𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐂, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 | 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

chapter seventeen; resuscitation

꒰꒰・┄┄・𓆩♡𓆪・┄┄・꒱꒱

"C'MON SUM, WAKE UP!" Steve panics as he grips the girl's shoulders, his heart beating rapidly in his chest like a drum about to explode. No matter how hard he tries to wake her she remains limp on the cold tiles that littered the mall floor.

Dustin looks between Steve and Robin, the three of them unsure of what to do, and when he opens his mouth to speak the sound of Eleven screaming in agony echoes throughout the shopping centre.

Unlike Summer, Eleven had woken up immediately after passing out but only because the level of pain coursing through her was so unbearable that even her unconscious self couldn't handle it.

Writhing in pain, she tells them it's her leg and so Nancy rolls up the material of her pants to reveal the damage done by the Mind Flayer. Not only had she been bitten, and badly at that, but there was now something moving around beneath her skin.

"What is it?" Dustin calls across the room, wanting to know if his friend was okay or not.

"We don't know," Max calls back. "What about Summer?"

"I don't know. She won't wake up." The nervous crack in the boy's voice is enough to panic the others as if they weren't already stressed enough trying to help Eleven.

Steve presses two fingers to Summer's wrist to check her pulse, Dustin and Robin waiting to see the verdict but he doesn't say a thing. His eyes begin to move rapidly as he checks the pulse in her neck and fear washed over his features.

"What is it, Steve?" Robin tries to get an answer, anything, out of him.

"H-Her breathing is slowing down. Why won't she wake up?" His lip trembles and he brushes a hand through his hair, something he did when he was mostly freaking out. "I don't understand, she was fine five minutes ago! W-What... What the hell is happening?" He shouts.

"Steve, you need to calm down, okay?" Dustin grabs the older boy by the shoulders. "Right now, Summer needs you. So you need to get your shit together and we are going to help her, okay?"

Steve blinks a couple of times, eyes glazing over as they remain on Summer's body and then he slowly nods before moving to grab a hold of his girlfriend's hand.

"Take me to her." Eleven cries out but the others are all so shell-shocked from everything that's going on that none of them moves. "Take me to her, now!"

Granting her what she wanted Mike and Max help El move closer to Summer, she winces and hisses from the movement but refuses to let them stop until she is by her side. El then instructs Mike to help her sit up and once she has she slowly closes her eyes and raises her right hand.

"Wait, El, what are you doing?" Max stresses but the brunette doesn't answer.

Eleven focuses on Summer's heart and her breathing pattern, taking extra precautions that she doesn't use too much force or what she was about to do could go horribly wrong.