Before she did so, there was no light to speak of. But now that she could see, the tunnel positively took her breath away. It was a well-rounded tunnel, taking form in what she'd imagine being inside a human's gut would be like.

Dust particles floated through the air, likely the things that caused her to have to wear a bandana over her mouth in the first place. Steve soon dropped down after her with a heavy thud, standing upright and inspecting the tunnel with similar amazement.

"Holy shit," he remarked, looking around and doing a mental count to make sure all the kids were together.

"Uh," Mike said, shining his flashlight over the messily hand-drawn map, "yeah I'm pretty sure it's this way."

"Wow," Ringo drily commented, "you've convinced me."

"You're pretty sure or you're certain?" Dustin questioned.

"I'm 100% sure!" Mike snapped in return. "Just follow me and you'll know!" He turned to move off but was quickly interrupted by Steve.

"Woah, woah! Hey! I don't think so," he barked, stomping along the hard ground towards him. "If any of you little shits die down here, I'm getting the blame. Got it, dipshit?" Steve snapped the map from Mike's hands and began to step forward. "From here on out, I'm leading the way. Let's go!"

Ringo naturally fell behind a few steps, volunteering to take up the rear of the group to make sure nobody got lost or left behind while following Steve.

"Come on!" Steve demanded, the kids stepping as quickly as possible over the ridges in the ground. "Hey, a little hustle!"

"Shut up, dickhead," Ringo fired back, her voice echoing down. "I'm not about to fall flat on my ass!"

"Then next time let's do what I want to do and stay home!" He replied. Her mouth fell open in annoyance, before she eventually shrugged and nodded.

"Fair enough," she agreed.

She noticed that some areas in the walls and ground were splattered with something squishy and red, wincing every time she stood in it. It held the consistency of jelly, and if Ringo had to guess, she supposed it was the skin the demodogs were shedding every time they molted.

"Jesus Christ, this place is disgusting," she huffed, shuffling forward a little faster to avoid being left behind. Her quickened pace left her less careful of her steps, and the next time she stood on a discarded slab of skin, her converse shoe slipped.

With a small scream, Ringo fell forward with the trip, landing on her front directly on top of the dirt and slime. She paused for a minute in shock, her hands against the ground to stop her face from smacking against it.

"Ringo!" Steve shouted, turning swiftly around and backtracking to find her. He let out a small sigh of relief when his flashlight shone over her body on the ground, just as she was pushing herself up off the ground. "Are you okay?"

Instead of answering, she brought herself up to standing and looked down at the slime and dirt that now coated herself and her clothing. Her eyes lifted from her body to meet Steve's worried gaze, completely void of emotion as she was unsure whether to shout angrily or cry again.

Against his own will, Steve was fighting down the chuckles that arose in his throat at her appearance. But all the restraint in the world couldn't stop the howl of laughter that eventually fell from his mouth with so much force, he was doubled over with his hands on his knees.

His contagious laughter spread to Max, Lucas and Dustin, who joined in with giggles of their own. All flashlights were shone towards Ringo's stony expression, which somehow made the situation even funnier.

Having had enough, Ringo picked up the axe which she had dropped mid-fall and raised it up with both hands.

"Who's dying first?" She threatened. Mike, finally having had enough of their antics, stepped in with a roll of his eyes.

"Let's go! Jesus! Do I need to remind you of the gravity of our situation?" He sneered in annoyance, turning back to walk again.

"Gravity of our situation," Ringo mocked under her breath with a shake of her head. Steve jogged to catch up to the front again and lead the way.

Their trek eventually led them to a hub of sorts, where several tunnels all converged together to meet at one junction. But Steve, holding the map, knew which tunnel to take. Dustin paused in front of Ringo, lagging behind the others as a distinct sound met his ears.

"What is it?" She pressed, moving to stand beside him. When she saw his head tilted back, she followed his gaze and saw what was sure to be the strangest anomaly she'd ever seen in her existence.

