CHAPTER FOUR
A PIECE OF ADVICE
The bus is somber. Night has fallen over the junkyard and all they can do now is wait and pray that the monsters have fallen for their bait. She can barely make out her companion's faces through the suffocating darkness that has swallowed the interior of the bus. Through the small gaps between the sheets of metal, Abby can see the fog that has overtaken the junkyard. The series silence has returned, and with it the inhibitions that continue to plague her mind. She sits on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest as she leans against the wall of the bus. Lucas and Alex have long since disappeared up to the top of the school bus to keep lookout. Steve sits similarly with his legs stretched out as he clicks his cigarette lighter on and off. Max slumps in one of the few remaining red leather seats with her arms crossed over her chest as she watches Dustin who paces back and forth.
Finally, Max speaks up, breaking the heavy silence. "So, you've really fought one of these things before?" She turns her head to Steve who tears his gaze away from his lighter. He nods silently before he returns to the monotonous clink of metal against flint. "And you're like totally, 100-percent sure it wasn't a bear?"
"Shit. Don't be an idiot, okay?" Dustin snaps. "It wasn't a bear. Why are you even here if you don't believe us? Just go home."
"Geesh, someone's cranky," Max mutters as she pushes herself up from her seat. She steps onto the latter and turns back to Dustin who has resumed his pacing. "Past your bedtime?"
Steve watches as the teenager disappears onto the roof of the bus to join Alex and Lucas. He nods and wears an approving expression as he glances back at Dustin. "That's good. Just show her you don't care."
Abby furrows her brows, muttering. "What kind of shitty romance advice—"
"I don't," Dustin responds. "Why are you winking, Steve? Stop."
Dustin soon retreats to the back of the bus and Abby continues to stare out of the gap between the sheets of metal. The outside world has since faded away, she's too focused on the foggy land that lays beyond. She's waiting for a sudden movement in the sea of fog to signal that their battle has begun. Her heart is pounding despite the fact that they aren't in any immediate danger yet, but the thought is enough to keep her wary and alert and the blood pumping through her veins. She doesn't notice that Steve has since migrated from his spot to take a seat next to Abby until he speaks up.
"Hey, how are you holding up?" He asks.
Abby jumps. "Jesus! Wear a bell or something."
"Oh, sorry about that," he apologizes quickly. "I probably should've figured you were jumpy, considering ... well, everything. But, really, how are you holding up after just suddenly being thrown into all of this?"
"I mean, this isn't the most ideal way to be spending my free time," Abby admits with a small laugh. She glances at Steve and shrugs. "But, this is for the good of Hawkins, right? We'll all be able to sleep easier once this is all said and done. And well, if we miraculously save the town, I'm sure it'll look pretty good on a college application."
Steve frowns but nods, allowing a small laugh to escape into the atmosphere. "Well, that is one way to look at it."
"Didn't know you had this side to you, Harrington," Abby comments after a moment as she shifts her position so that she can look at him. "It's weird how you perceive somebody some way, but as soon as you're away from other people you see more than what they wear on the surface."
"Yeah?" Steve responds. Abby nods. "And what did you perceive me as?"
"Kind of an asshole, if I'm being honest," Abby answers after a moment. Steve doesn't seem too surprised by Abby's answer. He just nods and glances down at the cigarette lighter in his hand once more and lights the flame. He stares down at it as Abby continues, "Someone who tries a little too hard to get noticed, and I mean, I get it. But when you're acting a certain way to get others' approval, then you end up masking the other things that make you, well, you. And I think it's time you stop hiding this part of yourself. And a piece of advice, Steve," he looks up from his flame to meet Abby's gaze, "some girls do like it when you care."
She isn't entirely sure what to do, so she awkwardly punches Steve lightly on the shoulder before she makes her way to the back of the bus where Dustin has slumped in a seat. "Hey, curly-cue."
Dustin looks up at her glumly. "Hey."
She takes a seat beside him. "Tough day, huh, kid?"
The boy shrugs. "Yeah, you can say that."
"Well, you owe me a hell of a payday as soon as this is over," Abby jokes with a small smile, though the joke falls flat in the space between them. "That was a joke, kid, you're allowed to laugh."
