Murray's eyes shot open as loud alarms blared all around him, causing him to grab the shotgun under his bed instantly. He pulled on his robe and sprinted to the where he could see the camera feed of his driveway, surveying the grainy images for whatever had set off the sensors. His forehead wrinkled as he found nothing, no sign that anyone had been skulking around his property. But he could never be too careful. Cocking his gun, he cautiously made his way to his front door, a bad feeling settling in his stomach. Taking a deep breath, he wrenched open the metal door to his property and raised his gun. Nothing. Slowly, he took a step into the night, feeling cold drizzle against his skin, as the hair's on the back of his neck stood up. Something was wrong. He could feel it.
"Murray?" A voice croaked from behind him, causing the older man to whip around, his gun still raised.
Murray frowned as he spotted a figure on the ground by the doorway, wearing nothing but a swimming costume and shorts, as the rain ran down their limbs. Scared blue eyes looked up at him, as he recognised who it was, causing his frown to deepen further.
"Krystal?" Murray questioned, lowering his gun, and taking a step forward.
She had her knees drawn up to her chest, clearly shivering as Murray went to crouch down beside her. He looked down at his watch and realised it was almost two in the morning. He surveyed the driveway and saw there was no sign of any car having dropped her off. Had she really walked all that way?
"What happened?" Murray inquired, seeing the tear-tracks on her cheeks.
"I need some help" Krystal sobbed, as Murray's eyes softened.
Before he knew what he was doing, he pulled the young girl into a hug, her skin icy cold to the touch. She laid her head against his shoulder, as he wrapped his arms tighter around her, feeling a strange protectiveness.
"I'll look after you" Murray promised, rubbing her back lightly.
"I didn't know where else to go, I…I was so scared" Krystal sobbed, as Murray pulled away, taking his robe off and throwing it over her shoulder's, hoping to warm her up.
"Let's get you inside?" Murray suggested, as Krystal nodded.
She allowed Murray to help her stand up, not trusting her legs wouldn't give out, as he pulled her arm over his shoulder. He slowly led her to the living room, pulling the large metal door closed behind them. As soon as they got to the couch, Krystal practically collapsed on top of it, clearly exhausted, making Murray think she really had walked all that way. His eyes were drawn to a red substance underneath her nails, and the way she hunched over as if she was in pain.
"Did someone hurt you?" Murray asked, as Krystal quickly shook her head.
"No. Nothing like that. I…I've not been honest with you. With anyone really…" Krystal trailed off, as Murray came to sit beside her.
"Krystal, you can tell me anything, you know that. I mean who do I have to tell?" Murray pointed out, as Krystal gave him a look.
"Nothing's been right since that night we were attacked by the Demo-dogs. I've been different. I feel different. I'm angry all the time, I can't sleep, I…I've been seeing things-" Krystal began, but Murray stopped her.
"Anyone would. You literally got mauled by a monster from the other side. There's nothing wrong with you, Krystal" Murray insisted, as Krystal shook her head vehemently.
"I've seen my dad…except he's not my dad. It's this…this thing that looks like him, and I think it wants to hurt me-" Krystal cut her ramblings off, knowing how she sounded.
"Your dad's dead. You know that" Murray frowned.
"I know, I know! But there's this thing that has been following me that looks like him and sounds like him! I'm not making this up!" Krystal insisted, with pleading eyes.
"…Your sure it's not just someone who looks like him?" Murray asked, as Krystal gave him a look.
"I know what my own fucking father looks like, Murray! It's like his…his corpse has been walking around" Krystal explained, as Murray's brows furrowed.
"You think I'm crazy, don't you?" Krystal sighed, dropping her head into her hands.
"I believe you" Murray replied, a few seconds later, as Krystal's eyes snapped up to his.
"You do?" She gaped.
"Aliens exist enthusiast here, remember? I can get behind zombies" Murray shrugged.
"…I think it's the Mindflayer" Krystal admitted, a scared tone to her voice.
"It's locked away in the Upside Down, right? How could it be doing this?" Murray asked.
