Girlfriend or girl that's a friend. (Lucas Sinclair x Reader)

18: The hub and the Demodogs.

Even though I was wearing a bandanna over my nose, the smell still hit me like a disgusting wave of rotting flesh.

I shuddered at the smell, pushing my makeshift mask up farther on my face.

"Alright Wheelers. I think we found your hub." Steve said, gazing out upon the cavern.

"Let's drench it." Mike said, looking over to me for agreement.

I nodded and we set to work covering every inch of the hub in gasoline, each of us carrying a container of some sort.

The stench of decay and mold was quickly buried under that of gallons of gasoline and lighter fluid.

Lucas sprayed the ceiling with the pesticide sprayer from back at the Byers, which he had filled with the fuel while the rest of us covered the walls and floors.

When we were finished, not a single drop of gasoline was left in any of our canisters.

Steve and our remaining party members stood at the entrance to the hub.

"You ready?" Steve asked, glancing back at us.

We all agreed and he took a lighter out of his pocket.

Dustin looked up at Steve from beside me.

He nodded curtly to the older boy.

"Light her up." Dustin said.

Steve sighed, gazing out upon every inch of the hub that we had doused in gasoline.

"I am in such deep shit." He said, flicking the lighter opened and lighting it.

With one last glance, Steve tossed the flame into the hub, and in seconds the whole place was engulfed in flames, the vines writhing around and shrieking in pain.

"Go, go, go!" Steve shouted, to which we did not hesitate in running the opposite direction.

We sprinted to the exit as the fire in the hub spread and every inch of the place was consumed.

We ran back through the tunnels, jumping over vines in an attempt not to trip.

No one looked back as the shrieks from the hub got farther away.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Hey, this way!" Steve shouted, leading us all through the tunnel.

Michael tripped on some vines and we all turned and ran back at his cries.

"Michael!" I yelled.

"Help! Help!" He called.

"Hold on!" Steve shouted.

Steve grabbed his bat and hacked at the vines that were attached to Mike's ankles.

The vines finally let go and Mike scrambled up with the help of Steve.

"You good?" Lucas asked Mike.

"Yeah." Mike replied.

"Guys, come on! We have to go! Now!" I yelled.

We all ran for the exit as fast as we could, until we came around a corner, and what we saw made us stop dead in our tracks.

A demodog stood in front of us, growling.

Something about it looked oddly familiar.

"... Dart?" Dustin asked.

"What?" I asked.

Then my eyes went wide when I saw the same yellow pattern on his butt.

"That is not Dart!" Lucas said.

"Yes it is! Look, he has the same yellow pattern on his butt!" I said.

"Dart!" Dustin said.

Dart's growling got louder.

Dustin stepped in front of all of us.

"Hey-what are you doing, Dustin?" I asked, my eyes growing wide.

"Stop!" Mike said.

"Trust me. Please." Dustin said in a calm and pleading voice.

"Dustin-"

Steve was probably the most panicked at this point.

Dustin kneeled in front of Dart, who had stopped growling.

"Hey. It's me. It's me. It's just your friend. It's Dustin, alright? You remember me? Will you let us pass?" Dustin asked.

Dart growled again.

I inhaled a sharp breath.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry about the cellar. That was a pretty duchey thing of me to do." Dustin said.

"You hungry? Yeah?" Dustin asked dart.

"He's crazy." Lucas said.

"No kidding." I said, not taking my eyes off Dart while Max nodded.

Dustin reached into his backpack and pulled out a three musketeers bar.

"See? Our favourite." Dustin said.

He unwrapped it and put it on the ground.

Dart sniffed it and looked at Dustin who just smiled at the creature.

Dart ate the chocolate, chittering happily.

"There's more where that came from." Dustin said.

He giggled and unwrapped a few more for him, motioning with one hand for us to go past him.

"Bye buddy." Dustin said sadly.

Then Steve grabbed his arm and dragged him back to our group.

As we headed down the tunnel again, a loud thundering noise sounded out, shaking the whole place.

Demodogs.

Lucas spotted the rope and pointed ahead and we all ran to it.

Steve lifted Lucas out of the hole first, then Lucas reached down and helped Max up.

Everyone pulled me out of the gaping purple hole in the vines and I was out in no time.

We all then helped Mike out of the hole and he practically flew out from all the help.

Dustin was about to climb the rope when I spotted them all coming towards them.

Demodogs.

A vicious pack, hurdling towards Dustin and Steve.

Shit.

Steve raised his bat and stood protectively in front of Dustin.

Dustin screamed and I closed my eyes, not wanting to witness my friend's death.

They braced themselves for the feeling of teeth sinking into their thighs and arms, but they never came.

I opened my eyes to see the slimy and wet bodies of the demodogs brushing past Dustin and Steve.

They each climbed up the rope. Dustin and finally Steve.

Hugs between the party were shared by the courtesy of them almost dying.

A shrieking noise came from the hole and Mike peered down with a gasp.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"They're dead." Mike said.

"That means-" Max started.

"El closed the gate. She did it." I said softly.

Word count: 1462