stranger things | dick grayson

sixty three

word count: 3.9k

~

Exiting the R.V., the team assembled at the front of the vehicle with quizzical looks on their faces.

'Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to the asylum!' Gar exclaimed in confusion upon seeing the large building before them. It was a giant store, not a large pile of rubble and ash. 'It's crazy to think this was all forest last time we were here.'

'Capitalism is disgusting,' Eleanor muttered to Gar, who laughed and nudged her roughly with his elbow. He was the only one to find her joke amusing. 

'Strange,' Dick murmured, glancing down at his phone. 'This store never came up on my GPS. It's just blank... A black hole.'

'It's gone!' Kory laughed in disbelief.

'They made it a Super Super Mart,' Gar said, squinting at the tall building.

'There's something here,' Rachel told him, craning her head over her shoulder to look up.

'Yeah, they've got power tools, fresh groceries and a hunting section!'

Eleanor elbowed him and muttered, 'Gar.' 

After turning to see what Rachel was looking at. A black swarm of birds flew over them, screeching and flapping their wings violently. There was something nearby that was attracting them to the area. 

'And a ridiculous amount of ravens,' Gar said as his eyes widened.

They all began following after Dick, Eleanor walking so close she accidentally stepped on the back of his shoes multiple times. She apologised, but he gave her a gentle pat on her hip and a small smile. Eleanor grinned widely as Kory rolled her eyes. If it had been anybody else, he would have snapped at them by that point.

Eventually, the group stopped between two large garbage bins, and Dick announced, 'I got something.'

Eleanor covered her mouth as she gagged loudly. The team spun around in worry as she turned away from them all in embarrassment. Jinx placed a hand on her back, and as she inhaled deeply, she gagged again. She couldn't stop the tears that pooled in her eyes as she felt the laughter bubble up from her stomach— she couldn't believe her luck. 

'Are you okay?' Jinx asked her, worry etched into her features. 

'Yeah,' she said, wiping her mouth. 'Oh God, it smells so bad. I'm so sorry,' she said, standing back upright and turning around to face everyone, covering her mouth as she laughed. 'I'm okay.'

The group slowly turned their attention back to the door that Dick found after she reassured them again. Slowly making their way between the overflowing bins, Jinx wrapped her arm around Eleanor's shoulders as she pinched her nose shut and forced herself to hold her breath.

'The hell is that?' Kory asked.

'Just your standard portal to hell,' Gar joked, blocking his nose.

'Conner?' Dick asked.

Less than a minute later, they were all walking down the stairs and into the basement of the Super Super Mart. It held an uncanny resemblance of horror that the asylum they burnt down years ago held. 

'Anybody remember this area?' Eleanor asked them as she squinted through the darkness. Their only light source was the sun streaming in from the basement windows high above them.

'No. Doesn't look familiar,' Rachel replied.

'The fire never made it down here. Like it was sealed off,' Kory told them once they gathered at the bottom of the stairs.