"Maybe some part of it got loose. Maybe it's been trapped out here with us this whole time!" Krystal theorised, as Murray ran a hand over his beard.
"Why would it be targeting you?" Murray inquired.
"Maybe it wants me to be the new Will. It needs a new spy" Krystal suggested, biting her lip.
"If what your saying is true…you need to leave Hawkins" Murray told her, as Krystal shook her head.
"I can't leave Billy…my sister, my friends…if the Mindflayer really is back I need to protect them" Krystal explained.
"Then who's going to protect you?" Murray pointed out, as they shared a look.
A/N: Trigger warning for sexual assault in the next scene!
Later that day, Murray had driven her to the pool at her request. She would have missed teaching the kids how to swim, maybe even lost her job, but all she wanted was to find Billy. Murray had convinced her that Billy would understand what she was going through. That she shouldn't be scared that he would leave her. Nervously, she walked through the throngs of kids around the pool, trying to spot Billy but came up empty. Murray had dropped her off at her house for a change of clothes before coming to the pool which she was grateful for. Without the swimming instructor costume, she blended in easily to the crowds. She frowned when she saw Billy wasn't at his usual post and figured he must have been in the locker room.
"There you are! The boss has been giving me shit all morning because the locker rooms are still closed. Wasn't Billy supposed to close up last night?" Heather exclaimed, having spotted her.
"Shit…uh, no I closed up last night. I forgot I still have the keys" Krystal muttered, pulling the keys out of her pocket.
"Open up then! You might not care about this job, but I do" Heather scoffed, shoving past her.
"As charming as ever, Heather" Krystal mumbled under her breath, walking over to the locker room, and unlocking the door.
She didn't even remember locking up last night, but then again the whole thing had been a blur. Panic suddenly coursed through her as she wondered why Billy hadn't turned up for work that morning. What had he thought when he came to the pool to pick her up and she wasn't there…unless someone else found him? With wide eyes, Krystal shoved the doors open and rushed into the locker room, calling out Billy's name. She let out a sigh of relief when she found no one inside. But that still didn't explain where Billy was.
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in" A familiar voice announced from behind her, as Krystal whipped her head around.
"I'm not in the mood for your shit right now, Tommy" Krystal exclaimed, spotting the teenager, who was leaning against the lockers in red trunks.
"No need to be rude, slut" Tommy H. scoffed, as Krystal raised an eyebrow at him.
"We all know that your fucking your step-brother, don't act so innocent" Tommy stated, as Krystal took a step forward.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Just get out of my way" Krystal muttered, as she went to shove past him.
"I figure if your willing to fuck your brother then you'll be willing to spread your legs for anyone…" Tommy stated, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Krystal exclaimed, trying to pull her hand away, but Tommy only gripped onto her arm harder.
"Someone who could out you if I wanted. I have proof" Tommy smirked, making Krystal frown.
"What?" Krystal questioned, feeling panic rising within her.
"Pictures actually. In my car. Of you and Billy…in this exact spot. What would your mommy think if she saw them?" Tommy threatened as Krystal's jaw tensed.
"You really don't want to push me right now, Tommy" Krystal warned, as the smirk grew on Tommy's lips.
"You're right. What I really want is you on your knees" Tommy goaded, as Krystal's eyes snapped up to his.
Before she could stop herself, she had used her other hand to slap Tommy across the face, so hard that she could already see the red mark spreading over his cheek. She was practically shaking with rage, but still Tommy kept his grip on her wrist.
"You'll pay for that" Tommy growled, shoving her into the nearby lockers.
Krystal grimaced as suddenly Tommy's hands were all over her, his lips crashing into hers as she tried to push him away. He was far stronger than her, grabbing her arms and pinning them against the lockers as she let out a scream.
"Let go of me! Let go!" Krystal yelled, struggling against him.
"Shut up, stop shouting" Tommy complained, shoving his hand over her mouth to muffle her cries.
Tommy let out a yelp of pain a moment later, pulling backwards as he clutched at his hand. His now bleeding hand. He looked up in shock at Krystal, who now had blood running down her chin.
