Chapter 2- Making Friends
"Hell fucking yeah!" He smirked; actual food!
The houses Billys ransacked had standard supplies like a first aid kit (Of which he used the shit out of), a backpack in that he had stuffed a flashlight, matches, and the rest of the first aid kit into—he also found another shirt to wear since the previous one was drenched with blood.
So after looking at several houses, it was surprising that this one had any food. Canned SpaghettiOs never tasted as good as they did right now; Billy almost wanted to moan from the flavor.
He stuffed as many cans as possible into the backpack and headed towards a convenience store, hoping it had antibiotics. Six hours after dick head had thrown him out and the adrenaline wore off, he had started getting whole body shakes, and the wound on his shoulder burned like a bitch. Wouldnt do him any good if he lost his arm or died from something as simple as a fucking infected injury.
About 15 minutes into the walk across town, Billy started to hear different noises from all around. None of them made good sounds; growls and screeches filled the air. Some sounding high up and others low to the ground.
It has him picking up the pace a bit and gripping the bat he had found tighter.
No telling what roamed this shit ass place.
Billy missed the sun; he craved the warmth of it on his skin. His last moments of the sunlight were less than ideal, considering the thing that possessed him despised the heat.
After over an hour of walking and avoiding the directions of the sounds, Bradley's Big Buy came into view. Billy headed directly to the pharmacy; he found the needed antibiotics after digging through the different prescriptions.
He needed a drink to swallow down the pills and water for the road anyway; walking down the aisles, the memories of the last time he was here hitting him.
More like what he was forced to watch as that thing controlled him like a puppet. He shuddered; better not to think of those shitty memories.
Billy swallowed the antibiotics and was downing water when a loud screech was heard from right out front of the store.
Going motionless, he stealthily lowered to the floor. He quickly grabbed as many water bottles as his arms fit and packed them into his bag.
CRASH
Something breaks the store's front windows. He sped to a checkout area, kneeling behind the register.
Peeking out the side, He saw it; a large dog-like creature (It's nothing like Fido, trust him) slowly prowling up an aisle, seemingly sniffing the air.
Billy's eyes widen; Oh fuck no.
It makes it about 5 feet from him before its head snaps in his direction. Oh shit, it can smell him. Its face opening up into an unusual flower-like pattern showing its rows of teeth.
SHIT, SHIT, SHIT
It runs full speed at him; scrambling to his feet, he steps back and cocked the bat over his shoulder, gripping the handle as tightly as possible.
He swung as it sprang over the counter, bashing it across the store. With a guttural screech, the thing crashes into several display racks, everything falling around it.
Making a break for it, Billy runs down one of the aisles, but it's too quick; it leaps over the top of the racks, knocking into another before it advances on him again.
Thinking quickly, He grabs the Aqua Net on the shelve next to him and fumbles in his pocket for the lighter he had pocketed from one of the houses.
Holding the lighter, Billy ignited it and aimed for this little shits face, spraying the hairspray into the flames. The creature catches fire, shrieking as it burns on the floor.
Huh, hates fire, noted.
Billy returns to the checkout counter and grabs a couple of packs of smokes, eager to get his nicotine fix; it's been way too fucking long since he's had one; he could feel it.
He crouches next to the dead, burnt, crispy demon dog, looking it over as he tears into a new pack of Marlboro Reds. Sure is an ugly little fucker, isn't it?
Billy puts a cigarette between his lips and lights it, fingers fumbling in urgency, inhaling the smoke deeply, holding it there for a minute, letting it wrap around his lungs in an oversized nicotine hug before eventually exhaling, a groan fleeing past his lips in the process.
He packs up everything else he needs, including several cans of hair spray, and slings the backpack over his shoulders. Billy leisurely walks out of the store. He doesn't know where to go but knows he needs to find a place to lay low before he runs into another one of those dogs or something worse.
He decides to walk to the other part of town, hoping to find shelter and some fucking clues on how to get the fuck out of there. There's gotta be more portals around here; wishful thinking, he knew, but he didn't know of any other way.
Anxiety was clawing up Billy's spine as he thought about what this thing wanted with Max. Why her? He needed answers; he felt completely in the dark, and it seemed that it had been this way for a while as he thought back to the first week of their arrival in Hawkins, and Max went missing.
He didn't know why he didn't think much about it at the time other than how fucking weird it was finding her with Harrington, but looking beyond the blind rage at the moment, he recalled the state of the people around him, all sweaty, bloody, and roughed up, not to mention the shape of Byers house. The memories of being body snatched brought more clarity for him.
