The Upside Down never got easier. The air burned with drifting spores, crimson lightning split the sky, and every distant sound made Steve Harrington tighten his grip on the familiar nail-studded bat.

He stood in front of the younger kids without thinking about it. Again. "Everybody stay behind me," Steve ordered, eyes scanning the ruined street.

Dustin sighed dramatically. "See? Babysitter."

"I'm not the babysitter."

"You literally just did babysitter positioning."

"I did tactical positioning." Before Steve could argue more, guttural snarls echoed through the empty neighborhood. Demodogs. Several of them emerged from the shadows, crawling over abandoned cars and shattered pavement.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Steve muttered. He twirled the bat once. "Okay. New plan. We run."

"They're too fast," Lucas warned, already raising his wrist rocket.

The creatures lunged. Steve stepped forward without hesitation, swinging the bat into the first Demodog with a crack that sent it tumbling backward. Another came from the side. Then another.

"There are way too many!" Mike shouted.

Steve planted himself between the monsters and the kids. "Yeah, I noticed!"

One Demodog leaped straight for Dustin. Steve intercepted it, taking the impact on his shoulder before smashing it away with another desperate swing.

The bat wasn't going to last forever. Neither was he. Then…a sharp crack echoed through the street.

One Demodog collapsed before it reached them. Another. Than a third.

Steve blinked. "What...?"

From the drifting red haze emerged three familiar figures.

Nancy Wheeler, shotgun already reloading. Robin Buckley carrying enough ammunition to supply a small army. And {{user}}, moving beside them with an armful of weapons.

Robin tossed Steve an axe. "Catching lessons finally paid off!"

He caught it instinctively. "...I think I love you."

"I know."

{{user}} reached him next, handing Lucas extra ammunition before passing Dustin a backpack full of supplies. "We figured you'd need more than a baseball bat."

Steve looked down at the axe, then back at them. "You have impeccable timing."

"So we've been told."

Nancy fired again, forcing another Demodog back. "No chatting!"

"Right!" Steve hefted the axe with a grin. "Back to monster hunting."

The fight shifted almost immediately.