CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
UNEXPECTED VISITORS

The group were stood surrounding the kitchen table, showing Eleven the morse code scribbles as well as the CLOSEGATE written on the notepad, hoping that Eleven could help them out.

"You opened this gate before, right?" Joyce asked the girl anxiously, the woman fidgeting with her hands nervously.

Eleven was reluctant to respond, nodding hesitantly. "Yes."

"Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?" Joyce asked anxiously, watching the girl with a slightly scared expression as Eleven didn't answer.

"It's not like it was before." Hopper answered for the girl, shaking his head as he spoke. "It's grown a lot. And I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs."

"Demo-dogs." Dustin corrected, causing Aaron to wince, knowing that it really wasn't the time.

"I'm sorry," Hopper scoffed at the boy. "What?"

"I said, uh, demo-dogs." Dustin elaborated, although now he sounded much more hesitant. "Like demogorgon and dogs. You put them together and it sounds pretty badass-"

"How is this important right now?" The man asked harshly, sending the boy a look that would probably have Aaron in tears and profusely apologising if it were sent his way.

"It's not, I'm sorry." Dustin mumbled instantly turning away from the man.

"I can do it." Eleven reassured in a confident voice, looking to Hopper as she spoke.

"You're not hearing me." Hopper spoke in a tired voice and shook his head at the girl.

"I'm hearing you." Eleven retorted confidently. "I can do it."

Hopper seemed to hesitate, conflicted on what to do or say.

"Even if El can," Mike spoke up before Hopper had the chance to from the man's side. "There's still another problem. If the brown dies, the body dies."

"I thought that was the whole point." Max scoffed from her spot next to Kimmy.

"It is." Mike was quick to agree, nodding his head. "But if we're really right about this... I mean- if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayer's army..."

"Will's apart of that army." Lucas whispered, Aaron snapping his head over to his friend as his heart dropped.

"Closing the gate will kill him." Mike announced, Aaron feeling sick at the idea.

Aaron shook his head at Mike, panic consuming his senses as he began to breath heavier. "Well, then we can't. We can't be responsible for killing our friend-"

Aaron cut himself off with a confused expression as Mrs Byers, Jonathan and Hopper all left the room, Aaron turning to his brother with a perplexed look. Steve looking back at him with a matching expression of confusion.

The thirteen year olds as well as Steve and Nancy followed the three, ending up in the room where Will was.

Aaron winced as he looked at his friend. Will did not look well at all. He was pale and clammy, Aaron was almost positive that Will's lips had tinted a kind of blue.

"He likes it cold." Joyce whispered as she looked to the open window, a look of concern on her face.

"What?" Hopper asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

"He likes it cold." Joyce repeated louder, her voice shaking. "It's what Will kept saying to me. He liked it cold."

Joyce then rushed over to the window, slamming it shut before turning to face with group with a frantic expression. "We keep giving it what it wants!"

"If this is a virus, and Will's the host," Nancy begun, her voice raised slightly as a look of clear suspicion played on her face. "Then..."

"Then we need to make the host uninhabitable." Jonathan replied, looking to his brother with a worried expression.

Aaron was admittedly confused on how the group would even do such a thing.

Nancy hesitated. "So if he likes it cold..."

"We have to burn it out of him." Mrs Byers surprised Aaron by saying. Aaron's mouth dropping open at the woman's words.

"We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know then." Mike butted in from behind Aaron, looking slightly startled as he spoke.

"Yeah," Dustin agreed, his voice much calmer than his face which displayed pure fear. "Somewhere far away."

Hopper glanced to the boy who had spoken, a look of realisation playing on his face. "I know a place."

Mrs Byers looked to the man with a look of hope, the look on her face causing Aaron to frown. "Really? Where?"

Hopper sighed, glancing to the sick boy laying unconscious on the bed.

...

Steve was furious as he followed the group out of the house, yelling after Nancy, Jonathan, Hopper and Joyce in hopes they'd let him come with them so he wasn't the one stuck babysitting.

Obviously, this didn't work out and Steve was left watching the younger kids once again.

