Wrong Place, Wrong Time

-5-

We all load up in the bus, which was now equipped with sheets of metal to protect us from that creature. Steve held his bat close to him as he shuts the bus doors, locking us inside for who knows how long. This is the safest place to be, so I am quite confident when the time comes.

It was quiet. Not a peaceful quiet, more like an eerie quiet. Like something was going to happen at any moment. Doesn't matter though, I was ready. For some reason I felt the need to protect these children, I know that Steve felt the same way. Their whole life is ahead of them and this day is not going to be the end of it.

"So you have fought these things before?" Max asks Steve. "And you're like totally a hundred percent sure it was not a bear?"

"Don't be an idiot," Dustin says to the girl. "Okay, it wasn't a bear. Why are you even here if you don't believe us?"

Steve and I glance at each other as Dustin tells Max to go home. She got up from where she was sitting, "geez someone is cranky. Is it past your bedtime?" She goes up the ladder to the top of the bus where Lucus was. This leaves Dustin, Steve, and me alone.

"That's good," Steve nudges Dustin. "You showed her that you don't care."

"I don't," Dustin shrugs, and Steve winks at the younger boy. "Why are you winking Steve? Stop."

Sighing I look between the two boys, "You could tone it down a bit Dust. That was a little harsh for the circumstances we are in. And please stop pacing, you are like making me nervous." I sat down next to Steve as Dustin just stares at me. Peaking between the metal I look through the fog, trying to find any sort of life.

"Dust," Steve shimmies up next to me. "Fits him."

"Don't," I mutter. "Only I can call him that."

"Fine, I was just saying." He held his arms up in defense, a goofy smile painted on his lips.

For a while it was quiet, the boys beside me never said anything or moved. While Lucus and Max chatted on the roof, they were too quiet to understand what they were talking about. Everyone was eager to get the night over with, myself included. A roar snaps us out of our daze. In sync Steve and I get up, trying to find the creature through the sheets of metal. Lucus and Max jump down into the bus with us, coming down to safety.

"There," Dustin points. I move up next to him, trying to find what he was looking at. "What is he doing?"

"I don't know?" I say next to him as I get a visual of it through the fog.

The creature wasn't what I remembered it to be, it was far bigger than before. Not the little thing that scratched me. Not a chance. Staring at it I watch as it looks at the pile of bait we left out, not eating it like we would hope it would. Just sort of smelled it and stared.

"It's not taking it," Dustin states the obvious.

My heart skips rapidly, judging the decisions of what would happen if the meat wasn't good enough for it. Glancing behind me I see the kids' faces, scared to death. Steve was standing over me, taking a look at the creature.

"Why isn't he taking the bait?" Steve asks the obvious. Dustin looks up to the older male with a concerned look, "Maybe he isn't hungry?".

"You have been feeding him the same thing all day," I add-in. "Maybe he is sick of it."

Tears could be seen on Max's face, making me instantly run to her side and comfort her. As my arms wrap around her I could feel her shaking in fear. This poor girl. Think (y/n), think! You have to be useful at some point in your life.

Okay, I used to go hunting with my dad, yes. Predators like to play a game of cat and mouse. The game that we have been playing with the meat is making the creature bored. He wants more. This game is too easy for him. Can't be a real predator if the food is given to it all the time.

Dropping my hands from Max I step towards Steve, grabbing the bat out of his hands. His grip stayed firm on it as our eyes meet. For three whole seconds nothing moves, it was just Steve and I talking with our eyes.

"(Y/n)," Dustin says as he gets in between the two of us.

Steve didn't realize that his grip was getting loose on the bat so I took the opportunity to take the bat from him. "What are you doing?" Steve asks, mad that he let me win.

Opening the door to the bus I cautiously make my way down the steps, not wanting to alert the beast yet. In order to kill something, you have to have the act of surprise on it. Stepping on the grass I play with the bat in my hands, feeling how heavy the nails actually were. I've hunted with bows and guns, but nothing like this weapon though.

Walking around I try to look for the creature within the fog. Peering behind me I see Steve walking behind me, his hands reaching out for me. "(Y/n)," he whispers. "Please." He was holding a crowbar, the thing we used to get the sheets of metal off of cars and onto the bus.

"We need to protect those kids," I whisper back. I spent all day with Dustin, a little boy that is too young to get hurt. Max greeted me on my doorstep last night. I can't, those kids are too young, just the thought of their parents burying them tears my heart. They are already going through enough with Will and the mind flayer or whatever it's called. Steve knows why I am doing this, that is why he is out here with me too. The only advantage is that he knows those kids more than I do.

The creature making odd noises makes our heads snap in the same direction. This time Steve walks up in front of me, putting himself first in harm's way. We both shuffle forward, trying to find the creature first before it finds the kids.

Steve whistles, hopefully making the attention on him and not anything else. I follow close behind, my hands gripping the bat. His legs shake in fear as we step forward into the night. Instinctively I grab his forearm, letting him know that I am here for him. That I am ready to fight when we need to.

We near the pile of bait that we put out earlier, finally getting a full visual of the creature that was known as Dart. I think. Getting ready we watch as the fog clears, making us also visible to the creature. For a second I freeze up, scared out of my mind. Then Steve glances over his shoulder as a way to tell me to get ready.

"Steve!" We hear from the bus. "Watch out."

Steve turns to look while my eyes are still on the one in front of us. "We are a little busy here," Steve shouts back at the bus.

"3 o'clock!"

The male beside me turns to look and mutters under his breath, "We have more than one here."

My heart drops at the sound of that. I could hear Steve's breath falter at it also, not sure what to do. We planned for only one creature, guess it has friends.

Dustin opens the door to the bus shouting, "Abort! Get back here guys, abort the mission!"

We share a weird look between the two of us. Turning around in circles we look at the new member of the little party we created, weighing our odds of winning. Honestly, I don't know how strong these things are, but now we are evenly matched.

Our backs hit up against each other as the two creatures begin to prowl around us, gaining the upper hand. Growling at any sudden movements we threw at it. My eyes linger on the closest one in front of me. We need to get to the bus quickly, I don't think we can handle two at a time.

I take the first move, asserting dominance. Steve shouts after me but I couldn't hear him over the adrenaline that I felt. Swinging the bat at the Demogorgon with all the force I could, I cut the left side of its face.

Which was a mistake.