Later that day, Steve, Dustin and Julie arrived at the old junkyard to prepare for when Dart followed the trail of meat. Steve had his sunglasses on and was surveying the area. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, this will do." he commented. "This will do just fine. Good call, dude." Steve said to Dustin as he walked away.
Julie smiled at the boy. "You did good." she said, patting his shoulder as she followed Steve.
The boys continued throwing meat, Julie did her best to avoid it. Once their buckets were almost completely empty, Dustin and Steve made a small pile in the center of the junkyard, Julie watching them. "I said medium-well!" a premature voice that belonged to Lucas yelled, causing all three of them to look up.
From the edge of the junkyard, Lucas was waving at the trio while holding his bike. What surprised Julie was a certain red-head standing next to him. Julie cocked her head to the side, her mouth agape as Max and Lucas walked closer to them.
"Who's that?" Steve asked, noticing Julie and Dustin's reactions.
"That would be my sister," Julie said, walking to meet Max with her arms crossed to make fun of Max. "You know?"
"You have powers?" Max countered with sarcasam, her arms still crossed. She still didn't believe anything that Lucas told her at the arcade.
"You snuck out?" Julie asked, knowing full well that Billy would not let Max go out with a boy.
"You're with Steve?" Max asked as she looked behind Julie at the boy Julie had talked about.
"You're wearing my jacket?" Julie hadn't worn the green jacket for a few years, but it was still her's in her eyes.
Max looked down at said jacket and then looked back at Julie and shrugged. Julie sighed and brought Max into a sister-ly hug, feeling gulty that Max was now roped into this mess.
"Love to interupt, because we have shit to do. Let's go." Steve said, walking up to Julie and tugging on her ponytail to gain her attention.
"Can I have my bat?" Julie asked, pulling away from Max and leading her to where Steve was walking.
Steve shook his head. "Not until you help me."
Julie rolled her eyes. "Bitch," she mumbled, smiling slightly as Max giggled.
While Dustin and Lucas conversed behind an old red car, Steve, Max and Julie went to work. Rather, Max and Steve were working. Julie was sitting against an old bus with her eyes closed, trying to regain the strength she had lost while walking all day. Julie wanted to be able to hear if Dart was coming, and she couldn't do it very well when she was tired. Max, of course, thought her sister was just being lazy.
"Hey! Dickheads! How come the only one helping me out is this random girl?" Julie heard Steve ask Lucas and Dustin. "We lose light in 40 minutes. Let's go. Let's go, I said."
"All right, asshole! God!" Dustin said.
"Julie's not helping." Lucas pointed out. With her eyes still closed, Julie flipped him off.
"She's working so she can save your asses." Steve said.
Lucas and Dustin joined the other four in collecting scrap metal. Julie eventually felt bad for making them do all of the work, so she got up and helped, despite Steve's request for her to sit down. They gathered old barrels, boarded up the bus, and did everything possible to protect themselves from Dart.
•••
When night had fallen, Lucas was at the top of the bus with his binoculars on lookout, and the other four were down in the bus waiting. Steve sat on the ground repeatedly flipping his lighter open and closed. Julie sat across from Steve, listening to music quietly as she played with her bat. Max sat in a seat, watching Steve and Julie closely.
Max looked out the window at the fog, and Julie noticed her staring. "It's cool, isn't it? The fog?" she said, and Max looked over at her and nodded.
"It looks like the ocean." Max said sadly.
"Yeah, it does." Julie agreed, offering Max a sad smile before going back to her bat.
"So you really fought one of these things before?" Max asked. Steve and Julie looked at each other before looking at Max and nodding. "And you're, like, totally, 100% sure it wasn't a bear?" Julie and Steve nodded again.
"Shit. Don't be an idiot. Okay? it wasn't a bear." Dustin butted-in, his harsh words directed at Max.
"Hey." Julie said, shaking her head at Dustin when he looked at her.
"Why are you even here if you don't believe us? Just go home." Dustin did not infact listen to Julie. Julie was kind of shocked, as she had never seen Dustin act like Steve before. He also didn't know that Max and Julie would rather be anywhere than at home.
