Legendary | s. harrington (18+)

chapter twenty two

STEVE grabbed hold of Evelyn subconsciously but firmly and held her behind him. For the first time, she didn't find time to argue. The kids had already fallen behind the two eldest, terrified at the groan from the monstrous creatures that had attacked them only hours before. The cut in Evelyn's arm suddenly throbbed.

"Dart?" It was only as Dustin Henderson took a step forward that Evelyn's painful grip on Steve's coat released. Her right arm lurched desperately over Steve's left shoulder in an attempt to apprehend Dustin. She was petrified for him. Steve's hand instinctively grabbed Evie's forearm, forcing it down and away from the creature and his anxious grip tightened on her. There were mixed calls including both Evelyn and Steve's rising voices as they begged Dustin to back away from the demodog.

"Trust me." He shouted above their worries. But it was hard with a murderous creature just a feet away from them. The fear was almost too much to handle. Everyone held their breath- though Evelyn and Steve held on to each other. "Hey...hey it's me," Dustin was lifting his goggles off and pulling his mask down. "It's me, your friend- it's, it's Dustin." He bent down and Evelyn placed a hand on her mouth, holding the air in her cheeks so she didn't make a horrified noise behind him.

The creature edged forward, impossibly it seemed to be working. Or at least, they weren't dead yet. "Will you let us pass?" The creatures head split open, six fleshy pieces lined with razor sharp and gooey teeth. It bellowed a hiss and everyone physically jumped in fear. The children gasped in their terror while Steve and Evelyn's bodies lifted in to the air. Steve gripped the bat tighter, readying it for a fight. Evelyn's hold became even more painful and restricting for Steve and when the creature didn't attack Dustin, he used the spare moment to flick his eyes to Evelyn expecting her to be looking back at him or to let go of him; embarrassed. She was looking ahead though, irisis so small from how hard she stared down the creature. She was barely breathing, watching the monsters every move. Her focus worried Steve because he knew she'd do something stupid and ridiculously selfless if the creature lurched forward. She was impulsive and dangerously caring. His eyes flicked down to her fingers, white with the grip on his arm.

"Okay. I'm sorry." Dustin voice was soothing and quiet. "I'm sorry about the cellar. That was a pretty douchey thing to do." Eve didn't know how he was so close to the creature and so calm. "You hungry? Yeah?" Eve looked around exasperated and though Lucas said what everyone was thinking out loud they all frantically shushed him in the horror it may provoke the demogorgan.

"He's insane!" They watched Dustin pull a nougat bar from his back pocket.

"I've got our favourite! Nougat!" The creature made a happy noise and Evelyn could hear Dustin's smile. It was strangely heartwarming, but it did nothing to soothe her terror. He opened the packet and offered it to the monster. Dart ate it happily and Dustin lifted his hand to signal them to go past. Eve was in a anxious trance watching Dustin interact with Dart and only moved when she felt Steve tug her to the side. She then saw Dustin's hand waving them to pass and ushered the children around the creature. "...bye buddy."

Eve wasn't sure how far it was to the surface but she forgot about that when the floor shook and she fell and her knees hit the vines below.

"Jesus!"

"What was that?" As it steadied, Eve staggered back to her feet and looked around.

"Everyone okay?" People were about to answer her but Mike's torch was sparkling at the way they came and his voice broke.

"They're coming." The words forced everyone silent, the sea of demodogs too close for comfort. "They're coming!" Mike shouted again. "Run! Run!" And so they did. Eve naturally was waiting for the kids to pass her so she could be at the back and make sure they all made it but Steve grabbed hold of her elbow when he saw she wasn't running and forced her body to follow him. His fingers were pressing into her bandage and she was whimpering while she tried to keep up with him. She screamed at him with the pain and pushed his arm off of her, she ran back to where Mike and Lucas were and made sure all the children were with them and ahead. She took a nervous look back and made an audible noise when the creatures howls grew impossibly louder.

"Hurry!" She shouted at the group ahead. "We've got to go faster!"

"There!" Mike's voice bled over hers as they ran over the assault course around them.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Steve was shouting frantically, his voice unable to keep up with his panic. He hurried the kids to the rope they'd dropped when they'd arrived. They were at their entrance but Evelyn still feared for their safety. The floor no longer felt stable; the weight of creatures wobbling it - how many must be coming their way? It was shaking the ground beneath them and Eve didn't want to think about what was racing around the corner. She couldn't breathe as she watched the children rush forward. She was terrified they wouldn't make it.

"Come on! Hurry!" The shrieks were louder. Her fear seemed to reach Steve because he ran to the opening ordering the children to him and lifted them up to safety.

"Go, go! Go! Let's go!" Max was first, then Lucas. Eve counted heads frantically and tapped her feet against the ground in trepidation. She wiped her face to rid herself of the screams that were far too close. Steve was about to lift Dustin as Evelyn pushed him forwards until they realised that it was all too late. The shrieks and howls were now only explainable as deafening. It brought tears to Evelyn's eyes.

"Go!" Steve shouted, grabbing hold of her, his face blocked by his goggles and scarf. Eve just turned against his chest, taking one last deep breath of air. A wave of demogorgans welcomed them and ran for them. Eve didn't even have time to close her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Dustin and held him tightly. She whispered an "I'm sorry." that was lost against him. A sorry for killing him here, letting them come here in the first place - but it was drowned out by the howls of the monsters. It was only as she was blinded by their uneven, muddy skin that she realised she wasn't dead. She didn't feel the pain from their billions of teeth. Her limbs were not being ripped from her body, her bones weren't crunched and devoured by their dreadful faces. She gripped Dustin tighter and watched in disbelief as the creatures ran around the three of them. It was as if they didn't see them at all. When the tunnels were left haunted by the only noise of their attack and the monsters were somewhere now far in the distance, Steve helped Dustin out of the hole and Evelyn and Steve quickly followed.