ACT TWO
the battle of starcourt. part two.

     ARLO HELD ON TIGHTLY to the back of Robin's seat, his frown deepening as the car sped through the parking lot. His sights set on the scene only about a mile away.

Nancy stood beside the car, shooting at Billy's familiar car. The same car that currently sped towards the girl, not seeming to be slowing down anytime soon.

As the scene got closer and closer, Arlo couldn't help but look down at the floor of the car. Not wanting to have to watch the car accident unfold.

He temporarily squeezed his eyes shut just as their car slammed into Billy's, a loud metal screeching sound coming from the impact.

Arlo's body jolted forwards, the scene seeming to go in slow motion as the car twisted around. Doing an involuntarily donut due to the impact.

Once the car was still Arlo looked up again, now watching as Billy's car lit up. Fire covering the hood of the vehicle.

"You guys okay?" Steve questioned, the Leone siblings staying silent in shock while Robin verbally answered.

"Ask me tomorrow?"

As if Robin's words were a cue, a loud monster-like screeching filled their ears. The sound coming from inside the mall, making all four of them stare at the roof.

On the roof stood a large creature, about sixty feet. It resembled that of a spider, it's very sight making Ida grimace.

"Holy shit." Arlo mumbled, his eyes still glued to the monster that screeched again.

A car pulling up beside them temporarily pulled their attention away, Nancy's voice running through the air. "Get in!"

The four teenagers immediately complied, sparing a few more scared glances at the creature before rushing to the car Jonathan drove. Slipping into the large trunk like area of the car.

    Arlo, Ida, Robin and Steve felt uncomfortable in the back trunk. The small trunk clearly not being designed to fit four teenagers, nonetheless they admitted to ignore it. Focusing their attention on the huge creature that currently followed the car.

The monster was slower than the car, his speed not making him any less intimidating.

Their attention was pulled away from the monster when the walkie-talkie in Robin's hands hummed, a child's voice now filling the air.

"Dusty-bun, you copy?"

"I copy, Suzie-poo." The four in back now stared at the walkie-talkie, their eyes wide as they all seemed to realize who Dustin was talking to. "It sounds much better now, thanks."

"Suzie.." Robin mumbled, her eyes glancing around her friends.

"Okay, so, listen.. Do you know Planks constance?"

"Do you know the Earth orbits the sun." The girl replied, matter of factly. Her words making Ida lowly laugh to herself. Finding amusement in the fact that Dustin's girlfriend was somehow a bigger nerd than him.

"Okay, so I know it starts with two sizes, and then a—What is it?"

"Okay.. Let me just be clear on this, I haven't heard from you in a week and now you want a mathematical equation—that you should know—so you can, save the world?"

Arlo sighed, wanting to grab the walkie out of his friend's hands and rush the girl. Nonetheless he didn't, listening intently as Dustin replied.

"Suzie-poo, I promise, I will make it up to you as soon as possible."

"You can make it up to me now.." The girl trailed, seeming to hint at something.

"What?"

"I want to hear it."

"Not right now."

"Yes, now, Dusty-bun." Suzie argued back, Steve running a hand through his hair at the kid's argument.

"Suzie-poo, this is urgent."

"Yes, yes. You're saving the world, I heard you the first time. Ged is also saving Earthsea and he's about to confront the shadow, so this is Suzie, signing off." Suzie's words were cut off with an abrupt click, Dustin immediately pleading with her after wards.

"Wait, wait, wait! Okay—" Dustin then grew silent for a few moments, the group in the trunk sharing confused looks at the duo's conversation.

It was then that they could hear Dustin through the walkie talkie again, only this time he was singing.

Turn around. Look at what you see.

A smile appeared on all four of the group's face, their eyes glancing between one another as Dustin sang into the walkie-talkie.

In her face, the mirror of your dreams.. Make believe i'm everywhere, giving in the light. Written on the pages is—

Ida sent a grin to Robin, pretending to serenade the girl despite not knowing any of the words to the nerdy song.

The answer to a never-ending story.

