Steve watched in awe as Karmen raised her hand, feeling a strange atmosphere grow in the courtyard. It was as if the air was buzzing with static, the lights around the building flickering on and off wildly. Karmen kept her eyes closed as the Mindflayer prowled closer, it's large mouth opening to reveal the razor-sharp teeth within. Steve's heart beat quickened as the creature let out a terrifying roar, a noise which didn't even make Karmen flinch. Just when the monster was almost close enough to grab her, Karmen's eyes shot open, a calm expression on her face. Steve's mouth hung open as he watched a large ball of blue electricity form underneath the Mindflayer, slowly encompassing the body of the beast. The moment its limbs touched the pulsing sphere of electricity, they completely disintegrated, making the Mindflayer howl in pain. Steve's eyes snapped over to Billy who was still on his knees, now clutching at his side with shaking hands. Karmen slowly balled her hand into a fist, watching as the blue electricity grew even larger, destroying almost half of the Mindflayer's body. It flopped to one side with a growl, its limbs flying around manically. Karmen let out a groan of pain as she felt fire burning down her left side, the same side of the Mindflayer destroyed. Still, she persisted, gritting her teeth as the blue electricity cut through the Mindflayer's body, destroying everything in its wake. It was working, it was really working, Karmen thought to herself. They were going to win. Karmen turned to look at Steve, who was grinning proudly at her, with a look of awe in his eyes. She smiled back at him, as warmth spread throughout her body, happy that she could still make him proud. Suddenly, Steve's eyes seemed to catch something in his peripheral vision, as his eyes snapped back to Karmen's in a panic.
"Karmen!" Steve cried, in a desperate tone Karmen had never heard before.
She whipped her head around in a split second, stumbling backwards as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her abdomen. Karmen let out a choked gasp as she saw a knife now firmly implanted in her stomach, which was then ripped out of her body a moment later. Karmen cried out in pain when the knife was then plunged through her chest before she could even react, as she reached out for her attacker. Heather. The girl's face was all but completely disfigured by the black veins that pulsed underneath her face; her eyes so black she could barely tell what colour eyes Heather had. Karmen clutched onto the girl's shoulder's, as Heather pushed the blade further into her chest. With the last bit of strength, she had, Karmen sent a pulse of electricity flowing through her hands into Heather's body, who went rigid under her grip. Karmen let out a shaky breath as Heather's body fell to the ground, her eyes still wide open but now not moving. She was dead. Karmen turned slowly to face the other's, the knife still planted in her chest, as she felt her legs buckle from underneath her. She could hear Eleven letting out a bloodcurdling cry, the sound echoing around the courtyard. Karmen saw Steve rushing towards her, reaching her just before she fell to the ground and pulling her into his arms.
"No, no, no…" Steve mumbled, as he touched the knife still in her chest, with trembling hands.
Karmen's eyes widened as she saw the Mindflayer crawling forward with the limbs it had left, expecting it to attack them. She let out a choked cry as she saw instead the creature stalking towards Eleven and Max, its mouth opening as its sharp tongue shooting forward. Karmen felt her heart stop, feeling the action flow in slow motion. Quicker than anyone could react, Billy had rushed forward, reaching out with his hands to stop the creature. The Mindflayer tried to push against the teenage boy, who let out an angry yell, his fingers gripping tightly against the sharp tongue. Karmen watched in amazement as he held the Mindflayer back with nothing other than his human hands and pure force of will. She let out a panicked gasp as she watched the Mindflayer send a group of smaller pincer-like limbs forward, tearing into Billy's body with the sharp teeth that grew there. Billy's body shook as it was attacked in all directions, more teeth slicing into his body than Karmen could count. The Mindflayer pushed Billy to his knees as the teenage boy let out a scream of anger, black blood now coating his lips. His cry was cut off as the Mindflayer sent it's sharp tongue forward, hitting him directly in the chest. The room was sent into a horrified silence as the Mindflayer pulled back, black blood spurting from Billy's chest as it did so.
"Billy!" Max shouted, tears welling in her eyes as she watched her stepbrother fall to the ground.
A moment later, Karmen let out a gasp as she sent a strange sensation burn through her entire body, causing her to go rigid. Her eyes snapped up to the Mindflayer who let out a pained cry as it shook, before falling to the ground with nothing more than a stutter. The creature all but started to melt into the ground as Karmen realised what had happened.
"They…they closed the gate" Karmen exclaimed, as Steve looked down at her.
He brushed her hair behind her ear as he saw the black veins that had coated her body completely vanish. The Mindflayer was dead, it's influence over her was gone. He had finally got her back.
