There's No Place Like Hawkins//Stranger Things. SH

FOURTEEN

"Hmm, it was bleeding, too." Jonathan finished as Cat nodded.

"One sec." Nancy went through her books, some of which Cat was leaning on and so had to lift her head in order for her friend to find the book she was looking for. She pulled the book of sharks from underneath Cat's head and placed it on top of the one with the lions. "Sharks can detect blood in one part per million. That's one drop of blood in a million, and they can smell it from a quarter mile away."

"So you're saying it can detect blood?" Both Jonathan and Cat asked at the same time, sharing a look as they did so.

"It's just a theory." Nancy said, her voice quiet.

"We could test it." Nancy and Catherine nodded, agreeing with Jonathan. "But if it works..."

"At least we'll know it's coming."

The door rattled and Cat nearly let out a shriek as she scrambled to sit up on the bed. "Honey, are you up?" Mrs. Wheeler's voice called through the door and the teens let out a sigh knowing it was just her.

"Yeah, Cat and I are just finishing some homework."

"I, uh, made some blueberry pancakes. Cat's welcome to have some too."

"We'll be down in a second." Nancy sighed as they heard her mother's footsteps walk away from the door. Both Jonathan and Nancy looked down to see their hands intertwined and quickly pulled their hands away from each other.

"Your mom doesn't knock?" Jonathan asked after a moment of silence. The three teens let out a small chuckle.

***

Jonathan, Nancy and Catherine were in a store buying stuff to trap and kills this monster. As Cat was unable to pick stuff up she followed behind Nancy on her crutches, pointing out anything that might be useful.

Cat stood next to the counter as both Jonathan and Nancy piled the stuff in front of the clerk; including bear traps, hammers, gasoline and nails. By the look on the clerk's face, they looked absolutely crazy purchasing what they were.

"And I'll have four boxes of the .38s." Jonathan said, talking about the bullets that were behind the counter. Cat just smiled at the man as he looked at them like they were crazy.

"What you kids doin' with all this?" He asked, placing the boxes on the counter.

"Um.." Jonathan turned to Nancy, not sure what to say.

"Monster hunting." She said simply.

"Huh." The man scoffed.

"Yup. We're going to kill the monster that did this to me." Cat pointed to the long cut down her arm and face.

***

"'Monster hunting'?" Jonathan asked as both he and Nancy carried the boxes of stuff to his car, Cat just behind them on her crutches.

"You know, last week..." Nancy started as she and Jonathan began to load the car's trunk. "I was shopping with for a new top I thought Steve might like. It took me, Cat and Barb all weekend."

"It was fun though." Cat interjected, smiling. "And the tops I brought have yet to be covered in paint from my artwork."

"Yeah. It seemed like life or death, you know? And... and now-"

"You're shopping for bear traps with Jonathan Byers."

"Yeah." Nancy said as Jonathan closed the trunk of his car.

"What's the weirdest part?" Jonathan asked. "Me or the bear trap?"

"You. It's definitely you."

"I was gonna say the fact that I got attacked by a fucking monster, but whatever." Cat laughed.