Hello! Welcome back to another chapter. The last chapter didn't get as many reviews as I hoped, so if you enjoyed let me know! It keeps me writing and I love hearing from you all. Enjoy chapter 4.

When the girls got back from Heathers, they were soaking wet. They decided to each take a hot shower and get ready for bed.

The rain was pounding against the side of the house, the thunder cracked every few moments. El was happy that she wasn't alone in the cabin tonight. She brushed her teeth as her mind wandered back to Billy. The look, the blood, Heather in the void…none of it made sense.

She continued to think when she went back into Max's bedroom and got into bed with her.

"Which one?" Max asked as she held up two comic books.

"I don't know," El answered honestly.

She had read a few different comic books with Mike. She really liked the x-men because she felt like she could relate to them. Remember the times she and Mike spent on her bed as they took turns reading out loud made her miss him even more.

Max saw the expression on her friend's face, she looked deep in thought. She put down the comics and tried to be reassuring.

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about anymore okay?" She said gently.

"Doesn't make sense," El said as her mind went a mile a minute.

"What doesn't make sense?" Max asked

"Heather," El said slowly. "The blood, the ice."

"Heather had a fever, so she took a cold bath but she's better now," Max stated confidently. "That has to be it. I don't know where that blood came from, but we saw her…we both saw her, she's totally fine."

Max wished her friend would drop this whole mystery, they were supposed to be having fun. She knew that the things they found today were weird, and El saw some weird things in the void but they could all be explained. That had to be what happened….it had to.

"What about Billy?" El asked after a moment.

"What about him?" Max asked confused.

"He seemed wrong," El explained.

She had seen that look somewhere before and it was bothering her so much that she couldn't remember where. All she knew for sure was it wasn't good.

"Wrong is kinda like his default," Max smirked. "But it's nice to know he's not a murderer because that would have totally sucked."

Max tried to laugh it off, there was nothing "dangerous" about her brother other than his driving habits at times. El tried to laugh it off as well but couldn't help but shake the feeling.

"Who is that?" She asked looking at one of the comic books with a woman on the cover.

"See this is why you can't just hang out with Mike all the time," Max teased. "This is Wonder Woman, aka Princess Diana. She's from paradise island which is like this hidden island with only woman amazon warriors."

El enjoyed learning about Wonder Woman, Max even read the first comic with her. They were brought out of the fantasy world by a loud crack on thunder. El jumped at the sound.

"Pretty bad storm," Max observed. "Are you scared of thunder?"

El just nodded her head, slightly embarrassed. She thought back to the first night at Mike's place and how she cried herself to sleep as it thundered outside.

"What are you thinking about?" Max asked curiously.

"Did Lucas ever tell you how we met?" El questioned.

"Kind of," Max mused. "A short version I suppose."

"It was a night like this," El said looking towards the window. "They were looking for Will and I was running from Papa. They found me in the woods. Mike gave me his coat and took me home."

Max listened intently as El recounted her story. She had never heard El tell the story before. She stayed silent as El continued, getting lost in her memories.

"Dustin and Lucas thought they should tell someone, send me away," El explained with a small smile. "But Mike wouldn't let them. He gave me clothes and let me sleep in the basement."

"Why didn't you want them to tell Mike's parents?" Max questioned.

"I was scared," El said. "I met someone before who helped me but he called for help and instead the bad men came and killed him."

El remembered the kindness the Benny showed her, it was the first time she experienced that in her life.

"I couldn't let that happen to Mike and his friends," El said shaking her head at the thought. "Mike took care of me. He made me feel like a person for the first time. He was so sweet and patient and gentle. Even when they found out I had powers; Mike never pushed me to use them."

El thought back to when Dustin tried to get her to use her powers on command and Mike chastised him for treating El like a dog.

"Papa wasn't like that," El grimaced. "He would make me use my powers for terrible things, things I didn't want to do but he'd make me."

Max felt sad listening to her friend tell her story. Max knew from the way Mike talked when they first met that he and El meant a lot to each other. She didn't realize that Mike was one of the first few people to ever show kindness to El, who had a rough life. Suddenly El's regret and feelings after dumping Mike made more sense. Max still didn't think Mike was being kind by lying but she understood why El was having a hard time letting go.

