Chapter Thirty-Four: Something Alive

Once we'd fortified the bus, we started pouring the Gasoline on the ground, making a trail from the meat pile to the bus. After that, we got on, shutting the door behind us and all we could do then was wait. As soon as it got Dark, Lucas climbed up the ladder we'd set up going through the fire escape door and surveyed the scene with his binoculars. 

The rest of us sat in the bus, Steve and I on opposite sides from each other with our backs against the wall as he flicked the lighter and watched it light up. Max sat in the front of the bus, and Dustin paced nervously.

"So, you guys have really fought one of these things before?" Max asked. We both nodded, neither of us up to really saying anything else on the subject. "And you're like, totally 100% sure it wasn't a bear?"

"Gosh, don't be an idiot, ok? It wasn't a bear." I furrowed my eyebrows at Dustin's reaction. "Why are you even here if you don't believe us? Just go home."

"Geesh. Someone's cranky. Past your bedtime?" She asked, climbing up the ladder to join Lucas on the roof.

"That's good. Just show her you don't care." Steve said.

"I don't." Dustin said, earning a wink from Steve. "Why are you winking, Steve? Stop."

"Please tell me you realize what moronic advice this is." I asked Dustin. "Clearly she's not into the whole 'being a jerk' tactic, as most self-respecting girls wouldn't be."

"Just trust the process, ok?" Steve said. I scoffed, rolling my eyes and shaking my head at him. "However, can the girl advice go on pause for a second? Barbie and I need to talk."

"No, we really don't." I said, more to Dustin than to him. Suddenly he grabbed my ankle, pulling me across the bus towards him. I kicked his hand away, but sighed in defeat and turned around, sliding up to sit beside him with my back against the wall.

"You do realize this is incredible dangerous?" Steve pointed out. "We could die doing this, and knowing that you still don't want to talk to me?"

"There's nothing to talk about." I said, turning my head to look at him. "Your little girl conversation with Dustin made it abundantly clear that you had no intention of pursuing anything serious with me. You just wanted a fun, temporary hookup to make you feel better about Nancy and that's not gonna be me, Steve!" He shook his head.

"No offense Barbie, but if I just wanted you to be a temporary hookup, I would've lost interest when we didn't kiss on Halloween." I shook my head in disbelief, looking away from him, only to have his hand come around and lightly grab my chin, turning me to face him again. He put a hand on my knee and slid the other one onto the side of my face and slightly into my hair, causing my glare to falter. "Just listen to me, ok? All of that stuff I was telling Dustin had nothing to do with you. You're not the type of girl to need a strategy, and I figured that out because I was crazy about you before I could even attempt to stop it, or realize what was happening. I've had these feelings since you and I first became friends, and if I seemed kind of pushy and more bold about acting on them now, its because I finally don't have to feel guilty anymore about having a crush on my girlfriend's best friend...on my best friend."

I pushed his hands off of me gently, turning to face forward again.

"You told him not to fall in love...that she'd only break his heart," I whispered, "So...as I said, if that is off the table...then this can't be a serious relationship and Steve...I don't want anything else." I looked over at him again. "I've never felt this way before, and after everything that's happened, I didn't know if I ever would, and I can't-I won't, waste it on a relationship that isn't going anywhere." He sighed, looking down at his lap and turning slightly towards me.

"Look, Barbie..." He met my eyes and trailed off. "Riley. I'm not saying that falling in love is off the table and that it won't ever happen, because quite frankly, I don't think we get much choice in the matter, and I already care about you more than I feel comfortable caring. I am taking this seriously, I really am, its just...you're gonna have to be patient with me, because even though I like you and I want to be with you, that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt when the first girl you've ever loved says she has never actually loved you." I nodded. "I'm taking it seriously, we just may need to take things slow." I faced forward again, looking at the wall. I nodded.

"Like a Ninja." I said. He glanced at me, and I glanced at him, and we both burst out laughing. He shook his head, reaching over and putting a hand on my face.

"Just shut up and come here, Barbie." He began pulling my face towards him, going to kiss me when suddenly a voice cut us off.

"No! No, no, no, if I have to sit here and watch you two make out, I will throw myself to the Demogorgan." Dustin said, walking around in front of us. I chucked, turning away from Steve.

"Sorry, Dustin." I said.

"I'm confused, I thought you were with Nancy." Dustin said.

