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chapter nine

                "MAX, STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD PLEASE," Diana shouted from the backseat. She sat between Mike and Dustin, and Steve was strewn across them. His head rolled as Max took a short turn. She shot Dustin a look because he was the one holding an ice pack against Steve's forehead. Upon her silent chastising, he supported their friend's head with new enthusiasm.

"I'm trying," the girl yelled back.

Diana flexed her hand and hissed. She would not be fighting anyone else anytime soon, that was for sure. "You know? When Steve comes to, he won't be happy." Not with Max driving and not with their plan to help draw the army away from the lab, but oh well.

"He's your boyfriend. You deal with him," Lucas said sourly, eyes glued to the map before him.

Diana didn't even bother with a reply, absentmindedly flicking dried blood from her jacket. Her brother was angry and hurt, but it would have to be addressed later.

"Diana?" A confused voice came. She looked down at Steve's bloodied and bruised face as he struggled to gain consciousness. "Nancy?" He asked looking to Mike.

He groaned, reaching for his face. "No don't touch it," Dustin said. The younger boy whispered reassurances.

Lucas gave Max directions, gaining Steve's attention. "What's going on?" He questioned, looking at Max in the driver's seat. "Oh my god."

"They were gonna leave you behind, but I promised that you would be cool—"

"You aren't helping, Dustin. God." Diana held Steve down as his protests grew.

Mike and Dustin began arguing. "Stop the car," Steve insisted.

"She's doing fine," Diana let out over the screams, smoothing back his hair. They were still alive so that had to count for something.

"Everybody shut up," Max yelled. "I'm trying to focus."

Lucas became frantic. "That's Mount Sinai, make a left." He repeated his words as Max swung the car into a hard left turn, eliciting screams from everyone in the vehicle. Lucas's was embarrassingly high pitched, and in any other situation she may have laughed, but her chest was pushed too close to Steve's. She righted herself, discomfort and embarrassment flooding through her.

Max drove haphazardly through the pumpkin patch. She slammed the brake coming to an abrupt stop. "I think I'm going to be sick," Diana whispered, her voice drowned out by labored breaths and praises. "That was not incredible."

"You should have driven then," Steve chastised loudly.

"Don't yell," she replied, following the others out of the car.

"Hey. Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Steve continued yelling.

She ignored him, looking to the kids who gathered their things from the trunk. "You guys have to get in and get out—"

"What are you deaf? Hello?" Steve drawled. "We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear."

"Steve," Diana began.

"Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, alright? This ends right now," he shouted. Diana watched as he flailed around. The other continued on as if he hadn't spoken at all. He rushed to the end of the car, taking the bag from Dustin's hands.

"Steve," Dustin yelled. "You're upset, I get it. But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance."

Diana nodded, putting a hand to his shoulder. She tried her best to look reassuring. "This'll help, Steve, but you have to go down with them."

He watched her, still looking a little out of it. The boy sighed. "If I have to go down there, so do you Di."

She wanted to protest, but as he said the words she could see just how any arguing would play out. She grabbed a pair of goggles and a bandanna. "Fine."

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"Get that light out of my face," Diana demanded, uselessly glaring at Mike behind her goggles and face covering. Darkness surrounded her once again.

"Sorry, sorry," he said quickly. It was an honest mistake, but Diana couldn't sense anything beyond the tunnels once she'd dropped down into them, and it made her uneasy.

White flecks of something unidentifiable floated in the air around them. It reminded her of a bison she'd had so long ago. She could almost feel the white flecks burning their way into her lungs.

She looked at the tunnel wall, raising a bare hand to the dark wall. Someone caught her wrist before she could touch it. "Gloves," Steve let out, handing her a pair. Diana blinked twice and took the gloves. As she slid them on, an argument over who would lead the group ensued.

Steve took the map from Mike, insisting that he was charged with protecting everyone. The problem was navigating the damned tunnels. A thought presented itself in her mind. Diana moved to the front of the group where Steve stood. "Someone pass me a flashlight."

Quickly, one made it to her hand. She looked into the flashlight, but Lucas put a hand over it, blocking the light. "No more scrying."

It probably wasn't the best idea.

She looked him in the eye. "I'm not going far."

She turned to Steve, grabbing his hand. "Don't let me go, Harrington. And if I start giving you directions, I'm either leading us to our death or our destination. Either way, you should follow them." She couldn't see his reaction, but she hadn't waited for it anyway.

She pulled up her goggles this time, looking into the light. She was sure her pupils had shrunk significantly in doing so. She could see it. "Left," she said after a minute of silence. The word felt too empty in her throat.

"Come on," Steve told them, pulling Diana along. "I better see some hustle."

"Left," she said again, and they were at a diversion of the tunnels. They waited for her word. She pointed at one without looking up. "There."

Their words were muffled sounds as she concentrated. She didn't even realize when they had to turn back for Dustin.

The boy was fine.

They began their trek again, and, a minute later, Diana paused. "We're here."

Someone moved the flashlight a bit, and she blinked staring at the hub of tunnel openings. She breathed heavily to steady herself. "Let's drench it," Dustin let out, and they got to work with covering it in gasoline. The sour smell made her nose burn.

"You guys ready?" Steve asked, when they moved to stand at the edge of the tunnel they'd entered through. A series of agreements rang out.

She saw Dustin pat Steve's shoulder. "Light her up."

The older boy flicked on his lighter. "I am in deep shit," he murmured.

Yeah, that made six of them

The boy threw the lighter, igniting the hub. Tentacles writhed in the air. "Run," Diana choked out in horror. "We gotta—"

Steve shoved her into the tunnel behind them. "Let's go, let's go." And they ran. The ground was a lot more uneven this time around.

They're coming, she thought. They're coming.

"Oh my god, oh my god," someone said, and then a tentacle pulled one of them to the ground. Steve immediately used his bat to shred the slimy thing.

"Let's go."

In only a few steps, they were face to face with a demogorgons. Steve held up his bat, but Dustin raised an arm, speaking to the creature.

Dart.

They protested, but Dustin seemed unafraid. The creature watched him carefully as he pulled candy bar from his jacket, and then another, placing them onto the ground. Dustin gestured for them to pass behind him and they did so quickly.

Steve grabbed her hand as the ground shook. Diana glanced around doing a headcount of the kids. "What was that?" Max asked.

Mike said what she'd been thinking all along. "They're coming." He screamed for them to run as the tunnels rumbled, a myriad of growls, roars, and steps echoing around them.

"There, there," Lucas shouted pointing at the rope leading to their exit. Diana and Steve turned, both giving Max a leg up, then the Lucas, and Mike. They'd begun to help Dustin but the creatures rounded the corner and they turned to face their doom.

Yet, the demogorgons ran right past them as if they weren't there. Steve pulled bot Diana and Dustin close and she molded herself to him. She could feel the creatures slinking against her ankles. She bit her lip to hold in the building scream.

When the wave had passed, they stood there in a moment of shocked silence.

"Eleven," Mike said from above, sending them into motion again. They helped Dustin up and Steve helped her up. She gripped his hand as he emerged. She was slightly shaking and he pulled her into his chest while also pushing off his goggles and face covering, along with hers.

"We're fine." Steve repeated those words like a mantra in her ear.

She nodded hard, breaking away. She could see the kids watching them. "It won't be long now."

They flinched away from the growing illumination of the headlights and then they dimmed to nothing. It was dark again.

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hey, i was supposed to post this on christmas so merry christmas to those who celebrate!

-syd