Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Now outside, where the sun was setting, Terry ran to her car. She pulled out her walkie-talkie and her car keys with each hand. She quickly used the keys to unlock her car and got in, putting on her seatbelt and taking deep breaths. She saw that Stacey wasn't following her. It would be more obvious and suspicious for two women to run out. But now, she doesn't know what's going to happen to her job. On the other hand, it wasn't important right now.
She pressed a button in the walkie-talkie and asked through breaths, "Jane? Andrew? Is anyone there...over?"
Both heard that, but looked concerned about her panting. Jane got the walkie-talkie out of her pocket and handed it to Andrew, who answered into it, "I'm here, Terry. What's going on, over?"
She was catching her breath, but answered, "Stacey...she's possessed...over."
The long-haired man never looked so shocked and horrified to hear this. Jane looked shocked too. He began walking away, replying, "What?"
She leaned against the steering wheel. "She pulled me out of work to talk...then tried to knock me out with chloroform."
His horrified look amplified. "Thankfully, I was able to fight back and get away, but now..." He knew she didn't have to say more. He held the side of his head and muttered, "Damn it." First Dave, now Stacey...he figured the both of them would be possessed, but to have his only living friend be possessed by that monster...
"I'm so sorry, Andrew. I should've looked at the signs sooner."
He shook his head and answered...
"Don't be sorry, Terry. I wouldn't've noticed either, to be honest..." He sounded hurt and distressed. Of course he was. Dave was dead and Stacey was possessed. Now it was just him. "You're away from her now...right? Over?"
She answered, "Yeah. I'm about to drive off." Her fingers were still holding her keys, though they were shaking a little. "Maybe I can go to the pool, if that's alright, over?"
Andrew took a deep breath, trying his best not to break down. He had to stay strong, Dave and Stacey would want that from him. Why else would they tell him to go? Also, maybe it would be a good idea for her to join them at the pool for the plan.
He walked towards Jane and asked, "You mind if your mother joins us?"
She shook her head. "No."
He then answered into the walkie-talkie, "You can come, over."
She smiled a little, feeling relief. "Then I'll be on my way, over and out." She shortened the antennae, put the walkie-talkie down on the seat, and started the car.
The sky was now dark and the plan was ready to initiate. Terry arrived earlier and everyone had gotten into their positions, most hiding, but Jane, Mike, and Andrew were out in the open. Mike used his power to clang the door to the men's bathroom. The three heard Billy's distant voice say, "Pool's closed." He and Jane looked at Andrew, who was going to lock the door, and nodded as they quietly departed. He then closed the door, making it screech along the way, then locked it with a lock one of the boys found. He then ran around to go through the alternate entrance to the men's bathroom. Another one of the boys managed to find that too.
...
When Mike went to hide with the rest of the group, Jane found the light switch and turned off the lights. She then went to hide with everyone else. In a teasing voice, she said in a low singsong voice into her walkie-talkie, "Billy~..."
A few seconds later, she heard him reply coldly, "Who's there?"
"Billlllyyyy~!"
"Whoooo's theeeeere?" he replied in a tone the same as hers. She then laughed. Everyone could hear footsteps...slow footsteps.
"Billy~!"
"You think this is funny, huh...?" he muttered, which echoed to where everyone was at. All of them felt a lot more anxious than before, but they braced themselves.
"Billy, come find me! I bet you can't~!"
"I find you, it's your funeral."
Mike then used his power to close the then-open door to the gym. "Come and find me! Come on, slowpoke!" He then marched to that door, opened it, and stormed right in. Slowly and quietly, Terry emerged from the hiding spot and went through the door to check if Billy was taking the bait. He was, looking straight at the dummy in the sauna. She gestured to everyone else that he was focused on that.
He walked towards it quickly, saying, "Found you." He then faked a smile and cackled, clapping his hands really loud.
"Then come and get me, unless you're a chicken!" He finally got to it and opened the door, his smile dropping when he saw that it was a dummy with a walkie-talkie taped onto it. That was cue for Terry to make another gesture for everyone to come out and Andrew to appear from the emergency exit, quietly so Billy's attention wasn't broken from it.
"What the hell-" Billy muttered before the long-haired man snuck up behind him and shoved him into the sauna, making him hit the dummy and fall down. Andrew was quick to get in, get the dummy, and get out. When the blonde-haired teen stood up, he saw not only Andrew, but also Mike right beside him, his head tilted down.
