𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀, ( 𝗺𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿 )

[19] AT EASE

THE THREE OF THEM VENTURE OFF INTO THE WOODS, shouting out Eleven's name as they walk on crunchy leaves and stare around their surroundings.

Wheeling their bikes through the woods, Mariella was beginning to get restless. She was beginning to lose hope in finding Eleven but she persevered. Shouting out her name with her jaw slack.  The boys did the same.

The begin to slow down, panting and sighing to themselves — stopping when they hear rustling from behind them. Mike looks to Dustin and Mariella with curious eyes.

"Hey, stop. Do you hear that?" He asks.

"What?" Dustin responds, not hearing anything as Mariella shakes her head, no.

Mike looks away and shouts out, "El!" Once more. "El?", scrunching up his nose before looking to forward once again. Seeing Troye and James coming up from a hill.

"Hey, there, Frogface," Troye says menacingly as they walk towards the group of three. "Toothless," He adds, holding a pocket knife in his hand. "Oh! Disappointment DeGray!" He laughs.

"Shit! Run, Mike, Mars!" Dustin screams, dropping his bike and sprinting away. Mariella doing the same, her hair flying behind her.

"What?" Mike screams, following after them as Mariella shouts back at him.

"Run! Go! Go!" She says as she looks back and sees Troye and James smiling with amused looks before chasing after them.

"You're dead, Wheeler!" Troye shouts as he sprints after them.

"Move, Mike!" Dustin yells, noticing how Mike was trailing behind him and Mariella — they both knew Troye and James had is out for Mike especially. They always have.

"Mike, run! Hurry up!" Mariella shouts as she hops over an overturned branch and follows after Dustin who led them.

It was a goose chase, Mike catching up to Dustin and Mariella as they run alongside each other and into the quarry, panting.

"Ah! Cramp!" Dustin groans, slowing down and grasping his stomach in pain.

"Just keep going!" Mike yells after him. "Keep going!".

"Dustin, come on!" Mariella screams, looking down at her untied shoes and yelling out, "You have got to be kidding me!".

"Shit!" Dustin says, stopping in his tracks as they stare at James who came from the other side. They were surrounded. Now where to run. No where to hide.

Mike and Dustin grab rocks and sticks off the ground and face them, Mariella looking between their bullies and breathing heavily before her eyes lighting up and going to slip her backpack off her shoulders. The gun.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Mike yells, holding a rock up threateningly before tossing it. Missing James by long shot.

James scoffs, "Nice throw, numbnuts,".

Dustin yells before swinging at Troye with the stick and is grabbed by him. Pinned against Troye's body with the pocket knife to his throat as Dustin struggles against him. "Get off! Get off me!".

James notices Mariella's shaking hands as she fumbles with her backpack zippers and rushes towards her, ripping the bag from her hands and tossing it away from her and grabbing her arms. "Let go! Now! Let me go!" She screeches, kicking up and down and screaming loudly.

"Get off them! Get off of them!" Mike shouts out, looking at his struggling friends helplessly.

"Stay back, or I cut him. And James'll choke the Mute before she can let out another one of those screams!" Troye threatens.