Chapter Seven: bury a friend

A/N: I'm back! Thank you to all who have reviewed. I know it's been a while since I last updated. This chapter was difficult to write, mainly because of the content at the end. Please be advised there is non-graphic mention of sexual assault in this chapter.

For the debt I owe, gotta sell my soul
Cause I can't say no, no, I can't say no
Then my limbs all froze and my eyes won't close
And I can't say no, I can't say no

"Uh, so why are we at the junkyard?"

Remy shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun, scanning the rust-covered cars and handful of old swing sets. Dustin slipped out of the back seat of Steve's car. The kid hadn't given her any clues as to exactly what was going on, causing Remy to turn her attention on Steve, who had on a pair of banana-yellow gloves and was holding a bucket of raw meat. The most concerning was probably the baseball bat embedded with nails that he twirled in his free hand.

"Oh, yeah." Steve examined the junkyard like they'd stumbled across the find of the century. "Yeah, this will do just fine. Good call, dude."

Remy swivelled to fix Dustin with an accusing glare, pushing her sunglasses down her nose. "Explain."

"So there's this creature," Dustin caved under her stare, rambling on immediately, "I kept it as a pet, but basically it's from the Upside Down…"

Remy frowned. "The what?"

"Just let him tell the story," Steve called as he scattered pieces of raw meat across the ground.

"…anyway, so it turned out it was actually a Demodog, and now I've kind of lost it."

"Do you want to tell me what a Demodog is?" Remy asked coolly, but her heart was beating frantically. As Dustin explained, a story that would have made no sense to others made perfect sense to Remy. Forget the psychic girl and the alternate dimension or whatever. The Demodog…that was what she'd seen in the woods that day.

"I said medium-well!" Another kid's voice carried across the junkyard, and Remy turned to see Dustin's friend Lucas, and a red-haired girl she recognised as Billy's stepsister Max.

"Who's that?" Steve asked, and the longing on Dustin's face made him and Remy exchange a look. It was dead obvious that he had a crush on Max. Biting back a grin, Remy burrowed into her pocket and unwrapped a piece of gum, shovelling it in her mouth and chewing, savouring the rich grape flavour.

"So what exactly are we doing here?" she asked, falling into step beside Steve. Lucas and Dustin had gone to argue about something behind one of the cars, whilst Max was busy prying one of the doors off an old car. She wondered how exactly Steve had gotten caught up with Dustin. They seemed quite an unlikely duo.

"We're luring in this Demodog thing."

Steve believed Dustin. Had he seen the creature, or was he going on blind faith? Either way, it made Remy think that if she admitted to having been attacked by this creature, maybe Steve would believe her. It was too early to call it, and she wasn't going to until she saw the Demodog for herself.

Remy arched her eyebrows. "I'm glad you trusted me enough to call me in on this."

"Nah, you owe me a favour, Saunders." Steve nudged her playfully in the side, and Remy had to stop herself from smiling. "Did you think I'd forget?"

"So you think I'm going to help you tear apart rusting vehicles to help you fortify a bus?"

Remy blew a bubble and popped it, but the queen bee bitch act was gone. Around Steve, she wasn't sure who she became – someone she actually kind of liked. She wasn't unnecessarily mean, she wasn't trying to tear anyone down. Could it be that Steve Harrington was actually a good influence?

"Why, have you got something better to do?"

It was dark inside the bus, and quiet except for the wind whistling and Steve flicking his lighter on and off. It was a bit cold too, but Remy certainly wasn't going to be the first to comment on that. Instead she huddled down further, hugging herself tightly to conserve some warmth.

"So you really fought one of these things before?" Max asked, her arms folded over her chest as she looked over at Steve. "And you're like, totally 100 per cent sure it wasn't a bear?"

"Wait, what?" Remy looked incredulously at Steve, who was nodding slowly. She hadn't known that, and wondered when exactly he'd taken on one of these creatures.

"Shit, don't be an idiot," Dustin chastised, his tone harsh, "Okay? It wasn't a bear. Why are you even here if you don't believe us? Just go home."

