𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 : 4.1k

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"𝐒𝐎, 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐈𝐓?"

Dustin was the first to speak up from the back seat, breaking through the silence in the car. Owen kept her eyes on the road, but her brows still dipped surreptitiously.

"Talk about what?" she asked in a forcibly merry tone, trying to act clueless. Of course, she knew exactly what he was referring to, but she was hardly at liberty to answer any questions about the earthquake that had just saved their asses. Actually, screw the whole 'at liberty' part; she was entirely lacking in any answers to give them — even if she wanted to.

But that whole clueless act didn't work on Dustin. Not for a second.

"I think it's pretty clear by now that we, collectively, are not a group lucky enough to experience a random, life-saving earthquake. So what the hell was that?" Dustin questioned her. "Not to mention all the times you have those weird premonitions about stuff before anything even happens!" he tacked on, adding to the growing list of suspicious behavior Owen had exhibited as of late.

But every time Owen really began to believe that she could easily fade into the background of any and all situations, the group of friends she had made in Hawkins forced her to second-guess that. Or perhaps she had just managed to befriend the most observant people in the entire town. Whatever the case, she realized that she now had to face the music and fess up to Dustin and the others about all the weird shit she had been experiencing lately. Even if she decided to put off an explanation right then, she knew that it wouldn't satiate them forever.

Owen expelled a sigh, rubbing her hands across the steering wheel nervously. "Honestly, Dustin... I don't know. That's the truth," she confessed. "Or, most of the truth. I've been having those... premonitions since we moved here. If you can even call them premonitions... it's basically like this extra sense that tells me when I'm in danger."

"Like spidey-senses," he gasped.

She couldn't help but let out a breathless chuckle. "Sure, yeah. Like spidey-senses." Owen was all too familiar with the concept having grown up with a Spiderman fanatic.

"But what about the earthquake?" Mike prodded.

Owen's lips pressed together, twitching anxiously. "Y'know, I'm kind of wondering the same thing," she admitted, quietly. "That's never happened to me before. And I'm not sure I could even do it again if you asked, if it was even me at all." Finally, she peeked into the rearview mirror, making eye contact with the boys lined up in the backseat. "How about this? The moment I figure anything out, I promise that you guys will be the first ones I tell. But for right now, I don't even have the answers myself."

Silence filled the car as the group of kids pondered the offer. "That seems fair," Lucas nodded and the others hummed in agreement.

All of a sudden, Steve began to groan and shift in his place across the boys' laps. Worriedly, Owen looked at him through the rearview mirror. She hadn't really been expecting him to wake up so soon. Even in the dark, she could see how rough he looked, his face all puffy, bruised, and bloody. He hardly looked like himself.

"Nancy?" Owen heard him blearily mumble as he studied Mike through swollen eyes. Through blurry vision, he could see the younger boy's face scrunch in confusion. Steve reached up, trying to rub at his aching face, but Dustin swatted his hands away before he could hurt himself further.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," Owen greeted him from the front seat.

"Hey, buddy..." Dustin cooed, shushing him like a baby. "It's okay. You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up a good fight, buddy. You're okay."

Steve began to straighten up and become more cognizant, even going as far as reaching up to hold his own ice pack. "What's going on?" he slurred, eyes slowly dancing around the car.

"We're going to go burn those tunnels to the ground," Owen answered him, matter-of-factly. But when she actually applied some sense to the words, her head cocked confusedly. "Or... I guess they're already in the ground, so... I don't know. Whatever. You get it." But Steve had already begun to spiral and worry in the backseat. "No, no, no, no! I already said no. We are not doing this!" he protested.

Owen rolled her eyes. She never enjoyed being told what to do, or in this case, what not to do. "Then you can wait in the car, Harrington. We've got this," she muttered, hands tightening around the wheel. Her words had little to no calming effect on Steve, his hands gripping the front seats in an attempt to pull himself further upright.

"We can't do this. Stop the car! Or turn around!"

"Yes, we can. I refuse to just sit back and let Hopper and Eleven die in that lab."