Shit has been strange since the fucking beginning.
It all started with a little fucking girl. Isn't that the fucking kicker? Out of anyone for this monster to despise, it's a bunch of 14-year-olds.
Billy was passing the dumb, all too familiar Arcade Palace when he heard the sound of heavy ground-shaking footsteps. He halts, looking off to the right of the building. Holy fucking shit.
An enormous fuckin green troll-looking motherfucker stood to the side, glaring down at him. Billy's eyes felt like they would pop out as he stared it down. It had to be 12 feet high and weigh more than a fuckin semi-truck.
It took a giant step toward him. "Shit.." Billy uttered, faltering back.
The troll roars, stomping forward. Billy takes off in the opposite direction, "SHITTTTT!"
He sprinted through the streets as the Troll was gaining on him. Taking a sharp left turn, weaving through the vein-filled cars of the Arcade parking lot, he loses it momentarily. Billy drops to the pavement and rolls under a station wagon.
Billy tried steadying his breathing as he took in the silence surrounding him. This world really fuckin sucked. Come on, trolls? Billy felt like he couldn't catch a breather.
Sighing to himself, he flops his head back onto the ground. Suddenly the car rises and is hurled over the Troll's shoulder like a discarded toy. Billy stared with wide, stunned eyes, watching it look down at him.
The Troll brought its hefty fist down, aiming for his skull. Billy rolls out, dodging its attack, and runs again, weaving through cars, trying to slow it down.
Billy was rounding the back of the building with the Troll on his tail when something got thrown over his head. He glances over his shoulder in time to watch an explosive go off in the Troll's face.
The Troll rears back, grunting and roaring. Two more explosives go off, causing it to fall back. The impact of it hitting the pavement made the ground shake.
"Yo man, get back!" Someone shouts.
Billy's head swiveled to the sound, eyes latching onto a guy with floppy brown hair in a black hoodie. The stranger rushes past Billy up to the Troll.
"What the fuck..." Billy murmurs, watching as the guy stomps up to the thing and drives a fucking SWORD into the Troll's head, effectively killing it.
The guy turns around, eyeing Billy as he wipes the blade of his sword clean on his blue jeans before sheathing it on his hip.
Billy's eyes narrow suspiciously, entirely prepared to bash this guy to a pulp, sword or not. He quirks a brow, waiting for him to make a move.
"Yoooo man, you were almost Troll chow!" The guy snorts, slapping his knee, laughing.
Billy's brows furrow. Was this guy for real? He observes a beat longer as the guy sobers, realizing Billy isn't laughing.
He clears his throat, "Ahh-uhm, I'm Dale Briggs." Dale holds his hand out for a shake, glancing at Billy apprehensively. He doesn't take it.
Taking out another cigarette, Billy nods at him as he lights it. "Billy." is all he offers him.
"Erm..right. Well, Billy, you gotta watch it walking out in the open like that. Luckily trolls are the dumbest, but you don't want to run into the shadowers." Dale states, eyeing Billy's bat, "And that isn't protecting your ass. You need fire and a blade." He continues, gripping the sword on his waist for emphasis.
Billy observed Dale as he smoked. He was Tall, not as tall as Billy, with light brown long choppy hair, and thin. Guy had a smaller frame, and the sword hung from his hips like the holster was too big. But yet he still just saved his ass.
"Thanks," Billy forces out, scratching the back of his head. The word sounded foreign on his lips. He winced, taking on a lighter tone, "For saving me. This place is a shit show."
Dale smiles, "Oh man, you have no idea. We've been here since November 6th, 1983. A shit show is putting it lightly."
Billy's frowned in confusion while he took a bigger drag, "We?" He looks around, anticipating to see others, but it is still just them.
"Oh uh, y-yeah, It's just me and River. She's probably back at base by now." Dale states, looking a little nervous. "I don't know how she's gonna feel about bringing you back...She's kind of...uh yeah... but you're welcome to come. We need to get out of here anyway before we run into something worse."
Billy quirks a brow, River? What kind of name was that? She sounds like a bitch, and they've been here since 83'; the last time Billy checked, it was 1985. They've been here a long fucking time. He contemplated his statement, going with him to their "base" and dealing with another person he didn't know. However, what choices did he really have? He could go out on his own and become monster food. Judging by how quickly Dale took down that Troll, he was better off just going with him and dealing. How bad could River be? Fuck it. They might even have real food.
