Chapter Forty-Three: Finding Dustin And Rowan

(The Bite, Pt. 7)

***

Cami stared at El nervously, as she sat in front of the fridges—the doors opened so the noise of the fridges could provide white noise—an American flag tied around her face to act as a blindfold, her injured leg stretched out in front of her, the wound cleaned, disinfected and bandaged. All of them were standing in a semi-circle, waiting for El to find Dustin and Rowan after they'd got in contact with Mike—and were in trouble according to Dustin's apparently choppy message. About the gate.

The mention of the gate had worry spike in Cami, especially if Dustin was serious about a gate being open—which could explain why the Mind Flayer was alive, if it was indeed true. If only El could find them...

A noise shattered the quiet.

Cami turned around from where she was standing next to Max on the left, seeing with bemusement Lucas opening a can of New Coke. Why? Wait, did he like it? Was he loca?

"Quiet," Max hissed, reminding Lucas that El needed quiet for mind-walking.

"Oh, sorry," Lucas apologised, before he took a sip.

Cami's face twisted with disgust as Alistair's nose also twisted in disgust as Mike asked with a visibly disgusted look, "How do you even drink that?"

"Because it's delicious," Lucas answered.

"What?" they all asked in unison, confusion and utter disbelief shared between all of them.

"It's like Carpenter's The Thing," Lucas explained."The original is a classic. No question about it. But the remake..."

Lucas took a long sip, letting out a satisfied sound as he grinned, to Cami's disbelief.

"Sweeter, bolder...better," Lucas finished.

"You're insane," Mike remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"Like, clinically insane," Alistair agreed, also rolling his eyes, and Cami silently agreed with him.

"So, you prefer the original Thing?" Lucas questioned.

"What? No, we're not talking about The Thing, Al and I are talking about New Coke," Mike explained.

"It's the same concept, dude," Lucas argued.

Cami couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Uh, actually, it's not the same concept," Mike shot back.

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!"

"Hey," El snapped, pulling the blindfold down and glaring at Mike and Lucas.

That ended the argument as Mike and Lucas apologised, "Sorry."

A couple seconds passed before Mike asked, "Did you... find them?"

"El nodded. "Yes."

"Where?" Alistair asked, and Cami could see the desperation to know where his sister was, and her heart lurched sympathetically because she felt the same—except she still had no idea where Valerie was unless her fear was right.

"They're at the movies." El revealed.

Cami blinked repeatedly, not sure she heard that right.

She wasn't alone, because as they headed back to the car, Lucas questioned incredulously, "The movies? Dustin and Rowan are so freaked out about the gate, they decide to go watch a movie? Yeah, makes total sense."

"You're positive Dustin said 'gate' and not 'great'?" Max asked, providing reasonable doubt and skepticism.

"Yeah, like, 'This movie I'm watching is great'," Will agreed.

"That could have been it. We might not have anything else to worry about at all," Cami said, trying to be positive even as she knew that was the only feasible way the Mind Flayer could be alive.

"Sounded like 'gate'," El rebutted from where she was next to Mike, his arm wrapped around her protectively.

"Which would explain how the Mind Flayer's still alive," Mike said.

"Mike has a fair point there," Alistair agreed, Hugin croaking in agreement, Alistair and Mike confirming what Cami had been thinking.

"Yeah, we just have to shut it again," Nancy said, determination clear in her voice.

"Then the monster dies," Will pitched in.

"Brain dies, body dies," Cami added, remembering how they classified the Mind Flayer as the brain and everything it Flayed as the body—how if they brain died, the body was certainly sure to follow.

"But if not, we always have Lucas' fireworks," Max snarked as she helped Lucas carry said boxes of fireworks out, while Cami and Nancy carried out a couple more boxes out.

"Keep mocking my plan, Max. Keeping mocking it," Lucas retorted. "I wanna hear you say it again, because you keep doubting me. You keep doubting me!"

Max rolled her eyes, muttering, "Ridiculous."

Lucas turned to Cami, Will and Alistair. "Will? Al? Cami? We're gonna prove 'em wrong, right?"

The trio looked at each other, before turning back as Alistair shrugged, Will said, "Uh, sure," and Cami said while trying to sound like her usual positive self, "I mean, it might work?"

Lucas glared at them for having little faith in their plan—and Cami wanted to have faith, especially since some of these could do damage, but could fireworks really hurt the Mind Flayer?—as they still put the fireworks on top and climbed inside the car, Alistair helping Mike get El inside.

Then they were off to Starcourt.

***

Short chapter, I know. But don't worry, the next one should be longer!

And yes, the reunion is literally right around the corner—and Cami's gonna get the best surprise of her life when she sees Valerie more or less okay! Can't wait for their reunion. Also, we're almost at the end of s3 >:)

Spanish translation:

Loca: Insane

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!