Chapter Forty-Nine: Discovered And Trapped

(The Battle Of Starcourt, Pt. 4)

***

Cami walked to Nancy's car, all but speed-walking to the vehicle. It probably helped that the fear of the Mind Flayer catching them before they escaped was pounding through Cami, but she elected to ignore that as she focused wholly on getting into that car, knowing she wouldn't stop being afraid until they were driving away from Hawkins and getting closer to that safe-house.

"El, you're bleeding," Cami heard Max say, and the curly-haired girl resisted the urge to look back, as worry for El now churned through her—worry about her injury, what could happen to her if she didn't get actual treatment for it after this was over.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked her.

A beat, then, "Yeah," from El. Cami wasn't entirely sure she believed El.

Finally, they made it to the car and Cami, Will, and Lucas got in as Rowan ordered, "Get in, gremlins," before she followed them, sitting on the floor of the car—the back was already crammed enough, especially when Max joined them after she helped Mike and Alistair get El into the car. Behind them, Cami heard Mike murmur, "Here, lay down," as he and Alistair helped her inside before they got in, Hugin croaking comfortingly to El.

With everyone inside, Nancy turned on the ignition to start driving—except the car didn't move, as a stuttering noise responded from the car.

¿Qué pasa? Cami thought as worry unfurled in her.

"Uh, Nance, now would be the time to go," Rowan said.

"I know," Nancy replied as she twisted the key again. But only that noise came, and more worry unfurled in Cami.

"What's wrong?" Jonathan asked, sounding as worried as Cami felt.

"I don't... I don't know," Nancy answered as she tried to turn the car on for the third time. And for a third time, it only resulted in that noise and the car remaining stationary, as now flowers of dread bloomed, accompanying the worry.

"You can't be serious. Come on!" Nancy yelled at the car.

"Didn't your mom just buy this car?" Lucas inquired.

"Yes, I'm sure it's fine," Nancy snapped—though Cami had a feeling Nancy was trying to convince herself too.

"Brand new cars don't make noises like that, Nance," Rowan pointed out.

"I know, Rowan!" Nancy snapped.

"Did you leave the lights on?" Will asked.

"No," Nancy replied irritably.

"Do we have gas?" Lucas questioned.

"Yes!" Nancy exclaimed as she tried to once more turn on the car, more forcibly than before, the car shuddering with that noise as she shouted, "Come on!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just stop, stop!" Jonathan ordered.

Nancy did, and via the central mirror, Cami saw her give Jonathan a frustrated look as he said, "Pop the hood."

Nancy did, and together they got out to check whatever was wrong. Cami sat anxiously, watching as the hood was lifted and Nancy and Jonathan looked inside—and when Cami glanced to Rowan, she saw her face growing afraid from whatever she was hearing from the open door.

But the waiting—and whatever had been found— was ended when a loud revving shattered the night. Familiar revving.

Cami's heart lurched in her throat as she recognised the noise from the Byers house a year ago, as slowly she, Rowan, Max, Lucas and Will turned to the left and saw the blue Camaro parked a few metres away, windscreen shattered and headlights blinding. And while it was too far to see him except for a silhouette, Cami instantly knew who was behind that wheel.

Billy.

And if he was here, if he had found them... then the Mind Flayer would not be far behind.

¡MIERDA!

A slam came and Cami whirled to see Nancy there, shouting, "Back in the mall! Back in the mall!"

There was no need to be told twice as Lucas opened the door and Rowan pushed him, Cami, Will and Max out, yelling, "Go, gremlins! Move, move, move!"

When Lucas and Will were out, Cami scrambled out right behind them, helping Max out as Rowan followed right after before slamming the door and running right over to the back, obviously to help El out along with Jonathan and Will. Max ran behind her to take her place, as Will yelled, "Be careful!", and Cami's heart pounded in her chest, as loud as the revving, and they needed to run right now!

When El was out, Rowan yelled, "Come on, let's go!" and they immediately ran back to Starcourt, Nancy shouting, "Go! Go, go, go!"

"Back inside! BACK INSIDE!" Rowan hollered as they sprinted through the mall, Cami's heart pumping in time with her frantic footsteps, as they made that break for the mall, Nancy and Jonathan screaming, "Go! Go, go, go!"

They ran into the mall, and as they did Cami realised Billy hadn't moved after they saw he was there. And Cami didn't know if that was good or not.

But she did know one thing—Billy had to be responsible for why they couldn't leave.

And that they were now trapped.

