Y/n's pov
Our journey to the hub was tense and silent.
No one spoke from fear of demodogs lurking around any corner.
No one let their guard down and we all stayed in a tightly knit group.
After awhile of walking, when almost all our hope had gone, the tunnels began to blend together.
We knew we were getting close.
"God." Lucas said with a gasp.
We suddenly came into a part of the tunnel that was surrounded by large, swollen purple spores that spit more particles into the thick air surrounding us.
"What is this place?" Max wondered aloud.
"Come on. Keep moving." Steve ordered, walking on.
We all willingly obeyed, following closely behind Steve as we marched on towards where we assumed to be the hub.
Well, all of us except for a certain curly haired boy.
"Help! Help!" The sudden, panicky voice of Dustin rang out.
"Dustin!" Mike called.
In less than a second, our entire group had turned around and ran to him as fast as we could, all the while yelling and panicking.
"Dustin? Dustin!" We all hollered, most of the shouting coming from Steve.
We all scrambled around him once we found him, trying to see if he was okay and what was the matter.
Steve roughly shoved past us to check on him.
"What happened? What happened!?" Steve asked frantically.
Dustin was doubled over with his hands on his knees, coughing and sputtering as high pitched screeches came out of his mouth.
"It's in my mouth! Some got in my mouth!" He said, taking a deep breath.
"SHIIIIIT!" He shrieked.
We watched as he coughed more and began spitting on the ground in an attempt to get whatever was in his mouth, out.
His breaths slowly calmed and he looked up to us, still panting.
"I'm okay." He said softly.
We all let out sighs of relief and slight annoyance.
"You serious?" Max hissed.
"Very funny, man. Nice, very nice." Steve grumbled, standing up straight and marching off again.
"Jesus, what an idiot." Lucas said and I agreed, pulling him with me to keep walking.
We followed after Steve again and Dustin quickly scrambled to his feet.
"Hang on, wait. Wait!" Dustin said, in fear of being left behind.
"Come on." Max waited up for Dustin, offering a hand.
He took her hand and they ran quickly back to the group.
Our journey didn't last long, within five minutes we had arrived at the entrance to a huge space where all the tunnels merged into.
It was the size of most of the Byers' house combined and the ceiling got twice the tunnel's height as it formed into a dome like structure. Just like the tunnels, it had giant, swollen purple and blue spores that sprayed more and more particles.
It was damp and sticky feeling, with thick air and floating particles. There were grimy vines everywhere, from the ceiling to the floor, and it reeked like dead animal carcasses and rot.
Even though I was wearing a bandanna over my nose, the smell still hit me like a disgusting wave of rotting flesh.
I shuddered at the smell, pushing my makeshift mask up farther on my face.
"Alright Wheelers. I think we found your hub." Steve said, gazing out upon the cavern.
"Let's drench it." Mike said, looking over to me for agreement.
I nodded and we set to work covering every inch of the hub in gasoline, each of us carrying a container of some sort.
The stench of decay and mold was quickly buried under that of gallons of gasoline and lighter fluid.
Lucas sprayed the ceiling with the pesticide sprayer from back at the Byers, which he had filled with the fuel while the rest of us covered the walls and floors.
When we were finished, not a single drop of gasoline was left in any of our canisters.
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 around and shrieking 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.
Michael tripped on some vines and we all turned and ran back at his cries.
"Michael!" I yelled.
"Help! Help!" He 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.
"Dustin-"
Steve was 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? You remember me? 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.
"You hungry? Yeah?" Dustin asked dart.
"He's crazy." Lucas said.
"No kidding." I said, not taking my eyes off Dart 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 Steve grabbed his arm and dragged him back to our group.
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.
Everyone pulled me out of the gaping purple hole in the vines and I was out in no time.
We all then helped Mike out of the hole and he practically flew out from all the help.
Dustin was about to climb the rope when I spotted them all coming towards them.
Demodogs.
A vicious pack, hurdling towards Dustin and Steve.
Shit.
Steve raised his bat and stood protectively in front of Dustin.
Dustin screamed and I closed my eyes, not wanting to witness my friend's death.
They braced themselves for the feeling of teeth sinking into their thighs and arms, but they never came.
I opened my eyes to see the slimy and wet bodies of the demodogs brushing past Dustin and Steve.
They each climbed up the rope. Dustin and finally Steve.
Hugs between the party were shared by the courtesy of them 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: 1462