Love And Hellfire

Chapter 1: Hello Hawkins

' The death toll now stands at 72, a mere 14 days after the earthquake decimated our once quiet and beloved town of Hawkins. No doubt that number will rise over the coming days as more areas of the destroyed town are searched and excavated. I'm sure the citizens of Hawkins, like myself, all have the same question on their mind.... what could possibly happen next?'

With one quick zap of the controller, Dustin changed channels, much to the demise of Robin.
"I was watching that!" she scorned him.
"Well we've heard it enough times now haven't we?" Dustin scoffed harshly, knocking a perfectly folded pile of children's clothes off a nearby table. "You don't need the news to tell us we're all screwed Robin."
"Hey!" Steve began to gather up the clothes from the floor, the clothes he had folded mere minutes before. "Keep your voices down, remember where we are and why we're here please."
When in each others' company, it was incredibly easy for the trio to become so engulfed in each others' antics that what was going on in the real world was completely unknown to them. They behaved as though they were blocking it out. They existed in their own little world where they knew a hell of a lot more than the real one ever would. Right now, the three were where they'd been every single day since the 'earthquake' hit, Hawkins High .
Although now, the much despised high school was a rehabilitation and help centre for those affected by the natural disaster. Steve, Robin and Dustin gave up their free time to help others. They folded and distributed clothes, made and delivered meals. Robin was even training herself up in first aid whilst Steve volunteered to search for survivors in what locals were calling 'the diseased land'. This area of Hawkins had been the first to be taken by the effects of the Upside Down leaking into their world. Everything there was dying, signs of life were minuscule.

Dustin monitored the 'missing persons' board, helping desperate family members do what they could to someday relocate their loved ones. This gave Dustin some sense of peace, helping others after he could not help his friend... Eddie.
"How much longer anyway?" Dustin asked, switching the channel to that with cartoons, much to the glee of some nearby families with young children.
Robin took another look towards a door situated on the other side of the assembly hall, she'd been doing this persistently for the last 10 minutes or so. The door in question of so much interest to them was labelled 'Nurse.'
"Any minute now." She reassured them. "We should be getting ready to leave right? Curfew is in what, an hour?"
"Yep." Steve nodded as he began packing up supplies into a large rucksack. "Plus I have a shift tonight in west Hawkins so, we'll have to do a quick drop off tonight."
"Well let's hurry her along then shall we?" Dustin suggested, hastily making his way over to the nurse's office. Not even giving a thought to knocking, he swung the door open suddenly. The petite, brown haired, spectacle lady inside jumped up from her seat, where she was seemingly packing away supplies of her own.

"Miss Critchlow? What are you doing?" Robin asked her, as she emerged further into the room. Almost the entirety of her desk had been cleared and packed away. Medication cupboard, empty. The first aid supplies that Robin had been using daily as part of her training, packed away. Locked away.
"Robin..." The woman sighed, fastening her briefcase and lifting it with some force from the ground. "I can't keep doing this anymore kids, I hope you understand. Hawkins isn't safe anymore, it's not-"
"Hawkins has no hope if one of it's chief givers of first aid leaves!" Robin declared.
"Chief giver of first aid?" Steve eye rolled behind her, which she ignored in the heat of it all.
"You can't leave! Hawkins needs you!" Robin panicked as Miss Critchlow made her way to the door slowly. "We need you!"
The withered woman sighed, placing her briefcase to the ground once again and turning behind her to retrieve a large brown package. Handing it to Robin she went on to say "I know you do, which is why I'm leaving you with these."
From a quick glance inside the package, Robin could see a mixture of medical supplies, bandages and such.