━︎ VOL TWO. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
❝︎ you're an asshole and i love you
so much ❞︎
"The Mind Flayer," Mike explains. "It built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, to kill her and pave a way into our world."
"And it almost did. That was just one tiny piece of it," adds Nancy.
"How big is this thing?" Hopper asks.
"It's big," Jonathan murmurs. "Thirty feet, at least."
"Yeah," Lucas agrees. "It sorta destroyed your cabin. Sorry."
Steve begins to speak beside him. "Okay, so just to be clear, this... the big fleshy thing that hurt El, it's some kind of gigantic...weapon?"
"Yes." Nancy answers.
"But, instead of, like screws and metal, the mind flayer made its weapon... with melted people."
"Yes, exactly," Nancy exclaims.
If Jack were in Robin or Erica's place he would be shocked to his core, but after last fall, nothing really surprises him anymore.
"Are we sure this thing is still out there, still alive?" Joyce asks.
Max nods. "El beat the shit out of it, but, yeah, it's still alive."
"But if we close the gate again-" Will starts.
"We cut the brain off from the body."
"And kill it," Lucas says. "Theoretically."
"Yoo-hoo!" The man yells, who Jack learned was named Murray. He waves paper over his head as he approaches the group.
He slams the paper down on a table and everyone gathers around him.
"Okay, this is what Alexei called 'the hub'. Now, the hub takes us to the vault room." He points to a part of his man-made map.
"Okay, where's the gate?" Hopper asks.
He points toward the vault room and explains the distances between the gate and other rooms.
"Maybe 50 feet or so," Murray says, and Jack tries hard not to laugh because he is so wrong.
"More like 500." Erica approaches the man. "What, you're just gonna waltz in there like it's commie Disneyland or something?"
"I'm sorry, who are you?" The man raises his eyebrows.
"Erica Sinclair. Who are you?"
Jack almost wants to clap for Erica while she lectures the man. Dustin defends her, and explains the layout of the basement, and shows them how to reach the vault.
Hopper does not like that idea at all.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
Jack hops on the same counter he was cowering behind a few hours ago. Steve is already sitting there, across from Robin.
"Hey," Jack turns to his boyfriend. "I know we were high as shit, but I'm still down with kissing you in front of the kids."
Steve looks at the kids who are currently talking and smiles like a proud mother. "Now?"
Jack shrugs. "What's the worst possible case? They make us leave and we don't have to face this thing?"
"Ok." Steve smiles.
They're about to lean in when Hopper calls their name.
"Boys! You got a license?" They both nod, and he waves them over.
A few minutes later Steve is slamming the doors of the mall open. "Oh man, now this... this is what I'm talkin' about!"
Steve walks toward the convertible and tosses the keys in the air.
"Toddfather?" Robin asks.
Steve scoffs. "Oh, screw Todd! Steve's her daddy now!"
Jack rolls his eyes as he hops into the passenger seat. "Sometimes I forget what a douche you are."
"All right, where are we going?" Steve asks.
"Weathertop." Dustin answers.
"Weather-what?"
"Just drive."
"Okay. Jesus!"
The engine revs and Steve pulls out of the mall.
Steve speeds down the road while "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher" plays off the radio. They've been on the road for so long, Jack just wants to jump out of the moving vehicle.
"Jesus, how far is this place, man?" Steve complains.
Dustin rolls his eyes. "Relax, we're almost there."
After a debate about whether Dustin's girlfriend is real or not, they're finally there. Steve swerves into an open field as Dustin yells at him. The car rolls up a steep hill, Jack closes his eyes, hoping this is not the moment he dies. They make it halfway up the hill before the engine stops, Steve toys with it, but there is no use.
Jack sighs and runs up the hill with the rest of the group.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
It was simply a matter of time before this happened again. He hasn't taken his medication in over three days, of course, he feels shitty as ever. He's been able to deal with the light-headedness for the past two days, but now he can barely stand, his breathing is heavy, and he's been staring at a piece of grass for five minutes.
"Earth to Jack?" He can hear Steve call, but he doesn't tear his eyes away. Steve claps in front of his eyes.
"Jack!" Jack blinks and turns to Steve.
"Jesus, Harrington." He says, startled. Steve reaches out his hand and pulls Jack up from his criss-cross position.
Steve raises an eyebrow. "You good?"
Jack nods. "Yeah, just a little lightheaded."
"Do you need to rest?"
Jack waves him and starts walking toward the rest of the group standing toward the cell tower.
"Fly right, Bald Eagle." Jack can hear Dustin say as he walks toward the group.
He sits down beside Erica and Robin, who are talking about My Little Pony. Jack remembers having to sit through hours of that stupid show when he watched the Sinclairs.
He turns around, expecting to see Steve right beside him, but is left in confusion when he sees his boyfriend standing in the spot he and Jack just were.
Jack stands up quickly in worry when he sees Steve walking farther away.
"Harrington?" He calls.
"Hey, guys?" Steve says with a shaking tone.
Jack runs up beside him, looking off to the mall, where Steve's eyes are centered. Jack's eyes widen as sees the mall flashing great colors of blue and red.
The group runs toward the walkie-talkie. "Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Do you copy? Over!"
Dustin repeats himself a few more times before they hear the sound of a creature shrieking and roaring. Jack squints as he hears the walkie be thrown across the room, Dustin calls again, but there is no use.
Jack grabs Steve's hand and runs toward the car. "Robin! Let's go!"
"Are you crazy?" Robin yells, running toward the couple.
"We need to save them," Jack says, and everyone stares at him in shock.
Steve places his arms on Jack's shoulders. "Jack? You can't possibly do this? You're two seconds away from a seizure, just stay here."
