completing the final tasks before the sun officially went down. Steve was in the midst of pouring gasoline around, the red-haired girl was salvaging through the materials laying around and Ringo was setting down traps.

Admittedly, bear traps frightened the hell out of her. But they seemed to work rather successfully last Halloween, and that was good enough for them. However fearful she was of getting caught in one, she was twice as scared as setting it, envisioning it going off at any moment.

They could only afford to buy three in the store, so she placed them in areas that weren't entirely visible from the windows on the bus.

"No sneak attacks today, Satan," she muttered under her breath, placing both feet down on the levers and shoving the giant claws open. Unaware that she hadn't placed them down far enough to click into place, when she stepped off it sprang up and snapped the thin air. The shock of it was enough to cause her to scream, her hands up in the air and flailing about until she calmed down and realised that none of her limbs had made contact with it.

"What?!" Steve bellowed, racing towards her while the other kids stood watch, fearfully. "What's wrong?!"

Embarrassed by her display, she huffed and shrugged her shoulders, keeping her head down as she returned towards Steve and the others.

"Nothing," she tried to play off. Steve rolled his eyes, while the kids let out a sigh of relief simultaneously.

"Jesus, Ringo," Steve swore, "I thought you were being mauled to death."

"Don't worry, sugar," she cooed teasingly, bumping the side of her hip against his, "I'll protect you from the monsters."

"Please," he scoffed, "I'll protect you."

"No," she continued to argue, prompting Dustin and Lucas to share a look of incredulity. "I'll protect you."

"No, Ringo, I'm the-" he cut himself off before continuing, looking away suddenly as he tossed the empty gas canister onto the ground.

"Finish that sentence, I dare you," she pointed at him, a smirk on her lips. "You were about to say because you're the man!"

"No! No!" He denied, looking guilty as charged. "I was about to say... because I'm the... Queen?"

"Nice save," she said sarcastically, chuckling to herself as they finally headed towards the bus to wait the night out.

She gripped her axe along the way, swinging it up to rest to rest on her shoulder as she stepped up onto the boarded up school bus. Max, Lucas and Dustin followed, whispering to themselves.

"Are they always like this?" Max asked quietly.

"Worse," Dustin huffed, "you should have seen them when they pretended they didn't like each other."

"I can hear you, dickhead," Steve called out in a deadpan voice.

Once the group were safely inside, Steve reached for the lever next to the driver's seat and shut the door to the bus, sealing them inside.

Ringo slid down onto the ground, placing the axe beside her and resting her back against the side of the bus. The kids circled around her, sitting down as well, while Steve stayed near the driver's seat, peering out. They began the wait for sundown.

"So," Ringo shimmied over to the new girl, who happened to be by her side. Max looked up, feeling shy all of a sudden as the girl regarded her. "What's your name?"

"Max," she responded tentatively. "Yours?"

"Ringo," she beamed, hoping it would somehow relax the younger girl.

"Nice name," she told her, and Ringo smiled even wider. Aside from Steve, she was the only person who hadn't immediately made the connection to a certain member of the Beatles.

"So, Max, you seem pretty cool. Why are you hanging with these losers?" She nodded her head towards Dustin and Lucas, who were pretending not to listen.

"Hey!" They shouted simultaneously.

"I'm new here, they followed me about until I felt bad and said I'd chill with them," Max joked, her lips finally forming the essence of a smile as Ringo giggled.

"New here, really? Where are you from?"

"California," she answered, and Ringo's head inconspicuously turned to make eye contact with Steve - who also whipped around at that revelation.

"Interesting," the blonde hummed, drawing her eyes away from Steve to return to the younger girl. "Got any siblings?"

"No," she shook her head. "Well, a step brother. You probably know him. Billy Hargrove?"

Ringo tried her hardest not to react, whether that reaction was to laugh or narrow her eyes she wasn't sure. In the meantime, Steve shuffled towards them and plopped down beside her.

"Yeah we know him," he muttered, trying to keep the distaste out of his voice.