"Owen, I'm serious. Stop the car!"

"I'm being serious, too, Steve!"

Owen hadn't noticed the way her foot was pressing harder and harder on the gas pedal. The engine revved loudly as they sped down the road. "Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai. Make a left!" Max shouted from the passenger seat. "Turn left!"

Owen swiftly spun the wheel, the sharp turn running them off the road. The entire car let out dramatic screams, acting as if they had gone up on two wheels — they hadn't, of course. Owen was a great driver... kind of.

"Slow down! Slow down, Owen!" Steve cried out.

"Stop yelling at me!" she demanded.

With the speed at which she was going, the car barely even bumped along the dirt road entrance to the McCorkles' farm. Owen spotted the gigantic pile of dirt she and Hopper had left in the middle of the field, choosing to just cut corners and drive straight towards it. The car fishtailed as she brought it to an abrupt stop just before she sent them flying headfirst into the pit.

"Hello!" Steve bellowed once they came to a complete stop, shocked that he hadn't been launched through the front glass. While the kids piled out of the car, Owen left it running in case they needed the illumination from the headlights. She slid out of the driver's seat, rounding the back of the vehicle as the kids handed out all of the shit she had packed into the trunk.

Steve was the last to stumble out of the car, slumping against the bright blue paint and watching as the others equipped themselves with goggles and make-shift masks. Owen had learned her lesson during her first adventure through the tunnels, well-aware of the effects caused by inhaling those particles. "No, guys... no," Steve moaned, looking on helplessly. Mike marched right past him with a can of gasoline, completely unaffected by Steve's commands.

"We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear!" Steve shouted, desperately trying to gain everyone's attention as they worked around him. "There is no chance we are going down in that hole, all right?"

With the battered boy's backpack in hand, Dustin stopped in front of him, a no-nonsense look on his round face. "Steve, you're upset. I get it. But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance," Dustin informed him. Owen glanced at him sideways, trying to gauge his reaction through the swim goggles situated on her face. "Now, I know you promised Nance that you would keep us safe. So, keep us safe."

With a disapproving sigh and shake of his head, Steve snatched his backpack out of Dustin's hands. Seemingly happy with Steve's cooperation, the younger boy went to meet back up with his friends as they descended into the tunnels, leaving Owen and Steve at the trunk of Billy's car. She already had a pair of goggles and a bandana ready, each item waiting for him in her outstretched hands.

"So, what the hell happened after I got knocked out?" he muttered, taking the gear from her. Owen merely shrugged, making sure to grab her bat before shutting the trunk. "It wasn't anything major," she said, nonchalantly. How was she meant to explain the earthquake that ended up saving their asses? Owen figured it would just be easier to keep her mouth shut about it.

"Oh yeah?" Steve chuckled, tightening the knot he had secured at the back of his head. Owen hummed a sound of affirmation, delivering a quick nod. "Well, I don't know what else you did, but I can tell you firsthand that you've got a pretty mean right hook. That punch you got in probably taught him everything he needed to know about you."

Owen laughed openly at his mention of their fight in the alley last year. It felt like a lifetime had passed since then. Part of her could hardly believe that she and Steve were even the same people now. "Oh, really? Our fight in the alley taught you everything you needed to know about me?" Owen teased softly as the two of them walked towards the hole.

"Maybe not everything, but it was definitely a jumping off point," he chuckled.

At the edge of the pit, Owen turned to him, extending her bat between them. "Hold my bat for me?" Without question, he took it from her and watched as she expertly slid down the side of the pit lined with dry, crumbly dirt. Then, using the rope attached to Billy's car, she began to carefully lower herself in through the opening of the tunnels.

Steve let out a subdued, but still impressed, chuckle as he watched her brazenly drop into the demodog-infested tunnels. With the way she didn't even think twice about it, Steve realized that he may have met his match when it came to boldly facing imminent danger head-on. But he didn't let himself ruminate on that for too long. Instead, he tucked her bat into his backpack alongside his own before following her lead into the shadowy pit.