"You psycho! You fucking bit me!" Tommy gaped at her, seeing how her eyes suddenly seemed to darken, black veins covering the blue that was usually there.
"I told you not to push me" Krystal stated, with an emotionless voice, wiping away the blood on her chin.
Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, Tommy backed up a few steps as Krystal pushed off from the lockers. Her whole body language was different to only moments ago, as he felt a sliver of fear go through him. Krystal shoved past him, with enough force that he almost toppled over. Just as he was about to shout after her, he felt pain shoot up his wrist, looking down at his hand. His forehead wrinkled as he saw black lines pulsing around the bite mark on his hand, burning a path up his wrist. What the hell?
Krystal sat on her couch nervously, a few hours later, her leg bobbing up and down as she tried to rack her memory for what had happened that morning. She remembered Murray taking her to the pool, Tommy threatening to out her relationship with Billy then…nothing. She had lost a full hour of the day and had no idea what happened. She could still feel Tommy's hands all over her. How had she gotten away from him? The sound of the front door creaking open had Krystal flinching as she whipped her head around to see Billy bursting through, a panicked look on his face.
"Where the fuck have you been, Krystal?" Billy asked, as Krystal stood up from the couch.
"Are you okay?" Krystal frowned, seeing how Billy was drenched from head to toe, water dripping off him onto the carpet.
"No! I've been out searching for you all day! You just disappeared! I thought…I thought you'd run away…" Billy trailed off, his jaw tense.
"No. I'd never leave without you" Krystal admitted, watching Billy's eyes snap up to her own.
"You wouldn't?" Billy questioned, as Krystal shook her head.
"I'm sorry. I tried looking for you at the pool, but you weren't there" Krystal tried to explain, as Billy held his hands up in despair.
"You really think I'd just go to my job while you were missing? Fuck, Krys. Where the hell have you been?" Billy insisted.
"Billy…there's something I need to tell you-" Krystal began, but Billy cut her off.
"Who is it?" Billy asked, making Krystal's forehead wrinkle in confusion.
"What?" She replied, as Billy's hands balled into fists.
"Whoever you spent the night with. What happened to Rule One, huh?" Billy goaded, an angry look on his face.
"It's not what you think, Billy. I was with Murray. I went to his straight after leaving the pool" Krystal explained, as Billy's jaw dropped open.
"Your fucking Murray?" Billy gaped, as Krystal couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"Of course I'm not, you dumbass! That's what I'm trying to tell you, I didn't cheat…I mean, not that we're…well, whatever we are…" Krystal stuttered, as Billy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"…Why did you just run off like that, then? I've been…Max has been worried" Billy insisted, as Krystal lip's twitched into a smile.
"Just Max?" Krystal asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Alright, alright. Maybe I was worried…just a bit" Billy confessed, as Krystal took a step forward.
"I'm sorry, I didn't…I wasn't thinking" Krystal admitted, reaching out and taking his hand in her own, as their fingers interlocked.
"Did something happen?" Billy asked, as Krystal shrugged.
"Everything's just been a bit much recently. I needed someone to talk to and…I guess I didn't want to worry you" Krystal went on, as Billy let out a long sigh.
"Well, you completely failed on that front, Krys" Billy pointed out, starting to shiver from how the cold rain was still clingy to his skin.
"You were really searching for me all day?" Krystal inquired, watching Billy shrug.
"I missed your smartass comments" Billy stated.
"We need to get you warmed up" Krystal exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his shoulder's.
"I like the sound of that" Billy grinned, as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips.