"What the hell?" Dustin whispered, shining his flashlight towards the thing, which seemed to be pulsing somewhat.

"It looks like... a butthole?"

Before Dustin could even roll his eyes at her comment, the 'butthole' clenched and launched a flurry of particles directly aimed at Dustin's head. He immediately fell to the ground with a scream, batting at his face with his hands.

"Help! Help!" He began to shout, running to catch up with the group who had immediately turned around upon hearing his original scream.

"Dustin!" Mike and Max called out in horror as the boy dropped to his knees, sliding down the bandana and taking a breath.

"What happened?!" Steve demanded, pushing them aside to reach him.

"It's in my mouth!" Dustin was hysterically whimpering. "Some got in my mouth! Shiiiiiit!"

"Shit," Steve answered, feeling at a loss as he watched Dustin cough mercilessly. "Wait, where's Ringo?!"

His flashlight moved to shine back from where they came, landing on Ringo almost immediately. The blonde's bandana was pushed down as well, and her mouth was opened widely as if she was struggling to breathe.

Before anyone could run to help her as well, the loudest shriek of a laugh finally made its way out of her throat, breaking down into cackles that emanated through the tunnels. Ringo was smacking her knee as her body shook with her guffaws.

"H-he..." she stopped to laugh even harder, finger pointing at Dustin who seemed to make somewhat of a recovery, "h-he got shitted on by a freakin' butthole!"

A chorus of sighs rang out from the group, who turned their attention back to Dustin as he started to sit up. The pre-teen gave a small embarrassed nod.

"I'm okay," he admitted.

"Very funny man," Steve grunted, turning to continue their journey.

"God, what an idiot," Max rolled her eyes, following the group.

Ringo came up behind Dustin as he brought himself to his feet, smacking him on the back of the shoulder with a smirk as she tugged her bandana back up.

"Let's go... butthead," her nickname re-stirred her amusement, still sniggering as they trailed ahead together.

A couple of minutes passed, leading them to another intersection. If Ringo thought the previous one was a hub, she was completely wrong. This one was easily twice as big, with twice as many tunnels converging together.

"Alright, young Wheeler," Steve nodded, stuffing the map in his pocket. "I think we've found your hub."

"Let's drench it," Mike suggested.

The group began to douse the hub in gasoline, Ringo untying the canister she had on her back to follow suit. She made sure all the entrances except the one they came from were coated in the flammable liquid, until all that came out any more was a few droplets.

With that done, they scurried back to their tunnel and crouched down.

"All right, you guys ready?" Steve asked, taking the lighter from his pocket and opening it.

"Light it up, babe," Ringo encouraged as everyone else agreed.

"God," Steve sighed as he set the lighter alight, "I am in such deep shit."

With that he tossed the lighter forward, while everyone instantly turned and readied themselves to run, the sounds of flames igniting and a creature groaning in pain. Tentacles arose through the fire, which they saw when they looked over their shoulders mid-run. Ringo was horrified at the thought. They weren't mere tunnels after all, the creatures were there the entire time.

Ringo tried desperately not to fall as she ran, but it was proving difficult when following behind a group of kids with shorter legs than herself.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Steve was repeating loudly, the echoes of screeches meeting his ears.

Mike tripped over what he believed to be a ridge, until tentacles began to stretch around his legs and keep him down. Ringo finally caught up with him as her cousin shouted for help, whipping out the can of deodorant from Billy's car and her lighter.

She sparked up the flame and angled the nozzle behind it, pressing down the button and creating a cloud of fire within inches of Mike's feet. It cried out in pain, letting go of the boy soon after.

"Come on," Ringo cried out, gripping his underarms and hauling him to his feet.

The group had returned when they noticed Mike and Ringo lagging behind, helping Ringo bring Mike to a standing point.

