Chapter One-Hundred-And-Four: Trapped In Hell's Elevator

(The Flayed)

***

How does it feel when you fall down to hell?

For Rowan, the answer was simple: It was fucking terrifying. 

Her heart was in her throat as her stomach swooped like she was on the world's worst rollercoaster as they just kept dropping, back pressed against the door in the certainty she wasn't braced against something she would be flying across the small space. Screams filled her ears, both hers and Steve's, Robin's, Valerie's and Erica's, and Dustin screaming shrilly, "Shit! SHIT! as they just kept dropping with absolutely no signs of stopping and God why was this such a good idea oh God they were all gonna fucking die!

"We're going down! We're going down!" Steve yelled.

"Yeah no shit Harrington!" Robin shouted.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Rowan screamed.

"God, please God let us survive, mierda, MIERDA!" Valerie yelled.

"Why don't these buttons work!?" Dustin shrilled as he and Erica found themselves once again at the button panel.

"Press the button!" Erica yelled.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING!?" Dustin screamed.

"Come on, press something! Just press the button!" Steve shouted.

"Press it, you twerps!"

"Fucking press the button!"

"PUSH IT!"

Just as suddenly as it dropped, the room that Rowan was now certain was actually an elevator, stopped. Rowan immediately fell, her body banging against the doors as she winced, hissing out an empathetic, "Fuck."

Rubbing her head as dull aches of pain shot through her body, Rowan looked over to Steve and her eyes widened at seeing him on the ground, a box on top of him.

"Shit!" she exclaimed as Steve groaned underneath it.

"My groin. It fell on my groin," Steve moaned as Rowan scrambled over to Steve. "Dustin!"

"Not Dustin," she said as she pulled the box off, Steve staring at her. "You okay?"

Steve was still staring at her. "No. Are you okay?"

"Fuck, no," Rowan answered honestly as she held a hand out to Steve. "Here."

Steve took it, and as she helped Steve up, Robin asked, "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great now that I know Russians can't design elevators!" Steve yelled, voice shrill.

"Yeah, I love having my brains scrambled and feeling like I'm falling to fucking hell!" Rowan shouted just as shrilly as she watched Steve go over to the button panel and slam the buttons. "Steve what the fuck are you doing?"

"Trying to get one of these buttons to fucking work," Steve snapped back.

"If they didn't work before we fell down to hell, then they sure don't fucking work now, dumbass!"

"Yeah, I think we've clearly established those buttons don't work," Robin affirmed.

"They're buttons, they have to do something," Steve insisted.

"Yeah, if we have a keycard," Robin said.

Rowan blinked. "I'm sorry, if we have a fucking what?!"

"A what?" Steve asked at around the same time, pausing in smashing the buttons.

"It's an electronic lock," Robin went on, moving to the button panel and pointing it out. "Same as the loading dock door. If we don't have a keycard, it won't operate. Meaning—"

"We're stuck in here," Dustin finished, and they all looked at each other in panicked horror.

"Yeah," Robin confirmed sheepishly.

"Shit," Rowan and Valerie swore at the same time, while Rowan was kicking herself—Dustin had mentioned a keycard the guard used to open the doors, how the fuck did none of them realise how important it would be on the other side of the doors?!

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

"Just so you nerds are aware," Erica piped up, making them all look at her as she continued, "I'm supposed to be spending the night at Tina's. And Tina always covers for me. But if I'm not home for Uncle Jack's party tomorrow, and my mom finds out you five are responsible, she's gonna hunt you down, one by one, and slit your throats."

"I don't care about Tina!" Steve exploded, slamming his hands on a box. "Or Uncle Jack's party! Your mom's not gonna be able to find us if we're dead in a Russian elevator!"

That stunned Erica into silence—stunned all of them as they once again considered the possibilities they couldn't escape without that fucking keycard.

Until Dustin had an epiphany.

"Hey. What if we climbed out?" he suggested, pointing above them and making them all look up—and see the hatch on the ceiling.

Rowan huffed a laugh, hope so delirious it almost hurt filling her.

"You really can be a little genius, menace," she muttered, punching Dustin in the shoulder as Steve, being the tallest in the room, reached up to lift the hatch off. He helped Dustin climb out, then as he was about to climb Rowan grabbed his arm, giving him a pointed look.

