"She can't have just vanished" Murray announced, rubbing his eyes, which were still half-closed.

They were searching for Krystal who had mysteriously disappeared in the night, and despite his words, he was worried. It was still dark outside, and there was no trace of her anywhere. Murray couldn't help but wonder if someone had taken her, why else wouldn't she wake one of them up?

"This isn't the first time this has happened" Billy muttered, walking down the street, in nothing but a vest and joggers, his eyes darting around.

"What do you mean?" Murray frowned, bringing a torch out of his pocket, which had an E.T sticker on top.

"She hasn't been herself recently. She's been avoiding me, spending all her time with Harrington, it's like she doesn't even want to be with me anymore—" Billy began, as Murray cut him off.

"Oh, cry me a river, kid. She's your girl, isn't she?" Murray questioned, as Billy nodded slowly.

"Then suck it up and fight for her. Teenagers and their drama" Murray scoffed, as Billy mulled this over for a moment.

"...I'm surprised to see you out of your house, man. Thought your ass was permanently stuck to that couch" Billy stated, watching Murray shrug.

"Well, as I said, I thought something had happened to you idiots" Murray mumbled, as Billy's lips twitched into a grin.

"Sounds like you were worried about us" Billy teased.

"As if. I was just coming to get that jacket back that I gave you last month" Murray stated, making Billy snort.

He didn't tell Murray that he had been wearing the brown leather jacket he had been given most days. His own father barely ever bought him clothes when he was younger, let alone let him borrow something from his own wardrobe. Murray had shown Billy a picture of him wearing the jacket back when he was in his twenties, completely dwarfed by the leather due to his lanky appearance. He had then pointed out that Billy was much better suited to the jacket and told him he could keep it. Billy was just thinking how he wished he had brought the jacket with him, as he rubbed his cold arms.

"We should head back. We can phone around, see if anyone's seen her" Murray suggested, placing his hand on Billy's shoulder, who seemed reluctant.

"Something's changed with her, Murray. I can feel it" Billy admitted, turning around to walk the way they had just come.

"…Look, Krystal made me promise not to tell you this, not to tell anyone…but she's been seeing things" Murray informed him, as Billy gave him a confused look.

"What things?" Billy questioned, as Murray ran a hand through his balding hair.

"Her father to be specific" Murray replied, watching Billy's eyes widen in disbelief.

"Her dad's dead. She saw him die" Billy insisted.

"I know. And she knows that. But the last time I saw her, she told me she had been seeing something that looked just like him. She thought…she thought it could have been the Mindflayer" Murray explained, as Billy looked like he was about to be sick.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?!" Billy exclaimed, angrily.

"She phoned me not long after saying that she had just been tired, that she had been having trouble telling nightmares from reality. I've tried calling her after that, but she hasn't been picking up" Murray went on.

"And that's why you travelled all the way to Hawkins" Billy realised, a bad feeling settling in his stomach.

"Hey, whatever's going on with her, we'll sort it out, alright?" Murray insisted, as Billy reluctantly nodded.

Billy almost collapsed in relief when he saw Krystal in the kitchen when they returned to the house, her back turned to them. She placed a container back on the counter, wiping at her face before turning around, her forehead wrinkled.

"Did you two go for a run or something?" Krystal inquired, as Billy gave her a look of disbelief.

"We were out looking for you! Where the fuck have you been?" Billy cried, taking a step closer to her.

"I wanted to clear my head—" Krystal began, but Billy quickly stopped her.

"Enough with the bullshit, Krys. I want the truth" Billy insisted, as Krystal's jaw tensed.

"Right, I don't do teen drama, so I'll just be outside…staring at the wall" Murray muttered, turning around to walk back out the front door.

"Why are you lying to me?" Billy went on, watching as Krystal rolled her eyes.

"Do you hear how paranoid you sound right now?" Krystal scoffed, as Billy closed the distance between them, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek softly.

"This is about Steve, isn't it? Has he got you involved in something?" Billy went on, as Krystal shook her head vehemently.

"Steve's helping me, that's all. It's not what you think" Krystal retorted, as Billy raised his hands up in exasperation.