Krystal woke with a start later that night, her eyes flying open as they darted around the room in a panic. With a frown, she tried to rack her mind for what had woken her? Had she been having a nightmare? Hearing a soft sigh against her shoulder, she turned to see Billy with his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly. It was a good thing too, considering how small his bed was, she was already close to falling out. A loud bang from outside the bedroom door made Krystal jump, as she crawled away from Billy's warm body. With quiet steps, she made her way to the door, coming to a sudden halt when she saw the light underneath the door shift as if someone or something was on the other side. With a frown, Krystal stepped forward to place her ear against the door and felt a shiver go down her spine as she heard heavy breathing from the other side. Before she could stop herself, she had grabbed the doorknob and wrenched the door open, expecting to come face to face with an intruder. Instead, she found…absolutely nothing. The hallway light was now off, making Krystal question whether it had ever been on. In the pitch black, she felt against the wall and walked towards the living room, finding the kitchen light was still on. Was she imagining things? She rushed forwards towards the safety of the illuminated kitchen when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"I told you, Krystal. You can't run from this" The haunting sound of her Father's voice drifted through the air.
"Leave me alone" Krystal shook her head, scrunching her eyes shut.
"It's too late for you. Your right where I want you…" The voice seemed to morph between different voices, men and women, before choosing an almost completely emotionless tone.
"No…no, just leave me alone!" Krystal screeched, placing her hands over her ears.
"Why would I want to do that?" The haunting voice stated, as Krystal felt a large hand on her shoulder, squeezing tightly.
Without a second's thought, she leaned forward to grab a kitchen knife from the counter and spun around, her arm raised. The sharp blade instantly sliced through the person standing behind her, their neck splitting open from the force. Krystal's eyes widened in horror as she realised the person in front of her wasn't her deceased father. It was Billy. The knife dropped from her hand, as blood sputtered from his neck, spraying Krystal's face and neck.
"Billy!" She cried, as the older boy, grabbed at his neck, trying to stem the bleeding.
His knees gave out instantly, as the white tank top he was wearing became completely soaked through with blood. Krystal quickly dropped to her knees, placing her hand over his own, but the blood kept coming. She was practically hyperventilating as Billy's eyes began to flutter closed.
"Billy! No, no! Stay awake…please!" She screeched, as blood dripped down from his mouth as he tried to speak.
"W-why…" He stuttered, as his hand slowly dropped from his neck.
"Billy? Billy?!" She screamed, trying to stop the flow of blood, but it just ran down her hands, pooling onto the floor beneath them.
Krystal let out a cry as she saw the slow rise and fall of Billy's chest stop, his eyes fluttering shut. Her ear-splitting scream made her whole body shake, as she pulled him into her arms, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"-stal? Krystal?!" A panicked voice exclaimed, as she opened her eyes.
She was still shaking as she pulled away from Billy, relief coursing through her veins as she saw the older boy staring back at her. She reached out for his neck but found there was no sign of any wound there. With her eyes darting around her surroundings, she found they were still in his bedroom.
"It was just a nightmare. You're okay" Billy told her, turning her to face him, his hand brushing against her cheek.
Billy's brows furrowed with worry as he watched a tear roll down Krystal's cheek, as she tried to steady her breathing. She leant forward to wrap her arms around the older boy, burying her face in the crook of his neck. With a sigh, Billy hugged her back tightly, rubbing soothing circles on her back.
"There is something very wrong with me" Krystal mumbled, her voice barely above her whisper.
"What do you mean?" Billy questioned, growing more concerned by the second.
Biting her lip, Krystal slowly pulled away, before pulling off the tank top she was wearing, leaving her in just her bra. Billy raised an eyebrow at this strange action.
"Krys, I don't really think it's the time for…" Billy trailed off, as Krystal stood up to turn the bedroom light on.
Billy's eyes widened when she turned around and he saw the black veins that were coursing down from the wound on Krystal's chest. He slowly stood up, his mouth going slack in horror as he saw how the veins seemed to pulse underneath her skin.
"What…what is this?" Billy questioned, his eyes snapping up to hers.
"It's been getting worse for months now, I can feel it…growing inside me" Krystal admitted, as Billy's jaw tensed.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Billy accused.
"How could I? With everything happening with your dad, with us…I was scared" Krystal admitted.
"…It's coming from the demo-dog bite?" Billy frowned, reaching out to touch the wound gently.
