Chapter 22: The Monster

MIKE spoke into the walkie talkie as he nervously paced back and forth across the food court. "We're trapped in the mall and in need of emergency transportation. Scoops Troop, do you copy? Billy has found us. He has disabled our car and we are trapped in the mall."

The mall's interior lit aglow in the darkness, the neon lights illuminating in the shadows.

"Repeat: Billy has disabled our car and we are trapped in the mall." His voice that resonated in the premise was the only thing that separated it from the eerie quiet.

Maxine was grimly quiet as she sat in one of the benches adjacent to the indoor gardens of the mall. Her face pale, even the once vibrant freckles that decorated her cheeks washed out and ghostly.

She didn't speak of it but she'd been upset. She was upset that no one was rushing to save her brother when everyone was doing so last year with Will. They only saw him as an enemy, and at best, collateral damage. They didn't care if he lived or died. But she did. She painfully cared for her stepbrother even after everything, and it seemed like she was the only who did.

Max was snapped out of her grieving thoughts when she'd heard Jean's soft voice.

"Are you okay with this?" The fellow redhead said, concern flashing on her face, and Max knew Jean had heard all of her thoughts.

"I sometimes forget that you can read minds." The younger girl said with a humorless grin.

Jean held a similarly sad smile, moving to sit beside the girl. "I don't have to read your mind, it's written all over your face." She said, understanding how hard it must be to have your brother, your family, as one of the puppets controlled by a shadow monster. She let her eyes travel for a second, seeing Eleven, Will and Lucas sitting across from them.

Everything had fallen into place for Jean once she knew what was going on. It made sense why Billy acted the way he did around her that last time she visited him at the pool, why he seemed so...wrong.

She should've known.

"Billy. I was wondering why he suddenly changed. Now I know." Jean regretfully said. She wished she knew what was happening to him at the time, she wished she understood what he was going through. She was sorry and regretful that she didn't, and instead blowed a fuse because he 'ditched' her on their date, when he was struggling through so much.

Even though she didn't know him for very long, Jean cared for Billy very much. Yes, he had a gruff exterior, and he was too much of a flirt at first. But as she got to know him, she understood why he acted the way he did. He was funny and nice when he wanted to be. He saved her life when she was drowning. And she grew to believe that he liked her as much as she liked him, until that incident at the pool of course.

Billy was just an abused kid taking out his rage and confusion on anyone and everyone who set him off. He didn't deserve his father's treatment and he sure as hell doesn't deserve to be possessed by a violent interdimensional monster.

Max reached for Jean's hand, seeking warmth from her dark, cold thoughts. "I'm scared that he's going to die." She confessed, staring straight ahead at particularly nothing. Jean's heart clenched as she saw the younger girl struggle to hold back any tears from forming in her eyes.

"No, no, no. He's not going to die." Jean affirmed, shaking her head.

"He will if we close the Gate." Max venomously said, sure of the outcome. If the brain dies, the body dies, she repeated in her mind.

Jean was overrun by grief. He shouldn't die, he couldn't die. He deserved better.

"Maybe we could bring him back, just like you guys did with Will last year." The telepath suggested, holding onto any glimmer of hope that she could. They needed to help him.

Max pursed her lips, giving a shake of her head. "I don't think that's possible. We tried to burn it out of him but he became so...angry." She choked out. She simply couldn't forget the horror that spilled from Billy's tainted body at the sauna test they performed on him. It made her think he was more of a goner.

"What happened?"

Max shook her head. "You don't wanna know."

Jean paid no mind to the tear that spilled from her own eye and went down her cheek. Max's mind was oozing such pain and sorrow that it was physically hurting Jean now. She hated her powers at times like these when she could feel everyone's negative emotions. "I can feel your hurt." Jean smiled sadly, her hands clenched.

Max shrugged, but her blue eyes were misty. "He's my brother... Was my brother." The doubt in her youthful voice made Jean's heart ache even more, so she went to her and layed her other hand on Max's. She had to be strong and help her through this.

