The Chief's Daughter

Chapter 17- Starcourt Mall

"We need to find the kids." You said when Billy reached your side, the monster disappearing down the road chasing after the others. "I'm not leaving without, El."

"I'm not leaving without my sister either. We will find them, c'mon."

He grabbed your arm and pulled you back through the front door of the mall, but there was no sign of El, Max or Mike anywhere.

"They have to be here. We should split up." You suggested, but Billy quickly shook his head.

"No way."

"Billy-"

"We will find our sisters and little Wheeler, but we are not splitting up. I am not losing you if this monster comes back." He stated, his voice leaving no room for arguing, so you nodded.

The two of you ran across the destroyed food court to The Gap since that was the last place you saw them go and figured it was the best place to start looking.

After searching the store and finding it empty, you moved onto the next one just as an unfamiliar voice began talking over the walkie talkie in Billy's hand.

"Dusty-bun, you copy?"

"The fuck?" Billy muttered, looking down at the walkie in confusion.

"I copy, Suzie-poo. It sounds much better now, thanks." Dustin's voice responded and your eyes widened in surprise.

Dustin had a girlfriend. Since when? And who was she?

"Okay, listen, do you know Planck's constant?" Dustin asked through the radio.

Planck's constant. That was the number that Murray said was needed to get the keys for the kill switch on the machine to close the gate. Did they seriously go down into the Russian bunker and only just realised that they didn't know the fucking number?

"Do you know the Earth orbits the sun?" Came Suzie's response.

"Jesus, she was made for him." Billy muttered before the two of you continued searching through the mall for the kids while listening to Dustin and Suzie talk.

You zoned out the kid's conversation, focusing on the search before Dustin's voice suddenly started to sing through the walkie. You turned back to Billy who was frowning at the walkie in his hand until the singing finally stopped.

"Planck's constant is 6.62607004." Suzie supplied.

"I don't know what just happened." You mumbled, shaking your head before you continued running through the mall with Billy, but there was still no sign of the kids.

"Maybe they ran away?" Billy said as the two of you stopped back in the middle of the food court breathing heavily after the frantic searching.

"No. They wouldn't have, not with El's leg."

"Okay, they gotta be here somewhere. Let's try upstairs and then-"

Billy didn't get to finish his sentence before the lights in the mall suddenly started to flicker and he quickly grabbed your hand, pulling you down behind one of the turned over tables in anticipation for something.

"Billy, what-"

His hand quickly covered your mouth and your eyes widened at the sudden action before he leant forward and whispered in your ear.

"I can feel him. He's back."

As if on cue the giant monster jumped down through the hole it had made in the skylight earlier before landing in the middle of the food court a few metres away from where the two of you were hiding.