"YOU'RE POSITIVE THAT WAS DART?"

Carla listened in on the conversation that was starting up around her, eyes ahead as the group of five walked back down the railroad track, just as she had earlier that day.  It was pitch black, and the only light source was the small flashlights each of them held.  Carla could barely see five feet ahead of her.

"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt." Dustin replied to the Sinclair boy, walking a little ahead of everybody. Knowing he'd broken the party's number one rule, the Henderson wanted to keep the fact that he'd lied out of the conversation.  He wanted Lucas to believe Dart had really just stumbled back to Dustin.

"He was tiny two days ago." Max stated, recalling the previous chase for Dart.  Even though she'd clearly seen the creatures with her own two eyes, Lucas' words were still hard to believe.  How could there have been so much she didn't know about her supposed 'friends'?  She didn't really understand all this supernatural stuff, not yet.

Dustin didn't look back, "Well, he's molted three times already."

Steve's eyes narrowed, "Malted?"

Dustin gave an eye roll, "Molted. Shed his skin to make room for more growth like horn-worms."

"Do you have an idea of when he'll molt again?" Carla spoke up quietly, eyes quickly darting over to Dustin.  Personally, the Wheeler didn't really want to know when Dart would molt again.  With what Carla knew on shedding skin, and with the creature's fast rate,  Dart would probably be full grown within the night, which is something she could do without.  She was just doing it for the rest of the group.

"It's gotta be soon." Dustin replied quickly, "When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it.  And so will his friends."

Carla felt her skin crawl at the mention of the mini-demogorgans, but tried to keep a clear mind. She couldn't think back to moments before, to where she thought she was going to die again.  Carla needed to keep her mind full of hope that they'd be able to stop the demogorgans.

"Yeah, and he's going to eat a lot more than just cats." Steve remarked without a second thought, continuing to walk along the track, Carla's hand in his.  After they escaped the junkyard, the Harrington felt as if he couldn't let his girlfriend out of sight.   But, Carla didn't mind at all.  She kept her hand tight in his—she didn't want to let go of him again.

Lucas stopped in his tracks at the brunette's words, "Wait, a cat? Dart ate a cat?"

The curly haired boy—who'd been stopped by his friend for an answer—shook his head, trying to deny as hard as he could. "No, what? No."

Steve, who didn't seem to realize that Dustin did not want the truth to be spilled, continued speaking on what the boy had told me in the car, "What are you talking about? He ate Mews."

"Mews? Who's Mews?" Max asked.

"Mews is—was—Dustin's cat." Carla looked at the younger girl, eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out how this would end.  Honestly, Carla didn't know that Lucas hadn't known about the Dart eating Dustin's cat.  The boys rarely—correction: never—lied to one another.

"Carla!" Dustin yelled out, giving her a look.

"I knew it! You kept him!" Lucas called the curly haired boy out, a pissed off look plastered on his face.

"No! No. No, I....No, I...." Dustin trailed off, the Sinclair giving him a knowing look.  He let out a sigh before admitting the truth, already feeling awful for lying to his friend. "He missed me. He wanted to come home."

"Bullshit!"

"I didn't know he was a demogorgan, okay?—"

"Oh, so now you admit it—"

Max spoke up among her friends, trying to deescalate the situation.  They had to keep walking, and all this argument was doing was holding them back, "Guys, who cares? We have to go."

Lucas snapped right back, voice gaining volume as he got more upset with his friend. "I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!"

Dustin screamed back, done with explaining his actions calmly. "So did you! You told a stranger the truth!"

Max scoffed, seemingly offended at the curly haired boy's words. "A stranger?"

The two boys continued to argue with one another, Max watching from the side.  Carla knew better than to get in between the two boys. Party members rarely fought with one another, or got into an argument as extreme as the one now.  The Wheeler concluded it was best if they let everything out now instead of letting it build up too far.

Dustin and Lucas rarely got upset at one another, so this argument just seemed necessary after all the tension they'd been bottling up throughout the week.

Trying to patiently wait out this small argument, she was suddenly pulled forward by Steve's hand.  Pausing a moment, his gaze flicked over to her. "Do you hear that?"

Carla gave a small nod, her ears picking up the sound of screeching and growling coming from afar.  Something was happening—wherever the noise had sounded from—and it definitely wasn't good.  Carla prayed it wasn't something to do with Dart and his friends, but something inside her told her it was.