"Well I'm glad you have all of us now," Max said placing her hand on El's. "And Hopper he is a grumpy man but he's good to you."

"Yes," El smiled. "We both have a temper, but we take care of each other."

"I'm glad," Max smiled. "Should we head to bed? It's getting late."

El nodded and rolled over as Max turned off the light.

"Night Max," El whispered.

"Goodnight El," Max smiled as she laid down.

The next morning

It was early…. too early for the girls to be getting up. Max couldn't hear a familiar voice lulling her from her sleep.

"Do you copy? This is a code red! Max! Max do you copy! This is a code red!" The supercom sounded from the floor.

Both girls stirred awake at the sound of Lucas's voice.

"What the…." Max sighed as she rolled over to grab the device from the floor. "Shut up!"

She turned off the supercom swiftly and rolled back onto her side.

El rubbed her eyes wondering what was happening. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Max said with her eyes still closed. "Just those idiots."

"But…." El said cautiously. "They said it was a code red….that means bad."

"Their definition of a code red and my definition of a code red are very different." Max sighed.

El understood what Max meant but couldn't help but feel like this was related to her bad feeling. She laid her head back on the pillow.

Back at Mikes place, the boys were all on the couch dumbfounded.

"She turned it off," Lucas said slowly.

"Hold on," Mike said running over to the telephone and dialing Max's number.

When she heard her phone start to ring Max couldn't believe her ears. Would Lucas stop at nothing?!

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" She said getting up from the bed to answer the phone.

El laid in bed listening closely to what was happening.

"I'm sleeping go away!" Max said before attempting to hang up the phone.

This time she heard a different voice through the phone. "It's Mike, DO NOT hang up." Max was taken aback and did not hang up the phone. She thought this was a ploy to get El back and she rolled her eyes.

"Something happened, something bad," Mike said quickly. "Our very lives could be at stake."

"What are you talking about?" Max asked.

She realized from the way he was talking this was bigger than Mike and El's relationship. There was some kind of real problem. She had a flashback to when the boys would talk about the upside-down, El and the gate and how it was always life or death. Her blood ran cold for a second and she shivered.

"Just come over to my house," Mike explained. "We'll explain everything."

El perked her head up at the vague sound of Mike's voice on the other end of the phone.

"What?" Max asked again.

"Hurry!" Mike said before hanging up the phone.

El became anxious since she could only really hear Max's side of the conversation, what on earth was going on?

"What did he say?" El asked as Max just stared at the phone receiver.

"Something happened," Max said slowly with her brow furrowed. "They want us to come over."

El's heart started pounding, she knew as soon as she saw Billy in the void something was wrong. She jumped out of bed and began searching for something to wear.

"Here," Max said reaching into her closet and pulling out something she thought El might like.

"Thanks," El smiled gratefully as she ran into the bathroom to change.

She quickly threw her hair into a half ponytail (like she had seen other girls do), got dressed and brushed her teeth. When she appeared from the bathroom Max had already changed.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Yes," El replied as they ran out the door.

"It will be faster if we bike," Max said hopping onto her bike.

"I don' have a bike," El said.

"It's okay you can get on the back of mine," Max said simply.

El stood on the back part of Max's wheel and placed her hands on her shoulders. It gave El a pang of emotion, reminding her of when Mike used to do this with her on his bike. Max peddled quickly as she rode over to Mikes house.

They knocked on the front door and Lucas answered immediately, he must have been waiting for them El thought.

"Hey," Lucas said awkwardly.

"This better be good stalker," Max said moving past him with El in tow behind her.

They all traveled the familiar path down to the basement. When they descended the stairs, they saw Will and Mike sitting on the couch talking.

"What's the big deal?" Max asked.

"Sit down," Lucas sighed. "Will can explain."

El and Mike locked eyes as she walked down the stairs. Neither of them knew what to say, but they both felt the same way. They did not like the awkwardness between them, they wanted things to be back to normal. The problem was neither of them were sure the other person felt the same.

The group sat around the coffee table and looked to Will for an explanation.

"Go on Will," Mike prompted. "Tell them what you told us."

"I've been having these weird feelings," Will began. "I didn't think it was anything at first. I mean I think I just didn't wanna believe it. The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead."

