the view between villages // a stranger things choose-your-own-adventure

PAGE 2: Go with Steve, Dustin, and Robin

"Fine," you say. "What the hell. Let's do it."

A few minutes later, you lay on the roof above the loading dock with Dustin, Steve, and the other Scoops employee named Robin. Apparently, they intercepted some secret code on Dustin's fancy walkie-talkie and Robin translated and cracked it in a day. You're convinced she must be a genius.

The four of you watch as guards with huge-ass guns coordinate a delivery.

"Look for Imperial Panda and Kaufman Shoes," Robin whispers.

"They're with that whistling guy," Dustin says, pointing to the boxes in question. "Ten o'clock."

"Your ten or my ten?" Steve whispers.

"They're the same ten," Dustin says patiently.

"Oh. Right. What do you think's in there?"

"Guns?" Dustin suggests. "Bombs?"

"Chemical weapons?" Robin offers.

"State secrets?" you say. "Like, information about Russian conspiracies and stuff."

"Whatever it is," Dustin says, "they're armed to the teeth."

"That's great," Steve mutters, wiping the rainwater out of his eyes.

One of the guards uses a keycard to open a set of steel doors. Inside is stacks upon stacks of more boxes. Dustin and Steve bicker over the binoculars, both wanting a closer look. When the binoculars clatter against the roof, Dustin hisses, "DUCK!"

The four of you flop onto your backs and duck low. In the heat of the moment, you blindly reach for Steve's hand, squeezing it tightly.

You try to calm your breathing as you hear the men below speak in a foreign language. This is bad. Really bad. You're terrified.

You sneak a glance at Steve. He looks just as scared as you. Still, embarrassment washes over you at how you're gripping his hand for dear life. You let it go and look away sheepishly.

"We have to get out of here!" Dustin whispers. "RIGHT. NOW!"

You make it back inside the mall, shoes squeaking from the rain as you walk in the employee hallways.

"I think we found your Russians!" Robin says, eyes wide.

***

Even though it's your day off, you head to the mall the next day. You, Robin, Steve, and Dustin discuss a game plan on how to get into that room. You want to do what you can to protect Hawkins from possible danger. It's your new home, and you've made friends here, and there's no way in hell you're going back to your hometown.

Robin's idea to use the vents is a great one, but even the smallest of your merry band is too big to fit in them. However, Erica Sinclair—Dustin's friend's little sister—agrees to use the vents to get into the secret room, but not without proper compensation. And what she wants is—

"Free ice cream," Erica says smugly, "for life."

"Done!" Dustin agrees. "It's a deal."

Robin glares at him for making that promise but doesn't say anything else.

That night, you're back on the roof, communicating with Erica via walkie-talkie as she navigates the labyrinth of vents. 

"I'm in!" she says proudly over the radio. Then, the steel doors open. She saunters into the open and calls up: "Free ice cream. For. Life."

Your group converges in the secret room. Steve uses a box cutter to open one of the Imperial Panda boxes.

You're kind of expecting something ordinary, like freshly printed menus or fortune cookies. You're secretly hoping that all this evil Russian stuff is a big misunderstanding.