"Yeah," Max nodded. "He's an asshole."

At this, the small amount of tension forming dissolved, and they all shared a laugh despite the current predicament they found themselves in.

✵

Quite some time had passed, with each person taking it in shifts to climb the ladder above the bus and keep a look out. It was currently Lucas' turn, who was adamant on not sharing his binoculars with anyone. As Ringo's turn was next, she threatened if he wouldn't give them to her he'd be covering her shift as well.

Steve was absently flicking his lighter on and off, staring off into the distance out of pure boredom. Ringo was curled beside him, her head against his shoulder as she used a stray rock to carve her name into the handle of her axe.

"So," Max began, trying to start conversation and ease their boredom, "you two really fought one of those things?"

"Yep," Steve admitted, while Ringo nodded with a tight smile. It wasn't one of her fondest memories.

"And you're like... totally 100% sure it wasn't a bear?"

"Damn, what kind of fucking bears are you seeing in California?" Ringo scoffed.

"Shit, don't be an idiot, okay?" Dustin cut in. "It wasn't a bear."

"Woah," Steve held his hands in the air at his outburst.

"Hey, don't call her an idiot!" Ringo called out, eyebrows furrowing. She didn't like the tone he was taking with the girl he obviously liked. But Dustin ignored them both.

"Why are you even here if you don't believe us?" He continued. "Just go home."

"Jeesh, someone's cranky," Max scoffed, getting up to gather her things. But Ringo could tell she was trying not to appear offended.

"Don't make me take off my belt, young man," she threatened, shuffling to stand onto her feet and giving him the harshest glare she could muster.

"Hey, come on, okay?" Steve sighed, trying to stop Max. "You can't go out there at night, alone. I'll give you a ride home when this is over."

She didn't answer him, instead climbing the ladder to go up and see Lucas. When she disappeared, Steve gave him a look of disbelief.

"Damn, man, I don't think my advice told you to be an asshole."

"I don't even like her," Dustin huffed, continuing to pace around the bus impatiently. Assuming he was denying it because he thought Max was listening, Steve gave him a wink of encouragement.

"Why are you winking, Steve?" Dustin asked, prompting Steve to look away and shake his head innocently. "Stop."

"Jesus," Ringo laughed shortly. "It's past your bed time, pal. Why don't you take a nap in the corner and I'll wake you when it's over?"

"Shut up."

"Want Steve and I to sing you a lullaby?" She smirked at her proposed singing partner, who snickered at her jibes.

"I said, shut up."

"Oh come now, I know a good one," she shuffled toward him, leaning back against the wall of the bus and starting to sing, in a soft, slow voice, in a lullaby rendition of the original. "Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you... there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do..."

Completely amused by how annoyed Dustin was becoming, Steve began to join in with a completely off-key, but quiet voice.

"I bless the rains down in Aaaaafricaaaaa... gonna take some time to do the things we never haaaaad..."

"Oh my god!" He exploded, eyes wide with annoyance as he regarded upon the duo, who were now shamelessly laughing. "You know what, you guys are perfect together. You know why? Because you're both so fucking annoying!"

All of a sudden, a growl ripped through the field, causing all elements of anger or amusement to wipe from their faces. Steve, Dustin and Ringo rushed towards the caged windows, peering out through the slits in an attempt to see what was going on. Or more specifically, where it was.

"You see him?" Steve questioned.

"No," Ringo answered in a whisper, heart hammering in her chest.

"Lucas!" Dustin called out. "What's going on?"

"I've got eyes!" Lucas shouted, "ten o clock! Ten o clock!"

Immediately, the trio's eyes snapped towards that general direction, and sure enough a dark mass could be made out from next to one of the cars. The figure was growling lowly, eyes fixed on the bus.

"There," Steve pointed his finger.

"What's he doing?" Dustin asked.

"I don't know. He's not taking the bait, whys he not taking the bait?"

"Maybe he's smarter than we think," Ringo revealed, eyes fixed in a mixture of adrenaline and fear.

"Or maybe he's not hungry?" Dustin added.

