wild one - steve harrington

last breath

They each dropped into the hole by a rope, one by one, Roxy last to go. Hesitating for a second and realising she could literally drive away, she took a step and dropped down into the polluted air flowing through long connecting tunnels. As she landed, Steve moved to be next to her. 'Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way!' They heard Mike yell through the bandana covering his mouth and nose. They walked up side by side to the group.

'You're pretty sure, or you're certain?' Dustin asked. Fair question. Roxy thought.

'I'm 100% sure, just follow me and you'll know.' Mike yelled back.

'Woah, woah, woah. Hey, hey, hey, hey. I don't think so. Any of you little shits die down here, I'm getting the blame. Got it, dipshit?' Steve walked to stand next to Mike, towering over him with his firm voice. Roxy smiled in pride, although it couldn't be seen. 'From here on out I'm leading the way! Come on, let's go.' Steve walked ahead of the group with the map, and they all followed. 'Hey, a little hustle!' He yelled, as he was walking faster ahead of the group. Roxy, behind her glasses, widened her eyes quickly. My god, tone it down, darling. She thought, but sped up to a quick pace to not get left behind.

It felt like they were walking in circles for half an hour. 'My god.' Lucas said, his torch scanning the walls of the tunnel.

'What is this place?' Max asked, also looking all around her.

'First layer of hell?' Roxy suggested, and Max and Steve smiled to themselves at her joke.

'Guys, come on. Keep moving.' Steve said, as Roxy rolled her eyes but kept walking. She stopped behind Dustin, who was looking up at something in the ceiling she thought didn't seem friendly.

'Kid, leave it.' She said, brushing his shoulder as she walked past him, torch pointed straight. Hearing something go on behind her, she whipped around to see Dustin writhing on the floor screaming.

'Shit! Help, help help!' He screamed, and Roxy rushed to him as the others did. She stood there not knowing what to do. How do you work a child? She thought to herself, as the kids yelled his name.

'What happened? What happened?' Steve asked, loudly and stressed, pushing everyone out of the way.

'It's in my mouth! It got some on my mouth!' Dustin screamed and coughed. Roxy didn't move; she and Max stood there watching on. After a lot of coughing, Dustin looked up at them. 'I'm okay.' He said, and everyone turned away.

'Very funny man. Nice. Very nice.' Steve said, seemingly over it. He continued walking, swinging an arm around Roxy's shoulders leading her to walk along side him. She took the map from his hand and held it out for him to see. They walked for another few minutes before reaching where they needed to be. 'Alright, Wheeler. I think we found your hub.' Steve said, torch held out in front of him. Roxy stepped away from him and forward to take a closer look.

'Let's drench it.' Mike said, and Roxy pocketed her flashlight quickly and picked up the gasoline, getting excitedly to work. She poured the substance all over the floors and as she was reaching to throw it onto the walls, felt a cutting pain at her side. Roxy dropped the nearly empty canister and clutched her ribs, eyes wide looking at the ground. Trying to block it out of her mind, all she could picture was Billy throwing her across the room and the look in his eyes as she drove his head onto the floor. Fearing to blink, her eyes watered up and she involuntarily dropped to one knee, her hands still nursing her ribcage. Feeling it over, she swore she could feel something unusual, like a break.

Steve turned around and noticed Roxy drop to the floor, her hands gripping her right side. He shoved his gasoline canister at Dustin who took it. He jogged to Roxy, his head still slightly throbbing, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She quickly stood up to look at him, but staggered back and hit her back on the wall. 'Roxy, what is it?' Steve asked, concerned. He pulled down his bandana and then slowly hers.

'It's nothing, I'll be fine.' Roxy said, standing straighter off the wall. 'My fault.' She gestured to her side where the pain was coming from. Steve ran a light hand over it with surprising gentleness. Looking at her face, he saw her wince slightly, and he pulled her toward him by the shoulders and held her, careful not to touch her ribs.

'It's not your fault.' Steve said into her ear, reassuring her. Roxy turned her head and gave him a quick kiss on his neck before pulling away. He smiled at her. 'Do you need to rest? It's okay.' He asked, his hands on her arms.

'Nah, I'm good. Really, it's nothing.' She said, not even convincing herself. As the kids gathered behind Steve and Roxy, finished with pouring out all the gasoline, she put her hand in his and the walked a few paces back. Steve bent his elbow to support Roxy and was surprised to feel how much weight she was leaning onto his hand. With a few seconds warning, everyone crouching behind him, Steve lobbed the lighted into the hub doused in gasoline. It began to catch alight, and immediately burst into flames causing them all to raise their hands and cover their faces.

'Go, go, go!' Steve yelled, and the kids sprinted away from the fire, Roxy making sure Steve was okay and running before she did. The light coming from their torches ran all over the ground and walls as they ran incredibly fast, impatient to be back to where the car was. 'Let's go, let's go!'

'Oh, my god. Oh my god.' Dustin said, running, stress taking over just like everyone else. The sooner they were out, the better. They were weaving through the tunnels, trusting that Steve was understanding the map correctly, trying to get through before anything came running at them.

'Hey! This way!' He yelled over the group, and they all followed (not like they had a better option). Roxy, still pained, wasn't caught behind but was behind Mike and last in the group. She saw Mike trip, and before thinking of calling out to Steve or one of the kids, saw vines with a mind of their own loop themselves around Mike's leg.

'Help! Help!' Mike screamed, and the group had turned around, ready to run back, when Roxy pulled out a gun in her right hand, and shot twice. Her aim was true, she shot the base of the vine and it slithered away, Mike crawling backward. Lucas and Dustin pulled him up, and Roxy nodded to Steve to tell him to keep going.

'Guys, we gotta go. We gotta go, now!' Steve said hurriedly, they all whipped around at the noise of Dart screeching and they stood frozen. Roxy, very slowly, lifted her other gun from her belt and raised them. Steve held his bat high, but before either of them could do anything, Dustin stepped forward, arms outstretched, and started talking to it.