Jack shakes his head. "I can't sit there and hope they're not dead. Lucas is practically my brother, I need to know he's safe."
Steve pulls the keys out of his pocket. "You're insane, Jack."
The couple jumps in the car, followed by Robin. They both give her an odd look.
Robin shrugs. "I'm not staying here with pinkie-pie and Bob Ross, hit the brakes, Harrington."
Steve starts the car and backs away, down the hill.
"Be safe!" Jack can hear Dustin yell.
There was a stilled silence as they drove back toward the mall. Jack was nervously biting his fingernails, Steve was tapping on the steering wheel, humming to himself, and Robin was lying in the back of the car, picking at her shoelaces.
Jack's heart rate sped up as they pulled into the mall. He saw a car speeding towards the mall, just in front of them.
"Steve?" Jack asked nervously. "Is that-"
"Hargrove." Steve gulped. He turned back to Robin. "You might want to buckle up for this."
Steve stepped on the gas pedal and accelerated across the parking lot. When they got closer Jack noticed another very familiar car.
"Holy shit! He's coming for Nancy and the kids!" Jack yelled and Steve sped up.
"Brace for impact!" Steve screamed as he collided their car with Billy's. Both cars swerve in a semicircle, leaving a loud screeching noise. Jack looks up from burying his head into his knees.
Billy's car sets on fire, and Steve turns to Jack and Robin. "Are you okay?"
Jack stares at the car up in flames. "I- I"
"Ask me tomorrow?" Robin jokes.
Jack doesn't realize he's been out of it, staring at the burning car, until Steve shakes him.
"Jack! We've gotta go!" Jack nods lightly and looks up. The Mind Flayer is standing over the mall, snarling and growling.
Jack follows Steve and Robin into the back of Jonathan's car and slams the door shut. The creature follows them out of the mall, and Jack can feel his body trembling.
Still panting, Steve wraps his arm around Jack's waist, and Jack rests his head on Steve's chest. "Are you okay?"
"I just feel...I feel weird." He mumbles.
"I told you, you shouldn't have come," Steve says. "It was too risky."
"Steve." Jack picks his head up. "I love you, I'm fine."
Lucas gives them an odd look from the seat in front of them.
"I love you too," Steve whispers.
"Dusty-bun, you copy?" comes from the walkie.
"I copy Suzie-poo," Dustin replies. "It sounds much better now, thanks."
Jack, Robin, and Steve all look up at each other in shock.
"Suzie." They say in unison.
Jack can hear bits and pieces of their conversation, it's mostly just bickering, which doesn't sound like the "perfect" Suzie he knows.
"I want to hear it, " Suzie says.
They argue for a few more minutes, and just when Jack thinks they won't be able to get the code, Dustin begins to sing, sing.
It's hysterical, really. They're being chased by a monster made of melted civilians, Mrs. Byers and Hopper are stuck in a Russian bunker, and Dustin is breaking out into song.
Robin chuckles to herself as she listens to the song.
Jack snorts into Steve's shoulder and loses it.
"This is not real life," Jack says, and Steve nods in agreement.
Jack would be lying if he said they weren't that bad. He found himself tapping his shoes to the beat.
Finally, once they've finished, she gives Dustin the code. Everyone in the car sighs in relief, and Jack places his head back on Steve's chest.
The Mind Flayer must have heard or seen something because it turns in the opposite direction of the car.
"It's turning around!" Steve yells.
Nancy spins her head toward the back. "What?"
"It's turning around!" Steve repeats.
"Maybe we wore it out," Lucas suggests.
"I don't think so." Jonathan shakes his head. "Hold on."
He swerves around, sending them in the opposite direction they were in. Jonathan drives back towards the mall, following the Mind Flayer.
Once they arrive Steve places Jack's arm around his shoulder.
"Steve, I can-" Jack says, taking Steve's arm off of him. Steve looks at him skeptically, but doesn't fight it.
He slowly follows the rest of the group into the mall. Lucas runs up to him and hands him a box of fireworks. They run up the escalator, which isn't currently moving. He follows Steve and Robin towards the hair salon. Steve hands him a firework and gives Jack a skeptical look.
"Steve. I'm fine, I promise." Jack whispers.
Steve nodded and kissed his head. "Okay, I love you."
"I love you too."
Robin taps them both on the shoulder and points to the Mind Flayer, which is climbing out of the broken window in the mall ceiling.
'Get ready.' Lucas whispers to them from across the second floor.
Jack watches as the creature approaches Eleven. He sees Lucas raise his arm, and throw the firework at the Mind Flayer.
"Hey, asshole! Over here!" Steve screams, and he throws his firework at the monster.
The fireworks are loud, so loud. The assortments of colors are tripping Jack out, he stares at them and feels Steve pull his arm.
He hands Jack a firework. "Come on, stay with me."
Jack weakly throws it, but it strikes the monster in the foot. The lights of the mall are flashing, and the fireworks are getting louder. The stream of colors leaves Jack staring.
Jack feels his body start to twitch and he grips onto the bar in front of him. He breathes slowly, the noise around him is getting lower and the ringing in his ears is intolerable.
From the corner of his eye, he sees Lucas throw a firework, it's the last one. He, Steve, and Robin are out. Nancy and Johnaton seem to be having the same problem.
Steve notices Jack leaning against the bar. "Jack!"
"Hmm?" Jack mumbles, slipping in and out of conciseness.
"Shit." He hears mutter. "Hey, Jack. Come on."
Steve grabs Jack by the waist and lets him rest against him. Jack looks down onto the second floor and sees Billy fighting against the monster, pushing it with his very own hands.
It's the last thing he remembers.
AN
OH MY GOD. only 2 more
chapters??????? my writing
was shit this chapter i apologize