CHAPTER FIFTY NINE The Upside Down Hawkins, Indiana
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Steve didn't know when he had decided that being a "hero" was better than being a self-obsessed jock but sometimes he wished that maybe he hadn't reached that level of growth. Now, after plunging into a gate in the middle of Lover's Lake that led into the Upside Down, was one of the times he really questioned that decision.
It was the eeriest thing; it was home, it was Hawkins, but it was dark and dingy and there were all sorts of creepy creatures trying to kill him (though that wasn't very different from the real world these days).
He'd tried to ward off the demonic bats the best he could, but it was useless, each time he managed to fight one off, it would just bounce back and attack him once again.
He cursed as one of the bats bit down on the flesh of his chest, robbing him of a chunk of skin. Pain seared up through his body; Steve grinded his teeth down to distract from the pain but this was also useless—the place the bat had attacked him burned like hell.
It was a stupid, stupid decision on his end to jump into Watergate all alone. Now, he was a goner, who just had to wait around while bats picked away at his flesh.
The bat shrieked and removed its teeth from Steve's chest, giving Steve a moment of relief from the pain. Steve tipped his head from where he lid on the ground to see what had impacted the bat. Nancy stood above him, holding a oar she had used to pierce through the bat.
"Hey there." She said.
Steve tried to smile but it was strained.
His moment of relief was short-lived once again as the bats made a quick return, one attacked him then another went for Nancy, clawing at her back. Robin helps pry the bat from Nancy while Eddie takes on another bat of his own, leaving Steve to his own devices again. In a moment of desperation, Steve bit down on the gross sluggish tail of the bat attacking him. Black, gooey blood leaked from its body and it let go of Steve; Steve then grabbed the bat and began to walk it off the ground over and over until it's shrieking stopped and silence encased all four teenagers.
"Jesus Christ." Eddie stammered out. "Jesus H. Christ."
Nancy reached forward and softly touched Steve's open wound. "You okay?"
Steve look down at his bare, bleeding chest. "Yeah, I think I lost about a pound of flesh. But other than that — never better."
Robin began to rant about rabies; Steve tried to mostly tune her out. But his attention was grabbed by Eddie, who pointed up at the gate exit that was now swarmed by a hoard of other demonic bats.
Steve tried to stay positive. "It's not that many, we could take them."
As if taunted by Steve's words, the bats shrieked loudly and swooped down after them.
