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

PAGE 22: Listen to Steve and go home

"Okay, fine," you say. A little shy in front of your friends, you give Steve a soft kiss on the cheek. "Please be safe."

"Always," he says. He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze.

You wish your friends luck and drive home. You settle on the couch with a cup of tea, hoping to distract yourself from the stress of what's going on in town.

You don't sleep as well without Steve next to you. Early in the morning, the sound of your phone ringing startles you. It's early for a call, but you assume it's Steve.

"Steve? How did it go yesterday?"

"Hi, Waldenbooks," a boy's voice says apologetically. "Sorry, it's not Steve."

"Lucas!" you say, a tad surprised to hear Lucas Sinclair on the other line. "Sorry. What's up?"

"I need your help," he says. You can hear his voice waver over the phone. "I'm with my basketball teammates and I'm kind of...in danger."

Your blood pressure spikes. Cradling the phone between your shoulder and ear, you reach for your car keys off the hook by the door.

"Where are you?" you demand. "I'm coming to get you."

"Wait, hold on!" Lucas pleads. "We have to be subtle about this. The guys I'm with...they're bad news."

"Lucas, you're scaring me."

"I'm scared too!" he says. He lowers his voice. "Jason Carver's girlfriend is the one who got killed and he thinks Eddie Munson did it. And now he's got all the Tigers hunting the Hellfire Club, but—"

"But you're in the Hellfire Club," you finish.

"Exactly! They haven't figured me out yet, but they have plans to go by Eddie's band practice. And if Corroded Coffin lets it slip that I'm a part of the group..."

Lucas doesn't have to finish the thought. You met your fair share of asshole jocks in your past life before Hawkins.

"What do you need me to do?" you ask.

Lucas rattles off an address. You scramble for a pen and an old coupon to scribble it down.

"Park down the block from there," Lucas instructs. "And keep the door unlocked. I'll make a break for it."

You drive past the house in question and see the garage door open. A group of boys in letterman jackets seem to be starting some kind of ruckus with Eddie's bandmates. You wonder if you should go in there and break it up.

Before you can, Jason and his cronies are climbing back into his car. You see Lucas look your way. You wave frantically, ushering him to run to your getaway car.

However, Jason must say something that intimidates him, because Lucas gets into the backseat of his vehicle.

You curse and shift your car into drive. Leaving a wide-enough berth so it doesn't look suspicious, you begin following the Tigers. Lucas needs an extraction, and you aren't sure how to get it for him.

You end up in Dustin's neighborhood. Scratch that—you end up at Dustin's house. You've been once before, for a Christmas party thrown by his mom. Again, you park far enough away to keep from looking suspicious. You watch as Lucas bolts to the back of the house.

You take the chance to sneak out of your car and run where Lucas went. You catch a glimpse at his legs disappearing into Dustin's window.

"Lucas!" you hiss, climbing on a tree stump to get a view inside. "What are you doing? Get in the car!"

"I can't!" Lucas says, powering up Dustin's fancy Cerebro radio. "I have to warn Dustin!"

"I have a walkie. We can do that from the safety of my car. LET'S GO!"