𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 | ᵐᵃˣ ᵐᵃʸᶠⁱᵉˡᵈ

CHP42- War Zone

VAL WAS AT THE BACK OF THE RV,  sat beside Max. The RV pulled up outside War Zone, and everyone got up except Lucas, Dustin, Val, and Eddie. The RV door slammed shut, leaving the four alone. Val stood up and moved over to where the other three were.

"So..." Eddie began leaning forwards to where Lucas and Val were sat. "What?" Val asked, looking at the boy. "Are you... you two.. you know?" Eddie asked, jestering his hand forward. The two looked at him with confusion. "Oh. So, you're not a...a thing?" The boy realised."What? You thought me and Lucas were.. a couple?" Val asked. " Ew no, no, no, no. No. Ew." Lucas said quickly as Val pretended to throw up. "Hey!" Lucas yelled, slapping her shoulder. "I'm not that bad." He mumbled. "Yeah, you are." Val whisperered.

Dustin had been silent the whole conversation and decided he needed to share his opinion. " I mean... you guys have been awfully close..." He mumbled. "So? We're friends! Am I not allowed to have a friend?" Val snapped. Val rolled her eyes and decided to change the subject. " Do you think this will ever end? Like, it feels like every year just ends in grief.Were cursed." Val said, crossing her left leg over her right. " I don't think it's us, V. " Dustin explained. "I know. I know. But think about it, what if Will never went missing, he never got taken to the Upside Down, you guys never went looking for him in the woods. You never would've met El. What if Hopper had never taken El in? What if she had died that day at the school? What if Max never moved here? What if we were never friends with her? What if i never decided to be your friend? Think about how normal our lives would be." Val rambled as she paced back and forth the RV.

"Do you think.. if this ever ends... uhm, we can't just go back to normal, I don't think I even know what normal is anymore. I mean, I have superpowers. My best friend had superpowers and now lives with my other best friend in California, for fucks sake. And I said I missed Mike Wheeler, who I literally hate. And if any of you say that to him, I will deny it to the day I die. This is normal to me, sitting outside a weapons shop with Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, and Eddie 'the freak' Munson."

"Yeah, that's pretty crazy." Eddie mumbled. "Don't get me wrong, but the past four years have been shit. Not that my life wasn't shit before then, but I don't know, somehow, even though they've royally sucked, they've also been the best years of my life." Val finished and finally sat down. "I agree. Like before, we were friends my life, well, it was average. And then you came in, and suddenly everything flipped upside down. Literally. " Lucas said, wrapping his arm around Val, pulling her into his armpit. Val dramatically began to cough. "Fucking hell man, you stink." Val exclaimed. Lucas pushed her away. "Fuck you." He said with an eye roll.

"Sorry, uhm superpowers? What kind?" Eddie asked. "Uhm like smoke? I think I still have them. I don't know." Val answered. "Cool." Eddie said with a smile. "Yeah, the whole monsters from another dimension must have are out to get me. I've nearly died like ten times. I do think it's us, me because even before we were friends I was cursed." Val said.

Then Steve appeared, jumping into the drivers seat, and the rest followed quickly behind them. "Woah. Woah, what's happening?" Val asked, stopping Max by the shoulders. "Your friends are here." Erica said to Lucas. "Shit." He mumbled. Everyone quickly sat down. "Drive!"
"Hold on!" Steve yelled back, slamming down on the accelerator.

STEVE DROVE THEM TO A FIELD TO HELP PREPARE THE WEAPONS. Val and Max were helping Nancy, and the two teen girls held the shotgun down on a crate as the girl sawed off the top of it. "Is this legal?" Max suddenly asked. Val looked at the older girl, waiting for her response. "Actually, I think it's a felony," She told them, Max nodded. 
"Right."

"But it guarantees one thing. I won't miss." The burnette raised the saw and slammed it on the top half of the gun, making it break off. "Can you two grab some bullets?" Nancy asked to which the girls nodded and walked towards the RV. "Uhm, V." Max said, suddenly making Val turn her head. "Yeah?" She looked. " Look, if anything happens, don't risk your life. okay?" Max said with a serious tone. "What do you mean?" Val asked. "V, I know you. You'd sacrifice yourself for anyone of us, especially me. You said it yourself, so I'm making you promise not to." Max said. " Okay, I promise. I won't sacrifice myself. " Val said, knowing that she would break this promise.

Don't make promises you can't keep.

THE RV WAS QUIET. Too quiet. They were all scared to speak, scared it could be the last time they did. And soon, the RV stopped. Val's stomach turned. Val, Luacs, Max, and Erica stood up. The four kids left the RV.

Max handed Val a lantern, Val took one last look at the RV before shutting the door, and with that, it drove off. Val turned away from the RV, knowing that would be the last time she would see them. She looked at Max before walking towards the Creel House. Someone was dying tonight. And she just hoped that someone was her.

authors note
I'm writing this so I can fall asleep