The Long Game━ (l. sinclair)

all colors lead to gray (get it?)

◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦

"RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!" Sam was yelling at Lucas as they desperately tried to exit the woods. It was difficult to both run and lug their bikes down the terrain, but they needed to leave the forest pronto.

The "Bad Men" knew about the kids. They knew about Eleven. They knew where Eleven was. They were going after her right now.

As Lucas stumbled running, he tried screaming into his Walkie Talkie, "Mike! Dustin! Are you there?! Eleven?! The Bad Men are coming!"

"Are they going to be able to hear us?!" stressed Sam, ignoring her low stamina and pushing through with the running.

"I don't think we're in range," Lucas stressed back, "but we have to try!"

They finally left the woods and reached the road. Neither kid wasted any time in swinging one leg around their bike seats and began peddling like their lives depended on it. Sam didn't even have time to get her own Walkie out of the bag on her back.

Right now, Lucas was the only one who could desperately yell, "Guys, can you hear me?! The Bad Men are coming! I repeat: The Bad Men are coming!"

"Where do you think they are?! Do you think they found Eleven?!" Sam wondered in a panic as they biked desperately.

"I sure fucking hope so!" responded Lucas. Then, back into the Walkie, "The Bad Men are coming! They know about us!"

Sam groaned in frustration. "We're not in range!"

"Useless son of a bitch!" he yelled, referring to his Super-comm.

Sam had never ridden on her bike so fast. Lucas wasn't even sitting on his bike seat with the way he peddled. They had finally made it back to the suburban part of town, hoping to god, by some miracle, at least one Party member could hear them.

"Lucas, if you can hear us, slow down," came the voice of Mike into his Walkie. Both Sam and Lucas gasped in hope, making grateful eye contact with one another. "We can't understand you."

Lucas responded, "Yes, I copy! Do you?!"

"Mike, they know about Eleven!" shouted Sam, hoping her voice was loud enough for Lucas's Walkie to catch it. "Get out of there! They know about Eleven!"

"THE BAD MEN ARE COMING!" Lucas stressed. "ALL OF THEM!"

Sam continued, "DO YOU HEAR US?! THE BAD MEN ARE COMING!"

"WE REPEAT — THE BAD MEN ARE COMING!"

Sam and Lucas truly had no clue what Mike and the others were hearing. The only time Mike responded, he was telling them that he couldn't understand. If they didn't know, and were taken by the Bad Men, Sam and Lucas would never forgive themselves.

"Where do we go?!" panicked Lucas. "We can't go home, anymore, it isn't safe!"

Sam looked utterly distressed, mind working faster than it ever has to try and figure out a plan to save them. Like a switch was turned on, Sam formulated an acceptable plan. Grade B at best, which was sort of outstanding with what they had to work with.

"The half-way point between where we are and Mike's house — assuming he's there — is Elm and Cherry," Sam rambled breathlessly. The information started spewing out of her, saying, "From there, we can make it to that junkyard if we ride through Mulberry and cut through Oak. There was a bus out there. We can store our bikes under it, then hide inside."