"Billy, please…Billy, please get up…please…" Max choked, as she rushed over to his side, as all eyes turned to them.
"Max, I…I'm sorry…I'm sorry for…everything" Billy stuttered, every word causing him agony.
"Steve, I need to say goodbye…" Karmen trailed off, as tears began to well in her eyes.
Nodding knowingly, Steve carefully helped to stand her upright, grimacing as she let out a howl of pain, feeling the knife shift in her chest. As he helped her place her near Billy's shaking body, the teenager turned to the girl who had become his best friend with sad eyes.
"W-we did it" Billy smiled at her, as Karmen nodded.
"You saved them, Billy. You did that" Karmen insisted, reaching out to take his hand in her own.
"I did good in the end, didn't I?" Billy questioned, as Karmen squeezed his hand.
"I never doubted you" Karmen mumbled, as she leaned down to press a kiss against his forehead.
A tear rolled off her cheek and onto his skin as she pulled back, seeing he had stopped moving. Karmen let out a sob, moving to close his eyes, as Max let out a horrified gasp.
"Billy…Billy, wake up. Billy, wake up! Please…Billy!" Max begged, shaking his shoulders.
"He's gone…" Karmen trailed off, as Max lowered her head to his chest, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"C'mon, we need to get you to a hospital, they might be able to-" Steve stated, as he pulled her away from Billy's body.
"Just…just hold me. Please, Steve" Karmen asked, as Steve pulled her close to his chest, resting his chin on her hair.
Karmen allowed herself to look down at her stomach, seeing her shirt was completely soaked through with blood. The red substance was beginning to pool underneath her, running over to where Billy's body lay. She guessed the only reason she was still breathing was some left-over effect from the Mindflayer.
"Karmen?" Eleven questioned, as she came to kneel beside the older girl.
"Hey, are you okay?" Karmen inquired, reaching out to touch Eleven's cheek.
Eleven let out a cry at the ironic question, her eyes snapping down to the knife that still lay in Karmen's chest. Karmen turned her to look away from the blood, keeping looking towards her face instead.
"Steve's right, we can find a way…maybe I can help…" Eleven suggested, in a panic.
"You can't fix this one, El" Karmen shook her head, as a tear rolled down Eleven's face.
"You can't die" Eleven sobbed, as Karmen brushed another tear away from her cheek.
"It's okay. It's okay, El. I need you to be strong now. Max is gonna' need you" Karmen informed her, as Eleven's lip wobbled.
"But I need you" Eleven replied, as Karmen scrunched her eyes shut to stop any more tears from flowing.
"I'm always going to be with you. In here…I'll be watching over you" Karmen told her, placing her hand over Eleven's heart.
"Now…I think your best friend needs a hug" Karmen stated, looking over to Max who was still sobbing against Billy's chest.
With a sad nod, Eleven pushed herself to her feet and walked over to Max, as she placed an arm over the ginger's girl's shoulder. Karmen smiled sadly at the interaction, knowing deep down that Eleven would be okay. She always had been the strongest in the group.
"Tell Dustin…tell him I was thinking of him at the end…and…and that it wasn't his fault" Karmen exclaimed, looking up at Steve's sad brown eyes.
"You tell him yourself" Steve insisted, holding her closer.
"I'm not going to make it. There never was much hope to begin with" Karmen stated, as Steve shook his head.
"I can't do this without you. I can't" Steve cried, his tears dropping against Karmen's cheek.
"You've got to, Steve. I need you to carry on" Karmen pleaded, coughing as black blood splattered on her lips.
"It's not fair. We…we were supposed to end up together. We were gonna' leave Hawkins. Get married, have kids…we were supposed to have lifetime together-" Steve started, as Karmen cut him off.
"Steve, please. I…I'm scared. I need you to be the strong one right now" Karmen insisted, as Steve rubbed at his eyes.
"Are you in pain?" Steve questioned, as Karmen shook her head.
"It doesn't hurt anymore…" Karmen trailed off, realising that she couldn't feel a lot of her limbs anymore.
"What do you think it's like? Death? Do you…do you think there is anything after you die?" Karmen inquired.
"I know there has to be. There has to be something…because I'll find you. I promise, no matter what, I'll always find you" Steve told her, as Karmen gave him a sad smile.
"Not too soon though" Karmen replied, as he took one of her hands in his own.
"…I'm so happy I met you," Steve told her, squeezing her hand lightly.
"Me too" Karmen smiled up at him, the expression not quite reaching her eyes.
"I need to say something, Steve…thank you. For everything. I never thought…I thought I was going to be alone forever. I thought no one would ever care. But you did. You gave me more than I could have asked for" Karmen explained.
