The bats sink their teeth into his chest. Steve let out a scream as he tried to fight them off. Everytime he tried to push them away, they continue to bite. A bat wraps it's tail around his neck. He can't breath, Steve thought he was going to die, this was it . Something knocked out the bat on his stomach.

The bat whimpered in pain. He looked up to notice Madison with a paddle. She has come to save him. First it was Billy, then in the Russian base and now Demobats. She would risk her own life just for him over and over again. Nancy snapped him out of his thoughts, Steve now noticed the other three standing there. " Hey There"

She passed Nancy the oar as she hit a Demo bat. Madison knelt with the pocket knife in her hand, stabbing it's tail. 

"Quick! Hold it, Robin!"

She steps on it as the two started hitting and stabbing the creature until it went away "Get it"

"Kill it! Kill it!"

Eddie turns around noticing another bat coming their way. "Shit"

It came flying at him, but he fought it off. The three ladies attempt to get the Demobat off Steve's neck.

"Come on! Nancy! Maddie! Come on! Please!"

"Maddie, behind you! Watch out!" Eddie warned.

Out of shock, she dropped the knife as a bat came flying at her. She started to yell and tried swatting it off.

"Oh my God, Maddie"

"MADDIE!"

"Robin, Nancy, GET IT OFF ME."

Eddie hit another one, but the oar broke. "Got it, got it, got it! God damn it! Shit"

"Let go!"

He had enough, the bats can hurt him all they want , but not his girl. Steve was able to bite down causing the bat to loosen its grip. He held onto the bat's tail, preventing it from flying away. His voice is raspy. "Come here!"

Robin slammed the bat to the ground and pressed her foot on it.

"No"

"Get it!"

"Nancy!"

She stabbed the bat with the oar. "GO TO HELL!"

The creature screeched.Madison looked around trying to find her knife on the ground.

"Come on, come on, come on, you son of a bitch" I said come on let's go"

With half of the oar, Eddie then stabbed it. Steve grabbed the bat, threw it five times to the ground, and stepped on it. There is red thunder booming while blood comes out of his mouth. The five looked shocked. The three ladies ran to him. Madison being in front of them. "Steve!"

Eddie threw half the oar to the ground "

"Jesus H. Christ!"

"Are you Ok"

Madison looked at his injuries, wide-eyed. "Oh my God"

Steve showed her a small smile.

"Well, they took about a pound of flesh. But other than that, yeah, never better. "

Robin examined the bat with her flashlight. "Uh, do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies?"

"What?"

"It's just that rabies are, like, my number one greatest fear. And I think we should get you to a doctor soon because once symptoms set in, it's too late. You're already dead." Robin rambled on

Steve and Madison make eye contact completely confused. Bats came flying in the red sky. "You've got to be kidding me"

"All right. There are not that many. We can take 'them."

More bats came flying.

"Right? You were saying,"

"The woods. Come on "

Nancy ran off and the other three follow. Robin just stood there.

"Great- more running"

She managed to catch up. Hundreds of bats in the sky. They managed to reach Skull Rock in the Upside Down. The only sound is their breathing. The bats eventually disappeared. The five peek out. "Oh okay. - That was close"

Eddie turned to Robin, nodding

"Yeah. Too close,"

"Oh, shit"

Steve fell on a rock, weak from the bites. Madison quickly approached him; her eyes widen at the sight of blood.

"Steve? Jesus"

"I'm fine. I'm fine." He tried to reassure her.

Nancy, Robin, and Eddie walked to her.Madison shook her head

"No, no, no. You're not. You're losing blood. Come on, sit. All right?"

He moves his hand from the wound, there is blood on his hand. "Oh"

"Okay. So, the good news is I'm pretty sure wooziness is not a symptom of rabies. But if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms or you start feeling aggressive, like you want to punch me, let me know."

"Robin"

"Yeah?"

"I kind of want to punch you."

She laughed nervously at his remark

"Sense of humor still intact. That's a good sign."

Nancy ripped off a piece of her shirt and passed it to Madison. "Okay. Are you ready?"

Steve lifts his arm out, embracing the impact

"Yeah. Just do it."

He bit his lip, trying not to show pain. Steve let out a groan. Madison tied the knot as best as she can "Sorry."

Steve tilts his head against the wall, running his hand through his hair

"It's okay."

Madison tightens the cloth on his waist. "Too tight?"

"No, that's good."

"All right."

