SWORD

twelve

|CHAPTER TWELVE|
THE BUS

"So you've really fought one of these things before?"

The red-headed girl, Max, asked Steve, waking Armani from the light sleep-like state she was in.

Without realizing it, she had been leaning on Steve, her head on his shoulder, which she lifted as she opened her eyes. Steve nodded, turning to give Armani a small smile, "up, sleeping beauty?" He whispered. Armani nodded, shoving Steve lightly with one hand, before realizing her other was still holding Steve's hand. She pulled away quickly, Max narrowing her eyes in confusion at them before continuing her questions.

"And you're like, totally, one hundred percent sure it wasn't a bear?" She tilted her head. Dustin pacing around the bus, snapped at her.

"Shit. Don't be an idiot. It wasn't a bear" Armani furrowed her brows, "Dustin." she warned before he continued. "Why are you even here if you don't believe us? Just go home." He stared at the girl, who was shocked at his sudden change of mood. 

"Jeez, someone's cranky. Past your bedtime?" She retorted, she got up from her seat and climbed the ladder leading up to the roof of the bus.

"Hey-" Armani was about to scold Dustin for how he spoke to Max when Steve nodded. "That's good. Just show her you don't care." "I don't" Dustin muttered. 

Armani sighed, "That was not cool, you know? It's not her fault she doesn't believe in monsters." She murmured, rolling up the sleeves of the jacket she wore, grimacing at the pain when she touched her wound.

"As soon as we get home, I'll get you cleaned up, alright?" Steve said, gesturing to the wound. "No need, Prince Charming. I can clean myself up after battles" she said lightly, her smile only lowering when Dustin spoke up.

"So are you guys like, you know" he asked through narrowed eyes. "What?" Steve asked, "if you two are dating, how come you were going to see Nancy?" the kid asked.

Steve and Armani shared a look before the brunette girl responded. "We're not dating, Henderson. I've said it like four times today" she rolled her eyes, but Dustin seemed unconvinced. "Then why are you two acting so lovey?" He responded, Steve laughed. "Lovey? How."

"Let's see. You shared a bed, Armani you're wearing his jacket. You held hands, dead giveaway, by the way. You have no personal boundaries whatsoever, and you keep calling each other weird names like sleeping beauty and prince charming" he listed off the reasons, Armani and Steve stayed quiet, both their faces flushed light shades of pink. "Oh, and you look at each other weird." He concluded.

Armani was the first to respond, she shook her head. "You're insane" Steve nodded in agreement, "we're just helping each other out, man. Besides, Mani's too good for me" he shrugged Armani looking at him in surprise. 

"Says the king of the school." She rolled her eyes jokingly, and Steve snickered. "Yeah, alright Mani." Dustin watched the two teens and shook his head, pacing instead back to the front, becoming distracted with his walkie-talkie.

"We don't act lovey" Armani stretched out the word as she crinkled her nose. 

"Exactly. Besides, the last time we were this close to each other.." Steve's voice faltered, thinking about before he had left everyone but Nancy behind. He remembered the endless nights the group of friends had, and how he and Armani always seemed to gravitate towards one another. He remembered one night in particular before he had even looked Nancy's way, when he and Mani spent a whole night drinking and looking out at the stars. Armani's camera with them as she captured their antics. He remembered how much of a jerk he used to be before he changed, and how he had 'led' Armani on only to chase after Nancy.

"Steve?" Armani's voice pierced the silence, knocking Steve out of his memories. "If this whole thing is real, and somethings happening. Do you think my dads in trouble?" She asked, Steve shook his head to reassure her. 

"No. No way, he's probably just helping out the Byers." Armani nodded, despite not believing him. Steve took her hand in his, "and if he is? We'll fight like hell to help him." Armani sighed, leaning her head back on Steve, she tried to ignore the constant fast beat of her heart. She had been let down once, she wasn't about to let it happen again.

A loud, high-pitched screech filled the otherwise silent night. The sound made Armani's blood run cold as she and Steve immediately stood up.

—

"Lucas, what's going on?"

They ran to a fenced-in window, Dustin right behind them as they looked out into the foggy darkness. Dustin called to the boy above. "Hold on!" A response was said back. The three looked through the window, desperately searching for any sign of the demodog.

"There," Armani whispered, her eyes landing on the barely visible dark shadow before Lucas screamed, "TEN O-CLOCK! T-TEN O-CLOCK!"

If it weren't for the unworldly screech that had pierced her ear seconds before, Armani would've waved the shadow off as a dog, or possibly a bear. Yet when the demodog moved, her breath hitched, she realized this thing was not an animal. It was a monster.

"What is it doing?" She squinted, Steve shaking his head lightly. "I don't know" he whispered.

 "He's not taking the bait." Her eyes widened as she realized their plan had a fault. "Why is he not taking the bait?" She sputtered. Dustin shrugged, "maybe he's not hungry." 

Steve furrowed his eyebrows as he leaned back, "maybe he's sick of cow."

Armani turned to him right as he backed up, "steve." She warned stepping away from the window. "Don't." She shook her head, which was spinning in a million directions. 

"Steve? Steve, what are you doing?" Dustin asked, Steve turned, walking to grab his bat. Armani's heart stopped, "don't do this" she walked over, only stopping when he turned and handed her the lighter. "Just, get ready." His voice was sure, but his eyes held fear, reflecting back onto Armani's.

"Steve, stop. You have to think!" She followed Steve to the front of the bus, her voice loud and desperate, "don't do this, just wait f-" she was cut off when steve turned at the bottom of the stairs. "stay here." He ordered. Opening the creaky door, he stepped out carefully, closing it behind him. "Don't do this!" She ran back to the window, looking at Steve with wide eyes.

"What's he doing?" Max asked, coming down the ladder, "expanding the menu" Dustin responded. 

Armani's breath shook with fear, she watched the monster, her heart pounding out of her chest, she pounded on the window.

"Steve! Steve! Get back!"