Steve looked at her, before he reached down. "Ready?"

"No, but I have to be," she said, putting her hands on Steve's shoulders as he helped boost her up. Dustin grabbed her hands, pulling her up and out and making Rowan remember doing the exact same except it was with monstrous tunnels killing off the land underneath Hawkins and not a Russian hell-elevator. Once she was out, she turned and helped Steve up.

Once they were all up on top of the elevator, they looked up.

And Rowan felt the hope of escape shatter.

"What were you saying about climbing?" Steve questioned as they stared up at the elevator shaft—the long, seemingly endless elevator shaft, with no sight of where they had fallen from.

They truly were stuck.

"Fuck," Rowan whispered.

***

They returned back to the others sharing the grim news. Robin, Valerie and Erica's faces instantly fell at the realisation the six of them were indeed stuck down God-knows-where with no hope of anyone finding them or even being able to help them—that was, if they couldn't figure out some mode of escape first.

That was incredibly hard to do because there was no way out. They were stuck in here, with no chance of possible escape.

It made Rowan worried, worried that if Aunt Aco and Alistair came back home, they would see she was gone, worried that Eddie and Chrissy would think she'd gone missing, worried that her family would think she was missing too, but that she had been taken like Will and Barb had been, worried that Lucas and Cami wouldn't see their sisters again or they wouldn't see Dustin again, worried that they actually might indeed die in here—and would that be anti-climatic for her, Steve and Dustin, after literally surviving monsters, only to be done in by being trapped in a Russian elevator thanks to their own dreams of self-glory and a government-issued apology.

At least it's cold in here, Rowan thought bitterly as she pressed her back against the wall of boxes, arms crossed and one leg out. Around her, Erica and Dustin were asleep, while Robin and Valerie had hunkered away to another corner, muttering lowly. At least none of them didn't need to worry about overheating to death in this metal box.

Rowan sighed, leaning her head back as out of the corner of her vision, she saw Steve stand there, looking awkward.

"Hey, Graveswood," he said.

"Hey," she replied back.

"Do you, uh... would you mind if—"

"Just sit down, Harrington."

Steve did so.

His shoulder brushed against hers, as the two of them sat in silence, waiting to see if the other would speak. Waiting to see who would speak the obvious elephant in the room into being.

Steve was the first to break.

"So, uh... Rowan, do you think you, could, y'know—" Steve asked, fumbling, but Rowan interrupted with a flat, "I can't teleport to the loading dock, Steve. It's a bad idea."

Steve blinked at her, frowning. "Why?"

"Because, for it to work, I need to see where I'm going, or at least visualise. I could, but given how far down we are, I could misjudge the distance and end up a splat on the roof," Rowan explained, pitching her voice low. "And even if I got it right and could teleport all of us, I'd still use up energy trying to make sure we all don't fall back down and die. I could get all of us out at once, but we'd be missing limbs. Or organs."

Steve blanched. "Yeah, uh... that's a bad idea."

"Told ya," Rowan muttered, the words lacking her usual bite. She sighed, her head dropping onto Steve's shoulder. "God, Steve, I'm so fucking done. I just wanted to have a fucking normal summer. Why couldn't we just have a normal summer after all the other shit we've been through? Why did we have to be trapped in a fucking... Russian hell elevator?"

Steve huffed out a bitter laugh. "I don't know. But we're gonna find a way out, okay? And then we are gonna have a normal summer."

"Yeah, if the Russians don't find us and kill us first. Or we die from dehydration or starvation or both," Rowan muttered.

"That's being optimistic," Steve said dryly.

"Told you last year. I'm a ray of absolute fucking sunshine," Rowan snarked.

Steve laughed again, but it was more genuine. Rowan kept laying her head on his shoulder, so she felt it as his hand lifted and began to gently brush through her hair. The action was more soothing than she was willing to admit.

"It would be pretty anti-climatic, though," Rowan mumbled.

"What?"

"For us to die in a Russian elevator after surviving Demogorgons and Demodogs and shit."

"Yeah, it would be," Steve agreed.

"Survive inter-dimensional monsters with toothy death flowers for faces only to end up dying in a Russian elevator. What a great way for the monster slayers of Hawkins to die."