"Sheesh, someone's cranky. Past your bedtime?" Max hauled herself up from her seat and climbed up the ladder onto the roof of the bus, where Lucas was. Personally, Remy couldn't say she blamed her, and she raised her eyebrows at Dustin's sudden attitude. Way to talk to a girl he had a crush on.

"That's good," Steve said, and Remy couldn't believe he was praising Dustin, "Just show her you don't care."

"I don't." Dustin's face contorted into a frustrated frown when Steve winked in his direction. "Why are you winking, Steve? Stop."

"Is this seriously your dating advice?" Remy asked. No wonder Dustin wasn't gaining Max's interest, considering the way he was behaving. Guys being assholes only made girls angry

"What would you suggest?" Steve's words sounded like a challenge, and she realised that Dustin was looking at her curiously.

Remy sighed, easing herself out of her seat. She hadn't thought this night would include giving dating advice to a thirteen-year-old, but she supposed it was time to make sure others learned from her mistakes. She leaned against the side of the bus, secretly enjoying her moment in the spotlight.

"You don't wanna be a dick, alright? It's not a turn-on."

"Worked for Billy," Steve muttered, causing Remy's temper to flare. That name was not associated with good memories, and she didn't want to hear it from Steve in that context. She rounded on him, blue eyes flashing with fury.

"Shut the fuck up."

"Whoa." Steve held up his hands defensively. "Easy."

Remy flopped into a seat, arms folded over her chest. Dustin looked disappointed that he wasn't going to be getting any more advice. Steve examined her with confusion. He was clearly wondering why she'd blown up so badly. Even she couldn't explain it. Her break-up with Billy hadn't been pretty, and despite the weirdness of the night, she had been enjoying herself until he'd been brought up. Steve went back to flicking the lighter on and off, while Remy blew another bubble. Dustin jumped at the sharp snap as she popped it.

"I'm sorry." Steve sighed, dropping the lighter in his lap when it became apparent that Remy wasn't going to talk to him again unless he apologised. "I shouldn't have said that. Alright?"

"Apology accepted," Remy responded quietly. Steve offered her a smile and after a moment, she couldn't help but return it. He hadn't meant to be an asshole, and she knew that. She just hoped that they could put what had happened with her and Billy behind them. It was something she'd rather forget.

"I've got eyes!" Lucas shouted from the roof, jolting both of them out of their comfort zone. "Ten o'clock!"

Everyone launched for the barred bus windows, Remy peering out into the darkness. She could hear a distinct growling, however she couldn't see anything. A creature moved into the light, and although it was too early to tell, she had the sudden impression that it was what had attacked her in the woods. Without thinking, she grabbed Steve's arm. He glanced at her, raising his eyebrows in surprise, and she let him go.

"Why isn't he taking the bait?" Dustin asked.

"I don't know." Steve drew away from the window, grabbing the spiked bat he'd had leaning against the side of the bus. Remy reached for her mallets, but he shook his head and she frowned.

"Steve?" Dustin looked shocked as he headed for the bus door. "What are you doing?"

"Just get ready."

The bus door squeaked as it opened, Steve stepping outside into the mist. Remy was pressed against the window again in a matter of moments, Max and Dustin either side of her. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, her stomach twisting tightly in anticipation. Remy curled her fingers around the bars, knowing she'd head outside without hesitation if Steve was in danger.

Who had she become? Who was this girl, who hung out with random kids and would throw herself headlong into danger after a boy she had a crush on? It was like the venom was draining out of her, and like Steve was responsible for that, at least partially.

"He's insane," Max breathed.

"He's awesome," Dustin countered.

Remy was inclined to agree with both remarks. Steve was brave, but he was stupid. As mist coiled through the darkness, Remy noticed movement in another part of the junkyard. She wasn't the only one.

"Steve, watch out!" Lucas yelled. "Three o'clock!"

The Demodogs growled, poised to attack. As Steve backed away, they went at him. He rolled over the hood of a rusted old car to avoid them, hitting one with his spiked bat as it launched at him. Max and Dustin threw open the bus door, screaming for Steve to get inside. Remy felt as though she was glued to the window, unable to look away as she watched Steve sprint toward them with the Demodogs hot on his tail. They were definitely the sort of creature that had attacked her in the woods – except they were bigger now.