"Guys, we gotta go!" Dustin was anxiously ordering. But when the group turned to run once more, they were met with yet another obstacle. This time, a lone demodog.

It opened its terrifying mouth at Dustin, who was standing closest to it. Ringo brought up her lighter and deodorant again, ready to light the demon the hell up - until Dustin spoke.

"Dart?" He called out. The creature's mouth closed at his call, prompting Dustin to step forward. His move was met with immediate disapproval from the rest of the group.

"Trust me," Dustin held his hand out to quiet them. "Please."

He stepped toward Dart, mumbling lowly to him as if it were a pet. Ringo and Steve met eyes, both widened in fright before looking back to the altercation. Her axe was tucked into a makeshift strap on her back, but she found her homemade flamethrower seemed to be much more effective.

"Will you let us pass?" Dustin asked the demodog, who was unusually calm until that question - opening his mouth to expose all his teeth and scream in refusal.

The group jumped in fright tightening their hold on their weapons and huddling closer together. But Dustin wasn't phased.

"Okay, okay," Dustin reasoned. "I'm sorry about the storm cellar. It was a pretty douchey thing to do. You hungry?"

"Have I stepped into the fucking Twilight zone?" Ringo whispered.

"He's insane," Lucas agreed, watching while Dustin brought a candy bar out of his pocket and held it up.

"I've got your favourite candy," he beamed, "nougat!"

"Is he seriously trying to win this thing over with a freakin' 3 Musketeers bar?!" Ringo hissed in shock, until Steve shushed her.

'Dart' stepped forward, gobbling up the candy Dustin was leaving on the ground. The boy waved at the group with his hand, who were able to sneak successfully by while Dustin kept him fed. Eventually, he was able to get by himself, the creature not protesting at the movement while it peacefully ate.

"Goodbye buddy," he told it, bringing his skiing goggles back down to cover his eyes.

"Jesus dude," Steve shook his head as they retreated back to the opening, "you're freakin' insane."

They ran for what felt like ever, the return journey feeling so much longer than the first. Ringo worried internally in case they were going the wrong way, until a violent shudder shook the tunnel, causing them all to lose their balance and clutch for their walls. Again, Ringo fell down, onto her bottom this time.

"Seriously?" She threw her hands up in frustration, accepting Steve's hand as he helped her to her feet. A growl met their ears, sounding as if it were closer than before.

"What was that?" Max dared to ask, as they shone their flashlights in that direction.

"They're coming!" Mike shouted, whipping around. "Run!"

It was something they had been doing already, or so Ringo thought. This time, she was sprinting with a speed she never knew she possessed, completely fuelled by adrenaline as the creatures nipped at their heels. This was a foolish idea, and she cursed herself over and over for it mentally.

Now, she was at risk of not just losing her own life, but losing the lives of four kids she held dear to heart and a man she had truly come to love - something she had never admitted before, not even to herself.

The second the rope and the light from the moon met their eyes, a burst of energy flooded through them to reach it in time.

"Come on, go! Let's go! Go!" Steve was barking when he reached the rope, grappling for Max and propelling her upward so she could grip onto the grass and drag herself out. With him doing the heavy lifting, Ringo came to the conclusion that it was her who would have to defend the group from the back.

With her heart hammering and her chest panting from exertion, she brought the lighter and can up one final time, readying to hit both the second she saw a flicker of movement in front of her.

A chorus of shrieks reverberated through the walls just as Steve had launched Dustin upward and out. Glancing over his shoulder, he not only saw the shadows of the incoming horde, but he also saw Ringo standing a few feet away from him, ready to defend them.

"Steve! Ringo! Come on!" The kids were roaring through the opening, but they were out of time. Steve reached for his discarded bat and joined her at her side, holding it up on the air.

Ringo looked over in shock as her shoulder brushed against his.

"Steve! Get out of here, now! I'll hold them off!" She demanded, terror gripping her when she realised he hadn't escaped with the others.

