Billy's feet were moving before his brain had time to catch up, rushing after Krystal who had disappeared into the forest at the edge of the car park. He ran quicker than he ever had before, not listening as he heard Max calling his name. He needed to get to Krystal. The demodogs had been snapping at her heels the last he had seen, and he doubted she had gotten too far. As he sprinted through the treeline, his surroundings became even darker and he cursed himself for not grabbing a flashlight. How was he going to find her?
"Krystal! Krystal?!" He yelled, whipping his head around to listen out for any noise.
He knew the demodogs would be able to hear him, but he didn't care. At least if they were chasing him, maybe she would be able to get away. Billy's legs burnt as he finally came to a halt, leaning against a nearby tree for support. A faraway scream caught his attention, as he set off towards the sound. Billy's heart stopped for a moment as he saw one of the demodogs on top of Krystal, it's large rows of teeth snapping near her face. She had her hand wrapped around the creature's neck, keeping it away from her face, but it didn't look like she would be able to hold out for much longer. Billy frantically wracked his brain for how he could get the demodog away from her, his hands searching his jeans for any type of weapon. His eyes widened in horror as the beast lowered its head to the left and lunged forward, biting Krystal's abdomen viciously. She let out a blood-curdling scream as the creature pierced through her skin. Before he knew what he was doing, Billy had lunged at the creature, ripping it away from Krystal. Billy and the demodog rolled away from the bleeding girl, as Billy managed to land on top. He kept his arm clamped down against the demodogs neck as it strained against him, snapping angrily. Billy let out a cry as its sharp claws cut deep into his chest, just underneath his collarbone. He relieved some of the pressure against the demodogs neck as he tried to get away from its claws, but this only gave the demodog the advantage to shove Billy onto his back. The moment the creature had the upper hand, it lunged at Billy's chest with its sharp teeth, as Billy screamed in pain. The demodog sank its teeth deeper as Billy fought against it, his hands flailing around madly. His eyes shot open when the creature suddenly stilled against his skin, and he felt a liquid splatter against his face. He looked down to see a branch was now impaled through the demodogs head, with Krystal holding the other end. She roughly pulled the creature's corpse away from his chest, as blood began to pool from Billy's abdomen. She then all but collapsed beside him, blood splattering onto the ground from her own wound.
"Are you okay?" Krystal asked, worry clear on her face.
"It's just a scratch" Billy shrugged, as he pushed himself into a sitting position, placing his hand against his bleeding wound.
"You saved me" Krystal stated, as she pushed herself onto her knees.
"Think about all the shit my dad would give me if you died" Billy retorted, watching Krystal stand up with shaky legs.
"Billy…" Krystal sighed, as they both knew that wasn't the reason.
"…I didn't want to lose you" Billy admitted, in a voice so quiet Krystal almost missed it.
Billy jumped a little when Krystal held her hand out to him, ushering for him to take it. He gratefully did so, as she helped pull him up, groaning from the strain. Billy couldn't meet her eyes but could see she had a small smile on her face.
"Thank you" Krystal exclaimed, as Billy nodded.
He dropped his head onto her shoulder, almost too exhausted to even stand, as she wrapped her arms around his back. Billy's hands slowly trailed around her waist as he leaned against her, the adrenaline from the fight quickly fading. His whole body ached, every bone in his body…but Krystal was safe.
The two teenagers slowly trudged back to the car, leaning on each other for support, as blood dripped down their clothes. Krystal had realised that the demodog had bit them both in almost the exact same position. Compared to the bite the other demodog had given Steve, the pair had come off lucky. Their wounds were more superficial, but it was the second fight that Billy had been involved in that night and Krystal could see he was close to passing out. As they exited the treeline, they quickly spotted by the kids who all looked incredibly relieved to see them. Max was the first to sprint forward and practically bowled Krystal over as she hugged her. Krystal beamed as she hugged her sister back tightly, happy that she and the others were safe.
"I thought…I thought you were…" Max sniffled, tears running down her cheeks.
"I'm not going anywhere, I promise" Krystal replied, as she pressed a kiss to Max's forehead.
