The Other Survivor

Never Too Late

Alice woke up, feeling someone's arm draped over her waist. She looked over her shoulder, her heart jumping into her throat when she saw Steve asleep next to her.

Her mind went back to yesterday and she thought about how Steve jumped through the gate for her. She thought about how he carried her through the woods to his house. She thought about the fear in his eyes as he patched up the Incurable Wound. She thought about how he hesitated to leave her side. She thought about the second he lay next to her, she fell asleep in his arms and stayed asleep.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt the blanket move. She held back her smile as Steve carefully checked her wound.

"It's fine," she mumbled. She rolled over and smiled up at him.

"I was just checking," he said slowly. He gasped when she sat up. She smiled at him, gently grabbing his arm.

"I'm fine, Steve," Alice whispered.

"Your wound doesn't hurt?"

"It throbs," she shrugged, "but it's better."

"You promise you're not just saying this because you think it's something I want to hear?" Steve asked.

"I promise," Alice chuckled.

He let out a sigh of relief. He looked around the UpsideDown version of his bedroom.

"We should get going," he mumbled. "I need to get you out of here."

"How are we going to get back?"

"Well, the last time we got stuck here, we got back and forth through a gate in Eddie's trailer."

"Who's Eddie?"

Steve's stomach turned. He looked away, trying to decide how to describe his old friend.

"He used to. . . He was our friend," Steve sighed. "He died a few months ago."

"I'm sorry," Alice said slowly. Steve cleared his throat and stood up. He turned toward her and held his hands out for her.

"Let's go," he said. "His trailer isn't far from here."

He gently and slowly pulled her to her feet. Without thinking, he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her out of the room. They carefully walked down the stairs, stepping over vines.

They had barely gotten out the front door when Alice had to stop. Steve quickly moved so he was standing in front of her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concern dripping from his voice.

"I just. . . I need a second," she said out of breath.

"Maybe," he hesitated looking around.

"Maybe what?" Alice asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"Maybe we can find a car or something," Steve mumbled. "Something to get us to Eddie's trailer faster. The sooner we get you back to Hawkins, the better."

He laughed when he figured it out. "I've got an idea. Come with me."

Alice didn't have much of a choice but she followed him anyway. He led her around the front of his house to his garage.

"Wait here," he said as he helped her sit on a bench. He jogged back up his driveway and opened his garage.

"Yes!" He cheered.

"What is going on?" Alice chuckled. Her breath got caught in her throat when Steve rolled a bike out of his garage. He propped up the bike he was holding and ran back into the garage and grabbed the other bike.

"We can get to Eddie's faster now," Steve chuckled. His smile fell when he saw the look on Alice's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she stuttered. "But. . . Are you sure this is faster? I mean. . . There are a lot of vines we'd have to try to ride around and. . . Maybe we should walk."

"Riding would be faster," he said as he propped up the other bike. He tried to understand but he wasn't sure what was going on. "Wait, do you not know how to ride a bike?"

"No," Alice said, looking away.

"You didn't learn?"

"I started," she shrugged. "But I ended up breaking my leg."

"That's horrible," Steve whispered as he sat next to her on the bench.

"It was Henry's bike. He didn't like that I was riding it so. . ."

"He broke your leg?"

"My mom assumed I fell," she said, her voice dropping. Steve's heart sank when she let out a shaky breath. "I was too scared to tell her the truth. I was scared they'd take him away."

Steve reached over and gently grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers and giving her a light squeeze.

"I can teach you," he offered after a few beats of silence.

"We should be focusing on getting out of here," she sighed, lightly pulling her hand out of his. "Not on teaching me a basic skill most ten-year-olds know."

"Riding would be faster," he shrugged. He sighed when he realized what was going on. "Alice, let me help you."

She looked up, instantly getting stuck in his eyes. She wasn't used to this. Any of this. She wasn't used to having someone look at her the way Steve was looking at her. He wasn't looking at her with any hatred or alternative motive. He was simply looking at her. He wasn't faking the care in his eyes. It was real.

"As long as you promise not to let go," she whispered.

"Never."

Steve walked over and grabbed the bike, leading it over to her. She stood up and nervously wiped her hands on her pants.

"Hey," he whispered when she hesitated. "It's going to be okay. You're not going to get hurt. I promise."

Alice looked into his soft eyes, suddenly flushed. She could barely look away from his eyes as she climbed onto the bike. The whole time, Steve fulfilled his promise. He never let go. She started off a little shaky but through his words of encouragement and reassurance, she got the hang of it.

Even when she was confident enough to ride on her own, Steve rode as close to her as he could. He wanted to be right there if something happened. As they rode through the woods, toward Eddie's trailer, Steve found himself thinking about the reason Alice didn't want to be with him. He wasn't sure what the future would hold, but he knew one thing.

He wasn't going to let anything happen to Alice Creel.