"Its a long story." Steve told him. He shook his head, going back to his spot to pace and Steve grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers. "So are we good, Barbie?"

"Yeah...we're good HAIRington." I said, leaning my head on his shoulder as he continued to flick the lighter with his free hand.

The sweet moment was cut off by a loud Demogorgan growl, and suddenly all three of us were on our feet and peering out the windows.

"You see him?" Dustin asked.

"No."

"Lucas, what's going on?"

"Hold on!' Lucas shouted from the roof. I walked over to where I was sitting, picking up my ax and throwing Steve his bat, just in case we'd need them. "I've got eyes! Ten o'clock! Ten o'Clock!" 

"There." Steve said, pointing through the grate. I followed his finger, spotting Dart, who was sniffing around the meat, but not eating it.

"What's he doing?"

"I don't know. He's not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?"

"He's bigger now," I pointed out, "Maybe his taste has evolved maybe...he wants something fresh, something..." I stood up straight, causing both of them to look at me.

"Something..." Dustin prompted. I shared a look with Steve.

"Something alive." We both began walking towards the door. 

"Steve? Riley?" Dustin asked. "What are you guys doing? Guys?" Steve held up the lighter.

"Just get ready." He said, tossing it to him. We shared another look before slowly opening the door and climbing off of the bus with our weapons in hand. Dustin closed the door behind us and we slowly walked forward, Steve spinning the bat expertly in his hands. Steve began whistling.

"Come on, Buddy." He called, spinning the bat around as we reached the meat pile. "Come on, Buddy. Come on. Dinner time. Human tastes better than cat, I promise."

Suddenly Dart became visible through the thick fog that had enveloped the junkyard, standing only a few feet away from us. I slightly stepped in front of Steve, my Ax raised.

"GUYS! WATCH OUT!' Lucas yelled.

"Little busy here!" Steve replied.

"THREE O'CLOCK! THREE O'CLOCK!'

"Riley, see what he's talking about?" I glanced over, my eyes widening as I saw another four-legged Demogorgan.

"There's more of them." I said, pressing my back against Steve's as I turned to face two more of the creatures coming up over the cars.

"Guys!' The bus doors opened, revealing Dustin. "ABORT! ABORT!"  This set them off, and all three of them charged us at once. We took off running, Steve rolling across a car hood while I jumped on top of it. Steve swiped one of the creatures away with his bat. Another one jumped towards me, but I swung my Ax into it, slicing down its exposed stomach and sending the contents splattering across the grass. Once we did that we took off running towards the bus, me jumping in first and looping my arms under Steve's pulling him in on top of me as Dustin quickly shut the doors and the two remaining Demogorgan's continued to charge us.

"Are they rabid or something?!" Max asked. Steve grabbed a piece of sheet metal, pressing it against the hole in the door and shoving his feet against it.

"THEY CAN'T GET IN! THEY CAN'T!" Lucas screamed. Suddenly one of them slammed into the side of the bus, rocking it and causing us all to scream. One of its claws busted through a hole in the door, and the kids took off running to the back of the bus. I slid out from beneath Steve, taking my Ax and chopping its arm off. It let out a loud screech.

"IS ANYONE THERE?! MIKE? WILL? GOD? ANYONE!" Dustin yelled into his headset. "WE'RE AT THE OLD JUNKYARD, AND WE ARE GOING TO DIE!"

Suddenly the banging stopped, and the next thing we knew we could see foot-sized dents in the ceiling above us, signaling us that the monster was on the roof, heading towards the open fire escape hole. Steve and I ran over, fully prepared to do whatever necessary to keep them from getting to the kids. Its face appeared in the opening and Max screamed.

"Out of the way! Out of the Way! You want some? Come get this!" Steve yelled at it.

Before it could attack however, it looked up, looking somewhere in the distance before running away from the opening. We listened as their growls grew farther and farther away. We waited until they got quieter and then slowly stepped off of the bus to find an empty Junkyard.

"What. Happened?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know." Max said.

"Steve and Riley scared 'em off?" Dustin suggested.

"No." Steve denied, shaking his head. "No way. They're going somewhere."

"That can't be good." I said, looking over at Dustin. "Didn't you say that you couldn't get a hold of Mike or Will?"

"Or your Dad." He said. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I have a feeling this has something to do with wherever they are, because Heaven knows our group can't avoid this crap." I said. "The only problem is..."

"Where are they?" Steve finished for me.