"Hi," the telekinetic boy greeted sharply before using his power to throw Billy against the wall. He screamed in pain and a few tiles were broken from impact. The rest of the group rushed in, Jane turning the lights back on as she now had a pipe in her hand. Will had the chains and Lucas had another lock. Mike, whose nose was bleeding just a little, telekinetically slammed the door on Billy as he was charging towards it. The brown-haired tomboy slid the pipe through the door handle and behind a much bigger pipe. The auburn-haired boy wrapped the chains around it as Billy continued slamming the door to get it open.
Jane's eyes were wide as plates as she told everyone, "Come on!" Once Will was done, Lucas locked the chains and pipe, shouting, "Got it!" Everyone then steered clear from the door, watching Billy try to get out with wide eyes. After a bit, he stopped, looking straight at everybody. His expression then went from angry and confused...to hurt and sorrowful.
He then looked at one particular person, muttering, "Max..."
Everyone looked straight at the red-haired girl, who was trying to hold back any regret and guiltiness she had in her. Andrew said both him and Heather had to be possessed, otherwise, the other night with his friends wouldn't have happened. She hated him, but she also hated to do this to him. Even so...
She took a deep breath and said, "Do it." Will was quick to go to the sauna controls and raise up the temperature.
Kali had arrived at the hospital where Doris was staying...with flowers she purchased from a store. She kept her purse on as she grabbed the bouquet and got out of the car. She went inside and walked quickly to the front desk. She faked a smile, looking down at the lady at the desk, and greeted, "Hi." The woman looked up, her face blank as she just grunted as a reply. "I'm here to see Doris Driscoll." She faked a thinking look. "I think she was admitted last night."
"Name and relation?" the lady asked in a monotone voice.
"Kali..." She held herself back from saying her last name. "Driscoll. I'm her...adoptive granddaughter." The lady's mouth quirked to the right, almost skeptical. Why was she getting nervous now...?
She then grabbed a "Hello, My Name Is" sticker and asked, "How do you spell your first name?" Kali felt relieved that the woman took her lie as truth.
...
She had her name-tag on her dress as she walked towards Doris's room. She finally found it, standing in front with the flowers held up. She took a deep breath, hoping nothing could go wrong this time. This was her only chance. She then entered in, hearing the I.P. monitor and seeing Doris fast-asleep. She quietly closed the door behind her and walked towards her bed. The old woman sniffed loudly, but was still asleep. She sighed in relief.
She then spotted a folder on a small holding platform above the cot. She placed her flowers down on the platform and reached for the folder before stopping. She looked at the door for five seconds to see if anyone would come right in. After the coast was clear, she grabbed it and opened it up, seeing her medical report. She looked concerned about it, so concerned that she didn't notice that Doris was sniffing a little more loudly and her heartbeat went up a little. Kali looked at the page below the first, then looked at Doris, even more concerned than before.
...
Kali took out her notepad and began jotting down what was in that report and also what was happening. She didn't notice how Doris was doing until the heart monitor was beeping fast and the old woman was breathing rapidly and intensely. She looked up, puzzled and worried for her, before noticing that her heart rate was climbing and climbing...at big rates. Her jaw dropped, her muttering, "Oh my God." And it kept getting higher and higher, with numbers she never thought would be seen on a monitor like that.
Billy slammed the door, drenched in sweat. "Max!" Everyone tensed up at that. "Get me out of here!" The girl mentioned began looking more and more distraught about this. "Let me outta here!" His breath fogged against the window. Everyone was stiff and didn't move a muscle. They saw that he was shaking and both confused and terrified. He was breathing intensely. "You kids...think this is funny...?" None of them answered, Jane and Lucas exchanging glances. He then looked at Terry and Andrew. "And you two...you're adults...you think this is funny too? Even you, hippy?" The dirty-blonde-haired woman grabbed the sides of her arms tightly while the brown-haired man looked down, neither of them answering. "All you think...this is some sick prank?" He looked furious, spitting on the window. "You pieces of shit think this is FUNNY?!" All exchanged glances once again. All then looked at Will, who shook his head, so they were silent and still again.