"Then what is it like?!" Billy yelled, growing angry, watching how Krystal flinched.

"…Do you still have feelings for him?" Billy asked, as Krystal looked at him in disbelief.

"No! That's not…I wouldn't do that" Krystal insisted, taking a step towards him.

"It's me, Krys. Just talk to me" Billy all but begged, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

Infect him.

The Mindflayer's voice was as clear as day in Krystal's head, as she felt her hand twitch, spores already drifting from her palm. Krystal grit her teeth, as she balled her hands into fists, and scrunched her eyes shut. She couldn't infect Billy. Not yet. He needed to want it, he needed to understand first.

"Do you trust me?" Krystal inquired.

It took Billy a moment to respond, but he was nodding before he knew what he was doing. She was the only person he trusted.

"Then trust me now. I've got your back, and you've got mine, right?" Krystal exclaimed, as Billy leant forward, pressing their foreheads together.

"I don't like secrets" Billy told her.

"Everything will make sense soon. I promise" Krystal replied, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

She was pulling away before Billy even had a chance to respond, her cold lips having sent a shiver done his spine. He searched her blue eyes that were usually full of emotion but found…nothing. It was like he was looking at a completely different person. The girl in front of him wasn't the same as the person who saved him from the demo-dogs the year before. Who he had kissed on the beach in California. Who had always bandaged his wounds, and held him after.

"I'm gonna' miss my shift at the pool. I'll see you later, yeah?" Krystal questioned, a smile on her face that didn't meet her eyes.

Billy simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He remembered the black veins coming off the bite from the Demo-dog, how Krystal's personality had slowly been changing since then…it was connected to the Mindflayer. It had to be. As Krystal walked away, Billy's eyes were drawn to the container she had been holding when he entered. With a frown, he picked up the bottle of bleach and found it was half empty. Had she been drinking it?

Murray was surprised when he saw Krystal exiting the house a few minutes after he had left the pair, only hearing a few shouts from outside. Kids certainly had more explosive fights in his day, Murray thought to himself. Still, he was relieved to see she was unharmed. He didn't know what he would do if something happened to her or Billy.

"Off to the pool?" He called after her, as Krystal gave him a curt nod in reply.

"I'll come to. Start my tan early" Murray joked, as Krystal gave no response.

"It's crowded. Are you sure you can handle it?" Krystal retorted, crossing her arms.

"Sure, what could go wrong…" Murray trailed off, a conflicted look on his face.

"You know, we should probably talk about what you were seeing-" Murray began, but she stopped him.

"It was just nightmares. I've already forgotten all about it" Krystal exclaimed, as Murray quirked an eyebrow.

"Billy says you've been going out a lot on your own, that you're not acting like yourself" Murray pointed out, as Krystal huffed.

"That's because Billy hasn't been getting laid" Krystal muttered, watching Murray turn a green colour.

"That was an image I never needed" Murray grimaced, shivering at the thought.

"What are you doing here, Murray?" Krystal asked, coming to a sudden halt.

"I was worried about you. I am worried about you" Murray clarified.

"I'm fine. I'd be a lot better if you'd just run off back to your creepy little lair" Krystal stated.

"It's not a lair. It's a safe house" Murray corrected, making Krystal scoff.

"Right. I forgot you're scared of your own shadow" Krystal mocked, cruelly.

"And rightly so. After all the government conspiracies and demo-dogs we've encountered we should all be a little more—" Murray started, but she stopped him once again.

"Paranoid? Is that why your only friends are two seventeen-year-olds?" Krystal went on, quirking an eyebrow.

"Look, I know what you're doing. Lashing out at the people closest to you. Believe it or not, I was young once" Murray explained.

"You are not my father, Murray. You're not even fucking close" Krystal muttered, feeling the flicker of emotion in her chest.

She watched hurt flash across the older man's face, his lips drawn in a fine line. She had hurt him. Again, she felt something welling up inside of her. Guilt? Whatever it was, she knew it was dangerous. Feelings could lead to doubt, and doubt could put their whole plan into jeopardy. Without another word, Krystal turned on her heel, ready to flee when she felt Murray reach out to grab her arm.

"Krystal, wait—" Murray exclaimed, cut off as she suddenly whipped around, her hand lunging out to grip his neck.