"Hey, guys...." Steve trailed off, trying to gain the attention of the three preteens.  His words hadn't even affected the three, as they continued to ramble on and on about Dart, so Steve was left to yell over to them. "Guys!"

Turing at the loud sound, Max, Lucas and Dustin were silent as she listened to the screeching that continued to echo through the woods. Steve didn't even wait for the kids before walking towards the noise—Carla wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but she had to admit, she was curious about the sounds too.

Dustin and Lucas chased after the two brunette teens, leaving the red head alone on the railroad tracks. Max didn't believe that heading in the direction of the screeching was the best decision—they'd almost died because of those creatures after all—but, the Mayfield didn't feel like standing all alone in the pitch black with no clue what was happening, so she decided to trust the boys' and Carla's knowledge and ran to catch up.

Walking in silence, flashlights ahead of them, the five of them walked until they found a small clearing that gave them a view of the whole town.  The fog covered most of it, so it was rather difficult to see parts of the town.

"I don't see him." Dustin spoke up, looking in the distance.

Lucas pulled out his binoculars, putting them up to his eyes to get a better view of Hawkins.  It was only a few moments before his eyes caught the Hawkins Lab in the distance.  It was totally dark inside, which was odd for the usually busy building.  "It's the lab." He announced, "They were going back home."

Pushing through the trees to try and reach the lab, the five of them walk in complete silence.  Carla was actually getting slightly worried.  The lab was filled with workers, and if the demogorgans had made their way into it, half of them—or more—had to be dead.

But, once they'd gotten a few feet ahead of the lab, a voice called out to them.  A rather familiar voice. "Hello? Who's there? Who's there?"

Popping out of the trees were Carla, Steve, Dustin, Max and Lucas, eyes being met with the sight of Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers.

"Steve?" The two brunettes exclaimed, eyebrows furrowed.

"Nancy?" Steve responded. 

Carla ran over to the Byers boy beside her sister, wrapping her arms around him with no warning. "Jonathan."

"Carla." Jonathan sighed,holding her close.  He felt rather relieved knowing that she was okay, and she felt the same way about him.  The Wheeler hadn't seen him in days, and worry had been eating up at her the whole time, knowing that the two of them had to have found themselves involved in the mess somehow. 

"You're okay." Carla softly smiled to herself, pulling away, "Where were you two—"

Nancy interrupted the small moment, "What are you doing here?" she paced towards her ex-boyfriend, her words targeted towards him.  Her eyes then turned to Carla, "Both of you."

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked with the same form of authority that the Wheeler girl had.  Both groups of people walked to one another, stopping when they were about a foot apart.

"We're looking for Mike and Will." Nancy responded.

Carla eyes slightly widened at her brother's name, "He didn't come home the other night?"

"I haven't been home, Carla." Nancy muttered, "But no, I don't think he has."

Dustin kept the conversation steady, "They're not in there, are they?"

"We're not sure." the Wheeler glanced at Jonathan for a moment.  But, during that moment, Carla could see the way she looked at him. Wherever they'd gone, something had happened between them, something that she'd ask about when the timing was better; when this was all over.

"Why?" Jonathan asked.  No one had to actually answer him, though, because right as he finished speaking, a chorus of screeching echoed through the seven teens.  Once it quieted down again, Nancy was the first to speak up.

"Okay, what the hell was that?"

Carla crossed over to her, "Long story short, Dustin had a pet demogorgan.  We almost got killed by it and it's countless little friends before they all ran off and we're pretty sure they're in that building this very minute.  They're about this big, and are pretty damn vicious."   She placed her hands out, showing how large the creature was. Her eyes were in a deadpanned stare, "Whoever's in—left in—that building isn't going to survive the rest of the night."

Nancy gave a slightly guilt filled glance towards her sister, but shook it off before Carla could say anything.  She felt bad. While her and Jonathan were off with Murray Bauman, solving what to do with Barb, she left her sister to almost die—again. Suddenly, Barb's death seemed rather irrelevant. "Are you okay?"

"I don't have any marking this time, no." Carla responded, allowing the small argument in the distance to grow quiet in her mind.  She hadn't really been thinking of the fact that the demogorgan had overpowered her again.  Maybe it was the fact that she had no scars reminding her this time. "I think I'm okay.  But, this probably gonna come back to me later so I shouldn't say—"

Carla was cut off as Nancy's arms wrapped around her, pulling into a tight embrace.  "I'm sorry, Carla, for everything."