"I love you, Karmen. I'll always love you" Steve cried, as Karmen's breathing became shallow.
With trembling hands, Karmen reached up to brush a tear away from Steve's cheek, as she pulled him down closer to her. Leaning forward she pressed her lips against his, as her eyes fluttered shut. Steve's heart stopped as he felt Karmen's hand drop away from his face and pulled away to see her eyes were closed.
"Karmen? Karmen!" Steve sobbed, reaching up to shake her slightly.
"No, no, no…" Steve shook his head, as Karmen lay completely motionless against his legs.
"Wake up, Karmen. Please. Please don't leave me" Steve begged, leaning down to press his forehead against hers.
"Please…" Steve mumbled, as he wrapped his arms around her body, letting his tears flow freely.
"Steve? Steve, can you hear me?" Jonathan questioned, placing his hand on Steve's shoulder.
The older boy made no sign he was aware of Jonathan's presence, his eyes still gazing down on the body of his dead girlfriend. Almost an hour had past since Karmen had drawn her last breath and Steve still hadn't moved. Max had reluctantly allowed the authorities to remove Billy's body, hating the thought of him lying on the cold floor of the mall any longer. Jonathan turned to give Nancy a worried look, concerned about the almost catatonic state that Steve was in.
"Steve, they need to take her body-" Nancy began, as Steve whipped his head around to glare at her.
"It's not a body! It's Karmen!" Steve spat out, with an anger that Nancy had never seen before.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that" Nancy sighed, with a guilty expression.
"Then what did you mean, Nancy? What the hell are you still even doing here? It's too late to act you cared about her now" Steve scoffed, as hurt flashed over Nancy's face.
"Of course I cared about her. I was her friend, her first friend in Hawkins" Nancy insisted, as Steve sneered at her.
"Then what the fuck happened, huh? Because I can count on my hand how many times you've even seen Karmen in the past year" Steve stated.
"Alright, man. That's enough" Jonathan exclaimed, not liking Steve's tone.
"Enough? Like you had enough of her, Jonathan? She spent months…months missing you. Wishing that you had chosen her over Nancy, and you wouldn't even give her the time of day! Why did you have to let her down like that?!" Steve yelled, pushing himself to her feet.
"Steve, your angry. I get that but-" Jonathan started, but Steve quickly cut him off.
"My girlfriend's dead, Jonathan! She's…oh God, she's dead. She…she's really dead…" Steve stuttered, his eyes welling up with tears.
"Let us help you, Steve" Nancy offered, reaching out to him.
"No! Just leave me alone" Steve retorted, flinching away from her touch.
"Steve, it's gonna' be okay…" Nancy trailed off, knowing it was a stupid thing to say.
"But she's not Nancy! It killed her! It stabbed her, she…she bled to death in my arms-" Steve cut himself off, as he noticed Nancy looking in horror at something from behind him.
Steve slowly turned around with a frown, a sickening feeling growing in his stomach as he saw Dustin standing a few metres away. The boy's eyes widened as he looked down at Karmen's body on the floor, dried blood covering the ground beneath her. Steve instantly rushed forward as he watched all the colour drain from Dustin's face, looking like he was about to throw up.
"Karmen…" Dustin stuttered, with a shaky breath.
Steve quickly turned Dustin away from the sight, holding the younger boy close to his chest. He made sure to shield Dustin with his arm, knowing how traumatic it must have been to see her like that.
"She can't be…" Dustin trailed off, with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, Dustin. I'm sorry" Steve sighed, as the younger boy shook against him.
"I didn't get to say goodbye" Dustin realised, in a panic.
"She was thinking of you at the end. She…she wanted you to know it wasn't your fault" Steve told him, as Dustin pulled away.
"I should have been quicker, if I had just-" Dustin began, but Steve cut him off quickly.
"Hey! Don't do that, okay? This wasn't on you. I…I was supposed to protect her. That was my job" Steve mumbled, with downcast eyes.
"…Oh God, my mom. What am I going to tell her?" Dustin panicked, looking sick once again.
"We can tell her together" Steve informed him, as Dustin nodded.
"She tried to say goodbye to me. She thanked me for giving her a home, why…why didn't I realise? Why didn't I say anything back?!" Dustin cried, looking up at Steve.
"She knew how much you cared about her. You were like a brother to her" Steve insisted, placing his hand on Dustin's shoulder.
"Then why didn't I save her in time?" Dustin exclaimed, with a shake of his head, before rushing away in the opposite direction.