He shrugs, flicking his cigarette to the side, "I'm in. Not like I have anywhere to be."
Dale shrugs in response and begins walking the way he came. Billy follows, quickly falling into step with the other. They let silence slip between them as they reached the forest's edge. Billy warily glances at Dale, not fully trusting where he was trying to take him.
Dale catches Billy's stare and rolls his eyes. "I'm not taking you out here to kill you or anything. Our place is out here. The bigger monsters tend to stick to town for some reason. Besides, if I wanted you dead, I would have just let the Troll have you," Dale smirks.
It was Billy's turn to roll his eyes; he had a point. They walked silently for a few more minutes before Billy decided he needed answers, like how and why they were still here. Who exactly were they? He glanced at Dale, who was brushing his left hand across a large tree that had a red arrow spray painted on it, and continued in the direction it pointed to. He looked about the same age as Billy, if not younger.
Billy tracked along with him, settling on what question to start with. "So, How did you guys get here?" Billy asks as they pass another arrow.
Dale's gaze turned to Billy, "Well, I got here through a gate. I was walking home late from school, and some guys messed with me and started chasing me through the woods." He explained, shifting to stare at the ground.
"And...?" Billy encouraged, observing him.
Dale shrugged, "And I dropped through a hole in the ground and ended up here." He gestures to the area. "Found River 3 days later. Truthfully, without her, I wouldn't have survived the rest of that week." He sighed deeply.
Billy nods, "River has been here longer?" He asks.
Dale shakes his head and looks at Billy again. "No, She traveled through a gate in a lab the same day. River doesn't really talk about the before. Just what is now. She's how I know much about this place and how I've learned to kill stuff. Before being stuck here, I was a wimp." He laughs.
Billy smirks at him and arches an eyebrow, "You learned from a damn girl how to fight?"
Dale laughs harder, "You say that now; wait until you meet her. She's a total badass. I've seen her take down several of those trolls at once!" Dale exclaims.
Billy shakes his head, grinning as they continue to follow arrows through the forest. They were far in now; he couldn't see the town or red stormy clouds anymore. It was also gradually getting darker as they trekked deeper into the trees.
"Why are you still here? Why didn't you just go back the way you came?" Billy questions.
Dales sighs, "Because it closed up. It took us forever to find it out here; when we did, it was just..sealed. We hacked at it, but it was soil. We went back to the lab Rivers from too, but that was also closed. River said gates open where lots of energy is involved but have yet to find one." Dale explains, then asks Billy, "How did you get here without a gate?"
Billy hesitates; he isn't sure he wants to tell him. He might think he's a monster. Not to mention he used to be possessed by something from here. But then decides fuck it; maybe he'll know more about it than Billy currently does.
"Well, I'm not sure how I got here. One second, I'm fighting off this big fucking spider-looking monster and getting pierced in the chest by a tentacle, then the next, I'm waking up in a coffin planted undergrown."
Surprised, Dale's eyes dart to Billy, his eyebrows reaching his hairline and mouth in the shape of an O.
"Holy shit, dude! You were buried alive? Who did you piss off?" Dale snorts, eyeing Billy in astonishment.
Billy rolls his eyes as he looks at Dale, "I'm not really sure I was even alive, but I am now, and I'm here, which still doesn't make sense to me. I was in Hawkins. The real Hawkins. Something used me...I'm not really sure about the details, but I think something from here got into my head...made me do bad things...But I'm me again..No monster up here." Billy motions to his head.
Dale shrugs as he gazes ahead, "I'm not surprised. Nothing ever makes sense when it comes to this place." Billy was grateful that he had nothing to add to the monster possession part.
They traveled about 20 more minutes quietly before finally, up ahead, stood a concrete cabin with bars on the windows. It was a decent size and looked pretty solid. There was smoke coming out of a small chimney on the top. The place is probably the most normal thing Billy's witnessed since being here; No vines or shit monsters roaming around.
"Come on." Dale motions with his hand as he strides up to the solid-looking door.
Dale makes a knocking pattern before opening and walking through the threshold. Billy pauses before guardedly following behind Dale.
Inside was cozier, with a living room to the left and a kitchen to the right. In the middle of the living room sat an oversized red couch that faced a lit fireplace, and the walls were lined with rows and rows of books, almost like they stole the library. To the far left of the fireplace was a hallway to what Billy assumed led to the bedrooms.