Kimmy shifted her gaze away from the pissed off boy that was reluctantly making his way back to the house and instead her eyes landed on Mike and Eleven saying goodbye on the porch outside.

Kimmy couldn't hear what was being said, but she could see through the window, her and Max watching out of boredom.

Suddenly, Eleven and Mike leaned closer, the pair going to share a goodbye kiss before Hopper interrupted the pair. Yelling for Eleven to get in the car.

Kimmy and Max shared a look of shock, their mouths open slightly as they laughed.

With that, the two cars drove off, leaving the seven left in the house alone.

It wasn't long before Max left Kimmy sat on the couch alone, rushing to help Lucas clean up the broken glass all over the floor from the smashed window.

Kimmy didn't mind, she clasped her hands together and did her best not to worry about Eleven and Will's well-being's.

Kimmy was quite concerned that the same thing would happen to Eleven that had happened the year before. That, maybe this time she really wouldn't see the girl again.

And then of course there was the issue of Will. Kimmy was quite literally terrified that the group would return and it would have all been for nothing. That after everything Will died. Kimmy didn't know Will that well, but that didn't matter. She wouldn't want him to die - she didn't want anyone to die.

One thing about Kimmy was that she definitely had more compassion for other people than she did for herself. For some reason, it was like there was this switch in her, and whenever she got the slightest hint that maybe someone's feelings were hurt, Kimmy would instantly fear for that person.

Sometimes she cared far more than she should.

Luckily, Aaron took the spot on the seat next to her soon after Max had left, meaning she couldn't really get lost in her thoughts.

"Are you feeling better?" Aaron blurted anxiously, looking to her with a nervous expression as he clasped his hands together.

Kimmy sent him an awkward smile as she nodded. The girl had to hold back from her face burning with embarrassment.

Kimmy was very much embarrassed beyond belief at the thought of her sudden crying at the sight of her friend with Hopper.

The girl hated crying in front of people, but she couldn't help it. After seeing how scared and fragile the girl was the year before, the fact Kimmy had to resort to hiding the girl in her house for a night just because Eleven didn't have a home to go home to.

Kimmy was happy Eleven had found someone to take care of her who she was comfortable with, someone she was safe with.

Of course, it did sadden Kimmy a little as she compared her own home life, this wasn't about Kimmy, but she really couldn't help but tie the connections.

Kimmy wanted to live in a household with someone to take care of her who she was comfortable with, someone she was safe with. The brunette reluctantly let the idea go, knowing her time would either come or it wouldn't.

Maybe Kimmy would never get out of her house with the man and woman she lived with, maybe she'd never get away from her parents. Perhaps they really would be the death of her.

But there was this slither of hope that Kimmy found herself clutching onto. The idea that maybe she would get out of her house, that's maybe she could get away with someone she felt safe with.

The faux reality that she had created in her head that had her stupidly believing that this really would happen for the girl at some point.  

However this stupid idea she had created in her head was the only thing really keeping her going every night when she had to return to her house.

Kimmy noticed that it was now dark outside, that she had been out of the house unannounced for almost an entire day.

Kimmy had also noticed that Aaron, Steve and herself were the only three not worried that their parents were parents might be stressed out and worried about where their children were. That those three were the ones without someone at home worrying about their whereabouts.

Kimmy sighed and turned to Aaron, finally answering his question. "I'm fine. Sorry about that. I don't know what happened, I just... I don't know. But, I'm sorry about dumping that on you-"

"You didn't dump it on me." Aaron instantly shut her claim down, his brows furrowed as he spoke. "You were upset, why wouldn't I want to help you out?"

Kimmy frowned, not knowing what to say. She was always the first to reassure and comfort her friends, but nothing made her more uncomfortable than someone returning the favour.

"Well," she sighed, tucking her hands up into the sleeves of her sweater while looking for a distraction. "Thanks anyway. I was being stupid."

"Why was it stupid?" Aaron asked with a frown.

Kimmy hesitated, unsure if she should share how she felt with the boy. But, she soon reminded herself who she was talking to. Reminding herself that he had really seen her at her worst and had never had anything bad to say about her before, that he wouldn't start now.