Max's attention was then pulled to Billy who was clutching at his chest, his shirt completely drenched in his own blood. Max let out a sob as she quickly wrapped her arms around him, not giving him a chance to stop her. Billy's arms hung loosely at his side; the shock of Max's actions clear on his face. Apart from Krystal he couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged him. He patted the ginger girl on the back awkwardly, his lips twitching into a small smile at the affection he was receiving.
"You two look like shit" Mike announced, as the rest of the kids approached them.
"Thanks" Krystal laughed, grimacing at the pain from her abdomen when she did so.
"What happened?" Dustin inquired, looking a little sick when he spotted the blood plastered against their skin.
"Billy here thought it was a good idea to wrestle with one of those things" Krystal informed them, as Dustin's eyes widened.
"…Dude, you're awesome!" Dustin exclaimed, as Max pulled away from Billy.
Krystal had to bite her lip to stop her from laughing at the proud look Billy had from receiving the statement. She reckoned he had never gotten so much praise in his life.
"Guys, we need to get going. El needs us" Mike insisted.
"You can't be serious! Billy and I can barely stand, we can't protect you guys" Krystal explained.
"You can't come with us. You need to go into the ER" Max advised.
"We're not letting you little shits go on your own" Billy retorted, as he began walking back to the car.
"Billy, you can't drive. You've lost too much blood" Krystal pointed out.
"Then who is gonna' drive? Max?" Billy scoffed, as Krystal gave him a look.
"Oh no…" Max trailed off, when she realised what Krystal was thinking.
"Max, give me the keys" Krystal announced, as she watched horror wash over Billy's face.
"No way, you're not driving my car!" Billy insisted, as Max reluctantly handed the keys over to Krystal.
"Guys, c'mon! I'm not that bad" Krystal exclaimed, as Max and Billy shared a look.
"I survived an attack from a damn dog from hell, and now my step-sister is gonna' crash my car" Billy groaned.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic! It won't be like my last driving lesson…I know which pedal the brakes are now" Krystal mumbled, as Billy's eyes widened.
"We're all gonna' die" Max stated, as Krystal opened the driver's door.
"Right, who wants to ride shotgun?" She called out, as everyone quickly started to pile into the backseat.
"Oh, c'mon!" Billy complained, when he realised, he was too late and would have to join Krystal in the passenger seat.
"Alright, seatbelts everyone! This might get a little bumpy" Krystal announced, as Billy flopped into his seat with a groan.
She looked into the mirror to see the kids holding on tightly to anything they could get their hands on, apprehensive looks on her face. She put the keys in the ignition and started the car with a roll of her eyes. The next second the car lurched forward instead of backing up, and almost went through the wall in front of them.
"…That was just a test…" Krystal trailed off, with a sheepish expression.
"Well, that wasn't so bad was it" Krystal announced, as she pressed on the brakes just a metre before the hole where the tunnels started.
"I think I'm gonna' be sick" Lucas complained, as he shoved past her and ripped open the front door.
"Never again" Max added, as she followed him, her face even paler than usual.
"Were you trying to hit all those bins?" Mike complained as he exited the car too, only leaving Dustin in the back.
"…You didn't crash the car…so that's good, right…?" Dustin trailed off, as Krystal sighed.
She moved forward to let him exit the car too and turned to Billy who was still clutching onto his car seat. She couldn't help but laugh at his terrified expression, beginning to giggle uncontrollably. Billy turned to her with a dumbfounded expression, only making Krystal laugh harder.
"Oh, you think this is funny, huh?" Billy scoffed, as Krystal nodded, clutching at her stomach as she giggled.
"Yeah, I really do" Krystal grinned, as Billy shook his head fondly.
Slowly Krystal's laugh began to die down, as she continued to stare at Billy, who could see there was something she wanted to say. His forehead wrinkled as she suddenly leaned forward pressing a chaste kiss against his lips, before pulling away just as quickly.
"What was that for?" Billy inquired.
"…I don't know, I just wanted to" Krystal shrugged, before pulling herself out of the car, leaving Billy sitting there.
He placed his fingertips against his lips, still having the feel of Krystal's lips against his own. He felt his face heat up slightly and realised he was blushing. Since when did Billy Hargrove blush, he thought in annoyance. He jumped when there was a sudden knock on his window and saw Dustin standing there, a grin on his face and a thumbs up.