The kitchen was stained with wood-colored cabinets and counters with a typical stove and fridge. Power, They had power? Billy didn't know that was possible here.
As if Dale could hear his thoughts, he spoke, "Generators. Even have a working bathroom and running water. That took us a while to figure out," He laughs.
Billy smiled at the mention of running water. They really had been here a long ass time to be living this comfortably. There was no way he would be sticking around that long; he needed to get back to Max with or without help.
"That sounds fucking fantastic right-" A door opens.
"Where the fuck have you been? It's been a few hours since I beat your ass here! I thought you dead!" A girl's voice asked before she emerged from the hall.
Her eyes snapped to Billy's figure standing in the kitchen. "Who the fuck is this?" She quickly grabs a dagger attached to her back and gets into a fighting stance.
"Whoa, whoa, River! Hold on! He's alright! Put the weapon away before you scare away the first company we've had in years!" Dale yells with his hands up as he steps in front of Billy in defense.
River quickly regards Dale before focusing on Billy again. Her gaze calculating and untrusting, not breaking for one second. Billy smirks at her and leans up against the counter with crossed arms.
He takes this moment to study her. She was a pretty little thing, that's for sure. She has long strawberry blonde hair and gorgeous full, naturally tinted red lips currently set in a frown. Her perfectly etched eyebrows creased angrily together right above the most beautiful set of green eyes Billy had ever seen. He thought of sea glass the longer he looked into them.
His eyes tailed downward, her body still in fight mode, dressed in tight dark green cargo pants and a close-knit black long-sleeve. The way she stood showed off just how much lean muscle was underneath it all, and Billy was actively trying not to get a boner the longer he stared.
"Hey, fuck face, you gonna say something or continue to ogle me like a perv?" River questions; she relaxes but stays the farthest she can from him.
Billy's gaze snaps to her face, a smirk still firmly planted on his lips. He shrugs, "I don't know; you gonna kick my ass if I do?" Looking like he might enjoy it if she tried.
River rolled her eyes and turned to Dale, who was now lounging in a bar-height chair beside where Billy was leaning. 'Out of anything to find, you bring home a feral dog?"
Billy and Dale laugh as they look at her in disbelief. "Now, now, sweetheart, no need to be hostile. I don't bite unless you ask me to," Billy notes, beaming at her.
She rolled her eyes again and crossed her arms with the dagger casually in her left hand. "Oh, how original. God, I can already tell you're irritating."
"Actually, you can call me Billy anywhere outside the bedroom, although I accept Daddy, Babe, Baby, and if you're of the Latin variety, Papi works too." He winks.
River gapes at his arrogance, her face morphing into disgust. "Who the fuck do you think you are, Fabio? Jesus." She turns to Dale again, "Where did you find this guy?" She asks.
Dale's face was turning red from how hard he was laughing at the two of them. He took a moment to sober up, "When I was on my way back from a food run, I saw him getting chased by a troll in town. Decided I couldn't let the only other human I'd seen in like forever die; I helped him," Dale shrugged.
River smirks, "Wow, a big bad boy such as yourself almost died from a troll, of all things?" she giggles, watching Billy with amusement.
"Hey! I'm new here, and all I had was a bat. It worked wonders on one of those ugly demon hound things before I set it on fire." Billy remarks, glaring at the both of them.
River moves past them into the kitchen. "What were you gonna do? Bash the 12-foot-tall Troll to death? I've tried it; their skulls are as thick as the pavement you walk on. Pointy things are the way to go." She gestures to the blade in her hand before tucking it away in the holster on her back.
Billy turns, following her with his gaze, and nods, "I'll keep that in mind, Princess."
"Ew, don't call me that." She says, opening the refrigerator. When she sees nothing, she turns a questioning gaze to Dale.
He sheepishly looks at her and scratches his chin, "Ahh uh- I might have got distracted and failed to pick up the backpack full of food after killing the Troll..." Dale warily mentions, his shoulders up to his ears as he locks eyes with a now angry River.
"Are you fucking serious!" She explodes, slamming the refrigerator closed and turning to Dale with large enraged eyes.
Dale throws up his hands, "I'll get it tomorrow, promise!"
River stares at him momentarily before taking a deep breath and sighing, "Fine, But first thing in the damn morning, D! Or the bats are gonna make off with it!" She exclaims.
"Why don't we just go get it now?" Billy chimes in, his gaze flicking between River and Dale.