"It's okay, Nance." Carla responded, giving a reassuring look.  Nancy was always one to put the blame on her, even if it had little to do with her.  She took responsibility for everything—especially for Barb—and the Wheeler knew that somewhere, her sister felt responsible for her sister's past injuries, her almost death.   

Nancy knew that if she'd just stayed put in Hawkins Middle and watched over her brother and their friends, Carla wouldn't have all this trauma or those scars on her wrists that she hated so much.  Everything would have been different in her eyes, and even if Carla was currently okay, Nancy would always feel somewhat guilty for her sister's pain.

"You're my sister, Nancy.  I'm not going to hold you accountable for anything." Carla held on to her sister, feeling a few tears brim her eyes.  The two Wheeler's had been through thick and thin together.  Sure, sometimes Nancy had been a sucky sister, but that didn't matter anymore.  What mattered now was that they were together again, and that they were both alright.

"I'm sorry that I was gone." Nancy whispered, "I should have stayed here.  You and Steve and the kids almost died and I was off figuring out what to do about Barb's parents..."

"Don't apologize, Nance." the Wheeler pulled away, looking her sister directly in the eyes. "I'm okay, I promise."  She gave a weak smile, and Nancy returned it.  The two didn't need to say anything else, but it wasn't like they had the time to say anything else, either.  When Carla finished, the lights of the lab—which had previously been off—flickered on.

Nancy's gaze fell on the lab, "The power's back."

At those words, the entire group—who'd been arguing and trying to figure out what was happening—rushed back towards the chained gate, making another attempt at opening the thing.  Jonathan pressed on the open button multiple times, but the doors didn't even budge, no matter how much he punched it.

Dustin came through, trying the button himself as if Jonathan could have been doing something wrong. "Let me try, Jonathan!"  The Byers boy slightly backed up, allowing the curly haired kid to start jabbing his finger into the red button.  After many failed attempts, he let out a sigh. "Son of a bitch..."

Carla put her face in her hands, "You've got to be kidding me."  Worry for her brother and Will were taking over—as well as for Joyce and Hopper, who she assumed to be with the two.  That is, if they were able to get Hopper back from wherever he was.  She'd already broken the promise of returning to the Byers' house, and she'd never forgive herself if she never got to say goodbye to her brother.

She prayed that they were okay in the lab, that the mini demogorgans hadn't reached them yet.

The noise of the fence moving caused everyone to turn, watching as the fence slid open.  Carla was slightly relived that they now had a way in, but there was still so much work that had to be done.

Jonathan was quick to rush over to his car, but Nancy hesitated a moment right next to her sister.  Carla knew what she was thinking, and gave a reassuring look to the brunette. "You can go, Nance.  I'll be okay."

"You better be." Nancy replied, before running over to the passenger side of Jonathan's car.  Carla did the usual air kiss towards the car, and was pleased when the Byers boy placed a hand to his cheek, finishing off the old habit.   It was her way of saying that she loved him, if anything were to happen.

After the car left, the group of five—Carla, Steve, Max, Lucas and Dustin—all stood in silence.   They were all scared that someone had died or gotten seriously injured.  The silence allowed everyone to ponder over the worst possible outcomes.  Carla would rather not have those outcomes in the front of her mind, but she wasn't about to break the silence.  There was nothing good to say about their current situation.

So, they all continued to silently wait.

Dustin was pacing back and forth, Lucas was tapping his antsy foot against the gravel, looking up at the darkened sky,  Steve was leaning against a pole, messing around with a flashlight, and Carla stood next to him, picking at her fingers. 

Max, who'd been kicking excess stones on the ground, suddenly spoke up, noticing headlights from a distance. "Guys?"  The other four turned to look at the speeding cars, Carla and Steve pulling the preteens out of the way so they didn't get hit.

Carla recognized the first car as Jonathan's, watching as it passed by them.  She then watched as the other car—Hopper's police cruiser—abruptly stopped in front of the five, the window rolling down to reveal the police chief himself, "Let's go!"

Steve didn't hesitate before opening the door, pushing Max, Lucas and Dustin inside.  Even if he'd only been with these kids for half a night—he hadn't held a conversation with any of them until yesterday, if he was honest—they'd become his top priority.   His job was to keep these kids safe, and that's exactly what he planned on doing.

