𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝟭𝟵. 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙥

𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙥

Against all odds, one of the strangest miracles of the night was the simple fact that Max had managed to drive the group all the way to the field and that they were all still in one piece.

James had learned at the same time as everyone else that Max could drive, and he immediately understood why she didn't brag about it. 

"Zoomer" was a generous word. The ride had been... turbulent. Especially with Steve sprawled half-conscious across the boys' knees in the backseat. Every bump sent Steve groaning, and every sharp turn had also Steve yelling at Max to slow down, while Max snapped that she was already going slow, thank you very much.

But they made it. Alive. Mostly coherent.

Now they stood in the open field, the cold air biting at their faces, looking down at the ragtag assortment of tools they had brought for what was undoubtedly the most brilliant and the most idiotic plan they'd ever come up with.

Steve being awake didn't help.

Dustin and Lucas threw open the trunk, quickly sorting through their improvised "equipment." Bandannas. Swim goggles. Makeshift masks. Things they'd scavenged from the Byers' house that looked more suited for a Halloween costume than a rescue mission into underground monster tunnels.

James tied a bandanna over his nose and mouth, adjusting it until it covered everything from the bridge of his nose to his chin. Then he tested his flashlight, tapping it twice. It flickered, then steadied.

Behind him, Steve staggered out of the car.

"Guys," he said, swaying slightly.

No one listened. They were busy equipping themselves and handing out the rest of the supplies.

Then a sharper, more panicked: "Oh no. Guys."

James didn't even look up. He and Mike knelt behind the car, using a length of tubing to siphon gas into a plastic container. Mike held the jerrycan steady while James handled the tube.

Steve's voice pitched higher. "Hey! Where do you think you're going? What are you, deaf? Hello? We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear!"

Now he was fully upright, wobbling but determined, waving his arms like an agitated mother hen.

"Hey, there is no chance we're going into that hole, all right? This ends right now!"

He might as well have tried to stop a freight train.

Dustin finally responded, grabbing Steve's sleeve with solemn urgency.

"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."

Steve stared at him, expression flat.

"And," Dustin continued, pulling out the nail-studded bat like it was Excalibur, "I know you promised Nance you'd keep us safe. So... keep us safe."

He offered the bat.

Steve closed his eyes like he was praying for deliverance but after a long, tortured sigh, he took it.

James smirked beneath his bandanna. "Good. Now that everyone's ready, can we go?"

He held the gas can in one hand, his metal pipe in the other.

And just like that, they moved.

They approached the hole Hopper had dug earlier. Lucas tied the rope around a solid root jutting from the earth, yanked it twice to test it, then tossed it into the darkness.

Steve descended first. His flashlight beam vanished into the black. Then the others followed one by one.

James waited until Max started climbing down before following her.

"You good?" he asked, voice low.

Max nodded, flicking her flashlight on. "Yeah. You?"

"Ask me again when we're out."

She huffed a humorless breath. Fair enough.

At the bottom of the rope, Steve whispered: "Holy shit."

The tunnels were nothing like the boys' drawings.

They were worse.

Wide, cavernous, their walls slick with dark, pulsing growths. Thick white particles like ash floated through the air, catching the flashlight beams and swirling around them. The ground was soft, spongy, almost alive beneath their feet.

Mike pulled out the hand-drawn map. "Okay. I'm pretty sure it's this way."

Dustin squinted. "Pretty sure, or certain?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure," Mike insisted. "Just follow me, and you'll see."

James muttered, "It's not like we have another option anyway."

Mike took a step forward and Steve immediately caught him by the collar.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No. No, no." Steve gestured wildly with the bat. "I don't think so."

"What?" Mike protested.

Steve pointed the flashlight at the group so aggressively that James had to squint at the brightness.

"Any of you little shits die down here, I'm getting the blame. Got it, dipshit? From now on I'm leading the way."

James shrugged. "Lead the way, then. We need to move."

"No shit, I know," Steve muttered. He turned and took the first cautious step forward. "Come on. Let's go."

They walked.

Long shadows trembled along the tunnel walls. Every few seconds James glanced behind them, heart thudding in his throat. The idea of a demo-dog sprinting silently out of the darkness wasn't doing wonders for his nerves.