"Ha! Alright. Go, go ahead, go get it now, hot shot." River declares, raising a hand to the door and snickering.
Dale sighs, shaking his head at her before he turns to Billy, "Because this is when the shadowers are out in packs, and you'll die. One of them is hard enough to kill. A whole herd is suicide." He frowns at River, who frowns back before looking back at Billy.
Billy grins and nods in acknowledgment, but his eyes never leave River; he is having fun with how snarky she is. She looked at him like he was the gum on the bottom of her shoe, and he couldn't believe how turned on he was by that. Actually, he wasn't surprised; he knew he was fucked up from the start, plus he was pretty sure she was the first woman he's seen in ages. Although Billy was damn certain she was the hottest girl he's seen outside his shitty magazines back at home.
"Alright then, we'll go in the morning," Billy repeats what Dale said, finally turning to him.
River rolls her eyes at them, "Yeah, D just said that, stupid." She strolls past them out of the kitchen and into the living room again. "Im going to go to bed then if there's nothing to eat. I had a long day killing a crap ton of the hounds in town. One of them almost took off my ear," She pouts, frowning at Dale.
"I have SpaghettOs in my bag," Billy announces as he shrugs off the backpack and sets it on the counter.
River's face lights up, "Oh, so you are good for something!" She exclaims, walking back into the kitchen.
Billy smirks, "Oh, I'm good for many things, sweetheart." He says, taking out the cans and water he collected earlier and setting aside his bag.
She squints at Billy while collecting the cans from him. Deciding to ignore him, she turns to prepare the food.
Billy chuckles as he turns to Dale, "She always this icy?" He asks.
Dale shakes his head, "Actually, no. Well, I mean kind of, but not nearly as much when she's talking to me," he shrugs and chuckles with him.
"Hmm, I'll melt her down, don't worry, amigo," Billy smirks, watching her work in the kitchen.
Dale scoffed, "You wish! She'd eat you alive, man." watching Billy.
Billy shifts back to him, "Hmm, whys that? She yours, Pal? Or did you attempt and fail?" He asks, mentally hoping for the 2nd one.
Dale barks out a laugh and shakes his head. "No...Uh, Buddy, I would, but she's uh...not my type.." He says, raising his eyebrows pointedly at Billy.
Billy looks back at River; what does he mean not his type? She's so hot she could be everyone's type. He looks back at Dale, Confused.
"Jesus, you're not too smart, are you? I'm gay, Billy. I like boys, Dingus," Dale explains.
Ohhhhh. Billy's eyes grow to the size of saucers, "Oh shit, okay. That makes sense; there's no other way she couldn't be your type," Billy chuckles.
Dale nods, laughing as well. "I'll say she is objectively beautiful. If anyone was to turn me straight, it be her."
"I can hear you, idiots," Rivers states, glaring at them both before returning to pouring the food into bowls.
They stop laughing, looking at her. Billy leaned over, whispering to Dale, " I know you said she eat me alive, but I want nothing more than to see her try," Billy snickered as he straightened up. Dale shook his head at him as River set bowls in front of them.
They dug in, everyone slipping into silence as they ate.
"So, If I wasn't straight, would you fuc-"Dale interrupts him.
"NO, Billy, your not my type either," He rolls his eyes.
After they finish, Billy helps River clean up, doing dishes for the first time in his life without complaining.
River effortlessly dances around Billy like it's her second nature. If he moves towards her, she moves back. Billy goes to give her a dish to put away; she strategically makes sure their skin doesn't touch. He even so much as breaths in her direction, and she shuts it down instantly.
Instead of it turning Billy off like an average person, It makes him hard as a rock. Her glares and insults have him adjusting himself every time she's not looking. He really needed to jerk off or something; he was having a hard time focusing with her around. It really must have been a while.
"Now I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Dale." River goes to retreat to her room.
"Wait! What about Billy?" Dale asks, looking at River from the couch.
She blows out a harsh breath of air as she turns around and stares at the man in question. Billy arches a brow at her as he puffs on a lit cigarette.
She rolls her eyes, turning back to the hall, "Fine, you can keep him. He stays in the 3rd bedroom." After that, she disappears with a close of a door.
Dale looks back at Billy and shakes a fist in silent victory. Billy rolls his eyes but grins nonetheless. He didn't know how he ended up here, but he didn't mind so much. He briefly wondered what the old him would have done in this situation but ultimately determined it didn't matter. He was different now. He could feel it, and most importantly, he was happy about that.