Grabbing Carla and setting her on himself—the cruiser really wasn't meant to hold more than three or four people, so there wasn't too much room for anyone—he slammed the door shut and ushered Hopper to start driving.  At Steve's words, Hopper sped off in the direction of Jonathan's car.

"Is everyone alright?" Hopper asked after a moment of silence, taking said moment to catch his breath.  Physically, they all looked uninjured, but Hopper knew how much something like this could mentally mess up someone, especially these young teens, who had so much that monsters could steal from them, like happiness.

Carla gave a curt nod, "We're okay." She then turned to face him, "What happened to you? You disappeared at Joyce's and now you're suddenly back in hospital scrubs saving us."

Hopper sighed, "It's a long story, kid.  But, Will is almost...possessed.  Whatever he's been seeing has taken over his body; it's using him as a spy to the outside world.  He must have seen where we were and sent those things after us.  They scattered throughout the lab, and had a whole killing spree. Everyone in that lab was to be dead, or close to it."

"But, your side got out okay, right?" Dustin perked up from the back seat, causing Hopper to fall quiet.  Carla noticed his change in demeanor; the way his hands clenched around the wheel, the way his lips pursed as if he didn't want to even think of the topic.

"Hopper, tell me you didn't lose anybody." Carla bit her lip in fear that someone had been lost, someone she cared about.  The man stayed silent, and Carla reiterated herself, trying to sound firm despite the worry flooding through her, "Hopper?"

"It was Bob." he muttered after a moment, closing his eyes as he remembered the event that had occurred minutes before hand. "They got Bob before we were able to leave."

"Bob?" Max asked from the backseat, unaware of who the man was.  She was a newcomer, and even if she moment was wrong, she couldn't help but ask questions.

"Joyce's boyfriend." Lucas answered quietly.

"Oh..." the redhead trailed off.

Carla's heart fell at the mention of Bob Newby.  Though she'd only met the man the other day, and barely knew him.....he didn't deserve this.  Bob was a sweet man, a genuine man.  He was nerdy, and looked for the good in life. He had the biggest heart, and knew how to make you smile in any condition.  And most importantly, he gave the Byers family a small glimpse of what a good father was, of what a good boyfriend should be. If he was bound to die early, this wasn't the way he should have gone.

Thinking of Bob made her think of Joyce. Joyce Byers was a woman who had gone through more than Carla could ever imagine someone going through.  She was strong and sturdy, and always put others in front of herself.   But, even strong and sturdy things had to break at some point.

And Carla was sure that if Will being used by some dark creature wasn't enough to break her, Bob dying would certainly be the icing on the cake. 

"Shit. That's terrible." Steve muttered, holding Carla close.  If Joyce could lose Bob as easily as that, then he was sure the same thing could happen to Carla and him.  Screw the kids, Carla was his top priority—they took second.  He'd gotten her back mere days ago after having lost her.  He'd finally been able to reveal that he still loved her, and gotten to know that she still wanted him back.

He was in love with Carla Wheeler, and wouldn't, no, couldn't let a demogorgan take her away from him.  He just couldn't.  He was on the grasp of finally calling her his again, of finally getting to be her official boyfriend again.

Carla didn't reply after hearing Bob's name. She just stared down at Steve's hands around her waist, tracing over his palms.  Steve rested his head in the crook of her neck, trying to comfort her by showing he was close.  

No one said anything else the rest of the car ride.  They all sat in silence; there wasn't really anything to say.  Losing Bob had to be the worst outcome of all of this, right?  How could it possibly get worse?

mara's misc

chapter twelve!!

ahh the finale is officially beginning 🫢

#justiceforbob

sorry about the little starla content in this chapter.  i think this turned out pretty good for me writing half of it in a day, (which i usually don't do).  i love writing jonathan and carla scenes despite hating jonathan  as a character, (controversial opinion).   

nancy definitely does blame herself for carla's injuries, whether or not she admits it.  but, carla doesn't hold her responsible, bc i can't hurt my favorite sisters like that.  i love writing them <33

we're getting so close to the end of s2, idk how to feel.  i'm gonna miss s2 starla, but i am so ready to write s3.  i've been waiting since the beginning of vanished to write the summer love of starla........there's probably only like two or three chapters left to be honest.

 hope you enjoyed <3

see you back with chapter thirteen!!