Chapter Text
It had been days since Eddie was ripped apart by the bats, and the party had yet to find a way out of the hellish wasteland they currently inhabited. The air was thick with tension and grief as they trudged through the Upside Down, nobody speaking for a long while, their flashlights illuminating the way ahead. They came across a desolate neighborhood, stepping cautiously into one of the small houses in hopes of a safe area to catch their breath and dress Steve's wounds. Steve and Nancy stepped in first, bat and shogun raised as they peered into each room.
"All good?" Dustin called from the front door, glancing into the house after a few beats.
"Yep," Steve nodded, stepping back to the door, closing it as the others came inside. They all piled into the living room, slumping down on the couches and floor with sighs and huffs of relief. Robin dug into her backpack, her hand closing around a roll of bandages. "C'mere." She said, nodding to Steve, setting it aside and pulling out her water flask. When Steve padded over to her, sitting on the floor beside her, she gestured for him to tilt his head back, examining the deep cut that encircled his throat. "Yeesh," She grimaced. "That is gross. No offense."
"None taken." Steve chuckled humorlessly, wincing as Robin started to clean the wound as best she could with the water. As he kept his head tilted back, his eyes flicked to Dustin, who was sitting against the wall on the floor, a far-off look in his eyes as they locked onto the dirty carpet. "Hey, kid. How you holdin' up?"
Dustin glanced up, blinking as he processed the question. He could feel the group's eyes on him, only worsening his discomfort. "I'll be fine." He said, sounding uncharacteristically somber. "Just... Wayne, y'know?"
Steve nodded, shooting a lighthearted glare at Robin as she pressed too hard on his injury, his eyes flicking back to Dustin. "Yeah. Yeah, I get it." He sighed. "Can't imagine, man. One day, everything's normal, the next..." He shook his head.
"What do we even tell him?" Dustin sighed. "We can't exactly say 'Hey, Mr. Munson, your nephew actually got eaten by alien bats in a different dimension, sorry!'"
Steve frowned, sighing again as Robin secured the bandages around his throat. "Man, I dunno. We'll figure somethin' out, I promise." He said. "Trust me, I don't wanna lie to him either." He glanced at Robin as she finished, lowering his chin again.
"We'll figure it out." Nancy said softly, giving Dustin a reassuring smile as she echoed Steve's promise. "We'll make sure Wayne knows how brave he is. Yeah?" She added, patting his knee affectionately.
"Yeah." Dustin sighed, not looking particularly convinced. He glanced around at the others - Chrissy was nursing a water bottle, Max and Lucas were whispering in the corner, Robin was putting away her supplies, and Nancy and Steve were sharing a concerned glance. Dustin sighed again, pulling his backpack back on. "Can we just focus on getting outta here? I need a shower, like, days ago."
Robin glanced up, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, c'mon, let's hit the road again."
Lucas paused in his tracks, glancing around, his brows knitted together in focus.
"What, man?" Steve said, pausing and raising a brow at the younger boy.
"Did you guys hear that?" Lucas questioned, his eyes scanning the area.
The others all looked around as well, staying silent as they tried to listen. The area was silent and still, aside from the particles that always floated through the discolored air in the hellish landscape. "No, man." Steve said, looking back at Lucas. "What'd you hear, a demogorgon or something?"
"No." Lucas shook his head, sighing. "I dunno, probably hearing things, let's go." He said, the others reluctantly nodding as they all continued to walk, stepping over branches and vines, all on high alert. They walked for what felt like hours in relative silence, occasionally broken by Robin's rambling.
After a long while, it was Chrissy who stopped next, a sharp, hushed gasp escaping her lips.
"What?" Robin paused, her hands closing around her gun. "Did something happen?"
"I- I don't know." Chrissy said, her eyes wide as they scanned the area. "I thought I saw something."
The group exchanged glances, all grabbing their respective weapons. "Something like what?" Steve questioned quietly.
"Like..." Chrissy swallowed nervously. "Like, um, a person. Except it was up there." She said quietly, lifting her hand to point at something. The group all followed her finger, their gazes confused.
"In a tree?" Max spoke up. "I don't see it."
"Neither do I," Chrissy sighed. "It's just... it's gone. Maybe I imagined it, I'm sorry." She said, her tone soft and apologetic.
"Hey, don't be," Steve shook his head. "We're all nervous and on high alert. Sometimes we make shit up, it's all good."
"Yeah, not to mention how dark this damn place is," Robin chuckled. "It was probably just a shadow, it's okay."
"Yeah." Chrissy said, her voice a bit shaky. "Yeah, maybe." She nodded. The group relaxed, talking quietly as they continued to walk, occasionally glancing around.
Robin stepped closer to Steve, walking beside him, leaning in to speak quietly. "How do you think Henderson's holding up?" She murmured, glancing at Dustin.
"Not great, obviously." Steve sighed. "As much as I may not have liked it, the kid really looked up to Munson. He was borderline obsessed with him for a minute there." He chuckled humorlessly. "He's gonna be beat up over it for awhile, we just have to be there for him, y'know? Mike 'n' Lucas, too."
Robin nodded, sighing softly. "Yeah. It just sucks. I mean, you told him what must have been fifty times, don't be a hero. Why the hell would he do that? I just- I keep replaying it in my head, and I don't get it. We could've figured something out together, could've all been okay."
Steve shrugged, sighing. "Beats me. Fucker did it without a second thought, too. Like he had a damn death wish."
Robin nodded in agreement, shaking her head as she glanced ahead at the others, her eyes lingering on Dustin. "Only he knows what was going through his head, I guess." She sighed. They continued walking with the others, the only sound their shoes against the leaves. When Robin glanced up, she almost swore she saw something lurking in the trees, but she shook her head. Just a shadow, just like she told Chrissy.