[ 𝚃𝚠𝚒𝚐𝚜 & 𝙳𝚒𝚛𝚝 ] ~ 𝙳𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚡 𝙾𝚌

XXXII - Egress

"I don't understand. You've seen this before?" Robin rushed the words out as the group of six ran down the stairs. 

"Not exactly." Steve replied just as Lucy told her "Yes."

"Then what, exactly?"

"All you need to know is it's bad." Dustin shook his head.

"It's really bad."

"We need to get out of here- Find El, or Hop or-" Lucy panicked, shaking her head. 

"Like end of the human race as we know it, kind of bad." Dustin exasperated.

"And you know about this how?" Robin's puzzled look was directed straight at Dustin. 

"Uhm. . .Steve?" Erica looked around the teens. "Where's your Russian friend?"

"Shit-" Russell breathed out.

Alarms started sounding, blue and red lights flashing on the ceiling. Steve ran to the door, pulling it open and looking onto the main room. "Ah, shit-"

"Halt! Halt!" One of the soldiers demanded as soon as they saw Steve.

"Shit." The older Harrington slammed the door shut, looking at his friends."Go, go, go, go, go!" He urged, running toward the stairs. They made it to the top, entering the observation room they were previously in. Dustin opened a door out into the control looking room with the scientists, stopping in his tracks when they all turned to look at the out of place teenagers, and Erica. 

"Shit!" Dustin hissed, darting to his left, pulling Lucy along with him as they ran down a different flight of stairs. Dustin shrieked, shoving a man in a red hazmat suit away from both him and Lucy as they rushed past. He stumbled back, yanking Lucy with him, when they stepped up to the blue beam of energy. "Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!"

"Steve!" Russell yelled, "What do we do?'

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!"

"Guards!" 

"Go!"

"This way!" 

Everyone's voices were jumbling together in Lucy's ears, she couldn't tell who was saying what, everything was too loud. Steve ran down yet another set of stairs, shoving a soldier off of the flight and running. 

"Oh shit! Oh shit!"

"Woah!"

"Steve!" 

Lucy stumbled into Dustin's back, her nose hitting his shoulder. Steve threw a set of barrels into another group of guards with a grunt. 

"Come on! Go, go, go, go, go!" Steve urged, pushing Russell into an open hallway before grabbing Lucy's arm and doing the same with her.

"Come on!" Robin yelled.

"Shit!"

"This way!" Russell pushed into a door, holding it open for everyone to run through before slamming it shut behind them.

Steve rammed his body into it, holding it shut with his weight. "Get something to hold the door!" 

Lucy looked around the entire room, not finding anything. 

"Help me!" 

Russell was holding her weight as best as she could, Robin running over to do the same. 

"Here! Come on, let's go!" Erica yelled, pulling open a vent. Lucy felt herself being yanked back toward it, but she fought the grip. She needed to help her brother. 

"Come on!" Dustin called from behind her.

"Go! Just get out of here!"

"No! Come on now!"

"No! Just go get some help, okay? Get Lucy out of here!" Steve demanded, staring straight at Dustin as he made the order. Dustin grabbed Lucy by her biceps, dragging her back into his chest. He led her into the vent before dropping in himself.

"Go!" All three older teens yelled at Dustin.

"I won't forget you!" He pointed at Steve.

"Go!" 

He pulled the vent shut over his head, crawling after Lucy and Erica. 

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Word Count - 594

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Published - February 2, 2024

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