~ Hidden Love ~

CH8 - The Mind Flayer [PT1]

We started our journey back to Steve's car. "You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas asked Dustin.

"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt."

"He was tiny two days ago." Max said.

"Well, he's molted three times already. Dustin told her.

"Malted?" Steve asked.

"Molted." I corrected

Dustin told him, "Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms."

"When's he gonna molt again?" Max asked Dustin.

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

"Yeah." Steve started, "He's gonna eat a lot more than just cats."

"Wait, a cat?" Lucas stopped Dustin and asked him. "Dart ate a cat?"

"No, what? No." Dustin tried to defend himself.

"What are you talking about? He ate Mews." Steve told him.

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

"It's Dustin's cat."

"Steve!" Dustin yelled at him.

"I knew it! You kept him!" Lucas yelled back to Dustin.

"No! No. No, I.. No, I.. He missed me. He wanted to come home."

"Bullshit!" Lucas yelled to the boy.

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

"Oh, so now you admit it?"

"Guys, who cares? We have to go." Max tried to stop the fighting, even if it's almost impossible.

"I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!" Lucas shouted to Dustin.

"So did you!" Dustin yelled back to him.

"What?"

"You told a stranger the truth!" Dustin said as he pointed his flashlight to Max.

"A stranger?" She asked.

"You wanted to tell her, too!" Lucas argued to Dustin as I heard screeching in the distance. I took a few steps towards it. Steve followed beside me with the flashlight.

"Did you hear that?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I did." He said, looking at me. "Hey guys?" He said towards the arguing group. "Guys!" He shouted as we all heard screeching. I looked over to Steve who started walking towards it and I followed him. Soon, the boys followed us, as Max questioned our actions. She joined us in following the sound.

"I don't see him." Dustin said to us as Lucas pulled his binoculars to his eyes.

"It's the lab." He told us. "They were going back home." He decided that we were gonna go check it out. As we walked up to the gate, we saw Nancy and Jonathan.

"Steve? Y/n?" Nancy and Jonathan both said in unison.

"Nancy?" Steve said.

"Jonathan?" I said after him as we started to walk closer together.

"What are you doing here?" Jonathan asked me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him in return.

"We're looking for Mike and Will." He told me.

"They're not in there, are they?" Dustin asked them.

"We're not sure." Nancy responded.

"Why?" Jonathan asked as we heard loud screeching coming from the lab. We all looked towards it.