Robin giggled at the girl's antics, the duo temporarily forgetting about the huge monster that still followed the car.

Reach the stars, fly a fantasy. Dream a dream, and what you see will be. Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.

Steve and Arlo ignored their antics, Steve having a look of disbelief while Arlo just deeply frowned.

There upon a rainbow is, the answer to a never-ending story. Story.

"Nerd shit." The boy mumbled, rubbing his eyes as the walkie talkie made more noise, this time being Suzie's regular voice. The singing session thankfully over.

"Plank's constant is 6.62607004."

"You just saved the world!" Dustin replied, a smile evident through his voice.

"Gosh, I miss you, Dusty-bun" The girl cooed, their nicknames for one another causing Steve to grimace.

"I miss you more, Suzie-poo."

"No, I miss you more multipled by all the stars in our galax—" The girl was abruptly cut off by a click, Ida smiling as she assumed that Erica had ended their call.

A low static then filled the group's ears, all of them thankful that the singing was over.

They then fell into a brief silence, their eyes now glancing back at the monster that followed them.

The chase gave Arlo time to examine the creature, the low buzz of nearby street lights making an eerie yellow glow cast upon the mosnter.

It had seven leg-like objects, it used them to crawl.

It looked as if it was made of manwich, a bloody red color coating it's clumpy skin. It was genuinely disgusting, yet Arlo couldn't pull his eyes away.

When the monster suddenly stopped in it's tracks, making it's move to turn around, Steve's face dropped. Immediately alerting the driver. "It's turning around."

"What?" Nancy yelled from the passenger seat, her head whipping around in shock.

"Maybe we wore it out?" Lucas offered weakly, hoping the creature didn't know that Eleven wasn't in the car.

"I don't think so.. Hold on." Jonathan spoke, not caring that none of the group had time to hold onto their seats as the car whipped around.

The U-turn made the four in the trunk slam into one another, Arlo's head aching seeing as his forehead had slammed into Steve's

He held the spot on his head as he groaned, Steve doing the same as the car began to speed down the road. Hoping to get to the mall before the Mind Flayer could reach it.

The group currently prepared for battle, Lucas had informed them of the fireworks idea. Which happened to just consist of throwing lit fireworks at the giant monster, which all of the members reluctantly agreed to.

After all, they had no other option. Especially seeing as they watched as Billy laid down El, whispering into her ear as they watched from afar.

The monster was here as well, standing in the middle of the usually-busy foodcourt. It seemed to be staring down at El and Billy, despite the fact that it didn't have any eyes.

El seemed terrified, using her hands to move her away from the monster as Lucas had had enough. Tired of watching his friend in fear, he ran forward. A lit firework in his hand.

"Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!" He screamed, throwing the firework at the monster's back.

The monster screeched at the sudden heat, Will tossing a lit firework at the monster as well.

The screeching in pain was like a cue for the others, who began to immediately light their fireworks. Throwing them off of the balcony and onto the giant monster.

"Fuck you!" Arlo screamed as he threw one at the creature's back, unaware of where his sudden anger for the monster came from.

The fireworks were loud, the mall seeming to explode in various lights as the group continued to attack the creature. Each firework causing the Mind Flayer to screech in pain.

The event made adrenaline rush through Arlo's body, his arm shooting back to throw another one as a smile came over his lips.

Arlo rushed back to the small blue basket, a frown appearing on his lips as he realized they had used all the fireworks up.

He looked over to Ida, who was also staring at the box. She shook her head lightly before yelling a response to him, her voice still sounding quiet due to the firework still exploding. "Im gonna go get El."

Arlo nodded at her words, watching as his sister began to run towards the elevator.

Once she got out of sight he trudged over to the elevator, ignoring the bursts of fireworks as he stared at the scene unfolding on the ground.

Billy had been leaning over El, the girl was crying as she spoke to him. Arlo had assumed she was pleading for her life, unaware she was actually attempting to get through to him.

The fireworks had now lessened by a lot, the other pairs of two separated throughout the second story seeming to be slowly running out.

