Chapter Fifty: Weathertop

(The Battle Of Starcourt, Pt. 5)

***

"Jesus, how far is this place, man?"

"Relax, we're almost there."

Valerie resisted the urge to look heavenward as they kept driving down the road straight to Weathertop—and she had to agree with Steve, it had to be the longest drive there, and it didn't help that as random songs from the radio played Steve and Dustin had bickered more often than not and Dustin interspersed the bickering and rare silences by gushing about the reason for this radio tower—his genius girlfriend from the summer science camp he went to a month ago, Suzie.

Honestly, Valerie didn't think she was real, but she supposed that if Dustin had made the effort to build a goddamned radio tower to contact her, she had to be real, right?

The hotter than Phoebe Cates part was a bit questionable, though...

"Suzie must be pretty special, huh? I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?" Robin questioned Dustin—and inciting a lovestruck grin on Dustin's face as he got ready to gush about his amazing, brilliant girlfriend again.

"I mean, nobody's scientifically perfect, but Suzie's about as close to being perfect as any human being could possibly be," Dustin gushed, still wearing that lovestruck, dopey grin on his face.

"Dios mío," Valerie groaned—she and maybe Robin were surrounded by straights, especially when she was now convinced Suzie was definitely fake.

"She sound made up to me. She sound made up to you?" Erica questioned, rightfully skeptical of Suzie's existence like Valerie was.

Valerie nodded. "Oh yeah, she definitely is, twerp. He's living in delusion over here."

Dustin glared at them both for not believing—because who would?—before he realised Steve hadn't jumped to his defence over his fake girlfriend being real.

"Why are you hesitating, Steve?"he demanded.

"I'm... I'm—I'm not! I'm not!" Steve denied—he totally was hesitating. "I think she sounds real. You know, totally, absolutely real."

He totally believed Suzie wasn't real at all.

But Dustin's attention was not focused on his fake girlfriend any more, as he instructed, "Left. Turn left."

"There's not a road here," Steve told him.

He was right. There was no sign of a road anywhere. What was Dustin thinking?

"Turn left now!" Dustin yelled, leaning forward as if he was to grab the wheel.

"Dustin, this is a car not a Russian cart! Sit your ass down!" Valerie screeched as she grabbed the back of his vest to pull him back down—and definitely ignoring how she channelled her mother just then.

"Jesus! Hang on!" Steve shouted as he turned the wheel and they suddenly swerved to the left.

Dustin slammed back into the seat as the convertible now roared up the slope of the hill, jolting and shuddering as it traversed the bumpy route. Valerie was sure her tailbone was going to be bruised as they continued driving up the hill, and Steve demanded, "Whoa! Henderson, where are we going?!"

"Up!" Dustin shouted back.

"I don't think this car can go up hills!" Valerie shrilled as she tried to brace herself.

"Yes it will! It will, Val! Come on!" Steve yelled as he kept driving the car up.

"Ay Dios mío, we are going to die!" Valerie shouted up into the heavens as the car kept going up the hill, bouncing the five of them more and more as the terrain became rougher and rougher—and definitely making Valerie believe the very likely possibility they couldn't make it to the top in the convertible.

"Whoa!" Steve yelled as they drove over a rough patch that made Valerie's brain rattle in her skull. "Oh Jesus!"

"We're not gonna make it!" Robin exclaimed.

"Yes, we are. Come on, baby. Come on, baby!" Steve yelled at the car.

"Steve, you're as delusional as Dustin if you think this thing can take us to the top!" Valerie shrieked, ignoring the withering glare from Dustin as she tried to focus on not flying out of the car. 

"It will!" Steve yelled back.

However, Robin's prediction and Valerie's belief came true when the car got stuck in a rut. The wheels rolled, spitting up dirt and grass, and Valerie gritted her teeth as Steve pressed down on the accelerator, yelling, "Come on! Come on. Come on! Come on!"

But the convertible remained firmly in place, wheels spinning but not moving. The car was definitely stuck.

"Guess the Toddfather has its limitations," Robin quipped.

"Yeah, definitely," Valerie agreed, shooting daggers at Steve.

Steve only sighed and parked the car. And the minute they turned it off, the five of them climbed out and made the hike up the rest of the way to the top. As they did, Valerie found her annoyance ticking up and up—the July air was hot and humid, frizzing up her already-neglected curls‚ since Russian bases didn't exactly allow her to do her hair-care treatments, and considering she'd been drugged and just crashed down a couple hours or so ago, the hot air felt even more oppressive and made sweat bead up even more on her sensitive, flushed skin, and made her even more irritable than she would have been.

