²𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧✔

011-the old junkyard

CARLA GRABBED A BUCKET OF BAIT, SETTING IT ON THE GROUND BELOW HER.

It was now brighter outside, but Carla was still standing in the driveway of Dustin's house, placing a bucket full of bait—which was really just three buckets of raw meat—on to the floor.   Is this what she expected to be doing on a Sunday morning? No, not really.  But was she all that surprised that it had happened anyway? Again, no.

Nothing had been normal since November of 1983, and Carla was just going to have to get used to it.

"Dustin!  This is Lucas.  Do you copy? Dustin?"  Carla listened as Lucas' voice came through Dustin's walkie system, seemingly concerned.  She was thankful someone had picked up his 'code red' calls, because it had been almost a night with no answer.

Dustin put his hands on his hips, giving an unimpressed look.  He reminded Carla of a disappointed mother as he told off his best friend, "Well, well, well, look who it is."  Despite the annoyance held for his friend, he'd probably let him off later.  After all, it was Dustin's fault that Dart had escaped.  He was the one who'd lied and said that he didn't keep the creature.  He'd broken their number one rule;  friends don't lie.

"Sorry, man." Lucas came through again, "My stupid sister turned it off."

Dustin responded, "Well, when you were having sister problems, Dart grew again, he escaped, and I'm pretty sure he's a baby demogorgan."

"Wait. What?" Lucas exclaimed, his voice sounding rather confused and concerned at the same time.

Dustin didn't let Lucas question anymore, "I'll explain later. Just meet me, Carla and Steve at the old junkyard."

"Steve?"

"And bring your binoculars and wrist rocket."

"Steve Harrington?"

Steve rolled his eyes at the boy's words, grabbing a bucket of bait in one hand and shutting his trunk lid with the other.  "All right, let's go."

Dustin followed after the older boy, picking up a bucket himself, "Just be there, stat. Over and out."

Carla gave a final look towards Dustin's house before grabbing the final bucket of bait and beginning the trail with the two boys.   It was quiet at first; no one really knew what to say.  Carla didn't expect herself to be back in this situation—well, no one would.   A monster attacking you once? That's just bad luck.  But again? And only a year later? Now, that wasn't a coincidence.

It was unreal to be trying to hunt down a mini demogorgan, in simple words.   Last year had been enough trauma for a lifetime—she'd almost died for goodness sake.   And even if they knew what had to be done now, it still wasn't going to be easy.  Someone could get hurt, and Carla was praying that it wasn't going to be Steve.

Though, the past year's events did have a helping hand in bringing her and Steve back together, she had to admit.  If she never almost died,  Steve would have never known that she still loved him.  Him and Nancy would have still been going strong, and Carla would have been suffering in silence.

So, maybe the past wasn't all too bad.......minus the almost dying part.

"All right, so let me get this straight," Steve spoke up, tossing the bait down on the track below him as he did. "You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who you just met?"  His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand where the younger boy could have been going with this.