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Chapter 48, The Bite (Ep. 7: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab)
Lightning struck with the force of a million volts as Steve fought for his life.
Clinging onto his throat like a famished leech, the tail of what appeared to be a bat tightened itself with every breath he took. He tightened his hands on the creature, attempting to pry it off all while trying to ignore the agony of having lots of sharp teeth biting his abdomen.
He fought monsters before and one of them nearly threatened to rip his head off if it weren't for the help of his friends. All these times he faced any of these creatures, Steve always had backup and never once felt like he had been abandoned. But as he lay on the cold ground completely ambushed by these monsters, his hope began to vanish as he was certain that for the first time, he was alone in this.
What if the gate closed the second he was dragged in?
What if somehow they were trying to find him, but there was absolutely no entrance?
Steve knew better than to let his mind dwell on his most obscure thoughts, but feeling the bats' teeth dig into his side and feeling his breathing struggling the more the tail tightened around his throat, left him at a complete loss.
If there was one thing he was certain about was that right now, he was dying. There was no one here but him and as much as he wanted to-
"Steve!"
The familiar and beautiful voice awakened him from his dark thoughts, and the pain on his left side vanished. He looked up and found none other than the girl he loved standing over him with a paddle in her hands. Her hair was dripping wet and cascading down her shoulders in a messy, but perfect way. She panted uncontrollably and her forehead creased with complete distress, and yet, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was.
Gwen swung the paddle with all her strength against the bats and the only one that remained was the one clinging onto his throat. She pressed her boot on the tail while smacking the wooden paddle with all her might against it. The creature remained adamant on keeping him trapped, but it only strengthened her determination to slam the oar with even more force and at a much quicker pace.
Around her, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie were swinging their paddles against the other bats. Lightning struck again and served as a sign to send more creatures in their direction. Gwen didn't bother paying attention to her surroundings. She merely pressed her boot even harder into the tail and smashed the oar deep into the bat's skin, causing it to let out an agonized shriek that it began to loosen its grip on Steve's throat.
Eddie suddenly called out to her, "Gwen! Watch out!"
Before she could be able to anticipate the attack, the sharp claws of the bat clung onto the skin of her back. The harsh impact disrupted her balance and brought the oar to fall to the ground. She reached for her back in an attempt to remove the creature, but the pain was now expanding throughout her entire body and making it much harder.
