Getting to Steve Harrington's house should have been simple.
It wasn't.
Of course it fucking wasn't.
On my own, I could've made the distance considerably faster.
Stay low. Keep to cover. Avoid the vines. Stop whenever I heard something moving.
Simple.
Will changed everything.
Not because he was doing anything wrong.
The kid was actually doing considerably better than someone who'd spent God knew how long trapped in this hell dimension with a fucking tentacle shoved down his throat had any right to be.
But better didn't mean good.
His fever hadn't gone away.
Neither had the weakness.
Every few minutes, his steps would slow until I felt more of his weight settle against me. Then he'd realise what he was doing, straighten up and insist he was fine.
He wasn't.
I pretended to believe him anyway.
At least until the next time he stumbled.
"Sorry."
I tightened my grip around his waist before he could fall.
"Stop apologising."
"I almost made you fall."
"You weigh about as much as my backpack."
That wasn't entirely true.
Will gave me a look that said he knew it wasn't entirely true.
Good.
At least nearly dying hadn't destroyed his ability to recognise bullshit.
"Come on."
We kept moving.
Slowly.
Painfully slowly.
I hated it.
Not because of Will.
Because slow meant vulnerable.
The Upside Down wasn't somewhere you wanted to take a leisurely fucking stroll.
Every sound made me stop.
Every movement between the trees had my hand drifting towards my bow.
And every time that happened, Will stopped too.
He'd learned quickly.
Don't ask questions.
Don't move.
Don't make noise.
Wait until I told him it was safe.
I would've been impressed if the reason he knew how to do that wasn't so fucking depressing.
We stayed near the edge of the woods rather than going deeper into them.
Close enough to the trees that we could disappear into cover if something crossed the road.
Not so deep that we'd lose visibility completely.
It was the best compromise I could manage.
My original plan had been to find bikes once we got closer to the residential streets.
That plan was rapidly becoming less optional.
Will wasn't making it all the way to Steve's house like this.
Not on foot.
I glanced at him.
His face was pale again.
Sweat clung to his forehead despite the cold.
"How are you doing?"
"Fine."
Bullshit.
"Will."
He looked at me.
"I can keep going."
Not what I'd asked.
But probably the only answer I was getting.
I sighed.
"Tell me if you feel dizzy."
He nodded.
"Nauseous?"
Another nod.
"If your vision starts going weird?"
"I'll tell you."
"If you feel like you're going to pass out—"
"Erica."
"What?"
"I'll tell you."
I stared at him.
He stared back.
Okay.
Maybe I was being slightly annoying.
"Fine."
We kept walking.
For approximately thirty seconds.
Then I heard it.
I stopped.
Will almost walked into me.
"What?"
My hand went up.
He immediately fell silent.
There.
Something in the distance.
Not close.
But not far enough.
A low, wet clicking sound somewhere between the trees.
My stomach dropped.
Fuck.
I slowly reached for my bow.
Will noticed.
His face changed.
"What is it?" he whispered.
I didn't answer.
I listened.
Nothing.
Maybe—
Another sound.
Closer.
Definitely not maybe.
I pulled an arrow from my quiver.
"Behind me."
Will didn't argue.
He moved.
I scanned the trees.
Nothing.
Dark trunks.
Ash floating through the air.
Vines covering the ground.
Then something shifted between two trees.
Too tall.
Too thin.
Human-shaped.
There you are.
One Demogorgon stepped into view.
Its head tilted.
Listening.
It hadn't seen us yet.
Good.
I raised the bow.
Will's breathing sounded impossibly loud behind me.
I drew the string back.
Slowly.
Don't move.
Don't—
Another sound came from our left.
I froze.
The first creature hadn't moved.
But something else had.
I shifted my eyes.
Another shape.
Fuck.
Two.
Then branches moved farther behind the first.
A third stepped through.
Three.
Of course there were fucking three.
Because apparently one murderous interdimensional flower monster would've been too fucking convenient.
Will's hand caught the back of my jacket.
I could feel him shaking.
"Erica…"
"I know."
Three Demogorgons.
One injured ten-year-old.
One sick twelve-year-old who could barely walk.
Fantastic odds.
Running wasn't an option.
Not with Will.
If they got close, I couldn't guarantee his safety.
