Faye's heart turns to ice. "What did you do to my mom?!"
Billy answers with a cruel laugh, only it isn't Billy anymore. A second, guttural voice echoes behind his own - as if two people are speaking at once. Faye has heard it before, when the Mind Flayer was possessing Will. Billy wedges his upper body through the broken window and swings for Max again. She shrieks and presses herself against the wall, when out of nowhere something strikes Billy square in the head. Groaning, he drops the glass shard which shatters on the tiles as he withdraws into the sauna.
Lucas lowers his slingshot. "Max come on!"
Max backs away from the door just as the lights begin to flicker. A chill picks its way down Faye's spine - as if a cold blade is skimming the length of her back - and then Billy's lungs erupt in a scream. A horrific, gut-wrenching cry that cannot be mistaken for anything other than pure rage. Will pulls Faye into his chest protectively and she grabs hold of him, trembling from head to toe.
With a crash that makes them all jump, Billy slams against the door.
"He can't get out of there can he?" Max whimpers.
Lucas shakes his head. "No way..."
The words have barely left Lucas' mouth before the metal chains snap like twigs and the door to the sauna bursts off its hinges. Billy tumbles out onto the floor and Faye's stomach lurches at the sight of him. Black veins bulge beneath his skin, threading across his bare torso like a spiderweb, and there's a nasty puncture on his left arm oozing a dark, bloody liquid - as if something has bitten him. Billy hauls himself to his feet, but before he has a chance to attack a weight bar flies into him and he is thrown against the wall.
El steps forwards, arm outstretched and brow furrowed in concentration. The weights crunch through the wall, carving into the brick as Billy hangs suspended by his neck, growling and gasping for breath. Then all of a sudden his hands latch onto the bar and he begins to push it away. El screams and holds her ground, but impossibly Billy manages to overpower her and sends the weights hurtling through the air. El ducks just in time and collapses with exhaustion, and in the blink of an eye Billy has his hands around her throat.
"El!" Mike cries in panic.
Billy turns a sinister smile towards them as he lifts a spluttering El off the floor. Whether it's the sight of El's face turning blue, or the smugness in Billy's expression, fury suddenly burns away Faye's fear. She throws her arm out and feels the white-hot energy surging to her fingertips as her body locks onto its target. Billy freezes where he stands, his bloodshot eyes bulging, as he involuntarily loosens his grip on El's neck. Mike runs up behind him and breaks a metal bar over his back, and Billy releases El with a howl of pain.
"GO TO HELL YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Mike bellows.
As he rushes over to an unconscious El, Faye channels every ounce of her energy into forcing Billy to his knees.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR MOM?!"
Billy is bleeding badly, and that metal bar must have broken bones, but he still smiles when he answers. "She's one of us now."
No... Please no. Faye's focus slips and Billy seizes the opportunity to deliver a hard kick to her chest. Faye is thrown off her feet and smacks her head against the floor with a sickening crunch. A burning pain skewers the back of her skull as the room spins dizzyingly above her. After several attempts, Faye forces herself to sit up, fighting the waves of nausea that threaten to expel her stomach contents.
"Faye!"
Will kneels beside her and loops Faye's arm over his shoulders so that he's supporting her weight. Through her swimming vision, Faye can just about make out El who has regained consciousness a few feet away - similarly leaning on Mike. Both of their noses are streaming with blood, but Billy is coming for them again and they're out of options. Faye and El lock eyes and a silent agreement passes between them.
Together.
Plumbing depths of strength she didn't know she had, Faye lifts her arm towards Billy a final time and tries to latch onto his mind. At first it's impossible because she's so weak, and then she feels El's energy join her own; like carrying a huge weight you're about to drop - and then someone grabs the other side. Billy roars in anger as he is lifted into the air, thrashing wildly, and with a monumental force Faye and El blast him through the brick wall and out the other side.
Succumbing to exhaustion, Faye collapses against Will, but not before she catches a glimpse of Billy - still alive and disappearing into the night.
"MOM!"
Faye and Mike burst through the front door of the Wheeler residence, closely followed by the others. Faye's head is still throbbing from the confrontation with Billy and she should probably go to the hospital or at least lie down, but there's no time for that - she has to find her mom. The kitchen and living room are empty, so Faye sprints upstairs and throws open every door in turn; her parents' room, her and Mike's room, Nancy's room, Holly's room. Nothing. She even pulls down the steps to the attic and pokes her head inside.
"Mom where are you?" Mike calls in desperation.
Faye races back downstairs and finds the rest of the group darting from room to room.
"Not in the basement," says Lucas.
"Or the yard," adds El.
Max swallows thickly. "Maybe she's just out?"
Will shakes his head. "Her car is still in the garage."
Four uneasy stares fix on the twins as Faye and Mike's worst fear is confirmed.
"He has her," Faye whispers. The ice in her chest solidifies to stone and expands until she can't breathe.
Mike grabs fistfuls of his hair and paces back and forth like a madman. "That son of a bitch!"
Faye's mind is spiralling and she starts to hyperventilate. This is all her fault; she should have told people sooner about the affair. She should have realised that Billy was the host and stopped him before he hurt anyone. And now the Mind Flayer has her mom and what if they can't get her back and it's all her fault-
Hands grab her as Faye sways on her feet, her legs giving out from the shock. Will and Max maneuver her into a chair while Lucas attempts to calm an increasingly hysterical Mike.