Steve was the last of the bunch to drop into the tunnels, therefore making him the last to take it all in. "Holy shit..." he mumbled, looking around in astonishment. He closely inspected the fleshy, twisting vines that lined the entire cavity, totally bewildered that this system had been forming and spindeling beneath Hawkins this long. Owen stepped behind him to pull her bat and a flashlight out of his backpack. She flicked the light on, the glow mingling with the other flashlights the kids had brought.

"Alright, gang. Follow me, and make sure you keep up," Owen called out to the group. "I can speak from personal experience when I tell you this isn't a great place to get lost. Oh, and watch your step!" She began to follow along the same path she and Hopper had taken, making intentional leaps over the curling vines.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey, hey..." Steve objected, scrambling to catch up with her. With a huff, Owen came to a stop and spun around to face him, shining her flashlight right in his face. "What?" she snapped, really starting to regret bringing him along for this trip.

Steve reached up, shoving the light out of his face. "If any of these little shits die down here, I'm getting the blame," he explained, causing Owen's face to screw up in confusion. He spun around to face the kids again, speaking in an annoyingly grandiose manner. "From here on out, I'm leading the way! C'mon, let's go." He tried to amble ahead of her, but Owen immediately snagged him by the backpack, tugging him to a halt.

"Yeah, as if, Harrington," she bickered. "I'm the only one who's actually been down in these tunnels before. I know how to get there, so I'll be the one leading us. Your job right now is to make sure we don't lose anyone along the way, okay?"

Although Owen couldn't see Steve's facial expression, the extended silence followed by a sigh told her everything she needed to know. She didn't bother waiting for a sign of acceptance from him, choosing to trudge on so as not to lose any more time. Owen heard the kids hustling along behind her as they navigated the tunnels, doing their best to keep up despite all of the gear she had strapped them with.

The seemingly endless, claustrophobia-inducing tunnels they had traversed finally widened, looking nearly identical to the drawings Will had made at the house. Except there were far more bones and carcasses in real life — eerily, there were even more than when Owen had been there last. "I think we found your hub," Steve murmured from over her shoulder, shining his flashlight into the cavernous space.

"Let's drench it," Mike said, gruffly. Owen couldn't agree fast enough. She was on a roll with the full-circle moments, it seemed. First, it was driving Billy's car. Now, it was burning down the tunnels that quite literally tried to kill her days prior.

Revenge was oh-so sweet.

Everyone got to work, dousing the entire hub in gasoline just as Mike had said. Soon, every corner was covered in the fire-starter, saturated enough for the scent to seep through their masks. Owen and Steve gathered all of the kids as close to the exit tunnel as possible, doing everything to ensure a quick way out. She reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a lighter and tilting it towards Steve — her weird little peace offering after all of the yelling and arguing they had done to get here.

"You wanna do the honors?" Owen asked.

Even behind his goggles, she could see Steve's eyes darting between her face and the lighter. But he plucked it from between her fingers with ease, gaze returning to the hub with a vengeance. "You guys ready?" he checked.

"Light her up," Dustin declared.

Steve flicked the lighter open, glancing at Owen as she crouched beside him. "I am in such deep shit," he sighed, then refocused on the task at hand. He sparked the flame, then sent the lighter flying through the air and into the pit of bones and vines. The moment it hit the ground, everything went up in a glorious blaze.

The sudden flare of heat had everyone tumbling backwards, hands coming up to guard their faces. Those goddamn vines were dancing in the inferno, releasing otherworldly shrieks and hisses. Something about it was almost entrancing, making Owen's eyes glaze over as she watched the spectacle. Vaguely, she could hear Steve shouting at them to run, but it hardly registered in her mind.

"Owen, come on! We've gotta go!" Steve shouted, tugging her by her upper arm. She dazedly blinked up at him before he fully dragged her up and onto her feet. Owen felt his gloved hand slide down her arm, his hand naturally wrapping around hers as they ran back through the tunnels. "Take a left up here!" Owen called out, following behind the kids as they made their escape.

