𝘼𝙪𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩 [𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣]

[Pumpkin patch]

Cherry sighed, her eyes too watery from Billy's punch to her jaw to drive, so Max took the wheel, claiming Billy had taught her before. Cherry was skeptical, but what other choice did they really have? The boys struggled to carry Steve to the car, dragging his bloodied body and shoving him into it. Cherry sat in the middle, between Dustin and Mike, Steve laying sprawled out over them. His head rested on Cherry's lap, the girl trying to clean his wounds as they drove. She held an ice pack on his head, a cloth growing crimson as she cleaned his face with her other hand. Driving down a bumpy country road, Steve stirred, waking up.

He looked around confused until he was greeted by Cherry's smile, her teeth full of blood. He reached for her face, pointing to her mouth, "You're bleeding," he squirmed, eyes drifting elsewhere. Cherry nodded, self-consciously rubbing her tongue over her teeth. She swallowed the metallic substance, concern etched on her face as she asked, "You okay, Steve?" He nodded, groaning as he reached for his face. Dustin interjected, "No, don't touch it." The tires of the car screeched as Max drove, Cherry grimacing at the sound. Billy was going to be pissed when he woke up.

Steve looked toward the voice, his vision blurry. Dustin smiled reassuringly, "Hey, buddy..." He shushed the older boy, seeing his eyes widen in shock. "Hey, shhhh, It's okay. You put up a good fight." He shrugged, "He kicked your ass, but you put up a fight. You're okay," Dustin repeated, Steve trying to lift his head from Cherry's lap to see what was going on. He was in a car. A fast car. Lucas took charge of navigation, giving directions to Max as Steve struggled to comprehend the situation. "Okay, you're gonna keep straight for half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai." Steve's confusion turned to alarm as he realized Max was driving.

"Oh, my God!" he exclaimed, sitting up abruptly. "Just relax. She's driven before," Dustin reassured him, but Mike scoffed from the other side of Cherry. "Yeah, in a parking lot," he pointed out. Lucas chimed in, "That counts." Steve turned to Cherry, her arms raised with the cloth and ice pack in both her hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on? You let her drive?!" His voice rose in panic. Cherry pointed to her watery eyes, "I can't see." Dustin sighed, "They were gonna leave you behind." Steve continued panicking, ignoring Dustin. "Oh, my God."

"I promised that you'd be cool, okay?" Dustin persisted, but his words went unheard. "Oh, my God. No! Whoa! Stop the car. Slow down." Steve yelled, his elbows digging into Cherry's thighs as he looked toward the front of the car. Mike pursed his lips, "I told you he'd freak out." "Stop the car!" Steve went on, Cherry trying to get him to calm down, "Steve, it's fine," Max intervened sternly, her eyes fixed on the road as she swerved softly, "Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus!" Lucas, flipping the map he was holding around, announced, "Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai. Make a left." Max looked at him confused, "What?" "Make a left."

The car turned aggressively, Steve smushing against Cherry as they went over the grass, tipping a bit before parking in the middle of a pumpkin patch. Dustin exclaimed, "Whoa!" Lucas marveled, "Incredible." Max smiled as she parked, "I told you. Zoomer." The kids began to exit the car, Cherry huffing as she detangled herself from Steve. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have let her drive," Steve rolled his eyes sarcastically, "You think?" As they followed the kids, Steve groaned, trying to get their attention. "Guys!"

But they were too busy pulling things from his trunk. Dustin put on goggles, handing one to Mike. "Oh, no. Guys." Steve shut his trunk, only for Lucas to nonchalantly reopen it. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Steve watched as the kids tied bandanas around their noses. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Steve demanded, pulling on Mike's arm but the kids ignored him. "What are you, deaf? Hello?" Max handed Cherry some goggles, and though she hesitated, she took them. Steve, however, yanked them from her grip and threw them across the field, earning an eye roll from Max. "Really?"

"We are not going down there! I made myself clear," Steve persisted. "Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, all right?" He continued to protest as the kids walked towards it with their gear. "This ends right now!" Dustin turned back with a sigh, pulling his goggles to his head as he addressed Steve, "You're upset, I get it." Max snorted, "Upset?" "But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance," Dustin explained. "Now, I know you promised Nance that you would keep us safe. So, keep us safe."

With a sigh, Steve accepted the bat Dustin handed him, and both he and Cherry began to gear up, though reluctantly, especially after Lucas had to search for Cherry's thrown goggles in the field. Eventually, the group made their way toward the hole Mike was talking about. Cherry gasped as she looked down into it. "Holy shit." "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way," Mike piped up confidently. Lucas gulped, "You're pretty sure, or you're certain?" "I'm 100% sure. Just follow me and you'll know," Mike insisted. But Steve interjected his tone stern, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey, hey. I don't think so."

He hurried to position himself in front of Mike, Cherry walking unsurely behind him. Was this real? Was she really going in here? "What?" Mike questioned, puzzled by Steve's sudden assertiveness. Steve fixed him with a serious look, "Any of you little shits die down here, I'm getting the blame. Got it, dipshit?" Mike sighed, nodding begrudgingly as Steve cut in front of him, declaring, "From here on out, I'm leading the way." With that, he entered the hole, urging the others to hurry.

"Come on, let's go. Come on." The rest followed, trailing behind as they ventured into the unnatural tunnels. Cherry looked around with wide eyes, taking in the eerie surroundings of the tunnels as they delved deeper. She quickened her pace, feeling the urgency in Steve's voice as he called back, "Hey, a little hustle, come on." "God," Lucas muttered, his eyes scanning the tunnels. Cherry nodded, her heart pounding with fear. "This is crazy." Max voiced the question on everyone's mind, "What is this place?" Steve urged them forward, "Guys, come on. Keep moving."

Dustin's attention was drawn upwards, and Cherry followed his gaze, her eyes widening in alarm. "What the hell?" Dustin wondered aloud, squinting at something on the roof of the tunnel. Suddenly, a flowing substance shot out, resembling a web, narrowly missing Dustin and causing him to yell out in panic. Cherry's heart sank at the possibility of what could have happened, but Dustin seemed fine when she caught sight of him. The group quickly turned back at the sound of Dustin's frantic voice. "It's in my mouth! Some got on my mouth! Shit!" Dustin exclaimed, coughing and spitting.

Despite the scare, he reassured them, "I'm okay." Steve couldn't help but roll his eyes at Dustin's antics, "You serious? Very funny, man. Nice. Very nice." Max chimed in, "Jesus, what an idiot," as they continued on their way. Dustin caught up with the group, calling for them to wait. "Hang on. Wait, wait," he called out, his voice echoing through the tunnels. They stopped, realizing all the tunnels connected. "All right, Wheeler. I think we found your hub," Steve declared, his eyes following the different tunnels. Mike put down the can of oil he was holding, smiling to himself. "Let's drench it,"