He looked baffled, moving around and muttering, "What is this...?" He paused. "Open...the door." He then suddenly slammed the door, making everyone tense up completely. "OPEN THE DOOR!" Another slam. "OPEN!" Another. "THE DOOR!" Another with both hands. "OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Without thinking twice about it, Andrew held Terry's hand. She was surprised, but she knew why he did it, so she squeezed it to comfort him.
He then dropped out of sight and screamed, making everyone worried. Will went to the temperature gauge, putting his finger on it. He face everyone and stated, "We're at 220." Max pursed her lips, trying to hold back from crying and doing shit that could jeopardize this trap.
When Will got back to the group, all of them heard Billy...sobbing. Most were puzzled, but Max was completely worried about him. "It's not my fault...it's not my fault, it's not my fault, Max." The redhead slowly stepped closer to the door.
Worried for her, Terry stepped forward. "Max..." she said in a soft yet commanding voice.
"I promise you, it's not my fault..."
Now she was looking at him through the window, seeing him crying and on his knees, his hands together like a beggar. "What's not your fault, Billy?" she asked him, solemn.
Andrew took a step forward. "Max, step away from the door." She ignored him.
"I've done bad things, Max. Really..." His voice sounded broken and choked. "Really bad things...I didn't mean to." He sniffled. The rest of the kids were inching closer, but the adults made them step back, now in front of them. "He made me do it..."
She didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Who...made you do it?"
He sniffled again. "I don't know...it's like a huge shadow." The rest of the group looked at each other with wide eyes. "A really huge shadow." So this confirms it...he was possessed. "Please, Max, please..."
The girl looked so sad for him, so forlorn. "What did he make you do-"
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT! PLEASE BELIEVE ME! MAX, PLEASE BELIEVE ME!" He leaned against the bench, continuing to cry. Max was crying as well, swallowing sobs. Everyone looked sorry for them. "I tried to stop him, okay? I did!" Andrew felt a knot in his chest. He really sounded genuine. Sure, being possessed is not a choice, but...what he was saying was getting to him. At the same time, he killed Dave...and made Stacey possessed...
"Please believe me, Max..." he said, his voice now slurred in misery.
She sniffled and put her hand on the window. "It's going to be okay, Billy..." she told him, her voice sounding hurt.
"Please..."
"We're only trying to help you...we want to help you...you just need to talk to us, okay?"
Suddenly, Will got out of breath and felt chilled. He touched the back of his neck, feeling the goosebumps...and him. He was shaking like a leaf. "I-I feel him..." he said to the rest of the group, all aghast. "He's activated."
Jane faced her female friend and said in horror, "Max, get away from the door."
The girl mentioned didn't even hear what Will said, asking, "What?"
"Get away from the door!" Andrew yelled, pulling her away just in time for her stepbrother to break open the window. The two adults and the girl backed away real quick, screaming. His head and arm popped out, a glass shard in his hand. He was screaming to the red-haired girl, making her cry some more, and slamming the front of the door.
"LET ME OUT, YOU BITCH! LET ME OUT!" he yelled from the top of his lungs, Max sobbing. "I'LL GUT YOU IF YOU DON'T!" He looked down and saw the bar holding the chains, quickly pulling it out and making the chains drop. Everyone jolted back, gasping and looking even more horrified. He continued slamming the door, trying to reach the knob. "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT, YOU-" He got cut off when Lucas got out his wrist rocket and shot a rock to his head, knocking him straight back into the sauna.
Now everyone was a good distance away from the sauna, Max's tears still flowing down her cheeks. The lights then began flickering rapidly, the kids and Terry knowing what the hell that meant. Andrew could get the idea that it wasn't a good sign. They heard the possessed teen throwing up multiple times in the room. Everyone looked around at the flickering lights in a bit of panic, their minds racing on what was going to happen and what they should do. They then heard animalistic grunting and then...a nearly inhuman roar.
Mrs. Driscoll was wailing the same way, Kali now looking horrified as she noticed the black veins across her face. She looked up at the rapidly-flickering lights. She was completely frozen in fear and complete worry about what was going on...since she knew what the flickering lights meant. "My god...it can't be..." she muttered almost inaudibly.
Andrew let go of Max while Mike got in-between him and Terry, looking dead serious and ready to use his powers to fight the possessed Billy. Terry and Andrew got into defensive positions to protect the rest of the children.