"We're not dying," Steve said, determination in his face. "We are gonna find a way out, okay? And then, we are going to have a normal rest of the summer, Rowan."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Just am, okay? Even if you have to... fry those buttons or do some super-powered shit or criminal shit to get them to work."

Rowan chuckled. "You know Val, Robin and Erica would see the super-powered shit, right?"

"Dustin and I can distract them."

"My partner in crime," Rowan snarked, but she was smiling. And Steve was smiling, too.

They lapsed into silence, Steve still running his fingers through her hair as Rowan rested her head on Steve's shoulder, her hand playing with the ends of the red ascot-thing tied around his neck. They stayed that way until Steve murmured, "Can you tell me something?"

"What, Steve?"

"I dunno, something about that psychology stuff you like?"

Rowan stared at Steve, slightly taken aback, but there was a genuine want to know in his eyes, and it tugged at her.

"Well, there is something in psychology called psychoanalysis," Rowan began, voice still soft. "Basically, it's about studying the human mind when it's both conscious and unconscious, of studying people and their emotions and memories, and then having them talk and finding out what they might have repressed."

Steve frowned, looking confused, but he was focused on her. "What else?"

"What else?" Rowan echoed.

"Yeah, what else can you tell me about it?"

"There's this other concept called behaviouralism. Basically, it talks about how all our behaviours are formed with interactions to the environment, that it's influence is why we act like we do and how we do things," Rowan explained. "It's interesting to consider that when considering mental illnesses like schizophrenia because if our environment shapes our behaviours, then does it also shape mental illness or even psychosis? And what about psychoanalysis with trauma? Like, it could be used to help people remember things they made themselves forget, and help them heal instead of just repressing or blocking it. It's all so interesting and I have so many ideas on what to say about it for my entry thesis for Harvard and..."

Rowan trailed off and she said, "And I'm boring you."

"No, no, you're not boring me," Steve denied.

"Steve, I could see it in your eyes. Just be honest," Rowan said flatly.

Steve looked at her, before he sighed. "Okay, maybe I am. But I'm not because... you don't make it sound boring. You clearly love this, and I... I love hearing about it from you. Even if I don't really get it."

Rowan stared, and she whispered, "Oh."

A few seconds of silence passed, before Steve asked, "Could you do that to me?"

"Do what?"

"That psychoanalysis shit?"

Rowan stared at him, before nodding. "Sure. Just know I'm probably gonna be blunt."

"Just lay it on me, Graveswood. I can take it," Steve challenged.

Rowan looked at Steve, viewing him critically, looking at his body language, his facial expressions, the emotions on his face, comparing to that with what she knew of Steve, of his past, of what they'd been through. When she did, she murmured, "You've grown."

Steve stared at her, then muttered, "Well, that's anti-climatic."

"I meant as a person. You've changed, you're better than who you used to be. Sometimes you miss it, but you don't regret the choices you made," Rowan elaborated, as Steve stared at her, silent. "You have trauma, both from the Demogorgon and Demodogs, which you have traumatic nightmares about, but also childhood trauma from your parents and their neglect and probably head trauma from the concussions you've had in the past couple of years. A lot of internalised feelings of anger and fear about your dad, and maybe some abandonment issues—possibly why you were King Steve in the first place. It was a mask to hide your loneliness and the neglected childhood you had, to have those parties at your house to fill up that empty space. And you definitely have a saviour complex or hero complex or something given how you stupidly self-sacrificed yourself as bait for Dart so quickly, but it also means you rather protect others than be selfish and protect yourself. Something we have in common. Plus, survivor's guilt with Barb and what happened to her. Another thing we have in common."

When she was finished, Rowan stared at Steve, as he remained quiet. And instantly, Rowan wondered if she'd been too brutally honest in her psychoanalysis of Steve Harrington.

Then, Steve blew out a breath and asked, "Shit, you really weren't pulling any punches, huh?"

"I did warn you," Rowan reminded gently.

"Still... shit," he muttered, gripping his hair before he looked at her. "You got all that just from looking at me?"

"Well, that and our past interactions," Rowan admitted. "Sorry if I was too harsh."

"No, it's just... surprising to hear that about me," Steve admitted. He hung his head forward as he muttered, "When we get out of this, maybe I should give that therapy a try."

