Let's Burn Down Our Hometown

1. The One Where Zombie's Exist

"Fuel," Steve mumbled, staring up at the ceiling of his BMW. "I'll need to stop for fuel off the highway," Steve whispered, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He was below half-which was dangerous, considering the state of Hawkins, but a lot of the stations still had fuel, seeing as most everyone had left town or were boarded up in their homes.

It was a blessing though Steve knew it wouldn't last.

He had been asked to go pick up Eddie at the secret facility a good sixty miles out of Hawkins down a windy road. A top-secret location, therefore Steve could hardly find it as his only directions were Dustin's transcribed scribbles on the back of an old Family Video receipt. Trying to decipher Dustin's squabbles over the phone had been hard enough, writing them down was another story.

But, alas, he had found the strange, ivy-covered building.

Eddie had been there a month. Steve personally dragged his limp form out of the upside down and through the gaping gate in his trailer to find the place packed with suit-wearing assholes, and lights shining in their eyes. Shouts rang in their ears, and helicopter blades beat over head.

They had been loaded up into the back of one of their large vans. Split and torn apart, sent away as the suit-wearing assholes stayed back to shut the gate down. Large machines fired up, and guns strapped to their forms. Like it was any other day in the office, ascending into the darkness.

'We're here to clean up the mess you made.'

Steve had been too tired to argue. To yell and fight. To scream in their faces that their mess had saved everyone's lives. That they had no idea what they had just gone through.

Little did Steve know that he had yet to go through the worst of it.

Forty-five minutes later, nearly unconscious in the back of one of their vans, the radio up front crackled to life. Two suit-wearing assholes assigned to escort them to the hospital turned the volume knob up, glancing at one another as they waited to hear of the team's success.

'Abort mission. I repeat abort the mission. Close the gate!'

'We still have soldiers in there!'

'They're gone!'

'What do you mean gone!?'

There had been silence, and the van slowed on the road. Eddie, who was unconscious and halfway to hell in Steve's arms gave a start, grumbling something under his breath. Shifting against Steve, Dustin reached out, grabbing his shoulder to steady them both.

'Oh, my god-is that...?'

'Is that what? Agent Frank answer me! What's going on up there!?'

'He's alive!?'

'Who's alive!?'

Dustin had spun to Steve, eyes wide, and mouthed the word 'Vecna' but Nancy shook her head furiously, pointing at him. 'I killed him.' She had hissed at him, but then Dustin spun, pointing to the radio in an argument. Only for it to crackle back to life.

'Sir. It's too late. There are too many, we can't stop them.'

'Stop who? Agent Frank! Come in Agent! Agent, answer your radio!'

'Sorry sir, God help the people of Hawkins.'

The crackling had faded off into gargled screams, then abrupt silence. Robin looked up from her blood-soaked hands and met Steve's gaze. Something of exhausted acceptance flashed behind her eyes.

They hadn't won after all. Their short victory diminished before their eyes not even an hour later. All the pain and sacrifice had been for nothing.

The radio clicked, once, as the two suit-wearing assholes turned to each other with fear in their eyes. Knowing something the kids in the back did not. Something they should have been made privy to before being carted away. Because then they could have helped. Then it wouldn't have turned to this.