"He's still in there, Max. I'm sure of it." Her voice confident and steady. She could barely see him earlier from behind the cracked windshield and she felt his struggle. If he really was a goner, if that violent creature had its grasp on him to the point of no return, then Billy wouldn't have warned her to stay away from him when she went to see him at the pool. He was still in there, fighting for his freedom.

Max clenched her teeth, grinding them together to stop herself from crumbling into despair. "What if he doesn't want to snap out of it? What if that's just who he is now?"

"Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn't mean they're lost forever." Jean lifted her hand from Max's and placed on top of her head, her gentle fingers smoothing the top her hair. The action succeeded in calming Max. "And I can't believe that is who he is. He's in there, and we'll get him out." She declared, a bright smile decorating her lips.

Jean's words managed to put Max's heart at ease, and the shorter girl sniffled before smiling hopefully.

However, the fourteen year old's relief was short lived when she saw the gun in Nancy's hand. "Is that.. meant for Billy?" Max hesitantly asked, her voice was crackling, raw with emotion.

Jean stiffened as she caught sight of the deadly weapon that the Wheeler held.

"Max.." Nancy uttered, her lips pursing.

"We don't need that." Jean said, her tone flat but she was trembling on the inside.

"I know how to handle it, Jean, you don't have to worry." She confidently assured, thinking that the redhead was worried it'd be dangerous.

The three older teenagers; Jean, Jonathan and Nancy were the ones responsible for Griswold family. So Nancy knew it was their task to keep the kids safe, so she stepped up and grabbed the gun because she was the only one who knew how to use it.

The teenage telepath jumped to her feet, walking towards Nancy. Max didn't need to hear this. Not after everything they've talked about. "I am worried. You're not planning on shooting him, are you?"

"It's just a precaution." Said Nancy. But Jean didn't believe her. She pulled the shorter girl to the side, and Jonathan followed.

"A precaution? Really, Nancy?" Jean raised her eyebrows sharply. She wondered how cold this girl could be. She'd already gotten a bad impression of her after what Steve had said about their failed relationship, but this was on a whole other level.

"Yes, really." The brown haired girl said, her blue eyes shone with determination.

"I don't know you all that well, but is killing a guy your age that easy for you?" Jean bit out.

"This is just for protection." Nancy argued, her face maintaining a stoic expression.

"No." The taller girl disagreed, stubbornly shaking her head.

"No?"

"No."

Jonathan's eyes darted between the two squabbling girls. The tension was high.

Nancy scoffed. "Then what do you suggest we do? Billy won't hesitate to kill any of us. Do you think we can just talk it out with him? Because we can't." She knew she sounded brutal right now, but she didn't care, the situation didn't allow her to care. She didn't know her all that well, but she thought that Jean was still stuck on the idealistic mentality she herself was set on years past. She didn't understand, Nancy patronizingly thought. She didn't see the horrors that she herself had witnessed and the danger they were in.

"We'll find another way." Jean determinedly insisted.

Nancy released a frustrated huff. "There is no other way. Eleven is exhausted, that thing might be coming for us for all we know. We're royally screwed, Jean. Unless you have any useful abilities you'd like to disclose? Because I'm open to suggestions." She asked in a condescending way. Mike had told his sister that the red haired girl could read minds, and that was about the extent of what she could do. If Jean could do nothing at the moment, then she shouldn't be running her mouth, Nancy thought.

Jean heard her thoughts and grew even more aggravated at the girl. She glared daggers at Nancy, clenching her teeth shut. If she thought she was weak, she'll show her.

"We shouldn't be arguing amongst ourselves, it's exactly what that thing wants." Jonathan pointed out, trying to diffuse the tension between the two girl. They needed to coalesce, to work as a team. Not fight and waste time.

"I'll only use it when I absolutely need to, alright?" Nancy licked her lips, trying to compromise.

Jean sighed, relenting because the kids were now worriedly looking at them. "Fine." She mumbled, but was still pissed because Nancy wasn't even paying attention to their conversation anymore.