Before Dustin can respond, a loud roar sounds throughout the junkyard. Abby sucks in a deep breath as she, Steve, and Dustin spring toward the windows of the bus.
The battle has begun.
"You see him?" Dustin asks in a hushed whisper as the three scan the landscape.
"No," Steve answers.
"Negative," Abby reports with a shake of her head. The silence that follows the roar is filled with the rapid palpitations of her heart. She's waiting for Dart to lunge at the window where the thee stand, but nothing happens, and she thinks that that is much worse.
Dustin turns toward the ladder and calls, "Lucas? Alex? What's going on?"
"Hold on!" Lucas calls back. The moments that follow are filled with a tense silence as they await Lucas's report. "I've got eyes!" He finally calls. "Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock! Ten-ten o'clock!"
"He doesn't look too happy either!" Alex calls. The tremor in the girl's voice has returned and Abby can only frown in sympathy.
"There." Steve points through the window. They watch with bated breath as the creature slowly emerges from the sea of fog in the junkyard. Abby wipes the sweaty palms of her hands on her jeans as she watches. She wants to look away, but her eyes are glued to the junkyard with some sort of horrific fascination.
"What's he doing?" Dustin whispers nervously.
"I don't know," Steve answers with a slight shake of his head.
Abby gulps as she continues to watch. Something about this isn't right. Dart does not approach the pile of meat that they have left in the center of the junkyard. Instead, he lurks right on the outskirts of the junkyard, just barely out of sight, menacingly growling, reminding them that although he is not in their immediate vicinity, he's still there, watching, waiting. They may feel safer for now, but they are far from being out of the woods. They are on their own lone island in a sea of monsters, and there's nobody to come and rescue them.
"He's not taking the bait," Steve whispers frantically. "Why isn't he taking the bait?"
"Maybe he's not hungry?" Dustin suggests.
Steve takes a breath and clenches his jaw. "Maybe he's sick of cow."
Abby's and Dustin's eyes follow Steve as he slowly backs away from the window. He pauses for a moment as he continues to stare at the window. He seems to have a debate with himself in those few moments before he nods firmly. He knows what he has to do.
"Steve?" Dustin calls as he makes his way toward the door of the bus. "Steve, what are you doing?"
"Hey, hey, hey, Harrington, don't be a dumbass!" Abby calls frantically.
Steve doesn't answer. He only turns back to Dustin and tosses him the cigarette lighter. "Just get ready."
The doors creak open as Steve slowly steps outside. He's twirls the bat as he steps into the sea of fog, looking around keenly. Abby wrings her hands together as Steve steps further away from them, from the solace and safety of the bus and closer to the imminent danger that lays just farther. All their planning has just crumbled beneath them and the last thing that the group had wanted was for one of their own to enter the battlefield.
"Steve!" comes Alex's anguished cry from up above. "Steve, what the hell are you doing?"
Steve doesn't look back at the bus. Perhaps it's too painful for him to face his sister right now, even if it may as well be the last time he hears her voice. He lets out a low, taunting whistle that echoes across the junkyard. "Come on, buddy," he coaxes. He lets out another whistle as he slowly continues to edge closer and closer to the outskirts of the junkyard.
Max scrambles down the ladder closely followed by Alex who promptly collapses onto the ground. "What's he doing?" Max asks as she joins Abby and Dustin at the window.
"Expanding the menu," Dustin answers. Alex lets out a strangled sob and Max is quick to turn away from the window and fall to her knees in front of the girl in an attempt to console her.
"Come on, buddy," Steve calls. He's even farther away now, and his voice is fainter and barely reaches their ears. The bat swims from side to side like the pendulum of the grandfather clock that sits in the Foster's living room. "Come on, buddy. Dinner time. Human tastes better than cat, I promise."
"He's batshit crazy," Abby murmurs.
"He's awesome," Dustin rebukes with a wide grin.
"Holy fuck," Abby breathes as the creature emerges from the heavy, dense fog.