"I'm not leaving you!" He shouted back, shaking his head. "Not a chance in hell!"

"I am not losing you! Get out now!"

"I'm not losing you either!" She never got to argue his words, as the flurry of demodogs finally rounded the corner.

Ringo flicked the wheel of her lighter and pressed as hard as she could on the top of the deodorant, flames releasing immediately in front of them. Steve winced as he prepared for the impact, but within seconds, both his bat and her lighter were being lowered.

The couple watched in amazement as the demodogs parted around them like a river, scurrying past as if they didn't even exist and hurtling down the tunnel, as if they too were escaping.

Steve reached for Ringo and brought her against his chest, without restraint, to widen the gap and allow them pass more easily. When the crowd were finally gone, he loosened his grip, allowing her to slide down from his arms.

She immediately whipped around and regarded upon his grin of achievement, responding to it with a slap against his chest.

"Hey! What was that for?" He protested, before receiving an onslaught of slaps against his upper arms.

"Why didn't you leave?! Why did you come back?!" She demanded, continuing her attack.

"Hey hey hey hey!" He stopped her by gripping her hands, but the second she stopped hitting him she broke down.

Ringo slumped against his chest, angrily shoving her goggles and bandana away from her face as tears streaked her cheeks. Unlike before, these weren't ones of panic. This was of pure terror.

She and Steve had essentially looked death in the eye, and what frightened her most was that she was more concerned for him than for himself. The idea of losing him had almost punched a hole of loss in her chest. Ringo knew better than anyone, after her father's death, how fragile life could be.

Steve consoled her for a moment, wrapping his arms around her and discarding his own glasses and scarf. After a few seconds passed, he used his grip on her to gently coax her towards the rope, unwinding her arms from his middle and grabbing onto her hips.

Ringo swiped the tears away from her cheeks and took a deep breath, placing her hands on his shoulders as he lifted her by the hips upward, her hands grasping on to Mike, Dustin and Lucas' waiting ones. With their group effort, they hauled her out of the tunnel. Steve - with his best subject being gym class, dragged himself out by doing the rope climb.

"What was that about?" He whispered to her, tugging her away from the group, eyes full of concern.

She shook her head for a moment, deciding she owed him the truth. In admitting it to him, she was destroying the final emotional wall she had built to keep people out. She was fully submitting herself to him and opening up, and she didn't even care.

"After my dad... and how I left things with him... the thought of losing you terrifies me every day. The thought of losing any of you, but especially you. I never know when is the last time I'll see you or the last time we talk, and that scares me to the point of walking around with this constant weight on my shoulders. This constant fear."

Steve's expression melted at her admission, stepping forward and bringing her into his chest, tucking her head underneath his chin.

"You're not going to lose me, I promise-" he assured her, before being cut off.

"How can you promise that?" She demanded, voice muffled against his chest. He leaned back to see her face, lifting his hands to cup her cheeks and wipe the stray tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"Because... because I'm Steve freakin' Harrington," he answered, smirking cockily enough to receive the smallest smiles of amusement.

"You're so lame," she rolled her eyes playfully, taking a deep breath as she began to return to reality and calm down.

"Too lame to be your boyfriend?" He asked, catching her off guard. She paused for a second as she took in his words. When she finally fully realised what he had just said, her lips broke into the most breathtaking grin Steve had ever seen.

"Definitely," she agreed, "but I'll let you be my boyfriend anyway."

He chuckled under his breath, leaning in to press a kiss to the tip of her nose before capturing her lips in a kiss that quietened all her fears. The possibility of death nipped at their heels every day, and instead of running from it, she was going to do the most to make every moment count. Being with Steve meant doing just that.

Their kiss was interrupted by a bright light, causing them to break apart to see Billy's headlights shine brighter than before, almost blinding them.

The group stood, mystified for a moment, but it was Mike who offered an explanation with one single word. A name.

"Eleven."

✵