Screaming. It was all Krystal could hear, as the air around them practically vibrated with fear that had engulfed the bystanders at the pool. Seeing what Tommy had done to himself had sent everyone into a panic, as people sprinted out of the pool, pushing and shoving past each other. Krystal was still frozen to the spot, her eyes following the pool of blood that seeped from Tommy's head. She could feel Billy pulling on her arm, desperately trying to get her moving, knowing they couldn't stay there. A boy had just killed himself in front of them, and he had been looking for Krystal. There would be questions that none of them could answer.
"Krystal! Krys, we need to go!" Billy insisted, coming to stand in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"It…it just killed him…" Krystal stuttered, her eyes out of focus.
"I know, I know…but we can't stay here. Please" Billy begged, as Krystal slowly nodded.
Billy was quick to grab her hand and started to drag her away from Tommy's motionless body, keeping his eyes firmly on the wet ground beneath him. He couldn't look. He had seen Tommy's eyes before he killed himself, there was something so twisted behind them that it had terrified Billy more than his father ever could. Billy shoved his way into the crowd, as everyone desperately tried to flee through the small metal gate at the edge of the pool. His hand was still gripping Krystal's cold one, tight enough to bruise.
"Krystal…" A voice whispered from behind her, as Krystal's eyes widened in fear.
She slowly looked behind her shoulder, placing the voice instantly. It sounded like Tommy. Her eyes found his body on the floor, a shiver going down her spine when she saw a sinister smile spread across his lips.
"It won't be that easy" Tommy gurgled, through the blood that spilt from his mouth.
Krystal felt bile rising up in her throat as she saw the unnatural way Tommy's neck had turned to look at her and knew that it would have killed any normal person. But this wasn't a normal person, Tommy had been possessed.
"Billy, he's—" Krystal began, cutting herself off as she turned around.
The words died in her mouth when she saw how her hand was hanging in the air, gripping onto nothing. Terror washed over her as she saw Billy was gone…and so was everyone else. Her surroundings had completely changed, even the sky had darkened, leaving an unsettling red glow to the area. The air was thick with spores, rotting everything around her, making it difficult to breathe. A loud clap of thunder had Krystal jumping backwards, her eyes widened when she saw how the sky flashed red for a moment.
"No, no, no…" Krystal mumbled, as she realised where she was.
The Upside Down. It was just as Will had described, if not more terrifying. She spun around, trying to look to see if anyone else had followed her, but found nothing. She was alone. The pool which had been full of kids not so long ago was completely drained, thick dirt lying at the bottom.
"Hello?" Krystal called out, holding her arms close to her chest, feeling a chill go through her.
"Is anyone there?" Krystal cried, running through the metal gate and into the parking lot.
It was completely empty, no cars to be seen…except for one. Krystal quickly set off running to the strange-looking car, which had a thick layer of dust on top of it. Her heart sunk when she saw no one was inside, slowing down when she saw how one of the doors was open. She looked through the window to find little inside, apart from a paper. Reaching into the vehicle she pulled it out, her heart-stopping when she saw the date on the cover.
"1961…" Krystal trailed off, realising why the car looked so out of place.
Had the car somehow travelled into the Upside Down all that time ago? If so, where was it's owner? A puddle of black goo and blood leading away from the car gave Krystal her answer. Another crackle of thunder had her flinching, as Krystal realised how out in the open she was. She took off sprinting out of the parking lot, finding the road outside to be just as empty, apart from the vines that seemed to cover most of the ground. Krystal slowed her pace when she saw how they slithered along the concrete, reaching towards her. She stumbled into the road, not wanting to know what would happen if one of them managed to wrap around her legs. Suddenly a bright light blinded her, as Krystal held her hands up to her face to shield her.
"Get out of the road, kid!" A voice yelled as Krystal's eyes widened.
