WILDFIRE ↝ E. MUNSON

[31]

"Let's go, let's go!" Lily shouted as they ran for the side of the trailer, where an alternate version of Wayne's truck lay in the grass, tangled in a mess of vines.

Lily tossed her spear and shield into the bed of the truck next to where Nick's now lay, sparing a glance back at the approaching swarm of Demobats. Their screeching was nearly deafening, coming at them from all angles as they grew closer and closer.

"Move! Move! Move!" Eddie exclaimed, and Lily jumped from the edge of the trailer, landing on the roof of the truck and retrieving her spear and shield before following the others down into the grass in their attempts to get to safety before the bats could reach them, with Dustin in the lead and Eddie bringing up the rear of the group.

"Come on, hurry!" Dustin yelled.

"Go, go, go!" Eddie shouted as the bats descended, now close enough that Lily could make out the grotesque tentacles hanging from the edge of their gray bodies.

"Shit, shit!" Dustin yelled as they reached the makeshift gate made from the fence across the field, and Lily dove in after Dustin and Nick to get inside. "Eddie, shut it!"

Eddie slammed the fence door shut without a moment to spare, a few bats latching onto the now closed gate as they began to hiss at the four intruders to the Upside Down. He took a step back as more reached the fence, pushing the others behind him in an attempt to shield them as they backed into the trailer, shutting the door behind them.

Adrenaline raced through Lily's veins as she attempted to catch her breath, the four teenagers looking back at one another in awe as thunder boomed outside, accompanied by the sounds of the bats still screeching outside the trailer. Eddie appeared awestruck, looking around speechlessly at the others while Nick bounced up and down excitedly.

"Dude," Dustin panted, looking over at Eddie.

"Oh my God," Eddie breathed.

"Most metal ever!" Dustin yelled, grabbing Eddie by the shoulders and jumping up and down, the others joining in as they began to scream with excitement.

"Oh my God!" Eddie shouted excitedly, turning to Lily with a wide smile as soon as the jumping ceased. "Did I do good?"

Lily couldn't help the smile that grew on her face, and she leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "You did great," she assured him.

Nick's smile faded as the sounds of bats hitting the trailer grew louder, the creatures now slamming against the walls in an attempt to break in and reach them. "I hate to break this up," she said, "but I don't think our job is over just yet."

Lily nodded, looking back at the closed trailer door and taking a step back as another hit the wall with a loud thudding sound. She tightened her grip on her spear and shield as Eddie and Dustin each reached for theirs, the four of them moving into the living room to huddle as close to the gate back to Hawkins as they could get, in case anything went south and they needed to make a quick getaway.

Lily stood with her back to Nick, with Eddie and Dustin on each of her sides. The four of them slowly turned around in circles, eyes wandering around the trailer as a silence fell among them, punctuated by the bats still hitting the trailer and the booming thunder casting a red glow from the lightning against the white shade covering the window. She shivered slightly from the chilly air of the Upside Down, their breaths visible even indoors.

Dustin's eyebrows furrowed together as the thudding sounds grew less and less frequent, the screeching also growing quieter. "Hey dipshits!" he shouted in an attempt to keep the attention of the Demobats on them, rather than retreating back to the Creel House before Nancy, Robin, Steve, and Debbie had a chance to defeat Vecna. "Give up that easy, huh?"