Max's voice echoed softly.

"What... is this place?"

Steve didn't stop walking.

"Guys, come on. Keep moving." He brisked ahead, clearly just as desperate to get out of these tunnels as James was.

James tightened his grip on the pipe, swallowed, and kept walking.

After several long minutes of weaving through the tunnels feet sinking into the soft, pulsating ground, air thick with drifting white particles, they reached a vast opening.

An intersection.

Except "intersection" didn't do it justice. It was enormous, like the center of some living underground hive.

Steve swung his flashlight across the space.

"All right, Wheeler," he said, breath still uneven from the run. "I think we found your hub."

James swept his own beam across the walls. Veins of dark, rope-like roots ran up and down the cavern, throbbing softly as if some heartbeat echoed through them.

Mike stepped forward. "Let's drench it."

Action came instantly. Each of them grabbed their gas cans, splashing fuel across every surface they could reach, walls, floor, roots, even the ceiling where the liquid could reach. The smell rose fast and sharp, overwhelming the natural stench of the tunnels.

James gagged once, adjusting his bandanna tighter across his face. The fumes stung his eyes.

Steve checked the others nervously. "All right—are you guys ready?"

Nods all around.

Steve dug into his pocket and pulled out his lighter. They all backed toward the exit tunnel, positioning themselves to sprint the second things went bad.

Dustin raised a hand like a commander on a battlefield. "Light her up."

Steve shot him a look, equal parts disbelief and misery, then flicked the lighter. The sharp metallic clink echoed through the chamber. A moment later, a flame appeared, small but terrifying in its potential.

Steve muttered, "I am in such deep shit..."

He tossed it.

The lighter arced through the air, landing dead-center in the fuel-soaked chamber and instantly, fire erupted upward in a violent column. The explosion of light forced James to throw an arm over his eyes. Heat washed over them, scorching, hungry. The roots writhed instantly, shaking like living snakes trapped in a furnace, screeching as flames devoured them.

"GO! GO, GO!" Steve shouted, already pushing them into a sprint.

They ran. Hard.

James had never run so fast. His legs burned, lungs rasping, adrenaline flooding every nerve. Behind them the fire roared, like a beast unleashed.

Dustin's voice cracked behind him. "Oh my god, oh my god—!"

James risked a glance over his shoulder.

Everyone was still there Max, Lucas, Dustin—

Then he heard it.

A shriek. High. Piercing. Too close.

"They're coming!"

Steve's voice echoed through the tunnel, straining with panic. "This way! THIS WAY!"

They pivoted left and Mike went down.

James skidded, almost falling himself. A thick, sinewy vine had wrapped around Mike's ankle, dragging him backward across the ground.

Mike thrashed. "HELP! HELP!"

James didn't hesitate. He swung his metal bar down hard, once, twice, three times until the root split with a wet crack and recoiled violently, releasing its grip. Mike lurched up with Lucas and Steve hauling him to his feet.

"You okay?" Steve asked, breathless.

Mike only managed a nod but the sound behind them left no time for anything else.

The shrieks were louder now. Many. Coming fast.

James shouted, "Guys, we gotta go!"

Too late.

From behind Dustin and Max, a demo-dog emerged from the shadows massive, slick-skinned, jaws splitting open in a grotesque bloom. It roared, the sound bouncing off the walls.

James yanked Max back instinctively, lifting his metal bar to protect them. Steve spun around with the nail bat ready. Mike froze.

But Dustin... Dustin didn't move.

He stared at the creature, eyes wide, not with fear but recognition.

"Dart?" he breathed.

James blinked. That was Dart?

The creature growled, stepping forward but something in its posture changed at the sound of Dustin's voice.

Dustin took a step toward it.

"Dustin, get back!" Max snapped, panic high in her tone.

"Dustin, NO!" Mike shouted.

But Dustin only lifted a hand, signaling them to stop. His voice trembled, but he didn't back down.

"Trust me," he whispered. "Please."

James and the other had no choice than waiting to see whether trust would save them...or get them killed.

"Trust me. Please."