When she pulled her hands away, she saw an angry man waving his hand at her from inside his car, beeping his horn repeatedly. Her eyes darted around her surroundings, finding she was still on the same road she had been moments ago…but now she was home? She rushed out of the road, letting the car whiz past her, trying to understand what had just happened to her. Was it another hallucination? Looking up to the sky, she was surprised when she saw the sun was beginning to set. How long had it been since the incident at the pool? Krystal could see numerous police cars gathered inside the parking lot, yellow tape all around them. Her hand flew to her head as she felt a shooting pain go straight through her temple, so painful she had to hold onto the metal gate to stop her from dropping to her knees. What the hell was happening to her?
"Krystal?" A familiar voice called out to her, as Krystal whipped her head around.
Her shoulders sagged in relief when she saw Steve's brown eyes staring back at her, worry evident in them. His car was behind him, stopped in the middle of the road, as angry commuters blared their horns, wanting to get past. He slowly edged towards her, holding his hand out with a kind smile.
"Are you okay?" Steve questioned, watching her shake her head, biting her lip.
"Help me, Steve" Krystal cried, rushing into his arms.
"Don't worry…I've got you" Steve replied, wrapping his arms around her shoulder's, pulling her close to his chest.
Steve took her the nearest phone box, where she was able to call the Hargrove household, breathing a sigh of relief when Max answered. She had heard about what had happened at the pool and informed her that the police were now looking for her and Billy. Krystal knew she couldn't go home, not yet at least. But she needed to see Billy. She told Max to find Billy as quickly as she could and tell him to meet her at the safest place she could think of. Krystal's secret place with her father. Soon, she and Steve were driving towards the lake, hiding his car in the undergrowth, and making it the rest of the way on foot.
"God, my head…" Krystal trailed off, clutching at her forehead, which was wrinkled in pain.
"What's going on, Krystal? I heard what happened to Tommy at the pool. They said he killed himself!" Steve exclaimed, coming to stand in front of her.
"It wasn't Tommy anymore…the Mind Flayer is back, Steve" Krystal told him, watching the older boy's eyes widened.
"Who have you told about this?" Steve asked.
"Billy, Murray…I think Max is catching on pretty quick. I need to warn the others-" Krystal started, but Steve cut her off, grabbing her arm.
"Hold on, what if you just end up scaring them for nothing? This might not have anything to do with the Upside Down" Steve suggested, as Krystal shook her head vehemently.
"Really? Then what's this?!" Krystal cried, lifting her shirt to reveal the black veins that pulsed under the skin of her abdomen.
"Oh my god…Krystal, when did this start?" Steve gaped, reaching out to touch her stomach gently.
"Ever since one of those fucking dogs bit me. It infected me with something, I…I've been seeing things, Steve. I feel like I'm losing my mind" Krystal admitted, dropping her shirt back down.
"But you're okay otherwise?" Steve asked, as Krystal gave him a look.
"Oh yeah, I'm just peachy" Krystal scoffed.
"You should be dead" Steve informed her, tilting his head to the side.
"Not exactly making me feel any better" Krystal muttered, crossing her arms.
"Everyone else who was infected has died…but not you" Steve frowned, as Krystal shrugged.
"I think I need to leave Hawkins. I'm gonna' warn everyone, then pack up my bags and take Billy and Max with me" Krystal announced, walking towards the jetty.
"Do you really think you can run away from this?" Steve inquired, following her onto the wooden structure.
"I have to try, don't I?" Krystal sighed, as she lowered herself to sit on the end of the jetty, her feet hanging off the end.
Steve nodded slowly, holding onto one of the wooden beams as he came to sit next to her. He grimaced in pain as his hand nicked on a splinter from the beam, holding it close to his chest.
"Here" Krystal exclaimed, shoving a tissue near him.
"I've been crying so much recently, I always carry tissues on me now," Krystal told him, as he wrapped it around his bleeding finger.
"I thought things had been better recently. You got Neil off your back" Steve pointed out.
"I was going to kill him. I really was. It was like…I wasn't me for a minute. I was going to burn my step-father alive…" Krystal trailed off, with a shiver.