Arlo kept his eyes on Billy and El as the fireworks came to a halt, the creature also turning his attention back to Billy and El.

The Mind Flayer seemed to scream at Billy, causing the boy to turn around in his spot. He looked terrible, which Arlo would've examined more if it weren't for his sister appearing in his line of sight.

She stood about ten feet away from the duo that laid on the floor, she was staring at the Mind Flayer in fear.

Billy had now fully stood up, him and the creature sharing a prolonged stare for a moment. The creature snarled again, this time a long arm had shot out of it's mouth.

Despite the fact that it had previously headed for El, Billy stood in front of it, blocking it from reaching the girl.

"No! No!" Billy screamed, unaware of the other claws that seemed to materialize themself from the monster's stomach.

El had seemed frozen in place, Ida taking this as her cue. Her cue to get the girl to safety.

Arlo had wanted to scream at the sight of her sister tiptoeing towards El, he wanted to tell her to turn around yet he was rendered silent. His mind too in shock as a few of the other claws slammed into Billy's torso.

Billy screamed in pain at the impact, still holding back one of the claws as blood began to pour from his now open wounds.

The gory scene caused Arlo to temporarily forget about Ida standing beside El, gesturing the girl to stand up.

The child didn't listen, her eyes wide as she stared at Billy's body. Which had now gone limp.

Ida would've normally sighed at this, her fear not letting her as she bent downwards; pulling El's arm upwards.

El scrambled to her feet, only losing her balance when Ida had jolted sideways.

Eleven furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, her face turning into a deep frown once she realized what caused Ida's sudden movement.

Ida's hands let go of El, her eyes trailing down to the side of her stomach.

A claw had plunged into her skin, the Mind Flayer's sharp nails making five deep puncture wounds in the girl's flesh.

Ida was in a temporary state of shock, the state leaving as a scream erupted from her throat. Her hands attempting to remove the monster's claw from her side.

Her protest seemed to piss the creature off more, another claw shooting forward. Billy's body now discarded onto the floor as the claws moved onto Ida.

Three more claws found a home in her skin, blood beginning to coat her teeth as she tried to get away.

Arlo's jaw was slack, his throat seeming to rip into shreds as he screamed his sister's name. His knees grew weak at the sight, his vision blurry due to the tears that clouded his brown eyes.

Tears were rolling down Ida's cheeks as she gasped for air, seeming to be silently begging a higher power to save her.

It was then that the monster let go, the girl's body falling limp while the monster began to slam into the walls. The monster's physical pain didn't amount to Arlo's, the boy's sobs being muffled by the loud crashes of the monster.

    When the Mind Flayer finally dropped to the ground, Arlo's knees gave out. The boy's kneecaps slamming into the hard surface, a pain that was ignored due to the current heaviness in his chest.

He couldn't breathe, his hand making a tight fist as he pounded it onto his chest. He mumbled a few more incoherent words, his sobbing only stopping when he began to cough loudly.

It was then that the realization dawned on Arlo that Ida was all he had.

The bot forced himself to stand up as he ran towards the escalator. Determined to get to Ida, despite the fact that he knew it was too late.

Steve met him halfway, his pleas for Arlo to stay on the balcony going ignored as the bleach-blonde boy shoved him harshly. His feet picking up pace as he rushed down the escalator.

    Arlo's tears never stopped falling as he reached Ida, his body immediately collapsing onto the floor once he was close enough.

He placed a hand on her face as he sobbed. "No, no, no, no." The boy mumbled as he dropped his head down onto her body, his sobs never ceasing. "Ida, please." His voice cracked as he pleaded for the girl.

Arlo knew deep down it was too late, but that didn't stop him from begging her to wake up.

He was unsure how long he stayed beside his sister, his pleas coming to an abrupt stop when police had swarmed the building, pulling Arlo away from the girl.

The boy struggled in their arms, his attempts to go back to her falling short as he finally stopped struggling. His body growing limp as two officers pulled him out of the mall.

dedicated to rosephone_wp BldPanda gayfordaryl ruesbennett