"Geesh. Someone's cranky. Past your bedtime?" Max said as she stood up and made her way over to the ladder that had been set up.
Julie put her hand out to Max, and Max accepted her fistbump as she walked up the ladder. Dustin started pacing with his hands in his pockets as Julie waited for his explanation. "That's good. Just show her you don't care." Steve said to Dustin, and Julie's eyes widened as she did a double take.
"I don't." Dustin said, but Steve winked at him. "Why are you winking, Steve? Stop."
"Wait, wait, wait. Max is the girl you like?" Julie asked.
Dustin didn't answer, and instead looked down at the ground. Julie gasped. "Dustin! If you told me I would've told you that acting like you don't care would backfire with Max!" she said, leaning her head back against the wall.
Dustin just shrugged and walked away, leaving Steve and Julie to entertain themselves. After a few moments, Steve took a large deep breath, before taking a shot. "Hey, J?" he asked, looking at the girl.
"Yeah?" she said, looking at him.
"Is Max your sister or your step-sister?" Steve asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Step-sister." Julie answered, but it seemed that Steve was even more confused.
"So, how are you related to Billy?"
Julie chuckled. "Okay. Let me explain this to you slowly. Billy is my twin brother, meaning we were born on the same day, but I was birthed first. Got me so far?"
Steve rolled his eyes. "I know what twins are." he said.
Julie raised her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, then. Billy and I's mom and dad got divorced years ago. Do you know what that means? it's when a mommy and a daddy don't love each other--"
"Oh, my God, Julie. Jesus, I know what divorce is. How does Max fit in?" Steve cut in, growing more irritated by the second.
"Max's parents got divorced, and like four years ago, my dad married Max's mom. I came here for two years, and now we're all here. Not that interesting." Julie finished her brief life story, drumming her fingers against her bat lightly.
"Why did you come here?" Steve asked.
Julie never got a chance to answer Steve's question, because something was coming. Julie cupped her ears with her hands and groaned. "J? What's wrong?" Steve asked, kneeling in front of the girl.
"He's here." Julie said. At that moment, a loud growling that everyone could hear made Dustin, Steve and Julie run to the bus windows.
"You seem him?" Dustin asked.
"No." Steve answered.
"You hear him?" Dustin asked Julie.
"He's getting closer."
"Lucas, what's going on?" Dustin called up to his friend.
"Hold on!" Lucas yelled back.
Julie focused all of her energy into pin-pointing Dart's location. She was struggling to do so, and she wasn't sure why. "Guys, I can't find him." Julie said, her eyes closed.
"I've got eyes! Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock!" Lucas stuttered.
Julie opened her eyes and let her ears guide her to Dart. "There." she pointed.
"What's he doing?" Dustin asked.
"I don't know." Steve said.
Julie heard Dart's quiet chittering as clear as if he was standing right in front of her. "He's not taking the bait." she said.
"Why is he not taking the bait?" Steve asked.
"Maybe he's not hungry?" Dustin suggested.
"Maybe he's sick of cow."
"Maybe he's tricking us?" Dustin and Steve's heads snapped to Julie, who shrugged lightly.
Steve backed away from the window slightly, causing Julie to look at him. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Steve? Steve, what are you doing?" Dustin asked as Steve moved farther away.
Steve sighed and breathed heavy, turning and revealing his lighter. "Just get ready." he said, tossing the lighter to Julie, grabbing his bat and walking out of the bus.
"Here. Hold this." Julie said, passing the lighter to Dustin and taking her headphones off.
"Julie, don't do it," Dustin pleaded as Julie grabbed her barbed wire bat.
"Dustin, he can't see him, and I can hear him. It'll be fine." Julie said, backing out of the bus to join Steve.
When Julie saw Steve, he was swinging his bat and walking slowly. Julie came up next to him with her finger to her lips, signalling for him to be quiet. Clearly, Steve didn't like that Julie was doing this. Julie walked slowly and slightly ahead of Steve, listening to Dart's movements.
