☡

"The mindflayer, it build this monster in Hawkins. To stop El, kill her... pay for whatever to get into our world" Mike spoke to the group around him

"And he almost did, that was just one tiny piece of it" Max added

"How big is this thing?" Hopper questioned

"Very big, twenty feet at least" Jonathan nodded

"Yeah it sorta destroyed your cabin, sorry" Lucas said to him

"Okay so just to be clear, this big spider thing that hurt El, it's like some sort of gigantic weapon?" Steve asked

"Exactly that, I mean you should have seen it, he had like eight different mouths" Clove said while glancing up at the boy

"But instead of screws and metal the mind flayed made its weapon with melted people, that also was apart of you but Jonathan over here decided to cut you open, get it out of you, which made you lose too much blood and die?" Steve asked while looking at Clove

"Yes exactly" Max nodded

"I'm sorry, you killed my niece?" Murray asked while looking toward Jonathan

"Only to save her" Jonathan defended himself

"And how'd you get her back up and alive again?" Stella asked looked toward her daughter

"My words brought her back" Mike said

"No i'm pretty sure it was my cpr" Nancy said

"No it was-" Mike began to argue

"Guys! Both of you brought me back, Jonathan was just trying to help so I wouldn't kill anyone and then myself, i'm fine now... i'm a fighter remember?" Clove asked

"We know" Will offered her a smile

"Sorry we weren't there" Levan apologized

"I'm glad you weren't, couldn't see anyone else hurt" Clove shook her head

"Are we sure this thing is still out there? Still alive?" Joyce asked from where she sat

"El beat the shit out of it, but yeah it's still alive" Max sighed

"But if we close the gate again.." Will trailed off

"We cut the brain off from the body" Max confirmed

"And kill it!" Lucas yelled

"Boom!" Clove yelled along with him while clapping her hands together

"Theoretically" Lucas said as he swung his arm around the girl

"Yeah what he said" Clove nodded

"Okay this is what Alexi called the hub, now the hub takes us to the voult" Murray told them while slapping the paper in the table

"Okay so where's the gate?" Hopper asked him annoyed

"Right here, I don't know the skill on this but I think it's fairly close to the voult room... maybe fifty feet or so" Murray said as Stella opened her mouth to speak before Erica cut her off

"More like five hundred, you just gonna waltz in there like it's common Disney land or something?" Erica asked her as Clove stiffed a laugh

"I'm sorry who are you?" Murray asked her with wide eyes

"Erica Sinclair, who are you?" she asked him in a sassy tone of voice

"Murray Reyes" he said with a confused face

"Listen Mr.Rey Hey I Don't Care, I'm not telling you how to do this but i've been down in that shit hole for twenty four hours. With all do respect, you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die" Erica spoke while looking back at the group

"Harsh words for the last name, harsh words" Clove said as she touched her heart in fake pain

"I'm sorry, why is this four year old speaking to me?" Murray asked while waving his arms

"Um i'm ten, you bald bastard" she glared

"Wow, okay easy on the brother in law" Stella spoke to her with wide eyes

"Just the facts" Erica said to her

"She's right" Dustin nodded

"Dustin!" Clove shouted to him

"Jesus the Reyes family is a mess" Max said in no one in particular

"Carful, they could be your family one day" Will told her

"Yeah we're all gonna die but you don't have too. Excuse me, sorry may I?" Dustin asked while looking down at the paper

"Please" Murray smiled sarcastically

"Okay, see this room here? This room is a storage facility, there's a hatch in here that feeds into the underground revolution system. That will lead you to the base of the weapon, it's a bit of a maze down there but between me and Erica we can show you the way" Dustin said as Levan cleared his throat

"Oh yeah and Mr.R" Dustin nodded his way

"You can show us the way?" Hopper asked in disbelief

"Don't worry you can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit and we'll just be your navigators" Dustin said as Clove looked to her Dad who held a smile of confidence

"No. Nope" Hopper shook his head.

Moments later Hopper began to get all the weapons together. The boys all hugged and talked amongst themself as Max and Clove got pretzels in the near by stores

"Hey Clove?" Max asked as Clove looked her way

"Yeah?" she asked her with a smile

"can we talk about El?" Max asked

"El? What about El?" Clove asked her while spinning around to face her

"You say you're over her but I really am doubting that" Max said as Clove glared

"Oh really? So what you know all my thoughts and feelings now?" Clove asked her offensively

"I don't need to know what I can clearly see, not to mention you were totally flirting with Robin" Max scoffed

"Robins almost five years older then me Max, I wasn't meaning it in a romantic way. It was just a joke, sorry that ir bothers her and I won't say stuff like that anymore. You're my girlfriend! You! I love you, not anyone else so could you please stop acting like you can read my freaking mind or something?" Clove asked her before storming off

"Hey? What's going on?" Stella asked stopping her daughter

"Nothing" Clove lied

"Liar" Stella said to her

"Just girlfriend problems, you wouldn't understand" Clove shrugged

"I know i've been kinda on to you a lot recently, i'm sorry Clove. I just worry one day i'm gonna have to leave you again so i'm trying to cram in as much time as possible with you" Stella said as Clove sighed

"I know, but for the sake of our family I really hope you don't go anywhere" Clove shook her head as Stella hugged her

"Don't worry too much about trouble in paradise. You'll figure it out, i'm team Max" Stella said making Clove laugh

"Yeah me too" she smiled

"You ready pretty lady?" Levan asked while walking toward his wife

"I still don't agree with you guys going, can't Hopper and Joyce do this together?" Clove asked as Levan laughed

"They could but I can't let them and your Mother won't let me" Levan said as Stella nodded

"Just come back to me okay?" Clove asked while they hugged her

"Clove" El called her over

"Love you" Levan whispered while hugging her once again and kissing her forehead

"Love you" she whispered back while going to El and Mike's side

"Mike?" Hopper yelled making them all look back as the taller boy stopped to turn his way

"Be carful"

•••••

we're getting so close to the end y'all.