𝘼𝙪𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩 [𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣]

[Family Reunion]

As the five exited the movie theatre's hall, the voice of a Russian guard cut through the air. Dustin's eyes went wide, and he instinctively grabbed Cherry's hand. "We need to go. Now." Steve and Robin immediately snapped to attention, the haze of their earlier state fading as adrenaline kicked in. They followed Dustin's lead, Steve grabbing a hold of Cherry's other hand while they ducked into the crowd that was milling around the mall's main floor, heading toward the escalators. The clink of heavy boots echoed behind them, making Steve's blood run cold.

"Did they see us?" Cherry whispered, glancing over her shoulder. "Keep your head down," Dustin urged, his voice low but firm. "They're armed." They reached the escalators, stepping onto the moving stairs just as a few of the guards emerged at the top, scanning the crowd. For a moment, the group held its breath, praying they wouldn't be spotted. But it wasn't long until Steve cursed under his breath as he noticed one of the guards pointing in their direction, shouting to the others. The guards began pushing their way through the throngs of people, hands already reaching for the guns strapped to their backs.

"Down! Get down!" Dustin hissed, practically dragging Erica and Cherry with him as they crouched, trying to blend in with the oblivious shoppers around them. Steve stood a step above, keeping a watchful eye as they descended. "We need to get out of here," Robin said, her voice trembling. "They're going to shoot us." "We'll lose them in the food court," Steve said, making a quick decision. "We can find another exit there." As soon as they reached the bottom of the escalator, they broke into a run, weaving between the bodies of late-night shoppers who were too wrapped up in their own worlds to notice the five.

They could hear the guards shouting behind them, their voices growing closer and more urgent. "We're almost there!" Dustin called out, eyes fixed on the neon-lit sign of the food court. "Just keep going!" But as they rounded the corner, their hopes crashed. More guards stood at the entrance of the food court, their weapons already drawn. The mall was closing, and the guards were locking it down. They were trapped. "Steve, what do we do?" Cherry's voice was high-pitched, almost shrill with panic. Steve glanced around, trying to find a way out.

His heart pounded in his chest as he watched the guards raise their guns, aiming directly at them. There was no time left. "Get down!" he shouted, pushing Cherry and the others to the floor just as a loud crash erupted behind them. A car display, positioned in the center of the food court, suddenly lurched forward as if propelled by an unseen force. The vehicle's horn blared wildly, echoing off the walls as it careened straight toward the guards. The guards turned in shock, but it was too late. The car slammed into them, sending them flying in all directions like rag dolls.

"Holy shit," Erica whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief as the car finally came to a stop, wedged against the far wall. The horn continued to blare, a shrill note of chaos amid the silence that had settled over the mall. "Who did that?" Robin asked, her voice barely audible over the noise. A familiar laugh sounded across the food court, "You flung that thing like a Hot Wheel!" Erica grunted as she stood. "Lucas?" The rest of the group followed Erica's gaze, Cherry's eyes landing on Max. Her little sister, who she hadn't seen in way too long.

She had so many questions, too many to ask right now. "What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, looking at his little sister in disbelief. Erica crossed her arms. "Ask them. It's their fault." "True, yeah, totally true," Steve added quickly. Dustin chimed in, "Absolutely our fault." Robin, still staring at the car, muttered, "I don't understand what just happened." Steve shrugged. "El has superpowers." Robin's eyebrows shot up. "I'm sorry?" Cherry gave Robin a sympathetic look, remembering how she'd reacted when she first learned about El's powers. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, superpowers. She threw it with her mind. C'mon, catch up." Robin looked toward Eleven, noticing the blood dripping from her nose as she leaned heavily on Mike. "That's El?" Erica glanced between them, confused. "Who's El?" Cherry nudged Erica toward Eleven. "She's the one who moved the car. With her mind." Nancy stepped forward, eyeing Robin warily. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Robin gave a half-smile. "I'm Robin. I work with Steve." Dustin added, "She cracked the top-secret code." "Yeah, which is how we found out about the Russians," Steve said.

Mike's head snapped up. "Russians? Wait, what Russians?" Dustin gestured around. "The Russians! The ones trying to kill us." Lucas looked even more confused. "Those were Russians?" Cherry nodded. "Some of them, yeah." "What are you talking about?" Will asked. Dustin threw up his hands. "Didn't you hear our code red?" Mike shook his head. "Yeah, but we couldn't understand what you were saying." Dustin cursed under his breath. "Goddamn low battery." Steve pointed at Dustin, annoyed. "How many times do I have to tell you about the low battery?"

Dustin shrugged. "Well, everything worked out, didn't it?" Erica rolled her eyes. "Worked out? We almost died." "Yeah, but we didn't, did we?" Dustin countered. Steve gave him a look. "It was pretty damn close." Cherry echoed, "Too close." Lucas, trying to wrap his head around everything, went on, "Okay, Russians? As in, they're working for the Russian government?" Eleven's breathing grew heavier, her face pale. Dustin snapped back, "What are you not getting? We've got a full-blown Red Dawn situation here!" Max looked between the group, alarmed. "So this has nothing to do with the gate?"

Dustin's face turned serious. "It has everything to do with the gate—" But he was cut off by a cry from Eleven. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. El! El!" Mike's voice rose in panic as Eleven's knees buckled, her body collapsing to the floor. "What's wrong with her?" Erica's voice was sharp, cutting through the panic. Mike knelt beside Eleven, who was groaning in pain. "My leg. My leg," she gasped. Jonathan knelt beside them. "Get that off," he said, gesturing to the bottom of her jeans. Max carefully pulled up Eleven's pants leg, revealing a gash on her shin, oozing with yellow fluid. The wound looked inflamed, something writhing beneath the veiny surface.

"Oh my god," Robin whispered, covering her mouth. Cherry's face turned pale as she observed the wound. "That's bad. That's really really bad." Steve tried to hold back a gag, glad he already puked in the bathroom earlier. He turned around, his back facing the group as he listened. "El, El, are you okay?" Max asked, but Eleven's eyes were wild with pain, her wailing echoing through the empty mall as she gripped Mike's arm. The group gathered around, their sense of dread deepening, knowing this was only the beginning of something far worse.