"What the hell am I doing with my life?" Billy groaned.
"So, what's going on with you two?" Max questioned; her voice muffled by the bandana around her mouth.
They had all reluctantly lowered themselves into the tunnels, with Billy and his newfound admirer Dustin in the front, and Krystal and Max at the back of the group. Krystal had been dreading Max to bringing up their stepbrother and his relationship with her.
"Honestly? I have no idea. It's been a crazy week" Krystal huffed, looking at the boy a few metres in front of them.
"You like him, he likes you…it sounds pretty simple to me" Max pointed out.
"He's our stepbrother, Max. It's wrong on so many levels" Krystal retorted.
"But he's better when you're with him. I almost like him when he's like this" Max admitted, making Krystal chuckle.
"…It's not going to work. If Neil ever found out about…whatever we are, he'd kill us both. Slowly and painfully" Krystal explained.
"Maybe I could help you two sneak around, then you could-" Max started, but Krystal cut her off.
"What about you and Lucas, huh?" Krystal interjected, trying to change the subject quickly.
"What about him?" Max shrugged, as Krystal scoffed, and nudged her little sister.
"Max and Lucas, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-" Krystal was cut off, as Max placed her hand over her mouth, cringing when Lucas turned around, clearly confused.
"Your so immature" Max grumbled, making Krystal giggle.
"You should tell him how you feel. I might be destined to be single for the foreseeable future, but you don't have to" Krystal insisted.
"Maybe…" Max trailed off, a blush rising on her cheeks.
"I'm glad your talking to me again" Max mumbled, a moment later.
"You know that had nothing to do with you, right? I've just been in a bad place this past year. It's been my problem, not yours" Krystal explained, as Max slowly nodded.
"What happens once this is all over? Does everything just go back to how it used to be?" Max inquired, with a worried expression.
"I hope not" Krystal muttered, her eyes flittering back over to Billy.
Their plan seemed to go off without a hitch at first, as they were easily able to drench the hub that joined all the tunnels with gasoline. Billy was the one who set fire to the sinister roots that surrounded the tunnel, as they heard it practically screech in pain. It was so alive. They were followed by one of the demodogs, but both the older teens were surprised when Dustin seemed to have a relationship with the creature. He was able to safely get them around the demodog and soon enough they thought they'd be free. Krystal felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end when they heard loud growls from behind them. The demodogs were coming and they sounded pissed. They soon found the entrance to the tunnels and pushed Max up first, as she was both Krystal and Billy's main priority. Just as they were pushing the last child, Dustin up to his friends, the first demodog was rounding the corner.
"Shit…" Krystal gasped, as the creature came charging towards them.
They had no weapons and there was no way they could get out in time. They were well and truly trapped. Krystal could hear Max screaming her name as Billy pushed her behind him, his arm protectively held out in front of her. Krystal scrunched her eyes shut just before the demodog pounced on them. However, no attack ever came. Her eyes slowly opened to find the demodog staring at the pair in confusion. It tilted its head at them before running past them. Before they could think too much about the creature's strange actions, a larger group were sprinting towards them. They too came to a halt in front of the pair but seemed to quickly dismiss them and shoved past them.
"…You okay?" Billy questioned Krystal, who he could feel was still shaking behind him.
"I think I just had a minor heart attack…but fine apart from that" Krystal muttered, as Billy chuckled lightly.
Krystal liked hospitals. She knew it was a strange way to feel, but it was a safe place for her. No abusive parents. No need to be scared. Not to mention three meals a day, her own shower and as much time as she wanted to sleep in. She was surprised when she had been given her own private room but decided not to question it. When she had been wheeled into the room from the ER that morning, she had been too tired to even talk. But she still fought against the nurses when they went to take Billy away. She knew he was in safe hands but under the harsh fluorescent lights, she realised his injuries were worse than she had first thought. They had wheeled him away quickly on a gurney, as she heard talk of him going straight into theatres. Whenever a nurse or doctor entered the room her first question was always whether Billy was okay, when could she see him? She was placated when a nurse had told him a few hours ago that he was out of theatres and in a stable condition. She should have gotten him to the hospital quicker. When her door opened a little while later, she hoped it would have been Max, but instead it was a police officer. Jim Hopper. She had been wondering how long it would be until he showed up. While they were in the ER Max had explained how Hopper was connected to Eleven, and it made Krystal sick to her stomach.