The female teen rushed to the nurse button and pressed it rapidly. She looked straight into the old woman's eyes...pitch black irises. She looked to be in serious pain, almost like she was looking at her for help...any help. Kali's horrified look got even worse, her breathing fast and her heart racing.
After Billy finished his roar, he charged towards the door, trying to bust it straight open. The adults and Mike made the kids step back, but then the freckled boy made the two of them get back too, much to their confusion. Billy tried again, the chain getting loose. The long-haired man shook his head. "There's no way he could get out..." he said in horror, looking at Terry and the kids. "Right?"
"There's no way," Lucas answered, his voice shaky.
"No...way..." Jane muttered.
Kali and Mrs. Driscoll continued looking at each other, unable to look away. Her eyes, those veins...
She never thought she'd see them again after Will last year.
The third time, the chain was even more loose like the door and nearly broken.
Mrs. Driscoll looked away from Kali and roared more loudly...
Like Billy did when he charged one last time. He managed to actually burst the door right open, breaking the chains and lock, making it slam on the side, and him tumbling on the floor. Everyone but Mike screamed and backed away some more. The black-veined teen stood up, looking at everyone, specifically Andrew, Terry, and Mike: the man who escaped, the woman that helped close the gate, and the boy that closed the gate himself. The telekinetic boy gave him a harsh, serious look, his head tilted down. Billy wanted to kill all three of them...
Starting with the man.
At a blink of an eye, Billy tackled Andrew to the ground, everyone jolting away from that and screaming. "ANDREW!" Terry exclaimed. The teen was choking him, the man's face turning red as he was struggling to get out of his grasp. Mike looked around for something to use against him as well as Terry. The blonde-haired woman saw that the pipe was still in-tact, so she ran and grabbed it. She then ran to Billy and swung it at him. The end hit the back of his head, making him let go of his hold on Andrew's neck before the man shoved him off and scrambled to the group's side. He was breathing in a lot of air, coughing and choking on his spit.
Billy began to stand up, glaring sharply at the man before turning it to the woman that hit his head with the pipe. She was backed away, holding the pipe close like a weapon. Jane looked terrified and worried for her mother, muttering, "Mama, no..." At that same time, Mike found a large barbell he could use.
Terry was horrified by this monster that possessed this poor teen, but she knew she couldn't cower. She then ran and grunted when she swung at him again. But he caught it, huffing as he used his hand to steal it from her in an instant. Now she was more horrified. Both Andrew and Jane were more than scared for her. "Mama!" she cried out.
"Terry!" Andrew also cried out.
At that time, as Billy was going to attack her with the pipe, Mike yelled, "TERRY, GET DOWN!" Without a second thought, she did, crouching down and dodging the swing of the pipe. She looked at Mike, who was lifting the barbell from its set with his power and threw it against Billy, letting out a cry. He let go of the pipe and grabbed the bar, but it was used to pin him against the brick wall. Everyone tensed up at that, gasping once more. Terry stood back up and ran towards the group, near her daughter and Andrew.
Billy struggled to get out of the barbell's hold. Mike was grunting, feeling the immense weight of the barbell, but he wouldn't let up. He went from using one hand to both, grunting again as the weights on the barbell carved against the wall. Everyone watched this in complete awe and worry, especially Terry and Jane. His nose was bleeding and his breathing was heavy, but he continued with it. Billy began to choke against the bar.
Mrs. Driscoll then sounded like she was getting out of breath, making the dark-haired teen back away from her with an open jaw.
And then...Billy began pushing against Mike's force on the barbell, getting it out of the wall. Everyone was shocked and the freckled boy screamed, trying to keep it there. But it was no use. He threw it off of him, the black-haired boy ducking to dodge it. However, the blonde-haired teen was quick to get to him, crouch down, and roughly grab him by his hair. He gritted his teeth at him.
"MIKE!" the Ives shouted in horror, Jane looking like she was going to cry.
Billy looked at everyone's horrified expressions, then smiled a little as he began to choke Mike. The boy wheezed, gasping for air. "NO!" the brown-haired tomboy exclaimed, now beginning to cry.
"Oh my god!" Andrew also exclaimed. The teen continued to look at them, standing up and bringing Mike up with him.
"No!" he managed to say, his voice limited due to the choking. His face became redder than Andrew's when he was choked, Billy's hand feeling way too tight around his neck. "Let-me-go!" He tried to hit him, but it wasn't working. He held him up so high that his feet stopped touching the ground. The boy continued to kick around while choking, trying to pry his hand off of his throat.
