Chapter Text
AUGUST 15TH, 1986
Dustin carried a bundle of firewood in his arms, Erica close behind.
“Why do I have to help you?” Erica groans, picking up another stick.
”Because Mrs. Byers said so,” Dustin retorted, “get used to this face, because they’re putting you and I in the same tent.”
“Ew! I don’t wanna share a tent with you!”
”Oh, stop complaining.” Dustin pulls another few sticks into his arms, and a point from a stick cuts him thumb. “Ow.” He murmurs.
”I’m going this way, it has more twigs.” Erica says, heading off in an opposite direction.
”Alright.” Dustin says, deciding against commenting about how that direction leads back to the campsite.
Dustin continues farther into the woods, collecting wood fallen from trees. Eventually, the sound of talk and laughter and the light of the lanterns from the path fade.
Mrs Byers decided to have everyone go on a camping trip to ‘let off steam’.
Carefully he picks up sticks from the ground, and his bundle grows heavier and heavier. He decides to collect just a few more, so they can have extra for later.
He locates a large stick leaned against a tree. He tugs on the stick and the end of it comes out rotted, covered in disgusting vines and spiders.
Dustin quickly drops the stick in disgust. And looks inside the hole he pulled the stick from, causing a jolt to go up his spine.
Inside looks like a portal to the upside down.
Its dark sky and rotted physique, looming atmosphere and terrible smell.
Dustin stands up immediately and drops his load of sticks, about to run back to campt when something slimy and gross wraps around his leg. He lets out a blood curdling scream as he tries to free himself from the things grasp, but falls to the ground and is pulled farther back.
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Erica picks up the sticks she’s dropped when a terrifying scream is thrown into the air. She drops her sticks from the scare and hears her name fill the air in Dustin’s voice.
In a moment of blank-mindedness, she runs towards the screams instead of going to get help.
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The things grip tightened around his leg, another wrapping around his other ankle.
”Steve! Erica! Eddie!” He screams, “Please anyone!” Erica emerges from the tree line and makes a b-line to him.
“What the hell!?” Erica shouts.
”Just help me!”
Erica begins to tug and Dustin’s arm, in attempt to free him, but the things pull him farther and farther back, pulling Erica along with him.
They launch backwards into the portal and tumble backwards. The vines cover the portal, leaving them trapped.
Dustin, now released, rushes towards the portal and tries to pry the vines away- tears pricking at his eyes.
”No no no no nononono!” He desperately pries at the vines, “Please I swear to god!”
Erica rushes next to him, “Please don’t tell me what I think is happening is happening.”
”I think we both have the same idea.”
Erica send a rock flying with an aggravated kick,”Goddamit!” She shouts, “Goddamit! Goddamit!”
“What the hell are we gonna do?” Dustin’s stomach drops to his ass and his heart is I his throat.
”Why are you asking me!” Erica slams her foot on the ground and grabs handfuls of her hair.
”Fuck! Goddamit! Let us out! I swear to god!” Dustin bangs on the gate, bawling.
”We’re gonna die in here!” Erica looks down at her hands
Dustin knows it’s no use, but continues to pry for dear life at the gate, hoping to see that red gel so he could throw himself back into the real world, but it isn’t working.
He eventually gives up though, when his hands ache from pulling at - what felt like - wet bricks.
He leaned his head against the closed portal, and let tears flow. It didn’t matter someone else was there, they were stuck here. Stuck in a desecrated waste land that one could compare to hell.
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Steve let out a sigh as he sat down on a lawn chair they had brought to the campsite.
”Dustin and Erica are taking forever with that firewood.” Robin groaned, leaning back in her chair.
”Probably bickering over something.” Eddie suggests, struggling to open a beer.
”You’ve already had two, young man.” Hopper says, walking past and stealing it from Eddie’s hands.
Steve and Robin chuckle and Eddie shoots them a look.
”Where are the two kids with the firewood?” Hopper asks.
Robin and Steve shrug, and Eddie offers Hopper his two cents.
Eddies probably right, the two argue all the time, but something just doesn’t feel right. He can’t shake the feeling that something really, really, terrible has happened.
He shakes the feeling off as him just being overly paranoid, but the feeling only grows as the evening faded to dusk, and the two still aren’t back.
Steve taps his foot on the ground anxiously, waiting for Hopper to get back. The man had said he would go round the two up and bring them back, assuming they had just gotten a little turned around.
But when Hopper emerges with no sign of Dustin or Erica and a bleak expression, his stomach drops to somewhere past the earths core and he can feel his heart rate skyrocket.
He hopes maybe Dustin and Erica a just a little slow behind him, but Hopper walks over and he doesn’t see either of them behind him.
Shit, shit, shit.
Is all that plays through Steve’s mind as Hopper checks the tents to see if they had arrived back and no one had noticed.
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”Nothing but snacks and water!” She yells, and Dustin assumes she was looking for a walkie-talkie or headphones or a pocket knife or anything that could be useful right now.
”We have no idea how long we could be in here,” Dustin says as he zips up his small bag, “we have to make it last.”
”What about,” Erica wavers, attempting to remember a name, “Eleven! What about Eleven? Can’t she just find us?”
”Who knows how long it will take for someone to realize we’re gone, and how much longer it will take for them to remember El can find us, and for them to get a tank ready.” Dustin rambles, “Not even including the time it’ll take for them to get to us!”
Erica reluctantly nods, “Then where are we gonna hide? Something is sure to find us here.”
”The closest thing currently is Mikes house, we camp out there for as long as we can.” Dustin looks out in the directing Mikes house is.
”I would like some weapons, also.”
”Lets have our first focus be shelter.”