Y/n's pov
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 and moving around 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.
Mike tripped on some vines and we all turned and ran back at his cries.
"Help! Help!" Mike 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.
Steve and I were 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? And Y/n. You remember us? 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.
Dart raised his head in my direction, almost like he was looking at me for an apology.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry... about that." I said.
"You hungry? Yeah?" Dustin asked dart.
"He's crazy." Lucas said.
"No kidding." I said, not taking my eyes off Dart and Dustin 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 I grabbed his arm and dragged him back to our group.
"Never do that to me again." I scolded, still holding onto his arm.
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.
We all then helped Mike out of the hole and he practically flew out from all the help.
I was about to climb the rope when I spotted them all coming towards us.
Demodogs.
A vicious pack, hurdling towards Dustin, Steve and I.
Shit.
Steve raised his bat and stood protectively in front of Dustin and I.
Dustin screamed and I closed my eyes, practically holding onto him.
I braced myself for the feeling of teeth sinking into my thighs and arms, but they never came.
I opened my eyes to see the slimy and wet bodies of the demodogs brushing past me and Dustin hugging me tightly.
We all climbed up the rope. Me, then Dustin and finally Steve.
Hugs between the party were shared by the courtesy of us 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: 847
(Heads up! Snowball is the next chapter!)