Jane was crying and sobbing, Terry also began to cry, everyone else was terrified and frozen, not knowing how to save him. Jane then quickly looked around for something, ANYTHING to save him. Then she spotted a bag and she was quick on her feet to go to it.
Now Mike couldn't do anything to save himself...from being choked to death...it was so painful. He continued gasping for air, his vision getting fuzzy and his mind feeling like it was going to shatter at any instant as he was turning purple.
But then, Jane's cry was heard and she had a baseball bat in hand, whacking Billy on the head with it. He let go of Mike instantly and fell to the ground, still conscious. When Mike landed on the floor, he was gasping for air and coughing, only barely conscious and barely moving.
Tears were streaming down her face, but Jane looked downright furious, yelling from the top of her lungs, "YOU'RE NOT KILLING HIM, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" She swung the bat down at him again, but he turned up and caught it, making her gasp. He stood up, yanking it from her and throwing it away. He slowly approached her with heavy breathing a face that petrified her. Her heart was racing way too fast, hearing it pound from her ears as she backed away towards the brick wall.
"NO!" Andrew shouted.
"JANE!" Terry cried out, tears streaming down her face.
Will shook his head, his eyes glassy, and mouthed, "No...no..."
The second Mike saw him approaching her, he snapped. To him, it didn't matter that he just recovered from being choked, had a massive headache, and felt his bones as jelly.
No one hurts Jane.
He began to stand up and used his power to stop him and lift him up, using both hands to do so. Billy stopped breathing heavily, seeing that he was stopped and lifted against his own will. He was grunting, trying his best to move every bone from his body. The freckled boy also grunted, more blood coming out of his nose as he got on his feet. This shocked the hell out of everyone in the room.
The teen grunted again, so did he. The boy finally moved him away from Jane, walking around to stop in front of her. Billy wailed, Mike grunted again. When the two exchanged furious looks, the boy said to him coldly, "Don't...hurt...Jane." Another pair of tears escaped the girl's eyes. That was the exact same thing he said two years ago...to her papa and his.
With spit coming out of his mouth, Billy screamed at him...and he returned the favor. Then suddenly, he threw him to another brick wall...right through it, making a hole in the wall. All the heaviness in the air, all of the pain and anguish...began to disappear. Everyone had wide eyes and open jaws when they saw the hole and no movement from Billy.
Mike let out the tears he was holding in and began breathing unevenly and sobbing, sinking to the ground. Jane sunk down with him, hugging him and placing her head on his shoulder. He held the side of her head, his hand going down her wet cheeks softly. They stayed like this for a bit. She then stood up and got in front of him, helping him up.
Terry didn't give it a second thought when she ran to the kids and hugged them both tightly. They hugged back just as tight. Andrew was relieved that this had stopped...and that he was still alive. However, he looked at the hole in the wall, seeing Billy get away. He walked closer to it, then everyone else did the same. They all just watched him run away, exclaiming a little in pain. Andrew had known that this group went through some crazy shit, but this...
He would never be prepared for what he just witnessed.
Sharply, Mike watched him run, clenching his fists. He promised himself that he wouldn't let him touch him or hurt anyone he knew and loved, ever again...especially Jane.
"The boy, was it him?" Heather asked as she and Stacey were patching up his wounds.
"Yes, it was him," he answered.
"And Andrew was there as well?" the older woman asked, putting a square band-aid on his back wound.
He looked at her and nodded. "Yes." She sighed, looking disappointed. "And Terry too." She looked even more disappointed. "They know, they know about me, what I am." As Heather was going to cauterize his shoulder wound, he grabbed her wrist to stop her. "That boy could have killed me."
Stacey went around as Heather bluntly answered, "Yes."
"But not us," the curly-haired woman added. They all then looked at the army Heather and Stacey built: the Calloways, the Gap employees, regular citizens, and even a couple of children and officers. All to continue to build and serve "him". "Definitely not us."
From the other side of the room, the Mind Flayer in the flesh growled.
How was this chapter? Any typos or mistakes I might've missed?
There is QUITE a few things to unpack here...but I'll let you guys unpack it for yourselves. This is one part of the season I was looking forward to writing. I hope it's as intense as the canonical scene!
Keep supporting this fanfic and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!