"I don't know." Kimmy shrugged, feeling strangely comfortable talking with the boy about how she felt. "I just sometimes think that maybe I act a little... ridiculous. Like, crying over something that's probably not a big deal to anyone else-"

"Are you serious?" Aaron asked in a whisper, his face scrunched up with concern? Sadness almost.

"I just think thank maybe I make a big deal of some stuff that the rest of the party wouldn't." Kimmy shrugged, not liking the way he was looking at her.

"Kimmy I guarantee that if any of the party had to put up with being ignored for an entire year like you did they would have acted out a lot worse than you." Aaron surprised Kimmy by saying. "You didn't react to it at all, it was as if it didn't even bother you that you weren't ever included in stuff."

Kimmy bit her cheek, smiling at the boy slightly as she watched him. "I guess. I just didn't want to make Mike any angrier than he already was with me - at least I think he was angry with me. But hopefully now that Eleven is back we can be friends again?"

Kimmy panicked as she noticed Aaron's faltered expression, the boy fighting back a frown as he watched her. Kimmy sighed in defeat. "Or not? I don't know what to do to make the party like me. I mean, I'm friends with Dustin and Lucas. But whenever Mike is around it's like our friendships don't matter because they like Mike better, I get that, but I'd rather they either didn't talk to me at all or at least didn't make me think I was apart of the friend group just for me to be left out."

Aaron's frown deepened as he listened to her talk, it was clear to Kimmy that he was struggling to find the words he wanted to say for a moment.

"Well, who cares?" Aaron finally spoke up again. "You and I stayed friends all through last year, and now you have Max as your friend too. If Mike doesn't want to be your friend then it's more his loss than it is yours."

Kimmy pursed her lips, not really sure what to do as Aaron looked to her with furrowed brows, as if he was trying to figure out what she was thinking.

Just as Aaron opened his mouth to say something else, Mike was talking loudly, cutting Aaron off before he even had the chance to talk.

"The lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs." Mike stressed, pacing back and forth anxiously. "We have to do something."

"Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it." Steve began, Kimmy looking to the older boy with a scrunched up expression, not following what he was saying at all. Or how the hell it related to what Mike was saying. "Alright?"

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game." Mike scoffed, shooting down Steve's poor attempt at a pep talk instantly. "And second, we're not even in the game, we're on the bench."

Steve began stammering as he rolled his eyes, scrambling for something to say to back up his point.

"So my point is..." Steve trailed off, his brows knitting together before shrugging and giving in. "Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do."

"That's not entirely true." Dustin shrugged from behind Steve, everyone in the room turning to look at the boy with looks of confusion. "I mean, these demo-dogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

Kimmy stood from her spot on her seat, Aaron following her into the kitchen.

Lucas pointed at Dustin, nodding at his words. "If we get their attention..."

"Maybe we can draw them away from the lab." Kimmy nodded, only just then catching onto what Dustin was saying.

"Clear a path to the gate." Mike gasped, his eyes wide.

"Yeah," Steve scoffed disbelievingly. "And then we all die."

"That's one point of view." Dustin shrugged.

"No," Steve disagreed, shaking his head at Dustin. "That's not a point of view, man. That's a fact."

Mike moved abruptly from his spot next to Aaron, pushing through Steve and Dustin to grab something behind them. "I got it!"

Mike crouched down, pointing to one of Will's many drawings of tunnels taped around the house. "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel. So..." Mike trailed off, moving over to the other side of the room to point to the floor at another part of the tunnel where all of the drawings seemed to connect. "Here, right here. This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire-"

"Oh, yeah? That's a no." Steve quickly tried to put a stop to Mike's scheming but the Wheeler boy ignored him.

"The mind flayer would call away his army!" Dustin agreed with a toothy grin.

"They'd all come to stop us." Lucas nodded, also sounding a little excited at the idea.

"We circle back to the exit." Mike nodded at the pair, his own lips tugging up into a small grin. "And by the time they realise we're gone-"

"El would be at the gate." Kimmy nodded at him, crossing her arms over her chest proudly.