"The power went out that night too," Mike interjected.

"And then I felt it again at the field near the Nelson farm the next day," Will continued. "Then again yesterday outside castle Byers."

"What does it feel like?" Max asked.

"It's almost like…." Will started as he struggled to find words. "You know when you drop on a roller coaster?"

"Sure," Mike replied.

"Yeah," Max agreed.

"No," El said trying to relate to the conversation.

"It's like everything inside your body is just sinking all at once," Will said trying to describe the feeling to El. "But this is worse. Your body… it goes cold and you can't breathe."

El listened to Will intently as he explained his bad feelings. Her heart started pounding faster as she began to realize what he was describing.

"I felt it before," Will said. "Whenever he was close."

"Whenever who was close?" Max asked.

El braced herself for the answer she already knew was coming. She closed her eyes and heard Will continue.

"The mind flayer," He said softly.

"I closed the gate," El said confidently.

She knew what she accomplished that day, she saw it close. Everything had gone back to normal.

"I know but," Will said trying to make sense of it all. "What if he never left? What if we locked him out here with us?"

Will turned to El and searched for the possibility in her eyes. El wasn't sure exactly what he meant. Will saw the confusion and got up quickly.

"Here," he said grabbing a piece of paper and a crayon off the desk in the corner. He brought the paper down onto the table so all his friends could see it.

"This is him, all of him," Will said drawing the mind flayer. "But that day on the field a part of him attached itself to me,"

Will smoothed his hand across the paper so black crayon was on his hand. He held it up so everyone could see.

"My mom got it out of me and Eleven closed the gate," Will explained. "But the part that was in me, what if it's still in our world? In Hawkins?"

He flipped the paper over and placed his hand in the center, leaving a handprint.

El wanted to scream, this could be a strong possibility. She thought she had done the right thing by closing the gate, now she's learning she locked part of this monster in Hawkins endangering her friends.

"I don't understand the demadogs died when El closed the gate," Max said trying to wrap her head around the situation. "If the brain dies the body dies."

"We can't take any chances," Mike spoke up. "We need to assume the worst. The mind flayer is back."

"Yeah and if he is, he would want to attach himself to someone again," Will said. "A new me."

"A new host," Lucas said.

El and Max locked eyes they were both thinking the same thing. Does this have anything to do with the strange things we witnessed?

"How do you know if someone is a host?" El asked.

Everyone turned towards El, she looked at her friends all wearing matching confused expressions.

"What's going on?" Mike asked as he observed how Max and El were acting.

"I had a…bad feeling too," El said slowly.

Will leaned forward with intrigue and Mike because afraid for the girl he cared so much about.

"What kind of feeling?" Will asked.

"About Billy," She began. "Somethings not right."

"But we checked on him," Max interjected. "Everything's fine."

"Just let El tell us what she saw," Mike said to the redhead.

"I saw Billy in the void, and he seemed off," El restarted. "So we went to Max's house and found an ice bath, heathers whistle, and blood."

The kids all felt a shiver go down their spine at the mention of the blood.

"We back into the void and saw Heather, the lifeguard at the pool, she was in the bath and asked me for help," El said grimacing at the memory.

Mike could tell that whatever El saw was bothering her. He wanted to reach for her hand in support but wasn't sure if this was the right time.

"We went to the pool to check on Billy and Heather and they didn't show up for work," El continued. "So we went to Heather's house and they were both there, fine."

"So where did the blood come from?" Lucas asked.

"And what was the ice for?" Mike asked.

"And why was heather asking for help?" Will wondered.

"We don't know!" Max yelled.

"I just know somethings wrong," El said. "Billy seems wrong."

Mike saw Max sigh and roll her eyes at this statement, suddenly he became enraged.

"What?" Mike asked curtly. "You don't believe her?"

"He's my brother," Max said simply. "I don't know what to believe."

"The ice bath could be to keep his body temperature down," Will said trying to bring the group back to the topic at hand. "The mind flayer likes it cold."

"He's taken ice baths before," Max defended.

"Okay so Billy is acting weird right when we think the Mindflayer is back," Lucas said. "How can we know for sure?"

"Let's go watch him," Mike said. "Maybe we will find a clue or come up with a better plan."