"You knew" Krystal announced, stopping Hopper before he could even open his mouth.
"You knew that my father didn't kill himself, didn't you?" Krystal insisted, as Hopper slowly nodded.
"It was too dangerous-" Hopper began, but she cut him off.
"He was your friend. And you just let his memory rot. Why?!" Krystal shouted her lip curling up in anger.
"To protect her! To protect Eleven…I couldn't tell anyone. I couldn't draw attention to myself. I'm sorry" Hopper explained, as he came to sit on a seat next to her hospital bed.
"…Is she okay? Eleven?" Krystal questioned, a moment later.
"Yeah. Yeah, she's a strong kid. You are too" Hopper stated, as Krystal looked away from him.
"Is my mom's insurance covering all this? What about Billy's treatment?" Krystal couldn't help but ask.
"Actually Steve Harrington has offered to pay all your medical bills. Billy's too. Something about wanting to make things up to you" Hopper informed her, shocking Krystal for a moment.
"That sounds like him" She mumbled, a small smile on her face.
"I need to talk to you about what happened to you and your stepbrother" Hopper announced.
"The truth or the official story?" Krystal scoffed, picking at her nails nervously.
"How about what happened before the demodogs attacked?" Hopper clarified as Krystal's eyes snapped up to his.
"I…I need to speak to Billy" Krystal told him, as Hopper huffed out a laugh.
"Funny. He's just asked to speak to you first as well" Hopper sighed.
Billy's room was on the same floor as hers, but he was being kept in the high dependency unit. Krystal had panicked when she had heard that, but Hopper quickly reassured her that Billy would make a full recovery. Krystal's heart stopped for a moment when Hopper wheeled her through the doorway, and she saw Billy for the first time. The whole left side of his face was bruised, and even from metres away she could see the marks covering his neck. Worst of all were the bandages covering most of his chest, as she could see the one underneath his collarbone was already beginning to bleed. He looked half dead.
"The claw and bite marks on his chest will scar, but they should heal fine. They weren't the problem. He had internal bleeding from his abdomen, they had to rush him to theatre. They know the 'rabid dogs' didn't do that. Or the strangulation marks around his neck. You two need to think very carefully before making your statements" Hopper advised her, as he finished pushing her to Billy's bedside.
"Can I have some time alone with him?" Krystal asked, reaching out to touch Billy's cold hand.
"Sure, kid. I'll be outside" Hopper smiled, quietly closing the door behind him.
"Billy? Hey, can you hear me?" Krystal questioned, squeezing his hand as his eyes fluttered open.
"You okay?" Billy croaked, wetting his dry lips.
"Are you really asking me that right now? You look terrible" Krystal sighed, still holding onto his hand.
"You really know how to kick someone while they're down, huh Krys?" Billy smirked, as he pushed himself upright into a sitting position.
"Fuck, Billy. They said they had to operate on you…if I had known how bad it was, I never would have-" Krystal cried, but Billy shushed her before she could go on.
"I'm fine. I'll have a date with my nurse by the end of the day" Billy grinned, as Krystal swatted his arm playfully.
"You sure you're okay? It must hurt" Krystal stated, her eyes wandering down his chest.
"Well, I can think of a few things that would make me feel better if you're offering" Billy suggested, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.
"It's time to think with your head, not your dick. The Chief's asking questions" Krystal informed him, as Billy looked out of the window to see Hopper talking into his walkie-talkie.
"What did you say to him?" Billy queried.
"Nothing. I wanted to talk to you first" Krystal replied.
"We stick to the rabid dog's story, it's pretty simple" Billy pointed out.
"Or…we could tell the truth" Krystal exclaimed, biting her lip nervously.
"Please tell me you're not talking about what happened with my dad. You're not that dumb, Krystal" Billy scoffed, pulling his hand away roughly from her touch.
"We can't just act like this didn't happen. He could have killed you! This has to stop, Billy!" Krystal insisted.
"They won't do anything. Look at what happened with you and your foster parents! If my dad finds out I talked to the cops about him…" Billy trailed off, with more fear in his eyes that Krystal had seen all day.