"I think we all need therapy, to be honest," Rowan confessed as she leaned her head back on Steve's shoulder. "Us, and the kids, maybe Nancy and Jonathan... we're all so fucking messed up."

"We are," Steve agreed. 

Again, silence came at that, that was broken when Rowan gave a jaw-cracking yawn.

"You should get some sleep," Steve said.

"No, what if—"

"Nothing will probably happen. Just sleep, Rowan."

"Only if you sleep as well, Steve," Rowan said pointedly.

"Done."

Rowan gave a pointed look at Steve as she kept her head on his shoulder, letting her eyes close and be soothed by those fingers that had resumed gently running through her hair and the sound of Steve's heartbeat.

She didn't even check if Steve had closed his eyes, too, before sleep claimed her.

***

When Rowan felt herself waking up, she thought for the briefest second that everything—the Russian room-turned-elevator, being trapped inside it underneath Starcourt Mall with Steve, Dustin, Robin, Valerie and Erica—had been a dream.

The minute she opened her eyes and saw the room with boxes and those very people, Rowan knew it hadn't been a dream.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty."

Rowan looked over, and glowered at Steve.

"Fuck you," she grumbled.

Steve snorted. "Well, someone's chipper."

Rowan rolled her eyes and snarked, "Oh, I'm so happy to be trapped in hell's elevator after hoping that it was just a dream. It's just the thing I wanted to do all summer! I'm practically overflowing with positivity and joy!"

The sarcastic stretched tight against her face fell the minute she stopped speaking as Rowan groaned, leaning back against the boxes. She looked over to Steve and muttered, "Sorry, I'm just tense."

"It's fine. It's actually nice to hear it," Steve admitted, and Rowan knew he meant her sarcasm. Rowan let a tiny, more genuine smile, form as the two of them sat in silence. And because Robin, Valerie and Erica were still asleep, Rowan summoned some of her electricity and let it play along her hand, a tendril of lightning looping around her fingers like a snake.

"That's still cool," Steve muttered.

"What's cool?" she asked as the tendrils and sparks of electricity continued dancing along her hand. She lifted her other hand and let some of the lightning float above in a ball, as strands of it connected with her fingertips and made her veins gleam neon blue.

"That. It's cool what you can do, Rowan," Steve elaborated, and something warm and funny flittered in Rowan's stomach.

"Thanks. It's... it's actually nice to do this, and not worry every second I'm gonna be abducted by government mad scientists and used as a fucking lab rat," Rowan confessed as she stared at the looping, crackling coils of blue-white electricity connected to her fingers, the concentrated ball of lightning hovering above, a smile on her face. "Nice to remember I can do this for fun."

Steve watched, as mesmerised by Rowan's small, joyful smile as she had her lightning play across her hands as she was by the electricity she commanded.

"It must be," he murmured, eyes never leaving Rowan's smile and how beautiful it looked—how beautiful she looked whenever she used her powers, whether to fight or moments like this.

She looked over to him, saw the enchanted look on his face. And though confusion pricked at her at it, in the blue-white light of her electricity, with his un-styled hair hanging down in the most natural way she'd seen, how he looked at her—biting sarcasm and prickling lightning and all—as if she'd hung the stars in the sky or unleashed a storm, wild and furious and devastating. The definitely enchanted look in his eyes, as if he couldn't stop staring at her. All of her.

Like she couldn't stop staring at him, the one she'd witnessed change into a better person, who was protective and loyal and held her even as she broke apart. Who flung himself into danger to protect others that as much raised her blood pressure and stoked her fear, Rowan admired it, loved it even. Who responded to her sarcasm with eye-rolls and his own sarcasm and tiny smiles. And even though he was in a sailor's uniform and they were underground in a secret Russian elevator, she felt just the same way as she did under Christmas lights and in a foggy junkyard and underground tunnels and a clearing under stars and Time After Time playing in the background and under streamers and lights in a school gym. Of every time she'd gotten to know and see who the true Steve Harrington really was. That as enchanted as Steve seemed to be with her, Rowan was enchanted with him, too.

"Steve," she murmured, looking at Steve, their faces inches apart—when had they moved so close?

Steve didn't respond, eyes dark and brown and staring into hers that were the opposite, that were bright and blue. He leaned in closer, and—

"Ahem."