So yeah, it was a pretty much apt summary that Valerie was cranky when they finally reached the top.

And when they arrived, Valerie was tempted to sit down and rest her legs—but that was not to be, as Dustin instantly moved to his radio tower and switched it on, changing channels or something as Erica, Steve and Robin gathered behind him, and Valerie joined them. Crossing her arms, she watched as Dustin fiddled about, muttering, "Come on, come on, you son of a bitch."

As he did, Valerie felt a bump and she looked over to see Robin—see her glance to her shoulder and then back to Valerie. Realising what she meant, Valerie leaned her head on Robin's shoulder, as she leaned practically her whole body on Robin as Robin looped an arm around her. Every part of her that was touching Robin burned, but Valerie hardly cared, liking that Robin was letting her lean against her as her body thrilled with aches and pains.

Finally, Dustin reached the right channel and Valerie tilted her head up, but still slightly leaned against Robin, as Dustin picked up the microphone and said, "Bald Eagle, do you copy? Bald Eagle, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop. do you copy?"

"Yes, I copy," Murray's aggravated voice came through.

"Call sign?" Dustin requested.

"Bald Eagle..." Murray muttered irritably.

"Please repeat."

"Bald Eagle. This is Bald Eagle!" Murray snapped.

"Copy that. Good to hear your voice, Bald Eagle. What's your twenty?" Dustin asked, as they now began the process of navigating—well, Dustin and Erica did while Steve, Robin and Valerie stood there and looked pretty, Valerie guessed.

"We reached the vent, I'll contact you when I need you. Until then, silence," Murray informed, his voice showing his fraying patience.

"Roger that, Bald Eagle. This is Scoops Troop, going radio silent. Ten-ten, over," Dustin reported before he switched the radio off and Steve patted his shoulder proudly.

And now, Valerie guessed, they waited until Murray needed to get in contact for navigation.

It didn't take long for Murray's voice to crackle through to ask for directions—mostly about which turn he should take. And for going through the vents for a few hours, Dustin and Erica were pretty apt navigators. As they navigated—and Murray's irritation increased and increased—Valerie decided to look at the view, seeing the broad expanse of woods, the distant lights of fireworks going off, reminding her that, oh yeah, this was the 4th of July—and instead of spending her first 4th of July in Hawkins going to the festival or setting off fireworks, she was instead helping to save the world from Russians and a body-snatching, body-melting monster from another dimension after having being drugged and recently escaped said Russians.

At least her 4th of Julys in New York had never had something like this. That was something.

Silence descended after Murray's last request for directions, silence filled with the hum of crickets and cicadas, the faint breeze that felt amazing on Valerie's skin after spending days locked underground, being high and then crashing from Russian drugs, and hiking up a hill in July heat. 

Beside her, Robin said, "You know, if you ignore we're helping to save the world and stop a monster made out of human flesh from trying to kill a super-powered girl, this is a really pretty night."

"Yeah, it is," Valerie agreed as she looked up at the stars—stars she could see more clearly than she ever could in New York. "Cami would love a night like this. She's always been the nature one."

"Not you?" Robin asked, a teasing lilt to her voice.

"God no. She'd probably love the hike we just did. Me, I was willing to murder someone midway through it."

"I think any sane person would think that."

"I guess you're right about that."

They smiled, and under the starlight, Robin looked more beautiful than ever. And with those stars twinkling above, the rustle of the wind through the grass and the hum of insects in the air, even with monsters and trying to thwart the end of the world, Valerie felt like this moment was... almost perfectly romantic.

"Robin," Valerie murmured.

"Yeah?" Robin asked, her voice sounding huskier than usual.

Valerie moved closer to Robin, tilted her head up so she could see Robin's blue eyes, every single freckle on her face, and—

"Scoops Troop, this is... hmm, Bald Eagle, I've reached another junction."

Immediately Robin and Valerie leapt apart like they'd been burned, the moment ruined—and Valerie was relieved, because what if she continued and Robin hadn't felt the same?—as they rejoined the others right as Dustin asked, "This is what?"

"The fourth junction," Erica reminded him.

"Alright, so if memory serves, this is right after the My Little Pony thesis," Dustin said, which made Valerie and Robin look at each other in confusion. What was the My Little Pony thesis? 

"We went left, so he has to go—" Erica started.

"Right," the navigators finished in unison.

Picking up the radio, Dustin instructed, "Fly right, Bald Eagle. Fly right."

"Roger that, flying right," Murray reported before he switched off.

The moment he did, Robin asked, "What's the My Little Pony thesis?"

"I would like to know that as well," Valerie agreed, looking at the duo.

