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c h a p t e r f i f t y - s i x
The earth once again rumbles the further into the woods the teenagers get, making Sam drop to the ground, not prepared for the shakes.
"Goddamn it. Here we go again," Eddie rolls his eyes.
"Second on my list of least favorite things, earthquakes. Seriously, I'm unsteady enough as it is," Robin adds.
"Tell me about it," Sam stands up, just as Nancy starts to run off. "Nancy?"
"Where are you going? Nancy!" Robin gains her footing, pulling Sam to follow the brunette.
"Nancy, when people call your name, typically you're supposed to respond," Sam scolds, growing tired of running.
Finally, they stop, having caught up to Nancy staring into the distance. A grin forms on Sam's face at the sight of a dilapidated Maple Street, spotting her once-perfectly tan house now a dingy blue color on one end of the cul-de-sac, and Nancy's house at the other.
It's a quick trek to the basement door, which opens with ease, allowing them to look around the tentacle and slime-covered basement. Sam pinches her face up in disgust at the smell, already dreaming of the shower she'd be taking once they get back home.
"Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler."
"Come on, I don't want to stay here longer than we have to," Nancy urges them upstairs, where Steve hears a faint noise, stopping him in his tracks.
Sam, ever so attuned to his presence, stops as well, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Do you hear that?" he looks around, prompting her to listen closely, not hearing anything.
"No..." she furrows her eyebrows, touching his arm. "Come on, let's go get Nancy's guns."
She walks into the room, spotting Nancy flipping through a bunch of flashcards, and immediately sighs. "You cannot be serious right now."
"Yeah, I know you care about your grades, but can the studying wait until we get out of here?"
"These are from sophomore chemistry. Look, Sam, you were in that class," she hands her the cards, which makes Sam furrow her eyebrows.
"What..."
"And this?" Nancy points at the walls. "This wallpaper, this is old wallpaper."
"Yeah, it's very 1982," Sam shakes her head in disdain.
"Not the point. This mirror went to a yard sale. And you," she picks up a stuffed bear. "You're not supposed to be here. I gave you to Cousin Joanna two years ago."
"Wait, my house," Sam mumbles, making them turn to her. "My house is blue here, that dingy powder blue it's been since I was a kid. But my parents repainted it last summer, it should be light brown. Nancy, do you have a planner here or a diary? Something with dates?"