The two moved apart as Dustin Henderson eyed them, before he pointed behind him and said in a low voice, "Rowan, they're waking up, if you want to get rid of that."

He looked pointedly at the electricity still dancing above Rowan's hands, to Rowan's veins that were glowing as brilliantly blue as her eyes would be—and would be very visible to Robin, Valerie and Erica once they woke up and looked over to her.

"Shit," Rowan hissed, and she clenched her fist, reeling in the electricity back into her. Reluctantly, it did, spitting a few sparks that faded instantly. Rowan crossed her arms, ducking her head as her eyes faded to a more normal shade of blue, Steve subtly positioning himself in front of her as the others stirred awake, Robin blinking her eyes open before she groaned.

"We're actually in here? God I thought that was a nightmare," Robin moaned, sitting up.

"I thought the same too, Robs. But it's not," Rowan confessed, not looking at her best friend as the burning in her eyes and veins faded away.

More groans came from Erica and Valerie as they, too, realised it wasn't some fucked-up dream and they were all stuck underground in here. By the time Erica woke up, the burning had faded and Rowan looked back to the three other girls in the room. Robin was giving her a side-eyed look, but other than that it didn't seem like they knew anything was up with her. Good, but it was a wake-up call—she needed to be more careful, and not get distracted and let them see her veins lit up neon or sparks flying from her fingers.

Rowan looked over to Steve, saw him looking right back at her. Almost like magnets. 

Rowan broke away first, getting to her feet and heading over to Erica, who despite all her bluster looked scared to be in here. She gave the girl a comforting squeeze on the shoulder and murmured, "Don't worry, we're gonna get out of this, Miss. Fearless."

Erica arched a brow. "And how can you be so sure? Do you have a secret way out none of us know?"

"No, but there's gotta be a way out, keycard or not. Then you'll have all the free fucking ice cream you deserve—fuck, all of us are gonna eat out Scoops when we get out of here."

A devilish twinkle appeared in Erica's eye. "Oh, really, huh?"

"Yeah, really," Rowan affirmed, grinning. "I'm sure I can pull the friend card on Robin and Val."

"You'd have better luck with the sailor man. He gives you free ice cream because he likes you anyway," Erica said, pointing at Steve.

Rowan gaped, before she glared and said, "That's a favour for a friend. And unless you want to get that free ice cream, you're gonna keep your mouth shut about things you don't understand, Sinclair."

Erica narrowed her eyes at Rowan. "You won't."

"I will, so are you gonna keep your trap shut?"

Erica glared at Rowan, before she shrugged. "Was gonna to, anyway. And I don't need to understand. I just need to have a working pair of eyes—but you nerds are so obvious, I'd probably be blind and still see you look like you're about to make out anyway."

Rowan gaped at Erica, before she gave Erica another glare and walked away—or as much as she could in the small space. As she did, she found herself looking back to Steve, her mind flashing with how close they'd been before Dustin interrupted. She'd heard the same things Erica had said before—Eddie, Chrissy, Robin, even Valerie. They were ridiculous, because she and Steve were friends, that was all they were going to be.

So why did Rowan feel disappointed Dustin had interrupted whatever the fuck that moment had been?

***

"This is a Code Red, I repeat, a Code Red. Does anyone copy? This is a Code Red, I repeat a Code Red," Steve heard Dustin speaking into the walkie on top of the elevator as Steve made his way up to the top. "This is a Code Red, I repeat a Code Red! Does anyone copy? We are innocent children, and we are trapped under Starcourt Mall. The Red Army has infiltrated Hawkins, and if we are found, they will torture and kill us."

"Hey," the older teen said, making Dustin lower the walkie and turn to Steve. "You gotta take it easy on that thing, okay? Gonna drain the battery."

"The mall just opened," Dustin informed, making Steve give the younger boy a blank look.

"So?"

"So, someone could be in range," the cap-wearing boy elaborated.

"What, do you think Petey the Mall Cop is gonna rappel down here and save the day?" Steve questioned sarcastically, disbelieving in Dustin's claims of that happening as he pushed himself up on top of the elevator.

"All right, why are you such a cranky pants after getting to spend the night with Rowan?" Dustin asked, making Steve whip around and shush Dustin, who gave him a look as Steve hurriedly checked to see Rowan hadn't heard.

