SATELLITE [STEVE HARRINGTON]

werewolves and cigarettes

"YOU'RE POSITIVE IT WAS DART?"

Ginny trudged alongside Steve at the head of the group, as they made their way through the dark forest back to his car. It was the fifth time Lucas had asked this question, and her head hurt.

She'd dabbed away most of the blood from the slash on her head with the hem of her sleeve, but it still ached with every step.

"Yes," insisted Dustin. "He had the exact same yellow pattern on his butt—"

"He was tiny two days ago," Max said.

Dustin sighed. "Well, he's molted three times already."

"Malted?" Steve asked.

"Molted," Dustin corrected. "Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms."

"Well when's he gonna molt again?" Max asked nervously.

Dustin shrugged. "Gotta be soon. When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it."

Ginny blinked. "That wasn't fully grown?"

Dustin shook his head. "The Demogorgon we knew was the size of a man, and walked around on two legs."

"The fuck...?" Ginny muttered, eyes wide.

"And so will his friends," Dustin finished.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats."

Lucas jumped in front of them, stopping suddenly. "Wait, a cat? Dart ate a cat?"

"No, what? No." Dustin answered awkwardly, caught.

Steve frowned, turning to look at them. "What are you talking about? He ate Mews."

Ginny made a cross over her chest. "Rest in peace, little guy."

Lucas scoffed, but Max still frowned. "Mews? Who's Mews?"

Steve shrugged, "It's Dustin's cat."

"STEVE!" shouted Dustin, just as Lucas shoved him.

"I knew it!" Ginny's brother cried. "You kept him!"

"No!" Dustin insisted, but he was not good at lying. "No! No, I... I... No... He missed me! He wanted to come home."

"Bullshit!" Lucas shouted.

"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?"

"Oh, so now you admit it!"

"Guys, who cares, we have to go!" Max tried, frustrated.

Lucas rounded on her. "I care!" He swerved back to Dustin. "You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!"

"SO DID YOU!"

Ginny closed her eyes and sighed, resting on her hip. Her head hurt way too much to listen to her brother and Dustin scream at each other for no reason at all.

"You told a stranger the truth!" Dustin insisted, shining his light in Max's face to point out the stranger.

Max scoffed. "A stranger?"

"You wanted to tell her too!" Lucas said.

"Yeah, but I didn't, Lucas, okay! I didn't—"

"You told my sister! That's even worse!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. Next to her, Steve turned toward the tree line, frowning. She caught his gaze as the pre-teens argued behind them.

If she blocked out their voices and listened hard enough, she could hear it too— growling, roaring in the distance. She swallowed and met Steve's gaze.