CHAPTER ELEVEN
LIGHT HER UP

        Abby's lungs burn as she breathes in the sulfurous air of the tunnel.  Even the bandana tucked into the collar of her shirt and tied securely around her face didn't to much to fend off the toxic air and certainly doesn't help her still-pounding head.  She gazes around at her surroundings, everything seemed to have a blue tint to it, and the beams of their flashlights barely do anything to penetrate the looming darkness.  Vines cover the floors and ceiling and sanded up the circular sides, reaching and digging.  Small particles drift like snowflakes around her, billowing in the soft wind that blew into the tunnel.  Alex, who stands beside her, reaches out a gloved hand to catch one of the particles, but Abby is quick to swat it back down.  She wonders how long the tunnels had been there, secretly burrowing and stretching toward the town.  

The tunnels reek of death.  Everything down here is some twisted version of the world above them.  The dirt is a sickly shade of grey, the atmosphere is hazy, the air seems thick, suffocating almost, and the vines are covered in a thick layer of slime.  The tunnels are a parasite as they dig, reaching and extending, infecting the plants and the people as it stretches towards Hawkins.

"Holy shit," Steve whispers as he drops to the ground and looks around at the landscape he finds himself in.

"Uh ... I'm pretty sure it's this way!" Mike calls as he stares down at the map, illuminated by the beam of his flashlight.

"You're pretty sure, or you're certain?" Dustin calls.

"I'm one-hundred-percent sure, just follow me, and you'll know!" Mike exclaims.  

He takes a few steps further down the tunnel before Steve throws a hand out and calls, "Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Hey, hey, hey, I don't think so."  He steps forward and tries his best to glare at the kids through his goggles, but the warmth of the air has fogged them up.  "Any of you little shits die down here, I get the blame.  Got it, dipshit?"  He turns back to the rest of the group.  "From here on out, I'm leading the way.  Come on, let's go!  Come on."

They make quick progress over the vines that stretched out across the ground, and through the particles that seemed to fall thicker the farther they traveled and the blue-tinged fog that covers the ground.  A few times, Alex would have to help Abby up from the slimy ground where she had stumbled over a particularly large vine or Abby would have move Alex along as she became too encapsulated with the walls that seemed to have a pulse of their own.  Steve, from his spot in the front continues to yell words of encouragement as they progressed through the sulfurous terrain.  Occasionally, Alex will grumble something about Steve's leadership skills.

"God," Lucas breathes as they enter a cavern-like area that branches off into more tunnels.  

There's no shortage of oddities in the twisted land beneath the surface.  Up there above him on the ceiling is a mass of something almost flower-like.  It pulses above them, in and out, in and out, in and out.  Black veins shoot through the thing as it continues to pulse, staring down at them as though it is a giant eye suspended in the ceiling of the cavern.  Abby's skin crawls at the sight of the monstrosity.

"What is this place?" Max wonders.

"Guys, come on.  Keep moving," Steve encourages through clenched teeth as he plows on.  

Alex grumbles something again and follows after Max.  Abby complies without another word.  They continue along the slimy, gritty terrain.  Abby hears a few crunches pops under her feet but she doesn't have the strength to look down at what she has trodden on.  

And then comes the scream.

Abby whips around, her heart thuds in her chest as she turns back toward where the scream has come from.  There lies Dustin on the ground, screaming shrilly as he rolls across the floor of the cavern, partially overtaken by the sea of blue fog.  He scrambles to his feet, all the while shrieking as he picks up his canister of gasoline before he loses his footing and collapses in front of the group.  

"What happened?  What happened?" Steve yells as he pushes through the group to crouch before Dustin.  His older brother instincts have kicked in.  

"It's in my mouth!" Dustin screams, his voice shrill and laced with panic as he tries to scramble up, pulling his bandana away from his face in the process.  "It's in my mouth!  Some got in my mouth!  Shit!"  He turns away as he begins to hack, a lung-rattling sort of hack as if he's trying to expel something that's been lodged in his throat.  After a few tense moments, filled with nothing but Dustin's desperate coughs, the boy spits something out onto the ground and the hacking ceases.  He turns his head toward the teens gathered before him sheepishly.  "I'm okay."

The group collectively lets out a long sigh.

"Are you serious?" Max asks with a roll of her eyes.

"Idiot," Alex grumbles.

"Nice," says Steve, his voice now back to its normal octave as he turns away, not bothering to help Dustin up.  "Very nice."

"Jesus what an idiot," Max mutters.

"You all right, Curly-cue?" Abby asks as she offers a hand to Dustin.  Dustin gratefully grasps her hand and stands up to his feet, dusting off the sludge that had stuck to his knees during his downfall.

"Yeah," Dustin replies with a small shudder.  "Let's just, uh, get out of here before that happens again."

"Gladly," Abby replies.

