/ "and i have to speculate that god himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces from the clay" /
Michelle "Mickey" Hopper has a lot of problems. An alcoholic father ignoring the loss of his youngest daughter, her sister, Sarah...
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...Sunday, November 4, 1984... everybody's gotta live - arthur lee
The rest of the kids joined Mickey at the now-open door of the junked bus. Mickey, Steve, and Brad all had their weapons poised as their eyes searched the fog-filled junkyard for any sign that the beasts were still lying in wait.
"What happened?" Lucas asked slowly.
"I don't know," Max muttered.
"Why would they just run off like that?" Mickey wondered aloud.
"Maybe you guys scared them off," Dustin said.
"No. No way," Steve interrupted. "They're going somewhere."
Brad's eyebrows furrowed determinedly as he said, "So let's follow 'em."
Dustin and the teens found themselves back on the train tracks, this time joined by Lucas and Max. Their only source of light now was the moonlight cutting through the trees and the limited reach of their three flashlights, one with Dustin, another with Steve, and a third with Lucas.
"You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas said. The last time he'd seen the slimy creature, he was barely six inches in length. It was hard to believe that in just a few days, he'd become the mid-sized creature they'd seen creep out from the woods.
"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt," Dustin said. "He's molted three times already."
"Malted?" Steve murmured.
Mickey smiled amusedly and patted his shoulder. "Molted, babe."
"Shed his skin to make room for growth," Dustin defined, "like hornworms."
"So when's he gonna molt again?" Brad questioned.
"It's gotta be soon. When he does, he'll be fully grown or close to it. And so will his friends."
"Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats," Steve added.
Lucs halted their progress with a hand to Dusin's shoulder. "Wait, a cat? Dart ate a cat?"
Dustin looked like a deer in headlights. "No, what? No."
"What are you talking about? He ate Mews," Steve continued.
"R.I.P," Mickey said, kissing her index and middle finger and lifting them up.
"Mews? Who's Mews?" Max said.
"It's Dustin's cat," Steve said obliviously.
"Steve!" Dustin protested.
"I knew it! You kept him!" Lucas said, pushing Dustin's shoulder.
"No! No. No, I... No, I... He missed me and he wanted to come home."
"Damn. Secrets between best friends," Brad commented. "Bad sign."