And that meant they couldn't get close.
Not even one of them.
I could dodge.
Will couldn't.
I could climb, change direction, use the trees.
Will could barely fucking stand.
So distance was the only advantage I had.
Lose that and we were dead.
I raised the bow.
"Whatever happens, stay behind me."
The nearest Demogorgon turned.
Its featureless head pointed directly towards us.
Shit.
The petals opened.
Will sucked in a breath.
Rows upon rows of teeth unfolded from the centre of its face.
The creature screeched.
So much for stealth.
I released.
The arrow flew.
Straight between the open petals.
Into its mouth.
The force drove the arrow deep into its head.
The Demogorgon jerked backwards.
For one second, it remained standing.
Then its legs gave out.
It crashed onto the ground.
One.
Will made a strangled sound behind me.
No time to enjoy the victory.
The other two screamed.
And charged.
"Erica!"
"I see them!"
I reached for another arrow.
"Do you still have those things?"
"What things?"
"The fire!"
I nocked the arrow.
"The bottles you threw before!"
Molotov cocktails.
Right.
"No."
"What?"
"I used all of them saving you!"
Not entirely how I'd planned on announcing that.
The closest Demogorgon dropped onto all fours.
Fast.
Too fucking fast.
"Oh."
"Yeah. Oh."
I drew.
Tracked it.
Wait.
Wait.
Now.
I released.
The Demogorgon changed direction at the last second.
The arrow flew past its shoulder.
Missed.
Fuck.
I reached for another.
The creature was already closing the distance.
Thirty metres.
Maybe less.
I drew again.
Will moved behind me.
He went to shield me.
With his pathetically weak arms. Trembling, struggling to even stay upright without my support.
"Will!"
I turned instinctively.
Mistake.
The Demogorgon screamed.
Closer.
I grabbed him and shoved him backwards.
"Come on."
"I can't—"
"Yes, you fucking can."
The Demogorgon crashed through the undergrowth.
Twenty metres.
The third was following behind it.
I couldn't fight both while holding Will.
I couldn't run carrying him.
And I couldn't let either of them get close.
"Erica."
Will's voice sounded different.
I looked at him.
He was staring at the creatures.
Then at me.
"Go."
For a second, I thought I'd misheard him.
"What?"
"Go."
He pulled his arm away from me.
Or tried to.
"Leave me here. I will buy you some time."
I stared at him.
How? By letting it eat you first?
The Demogorgon screamed again.
Closer.
"I'll slow you down," Will said quickly. "You can get away if I'm not—"
"No."
"Erica—"
"No."
"You can run faster than me."
"You will get eaten!"
"You'll die too!"
That stopped me.
Will was terrified.
I could see it all over his face.
But underneath the fear was something worse.
Acceptance.
He actually thought this was it.
That I'd found him in another dimension, dragged him out of that fucking library nest, kept him alive, brought him all this way—
And now he was supposed to stay here and die so I could run.
Absolutely fucking not.
"Listen to me."
I grabbed his jacket.
"After everything I did to save your arse, do you honestly think I'm going to let you die here and make all of that completely fucking useless?"
His eyes widened.
"Erica—"
"No."
Ten metres.
I shoved him behind me once more and reached for another arrow.
Five.
Too close.
I raised the bow.
The Demogorgon jumped.
Not at me.
At Will.
Fuck.
Will's eyes slammed shut.
I dropped the bow.
My hand shot forward.
Stop.
The world seemed to tighten around my skull.
The Demogorgon stopped.
Instantly.
Its body hung in the air.
Less than a metre from Will.
Claws stretched towards his chest.
Its mouth was completely open, rows of teeth reaching for a face they would never touch.
For half a second, nothing moved.
Then the creature began to thrash.
Violently.
Its arms jerked.
Its legs kicked.
Its body twisted in mid-air as it fought against something it couldn't see.
Against me.
I clenched my hand.
Stay.
Pressure exploded behind my eyes.
The creature jerked forward several centimetres.
No.
I forced it back.
My head pounded.
Something warm slid over my upper lip.
Blood.
Will still hadn't moved.
His eyes were squeezed shut.
He was waiting for the pain.
Waiting for claws.
Teeth.
Death.
None came.