Steve jumped inside and the kids slammed the door closed. The Demodogs hammered against the side of the bus. Remy gritted her teeth and threw her full weight against the bus door to prevent them from getting inside. When she noticed Steve catching his breath across from her, she couldn't help but shake her head.

"This is not what I expected when you said I owed you a favour."

"What can I say?" Steve managed a grin. "I aim to impress."

Max's scream rang through the bus, causing Remy to glance at her. A Demodog was at the top of the ladder, and Max was directly below it. Shoving herself away from the bus door with a murmured curse, Remy grabbed Max by the arm, dragging her back and out of the way as Steve pushed past them. He waved his bat menacingly, but the creature withdrew before he'd even had the chance to hit it.

The sound of growling receded, and when Remy let go of Max's arm and peered out of the window, she could no longer see any of the Demodogs. The only sound was the whistling of the wind and the creaking of the old bus. Remy raked her fingers through her hair, realising that she was definitely no longer cold.

"What happened?" Dustin questioned as Steve opened the bus door and tentatively peered out across the junkyard. It was quiet once again, moonlight gleaming off the broken-down cars.

"Did Steve scare them off?" Lucas asked a moment later.

"No." Steve shook his head slowly, glancing over his shoulder at the rest of them. "No way. They're going somewhere."

Remy convinced Steve to drop her back home before he took the kids and went after the Demodogs. She'd had enough action for one night, even if it had been oddly enjoyable. She snuck into the house and placed the mallets back where she'd found them, but her parents weren't home yet. As Steve's car crunched back down the gravel driveway, Remy raided the pantry for a can of food.

It was a bit of a relief to realise that she wasn't crazy, and that the Demodogs weren't just a result of a faulty memory. As weird as they were, they were real. Remy would have laughed out loud, had she not known that the Demodogs were a sign of hectic things happening in Hawkins. Dustin's explanation made her think more deeply. Hawkins wasn't the sleepy town she'd always assumed it to be, she just hadn't been paying attention.

A memory came to her, sharp and sudden, when she was folding up her clothes and shoving them into her drawers. Her fingers trembled as they traced over the outfit she'd worn into the woods, the tears in her dress more prominent now that it had been through the machine. Something about those little rips made her mind drift back to that night.

Remy remembered her dress hiked up past her thighs. She remembered Billy on top of her, his lips against her neck and her shoulder. His hands had been hot, feeling like they burned as they traversed her skin, or maybe she'd just been cold as a corpse. She remembered a stinging slap across the face. She remembered the tears dripping down her cheeks and the sobs that wracked her frame as Billy had fixed his clothes up.

Remy had assumed, partially correctly, that she hadn't remembered the night before she'd woken up in the forest due to the amount of alcohol she'd consumed. Now she realised that it was also trauma. Dissociative amnesia was what it was called. She'd completely shut out what had happened to her the night before because she hadn't been able to deal with it…only now, she could feel the pieces of the puzzle coming together.

She knew why she'd scratched Billy's face and neck. She knew why he'd abandoned her in the woods. It was because of what he'd done to her, something he hadn't acknowledged and she hadn't remembered – until now.

Stumbling into the bathroom, Remy jammed open the toilet lid, kneeled down on the tiles and vomited into the bowl. Her slender frame shook with sobs as her fingers curled into fists. Whatever she'd thought might have happened in the forest, whatever she'd thought Billy had done, the fractured memory was enough to assure her this was far worse.

"Fuck!"

Remy slammed her fist against the side of the toilet bowl once, twice. Her skin split on her knuckles and she could feel the sting, smell the metallic tang of blood. None of that mattered. All Remy could think about was Billy on top of her. It had been weeks ago now, but she felt like she was suffocating.

She lay down and rested her cheek against the cool tiles. The chill against her skin was oddly comforting, and Remy closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She had to try and keep herself from letting the horrific memories consume her. Now that she knew what had happened, she couldn't ever see herself forgetting again.

What was she meant to do now? Remy didn't want Billy to get away with what he'd done to her, but she was lost as to where to turn. She didn't feel that she could tell anyone. She had a reputation, after all. Who could she even trust to believe her?

For now, thinking was too much. Her head throbbed and she closed her eyes, praying for sleep to claim her.