"I think they're at Hawkins lab!" Jonathan exclaimed, coming back into the room not long after Sloane and Nancy had finished their talk. He paid no mind to the two girls as he snatched his keys off of the table and motioned to the door, "If Will was having an episode, that's where they go and this definitely looks like the product of an episode. I was thinking about the polaroid and trying to remember who would come in contact with us and the house that shot polaroid, it's the lab! Come on, I don't know if they're still there or what danger they could be in."

Sloane and Nancy didn't stick around to ask questions as the three of them raced to the car and he took off down the road. Sloane had never been to Hawkins Lab, but from what she knew they were what had been responsible for Barbara's death and a multitude of other things troubling Hawkins. So, needless to say, she was terrified.

Within a few minutes, night had fallen and they pulled up at the gate of the laboratory. Jonathan killed the engine, looking at the lab and asking, "Why are the lights off?"

"Saving energy?" Sloane asked hopefully, but something was telling her that wasn't it.

Nancy looked unsure as well as she spoke, suggesting, "Maybe it's closed?"

"Security took the night off?" Jonathan suggested with a scoff, all three of them looking at each other with increased nervousness as they tossed around theories. "I don't think so."

With that, he stepped into the security booth and opened the gate for them so they could drive through. However, nothing moved in the stillness of the night.

"It's not working?" Nancy asked as she walked over to the security booth. She and Sloane peeked over Jonathan's shoulder as he flicked switches and pressed buttons only for nothing to work.

"No, the power's off," the boy observed with a sigh.

Sloane huffed, crossing her arms and looking at the lab, "Well, that's never a good sign. Are we hoofing it?"

Before anyone answered her, Nancy looked off into the distance as she appeared to hear something the other two didn't. Her voice cautious and worried, she said, "Guys? I think there's something in the woods."

"I hate this stupid town," Sloane tried to sound calm in her complaint, but her confidence was beginning to waver. Before she could say anything else, Nancy began to follow the noise while she and Jonathan chased after her in the darkness.

"Nancy, Nancy, stay back!" Jonathan called, reaching out to hold her back from whatever could be lurking in the night.

"Hello?" a voice came from the woods. Okay, so probably not a monster, that was nice to know.

"Who's there?" Jonathan yelled back.

"Elliot?" Sloane exclaimed as she recognized one of the figures retreating from the woods.

"Sloane?" the boy called back and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Steve?" Nancy and Jonathan asked simultaneously. Sure enough, there was Steve Harrington, Elliot, and two boys and a girl that Sloane had never seen in her life. As soon as she recognized her brother she ran over and pulled him into a hug.

He hugged her back, pulling away to ask, "How did you get tangled into all of this? Mom said you were at a sleepover?"

"Mom said you were working on a school project!" she exclaimed, simply happy to see him in one piece. "Oh, my god, I had no idea what sort of trouble this idiot would get you into I was so worried, El."

"I am not an idiot!" Steve exclaimed, interrupting his conversation with Jonathan and Nancy to correct her.

"That's to be determined," the girl, a small redhead, intruded with a scoff, "Who are you?"

"Sloane, Elliot's sister. Who are you?"

"You can call me Max, this is Dustin and Lucas."

"Cool, why am I not surprised you're hanging out with little kids, Steve?" Sloane asked with a small bite in her voice, but there was a relieved smile on her face. She was simply happy a few familiar faces came out of the woods and not a flesh-eating monster.

Steve rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Sloane, which only further proved her point. Turning to the three of them he asked, "We're looking for Mike and Will."

Nancy looked at the lab nervously, "They're not in there, are they?"

"Why?" Jonathan asked, his voice shaking.

As if on cue, the sound of something screeching in the distance rang through the night, echoing in the atmosphere. The sound drew nearer and instincts kicked in. The whole group sprinted for the security booth as Jonathan pressed the 'open' button about a hundred times.

"I cannot fight those things, what if I break a nail?" Sloane exclaimed, trying to stay humorous when at the same time she was downright terrified. "Jesus, I thought we were just taking down big government, not literal fucking monsters. What kind of town is this?"

"A shitty one," Nancy said with a scoff while one of the boys, Sloane was pretty sure his name was Dustin, hopped into the security booth and began cursing out the button. They had yet to hear another noise from the woods, but Sloane did not want to wait around to see when the next one would come.

As if someone from the heavens was shining down on them, the gate began to slide open. Sloane breathed a sigh of relief, maybe they could get out of this in one piece.

"Hey, I got it!" Dustin shouted (she decided that was his name, now was not the time for asking questions). "I got it!"

Jonathan ran over to the car, motioning for Sloane and Nancy to get in, but Nancy reached over to hold Sloane back. Looking at the blonde with something in her eyes she didn't quite recognize, she pleaded, "Please stay back here, I don't know what's up there and I don't want you to get hurt."

Normally, Sloane would have argued over such a thing, but seeing the daunting lab ahead and hearing the noise from whatever was out there, she was happy to stay behind. She nodded, stepping back to Steve and Elliot, sending one last worried look over at the car as they sped towards the lab.

Once they were gone, Sloane turned to Steve, "Steve, why the hell did you get my brother involved in this?"

"Um, no," Elliot cut in, "I'm older, how the hell did you get involved in this?"

"I'm screwing Nancy, what's your excuse," Sloane spat, hoping the kids were out of earshot and couldn't hear her. None of them bat an eye except for Elliot and Steve, so she figured she was in the clear.

"Okay," he cleared his throat, clearly not expecting that as an answer, before continuing, "Uh, I'm pretty sure Steve just has a crush on me, so..."

"You're a dumbass," Steve interrupted with a scoff, "We're friends."

"Since when?"

"Since you ran off with Wheeler and left me with Abigail," Elliot complained, "You two are a match made in heaven because I cannot stand her."

Sloane gasped, smacking him on the arm, "Asshole! That's my friend!"

Any statement Elliot was going to retort with was cut off by the honking of a horn. Jonathan's car sped past while a truck labeled "Hawkins Police Department" stopped and unlocked its doors.

"Let's go!" a gruff-looking man in hospital scrubs commanded, motioning for the six of them to get into the car. How they were all going to fit, Sloane had no idea, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting the hell out of there. The blonde opened the door for the three kids to squish together in the back while Elliot squeezed into the passenger seat with Steve (which was unsafe on so many levels, but no one really cared at that point). It was incredibly uncomfortable with four people in the backseat, but Sloane couldn't care less she just was happy to be in an enclosed area where hopefully nothing could get to her.

Thankfully, they were safe. Sloane released a deep breath, looking around at the people in the car and turning to see the lab disappearing behind them. They were safe.

For now.

hey look! I remembered my side characters existed! also i love these characters way too much not to take them into season three so y'all are gettin some good good summer of 1985 content BUT season three will focus more on the shenanigans of Sloane, Abigail, and Elliot than it will the romance since Sloane and Nancy have more or less worked that out so far so look forward to that!