"Guys I don't know if this is a good idea." Aaron spoke up hesitantly. His face clearly displaying worry as he spoke. "I don't think we should, I don't think it's safe-"

"No offence, Aaron," Mike sighed, clearly frustrated. "But you never want to do anything. So your vote doesn't really count-"

"Why wouldn't his vote count?" Kimmy jumped into the conversation as she watched Aaron frown. "He's part of the party, Mike. He's just giving his input."

"Whatever," Mike sighed, taking a breath as he drew his attention back to the drawing on the floor. "This is the plan-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Steve snapped, clapping his hands to catch the groups attention. "This is not happening."

Mike frowned in disappointment. "But-"

"No, no, no." Steve shook his head at the boy. "No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. We're staying here. On the bench. And we are waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?"

"This isn't a stupid sports game!" Mike snapped before anyone had the chance to reply.

"I said does everybody understand?" Steve yelled back at the boy, frustration clear in his voice. "I need a yes."

His tone startled Kimmy, leaving the girl nodding frantically at the older boy. "Yes-"

Kimmy was cut off by the sound of a revving engine outside, the girl jolting in surprise as well as everyone else. 

Max rushed to the window, looking much more startled than Kimmy expected her to.

"Shit," the redhead gasped, turning to look at Kimmy who crouched next to her on the couch to look out the window. "It's my brother. He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us."

Kimmy began to worry as the car came to a screeching stop, the brunette standing from the couch and covering her face with her hands.

Instantly, the girl was uncontrollably panicking. Stressed that Max's brother was like Kimmy's father, that Max had been serious in saying the boy would hurt the group.

Steve headed for the door, Kimmy rushing to stop him out of fear. "Steve don't! What if he does something?"

The older boy didn't listen to her, walking out the house and slamming the door behind him.

While everyone else rushed to the window to watch, Kimmy stayed back. Now shaking from fear at what the older boy might do if he got ahold of her.

Aaron was now panicking too, but not for the same reasons. Aaron was stressed out and worried for his brother, placing his ear to the key hole to try hear what was being said at the other side of the door.

Kimmy didn't know what was being said and she didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that the group were peacefully watching the interaction through the window one minute, and crouching down and cursing the next.

"Shit!" Dustin exclaimed in a panicked voice, panting as he placed a hand on his mouth. "Do you think he saw us?"

"What?" Aaron asked as he stood to his feet.

Although Kimmy wished he hadn't because the second he did he had the door opened roughly in his face, hitting his nose harshly. Aaron groaning and covering his now bleeding nose as the older boy suddenly grabbed him.

"What the fuck?" Aaron snapped at the boy, his brows furrowed as the boy pushed him to the wall roughly. "What the fuck was that for?"

Kimmy wished for once the blond boy would shut up for once in his life, moving closer to Dustin out of fear as she watched the interaction with a scared expression. Kimmy instantly knowing where the entire situation was heading as she began to worry tremendously.

Kimmy had been in Aaron's situation a million times before, although unlike Aaron she was usually much more fearful while her father was doing the same to her as what Max's brother was doing to Aaron.

The older boy looked furious at the blond boy, much to Kimmy's dismay. Aaron didn't even know who the older boy was, Kimmy had no idea why he was getting the brunt of his anger.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" The older boy snapped at Aaron, speaking with such anger in his tone that Kimmy's heart dropped.

She didn't know how the younger Harrington wasn't crying. She knew if she was put in Aaron's place she would be bawling. Kimmy knew Max was panicking too, the redhead shuffling closer to Kimmy as her breathing picked up.

"I don't know who I'm talking to!" Aaron snapped back, just as loud as the older boy was moments before when he had spoke. "That's my whole point you fucking idiot-"

Just as the older boy who had a hold on Aaron went to hit him in the face, Steve walked through the front door and slammed it shut behind him. Shoving the boy off of his brother roughly as he slammed Max's brother up against the wall like he had done to Aaron, Max's brother laughing in response.

"You got a problem with me? Fine." Steve snapped, sounding almost breathless as he spat the words out at the boy. "But don't think you can try scare my thirteen year old brother just to be a dickhead. You too much of a pussy to go for me? You got to try fight a middle schooler? Is that how shit you are, can't even back yourself up?"

