Forever Young ━━ Steve Harrington

forty four! ⋆ THIS IS SCOOPS TROOP

The girl opened and closed her mouth, trying to find an answer.

"Why are you hesitating, Kate?"

"I'm- I- I'm not! I'm not! I think she sounds real," Kate nodded glancing at the boy for a moment before turning back to the road. "Totally real... Steve, turn left here."

He furrowed his brows. "There's not a road here."

"Turn left now!"

"Jesus, hang on!" he yelled as he turned the steering wheel as far as it would go. They were suddenly driving through tall grass and up a steep hill.

"Whoa, where the hell are we going?" he shouted through everyone else's screams.

"Up!"

The Cadillac was obviously having a hard time trekking up Weathertop. Steve attempted to use his — very minimal — driving skills to keep the car from skidding off and completely stopping. And it seemed to be working.

"We're not gonna make it!" Robin yelled with the shake of her head.

"Yeah, we are!" Steve responded before chanting to the car: "C'mon, baby! C'mon, baby!"

The engine began to strain before it soon came to a halt. He pressed his foot against the gas pedal, but still, it didn't move. Steve panted as he sat back in his seat, turning off the engine.

"I guess the Toddfather as its limitations," Kate sassed and arched a brow in his direction. She lightly shoved the boy to exit the car and the five of them hiked the rest of the way to Cerebro.

Dustin crouched to the ground, picking up the mic and pressing the button on the side before he began to speak. "Bald Eagle, do you copy? Bald Eagle, I repeat, this is Scoops Trop. Do you copy?"

"...Yes, I copy," Murray's smug voice hissed through. Kate couldn't even see him, but she knew he had a sarcastic, annoyed grin on his face.

The group chuckled with relief. "Call sign?"

"Bald Eagle."

"Please, repeat..."

"Bald. Eagle. This is Bald Eagle!"

"Copy that. Good to hear your voice, Bald Eagle. What's your 20?"

"We reached the vent. I'll contact you when I need you. Until then, silence."

"Roger that, Bald Eagle. This is Scoops Troop, going radio silent. 10-10, over," Dustin responded before sitting the microphone down, grinning up at the rest of the group. Steve pat the boy on the back and Kate went to say something too, before her vision suddenly went black.

In the emptiness, she could see her friends back at Starcourt. It looked as though they were trying to get something out of the car El had totalled only a few hours prior. But the large monster she'd seen earlier was slowly walking towards them.

It had somehow grown since the last time Kate saw it. She could hear its snarling and she briefly saw the group running from the noise, before her suddenly vision came back.

It seemed no one had noticed that the girl had checked out for a few moments. Her nose began to bleed, and she wiped it with the back of her hand as she panted heavily. "We have to go."

"Huh?" Steve asked as he turned around. His face converted from question to worry. "Go where?"

"To the mall," she responded as she began walking back towards the car.

Robin was still terribly confused. "Why?"

Kate glanced at her over her shoulder. "They're in trouble."

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Steve managed to get the car moving again; and he was driving as fast as he could back to Starcourt. Kate was barely able to keep her eyes open from the amount of wind blowing in her face.

"Go, faster! Please!" she fidgeted nervously. Even though Steve was going almost ninety miles per hour, it didn't feel nearly fast enough.

"I'm going as fast I can," he spoke through is teeth, trying to keep himself calm. He knew the last thing Kate needed was for him to start freaking out too.

"What the hell," Robin muttered softly.

Kate furrowed her brows at her, before following her gaze. She could barely make out anything ahead of her through the whipping wind and the dim headlights of Todd Father's Cadillac. But the streetlamps overhead of Starcourt Mall gave just enough light for Kate to see Nancy holding a gun.

And across from her, was Billy's three-year-old Camaro. And it was racing towards the brunette.

"Oh, my God," Kate breathed out.

"Hold on," Steve muttered, putting a protective arm over the blonde's lap and pressing harder against the gas pedal.

Kate and Robin screamed and their hands intertwined automatically from sheer fright. Though her shut were eyes, she could hear the ring of several gunshots, but the sound of Billy's car revving never stopped.

Nancy screamed loudly. And before Kate could form another thought, her body jolted as they crashed into the Camaro. The three of them yelled and the tires screeched as the car spun over and over again.

But once it finally came to a halt, Kate opened her eyes and slowly removed her hand from Robin's.

Billy's car was only a few feet away of their's – Todd's, actually. The vehicle was totalled and flames were rising from under the hood. She squinted her eyes, straining them to see further ahead of her – only to find Billy slumped over in the driver's seat. Unmoving.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked through heavy breaths.

Kate slowly turned to look at him. "Ask me again tomorrow."

"Guys," Robin muttered to gain their attention. She pointed upward. "Look."

They followed her finger and found the same monster Kate had seen twice before looming over the mall. Kate's mouth dropped open at the sight. It snarled angrily down at the group of teenagers – it was apparent that the "Griswold Family" barely escaped before it could get to them.

The sound of a car honk brought her from her thoughts.

"Get in!" Nancy yelled from the rolled down window of the passenger seat.

As the creature let out a roar, the three of them didn't hesitate to exit the dented Cadillac and run to the back of the car. Steve opened the latch at the back; Robin climbed in first, then Kate, then himself.

Jonathan sped off.

It wasn't until then Kate realised that her sister wasn't there – and that Mike and Max were missing too. She straightened up, looking through the small tinted window of the car. She saw the monster following after them, and felt a sort of relief knowing that the monster wouldn't be after the three others.

She barely had enough time to get one last glass at the wrecked Camaro, where Billy was — and he still hadn't moved.