"Jesus Christ, will you just give up on that creepy dream already?" Steve muttered, glaring at Dustin as he was still making insane and creepy observations about him and his friend. Because that was just it. They were friends.

(And yet, that moment between them last night and before Dustin interrupted—)

"I heard you guys talking all night," Dustin said, still giving Steve that look. "And I saw you guys earlier."

"We were trying to figure out a way to open up the door or at least get out while you children were sleeping. Me, Robin and Valerie were also trying to figure out a way, too," Steve explained, choosing not to talk about what else he and Rowan had said, what he promised her about having a normal summer together, all the psychology shit Rowan had said that Steve didn't understand but had found interesting when she talked about it. "After eight hours, we're still exactly nowhere, which is, you know, probably just a little bit of the reason why I'm feeling just a tad cranky."

Steve looked over his shoulder to glare at Dustin. "Also, Rowan and I were only talking earlier, Henderson. Just talking."

"Really, huh? Because it looked like you were about to—" Dustin began, before he frowned at what Steve was doing. "What are you doing?"

Steve looked back at Dustin, bemused. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking a leak. Look away."

When Dustin was taking too slow to do that, Steve shouted, "Look away!"

Dustin immediately did so, and Steve was glad this had halted Dustin's interrogation of what was between him and Rowan—because Steve didn't know how to answer if Dustin kept going.

***

Rowan stuck out her tongue as she fiddled with the wires for the button panel, Valerie and Robin watching with held breath and hope in their eyes.

Honestly, Rowan didn't know why she hadn't done this earlier—her aunt was a con artist who'd taught her how to hot-wire along with picking pockets and shoplifting. Sure, it was a button panel and not a vehicle, but the same principalities applied, right? If she managed to twist the wires just right, then they wouldn't need a keycard. The elevator would open, and if that worked and once Steve and Dustin came back down, she could hot-wire it again so it would shoot right up and they'd be home free.

"You sure this is gonna work, Rowan?" Valerie questioned, who'd been skeptical since Rowan brutally forced the button panel open.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Doesn't matter if it's a car or not, it's all just wires and shit. And when you cross the wires just right, you can make it do anything," Rowan assured bluntly, never taking her eyes off the wires in front of her. Subtly, she felt for the electricity running along the thin wires she'd cut with the knife Steve discarded, searching for the right currents to connect and open the doors. Better to use her powers and the skills her aunt taught her together than rely on one or the other.

"Don't worry. Rowan can do this," Robin said confidently behind her.

"Have you seen Rowan hot-wire before?"

"Well, no, but Rowan has like this sense with electronics and wires and all that—every time there's a faulty light at my place Rowan knows about it first. And her aunt is... her aunt, she can do this in her sleep, so Rowan can, too."

"Thanks for the boost of confidence, Robs, but I need to concentrate right now," Rowan called over her shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry," Robin replied sheepishly.

"It's fine," Rowan muttered as she refocused back on what she was doing, masking the spike of panic at Robin's words. Rowan hadn't even know she did that—and if she did, she'd underestimated her best friend's observation skills. Still, she ignored it in favour of getting them all out of here.

Rowan frowned as she held the exposed ends of two wires together, their frayed edges sparking.

"Come on, fucking catch already," Rowan muttered as she held them closer, sparks flaring up.

Finally, it caught, and Rowan felt as well as saw the currents connecting, intersecting together in one flowing path of crackling electricity.

"Okay, I think I did it!" Rowan said, slamming the panel closed and stepping back. "Robin, will you do the honours?"

Her best friend didn't need to be told twice, taking Rowan's place as she pressed  the button. They all waited, hoping Rowan's hot-wiring would have the doors open.

Except nothing happened. The elevator doors stayed firmly in place. And when Robin pressed the "OPEN DOOR" button again, nothing happened again. They were still stuck here.

"Fuck," Rowan swore as she gripped her hair, her hopelessness turning into anger as she slammed a punch into the button panel. "Fuck! I hate this stupid fucking Russian elevator and these stupid fucking buttons and stupid fucking wiring! Fuck!"

"Did you hot-wire it right?" Valerie questioned.