"We have to get her back. We have to go right now-"
Lucas grips Mike's shoulders. "Mike, calm down-"
Mike shoves him away. "Calm down? That thing has my mom!"
As the two of them continue to argue, El walks over to the phone.
"Who are you calling?" Faye asks.
"Hop," El answers.
Of course - Faye has been so caught up with panic that she hadn't even thought about getting help from the adults. El huffs in frustration when Hopper doesn't answer and immediately tries again, but has no luck. Will then calls his mom, but she doesn't pick up either. They try everyone they can think of: Dustin, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve. No-one answers.
"Where the hell is everybody?" Max wonders.
"It doesn't matter," says Mike. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. We're gonna have to split up and look for her on our own."
Lucas throws his hands up. "That's a terrible idea."
Max turns to Faye and El. "Can't you guys find her, or Billy? Like you did in the cabin?"
Faye can barely stand up, let alone think about using her powers - and El is equally drained.
"They need time to recharge so we'll have to do this ourselves," Mike announces. "Me and El will go to Hawkins Lab, Faye and Will can check Mirkwood, and you guys go to Max's house in case Billy went back there."
"This is exactly what the Mind Flayer wants!" Lucas insists. "If we split up, we're easier targets!"
"I don't give a shit what he wants!" Mike yells.
Suddenly, the front door bursts open and Faye's heart leaps into her mouth - but it's only Nancy and Jonathan. The latter barrels into the hallway and scans each of their faces in turn.
"Where's Will?" he asks urgently.
"I'm right here," Will answers, confused.
Jonathan crosses the room in a single bound and latches onto his brother's arms. "Are you okay? Did it get you? Are you hurt-"
"I'm fine! What are you talking about?" Will exclaims, wriggling out of Jonathan's hold.
Nancy appears behind him, wearing the same clothes she left for work in the previous day. "The Mind Flayer is back."
"How do you know?" Faye and Mike demand in unison.
By the time Nancy and Jonathan have gone over their story, Faye is at a loss. Rabid rats... a crazy old woman eating fertiliser... it doesn't make any sense. And more alarmingly, it sounds as if Billy isn't the only host. There could be dozens - or even hundreds - of them out there. And if they don't get to their mom fast, she could be next... if they aren't already too late.
"It was the exact same thing that happened to Will last year," Nancy concludes.
"She's flayed, just like Billy," says Mike.
Jonathan raises his eyebrows. "Flayed?"
"The Mind Flayer, he flays people - takes over their minds," Mike explains. "After that they basically become him."
Faye suddenly jumps to her feet. "I have to go to the bathroom."
She exits the basement where everyone is gathered and shuts the door behind her. Faye lingers to make sure no-one comes after her, then as soon as she hears the murmur of conversation resume she slips outside and into the garage. The others will probably be furious when they realise she's gone, particularly Mike, but Faye has no choice. With Nancy and Jonathan, their number rounds up to eight and there's no way they'll all be able to agree on the best course of action. They'll spend an hour arguing over what to do, then eventually split up anyway - so Faye is just cutting to the chase. Her bike is right where she left it and she gets halfway down the drive before someone speaks behind her.
"Going somewhere?"
Will is leaning against the garage door and Faye should be surprised, but she isn't. As if deep down she knew he would follow her.
"You were right," Faye sighs, gripping the bike's handlebars. "You said my mom would be the first person Billy went after and he did. At the pool, he said 'she's one of us now.' What if she's flayed too?"
Will takes a step towards her. "He probably just said that to mess with you. We don't know for sure-"
"Exactly, we don't know - which means she could be," Faye insists. "I just have to find Billy again, then I can read his mind and figure out where she is."
"You're going to go after Billy by yourself?" Will admonishes.
There's a heavy pause, and Faye tries to keep the tears out of her voice. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have let her get anywhere near him, I should have said something days ago."
Will's eyes are full of empathy and Faye has to look away because she doesn't deserve it. "This is not your fault, but you can't go after him alone."
"It's too dangerous for the others," Faye states. "Me and El are the only ones who stand a chance against the Mind Flayer - and he still nearly killed us both back there."
"Right, so you're going to go out and find Billy with no backup and no plan?" Will clarifies, using his calm tone that means he knows he's right.
"I get that it sounds crazy-"
"It is crazy, you're crazy."
Faye gazes at him in shock, hurt that Will would say such a thing. But before she can respond he continues.
"And thank God, because normal people are useless. If we're going to stop the flayed and find your mom then we need crazy - that's why I'm coming with you. No arguments."
Will fixes her with a hard stare, and Faye knows fighting him won't do any good. Part of her wants to try anyway, because she needs Will to be safe; her mom is already in danger and the thought of losing anyone else - especially Will - is more than she can cope with. And yet she can't deny the flicker of relief she felt at the thought of having Will beside her. If the last two years have taught her anything, it's that Faye is at her strongest when she's with Will, because he gives her a reason to be strong. Even if things are weird between them right now, she still needs him.
"If you say so, Zombie Boy."
Author's note: Sorry for the delayed update - I struggled with this chapter for some reason. However, it did mean that I skipped ahead and started writing the next two so hopefully it won't be as long of a wait. Also, I went to the Stranger Things Secret Cinema the other day and it was AMAZING!