CHAPTER 43
A NEVERENDING STORY

VERONICA was pressing down on the gas pedal harder than ever.

She prayed there were no cops. They'd surely pull her over, especially because she was doing sixty-five in a forty limit zone. No matter how fast she went, it seemed to her that the drive was taking forever. She needed to go so much faster, but she didn't want to kill them all anytime soon. Starcourt seemed so far away – her dad was even farther – and she knew there wasn't time to waste.

Her hands gripped the wheel so hard that her knuckles turned white. Robin and Steve were holding onto their seats. Steve struggled to reach over and touch her hand, afraid the loss of grip would cause him to go flying out of the Toddfather. (Now wouldn't that be a way to end the night.) He quickly placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed. His grasp was stable and tense.

"Ronnie," he called, voice full of fear, "do you think you might want to – um – slow down?"

"We're literally going to die if you go any faster!" Robin added. Her blonde hair whipped across her face and covered her eyes.

Veronica felt her eye twitch. The Mind Flayer was the only thing she saw. He was taking her brother, pulling him deep within the depths of the Upside Down, killing him before he had a chance to even live. Veronica saw the vines pulling him down again, suffocating him. The memory of his corpse danced across her vision and haunted her eyes. She let that happen to Louie. She had a chance to save him, but she didn't. It was finally time to make a change. Life was different now, and she'd be damned if she let that ugly, ass-face monster do the same to her dad. He was all she had left, and she needed him. Veronica Moreda needed her dad. Her foot pressed down on the pedal even harder.

They arrived at Starcourt within minutes. It took Steve twenty minutes to get to the field, but Veronica got back to the mall in eight and without getting a speeding ticket. She swerved to a stop at the entrance, causing everyone in the car to automatically sway to the right. Veronica huffed, sitting up straight, and looked to the other passengers strapped inside. "You guys okay?" She asked, pushing flyaway strands behind her ears.

Steve rubbed at his nose. "I don't know."

"I might've shit myself," Robin added.

An engine revved in front of them. Veronica slowly turned her head in the direction of the sound, eyes growing wide at the sight of the familiar Camaro sitting a few feet from the mall. A group of teenagers busted out of the entrance, all running to the beatdown van parked in front of Starcourt. One person popped up the hood, while another stood in front of the car, cocking back a handgun. The rest of the group filed into the van. Veronica narrowed her eyes. Was that Jonathan and Nancy?

The Camaro revved again, hesitating on the gas pedal. Billy Hargrove was pausing for dramatic effect. Veronica placed her hand on the shift and gripped it tightly. "Ronnie," Steve breathed.

"What's going on?" Robin asked, popping her head up from behind Steve's seat.

"He's going to try to kill them," Veronica whispered at the same time Billy shifted his Camaro into drive.

The engine roared to life, louder than anything she'd ever heard, before Billy began to speed, heading straight for the van. His tires screeched. Nancy held the shotgun out in front of her and started to shoot.

Veronica immediately pulled down on the shift. Steve went tense. "Ronnie, whoa," he stuttered, "what are you doing?!"

"Taking care of business," she muttered, before shoving her foot down on the gas.

The Toddfather came alive, speeding down the parking lot at seventy miles per hour. Steve and Robin were screaming, but Veronica could hear nothing but the motor's snarl from her foot pressing onto the gas pedal too hard. Adrenaline flowed through her veins. Her eyes were wide, dark irises focused on the monster in front of them, reflecting against the bright glow of the Camaro's high beams. Billy was seconds away from crashing into the van, killing Nancy, but then the Toddfather rammed into his door and knocked him to the side.

Billy's car spun across the lot. The Toddfather whipped to the left, hood flipping at the impact of the crash. Nancy stood up and breathed heavily, eyes narrowing at the sight of Veronica, Steve, and Robin in the car. She smiled.

Veronica's head had fallen against the stirring wheel. She felt woozy, but still alive. Steve caressed her cheek, lifting her head to make sure she was okay. "Hey, hey, Moreda," he shouted, "you hear me?" He gripped her chin and shook it from side to side.

She suddenly swatted his hands away, blinking a few times. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she huffed, glancing back to the hood of the car. The engine was smoking.

Robin frowned, "That can't be good."