"What if he moves on from you, huh? What if he starts hitting me? Or Max-" Krystal began, but Billy cut her off quickly.
"He won't! I wouldn't let him" Billy told her, a dark tone in his voice.
"I'm tired of living in fear, Billy. Aren't you?" Krystal sighed, as Billy's eyes snapped down to look at her.
"…It won't end well" Billy told her.
"I don't want to force you into anything you don't want to do. If you think it's better to just say nothing…then that's what I'll do too" Krystal explained, as Billy mulled over her comment.
Telling Hopper what had happened the day before was harder than Billy had expected. He hated how weak he sounded. Krystal had stayed with him throughout the questioning, at his own request. Billy refused to go into details about when the abuse started or even call it what it was. He had to admit it did feel like a weight off his shoulders at finally telling an adult, even if they were a police officer. He was glad the Chief gave him no pitying looks as he recounted his story.
"Right…I think I've got all I need" Hopper announced, as he closed the pad he had been writing on.
"He hit Krystal too. I just…you should know that" Billy informed him, as Krystal looked away uncomfortably.
"That where you got the bloody nose you came in with?" Hopper inquired, watching Krystal reluctantly nod.
"Max is going to stay with her mom in a motel while we sort this all out. Krystal, you will probably be released from the hospital tomorrow, you can go live with your mom after that, okay?" Hopper suggested, gaining another nod from the girl.
"What about me?" Billy asked.
"The doctors tell me you'll need to stay in for at least a few more days. After that…it'll be up to Ms Mayfield" Hopper explained, as Billy realised what it could mean.
"I'll talk to my mom. We'll sort something out" Krystal tried to reassure him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Krystal saw how Hopper seemed confused by her behaviour and wondered how much he had seen through the window beforehand. Surely Max wouldn't have been stupid enough to tell the officer about Billy and Krystal's odd relationship?
The next day rolled around quickly, as Krystal was able to walk to Billy's room unaided this time. Max had brought in a new outfit for her, meaning she could get out of the ugly hospital gown she had been forced to wear. The ginger girl had even brought in some of her makeup, which made Krystal start to feel normal again. The smile on her face faded immediately when she recognised a familiar voice from inside Billy's room. She ripped open the door to find Neil sitting on his son's bed, with a doctor and police officer she didn't recognise standing not far behind. Her eyes quickly connected with Billy's, spotting the fear that lay there.
"Krystal! Honey, are you okay? Sorry I haven't been to visit, but there was some nasty business I had to get sorted out at the station" Neil announced, a shit-eating grin on his face when he spotted her.
"Where's Max and mom?" Krystal inquired, not sure what else to say.
"Oh, they're back at home. I got them the moment I was released…the Doctors were just saying that Billy will be able to come home tomorrow" Neil informed her.
"I said he could. He'll need regular pain medications, not to mention a follow up-" The Doctor who looked to be no older than twenty-five began, but the police officer cut him off.
"Neil will make sure he does. My apologises for all that mess down at the station. Where my colleagues got the idea that there was domestic violence happening in your home, I don't know" The police officer exclaimed, as Neil's eyes snapped up to Krystal's.
"Well, no harm, no foul. I'm just happy we're all back together now…" Neil trailed off, standing up from the bed and coming to stand in front of Krystal.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Krystal. I promise from now on…I won't let be letting either of you out of my sight" Neil told her, placing his hand on her shoulder and squeezing to the point it became painful.
What the hell had she done?
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Oh dear, looks like Krystal has really screwed up this time. And I wonder why the Demodogs left them alone, hmm? Sorry in advance if updates are sporadic for the next few months, as I'm a nurse and from next week I'm working with coronavirus patients, so it's going to be a very busy year! Please leave a review:)
Runaway Fantasy Princess: Haha, that's exactly the reaction I wanted! Thanks for reviewing:)
LoveFiction2020: Thank you, I hope you like this update!
Guest: Aw, thank you! As you can probably tell I love cliffhangers, haha. I hope you like this new chapter:)
teenwolfismylife101: Krystal survived this chapter, but she'll have a lot of pain coming her way soon. Thanks for the review:)