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*

"All right, Wheeler, I think we found your hub," says Steve.

The hub is surprisingly bare.  Abby had been expecting it to be infested with the vines that lined the tunnel or filled with the Demogrogons.  She expected to see the walls ceilings and floors lined with organisms much more terrifying than the one that had sprayed Dustin in the face.  She had been expecting a scene from a horror movie, the place where the monsters of the Upside Down dragged their victims.  Not even the fog had reached the hub.  There was nothing.  Nothing except for the grey particles that float through the polluted air.

"Let's drench it," says Mike with a set jaw.

They set to work.

The smell of chemicals sticks to the group as they cover every surface with a flammable liquid. Gasoline is dumped on the floor in large, fuming puddles.  It's splashed into the walls and ceilings.  It drips down on them, soaking their shirts and staining their shoes, but the stains are nothing compared to the stains of blood from those who had been killed by the forces of the Upside Down.  Abby's head continues to throb as the smell of the gasoline fills her lungs and clogs her senses.  She winces and places a hand on her forehead but despite the pain in her head, she carries on.  

This doesn't go unnoticed by Steve, who asks, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Abby replies, waving the boy away.

"Your head got hit pretty hard," Steve presses.  "Are you sure you don't—"

"I'm fine, Steve.  Really," Abby repeats.  "Let's just ... get out of here."

They gather in one of the tunnels and crouch before the hub in one big huddle.  This is it.  Steve turns back to face them.  "All right, are you guys ready?"

"Light her up," says Dustin with determination in his voice.

Steve lets out a sigh.  "I am in such deep shit."

He flicks on the lighter and stares down at the small orange flame for a few moments.  So small, and yet so destructive.  She looks around the hub one last time, breathes in the scent of the fumes.  They're in the calm before the storm and she's going to enjoy these few moments of peace before the lightning strikes.  Before they get their revenge.

Steve takes a small breath before he throws the lighter.  It's a liberating feeling, watching the small box of metal soar through the air in its graceful arc as the small orange flam draws closer and closer to igniting.  Abby feels a weight lift off of her shoulders as the small box hits the ground with a small clink.  A grin spreads across her face.  And then everything erupts into flames.  Abby shields her eyes from the bright light as a shrieking fills the air.  Vines writhe and wiggle as they rise up, desperately seeking an escape from the destructive heat of the bright orange flames.

"Go, go, go!" Steve yells as the group scrambles up.  

Abby and Steve take the lead.  She stumbles over the vines that seem to reach out to her.  Her heart is pounding in her chest.  Her head is aching, the noise in her ears has increased, her legs are weak and they threaten to collapse beneath her, but she knows is that they need to get out of the tunnels before it's too late.  Steve seems to notice her struggle and is quick to wrap a steadying arm around her as they run.  She glances behind her periodically to make sure that nobody has fallen behind.  There's Alex and Max right behind her, keeping each other steady.  There's Dustin and Lucas.  But where's—

"Help!  Help!  HELP!" Comes Mike's screams, echoing through the tunnels.

They turn back, running in the direction of Mike.  Calls of Mike's name fill the air as they find him, desperately thrashing on the ground as a vine wraps tightly around their leg.  Cursing loudly, Abby grabs the boy under the shoulders, her arms tremble slightly and the rest of the teens follow, grabbing onto a part of Mike's arm as they attempt to wrench him out of the strong grasp of the vine.

"Everybody back!  Everybody back!" Steve yells as he charges at the vine, swinging his bat down hard on the root as it lets out pained screams until it finally loosens its grip on Mike and releases him from its hold.

Abby lets out a relieved breath as Mike pushes himself up off of the ground, but before they can continue on their journey back to the surface, a loud roar fills her ears.  Shit.  They whirl around to see a Demogorgon standing before them.  It growls softly at them as they stare at it in wide-eyed horror.  For a moment, Abby remembers Mews again, and she swallows thickly.  That's how they'll all end up if they're not careful.

Immediately, Dustin pushes himself to the front of the group, holding his arms out protectively as he stares down at the creature.  "Dart."  As the boy steps forward, shouts of protest erupt from the group of teens, but Dustin merely holds out a hand, shushing them.  "Trust me.  Please."

Dustin slowly inches toward Dart and pulls down his protective bandana and removes the goggles from his face.  He talks to Dart softly, as if he were talking to a young child.  "Hey.  It's me, it's me.  It's Dustin, your friend."  He crouches down so that he's at eye level with Dart as the small monster approaches him curiously.  "You remember me?  Will you let us pass?"

Dart lets out a loud, violent screech.  His flower-like face opens up reminding Dustin that he's still armed with his rows of razor-sharp teeth.  One wrong move and the teeth would be sinking into Dustin's flesh.  Dustin seems unfazed by the creature's act of aggression and continues to talk to him as though he's a small dog.  "Okay, okay, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry about the storm cellar.  That was a pretty douchey thing to do.  You hungry?  Yeah?"  Abby watches with a sense of horror and awe as Dustin slowly reaches into his backpack.