"Of course I hot-wired it right! It's these stupid fucking wires!" Rowan exclaimed, glaring at the buttons as her anger crumpled and she turned away, hand on her forehead. "Fuck."

Valerie and Robin gave Rowan looks of sympathy—though Valerie's was underpinned with regret, before a trickling sound came.

All three girls looked up, and their expressions twisted in disgust at seeing a liquid streaming down. Zero guesses on what that was—and who it could be.

"Can you redirect your stream, please?" Robin called up.

In response, it was redirected only slightly away, and Rowan's face contorted in disgust.

"God, that is gross," she muttered as Valerie nodded in agreement, her nose wrinkled.

"Yeah, I don't want to spend my final days smelling piss," Valerie mumbled, and both girls snorted.

A banging sound broke the girls' levity, and Rowan saw with wide eyes at seeing Erica banging the canister against a metal container.

"Hey, hey! Be careful, careful, careful!" Robin chided as she took the canister from the ten-year-old, the three of them rushing over to Erica. "We don't even know what that is."

"Exactly. It could be useful," Erica said.

"Useful how?" Robin questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, I don't really see that helping us get out of here," Valerie concurred, arms crossed.

"We can survive down here a long time without food. But if the human body doesn't get water, it will die," Erica informed.

"Yeah, after a week or so," Rowan pointed out.

"I hate to break it to you, but this is not water," Robin told the ten-year-old, Valerie and Rowan nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, and it's not fucking Coke either," Rowan concurred.

"It could be acid or poison or something. You wanna kill yourself just to avoid dehydration?" Valerie questioned rhetorically.

"No, but it's a liquid. And if it comes down to me drinking that shit or dying of thirst, I drink," Erica retorted, giving a smug grin.

As one, they all rolled their eyes as Rowan held her hands up.

"Okay, but if it turns out to be poison or shit, it's your funeral," Rowan said as Valerie gave Rowan a sharp glare and the dark-haired girl amended, "Okay, it isn't, but I think it's a stupid idea."

"It is a stupid idea. No way in hell is that safe for human consumption, and as much as you annoy me, I'm not letting you be poisoned by this green shit, you twerp," Valerie said, giving the container a sharp look—which had been taken back by Erica—before she added, "What if it's radioactive or something? There's a reason it's in that container after all. Honesty, how can you look at that and think it's drinkable?"

"My thoughts exactly," Rowan concurred as Erica glared at them, still holding firm to her belief in drinking whatever radioactive or acidic shit that was.

However, the valid concerns Rowan and Valerie had for Erica's questionable drink choices were pushed down when Rowan noticed Robin at the doors, one side of her face pressed against it.

"Robin, what the hell are you—" Rowan questioned, before she heard it, too.

The sound of wheels on concrete or something. Coming right toward them.

Shit.

Whirling around to Erica and hissing out, "Don't drink that shit," she, Valerie and Robin scrambled to the makeshift step ladder the boys had created and popped their heads up through the hatch

"We've got company," Robin revealed.

"Coming fast," Valerie added.

"Like, right now," Rowan finished off.

Steve and Dustin gave each other a look, all five of them having the same thought.

They needed to get out before the Russians—for who else could be driving toward the elevator?—saw them inside.

And that if they played their timing right, they could use it to escape.

***

Long chapter, I know. But a necessary one

I loved writing the beginning chaos of Scoops Troop. Also, if anyone deserved to drop a F-bomb in that scene, it was Steve. Our stressed single mom deserved to say that

Stowan. Just... all of the Stowan moments had my heart go 🥺 From their talk of summer and Rowan doing psychology talk and the psychoanalysis to that little moment before everyone else woke up and they were just enchanted with each other? (And Rowan realised she's become enchanted with who Steve now is and the person he's become and she's friends/falling in love with??) It had me soft

(and yeah, neither Erica or Dustin are blind to what's happening with Stowan)

Yeah, Rowan had to try and hot-wire the button panel to work. Unfortunately, it didn't, but points for thinking outside the box and utilising the skills Aunt Aco taught her

Ah yes, the iconic drink scene. Honestly, I get the valid fear, but I wouldn't drink whatever was inside that canister even if I was worried about dehydration

And now, the escape 😈

Spanish translation:

Mierda: Shit

Next chapter will be soon!

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!