Steve held onto Karmen's hand the whole way as she was wheeled out of the mall, not wanting to leave her. He felt tears begin to well in his eyes yet again as they placed a sheet over Karmen's face. Her hand had grown cold by now, the blood drying against her skin. The government had turned up too late but insisted that they needed to take the bodies. They had promised that they would be returned but Steve doubted it. He had tried to fight against them, but what could he do against their guns? Steve called out as they were about to lift Karmen's body into a darkened van, causing the soldiers to turn to him.
"They should be together. Karmen and Billy…they shouldn't be alone" Steve exclaimed, as the soldiers looked at each other, nodding a moment later.
Steve reluctantly let go of Karmen's hand as she was wheeled towards the same van that Billy's body was in. That was the only silver lining he had. Steve had no doubt in his mind that Billy would still be looking out for Karmen.
"Hey" Steve announced, as he spotted Eleven sitting on the curb nearby.
She had a distraught look on her face, tear tracks covering her cheeks. Steve could tell something had happened. Something just as bad as losing Karmen for her.
"What happened?" Steve questioned, as he came to sit beside her.
"Hopper…he's dead" Eleven sobbed, wiping at her eyes.
"Shit. I'm sorry, El. I know he was like a dad to you" Steve mumbled, as Eleven sniffled.
"My family's gone" Eleven cried, looking down at her feet.
"There's still some of your family left" Steve insisted, placing his hand on her arm.
"…They couldn't even find Hopper's body" Eleven sighed, feeling like her heart was breaking in two.
"Maybe he made it out?" Steve suggested as Eleven's eyes snapped up to his.
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Eleven retorted, with a sad expression.
Steve opened his mouth to reply but the words died in his mouth. She was right. He didn't believe that Hopper could be alive. It seemed like all the hope in the world had been sucked away. The Upside Down had destroyed their lives. It had taken the things that mattered most to them. How could they stay there now?
Cold. That was the first thing that registered in Karmen's mind. She could feel something slivering over her hands, her arms…drawing her closer. Her eyes shot open as a loud bang of thunder vibrated through the air. She slowly sat upright, her head pounding as she did so, feeling a shiver go through her whole body. This time it wasn't because of the cold. The sky above her was dark, as thunderous red clouds drew closer, the only sound in the otherwise deafening silence. As Karmen pushed herself to her feet, she noticed the large roots that covered the ground, growing as far as the eye could see. Karmen held out her hand, catching some of the dust like substance in the air. She held it between two fingers, rubbing it into her skin and watching it dissolve into a black substance. Karmen almost jumped out of her skin as she heard a loud bang from behind her, whipping around to find the source of all the noise. She felt paralyzed to the spot as she saw a large shipping container a few metres away, looking completely out of place. There was something about the shipping container that made her want to run in the other direction. She flinched when there was another loud bang, and this time she knew for sure it was coming from the metal object. Karmen's feet seemed to have a mind of their own as she crept closer to the structure, goosebumps all over her arms. Just as she stopped a metre away from the container, they were two loud bangs this time. Could there really be someone inside, Karmen thought to herself. Cautiously, she reached out to touch the shipping container, banging on the outside three times. Karmen jumped back as there were three distinctive bangs from inside, almost instantly. Her breath quickened as whatever was inside banged on the metal surface four times a moment later as if it was now toying with her. With wide eyes, she moved around to the other end of the shipping container, finding the large doors on the side had been padlocked shut, with more chains than she could count. A shiver went down her spine as there were five loud bangs, this time on the container doors. It was following her. Karmen found herself taking a step closer, a trembling hand reaching out.
"Don't!" A panicked cry came from behind her, as Karmen whipped around when she recognised the voice.
Her eyes widened as she saw Billy standing there, a terrified expression on his face, as the chains behind her rattled. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as the bangs started up again, a wave of anger behind them. Suddenly, the bangs stopped just as quickly as they had started, a haunting silence following, as all Karmen could hear was her own quickened breathing and Billy's.
"…Karmen…" A distorted voice came from inside the shipping container, as terror washed over Karmen, paralyzing her to the spot.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! So, did I get you guys going there in the first half? Karmen and Billy are certainly very much dead, but there's a part of them that's still holding on. Season 4 will be about whether they can get back. We've got one more chapter to go before what looks like a very long hiatus now. I'll be sad to not write this story for a while, but I'm still really excited to see what they'll do for Season 4. Please leave a review:)
NicoleR85: Thank you, I hope you liked this update:)
tazsgirl6969: Thanks for the review!
Nameless One: I'm glad I could make you feel that way, haha. How did you cope with this explosive chapter?
pennyblossoms: Aw, thank you:)