𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎, steve harrington

Chapter 17

Everyone in the house had been dead silent ever since they had gotten there. Olivia had found her head throbbing with pain and her eyes threatening to close. The kids had been sitting in the same spots for as long as they had been there, and Olivia wished she could say something to make any of them feel better. Joyce had still been locked up in her room, Mike telling everyone that the Demogorgons had gotten her boyfriend, Bob, and it has clearly affected her since. The only thing that had changed was Olivia's appearance as she had now been wearing Steve's grey jacket he was previously wearing.

Mike had suddenly gotten up from his spot, Lucas, Max, Steve, Olivia and Dustin all looking over at him in question.

He moved over to a pile of games in the living room, looking down as he held one of them. "Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?" Mike questioned, Lucas and Dustin sharing glances.

"Really?" Lucas muttered.

"He petitioned the school to start it and everything." Mike told the group, Olivia looking down at the boys. "Then he had a fund-raiser for equipment. Mr. Clarke learned everything from him." Mike walked back to the table slowly, the game in his hands. "Pretty awesome, right?"

Olivia and the kids nodded, Dustin and Lucas both agreeing in unison. Mike put the game down on the table, the three sitting kids all frowning at it.

"We can't let him die in vain." Mike told his friends, Steve and Olivia sharing glances of sympathy.

"What do you want to do, Mike?" Dustin sat up, raised his voice slightly in helplessness. "The Chief's right on this. We can't stop those Demo-dogs on our own." Everyone drew their brows together in confusion, looking around at one another.

"Demo-dogs?" Max finally questioned, Olivia wearing a small smirk.

"Demogorgon dogs." Dustin explained, gesturing with his hands. He brought his hands together gesturing a mixture. "Demo-dogs. It's like a compound. It's a play on words-"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. We get it." Olivia muttered, patting Dustin on the head.

"I mean, when it was just Dart, maybe..."

"But there's an army now." Lucas interrupted.

"His army." Mike suddenly said, everyone turning to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Steve finally spoke for one of the first times, looking up at Mike as he stood straight.

"His army." Mike repeated confidently. "Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army, too." He explained. Mike ran to get a drawing which Will had made, hanging it to Olivia.

"The shadow monster." Dustin muttered as he looked at the drawing in the oldest girl's hands.

"It got Will that day on the field." Mike said, reminding Olivia of the event at school where she thought Will was going to die. "The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him."

"And so this virus, it's connecting him to the tunnels?" Max questioned, Olivia looking around at the drawing on the wall as she held the drawing of the shadow monster.

"To the tunnels, monsters the Upside down, everything." Mike agreed.

"Whoa. Slow down. Slow down." Steve cut in, looking around at the group.

"Okay, so, the shadow monster is inside of everything. Inside of Will." Olivia started explaining it to Steve, who was watching her closely.

"And if the vines feel something like pain, the so does Will." Mike continued.

"And so does Dart." Lucas added.

"And I'm assuming very other Demo-dog as well?" Olivia questioned, earning nods from all of the three boys.