"Where is he?" Will asked.

"Probably working at the pool," Max explained.

"Let's go," Lucas said running up the stairs as the rest of the group followed.

They all rode their bikes, El on the back of Max's bike, to the pool. Once they were there they placed themselves behind a car in the parking lot.

Max watched Billy through the binoculars that Lucas brought with him.

"I don't know," She said. "He looks pretty normal to me."

Part of her knew this wasn't true but a bigger part of her knew that her brother couldn't be the host. And she didn't want him to be.

"Normal?" Lucas disagreed. "How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?"

"I mean it's a little weird," Max agreed.

"More than a little," Mike argued. "He was in a tub with ice, the mind flayer likes it cold. Plus everything El saw."

"But he's lounging at the pool," Max stammered. "Which is like the least mind flayer thing ever."

"Not necessarily," Will added. "The mind flayer likes to hide. He only used me when he needed me. It's like your dormant. And then when he needs you, your activated."

"Okay so we just wait until he gets activated," Max said.

'No," Mike continued. "What if he hurts someone?"

"Or kills someone," Will added.

"We can't take that chance," Mike stated. "We need to find out if he's the host."

Mike began walking away when El called after him.

"Where are you going?" She wondered.

"I have an idea," He said gesturing to Will and Lucas to follow. "Boys only."

"Seriously?" Max asked not believing him.

"Just trust me on this one," Mike said trying to convince the girls.

"Unbelievable," Max grumbled.

"What do you think they're doing?" El wondered as she watched the boys leave.

"What they always do," Max said angrily. "Do everything themselves and leave us behind."

El furrowed her brow, she didn't think that was true.

"What do you mean?" El asked.

"When I first started hanging out with them, they used to leave me out of important stuff all the time," Max explained. "Now they're doing it again."

"Why?"

"Because we're girls," Max sighed. "They think we can't help, a different species remember?"

El didn't like that idea. She was able to do more than all the boys combined.

"Also," Max said with a laugh. "Rich that Mike just said the words 'trust me on this one' after he lied to your face the other day."

El could feel herself getting angrier as Max continued.

Suddenly the boys came back into view heading towards them.

"Okay here's the plan," Mike started.

Max rolled her eyes and gave El a look. Both of them looked displeased but he had no idea why.

"We wait until the pool closes and were alone with Billy, while he's in the locker room we lure him into the sauna and lock him inside," Mike explained.

"Then we turn it up really hot," Will added. "The mind flayer likes it cold so the heat should bring him out."

"Okay," Max said. "So now what?"

"We need to find supplies to lure Billy into the sauna and something to keep the door closed," Lucas explained.

"Okay," the girls nodded.

"Cool," Mike said unsure of where they attitude was coming from. "Will you and Lucas go into the back room. El you can look in the locked shed, I'll look in the change room."

"What about me?" Max asked in a monotone voice.

"You stay here and watch Billy," Mike said. "Make sure he doesn't become activated."

"Of course," Max said under her breath so only El could hear.

El rolled her eyes similar to Max. Maybe they didn't think she could help them. Maybe they were only letting El look so she could unlock doors with her powers.

Everyone disbursed quickly to their designated spot to search.

El quickly unlocked the storage shed and began to look around. There must be something in here we can use she thought to herself. Suddenly her eyes fell on a plastic fake person. This could work as a distraction, she picked it up when she heard Mike walk in behind her.

"Hey I found the breakers," He said. "Wow that thing is super creepy, let me see it."

He took the doll from El's grasp and put it next to himself. El looked at him unimpressed.

"I think this will work, right buddy?" Mike asked then moved the doll's mouth. "Right Mike."

Mike looked over at El and smiled. He was hoping to make her laugh with no such luck. She was giving him an unamused look.

She took the doll without a word, threw it over her shoulder and began to leave the shed.

"Hey El," Mike said trying to get her to stay.

He decided that enough was enough if he was going to get in trouble with Hopper so be it. He needed to tell El the truth so she wouldn't be mad at him anymore. It was driving him crazy.

She turned and looked back at him, waiting for him to speak.

"I just wanted to say…" Mike began. "You know when I said Nana was sick? She wasn't, I lied."

