Billy stared at the lyrics written on his ankle. He'd been finding original poems on his body for the past few days. After his soulmate admitted he wrote music Billy forced him to write his lyrics on his body. It wasn't fair that he was cheating while Billy had to draw everything himself.

They were good. Billy wanted to hear his soulmate sing them.

In the past few weeks, his soulmate had started asking to meet up, but he couldn't. Not knowing he'd be a man, especially not after California. Billy was going to give in eventually. He just wanted to graduate first. That way he could take his soulmate and run from this town.

Sirens blared nearby. He heard footsteps moving to his room. As Max walked in he shoved his foot under a blanket.

"You're driving me to Dustin's."

She launched the keys at him and walked back out the door. He found her waiting by his car.

They'd been living in the trailer park since Neil fucked off after losing his job. Max and her mom shared a room while Billy got his own. When Neil left Billy thought he'd be homeless but Susan took him in without a word. Though she'd been distant since his dad left.

Billy needed Robin to hurry up and get Keith to give him a job. Susan couldn't support two kids off of one income no matter how hard she tried, and Billy wanted her to have some extra money for when he left.

Now that basketball was over, he could take whatever hours Steve needed off for his dates. Apparently, the guy was running through every girl in Hawkins if Robin was to be trusted. Billy couldn't tell if he never got anything from his soulmate or if he was looking. Either way, Steve was going to be out of options soon. Hawkins was a small place with a lot of familiar faces.

As he walked to Max he saw the policemen standing in front of the Freaks house. Looked like all the drugs he sold were catching up with him.

Max yelled at Billy to hurry up. Someone was extra bitchy today. He was driving her to her friend's house out of the goodness of his heart. If she kept this up he was leaving her on the side of the road and making her skate the rest of the way there.

When they got to the Hendersons house she ran inside yelling at him to follow. She'd refused to tell Billy what was going on in the car, claiming she didn't want to explain more than once.

Either the monsters were back or Munson was a murderer. That was Max's story. If she'd told Billy in the car he could've saved them the gas.

Billy knew that Munson had been nice to Dustin, Mike, and Will but he did not think that didn't mean the guy wasn't a killer. He actually thought Max had a good point, people had said the same thing about Ted Bundy and he was an actual serial killer. If Billy thought about it, it wouldn't be that hard to hide a body in Hawkins. Of everything that had happened since they moved back the guy who made big speeches about sheep and conformity being a killer would be the least surprising. Plus, Billy would be happy if the monsters stayed dead.

Max and Dustin were lucky Billy didn't go to the aftergame party last night, otherwise they would have biked miles by now. A part of Billy wondered if this was Steve's daily life. Every time something happened to one of these kids their answer was Steve.

Family Video came into view as Dustin defended Munson for the thousandth time.

"Saturday is our busiest day," Robin lectured Max and Dustin.

As soon as they parked it was like Max and Dustin decided to become chaos. They had thrown movies off the desk and were asking about phones. All while explaining nothing to the very disgruntled Family Video employees.

Eventually, Steve got them to slow down long enough to tell him what happened.

Hearing the story a second time he still didn't think a flickering T.V. was enough to decide a monster killed someone and Munson was completely innocent, but Steve and Robin had been convinced enough to decide they needed to go to a drug dealer's house.

Reefer Ricks's house was disgusting and empty. They had to drive farther into nowhere than Hawkins already was. If Munson was a killer he picked the right place to hide. They were about to leave when Dustin noticed a boat house in the back.

As they walked into the boat house Steve grabbed an oar. Billy noticed it was a step down from the nailbat he usually went into these situations with.

"Hey, look over here," Max said, "Someone was here."

Robin walked over, "Maybe he heard us, got spooked, and ran."

"Don't worry Steve'll get him with his oar," Dustin remarked sarcastically.

They should've brought Nancy and her guns.

"I know you think you're being funny Henerson, but considering the fact that everyone in this room has almost died about a hundred times, personally I don't find it funny in the-"

That was the moment Munson chose to jump out of his hiding place and hold a broken bottle to Steve's neck. Billy pulled Max closer to him.

"Hey, Eddie, Eddie, it's me, Dustin. This is Steve. He's not going to hurt you. Right Steve?"

Steve nodded and made a noise.

"Maybe drop the oar, Steve," Billy muttered.

Eddie glared at Steve, "What are you doing here?"

Dustin held out his hands non-threateningly, "We're looking for you."

"We're here to help," Robin said.

Dustin nodded saying, "Yeah, these are my friends. You know Robin, from band. And this is my friend Max, the one who never wants to play D . Eddie, we're on your side. I swear on my mother!"

"Dustin's mother," Steve said, staring at the broken shards of glass against his neck.

Munson, very slowly let Steve go.

"What do you want?"

He was looking at Billy now.

"We don't think you killed her," Dustin walked into Munson's line of sight.

"Well-" Robin hit Billy.

"I didn't but you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try us."

Billy had to admit that Munson's story was something out of the Upside Down. He thought he'd heard of El taking people out the same way, maybe she didn't like cheerleaders. Billy wasn't a big fan of them either.

While Billy decided if El could be a murderer Dustin told Munson everything. Munson accepted the other side of the story way too easily. He barely blinked when they told him about the Demogorgon eating people. Or the openings into hell. Billy realized this was the first time he'd had the story laid out in front of him. He'd been living on broken pieces from Max's nightmares or small moments when a member of their little group flinched away from something that no one else would blink twice at.

Even Billy was in shock after hearing everything but all Munson had to say was, "Y'know I knew something was up when these two started being all buddy buddy."

Steve gave Billy a look while Robin snorted. If that was Munsons take away maybe he needed to see another monster.