Dustin's voice trembled, but his steps were steady as he moved toward the creature. The demo-dog snarled softly, its petal-like jaws peeling back with a wet click, but it didn't leap. Not yet.

Dustin crouched low, slowly removing his bandanna and goggles so his face was fully visible.

"Hey," he whispered. "It's me. It's just your friend. It's Dustin. You remember me?"

The creature tilted its head, nostrils flaring, muscles tight beneath its shimmering, mottled skin. It was watching him, really watching him. And incredibly, impossibly, it seemed calm.

James held his breath. Everyone did.

"Will you let us pass?" Dustin asked softly.

The demo-dog answered with a sudden, sharp shriek. Everyone flinched. Even Dustin's shoulders jerked.

He raised a hand fast. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the storm cellar. That was a pretty douchey thing to do."

James blinked. Great. Forget the burning vines, tunnels and max driving. This, this right here, was officially the weirdest thing tonight.

Dustin reached one hand slowly into his backpack.

"You hungry? Yeah?" he murmured.

The creature tilted its head again, the movement unnervingly human.

Lucas muttered, "He is insane..."

"Shut up," Mike hissed, barely moving his lips.

They couldn't risk any sudden noise.

Dustin pulled out a candy bar, its wrapper crinkling just faintly enough to make Steve swear under his breath.

"I've got your favorite. See? Nougat." He unwrapped it carefully and placed it on the ground between them. "Eat up, buddy."

The demo-dog sniffed, chirred softly, then bent down and devoured the nougat in one gulp.

Dustin made a quick hand signal : go, now.

They didn't hesitate. One by one, they edged around the creature, hearts hammering, breaths held. James felt a chill crawl up his spine as he passed within arm's reach of its clawed limbs.

When they were far enough, Dustin backed away slowly, then jogged to catch up.

They kept moving, the tunnel sloping upward, the air shifting, cooler, fresher. They were close to the exit.

Then the ground trembled.

A violent shudder rippled through the floor, nearly knocking them off their feet. The distant chorus of monstrous screeches rose in volume multiple, overlapping, echoing through the twisting passages.

Panic burst through the group.

"Run!" someone shouted, maybe Mike, maybe Lucas. It didn't matter.

They bolted.

The rope leading up to the surface appeared ahead, hanging like a lifeline from the opening above.

"Come on!!" Steve yelled.

He reached it first, grabbing Max and practically pushing her upward, urging her on. Lucas followed, then Mike. James stayed behind them, helping to lift and boost whoever stumbled.

The roars grew louder, closer, merging with the terrified shouts above.

"Go!" Steve barked at James. "Go!"

James shook his head violently.

"No, I'm not leaving you."

He turned, grabbed Dustin by the shoulders, and shoved him toward the rope.

"Just go. I'll be right after you!"

Dustin hesitated but only for a second. He didn't have any time to argue. He grabbed the rope and started climbing.

But too late.

A sound like thunder rolling through flesh echoed through the tunnel.

They were here.

The horde.

James met Steve's eyes. Steve lifted his nail bat; James raised his metal bar. A final, desperate stand.

Dustin froze halfway up the rope, staring down in horror.

"DUSTIN! COME ON!!" Mike screamed from above.

Dozens, no more, demo-dogs flooded into the tunnel, claws scraping, jaws splitting open, accelerating straight toward them. There was no counting them. No fighting them. No surviving them.

Max's voice tore through the chaos.

"JAMES!!!"

He inhaled sharply, steeling himself. His grip tightened around the weapon. He braced his legs. If this was the end, he'd meet it standing.

The creatures closed in.

Screeches. Footsteps pounding. His friends screaming his name.

James held his breath.

And then...The horde didn't strike.

They rushed past.

A blur of limbs and teeth and sound, demo-dogs brushing his sleeves, his legs, racing around him and Steve as if they weren't even there. As if they didn't matter.

And then the tunnel was empty again. Silent except for their harsh, uneven breaths.

James' knees nearly buckled. Steve gasped beside him.

Above them, Mike leaned over the edge of the opening, eyes wide, voice trembling with realization.

"Eleven," he whispered. "She's closing the gate."

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