"Maybe... maybe he got sick of cow," Steve suggested, earning a smack in the chest from Ringo.

"Shut up, what the fuck? I don't wanna hear that!" She whisper-shouted. Soon after, Steve began to back up, a look of downtrodden realisation on his face. One that Ringo recognised all too well.

Her suspicions only became confirmed when he reached down for his bat, swinging it up and heading towards the front of the bus. Ringo and Dustin rose up simultaneously, looks of worry on their faces.

"Steve, don't even think about it," the blonde warned, stepping forward to follow him.

"Steve? What are you doing?" Dustin asked in a panic, but their protests were cut off as he flung the very same lighter he was playing with moments ago, in the air towards Ringo. Expertly, she caught it in her hands, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Just get ready," was all he said, reaching for the lever to open the door.

"This isn't the plan!" She protested, following after him with widened eyes, but as usual - he didn't listen. Sighing in frustration, all she could do was rush to the vacant door of the bus and watch out as he stepped into the clearing.

"Ringo, I have to close it!" Dustin told her, reaching for the handle and shutting it in front of her face.

"No!" She whisper shouted, shuffling towards the window instead to keep her eyes on him. Her axe was gripped tightly in her hands, and although it shook from how scared she was, she was fully prepared to run after him at a moment's notice.

Steve swung the bat cockily up, poised and ready to swing it if anything should lunge out at him. The creaking of the ladder sounded behind Ringo, but she didn't turn to see. He inched closer towards the car he knew the demo-dog would be hiding beside, whistling as if it were a regular dog.

"Come out, buddy," Steve taunted, two hands gripping the bat now as his hold became firmer.

"What's he doing?" Max demanded when she finally reached the bottom, flying toward the window to join Ringo and Dustin.

"Being an idiot," Ringo muttered, one hand lifting from her axe to slide her fingers onto the cage covering the window.

"Come on buddy, its dinner time," the boy outside continued, his feet practically disappearing within the smoke. "Human tastes better than cat, I promise."

"He's insane," Max commented, shaking her head.

"He's awesome," Dustin grinned, finding a new respect for the man he had unintentionally roped into all of this.

"Steve!" Lucas shouted all of a sudden. "Watch out!"

"Little busy here!" He hollered back.

"Three o clock! Three o clock!"

Like it was timed, Steve and the trio inside the bus turned their heads in synchronisation to see that, to their horror, their trail of bait hadn't just led Dart to them. They had just led a whole litter of the little demons, and they were all approaching Steve.

"Fuck this," Ringo swore, turning and sprinting towards the top of the bus again. She nearly broke the handle from how quick she opened the door, the large creaking noise distracting the demo-dogs from him for a second.

"Steve, abort!" Dustin was shouting, directly behind Ringo. "Abort!"

Steve took a quick glance around, realising that the situation was almost inescapable. He turned his head towards the first monster, who was now fully hurtling towards him. Involuntarily, his body froze in place, out of shock and a slight grasp of fear.

Just before it could make contact with his body, something broke within Steve, as he broke his limbs from their icy paralysis and leaped over the hood of the car next to him.

"Behind you!" Ringo screamed, unable to watch anymore as she leaped out of the bus, axe in hand and ready to offer assistance. Steve whirled around with his bat, hitting the incoming demo-dog in the head with a sickening crunch, and began to run towards the bus.

Another one lunged for Ringo, to which she responded to with a panicked kick to its head. Wading it off for a second, she swung her axe over her shoulder and brought it down onto its head, creating a fatal slice just behind its large mouth. The monster slumped to the ground just as Steve wrapped his hand around her elbow, dragging her to move in the opposite direction - back towards the bus.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-" she muttered to herself as they ran, half leaping at the group of kids to get inside the bus, with Steve right at her feet. Dustin caught her before she could fall, dragging her taller figure backwards from the entrance so Steve could enter.

Just as the door shut, Steve plopped down onto the ground and grabbed the metal sheet placed next to the door, flinging the metal forward to press against it and holding it steady with his feet. Immediately, there was resistance, with the sounds of battering starting to come from all around the bus.