Slowly—
His eyes opened.
The first thing he saw was the Demogorgon.
Floating directly in front of him.
His face went blank.
Then his eyes moved.
Past the creature.
To me.
To my raised hand.
To the blood running from my nose.
His mouth fell open.
Oh, fuck.
There went that secret.
The Demogorgon screamed.
I nearly lost my grip.
Right.
Existential crisis later.
Monster now.
I curled my fingers.
The creature's neck twisted.
Crack.
Will flinched.
I twisted harder.
One arm snapped backwards.
Then the other.
Its legs followed.
Bone after bone broke beneath flesh.
The Demogorgon convulsed helplessly in the air as I destroyed every limb it could've used to reach us.
For one fucked-up second, I realised exactly what this looked like.
Vecna.
The same brutal way he'd broken his victims apart.
Only this time, the monster was on the receiving end.
Then I released it.
Its body hit the ground.
Hard.
Two.
A scream tore through the trees.
Three.
I barely had time to turn.
The last Demogorgon was already there.
My bow was on the ground.
No arrow.
No time.
My hand snapped towards it.
The creature stopped mid-stride.
My powers caught around it.
But not completely.
It kept moving.
One step.
My arm shook.
"Come on…"
Another step.
No.
I pushed harder.
Pain stabbed through my skull.
The Demogorgon lifted from the ground.
Its legs kicked wildly beneath it.
Higher.
Higher.
My vision blurred.
The hold slipped.
Fuck.
I couldn't keep this up.
Not after everything else.
Not with more of them potentially seconds away.
Out here, I could be surrounded again at any moment.
So I stopped trying to hold it.
And threw.
I swung my arm with everything I had.
The Demogorgon shot sideways.
Its body tore through branches before disappearing between the trees.
A second later—
CRASH.
Silence.
I stood there breathing hard.
My arm dropped.
For a moment, the entire world tilted.
No.
Not now.
I wiped my nose with the back of my hand.
Red.
Fantastic.
I picked up my bow.
Then I turned around.
Will hadn't moved.
He was staring at me.
Not at the mangled Demogorgon on the ground.
Not towards the trees where I'd thrown the other one.
At me.
Specifically to me.
His eyes were so wide they looked painful.
His mouth was hanging open.
I suddenly found myself wishing another Demogorgon would show up.
That seemed easier.
I forced my expression blank.
"We need to go before more arrive. I won't be able to hold all of them back."
Will said nothing.
"Will."
Nothing.
"Will."
His mouth moved.
"W-what?"
"What?"
He pointed at me.
Then at the dead Demogorgon.
Then back at me.
"You…"
Very articulate.
"Yes?"
"You just…"
He looked at the creature again.
"It was…"
"Will."
"Floating."
Ah.
That.
His eyes snapped back to me.
"You made it float."
Another distant screech echoed through the woods.
I looked towards the sound.
"We really don't have time for this."
"You broke its bones!"
"I noticed."
"With your hand!"
"Technically, I didn't touch it."
That was apparently the wrong thing to say.
His mouth dropped open again.
"How did you do that?"
Another screech.
Closer.
Fuck.
I stepped towards him.
"Will, look at me."
He did.
Fear was still there.
But now it wasn't entirely directed at the forest.
I noticed that.
Pretended I didn't.
"We need to move."
"What are you? Are you really Erica?"
There it was.
For one tiny second, I didn't have an answer.
Not one I could give him in the middle of the fucking woods.
So I did what I did best.
I shoved everything behind a poker face.
"Currently? The friend trying to keep you alive."
"Erica—"
"I promise I'll explain when we get to the new hideout."
He stared at me.
"Explain what?"
I glanced at the broken creature.
Then at my bloodied hand.
"All about my freaky powers."
Another screech.
Much closer.
Will flinched.
I held out my hand.
"But questions later. Running now."
He looked at it.
For the first time since I'd found him, Will hesitated before taking my hand.
That hurt considerably more than I wanted it to.
But then his fingers closed around mine.
I pulled him towards me and put his arm over my shoulders.
"We need to go before more arrive. I won't be able to hold all of them back."
Will was still staring at me.
I started moving.
After a second, he moved after me.
Good.
One crisis at a time.
We disappeared between the trees.