve starts "They could" I interrupt understanding where he was going. "So it's connected?" Steve questions. "Maybe" Dustin answers, "How?" Steve asks confused. "I don't know but it's..." Dustin says. "Possible" Steve and I finish his sentence.

     Robin and Erica see us not following and stop. Turning around Robin says "I'm sorry, is there something you'd like to share with the class?" When all of the sudden we hear the walkie-talkie go off. "Walkie" Both Dustin and Steve says as we run over to Erica's backpack. "A trip to China sounds nice, if you tread lightly" Robin repeats what the Russian man says over the walkie-talkie. "It's the code" She clarifies. "Wherever that's broadcast is coming from-" Dustin starts before getting interrupted. "It's close" Robin says. "And if there's one thing we know about that signal" She continues. "It can reach the surface" this time Dustin interrupting. "Let's go" Robin says. Start to make our way down the hallways faster with more purpose in each step.

     As we keep moving, we end up getting a little to close for comfort, to one of the Russian guards. Trying to stay out of sight, Steve peaks his head around the corner. "Okay, clear. Clear, come on. Let's go" He says as we start moving down another hallway. "Okay, that was close" Robin says. "Too close" Dustin adds. "Relax" I say trying to calm him down, since as he talks he's only getting louder. "All right? Relax nobody saw..." Steve starts until he goes quiet. We turn the corner, and go quiet too. We see the base it looks like, Russian soldiers, people in lab coats, and lots of them. "Shit" Steve says, as we run behind a large box hoping know one saw us. "Jesus!" Steve says in surprise. "Red dawn" Dustin replies. "I saw it, first floor northwest" Erica says. "Saw what?" Steve asks. "The comms room" Erica answers. "You saw the comms room?" Steve repeats. "Correct" Erica says. "Are you sure?" Steve questions. "Positive, the door was open for a second, and I saw a bunch of lights and machines and shit in there" Erica explains. "That could be a hundred different things" Dustin says. "I'll take those odds" Robin says. After she and Steve turn to look at me for my opinion. "Eh, fuck it, let's go" I say. Steve sighs and then starts whispering. "Alright. We're gonna move fast, we're gonna stay low. Okay?" Steve says. We all nod in agreement.

     We start to move fast, and low like Steve said. Hiding behind things as we move, trying to stay out of sight. "Shh, move it" Steve says stopping. We watch a man in a lab coat leave, once he's out of sight Steve runs up and grabs the door. Holding it so we can all make our way in. "Let's go" Steve says. "Sh, sh. Come on" he says as we all make it inside.

    We turn around to see another Russian soldier, sitting at the comms. He see us as well. He slowly stands up and goes to grab his gun. Robin moves fast, and starts talking to the man in what little Russian she knows. It doesn't seem to be working, as after a bit he still goes for the gun. Without another thought. Steve starts screaming and yelling at him. Tackling him in the desk, they start wrestling. Throwing punches, Steve turns and grabs a phone smacking the guard in the face with it, he falls and hits his head on one of the desks, and gets knocked out. "Dude!" Dustin says excited. "You did it! You won a fight!" He continues. Steve looks surprised and sighs a light "jeez..." out. Dustin goes over to the get the guards keycard. "What are you doing?" Erica questions. "Getting us our ticket out of here" Dustin answers. "You want to walk all the way back?" Erica asks in disbelief. "Well, we can hang out for a little bit, relax, have a picnic maybe" Dustin says back sarcastically.

     Their little argument fades into the background. As i'm making sure Steve is okay. "Shit, dude. You actually won a fight" I say as I make sure he doesn't have any cuts. "Yeah, didn't really expect that" He admits. "And it was against a Russian soldier, pretty badass" I explain. "Thanks, weird to think about to be honest" Steve says being very shocked about the whole situation. We get pulled out of our conversation hearing Robin. "Guys" she says getting all of our attention. "There's something up there" she says pointing up the stair case. We make our way up to the top opening the door and stepping inside the small room. "Let's go" Steve says holding the door open for the rest of us. Going up and looking through the glass in the door. "Holy shit" Dustin says in disbelief. "Well, fuck that's not good" I admit. As we all watch it play out in front of us. The Russians are trying to re-open the gate to the upside down.

~ enjoy this chapter thanks for all the continuous support, see you in the next chapter <3 ~