Veronica jumped out of the car just as Billy's Camaro went up in flames. Steve and Robin huddled quickly behind her. Veronica squinted, realizing that Billy hung limply out the window, but he was still breathing. She felt for the handgun hanging on her dad's belt. "That motherfucker still isn't dead yet," she growled, stomping towards the Camaro, one hand on her holster. "He isn't getting away with this now."

She only got a few feet in front of the car before Steve was behind her, hurling her back. Veronica fought against his arms that were locked around her torso, pulling herself more towards Billy's car. She watched his hand twitch with life. Veronica whipped her body to the side, screaming, "Get off of me, Steve! I beat him up once and I can do it again!"

"Pretty sure you already did that with the car," he muttered, yanking her towards Nancy's van.

Veronica shook her head and managed to get one of his arms off. "Not this time. He's going to pay."

"We don't have time!" Nancy shouted. Veronica halted her movements and glanced back at the brunette. A monstrous screech echoed in the distance. The teenagers were too curious not to look up.

Climbing up the roof of Starcourt, roaring over the thunder ripping through the sky, was the Mind Flayer. He stood loud and proud, slightly hunched over so he could stare down at the group of teenagers that had slipped through his grip so many times. His mouth opened and revealed several rows of teeth, all sharp and jagged. Veronica swallowed hard, realizing that this was the monster who stole her brother away, sucking the life out of him ever so slowly. She gripped Steve's arm tightly.

A car horn awoke her from the dreamlike state. Veronica blinked. The three teenagers turned to the right and spotted Jonathan coming to a stop in the van. "Get in!" Nancy shouted from the passenger seat.

Robin bolted for the trunk. Steve helped them crawl in, swinging the door open and ushering his friends inside. Veronica hesitated for a moment, standing idly by the trunk with one hand over her mouth. She watched the Mind Flayer creep down from the roof, eyes trained on her. Veronica shook her head and whispered, "I can't. I can't."

Jonathan pressed down on the horn again. Steve cried out, "We gotta go, Ronnie!"

"My dad is still in there," she sniffled, a tear leaking down the side of her cheek. She continued to shake her head as the Mind Flayer edged closer. "I can't leave. He's still inside –"

"He's going to be okay! Get inside, please!" Steve begged.

Veronica didn't move a muscle.

"Ronnie, Ronnie, we have to go," he huffed before locking his arms around her and pulling her inside.

Veronica screamed against his hold, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, as Robin slammed the trunk shut and Jonathan sped away from the mall. The Mind Flayer stumbled down the roof of Starcourt, plummeting to the ground and following them quickly. The tires of the van screeched against the pavement, mimicking the sobs that erupted from Veronica's mouth as she watched the mall get farther and farther away. Her voice was horse and tired. She cried into Steve's shirt, staining the cheap material, but he didn't care one bit.

"If it makes it any better," Robin murmured, face pressed against the back window, "the Mind Flayer is trailing us, so he won't get to your dad."

Steve glared in Robin's direction, but Veronica now understood her friend was right. She wiped at the end of her nose and sat up – well, the best she could in their cramped spot. The tears dried on her cheeks. Her eyes went wide, stars twinkling in them, as the realization occurred in her brain. The faster they drove, the closer the Mind Flayer got, stomping right behind them like his life depended on it.

They traveled down a deserted highway, now eight miles away from Starcourt, past the July 4th celebration being held on the fairgrounds in the middle of town. Veronica had been so consumed with their little Russian debacle that she completely forgot that July 4th was a thing. She really didn't think they'd have time to celebrate now, seeing as they were being followed by a gigantic monster that wanted use them for part of his zombified army.

The van rattled each time one of the Mind Flayer's legs made an impact with the asphalt. Slime and mud oozed from his skin, leaking onto the ground. He opened his mouth hungrily, licking his lips and waiting patiently for a taste. He was all about patience; he wanted to savor their deaths. Veronica swallowed hard and pressed her hands against the back window, not believing her own eyes.

"If we really do make it out of this, Harrington," she muttered, turning to look at him from over her shoulder, "maybe I will take you up on another date." Steve sent her a wide grin.

Robin groaned, "Get a room."

The radio hanging off Robin's shorts hissed with static and the red light glowed bright, coming to life as the threat of the Mind Flayer got closer and closer. Robin knitted her brow together and yanked off the radio. She turned it around in her hands, pressing down on the talk button to ask if Dustin was there, but another voice emerged from the speaker.