Murray's eyes widened, as fear flickered behind them, feeling Krystal's grip on his neck tightened. Her face was contorted in a scowl as the Mindflayer's voice screamed in her head to infect the man, that he already knew too much. But something deep inside of her refused to do this. Soon they would all understand, they would ask…beg even to join the Hive. They just needed to wait.

"Stay out of my way" Krystal muttered, pulling away and turning around and storming down the street.

Krystal sat on a cold metal bench in the locker rooms, waiting for Heather to finish her shift. She was a strategic pawn. Her father had power in the town, bringing him into the Hive would help accelerate her mission. The Mindflayer had been screaming in her head ever since she had left Murray. She had never disobeyed before, and now she had done so twice in one day. Her loyalty was being questioned.

"I haven't seen Billy today. Is he, uh…running late?" A familiar voice called out to her, as Krystal grit her teeth.

"I don't really see how it's any of your business, Mrs Wheeler" Krystal retorted.

"Is he sick? Danielle was saying there's a bug going around—" Mrs Wheeler began, but Krystal quickly stopped her.

"What part of none of your business are you failing to understand?" Krystal repeated, pushing herself to her feet.

"There's no need to be rude, Krystal" Mrs Wheeler huffed, crossing her arms.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave Billy alone" Krystal warned her, taking a step forward.

"Are you threatening me?" Mrs Wheeler gaped, in disbelief.

"Trust me…when I'm threatening you, you'll know about it" Krystal stated, her voice completely void of emotion.

Watching Mrs Wheeler take an uneasy step back, had another emotion swirling in her chest. Amusement, maybe? She certainly felt smug. A frown grew on Krystal's face as she wondered when she began to feel even the slightest of emotions again.

She is the Wheeler boy's mother. She can get us closer to Eleven. Infect her.

Not needing to be told twice, Krystal raised her hand up, ready to bring the woman into the Hive, when she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly dropped her hand back down, as Mrs Wheeler gave her an odd look, most likely thinking Krystal had been about to slap her. A smirk grew on Krystal's face when she saw Heather walking towards them, chewing on some gum, an irritated look on her face.

"I don't care if Billy's late for his shift, I'm going home!" Heather yelled, as Krystal watched their boss turn on his heel with a huff, slamming the door as he exited the locker room.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Heather exclaimed, when she saw Krystal grinning at her.

"Billy's in the back room. He wants to speak with you" Krystal announced, as Heather rolled her eyes.

"Then tell him to come here. I need to have a shower, some kid puked on me" Heather grimaced, wiping at her thigh.

"It'll only take a minute. C'mon" Krystal insisted, backing away, ushering towards the back-room door.

"Fine! But only so I can chew him out for being late again" Heather huffed, marching towards the door.

"You still want to talk with Billy, Mrs Wheeler?" Krystal asked, as the woman took another step back.

"Uh, no…no, that's okay" Mrs Wheeler stuttered, quickly rushing out of the room, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

By now, Heather had walked into the dimly lit back room, and realised that Billy was nowhere to be seen. With a hand on her hip, she turned around to look at Krystal, an angry look on her face. She had no idea what she had just walked into.

"Where is he then?" Heather insisted as Krystal closed the door behind her, the loud click breaking through the uncomfortable silence.

"Don't worry, he'll be joining us soon" Krystal told her, raising her hand out, lunging at Heather before she could make a sound.

The spores from her palm were quickly making their way into Heather's mouth and nose, who was panting heavily, as she tried to push Krystal away from her. A small scream rose from Heather's throat, as Krystal roughly pushed her to the floor, the other girl's head slamming into the concrete. Heather's hands which had been clawing at her arms, slowly went limp, as the fight went out of the girl. With a smile, Krystal could feel Heather slowly become apart of the Hive, as her eyes fluttered close. Quiet footsteps approaching had Krystal whipping her head around, as she spotted the outline of a figure in the darkness. Worried that someone had seen her, Krystal stood up quickly, marching forward. She tilted her head as she realised who the strange figure looked like.

Eleven.