The sudden direction caused a shuffling of feet, which sent Mike stumbling over. The vines were wicked fast, winding up his ankles the moment he hit the ground. "Help! Somebody help!" he cried out, desperately trying to shake himself loose. But Steve was just as fast, whipping his bat out of his backpack for a counterattack.

"Everybody back! Get back!" Steve directed, swinging the bat upwards and landing it squarely against one of the vines. It took only a couple hits from the nailed-embedded weapon to send the vines slithering back to where they came from. Lucas and Dustin dragged their friend back up onto his feet the moment he was free, pulling him into a ceremonious hug.

But while everyone was making sure he was alright, a tingle rushed up the nape of Owen's neck, sending her stare towards a demodog that was running down the tunnel toward them. "Guys!" she blurted, pointing over the boys' shoulders.

Each of them leapt back, prepared for a fight with the monster, but instead of eating them like they were its favorite dish, the demodog stopped to inspect them. After a moment's reflection, the monster still released a low, spine-chilling growl.

"Dart?" Dustin spoke up, timidly. The monster chittered calmly, like it recognized the boy. Slowly, Dustin began to step towards it, despite the entire group warning him against it. Steve and Owen still had their bats primed and ready in case the situation went south. "Hey. It's me. It's your friend. It's Dustin," he greeted the demodog warmly.

Dart. This was Dart, the interdimensional slug Dustin had recounted finding in his trashcan — the catalyst for the group's involvement in all of this chaos. But Dart certainly didn't look like a slug anymore, instead leaning more towards that demogorgon they fought last year.

Dustin removed all of his face gear as he lowered himself in front of the monster. "You remember me?" he asked, softly. Owen's chest heaved with short breaths as she hesitantly watched the interaction, unsure how to feel. "Will you let us pass?" Dustin wondered. But this question made Dart let out a terrifying roar, one that opened its face and showed the countless rows of its sharp teeth.

The entire group stumbled backwards frightfully — well, everyone except for Dustin. Strangely, he wasn't perturbed by the reaction one bit. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the storm cellar. That was a pretty douchey thing to do," he acknowledged, regretfully. The demodog sunk back, really looking like a scorned puppy. Dustin seized this moment of mild behavior from the demodog, leaning into it happily. "You hungry? Yeah?"

"He's insane," Lucas whispered, before being immediately shushed by the group. Whatever Dustin was doing with Dart was miraculously working, they couldn't risk messing that up.

Dustin produced a Three Musketeers bar from his backpack, waving it in front of Dart. "I've got our favorite. See? Nougat." The monster crept forward as Dustin unwrapped the candy, placing it on the ground in front of him. While the demodog was distracted by the sweet treat, Dustin waved everyone along, signaling that it was safe for them to continue on.

Each member of the group carefully snuck past the demodog who was too preoccupied with its Halloween candy sacrifice to notice them. Even Dustin managed to slip around him, but still decided to stop and look fondly at Dart one more time. "Goodbye, buddy," he mumbled sadly, before hurrying to catch up with the rest of the group.

They had almost reached the opening to the tunnels when another shiver wracked Owen's body. Much like the feeling she experienced when Billy arrived at the Byers' house, the sensation exploded across every inch of her being — raising goosebumps across her arms and neck, causing her hands to tremble, and sending a stabbing pain behind her eyelids.

The combination of feelings caused Owen to stop in her tracks, a shaky hand lifting to press against her eyes. The group stopped around her, trying to interpret her reaction. "They're coming," she croaked in warning. "The demodogs. They're close."

Roars suddenly echoed through the tunnels, surely sending a similar chill up the others' spine. "Run! Run!" Mike screamed. Despite her shivering limbs and the pain in her skull, Owen tried her best to keep up with the group as they took off into a sprint again.

The light from the opening and the rope dangling from above felt like miracles in Owen's mind — it was a pleasantry she and Hopper had not experienced during their excursion through the tunnels. This, at least, was a sign that they could save themselves.