"He's abused you for months now, it's understandable" Steve shrugged.
"I've been hurting people, Steve. A man went missing recently, and I had a fight with him only a few days before…what if I did something to him?" Krystal questioned; her forehead wrinkled with worry.
"I don't think anyone's going to miss Chris Stag's father. The man was a bully. The world's better off without him" Steve scoffed, making Krystal frown.
"He was brutally murdered, Steve. No one deserves that" Krystal argued.
"I guess the old man talked too much" Steve mumbled, amusement in his voice.
"Why do you say that?" Krystal frowned, watching Steve shrug as he leant back on his arms.
She realised for the first time that Steve wasn't wearing the sailor suit, now opting for a leather jacket and jeans that she would have expected to see on Billy. Even his hair was different, lacking the volume it usually did. With a frown, Krystal realised that his skin seemed pale, hollow even.
"His jaw was torn off…it sounds like a clear message to me" Steve answered, causing Krystal's frown to deepen.
"How do you know how he was killed?" Krystal asked, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"Because I killed him" Steve announced, as Krystal stiffen beside him.
"What…what did you say?" Krystal gaped, terror washing over her.
"He was going to talk to the police. And I couldn't have that, not when everything was coming together so perfectly. So I found him on the side of the road, chucked out yet again by his wife. I pulled open the car door, dragged him outside, grabbed his jaw and pulled until it ripped away" Steve explained, as Krystal turned a pale colour.
She was on her feet in an instant, turning on her heel to run away, but Steve was quicker, grabbing her arm roughly. She felt how his hand was wet and looked down to see black blood seeping through the wound on his finger. He had been infected.
"I had to throw my damn sailor uniform out after that. Not that there's much loss there…do you have any idea how hard it has been pretending to be this boy?" Steve scoffed, his voice suddenly deeper than it was moment's ago.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Krystal cried, trying desperately to pull away from his grip.
"After I was banished from Will's body. I needed a new host. Little Stevie was perfect…so broken…so miserable" Steve scoffed, tightening his grip on her arm.
"What do you mean?" Krystal questioned, confused.
"Oh, you didn't know? He caught them. Nancy and Jonathan making out in his car…his poor heart broke in two. Shattered. He failed all his exams. His dad practically disowned him. And his best friend didn't even know" Steve went.
"How long have you been in him?" Krystal asked, despite being scared of the answer.
"Months now. Seeped into him outside his house one night...his dad had just hit him and he was so...hopeless. It was easy. I've slipped up sometimes, Steve's body's breaking down and so are his memories. I mean, I got the chocolate sauce mixed up with the barbecue and no one even batted an eyelid? How stupid are you kids?" Steve hissed, his grip now bruising her.
"So…every time I've been talking to Steve…I've really been talking to you?" Krystal questioned, the idea making her feel sick.
"No, of course not. I can bring Steve to the surface when he's needed. Active and deactivate him. Makes him last longer" The Mind Flayer went on, as Krystal's jaw tensed.
"He's a person-" Krystal began, but the Mind Flayer cut her off, his nails now biting into her skin.
"No. He's a host. On his last legs. I've managed to keep all the damage internal, but it's going to come bursting to the surface before long. He'll be dead soon" The Mind Flayer told her.
"Let him go then...please. He doesn't deserve this" Krystal pleaded.
"Why would I leave him when he's served me so well?" The Mind Flayer stated.
"And me? What's been happening to me?" Krystal inquired.
"Something new. I tried to incorporate you into the Hive Mind, just like I did with Tommy today but…you held on. Your strong…I can use strong" The Mind Flayer smirked, an expression that looked wrong on Steve's face.
"I'm not going to become one of your little puppets" Krystal spat out, as the Mind Flayer let go of her arm.
"No, no…of course not. I have much bigger plans for you, Krystal" The Mind Flayer grinned, reaching out to touch her face.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Krystal muttered, as the Mind Flayer grabbed her neck, bringing her closer to him.