The creatures' limb made it over the sheet, eliciting a scream from all group members. Reacting instantly, Steve took his bat and began to beat at it - to harm it or get it away, he couldn't tell.

"The roof!" Ringo gasped in memory, rushing forward and swiping her foot underneath the ladder to disconnect it. The teenager quickly gripped one of the rungs and dragged it down, firing it onto the ground. Now that it was out of place, the roof would be able to close, but she wouldn't be able to reach it.

Desperately, she looked around for something to hoist herself up, and settled for one of the kids themselves.

"Stand there!" She grabbed the nearest person - which happened to be Lucas, and held her foot out to him. "Boost me up!"

"O-okay!" He agreed, cupping his hands underneath the sole of her foot just as she grabbed onto the railings above her head. With the extra lift, she was able to tug herself up to grab onto the top of the opening.

Truth be told, Ringo had the upper body strength of a dead fish. But with a burst of strength and energy from the adrenaline flooding her veins, she swung her foot up to rest on the railing she held moments before, and gripped the small, plastic door on the ceiling. With a final push of energy, she hauled it down to slam over the opening, prompting her to let go of everything in case she would slice her fingers off. With the lack of support, she fell straight down onto her bottom, causing her teeth to crack together and a sharp pain to radiate through that area of her body.

"Ow," she groaned, her body tilting to the side so her hands could cup both of her butt cheeks. A series of dull thuds began to sound out on the ceiling, accompanied by slight indents made on the metal.

All heads looked up to follow the demo-dog that was advancing towards them - and that's when Ringo realised. She forgot about the other opening in the ceiling.

Max was the one who had been unfortunate enough to find herself directly underneath the opening, her head slowly tilting back as she looked up to see the very thing she had denied the existence of moments ago. Except this time - there could be no denying.

Her mouth opened to emit a loud shriek, while Ringo hissed in pain as she scrambled to grip onto one of the leftover bus seats, hauling herself onto her feet and grappling for her axe once again.

She shuffled towards the group, while Steve slid in past her, calling for the kids to move back as he held his bat up once again. Ringo joined him at his side, her axe poised and ready to swing. It's face opened out, a terrifying growl emitting from its throat as it prepared to dive headfirst into the bus.

Instead, something stranger happened.

As if it was called, the demo-dog turned and looked around, roaring into the night sky definitively before scurrying away from the bus. The group waited in silence, listening to the wails of the other creature that were seemingly responding too.

It appeared they all were leaving too, as their cries began to fade out the further away they got.

With a huff of relief, Ringo placed her hand against the wall, shaking her head as she took a deep breath, hoping the dull pain would fade too.

"Holy crap, my ass hurts," she muttered, leaning against the side of the bus.

"Are you alright?" Steve whispered, still holding the bat - just in case. Although his eyes darted between her and the opening, full of worry for both.

"Yeah I'm fine," she groaned, pushing herself off the wall as the group turned towards the front, ready to go out and investigate.

Steve joined Ringo at her side, gently placing his hand on her lower back protectively. She appreciated the gesture even if it only lasted for a second, as he dropped it so he could be the one to open the door first. Well, door was a stretch. All that was left was the metal sheet Steve had put in place.

Cautiously, he poked his head around it, stepping out when he realised it wasn't a trick - the coast truly was clear. Feeling as if she could finally breathe, Ringo followed him, welcoming the fresh air she hadn't been able to inhale the last time she was outside.

"What happened?" Lucas questioned.

"I don't know," Max murmured, looking shaken.

"Bonnie and Clyde over there scared them off?" Dustin suggested, but Steve simply shook his head, leaning his bloodied bat against his shoulder and even though the situation certainly didn't call for it, Ringo couldn't help but mentally remark on how handsome he truly was. Shaking her head from impure thoughts, she tried to refocus on the scenario they had found themselves in.

"No," he said, turning to face them all with a knowing glint in his eye, "they're going somewhere."