Steve and Owen helped shove the kids up and out of the tunnels as fast as they could, the increasing volume of the monstrous screeches serving as motivation. Dustin was the last of the kids to make it up the rope, forcing Owen and Steve's expectant stares to mirror one another's.

"C'mon, Owen! You've gotta go!" Steve yelled at her, reaching out a hand for any assistance she may need. But her head began to shake rapidly in adamant refusal.

"No way. Get out of here!" Owen insisted, persistently. "Trust me, I can handle them." Those words only left her lips semi-confidently as she banked on potentially being able to replicate that earthquake from earlier — a feat she wasn't sure she could manage. But Steve didn't even have that as an option. He had a baseball bat.

"I'm not leaving you," Steve said, staunchly.

"I'm not leaving you," Owen shot back.

A cluster of growls rattled the tunnels again, stealing their attention from one another. If she had to guess, they didn't have long at all before they were both totally screwed. Steve knew this just as well as she did, fully aware that their stubbornness had left them with very few options. Shadows zoomed across the walls of the tunnels, paired with the sound of many feet trampling the vines below.

They were out of time. The reality of their decision struck Owen like fucking lightning. She and Steve were about to die. There were more of those demodogs than they had ever encountered coming straight toward them and they were angry. Even if they put up a fight, it would be useless and a waste of their energy in their final moments.

So, instead, Owen pushed her goggles up onto her forehead and shoved her mask down onto her neck, the blood and bruises painted across her face catching him off-guard momentarily. Still, she peered up at Steve, her lips twitching downward. "I'm so sorry, Steve," she said with a sad grimace. It was never meant to end like this. He swiftly shoved the obstructions out of his face as well, a gentle smirk on his busted lips.

"Whack last words, Webb," Steve murmured, teasingly. Then, he was reaching out and pulling her against his chest in an unexpected hug. Owen's body was stiff at first, arms hanging limply at her sides. She was completely unaccustomed to any sort of physical touch, never exactly qualifying as a hugger.

But with her head pressed firmly against his chest, she could hear the wild thumping of his heart, the quick, repetitive sound drowning out the roaring monsters and allowing her frame to soften against his slightly. She timidly wound her arms around his midsection, pulling him tighter as her eyes squeezed shut in dreadful anticipation.

However, instead of sharp teeth to the face, she was met with a light breeze. Her brows furrowed as she waited and waited for the pain to come — but it didn't. The roaring and growling had even ceased, as if the demodogs had somehow disappeared into thin air. "Owen, look," Steve whispered. She could feel his head swiveling about and her infinite curiosity forced her to finally peek around hesitantly.

Shockingly, the demodogs weren't gone at all. Instead, they were running right past them, parting as they ran like a river around a sizable rock. Owen felt Steve's arms tighten around her, somehow managing to pull her even closer to avoid being hit by the monsters as they sped past. She wasn't entirely sure how it was possible for them to be any closer, but she was too distracted to question it. "Holy shit..." Owen gasped, "Where are they going?"

The group was silent, either watching the demodogs go by or pondering their destination. "Eleven..." Mike stated, in solemn realization. Peering up at him through the entrance to the tunnels, Owen's heart wrenched in her chest, knowing how much rode on Hopper and Eleven's safety.

Once the last demodog rushed by, scampering into the shadows, Steve and Owen slowly untangled themselves from one another. Once they were out of harm's way, the two shared a fleeting, shy look after they parted — a look of mutual bashfulness that followed their very first act of public affection for each other. Neither were sure if they should verbally address it, choosing to exit the tunnels silently, instead. Much to her chagrin, Steve helped lift Owen out of the tunnels before following closely behind.

"She's gonna be okay, Mike. El's a badass and so is Hopper. They've got this," Owen said breathlessly as she climbed out of the hole and onto flat land again. She bent at the waist, placing her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Although, right beside her, the headlights of Billy's car began to hum, growing brighter than Owen even knew to be possible. "What the fuck?" she breathed, her arm raising to block her eyes from the now-blinding light like the rest of the group.

"She's doing it..." Mike murmured, in awe. "Eleven's closing the gate."