WARNING: DO NOT ENGAGE [stranger things] [1/2]

XLIII - Something Soon [FINALE]

a/n - uwu we've reached 2k votes i love yall sm

"I was referring to the present in the past tense,

It was the only way I could survive it.

I want to close my head in the care door,

I want to sing this song like I'm dying."

•

"This is a lot of pudding for just five people, you know." Rosemary said, sitting on the table as Dustin and Lucas dumped all the tins onto it. She already had one open in her hand, shamelessly scooping it out with her finger to eat. 

"She's gotta recharge-" Dustin began to try to justify the mountain of pudding. Rosemary highly doubted that any of them would make it past 5, anyway.

It didn't matter much anyway, since he was promptly interrupted by a frantic mike busting in through the cafeteria door, panting slightly. "Guys!" Rosemarys senses spiked, an immediate sense of panic washing over her at the sight of him. Admittedly, she might have been a lousy babysitter to not have realised that he had left.

She put down the tin, standing up. "What's wrong?"

"They found us." 

A beat of stunned silence passed. "We need to move." Rosemary said. "They probably think we're in the gym, so we have a little time. The further we can get from here, the better. Forget the pudding." She ordered, aiming the last part specifically at Dustin, who had not put down his tin of pudding yet. Within seconds they were moving, Rosemary entrusting Lucas in leading the way and Mike keeping El at the same pace as them as Rosemary herself followed up at the rear of the group, making sure that nobody got separated and nobody was able to sneak up on them.

"How did they find us?" Lucas whispered. Rosemary dreaded to think - she didn't want to believe Joyce or Hopper would sell them out, but Will was a higher priority to them than her or El. It was a dreadful possibility.

"I don't know, but they knew we were in the gym." Mike replied.

"Lando." Dustin supplied. The door in front of them opened, and as soon as it had registered that the people entering were soldiers with guns aimed at them, the boys promptly turned to sprint back up the stairs. Nearly as soon as they got through one hallway, there were people on that side too. Rosemary let the boys pass by her first every time, her head almost spinning. She was meant to be good at this - tracking and stealth and not being caught. But it was a very different matter when you were protecting more lives than just your own.

"Go! Go left!" Mike shouted. Rosemary didn't have time to register their footsteps stopping before she felt a painful cramp shoot through her body, sending her crumpling to the ground. She knew this feeling well, too well, and felt an indescribable fear sink deep into her veins when she dizzily saw the taser being held dangerously near her face, electricity crackling as a threat in case she thought of moving.

She had to squeeze her eyes shut as the hallway started to stink of a foul stench, a ringing going through her ears. She's not strong enough. It was an odd thought. Rosemary had dreams that she didn't dare class as nightmares involving just this - agents collapsing into pools of blood and guns clattering to the floor. She wasn't scared in those dreams, she was relieved. For the first time for as long as she could remember, she hadn't been scared. But in reality, she nearly threw up as the soldier collapsed onto the floor beside her, his blood soaking into the side of her jeans and shirt, wetting her hair until she was able to push herself up onto her arms. She was still scared, still shaking and exhausted and ill.