CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
HORROR NIGHTS

☆ミ ☆彡

CHALLAN HAD TO GET OUT. SHE NEEDED TO GET OUT. She couldn't be there anymore. She couldn't be involved with this anymore. She was afraid. She had never been so afraid. She couldn't do this. She wasn't brave. She wasn't.

"I need to go, I need to go," Challan whimpered, pushing Max's hands away from her face and trying to stand. Her legs gave out on her and she was falling back down to the ground only to be caught by Max.

"Chal, you need to calm down. It's okay, you're okay," Max tried to soothe. But her words went into one ear and out of the other.

"N-no, no. I can't do this. I have to get out of here." Challan was crying now, shaking with fear. The four around her didn't know what to do. They could only stare in worry.

Steve stepped forward, crouching down in front of Challan. "Hey," he started quietly, trying not to startle her. Her teary eyes looked up and met his. "I know you're scared, hell I am too, but we have to go. I know that you want to go home and I'll take you if you really want me to. But we can't stay here, okay? We need to move."

Challan merely stared at him, tears cascading down her cheeks. Steve looked behind him at the other two kids before looking at Max who was still crouched beside him. His gaze returned to Challan. "I need you to do something for me, okay? I need you to take a deep breath in through your nose and release it out through your mouth. Can you do that?"

The black-haired girl swallowed before nodding her head and doing that. She took a shaky breath in through her nose and released a ragged breath from her mouth. "Good," Steve encouraged, "again." Challan did it again and again until her breathing evened out and she calmed down. Max rubbed her arm comfortingly the whole time and Challan really appreciated it. She needed the comfort.

After her racing heart returned to a normal rhythm, she nodded her head. "Okay," she breathed.

"Okay," Steve repeated. He helped her onto her feet and looked at the four kids individually. He then turned back to Challan. "What do you want to do, Challan?"

••••

As much as she wanted Steve to take her home, she knew she couldn't let him. He needed to be here with the others. He needed to help them stop the monsters from taking over their town. He needed to protect them. She could have ridden her bike home but she was afraid to ride home alone in the dark. So instead, she was walking with Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Max along the old train tracks.

Her hand was enclosed in Max's, their finger locked together tightly as the two walked silently while Dustin and Lucas talked in front of them and Steve led the way. Max threw worried glances at Challan every so often as they walked. Challan kept her eyes firmly on the ground, absentmindedly drawing shapes into the back of Max's hand with the hand that wasn't holding Max's. The action comforted the redhead, kept her calm, not that Challan realized. But she was still worried about Challan because she couldn't do anything to keep her calm.

Max had never seen her like that. So afraid and unresponsive. It was terrifying. She never wanted to see her like that again. She felt a pang of guilt in her chest. The only reason Challan was there was because Max had made Lucas go and get her to show her proof of everything too. She directed him to her house and everything. Challan would've been peacefully at home right now, probably fast asleep, if it wasn't for Max. The redhead just couldn't seem to do anything right when it came to the black haired girl.

"You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas asked Dustin from in front of the two girls.

"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt," Dustin informed.

"But, he was tiny two days ago," Max chimed, pulling Challan's attention away from the ground and over to the redhead who spoke. Max met Challan's eyes and sent Challan a small smile. Challan tried to return it but her eyes lacked the usual sparkle they had when she smiled. Max squeezed Challan's hand comfortingly.

"Well, he's molted three times already," Dustin explained.

"Malted?" Steve questioned.

"Molted," Dustin corrected, "shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms."

"When's he gonna molt again?" Max asked.

"It's gotta be soon. When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it. And so will his friends," Dustin answered.

"Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats," Steve said.

Challan looked up at him with a questioning look as Lucas stopped Dustin in his tracks.

"Wait, a cat? Dart ate a cat?" He asked.

"No, what? No," Dustin denied.

"What are you talking about? He ate Mews," Steve stated, a confused expression crossing his features.

"Mews? Who's Mews?" Max asked from beside Challan.

"It's Dustin's cat," Steve replied.

"Steve!" Dustin exclaimed.

"I knew it! You kept him!" Lucas hit Dustin's shoulder as he spoke.

"No! No. No, I... No, I... He missed me. He wanted to come home," Dustin said.

"Bullshit!" Lucas didn't miss a beat.

"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?" Dustin exclaimed.

"Oh, so now you admit it?" Lucas asked.

"Guys, who cares? We have to go," Max reminded.

"I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!" Lucas responded.

"So did you!" Dustin shouted.

"What?" Lucas said.

"You told strangers," Dustin shined his flashlight into Max and Challan's eyes, "the truth!"

"Strangers?" Max scoffed incredulously as she took a step forward, inadvertently pulling Challan forward a little as well.

"You wanted to tell Max, too!" Lucas defended. Challan wasn't even surprised that it was only Max that they had initially wanted to tell. She was used to being excluded.