***

"Scoops Troop, do you copy? Scoops Troop, do you copy? Scoops Troop, do you copy? Scoops Troop, I repeat, do you copy?"

It was the same message Mike had repeated over and over since they had been left trapped in Starcourt thanks to Billy, all in the hope of trying to get into contact with Dustin's team—Scoops Troop—and get a ride so they could escape before the Mind Flayer found them.

But no one had picked up.

Cami tried not to worry—about them, about Valerie—as she stood with Alistair and El, Hugin's feathers ruffled as he stood on Al's shoulder, as Lucas prepped his wrist rocket in front of them and Rowan practiced her powers, summoning lightning before having them fade and repeating, each sparks she brought to life burning hotter and brighter, as her eyes and veins did the same, until Rowan was incandescent with blue light.

She finally stopped when the sparks she summoned were so hot Cami could feel their heat and were so bright she had to squint, wiping away the blood from her nose as she turned to a pacing Mike, who said into his walkie, "We're trapped in the mall and in need of emergency transportation. Scoops Troop, do you copy? Billy has found us. He has disabled our car and we are trapped in the mall. Repeat, Billy has disabled our car and we are trapped in the mall. Scoops Troop!"

At no response and Mike making to repeat it again, fear rose up, threatening to smother Cami with it—fear for Dustin, Steve, Robin and Erica, fear for Valerie. She'd already gone through fear of Valerie being Flayed, but if the Mind Flayer had stumbled upon Scoops Troop, if that was why none of them were picking up, if she really had lost her sister to the Mind Flayer after seeing she hadn't...

They're fine. They're all fine, she told herself. But Cami didn't know if she believed that.

"Hey, I'm sure Valerie's fine," Alistair assured, and Cami must have realised he'd seen the fear on her face, as he gave her a comforting smile.

Cami swallowed. "Yeah, I know. So why aren't any of them picking up?"

"Maybe they're on a different channel," Alistair reasoned. He paused, before he grinned. "This is weird."

"What's weird?" El questioned, genuinely curious—but Cami wasn't, as she immediately got what Alistair meant.

"Cami's supposed to be the positive one, and I'm the one who's usually doom and gloom," Alistair explained.

Cami choked on a laugh as El smiled. Remembering the pain she was going through, Cami looked at El and asked, "How are you feeling, El? Is your leg okay?"

"I'm fine," El murmured, giving Cami a reassuring smile. She tried to return it, but she couldn't entirely give it, not when she still felt so worried for El and what could happen if she didn't receive any further medical treatment for it—that was, if the Mind Flayer didn't arrive and kill all of them.

I really have swapped places with Al.

"Scoops Troop, I repeat, we are in need of emergency transportation! Do you copy? Scoops Troop, do you copy?" Mike exclaimed, loud enough that it had the four of them startle and Hugin to caw angrily at Mike, as Rowan said loudly, "Mike, just give it up already. We're on our own."

That had Cami freeze even more in fear, because Rowan was right. With the adults fully focused on destroying the gate and unaware of what was happening on the surface, and Scoops Troop still being radio silent, that meant they were on their own to find a way out of Starcourt before the Mind Flayer came. Because if they didn't...

They were siting ducks for the Mind Flayer.

"Steve, do you copy? Dustin!" Mike shouted, as he got ready to repeat the message—except the walkie was snatched out of his hand via Rowan before he could. "Hey!"

"Quit it, Wheeler. They're not picking up," Rowan said, before she pointed behind her to the car that El had used to bowl over the Russians. "Besides, we've got ourselves another way out."

Cami frowned. What was Rowan talking about? That car was totally wrecked—no way could it drive them all out, and even if it did, how would they all be able to fit?

Unless... Rowan meant something inside the car.

Cami's eyes widened, and she shared a look with Alistair, whose eyes were just as wide, before they hopped off the bench they'd been sitting on and headed over to the car alongside Mike, El and Lucas, joining up with Nancy, Jonathan, Max, Rowan and Will, who were already there. Once they were told of the plan—push the car back onto its wheels and steal its ignition cable to replace the stolen one in Nancy's—everyone with the exception of Will and El got behind the car to push it.

"On three," Jonathan said as they all put their hands on the car. "One, two, three—push!"

They pushed, grunting and heaving with the exertion of pushing the car onto its wheels. Cami gritted her teeth, planting her feet as she pushed the car with everything in her, as all of them pushed with everything in them, including Hugin. But despite their best efforts, the car remained on its side, refusing to budge.