"Will that thing drive?" Nancy asked, her eyes pointed at the busted turned-over car.

~~~

It took a while to flip the car back and each group member was heaving, their sweating muscles straining at the force. Even though El tried to use her powers to help them, she was unable to because her battery was drained of energy. So they had to do it manually.

Jean sighed in relief. Finally, Jonathan was able to sneak under the hood and find the ignition cable they needed to start the car outside.

"What's she doing?" Max's voice brought Jean's attention elsewhere. She and Mike tilted their heads to find El rummaging through the trash.

Jean paused and entered Eleven's distressed mind. She knew it was an invasion of privacy, she knew that, but she was worried for her friend.

"..She thinks she's lost it." She mumbled, but her words only succeeded in confusing Mike and Max.

"Lost what?" He asked, eyebrows scrunched.

Jean gulped. "Her powers."

The redhead didn't have time to elaborate as the boy and girl ran to Eleven, trying to talk to her out of concern. Jean would've followed them but..something stopped her.

A low frequency vibration rendered Jean's body still. It was distant but incredibly intense. It caused the same throbbing headache she experienced before with El's parasite to take place in her brain. And it was getting worse, growing and pulsating like an approaching hurricane. She followed the unidentified vibration, moving away from the car to allow her eyes to roam the busted mall. And then, her translucent green irises shifted up to the skylight above her. The glass trembled, struggling under the weight of something pounding against it.

Seeing as she was isolated from everyone else, Jean's eyes traveled from Max, Mike and El who were at one end of the food court to Jonathan, Nancy, Will, and Lucas at the other end by the car. She felt her breath hitch.

"Guys?!" Jean gasped, feeling her heart rising up her throat as the monster cracked the skylight's glass.

"HIDE!" Mike screeched to everyone once he looked up to find the looming shadow of the Spider Monster, him and Max dragging El along.

Glass exploded from up above, erupting as the creature jumped rushing into the Starcourt mall. And an animalistic growl broke through the air like the sharp glass that rained down on them.

Fear overtook Jean Grey when the ground shook beneath her feet, and her flight response propelled her forward. She skidded around a small a small counter, dropping on her knees in a panting mess. Her heart was in overdrive in her chest as she recalled the monster's appearance. She'd only glimpsed at it for a fraction of a second in a terrified daze but she remembered every detail of its appearance all the same. It possessed an elongated head and six legs that branched off to form several appendages that were used for mobility. The creature was equipped with several prehensile tentacles. And the maw of the creature was filled with circular rows of jagged "teeth".

Jean simply didn't have words to explain what had happened before her eyes. Suddenly, all that "nonsense" Steve and the Party told her seemed very real. The Mind Flayer, the entity they claimed was the higher evil in a parallel world, was standing right there in the center of the mall.

The creature released out an earth shattering roar. Jean was painfully reminded of how alone and vulnerable she was when it did. While the others gathered in groups, she was all by herself. She found it in herself to adjust and hug her knees closer to herself as she breathed out heavily. Could she possibly die? Jean pondered to herself in fear. She panicked at the prospect of dying, her life ending before it could truly begin.

From across the haunted food court, Mike's abandoned walkie talkie crackled with Dustin's voice, he shrieked as he begged for them to confirm their safety. Jean hoped he would take the hint that they were in danger and try to come and rescue them. But really, what could Steve and the rest of the Scoops Troop do in the face of true evil.

The nasty biomass began to navigate through the mall, stomping away from Jean and following the source of the sound. When she guaranteed that it was far away from her, Jean sighed in relief. But her short lived moment of comfort shattered into pieces when she was reminded that this thing was after El. It was after her sister. And worry rose up like bile in her throat.

Jean squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment as her insides shuddered with each of the creature's heavy movements.

Once again, she was reminded of how weak she was. Nancy was right, she was helpless. And she hated that feeling.

The redhead found the courage in her to pop up quickly, looking over the edge of the counter she hid behind. As she stared at the monster, her heart rate spiked and adrenaline rushed through her blood as she tried to...understand what that thing was, what it wanted.

And instead, she was bombarded with a flurry of agonized minds.

She could hear people, people hurting around her, chaotically screaming and whimpering. She winced and brought her hand to her temple reflexively.

'HELP!''PLEASE STOP!'

They were screaming in agony and excruciating pain. They were so loud at the given moment that they overpowered whatever dark force the Shadow Monster was using to drown them out.

And thus, Jean came to a realization. These people, they didn't wish to become part of this grotesque creature. But it was beyond their control. They were possessed and taken over.

And they begged for someone, anyone, to end it all.

Jean eased herself down again, hiding in the darkness of the small space before she exhaled sharply through her mouth.

Their pain.. It was something that Jean wanted to end badly, she wanted to help them. But she couldn't stop it.

Could she?