"Yeah, but I didn't, Lucas, okay? I didn't tell her! We both broke the rule of law, okay? So we're even. We're even," Dustin retorted.

"No, no! We're not even. Don't even try that. Your stupid pet could have ate us for dinner!" Lucas yelled back.

"That was not my fault!" Dustin defended.

"Hey, guys?" Steve called to the younger teens. Challan was the only one to have heard him, turning her head to look in his direction as he stared out into the forest that surrounded them.

"He wasn't gonna eat us."

"Oh, so he was crawling to come say hello?"

"Guys!" Steve exclaimed louder. The two boys stopped bickering and with the silence, Challan could hear why, she assumed, Steve had been trying to get their attention. A low screeching could be heard in the distance. Challan took a step closer to Max, her grip on her hand tightening. She hoped that it didn't hurt the redhead but Challan had no intention of letting go anytime soon.

Steve walked into the brush with Dustin and Lucas running after him. Challan and Max on the other hand, stayed glued to their spots.

"No, no, no. Hey, guys, why are you headed towards the sound? Hello? Hello? Shit!" Max began to follow behind but was yanked backward slightly as Challan didn't move from her spot. She turned back to face the girl. "Chal, we have to go," she gently informed.

"I don't want to," Challan shook her head.

"Me neither. But we can't stay here. We don't have any weapons. But Steve does, remember? And he's gonna protect us." Max wasn't sure if Steve would be able to protect them but she hoped that her words provided enough comfort.

Challan took a breath and nodded and Max started moving forward, Challan hesitantly following behind. The two girls began to run to catch up to the three boys who were far ahead of them. Why were they moving so fast?

They finally caught up to the boys when the three slowed to a walk. Flashlights illuminated the five's path as they got closer and closer to where they had been heading. They came to a stop on top of a hill.

"I don't see him," Dustin said.

They couldn't see anything because there was too much fog. Lucas pulled out his binoculars and peered through them. "It's the lab. They were going back home," he informed.

The five carefully began making their way down the hill and toward Hawkins Lab. This is where everything had begun for the party. Will going missing, them meeting Eleven, the Demogorgon, the Upside Down. Everything originated in that lab and it was the last place Challan wanted to go to.

They walked through the woods and as they got closer to the lab, Challan's anxiety grew. She wanted to turn back and she almost had but she forced her feet to keep moving forward.

A voice calling out startled her.

"Hello? Who's there? Who's there?"

Steve was at the front of the group and exited the woods first. He walked forward to the voice that had spoken and lowered his flashlight so they could get a good look at him.

"Steve?" Both Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers exclaimed. What were they doing there?

"Nancy?" Steve questioned.

"Jonathan," Dustin added.

"What are you doing here?" Nancy asked as she and Jonathan walked toward the five. The five walked forward as well and met them in the middle.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked back.

"We're looking for Mike and Will," Nancy stated.

"They're not in there, are they?" Dustin asked, beginning to feel afraid for his friends.

"We're not sure." Nancy glanced at Jonathan.

"Why?" Jonathan asked.

They turned their heads in the direction of monsters screeching. There were few things that Challan Logan hated. And this? Challan really hated this. Maybe it would have been better if she had just ridden her bike home.

She didn't know what had sparked the bickering that arose amongst the now bigger group but she wasn't listening to it regardless. Challan was completely zoned out, staring into the empty space in front of her. When Nancy announced that the power to the lab was back on, the bickering ceased and the group made their way closer to the lab.

Challan allowed Max to pull her along as they came up to the gate. Her gaze landed on the security box. There was no security guard there and an uneasy feeling began to settle in her stomach. Jonathan made his way over and began pressing a button to open the gate. When the gate didn't budge he pressed it over and over again. The gate still didn't move.

Dustin decided to have a go at it, pressing the same button that Jonathan had. And just like with Jonathan, the gate didn't move.

"I don't like this," Challan mumbled. Max rubbed her thumb across Challan's hand as she took in her surroundings. They were all on high alert, not knowing what could happen at any given moment.

Dustin's pressing persisted and after a while, the gate finally opened. "Hey! I got it! I got it!" Dustin boasted.

Nancy and Jonathan got into Nancy's car and drove up to the lab to see if Mike and Will were there. It was back to the original group of five who waited apprehensively for the two to return, hopefully with good news.

Max took notice of the car hurtling out of the lab first. It screeched, its bright headlights illuminating the road ahead. "Guys?" she spoke. A second car rounded the corner behind the first, both going directly toward the five. A car horn honked and Max pulled Challan off of the road as someone yelled, "Look out!"

"Guys, get back!" Max called. The first car sped past them, the second, which was driven by Jim Hopper, stopped in front of the five.

"Let's go!" The man urged.

No one had to be told twice and Steve quickly handed Max his bat before pulling open the police van's door and ushering the younger kids through it. Once the four were inside, he got in after and Chief Hopper sped off.

••••

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