𝐖𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍. ˢᵗᵉᵛᵉ ʰᵃʳʳⁱⁿᵍᵗᵒⁿ ¹

023

023. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗯 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨.

𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈 𝐒𝐇𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 as clicks emitted from inside of the control booth.

She stopped running, inhaling rapidly to catch her breath from running down the hill. Her mind was a mess, her hair was a mess, and her chest thumped from the sudden rush of adrenaline. She really didn't know why she'd told them to rush for the gate. If anything, she wanted to be as far away from the lab as possible— luring them to something that would get them in was stupid. But they would've figured it out themselves anyways, so Lori was having trouble figuring out why she seemed so eager to open said-gate in the first place.

And trouble figuring out why, suddenly, she was standing next to Steve Harrington, who was standing next to Nancy Wheeler, in front of Jonathan Byers' beat up car. It was a weird, very weird sight. Almost comical.

Lori would have never, ever in her life, guessed that one day she'd be partnering with Steve Harrington on a babysitting job, and also team up (?) with the Princess— also, notably his ex-girlfriend— her new partner, and a bunch of kids. To open the gate to an interdimensional-slimeball-filled-lab.

What?

Letting out a long sigh, she leant carefully on the hood of Jonathan's car and crossed her arms, darting her eyes between the booth, the gate, and the lab.

Repeatedly, and urgently, Jonathan slammed his fingers on the "open" button, from inside the booth. But after a series of determined clicks, nothing happened. The gate didn't even budge in the slightest.

"Let me try," Dustin huffed, and rushed into the booth.

Lori turned to watch, as he pushed Jonathan out of the way. She tilted her chin in their direction.

"Hang on—" Jonathan stammered, and clicked some more.

Dustin shoved him back with a strong hand, "Let me try, Jonathan!" he shouted.

Dustin, at his own, began clicking the button repeatedly. He cussed under his breath, and didn't stop clicking.

"Clicking it over and over again isn't gonna open the damn gate, Hagar." Lori said from the hood of the car, bitterly. She shut her eyes hard and rolled them.

"Yeah," Jonathan breathed out, lowly.

"Son of a bitch!" Dustin spat. "You know what—" he slammed his hand on the entire control panel.

After a few hits to the panel with his palm, it seemed as though Lori spoke too soon. Because a few seconds later, something scraped on the pavement.

All heads turned immediately, to see the gate slowly opening. It scratched on the pavement, and clinked the way a steel fence does.

"Hey! I got it!" Dustin chuckled, and a proud smile slid onto his face. "I got it," he reminded them. "See that, Lor?"

Lori waved her hand in the air, buzzing him off with a roll of her eyes. Slowly, she stood up as Jonathan ran out of the booth, joining at Nancy's side.

Nobody spoke for a few moments after it fully opened. They stood still, swallowing the lumps in their throats.

"Okay, so, what now?" Lucas asked, his voice wavering.

"I... I don't know," Jonathan stammered as response.

"Are you— are we going in?" Lori swallowed, and looked to Steve, then Nancy, then Jonathan. If this were any other day, she wouldn't even bother talking to Nancy or Jonathan— well, maybe Jonathan. But this wasn't any normal day, they were in front of a scientific lab, a scientific lab infested with interdimensional monsters.