It's much bigger than Abby remembers, much more threatening. Steve looks small compared the monstrosity before him. It won't take much for the creature to rip him to shreds. Steve seems to realize this too, but he stands his ground and continues to swing his bat from left to right. Behind her, Max continues to whisper assurances and promises she knows she might not be able to keep to Alex who continues to shake and sob on the floor of the bus. Abby watches with a morbid fascination as several more of the monsters begin to emerge from the fog. Her breath catches in her throat as she realizes that Steve is completely surrounded, stranded in the sea of fog with no way to escape.
"STEVE!" Lucas yells from the lookout. "WATCH OUT!"
"A little busy here!" Steve calls back, refusing to take his eyes off of the creature before him.
"Three o'clock! Three o'clock!" Lucas shouts.
Finally, Steve slowly turns around to face the monsters who have advanced behind him. He's sorely outmatched, and there's now way he can win now. "Steve!" Dustin shouts as he throws the door open. "Abort! Abort!"
"Get out of there!" Abby yells.
Abby watches with wide-eyed horror as the first of the creatures lets out a loud roar. Its flower-like face opens up to reveal its rows of sharp teeth as it charges at Steve. He jumps out of the way just in the nick of time and rolls across the hood of a nearby car. The creatures that had lunged at him crashes headfirst into the glass window of the car as Steve swings his bat and sends the second creature that jumps at him flying away. By then, Lucas has joined Dustin at the door and the two boys frantically scream for Steve to run. Steve sprints for the door of the bus, closely pursued by the pack of hungry, rabid creatures. He leaps into the bus and slams the door shut just in time.
"Are they rabid or something?!" Max yells with wide-eyes as they all scramble backwards away from the door as the creatures claw at the flimsy metal. Steve is quick to grab the spare sheet of metal propped up against the wall in an attempt to barricade them.
"They can't get in!" Lucas shouts. "They can't!"
They all let out more screams as the Demogorgons burst through the door, their teeth baring and limbs flailing. Max, Dustin, and Lucas scramble out of the way as Steve slams the Demogorgon with his bat and Abby helps a scrambling Alex up from where she had collapsed.
"Shit!" Dustin screams as he takes refuge in one of the seats and screams into his headset, "Is anyone there? Mike? Will? God! Anyone? Shit!" He screams as another one of the creatures rams into the wall. Abby lets out a yelp as she stumbles backward. Dustin continues to yell, "We are at the old junkyard! And we are going to die!"
Abby's horrified gaze travels to the roof of the car where loud footsteps sound from. Max, who had found herself just beneath the open hatch of the escape exit lets out a loud shrill scream as the Demogorgon pokes its head through the hatch. "Out of the way! Out of the way!" Steve shouts as he pushes past Max. He brandishes his bat as he stares up at the creature. "You want some? Come get this!"
The creature only roared louder until suddenly, it silenced. Its head turns away from them and it lets out another growl before it leaps off of the bus.
A silence fills the bus, but for once it's not an eerie one. It's the calm that follows a storm, the relief that fills the air when the thunder and lightning has disappeared from the sky. The warm feeling of knowing that you're safe and that you have been spared to live another day. For now, they're safe. Abby lets out a breath that she didn't know that she had been holding.
"You fucking dumbass!" Alex yells as she lunges at Steve, tackling her older brother in a hug. "I swear to god if you pull something like that again ..." She pulls away from him after a few moments, furiously wiping at her face.
Cautiously, slowly, Steve pulls the bus door open. His bat is at the ready as he slowly steps out into the field of grass. Alex is quick to follow her brother's lead. The rest of the group strays in the doorway. Lucas gazes across the now empty junkyard.
"What happened?" Lucas finally questions.
"I don't know," Max answers as she peers over his head.
"Whatever it is, I doubt it's good," Abby adds with a shudder, standing just behind Max.
"Maybe Steve scared 'em off?" Dustin suggests as he joins the formation to stand just above Abby.
"Steve's face does tend to have that effect," Alex says with a shrug. Steve punches her arm. "Ow! What was that for?"
"No," says Steve as he turns back to face the remaining members of the group. "No way. They're going somewhere."
author's note: i'm so bad at writing action, i'm sorry! but to make up for that, there's a steve and abby bonding moment.