That's the confession? El thought to herself. How did he not realize she already caught him in this lie.

"I know," She said turning to leave again.

"Right right right," Mike said trying not to lose her. "Well, I just think it's important for you to know the context. Hopper, he went all crazy on me, telling me I'm spending way too much time with you. He made me lie. I mean you're the most important thing to me in the world."

El couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had no idea Hop would do something like that. Then her mind wandered back to her conversations with Max the past few days. She tossed the doll on the floor.

"What if he's right?" El said getting frustrated.

"What?" Mike asked.

This is not where he thought this conversation would go. He figured he would tell the truth, she would be sorry then things could go back to normal.

"Hop," El said simply.

"No no no no," Mike explained. "He's just some angry old man who hates joy."

"But if I only see you," El said poking Mikes shoulder. "And I'm a different species then you, then I should be with my species more."

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked.

He had never heard Eleven talk about species. He had no idea where she got these ideas from. Did she even know what a species was? No one even uses that word except when….oh no. It dawned on Mike suddenly that his now ex-girlfriend can spy on him in the void.

"Did you spy on me!?" Mike asked.

El leaned over and picked up the doll again. She didn't say a word which Mike took as a yes, this explains everything. He wondered exactly how much of the conversation she heard. He turned a little red in the face.

"That's totally against the rules!" Mike continued.

"I make my own rules," El said as she left the shed.

Mikes mind was going a mile a minute. What on earth has Max been teaching El, she was corrupting her.

"Mike are you here?" Max's voice sounded from the supercom.

It took all Mikes power not to yell at her over the walkie talkie.

"Yeah!" Mike yelled.

"Where are you guys?" Max said confused by his tone.

"I'm coming just hold on a second," Mike said quickly. "Shit."

Max shrugged off Mikes strange tone of voice and continued to watch her brother. Billy had given her a hard time before, but he was still her brother, she wanted to protect him the way he used to protect her. They were family after all.

"God I hope it's not you," She said to herself. "I really hope it's not you."

Once the pool is closed

Right before the pool closed the kids hid themselves in the locker room. They were able to remain unseen even when Billy came in to make sure everyone was out. While he was in the office finishing the paperwork for the day, they set their plan in motion. Placing the dummy, the supercom and reviewing their parts to play.

When Billy entered the locker room he went into the shower. The kids came out of their respective hiding spots and all went into the back storage area. It was the farthest away from the showers

They heard Billy go into the locker room and take out his clothes. It was time for the plan to begin.

Mike nodded to El as she closed her eyes and made the door of the locker room open, close and lock from the outside so Billy couldn't leave.

"Pools closed," They heard Billy say. "Hey, did you hear me! The pool is closed."

They heard him bang on the door a few times trying to get it open.

"Now Mike," Lucas whispered.

"Billy," Mike said into the supercom.

"Who's there?" They heard Billy's faint voice ask.

"Biiillllllyyy," Mike said in a teasing voice.

El made a few of the lockers bang to try and get more of Billy's attention.

"Who's there?" Billy said back in an angrier version on the sing-song voice.

"Billy! Billy," Mike continued.

"You think this is funny huh?" Billy said.

"Ha hahaha," Mike laughed in response to Billy's question. "Billy come and find me."

"I find you," Billy said sternly. "It is your funeral."

Lucas, Max, and Will all stayed behind, anxiously waiting to leap into action. Max prayed that nothing went wrong, that Billy didn't accidentally walk past the sauna to find them in the storage area.

"Come and get me," Mike taunted. "Come on,"

El open and closed the door to the locker room, leading Billy in the direction they wanted him to go.

"Billy," Mike called then began to laugh.

"Got you," They heard Billy say then he laughed a crazy laugh.

Lucas peaked his head out to see Billy indeed going for the sauna. He gave the group a thumbs up.

"Go El," Mike whispered touching her arm to get her out of her trance.

El walked away from the rest of the group coming up behind Billy as he entered the sauna. He looked at the doll curiously, picked it up by the throat and raised it to the ceiling.

"Hey behind you," Mike's voice came from the supercom.

Billy turned around to see El standing in the doorway.

"Hi," She said casually.

Billy prepared to charge but El was quicker, using her powers to throw him into the wall of the sauna.