"It infected me with something. I…I've been seeing things, hearing things. I feel like I'm losing my mind" Krystal sobbed, as Billy's eyes softened.
"Hey, we'll figure this out. I've got your back…and you've still got mine, right?" Billy asked, as Krystal nodded, sadly.
"I don't want to hurt you" Krystal admitted, in a scared voice.
"You're the only person I trust not to" Billy told her, before leaning in to press a chaste kiss to her lips.
The following day, Krystal was back at her job at the pool, wanting to return to some sort of normalcy. They hadn't told any of the others about what was happening with Krystal yet, not sure how the group would react. Will had confided in Billy plenty of times about how it felt being possessed by the Mindflayer, and some part of Billy's mind knew that a similar thing was happening to Krystal. Maybe even worse. Billy still wasn't sure if she had even told him the full story. He was so busy keeping an eye on the younger girl, that he hadn't spotted the commotion arising on the other side of the pool. A frightened shout eventually grabbed his attention as he saw a figure stumbling towards Krystal, as a black substance dripped down their neck. It was Tommy.
"We're done playing nice, Krystal" Tommy's voice announced, in a deeper tone than Billy recognised.
Krystal backed up a few steps, her eyes widening as she saw the blood that was dripping down from Tommy's nose, ears…even his eyes. She felt a shiver go down her spine when she realised the blood was a disturbing black colour. Oh God, what had she done, Krystal thought to herself.
"Tommy! Don't take another step!" Billy yelled, as he started rushing across the pool edge, trying to reach the pair.
By now, some bystanders at the pool were edging towards the exits, while some seemed too scared to move. There was an eery silence over the pool which had been so noisy only moments ago. Tommy stumbled forward a few steps, his bones cracking every time he moved a joint. His body almost seemed to be falling apart.
"You are going to let us in" Tommy exclaimed, in a croaky tone.
"No…no! Stay away from me!" Krystal cried, as Billy finally reached her side, putting a protective arm out in front of her.
"You can't fight us, Krystal. We're inevitable" Tommy insisted.
"You take one more step and I swear to God-" Billy began, but was quickly cut off as Tommy erupted in manic laughter.
"You'll what, Billy? You couldn't fight your father, you certainly can't fight me" Tommy retorted, watching Billy's jaw tense.
"I am never going to give you what you want" Krystal yelled, clutching onto Billy's arm tightly.
"Then there will be consequences. This is the first of many, Krystal" Tommy warned, making Krystal frown.
"First of what-" Krystal started, but was cut off as Tommy suddenly seemed to come out of some sort of trance and started shouting.
"Oh God, help me! Please! I can feel it, it's going…going…" Tommy came to a sudden halt, his eyes going out of focus.
Krystal frowned as she watched as his arm twitched at his side as if he was fighting against an invisible force. He continued to show seizure-like movements for a few seconds, before his face went completely blank. Krystal watched in confusion as he turned on his heel, walking towards the locker room. He came to a stop inches away from the locker room door, before suddenly banging his head against the metal, with a sickening thud. Krystal's jaw dropped open as he did this motion again, in too much shock to move. Billy was the first to respond, as he rushed forward and tried to pull Tommy away, who was manically banging his head against the door. Tommy shoved Billy away with a surprising amount of strength, as black blood started to ooze from his head.
"Tommy, stop!" Krystal cried.
In response, Tommy whipped his head around, blood seemingly obscuring most of his vision as he smiled at her. Krystal felt bile rise in her throat as she could practically see the dent in his scalp from metres away. All of a sudden, Tommy fell to his knees, his eyes beginning to flutter shut, as blood dripped down his body. As he flopped to the ground, he let out a gurgled fit of laughter, before going completely still.
She had killed him. It was all her fault. How long would it be until she hurt someone she cared about, even if it was indirectly?
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry, it's late but I've been having a lot of laptop trouble. Krystal's really headed for the deep end from now on. Please leave a review:)
KirikaAndo: Aw, thank you! Glad you're enjoying it:)
LoveFiction2020: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter.
Medi2020: Thanks for reviewing, haha.