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july 2nd
starcourt mall - hawkins community pool
"that keycard opens the door, but unfortunately, the russian with this keycard also has a massive gun." dustin explained, "whatever's in this room, whatever's in those boxes, they really don't want anybody finding it."
"but there's gotta be a way in." robin huffed.
"well, you know... i could just take him out." steve suggested.
slater let out a snort as the other two looked at him in disbelief.
"take who out?" robin raised her brow.
"the russian guard." steve stated as he realised the looks he was receiving, "what? i sneak up behind him, knock him out, and i take his keycard. it's easy."
"did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" dustin asked.
"yes, dustin, i did." steve crossed his arms, "and that's why i would be sneaking."
"you're still on that ninja thing?" slater rolled his eyes.
"i don't need to tell you again how stealthy i am, wilkinson."
"ah, well, please, tell me this, and be honest," dustin spoke up, "have you ever actually... won a fight?"
steve paused, "okay, that was one time..."
"twice - jonathan. year prior?" dustin reminded him.
"listen, that doesn't count." steve sighed.
"yes, it does." slater talked.
"why wouldn't it?" dustin smiled, "because it looks like he beat the shit out of you."
"he did."
"it was..."
"you got a fat lip, crooked nose, swollen eye, a lot of blood..."
"just admit it."
"things that all added up..."
"that just might work." robin said to herself as she got up.
"robin? hey, robin!" steve called after her, "hey, what-what are you doing?"
"i need cash," she explained as she reached into the tip jar.
"well, half of that's mine." steve informed her.
"w-where you going?"
"to find a way into that room, a safe way." robin declared as she backed away, "and, in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up. i'll be back in a jiff."
steve sighed and when he turned around, slater and dustin had been eating ice cream from the scoopers.
"oh, jeez." he ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "come on, guys, not the scoopers."
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"i didn't think it was anything at first." will described, "i mean, i think i just didn't want to believe it. the first time i felt it was at day of the dead."
"power went out that night, too." mike added.
"and then i felt it again at the field near the nelson farm the next day." will commented, "then again yesterday outside castle byers."
"what does it feel like?" max asked.
"it's almost like...you know when you drop on a roller coaster?"
"sure."
"yeah."
"no."
"of course."
"it's like...everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but this is worse." will ranted, "your body... it goes cold and-and you can't breathe. i've felt it before whenever he was close."
"whenever who was close?" max inquired.
"the mind flayer." will stated.
"i closed the gate." el reminded everyone.
"i know, but...what if he never left?" will questioned, "what if we locked him out here with us?"
will walked over to the small table with a black chalk stick and paper, the rest followed and watched as he scribbled.
"this is him. all of him. but, that day on the field, a part of him attached itself to me." he swiped the chalk with his hand and showed the residue, "mattie got it out of me... and el closed the gate. but the part that was still in me, what if it's still in our world."
"in hawkins?" tilly asked as will made a hand imprint on the other side of the paper.
"yeah."
"i don't understand." max spoke up," the demodogs died when el closed the gate. if the brain dies, the body dies."
"we can't take any chances." mike said, "we need to assume the worst. the mind flayer's back."
"yeah. and if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again." will explained, "a new me."
"a new host," lucas added.
max and el shared a concerned look.
"how can you tell if someone is a host?" el questioned.
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"it is fascinating what 20 bucks will get you at the county recorder's office." robin explained as she slammed an a2 sheet of blueprints onto the table, "starcourt mall. the complete blueprints."
"not bad." dustin smiled.
"wick!" slater grinned before high-fiving her.
"so, this is us, scoops, and this is where we want to get." robin pointed.
"i mean, i don't really see a way in." steve muttered.
"there's not, if you're talking exclusively about doors." robin stated as she removed the paper to reveal another.
"air ducts." dustin breathed out in fascination.
"exactly." robin ran over and got a red marker, "turns out, this secret room needs air just like any old room. and these air ducts lead all the way...here."
the four looked up at the vent on the sidewall.
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"flashlight." steve grumbled with a screwdriver in his mouth.
he was currently standing on a ladder and had removed the vent cover.
"thank you." he took it from dustin's hands and gave slater the screwdriver.
"yeah, i don't know, man." steve inspected the small space, "i don't know if you can fit in here. it's, like... super tight."
"i'll fit." dustin said confidently, "trust me. no collar bones, remember?"
"uh, excuse me?" robin quizzed as dustin climbed the ladder.
"oh, he's, uh... yeah, he's got some disease." steve tried to explain, "chry, uh... it's chrydo, um... something. yeah, i dunno."
"cleidocranial dysplasia." slater corrected him in disappointment.
"what i said," steve nodded, "he's missing bones and stuff. he can bend like gumbo."
"you mean gumby." robin voiced.
"I'm pretty sure it's gumbo."
"it's definitely gumby." slater shook his head, "what the hell is gumbo?"
"steve, just shut up and push me!" dustin ordered.
"okay." steve rolled his eyes, "i'll push ya."
"not my feet, dumbass." dustin yelled, "push my ass."
"what?" steve frowned.
"touch my butt!" dustin screamed, "i don't care! come on! harder! push harder!"
"i'm pushing!"
"why aren't you helping slater?!" dustin exclaimed, "i don't feel your hands on my ass!"
"that's a one-man ladder buddy." slater laughed as robin fist-pumped him.
"you're playing with my legs."
"i'm not playing, i have terrible footing."
"come on!"
"i'm gonna just shove you, ready?"
"just shove me?"
"one, two..."
"shit."
"that work?"
"one more time."
the front desk's bell rang, "ahoy, sailors! all hands on deck!"
slater and robin turned around to see the infamous erica sinclair.
"ahoy! come on. get over here and serve me some samples." she ordered.
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"i don't know." max shrugged as she looked through her binoculars, "he looks pretty normal to me."
they were now all at hawkins local pool, watching billy as he did his job. the six were crouched down behind a car, staying out of sight.
"normal?" lucas scoffed, "how many times have you seen him with a shirt on?"
lucas was right, billy was wearing a long sleeve jumper in the hot summer weather.
"i mean, it's a little weird." max admitted.
"more than a little." mike corrected her, "he was in a tub with ice. the mind flayer likes it cold. plus everything else-"
"but he's lounging at the pool," max interrupted him, "which is, like, the least mind flayer thing ever."
"not necessarily." will added, "the mind flayer likes to hide. he only used me when he needed me. it's like-like you're dormant."
"a doormat?" tilly glanced at him.
"no dummy, he said dormant." mike rolled his eyes.
tilly gave him an annoyed glare before playfully punching him. el, however, had been intently staring at them.
"yeah, dormant." will nodded, "and then, when he needs you, you're activated."
"okay, so we just... wait until he gets activated?"
"no." mike disagreed, "what if he hurts someone."
"or kills someone." tilly chimed.
max shook her head quickly, "that's a far stretch."
"just saying." tilly held her hands up in defence.
"i agree, we can't take that chance," mike explained, "we need to find out if he's the host."
"where are you going?" el asked mike as he wandered off.
"i have an idea." he yelled back, "boys only."
"seriously?" max scoffed.
"you asshole." tilly sneered.
"just trust me on this one." mike reassured the three girls before he, will and lucas sprinted away.
⎯ ❃ neens speaks!
thank you to everyone who is reading this ahahah
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