"Dusty-bun, do you copy?"

"I copy, Suzie-poo. It sounds much better now, thanks."

"Dusty-bun?" Steve grimaced.

"Suzie-poo?" Robin then repeated.

Veronica's mouth opened slightly. "Shit," she said, glancing to her coworkers, "she is real."

Robin looked back at the Mind Flayer's trail. "Couldn't have figured that out at a better time."

"Okay, so listen," Dustin continued in an urgent tone, "do you know Planck's Constant?"

Suzie laughed on the other end. "Do you know the earth orbits the sun?"

"I have no idea what they're talking about it," Veronica whispered over to Steve.

Dustin snickered through the speaker. "Okay, so, I know it starts with two sixes, and then a ... what is it?"

"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?"

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

Robin glanced up from the radio. The three teenagers were so immersed that they almost forgot about the monster riding their tail. "Are they having their first fight?" The blonde asked, quirking a brow upward.

"First of many," Steve grinned as his eyes flickered to Veronica for a short moment.

"You can make it up to me now," Suzie giggled. "I want to hear it."

Veronica's face twisted.

"Suzie-poo, this is urgent," Dustin pressed.

"Yes, yes, you're saving the world. I heard you the first time, but Ged is also saving Earthsea and he's about to confront the shadow, so this is Suzie, signing off."

"Wait, wait, wait! Okay, okay!" Dustin paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, before he started to hum out a tune. "Turn around ... Look at what you see ... In her face ... The mirror of your dreams ..."

Veronica's mouth fell open in shock. She looked to Steve, who was staring at her with a shit-eating grin while Dustin sang against the radio static. He looked like a character out of those cheesy rom-coms he used to try to take her too. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, shoving his shoulder. "Stop that!"

"Make believe I'm everywhere given in the light!" Dustin and Suzie continued to harmonize. "Written on the pages is the answer to a never-ending story! Ah-ah-ah! Ah-ah-ah!"

Robin shook her head. "Am I on another plane of existence right now?"

Veronica scrunched up her nose. "Are they singing the theme to a Neverending Story?"

"Reach the stars, fly a fantasy! Dream a dream, and what you see will be!"

Will nodded from the seat in front of them. "Yup, that's the song."

Scratching the top of her head, Veronica glanced over at Steve, noticing that he had been leaning in this whole time, lips puckered out for a kiss. Veronica placed a hand on his lips, causing them to immediately fall flat, and he looked at her with narrowed eyes. She blinked in his direction, "What do you think you're doing?! This is not the time to kiss!"

"Yeah," Robin agreed, "not in front of me. Gross."

Steve shrugged, still partially leaning into her embrace. "Well, I – I thought it was a good time to –" He paused and tried to gather his thoughts. "You know, I thought it could be kind of a movie moment?"

Veronica's brow knitted together. "Well, it isn't!"

The singing stopped, ending on a soft chorus. The line went dead for a moment, until Suzie finally said, "Planck's constant is 6.62607004."

Dustin breathed out a sigh of relief on the other end. "You just save the world!"

"Gosh, I miss you, Dusty-bun."

"And I miss you more, Suzie-poo."

"You see," Steve gestured to the radio in Robin's hands, "now that's what I call a –"

Veronica's eyes flickered to the back window, and she was suddenly placing a finger over Steve's mouth, shouting, "Shush!"

From outside the car, the Mind Flayer screeched into the open air, pausing in place. Jonathan sped away from the creature, but they were close enough for Veronica to see him turn around and stomp back in the direction they came in. She launched herself towards the back window, fear rising in her throat. He was going back to the mall, where her dad was. Veronica slammed her fists against the glass and screamed, "He's turning around!"

"What?!" Nancy exclaimed.

Steve placed a hand on Veronica's shoulder. "It's turning around!" He repeated for her.

"Maybe we wore it out," Lucas muttered, but even he didn't believe it.

"I don't think so. Hold on," Jonathan replied before swerving the car in the other direction, speeding back to Starcourt, where a battle awaited them. It was Judgment Day, and Veronica was ready to fight.

•••

A/N: Sooooooooooooo I've been putting it off but................yeah, there's two chapters left 😪

BUT THEY'RE GOOD ONES, I SWEAR

( made by JustSav )