As she was adjusting the cloth, he tried to catch his breath, Steve couldn't help but admire her. Even though she's drenched with lake water, she is still beautiful in his eyes. The two make eye contact,

"Thanks"

"You're welcome."

Eddie climbed up a rock

"So, uh, this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit."

Nancy put her hand in front of him . "Pretty much. Wait, watch out for the vines. It's all a hive mind.

"It's all a-what."

"All the creepy crawlies around here. They're, like, one or something. Step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on Vecna." Steve explained.

"Well, shit."

"But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people?" Robin asked.

"As far as I understand it, yeah."

"So, theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate."

"I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah, sure."

" That's all the way, downtown" Madison pointed out

"Well, we don't have to go all the way downtown for guns. I have guns in my bedroom."

Eddie jumped off the rock. "You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom?"

Robin spread her arms out and smiled

"Full of surprises, isn't she?"

"Yeah, you almost shot me with that one," Steve muttered.

Madison eyes widen

"You almost shot Steve!"

Nancy smiled at her. "He almost deserved it"

Eddie threw a Jean jacket at him. "For your modesty, dude."

The ground began to shake; Madison fell down but Steve caught her. Nancy is right next to her, grabbing onto her arm, tightly. Madison could feel Steve's breathing and Nancy's nails digging into her arm.

"Oh my god!"

A creature roared in the distance.

"So, guns seem like a pretty good idea to me." Eddie exclaimed.

Robin is in his arms, she is catching her breath

"Yeah, me too."

--------------------

Madison, Nancy and Robin are in the front trying to find a way out of the Upside Down. The boys are in the back, Eddie trying to catch up and Steve is behind. He ran towards him. "Eddie.Eddie.Hey, man. Uh, Listen, I just, uh I just want to say thanks. For saving my ass back there."

" Shit-You saved your own ass, man. I mean, that was a real Ozzy move you pulled back there."

"Ozzy?"

Steve stared at him, completely lost.

"When you took a bite out of that bat. Ozzy Osbourne? Black Sabbath? He bit a bat's head off onstage"

"I don't..."

"You know? Doesn't matter. It's very metal, what you did. Thats all I'm saying."

"Thanks.."

"Henderson told me you were badass. Insisted on the matter, in fact."

"Henderson said that"

Steve felt a bit touched that Dustin thought of him like that.

"Oh yeah,Shit. Kid worships you, dude. Like you have no idea. It's kinda annoying to be honest. You know, I don't know why I care what the little shrimp thinks, but uh- guess I got a little jealous, Steve."

"I couldn't accept the fact that Steve Harrington was actually a good dude. Rich parents, popular, has a bad ass girlfriend. A bit feisty tho. Not a douche? No way, man.No way. That, like, flies in the face of all the laws in the universe and my own personal Munson doctrine. Still super jealous as hell, by the way."

Steve let out a slight chuckle as he pushed Eddie away. A small smile is on his face.

" Okay."

"Which is why I would never have jumped in that lake to save your ass. Not under any, uh normal circumstances."

They stopped for a moment hearing a sound in the distance, not knowing that it was just a branch. Steve flashed his flashlight to the side. They continued walking.

"Nope.Outside of D&D, I am no hero. I see danger and I just turn heel and run. Or at least that's what I've learned about myself this week."

Steve slapped his hand, trying to reassure him "Give yourself a break, man."

Eddie pointed at the girls. "See? The only reason I came in here was cause those ladies came in straight after you. Now, I was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind. But Mayfield over there, she didn't waste a second. Not one second. She just dove right in."

Steve attention goes to Madison, she is having a conversation with Robin..

"Now I don't know what's going on between you two .But if I were you, I wouldn't let her go. Cause, that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen."

His eyes are fixated on her.Just because they were dating doesn't mean there wasn't any problems. Madison doesn't open up to him anymore,and constantly lies about being "fine". Meanwhile Steve doesn't have the courage to say I love you, because he's scared of getting hurt again. But when they get out of the Upside Down, Steve is going to tell her, how he really feels.

The ground started shaking again, making everyone lose their balance.

"God damn it. HERE WE GO AGAIN"

Robin held her arms out as Madison and Nancy grabbed on a branch

"Okay, second on my list of least favorite things earthquakes. Seriously, I'm unsteady enough as it is."

Nancy's attention goes to something in the distance before she took off running.

"NANCY!"

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING!"

The two girls made eye contact before running after her, trying not to fall.

A/N: Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for the birthday wishes on the 24th. It made me happy. Anyway here is four of my favorite characters in one scene.