"Don't get him started," Erica muttered.

"Get him started? Just tell me and Val what it is," Robin requested.

"Yeah, we just want to know, you little twerp. Sue us for being curious," Valerie retorted.

"Well—"

"Hey guys?"

As one, the four of them looked up and saw Steve staring off into the distance—right in the direction of Starcourt Mall.

Something cold and panicked churned in Valerie's stomach as the quartet stood up and joined Steve, and saw the same thing he did.

The lights of Starcourt Mall, going crazy.

Panic flooded Dustin's and Steve's faces as Dustin sprinted back to the radio tower, snatching up the microphone just as the rest of them ran back and he yelled, "Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Do you copy? Over!"

When no response came, the five of them shared a panicked, terrified look—Robin and Steve scared for Rowan for different reasons, Dustin terrified about his friends, Erica worried for her brother, Valerie growing scared out of her mind for her sister—before Dustin yelled again into the radio, "Griswold Family, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop! Do you copy? Griswold Family, do you copy? DO YOU COPY?!"

Something picked up. But it was nothing human.

Ice trickled into Valerie's bloodstream when a guttural snarl sounded over the walkie, before fully freezing her when a roar sounded through it, utterly nothing that Valerie heard of before—it was guttural and thunderous, and full of such malicious anger and hate that didn't feel like anything human, that felt something entirely eldritch and ancient. And as it roared, Valerie swore she could almost hear the ghosts of dozens of agonised voices screaming within the roar, and along with the anger and hate Valerie could hear the vengeance, a vengeance that Valerie didn't comprehend but it froze her to the very depths of her soul, and Dios, she wanted to forget she ever heard that roar even as she knew she wouldn't, she would hear that in her nightmares for the rest of her life.

Then the roar stopped, but Valerie felt no relief—especially when she was certain she heard a shattering noise.

After a stunned, horrified second, Dustin shouted into the radio, "Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Please confirm your safety! Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Please confirm your safety! Are you en route to Bald Eagle's nest? Please confirm your safety! Are you en route to Bald Eagle's nest? Please confirm your safety! Someone, please, just answer! Is anyone there? Just answer! Anyone please—are you okay? Griswold Family, do you copy? Griswold Family, do you copy? Griswold Family, do you copy? DO YOU COPY?!"

But there was nothing back.

Terror chilled Valerie, terror that hadn't left her since the lights, since that horrifying roar. Cami.

She looked to see Steve, saw the fear on his face—the fear for Rowan, that the roar meant she was in danger—before he was bolting back toward the slope of the hill, back to the convertible, which Erica immediately noticed and she demanded, "Where are you going?!"

"To get them the hell outta there!" Steve yelled. "Stay here, contact the others!"

Then he was sprinting down the hill, the fear of the girl he loved in danger—of everyone that was supposed to be safe in danger—making him run faster. And Valerie was joining them, the fear of her sister being hurt or in danger making her run faster, as behind her she heard Robin curse, "Shit!", before she was right behind them.

"Wait, Robin! Valerie!" Dustin yelled and the two girls whirled to him as he threw a walkie to Robin and commanded, "Stay in touch."

"Got it," Robin said before they were running down the hill, right to the convertible, catching up with Steve.

Valerie had just hopped in when Steve wrenched the keys and was reversing back down, the car more cooperative going down than up, and as Valerie felt herself pressed back against the car as Weathertop's point got further and further away as the bottom—and the road—grew closer and closer, Valerie felt fear and panic inside her—fear and panic shared between the two others in the car, especially Steve, the fear and panic of what that roar meant, of those they cared about plus everyone else being in danger, being hurt, being killed.

The minute Steve was on the road, he was racing down it, breaking every road law imaginable and the speed limit, focused entirely on one thing.

Getting to Starcourt Mall as fast as possible—before it was too late.

***

>:)

I loved writing the beginning chaos! I'm gonna miss writing the chaos, so I hope you enjoyed this last bit of Scoops Troop chaos!

And yeah, Valerie doesn't believe Suzie is real at all

Yes, Valerie and Robin had a moment—and it could have been more if Murray hadn't interrupted (but trust me, when it happens... it will be amazing, I promise)

And yes, they now know the Party's very much in danger! And yeah, Valerie is literally panicking that her sister is danger along with Steve—he's literally having a heart attack about Rowan being hurt or killed right now—and Robin, who is literally terrified for her best friend. And yeah, I can hardly imagine how terrifying hearing that roar would be and knowing it can't mean anything good for those you love that you were trying to get in contact with 😰

Spanish translation:

Ay Dios mío: Oh my God

Dios: God

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!