"He's insane," Lucas whispers.

"It's Dustin," Alex rationalizes.

"Don't," Mike hisses, hitting Lucas in the chest with the back of his hand.

"Shut up," Steve whispers with his bat at the ready.

"I've got our favorite," Dustin continues.  He holds up a candy bar in front of Dart.  "See?  Nougat."  Dart grows and moves closer to Dustin as the boy quickly unwraps the chocolate bar, he crumbles it and sets the pieces down in front of Dart.  "Look at that.  Yummy.  Here, all right?  Eat up, buddy.  Come on.  Come on."  

As he continues to stare down at Dart almost adoringly, he frantically motions behind him for the group to sneak past the creature.  Abby holds her breath as one by one, they file past the vicious creature.  He looks almost harmless right now with Dustin crouched so calmly before him as he eats the candy bar off of the ground.  Abby is the last one to pass, her movements are slow and deliberate, she cannot afford to fall or make any noise.

"There's plenty.  I've got more," Dustin tells the creature as he sets down the last piece of the candy bar.  Dart continues to eat the candy bar as Dustin stands again, securing his backpack on over his shoulders.  He sends one last look over his shoulder at Dart.  The creature turns to Dustin and chitters There's a forlorn look of sorrow on his face as he pulls up his bandana and secures his goggles once more.  "Goodbye, buddy ..."

They're running again, feet pounding over the rough terrain.  Steve's steadying arm is around Abby again.  Her heads pounds more violently now, the sulfurous air does nothing for her worsening condition.  Hearts beat wildly in chests as suddenly there's a rumbling sound.  The tunnels themselves seem to be shifting, quaking.  Debris falls from the ceiling as the group members all let out yells of shock.  Roars fill the tunnels, bouncing off the cylindrical walls and only growing louder.

"What was that?" Max asks.

"All I know is that we're in deep shit," Alex answers.

The group whips around, the beams of their flashlights cutting through their blue-tinted surroundings as more roars fill the air.  "They're coming," says Mike.  "Run!  Run!"

Nobody needs to say anything as they start to run again, leaping over ridges, ducking under outstretched vines, dodging the deadly organisms that tired to wrap them up in their greedy arms and keep them below the surface in their own twisted version of a graveyard.  Just ahead, only several yards away hangs the rope.  A beam of bright light cuts through the darkness where Hopper's hole lays.  Abby has never felt more relieved.

Abby goes up first and helps to pull the rest of the kids to safety.  Steve hoists Alex up next and the girl desperately clings onto Abby's trembling, clammy hands, her injured arm useless when gripping the rope as Abby and Steve work together to bring Alex to the surface.  Next comes Max, hand over hand as she pulls herself up the rope.  Then Lucas, then Mike, all working together to pull each other to safety.

Abby and Alex wait at the edge of the hole with bated breath for Dustin and Steve to emerge from the tunnels.  But they don't.  Shadows race across the walls of the tunnels, the roaring and growling which they had managed to outrun for so long is finally upon them.  Mike and Lucas join them, reaching out for their friend as they desperately call his name.  But it's too late.  The monsters are just rounding the corner.  They're charging straight for them.  Abby hears Alex let out a small whimper and is quick to take the girl's hand in her own and give it a comforting squeeze.  

"No!" They hear Dustin scream as the monsters come running.

Alex's hand squeezes Abby's tightly as the girl screws her eyes shut.  Abby stares down with a morbid fascination, waiting for the Demogorons to tear into her new-found friends.  Waiting for the pained screams and the blood to splatter.  Waiting for Dustin and Steve to end up just like Mews.  At least they would have a proper funeral.  But nothing happens.  Like two boulders in a river, the Demogorgons rush past Steve and Dustin, unobstructed.  

Abby breathes a sigh of relief and a laugh escapes from her lips.  Alex slowly pries her eyes open to see that her brother and Dustin stand safely in the tunnels.  The girl lets go of Abby's hand and wipes away the few stray tears she had shed.

"Why ..." Alex trails off faintly.

"Eleven," Mike realizes.  

Steve and Dustin soon climb out of the tunnels to join them.  The group, covered in dirt and grime, panting and tired, their weary limbs barely keeping them upright stares down into the hole.  They only hope that they had done enough for Eleven to close the gate.  Behind them, the headlights of the Camaro brighten, growing brighter and brighter by the second.  Abby winces at the sudden brightness which only seems to increase the pounding in her head.

"Steve?" Abby voices.

"Yeah?"

"I think I have a concussion."

author's note: and we're done with season two!  there's just one more chapter after this that ties everything up and then we're onto season three!