Billy kept his eyes firmly on the road as rain continued to pour outside his car, his shoulders tense. Hopper had told him Max and Eleven had left the cabin a few hours beforehand, but he didn't know where they were headed. A sickening feeling settled in his stomach, as he worried that he was too late, and something had already happened to Max. His hands tightened on the steering wheel, as he tried to push the thought out of his mind. Billy knew he needed to round up the kids, and fast. His next stop was to the Wheeler's house, where he knew Will would be. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the younger boy, but he needed to know what was happening with Krystal. Billy frowned as he spotted Will and Mike in what looked like a heated argument in the Wheeler garage, and opened his car door.

"You're destroying everything, and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?" Will yelled, sounding uncharacteristically angry.

"El's not stupid. It's not my fault you don't like girls!" Mike retorted, with a sneer.

The silence that followed was deafening, despite the thunderous rain. Will looked as though he had been struck, hurt flashing over his features. Billy took a step forward, ready to intervene when Will spoke up.

"…Isn't it?" Will muttered, his eyes downcast.

Mike's mouth opened and closed a few times, for once in his life being completely lost for words. Will's eyes darted up to his friend's, trying to decipher what Mike was feeling. From the uncomfortable expression on his face and the way he was now awkwardly rubbing his neck, it was nothing good. In that moment, Will wanted nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"Will, I…I don't want you to…it's not…" Mike stuttered, as Will nodded, bitterly.

"Will?" Billy spoke up, as the two boys turned to him.

The younger boy had never been happier to see Billy, hoping he would be able to whisk him away from the awkward situation he had found himself in. A frown grew on Will's face when he saw the pained expression Billy wore and instantly knew something was wrong. There was only one person who could make Billy hurt like that.

"What's happened?" Will inquired, nervously.

"It's Krystal. There's…there's something wrong with her" Billy announced, as Mike came to stand beside Will.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"I think she's been possessed" Billy told them, as Will felt a familiar shiver go down his neck.

"Look, whatever you thought you saw…your wrong. This is Krystal we're talking about here" Max complained, as they walked towards her house.

"She was with a girl. She threw her on the ground…she was screaming…" Eleven trailed off, uncomfortably.

"Are you sure it wasn't Billy she was with? He can look like a girl from the right angle" Max suggested, as Eleven gave her a look.

"Even if it was, why would he be screaming?" Eleven pointed out.

"They make all kind of sounds, trust me" Max shivered, looking a little green.

"But she saw me" Eleven insisted, having felt on edge since the strange encounter.

"Look, you said Mike sensed you before in the Upside Down. So maybe it's just like that" Max shrugged, as they arrived at her front door.

"You should ask her" Eleven stated, watching Max shake her head vehemently.

"No way! If Krystal knew we were using your powers to spy on her, she'd kill me! God, we should have never played spin the bottle" Max insisted, unlocking her front door and walking into the quiet house.

"Max, I think something's wrong…really wrong," Eleven told her friend, who let out a loud sigh.

"…Okay, if we check out her room, will you drop this?" Max questioned, as Eleven nodded quickly.

"And if she finds out we were in her room I'm totally blaming you" Max mumbled, cautiously walking towards Krystal's bedroom, and knocking on the door.

After waiting ten seconds, she slowly pushed the door open, as it swung back on her hinges. She frowned when she saw the tidy room, which seemed almost spotless. Krystal's bed looked pristine as if it hadn't even been slept on. The floor which was usually filled with clothes and discarded bowls was completely mess-free.

"Does anything seem wrong?" Eleven questioned, when she saw how Max's face fell.

"Everything" Max replied, walking over to Krystal's dresser, seeing a picture frame had been turned over.

Her frown deepened when she saw it was a picture of herself and Krystal, both girls with beaming grins on their face. The whole room felt wrong. Krystal was one of the messiest people she knew, but the room looked like it had barely been stepped in for the last month.

"C'mon, we shouldn't stay here. She might be back soon" Max stated, ushering Eleven to follow her.

Her eyes quickly followed a trail of water that led from Krystal's bedroom to the bathroom, finding the door wide open. It was freezing in the room, with the window wide open, but no sign of anyone inside.

"Max?" Eleven gulped, as she saw the bathtub was filled to the brim with melted packs of ice.