"Push!" Jonathan yelled and they all pushed again. The car scraped by a few inches, and that incited new hope—but it was crushed when the car remained in place.

"Shit!" Lucas swore as they all stopped pushing, panting as Alistair murmured something to Hugin. In front of them, El offered, "Let me try."

"El," Mike made to protest, but El only stepped forward and said firmly, "I can do it."

They all looked at each other, as Cami noted how Mike looked hesitant—not that she could exactly blame him, and she was also worried about El not having recovered enough to do it. But, she supposed these were her powers, and she'd know her limits.

So they got out from the behind the car and stood behind El, as she raised her hand and directed her power onto the car. It groaned, shaking in place as it scraped forward a couple inches, but it didn't move. Cami frowned—even as drained as El was, it should have moved more, right?

After she gave it another minute to move it, El dropped her hand with a frustrated yell, blood trickling from her nose. Alistair was instantly at her side, holding her as he murmured, "It's okay, El. You did your best."

Hugin croaked to affirm it, but El didn't say anything, what had happened stunning her into silence. Cami bit her lip before she looked to Rowan along with everyone else, but she said before any of them could ask, "My telekinesis is still pretty low. It'd be the same result."

She raised her hand and tried to move the car, but it hardly moved, demonstrating how she was unable to. Blood dripped down from Rowan's nose and she wiped it away, pointing back to the car. "See?"

Now getting what Rowan meant, everyone stood there in silence, wondering how they could move that car—until Mike said, "Okay. We can still move it. I have an idea."

Cami frowned, but she was curious on what Mike's plan would be.

After explaining it—and how physics would help—they got behind the car, counter stools in their hands. Which would help the car get onto its wheels. If Mike's plan did work.

"Alright, on three. One, two, there, push!" Jonathan commanded. They did, pressing the stools against the car and using them to push it. The car shook and groaned, but it moved forward.

A laugh bubbled up in Cami's chest, hope filling her at seeing that.

This was going to work!

"All right, great. All right, now all the way. Ready?" Jonathan said, and they nodded.

"Three, two one. Push!"

They pushed, grunting and heaving as metal scraped against the floor before, at last, it was turned over back onto its wheels.

A laugh of shock left Cami's lips at how it had actually indeed worked while Alistair stared and Rowan leaned on her stool, as Mike said, "Told you. Physics."

All of them hopped off the counter, Mike, Max and Alistair heading over to El, while Cami, Will and Lucas remained by the car alongside Nancy, Rowan and Jonathan, the three older teens getting to work on getting out the ignition cable.

"How do we get it open?" Cami heard Nancy ask as she leaned over the car.

"Uh, there should be a latch. Check under the wheel," Jonathan told her.

Nancy did, and Rowan helped her by making a ball of electricity to let Nancy try and see the latch better.

"You two see it?" Jonathan asked them.

"I don't know, hold on. Rowan?" Nancy requested, and Rowan obliged as she made it burn brighter, saying, "I don't see it either, Byers. Not yet."

Cami watched them, as Lucas asked, "You think they're gonna find it?"

"I think so. If they don't, we're stuck and screwed. Royally screwed," Cami replied.

Lucas nodded, obviously agreeing, and the two returned to silence, waiting for the trio to find what they were looking for.

Nancy must have found the latch, because the ball of electricity Rowan had summoned winked out and she turned back around as now Nancy and Jonathan focused on finding the ignition cable, and Cami looked over to see Alistair, Mike and Max head over to El as she stared at a can of New Coke.

Biting her lip, Cami turned back—and saw Rowan's face pale before she looked up to the ceiling.

What is she looking at? Cami thought, before she also noticed Will tense up as Jonathan said, "Got it," holding the ignition cable.

"NANCY!" Mike screamed as Rowan shouted, "ALISTAIR!", right as Cami now heard it—the ceiling, right about to shatter.

Only one thing could make it do that.

Before Cami could look up—or maybe even scream—Rowan had grabbed her and Lucas, dragging them behind the car along with Will, Nancy and Jonathan while the four on the other side bolted for a hiding place just as the ceiling shattered and the floor quaked with the force of the Mind Flayer's monster as it roared.

Their time had run out.

The Mind Flayer had found them.

And now, there was truly no way out.

***

Heheheh...

I loved writing this so much, it was a BLAST to write—though it's the opposite for Cami

Yeah, the group had a way out, only to be foiled by Billy and the Mind Flayer... and now, they have to hide from the Mind Flayer...

Spanish translations:

¿Qué pasa?: What's going on?

¡Mierda!: Shit!

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!