"You're my catalyst. The last piece in the puzzle" The Mind Flayer announced, making Krystal frown.
"You need me for something?" Krystal suggested, as the creature nodded.
"Until now, all the humans that I've connected with have slowly but surely broken apart. The hosts last far longer…but even they can't be maintained. But you…somehow you're strong enough to withstand it. All you need is a pure transmission and then you'll become part of the hive" The Mind Flayer went on, as Krystal stayed frozen to the spot, too scared to dare to move.
"Why? Why am I so important to you?" Krystal pushed, watching a sinister smile spread over Steve's lips.
"It's the start of a new age, Krystal. We're not going to infect people anymore…we're going to flay them. Once your part of the Hive mind, you can spread it among the other humans" The Mind Flayer explained.
"Like Tommy?" Krystal spat out.
"Like I said, you were only infected by the bite from my dogs. It's not a pure transmission. But once I flay you…your body should be able to mutate the infection enough that other humans will be able to withstand it" The Mind Flayer informed her, as Krystal grimaced.
"Why? What's the point of all this?!" Krystal cried.
"I want to start again" The Mind Flayer replied, as Krystal's eyes widened.
Again? Did that mean the Upside Down had not always been that way?
"I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else. I will never help you" Krystal insisted, as the Mind Flayer laughed at this.
"Once you become part of the Hive, all that anger…it's just going to seep away. All the pain, fear, sadness. I can make it go away…isn't that what you always wanted, Krystal?" The Mind Flayer pointed out.
"I'd rather be dead than be one of your puppets" Krystal spat out, ripping away from the Mind Flayer's hold on her.
She quickly turned on her heel and began to sprint down the jetty and was almost at the end when she felt something tug on her hair. Suddenly she was being thrown onto her back and felt Steve's cold hand wrap around her leg. Krystal let out a scream of horror as she watched smoke coming out of Steve's other hand, mixed in with the spores she recognised from the Upside Down. Krystal tried to crawl away, but the Mind Flayer was far stronger, and dragged her nearer until Steve was right on top of her. His hand brushed against her cheek softly for a moment, before grabbing a fistful of her hair and slammed her head into the wooden panels below, knocking Krystal out cold.
Krystal's eyes slowly opened as she felt the tiny pitter-patter of rain against her cheeks and heard something move nearby. She turned to see Billy hovering over her, a small smile on his face, as he reached out to touch her cheeks lightly.
"Hey, how're you feeling?" Billy asked, as Krystal looked at him in confusion.
"What…where did Steve go?" Krystal questioned, trying to push herself into a sitting position.
"Woah, woah. Hold on. You had a nasty bang to the head. You need to rest" Billy insisted, moving his hand to her shoulder, to push her back down gently.
"What're you doing here?" Krystal asked, as Billy brushed her hair behind her ear.
"I came looking for you. I couldn't leave you, could I?" Billy exclaimed, leaning down so they were only inches apart.
"Stay with me?" Krystal asked, her hands coming up to rest on his shoulders.
"Sh, sh. It's okay…it's okay. Just rest now, Krystal. Let go…" Billy trailed off, as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
Krystal kissed him back, as a smile spread across her lips. She was so tired…maybe Billy was right. All she needed to do was rest. Billy slowly pulled away, as Krystal's eyes opened, seeing that he shared her happy expression. Krystal took a deep breath, as the drizzle around them turned into large droplets, completely soaking the pair. All of a sudden, she began to feel like she couldn't breathe, the rain was too heavy. She felt like she was drowning in it.
"Don't fight it, Krystal" Billy soothed, his hand caressing her cheek.
"Billy?" Krystal frowned, as he moved his from her cheek to her neck.
Her eyes widened when he suddenly began to squeeze her neck, as she let out a choking sound. Krystal's surroundings seemed to change around her, as her hand flew to cover Billy's, trying to push them away. Her eyes widened as Billy's face began to glitch, morphing into Steve's, much to her horror. Krystal's eyes darted around desperately as she saw she was still at the lake and was now off the jetty, half-submerged in the water.