Out of the blue, Steve whistled. "Come on, buddy." he said to Dart, continuing to whistle. Julie sighed and whistled to Dart to, figuring they had nothing to lose. Julie pointed in the direction that Dart was, and Steve nodded as he followed her lead.
"Come on, buddy. We aren't cat, but you still might like it." Julie said, standing next to Steve as they both swung their bats.
"Come on, buddy. Come on. Dinner time. Human tastes better than cat, I promise." Steve said softly, as the two of them came face-to-face with Dart.
As Dart came out of the fog, Julie's eyes widened at his size. "We're dead." she whispered to Steve.
"Shut up, and keep your bat in front of you." Steve instructed, preparing himself as Julie heard similar sounds in a different direction.
She turned around and saw monster just like Dart. "Steve?" Julie said to him, but he didn't answer.
"Steve, Julie, watch out!" Lucas called from on top of the bus.
"A little busy here!" Steve yelled back, as he and Julie got back to back, each facing a baby demogorgan.
"Three o'clock! Three o'clock!" Lucas screeched.
"I can't read clocks, Lucas!" Julie screamed back, right as more monsters appeared, growling loudly.
"Steve! Julie! Abort! Abort!" they heard Dustin scream from the bus.
Right then, Dart lunged for Steve, and a different monster ran at Julie. The two of them seperated as Julie swung her bat at one of them. Another one lunged at her chest and knocked her against a car. Julie was surrounded and was surely about the be eaten, as she did the one thing all girls and Lucas are capable of doing; screaming extremely high-pitched. When Julie screamed, it came out like a banshee's scream, and everyone covered their ears. Fortunately for Julie, the demogorgans around her exploded. Unfortunately for Julie, she was covered in their blood and guts.
"Steve, Julie, run!"
"Julie, Steve, hurry!"
"Run!"
Julie got up and ran towards the bus after Steve, guts flying off of her. After Steve made it inside, he extended his hand out to Julie, who took as she dashed inside. They shut the door and all piled in a clump as the monsters tried to break in.
"Shit!" Dustin yelled.
"Are they rabid or something?" Max asked.
"Is that important right now?" Julie yelled, helping Steve shove more sheets of metal against the door.
"They can't get in! They can't!" Lucas screamed.
The monsters continued growling and everybody screamed while Steve and Julie pushed their feet against the door, willing it to stay closed.
"Why don't you scream again?" Steve suggested, right as a monster's arm broke through and attempted to slice him. Julie and Steve swung at the arm with their bats, while the kids ran to the back of the bus and attempted to make contact with Mike or Will.
"I don't think that's a good idea!" Julie answered, as loud banging was heard overhead.
Julie snapped her head over to Max when she heard the girl scream. She and Steve got up, and Steve pushed Max back into Julie's arms. "Out of the way! Out of the way! You want some? Come get this!" Steve yelled, raising his bat to the monster above them.
Right as the monster was about to attack, it lifted its head and growled, running and jumping off of the bus. Julie heard the growling get farther and farther and farther as the monsters retreated. Julie let go of Max to pull Steve by the collar and head to the front of the bus to investigate.
When they got outside, all of the monster were running away, leaving the five of them in utter confusion. "What happened?" Lucas asked, though no one had an answer for him.
"I don't know." Max said.
"Steve and Julie scared 'em off?" Dustin suggested.
"No. He's not scary. They're definitely going somewhere." Julie answered, holding her head in her hand.
"Now that we're going to die, can we talk about how awesome that was!" Lucas said, walking up to Julie.
Julie smiled lightly as the kids all went on about how cool her scream was. "Yeah, yeah, I'm cool, I know." she shrugged off, taking a deep breath and leaning onto Steve.
"You okay?" Steve asked softly. Julie shook her head.
The kids all talked among themselves outside, as Steve led Julie into the bus to sit down. "It's okay." Steve whispered, sitting down in his previous spot, letting Julie rest her head on her shoulder. He took off his jacket, and offered it to the blood covered girl as a blanket. She thanked him.
"Steve?" Julie asked quietly. Steve hummed in response. "Thank you."
"For what?" Steve asked Julie.
"For being you."