what should never be [s.h.]

47. griswold family, do you copy?

{ July 4, 1985 }

"I can't say for sure," Townes complained, head resting on her cold and dry hands, "But I'm almost positive we're in Scotland."

The deep, black night sky almost made it impossible to see, but Townes could make out the lighter shades of green on the trees around them. They whisked past her vision in a blur, Steve's foot steady on the accelerator. With the complete absence of streetlights on the road, the only source of light came from the headlights, and they weren't doing a great job. They only illuminated the miles of asphalt in front of them, leaving all the important road signs in the dark.

If someone gave Townes a map and asked her to point to their location, she would only be able to point to Indiana and the states neighboring it. Hawkins wasn't terribly far from the border into Illinois, and Townes had no knowledge of Illinois geography. Her and Amber were Indiana natives through and through, having never left the state before.

Steve accelerated faster, and Townes was almost positive he was flooring it now. Asphalt splintered underneath the squealing tires, leaving a cloud of dust and fumes in their wake. Townes scolded herself for not properly inspecting him before they pulled out of the parking lot, to make sure that Steve could even see out of his left eye. From what she could tell, he managed to keep the car steady. They hadn't travelled over the dashed yellow line yet, but Townes was still skeptical.

Dustin huffed out an annoyed sigh from the backseat, "We're almost there."

Flicking her eyes at the rearview mirror, Townes saw Amber pick something out from underneath her fingernail, "You guys should've tried walking to Weathertop. That shit was hell."

"Why don't we just pick up Dustin's imaginary girlfriend?" Erica spoke loud enough so that her voice wasn't drowned out by the car engine roaring. "Since we're practically in Utah?"

"Shut up, Suzie is not imaginary. Right, Steve?" Dustin leaned forward in his seat, arms reaching over the front bench. Even though Steve couldn't face him, Dustin looked up at Steve for affirmation. Instead, he was met with a small sigh. "You're hesitating, Steve. Why are you hesitating?"

Seeing that he was going nearly double the speed limit, Steve tapped the brakes lightly, "I'm not hesitating."

"That was the textbook definition of hesitating," Robin butted in, head facing to the side to glance at the trees passing by. She didn't seem particularly enthralled in the conversation, a small smile on her face as her eyes flickered shut.

"Do you guys really not believe me?" Dustin's voice came out a soft whisper, and Townes had trouble hearing it with the wind howling in her ears.

At the risk of Steve's second hesitation causing Dustin's head to explode, Townes took the reigns. She twisted in her makeshift seat to face Dustin, hair flowing wildly in the wind, "We do believe you; we do."