"I need you frightened…I need you hopeless…broken…" The Mind Flayer exclaimed, suddenly pushing her head under the water, his hands still gripping her neck.
Krystal thrashed around manically, trying to let out a scream, but no sound came out. She clawed at Steve's hands, but he was far stronger than she was. She could already feel the water seeping into her mouth, as she gasped for breath. Krystal moved her hands to scratch at Steve's face instead, but he easily shrugged her aware, her remaining strength beginning to wane. All of a sudden, just as she was about to pass out, he ripped her out of the water.
"P-please…" Krystal begged, her breath coming in quick pants.
"You'll thank me for this. Once you become apart of the Hive…everything becomes clear" The Mind Flayer told her, moving one of his hands to cover Krystal's mouth.
Krystal cried out when she felt the smoke from before drifting out of his hand, as she tried desperately not to breathe in. The smoke violently coursed through her mouth, ripping into her body, as Krystal shook underneath Steve. Suddenly, she was being thrown back into the water, as all she could do was sob, tears burning in her eyes. In one last attempt to get away, she scratched down Steve's face, but still, he wouldn't let her go. Black spots emerged in her vision, as she let out a few more gasps for air. Slowly, her eyes fluttered close, as everything disappeared around her and…she was gone.
The Mind Flayer moved his hand away from her mouth a few moments later, letting go of Krystal as she rose to the surface. A smug smile spread across his lips, as he knew he was one step closer to his goal. This world would be his…the girl would make sure of it. The Mind Flayer closed his human host's eyes as he felt a new mind join the hive, a feeling of peace washing over him.
"Krystal? Krys?!" A voice yelled, as the Mind Flayer's eyes shot open.
The Hargrove Boy. He couldn't think there was anything wrong with Krystal, he could ruin their plans otherwise. The Mind Flayer was quick to drag Krystal back onto the shore, rolling her onto her side as water dripped out of her mouth. He could see the way her chest moved up and down slowly…had the transmission worked?
A twig snapped from nearby, as The Mind Flayer looked up to see Billy, frozen to the spot as he looked down at Krystal's motionless body. The fear in the boy's eyes was practically palpable, as he set off running towards the lake a moment later. Billy slid down beside Krystal, grabbing her cold hand, and looking accusingly at Steve.
"What the fuck happened?!" Billy cried, panic clear as day in his voice.
"I…I don't know, man. I turned my back for one second and…she must have passed out. She fell into the lake, I dragged her out but…" Steve trailed off, running a hand through his hair, hoping the Hargrove boy fell for his lies.
"Krystal? Please wake up, baby" Billy begged, leaning over to touch her cheek.
Suddenly, Krystal's eyes shot open, as she inhaled deeply, her eyes finding Billy and Steve looming over her. Krystal's eyes bore into Steve's for a few seconds, as she tilted her head slowly, wiping away some of the water on her face.
"…Remind me to never do that again" Krystal mumbled, as Billy let out a sigh of relief.
"You're a real pain in my ass, you know that?" Billy shook his head, pulling her into a hug, his hands digging into her shoulders.
"Sorry" Krystal exclaimed, her arms slowly linking around his waist.
"Are you okay?" Billy questioned, feeling his panic begin to ebb away.
"Yeah…I feel better than ever" Krystal smirked, her eyes snapping to Steve's, who shared her expression.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Uh-oh, now we're in trouble. Krystal has become part of the Hive now, will there be any part of her left? And Steve is the new Host! Please leave a review:)
Medi2020: Things are definitely serious now! Thanks for reviewing:)
NotRob: I'm glad to hear that, haha. Somehow this story has changed more from Sci-fi to horror! Lots more scares to come now that it seems Krystal has gone dark side. Thanks for the review:)
LoveFiction2020: Thank you, glad you liked it!