Mike watched as El did her part of the plan, now was their cue.

"Now!" He yelled turning on the lights as the gang ran to the sauna door. El closed it with the swipe of her hand. The rest of them put in the pipe and locked the chains around the handle.

"Got it!" Lucas said when the padlock was secure.

They all ran back behind El, a safe distance from the sauna door. Billy was still pounding trying to get out. He stopped to finally look at the scene in front of him, his eyes locked on his sister.

"Max," he said slowly. He almost looked like he was calming down.

They all turned to look at Max, wondering if she would call off the plan.

"Do it," She said quickly. She needed to know once and for all if her brother was the host.

Will ran forward and turned on the controls to make it as hot as possible.

As they waited Billy began to talk to them

"You kids think this is funny?" He began breathing heavily. "You kids think this is some kind of sick prank huh?"

Everyone looked at each other, all wondering if maybe he wasn't the host, after all, maybe he was just angry.

"You little shits think this is funny?" He yelled. "What is it? Open the door. OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

As he went out of view Will went over to check the heat.

"We're at 220," He said heading back to the group.

They all got an uneasy feeling as the sauna went quiet. They began to hear whimpering and crying noises.

"It's not my fault," Billy said in a quiet voice. "It's not my fault Max it's not my fault."

Max felt her heart sink as she took a few steps closer to see inside the sauna.

She saw her brother sitting on the floor crying. She had never seen this kind of vulnerability from him and it made her heartbreak.

"What's not your fault Billy?" Max whispered and she came to the window.

"I've done things, Max," He cried. "Bad things, I didn't mean to. He made me do it."

"Who made you do it?" Max asked.

"It's like a shadow," Billy tried to explain. "Like a giant shadow. Please, Max."

El turned to look at Will, she felt bad for Billy in this moment. She knew he didn't want to do any of these things, he was being controlled. Will locked eyes with El, they knew for sure now. Billy was the new host.

Will's heart sank, he knew exactly what it felt like to be controlled, to hurt people because the mind flayer made you do it. He really wanted to help Billy but he didn't know how just yet.

"What did he make you do?" Max asked.

"It's NOT MY FAULT!" Billy screamed turning over to his side. "MAX PLEASE…..please, please, believe me, Max, please."

Max began to cry. She didn't want her brother to suffer the way Will did. The mind flayer is making him do terrible things that even he feels bad about. He's right, it's not his fault.

"I tried to stop him I did," Billy cried. "Please, believe me, Max."

"It's gonna be okay," Max said through her tears. "It's gonna be okay we want to help you. You just have to talk to us okay? You have to talk to us."

Will watched with a heavy heart as his friend tried to reason with both her brother and the mind flayer inside him. Suddenly he started to feel the hairs on his neck stand up. This is not good.

"I feel him," Will whispered to Mike.

Mike looked over at Will and tried to predict what would happen next. If Will could feel the mind flayer, he's in control of Billy. Billy isn't himself right now, the mind flayer is trying to get to Max.

"He's activated," Will said with wide eyes.

"Max get away from the door," Mike said calmly.

"What?" Max asked without turning around.

"GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" Mike yelled as Billy busted through the window.

Max screamed and jumped out of the way just in time.

El instructively put her arms up, trying to keep her friends behind her.

"LET ME OUT!" Billy said banging on the door. "LET ME OUT LET ME OUT!"

He pulled the bar our of the handle and the group began to get nervous, he could possibly escape and kill them all.

Lucas took out his wrist rocket and hit Billy square in the forehead. Billy fell back against the floor hard.

"Max come on!" Lucas yelled at her to join them.

Stunned but able to move, Max moved over behind Lucas.

Suddenly the lights began to flicker crazily. The group looked up, wondering what that meant and what would happen next.

Billy began to make strange noises from inside the sauna. Billy was being activated even more. He began to scream inhumanly. His veins started popping out and he began to ram the door with more strength than ever.

"He can't get out can he?" Max wondered.

"No way," Lucas said but as he watched Billy he no longer believed his own words. "No way!"

Suddenly the door burst open and Billy came tumbling out in front of them.