~~~

The demonic creature no longer occupied the nearly empty Starcourt mall. That was much to Jean Grey's knowledge.

She pointlessly rushed throughout the mall, and she couldn't calm her own breathing once she was confirming that she was left behind.

Heart hammering in her chest, Jean decided to leave the scary place, better than to stay here all alone with the risk of that thing coming back. And so, she ran into the one store she always frequented more than any other, Scoops Ahoy.

Jean found the place to be quite grim and scary without its bright lights and nautical tunes playing. And there was no Steve greeting her with his usual, warm and somewhat awkward 'Ahoy!'.

Shaking her head, she decided to use the very same secret passages that opened in the backroom. The kids would always sneak in the movie theater through it with Steve's help. But also, while they'd escaped from the Russian base, they used it from outside of the loading dock to get to safety. If she followed the right path, eventually it would lead her outside to the carpark. She hoped.

So she swung the door open, walked and walked. The passageway was somewhat dim, illuminated by bright white florescent lights.

Jean breathed out, seeing the emergency exit door before her. She hurried over, heaving it open.

Once she made it outside, she spotted Eleven, Mike and Max staggering away from the door.

There was a miniscule feeling of solace as she saw the three. "Oh, thank god, you guys are okay." She gave a sigh of relief and the kids looked visibly comforted when they sensed her presence.

"Yeah, we're alive." Max said, seeing as Jean approached them and took over in helping carrying El.

"Let's go, come here."

They moved hastily down the concrete passageway, well as hasty as they could with El's wounded leg. They could see the carpark past an open fence, and they advanced forward.

"Oh, shit." Mike choked out seeing that Billy was shifting. Groaning, he dropped from the car, his palms grazing the concrete.

"What?" Jean curiously asked, following Mike's line of sight.

Max swallowed thickly once her eyes were set to look at her possessed stepbrother. "It's Billy." She announced. He was standing by his car, his wrecked car, watching them with murderous intent. And she knew he was going to be chasing after them very soon.

The red haired young adult could feel Billy's eyes burning on her and she turned to look at him. Staring into his eyes, she was shocked to say she found nothing inside. There were shadows of pain and sorrow, but it was so hidden that you would have to dive deeply to even find a glimpse of it. Jean blinked, attempting to correct her vision. But his eyes were black. Pure black.

She inhaled sharply, bombarded with the idea that this might be a chance-the only one to save him. Granted, she didn't know how to go about it, how to conquer the monster that controlled him, but if someone could drag the real Billy out from the darkest depths of his mind, it was her.

She had to try.

As she stared at him and his static body, the world began to fade away. It faded into something she'd never seen before- but was so, so real she couldn't deny it.

It was like he was purposely showing her what happened to him, projecting all of his traumatic experiences. Those painful moments were constantly flashing before him, as if they were the only memories he possessed.

Without meaning to, without trying, Jean knew. She knew that Billy was begging to be helped, to be put out of his misery.

In the allies of the empty redevelopment area, Billy could catch a wiff of cement.The black steal gate always made a screeching sound as it opened. It was impossible to peek through the frosted honeycomb-patterned windows.Just like the vacant building, Billy felt abandoned and he gradually lost his liveliness. Everything that made him who he is, was fading.The creature fed on and triggered all of his blinding consuming rage -heartbreaking grief for years past -desperation. All to make him a shell of what he once was.

So, Jean knew exactly what she had to do to drag the real Billy out.