"It might have been Billy. For his muscles?" Max suggested, but even she wasn't convinced.

"They took a bath together?" Eleven frowned, innocently.

"I usually bleach the tub after they've been in here together" Max grimaced, as Eleven spotted something else underneath the basin.

Blood. Max's eyes widened as she saw Eleven pick up a container, which held a lifeguard bag and a bloody whistle inside. A memory of finding Krystal showering in her clothes in freezing water soon came to the front of Max's mind. Could the two things have been connected—

"What are you two doing with Heather's bag?" A familiar voice boomed, as the two girls turned around.

They were surprised to see Billy, Will, Mike and Lucas standing outside the bathroom, grim expressions on all their faces. Max couldn't help but be glad it wasn't Krystal who had caught them. The siblings had been growing distant recently, and Max wasn't sure what Krystal would do if she found her snooping through her things.

"We found it. Blood" Eleven exclaimed, her eyes connecting quickly with Mike's.

"Heather disappeared from her shift today. Krystal had been asking around for her…" Billy trailed off, the colour draining from his face.

"M-maybe she found it, left it here for safekeeping and…guys, this is Krystal! She wouldn't hurt anyone" Max insisted, when she saw the looks on their faces.

"But the Mindflayer would" Will mumbled, as Max's forehead wrinkled.

"What?" Max questioned.

"We think the Mindflayer's back" Billy announced, as Eleven practically flinched at the revelation.

Half an hour later and the group had decided there was only one way to be sure. They needed to find Krystal. Eleven was quick to volunteer to search for her in the Upside Down, as Billy readily gave the brunette a picture of Krystal. Max's lips twitched into a smile despite the seriousness of the situation when she saw he had been keeping the small polaroid in his wallet. The group waited with bated breath, as Eleven sat crossed-legged on the floor of the bathroom. The shower was running in the background, creating a loud ambience, as Eleven tied a bandana over her eyes.

"You've got to find her, okay? Just bring her back to me…to us" Billy all but begged, placing his hand on Eleven's shoulder.

She simply nodded in response, trying to drown out all the noise around her apart from the running water. Eleven slowly found herself being engulfed by the darkness, reaching into the Upside Down. When she opened her eyes she found a red door in front of her and took a step towards the strange structure, a chill running through her.

"I see…a red door" Eleven mumbled, finding it was unlocked and walked through the doorway.

Her heart sank when she saw a singular bathtub in front of her, filled to the brim with ice. As she got closer, she could see something was underneath the water. Or rather someone. Eleven jumped back in shock, as a figure crashed through the layer of ice, her eyes connected with terrified blue ones.

"Help me!" Krystal cried, looking like she was close to tears.

Suddenly an invisible force tried to drag her back underneath, but Krystal gripped onto the sides of the bathtub. The ice spewed over the edge as she struggled against what was pulling her under, a desperate cry leaving her lips. Eleven grabbed onto her hand, terrified of what would happen if she let go.

"You can't trust him. St—" Krystal was cut off, as a pale hand suddenly grabbed her face from underneath the water.

Elven let out a scream, as Krystal was dragged back into the icy water, her arm slipping from Eleven's grasp. Eleven's eyes widened in horror as the bathtub melted away, causing her to fall to the ground, water splashing into her face.

"No!" Eleven cried, her eyes darting around desperately to find the older girl.

"Krystal!" Eleven began to shout but was cut off as she too was suddenly submerged in icy water.

The next moment, Eleven was ripping the bandana away from her face, blood now dripping from her nose, as she tried to calm her breathing. Mike was by her side in an instant, his face full of concern. What had Krystal been trying to warn her about?

"He has her" Eleven mumbled, a tear rolling down her cheek, as she looked up at Billy.

"Then let's go get her back" Billy announced, a determined look in his eyes.

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It's a busy time at work right now with the announcement of the Covid 19 vaccine, so apologies if my fics are not updated as regularly. Please leave a review:)

LoveFiction2020: Thank you!

Medi2020: It's definitely progress, haha. I hope you like the update:)

XTuRn-Up-ThE-mUsIcX: Thank you:) Glad you're enjoying it so far!