El immediately began to concentrate on Billy's movements, she had to protect her friends. Everyone stood behind El frozen with fear. Now that they knew Billy was the host there was no telling what he would do. They were all grateful that El was there, she had stopped the mind flayer before.

Billy stared down at El with cold, lifeless eyes. She took a deep breath and slowly lifted one of the weights with her powers. Quickly she let out a scream and threw it at Billy, sending him flying into the wall.

Everyone jumped as they watched El use her strength to pin Billy against the wall. Mike watched in awe, he couldn't believe this much power was coming from a small girl like El.

Billy struggled against El's powers, he was being lifted off the ground. His veins began expanding, even more, the mind flayer becoming agitated.

Slowly Billy began to push the weights off his neck.

How is this possible? El thought to herself, she began to scream, trying to push all of her power to keep Billy pined. Suddenly she was sent to the ground by Billy throwing the weights back at her.

Mike almost had a heart attack, thinking El got hit by the weight, after seeing her on the floor he could tell that wasn't the case.

El tried to crawl away from Billy, to get herself in the headspace to try again. Then she felt him grab her hair. He brought her up onto her feet.

Billy looked Max and Lucas dead in the eyes for a moment. Max did not see her brother at that moment, it was a monster. Without batting an eye Billy took his free hand and clasped it around EL's neck.

Mike jumped slightly, taken aback by Billy's actions. He began scanning the room. What on earth could he use? Max, Lucas and Will looked on helplessly. They had no idea how to help their poor friends.

El sputtered for air, slapping Billy with her free hand trying to break free. She coughed and choked trying to get any air. She was losing strength, so her powers weren't working. She could feel Billy lifting her high above. She gripped his hand with both of her to save herself. She refused to let the mind flayer win, she had to keep fighting back.

With Billy's attention fully turned to El, Mike saw his opportunity to creep over and grab one of the metal rods for weightlifting. His heart broke as he came up behind Billy, watching El gasp for air.

In one quick motion, he hit Billy on the back on the head, sending him and El falling to the ground.

"Go to hell you pieced of shit!" He yelled as he swung to hit Billy again.

Mike used all his anger to bring the rod down onto Billy but he grabbed it too quickly and threw it behind him. Mike knew he was in trouble but at least he saved El, he didn't care what happened to himself now. Billy walked closer, backing Mike up to the wall, his breathing becoming panicked.

El caught her breath from her spot on the ground. Her vision was going a little blurry but she could make out Billy walking towards Mike. She was exhausted but she knew she had to save Mike.

Mike watched with wide eyes as Billy began to levitate. He thought at first it might be Billy's doing. Then he heard EL groan from her spot on the floor, she was on her knees, arms outstretched towards Billy.

El pulled strength from her love for Mike. She got to her feet and moved so she was between Billy and Mike. Billy sputtered and yelled as he tried to break free from El's powers.

You've caused enough trouble, El thought to herself. With her last burst of energy El screamed as she tossed Billy through the brick wall.

Will, Lucas, and Max stared at the hole in the wall, chests heaving with their ragged breath.

El felt all her energy drain from her body, she began to fall, letting her tears run down her cheeks. Mike felt El's body press against his, he grabbed hold and slid down the wall to a sitting position with her.

"You're okay?" El cried as she brought her hand up to Mike's face behind her.

"I'm okay," He whispered frantically into her ear as he held her tight. "Everyone's okay, you saved us El."

He had to repeat "everything's okay," a few times both for himself and El.

"I'm gonna get you up okay?" He whispered once he remembered the hole in the wall.

He got to his feet quickly and moved so he was in front of El. She put her arms out for him and he helped her up.

They walked towards the wall with their friends, watching as Billy got up and jogged to the woods.

El furrowed her brow as she watched Billy leave. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she couldn't let the mind flayer win. Billy would come back, and when he did, she would be ready.

The group watched for a little while, then Max turned to El and took her hand.

"You were amazing," She said softly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," El said then winced. Her throat felt raw and it hurt to speak.

"Ugh guys maybe we should go," Lucas said staring at the giant hole in the wall.

"Yeah," Mike said leading the group. "Let's go back to my place."

I'm sorry that I ended it here, don't worry the aftermath of the fight will be the first thing at the start of the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed, let me know in a review. If there are any missing moments you are dying to see please let me know!