Suddenly the boy pushed Steve off of him, the eldest Harrington brother huffing as he watched the other boy.

Steve, along with everyone else presumed that the other boy had taken the hint and would leave while he had the chance.

However, he didn't. Instead he headed straight for Max. Standing in front of her as he gestured to Lucas.

"Lucas Sinclair, what a surprise." The older boy scoffed, turning to look to Max next. The redhead looking back at her brother with a terrified expression. "I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max."

"Billy go away." Max tried, but her voice came out fractured and frail due to pent up fear.

"You disobeyed me." The boy Kimmy now knew as Billy retorted in a scarily calm voice. "And you know what happens when you disobey me."

Kimmy began to breath extremely heavy, reaching out to grab the sleeve of Max's jacket in case she had to pull her away at the last minute.

"I break things." Billy then turned away from Max and headed straight for Lucas, the older boy slamming him up against a wall an entire room away from the group.

"Billy, stop!" Max yelled desperately, chasing after her brother.

"Since Maxine won't listen to me, maybe you will." Billy snapped harshly, Kimmy holding onto the sleeve of Max's jacket out of fear. "You stay away from her, you hear me?"

Lucas kicked the boy in the crotch, although Kimmy guessed that the boy instantly regretted it just by the frightened look on his face as the older boy stood back up.

"You're so dead, Sinclair!" Billy snapped, yelling at the boy. "So dead-"

Kimmy got a harsh nudge to the shoulder and instantly gasped out of fear, but quickly calmed herself slightly upon realising it was just Steve passing.

The eldest Harrington brother grabbed Billy's shoulder before the boy could do anything to Lucas, snapping him around to face him.

"No, you are." Steve murmured to the only other boy there his age, punching him in the face, hard.

Billy was sent flying back, groaning at the impact.

Dustin let out a gasp, chuckling at the sight. Kimmy couldn't find it in her to find anything about the situation humours.

Aaron pushed past Dustin, knocking him into Kimmy a little. Aaron grabbing Lucas from his spot against the wall and dragging him back to where the rest of the group stood. The younger Harrington keeping a firm hold of his best friend just in case the older boy charged at him again.

Billy began to hysterically laugh as he regained his composure. "Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh? I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about."

Steve pushed the boy who was clearly looking for a fight back by the shoulder. "Get out."

Billy did nothing for a moment, and Kimmy genuinely thought that would be it. Looking back, it was foolish of her.

Billy went to punch Steve around the face, but Steve dodged it. Sending another punch to Billy's face instead.

"Yes!" Dustin exclaimed with a wide smirk as he watched his new friend. "Kick his ass, Steve!"

"Get him, Steve!" Mike yelled next as Steve punched the boy over and over until his nose was bloody and there was blood coming out his mouth.

"Murder the son of a bitch!" Dustin screamed in support of Steve, Kimmy's brows rising in surprise at his words. "Kill that shithead!"

Steve had the boy heaving against the sink with blood dripping down his face and onto the floor. However, Billy grabbed a plate from the sink and smashed it against Steve's face. The shards of broken plate cutting and getting caught in Steve's face.

"Steve!" Aaron gasped, letting go of Lucas as he went to make his way to his brother, Kimmy grabbed Aaron's arm to stop him, shaking her head and sending him a worried glance.

"Billy!" Max screamed as her brother followed the boy into the living room as Steve crouched over and shielded his face due to the very obvious damage.

Billy forced the boy to stand straight, grabbing Steve's jacket and kicking him to the floor. "No one tells me what to do!"

Billy then marched over sitting on a very much unconscious Steve as he punched his face repetitively, Steve now unable to defend himself.

"Get off him!" Dustin yelled from next to Kimmy. "You're going to kill him!"

The older boy didn't listen, hitting Steve's face repetitively until his knuckles were coated in blood, laughing as he did so.

Kimmy could see that Aaron was desperate to help his brother, the boy practically bouncing on his feet, itching to get the boy off of his brother.

Aaron didn't get the chance, because Max had pushed through the group, injecting her brother in the neck with a needle loaded with whatever substance used by Hopper to knock out Will earlier.

Billy grunted, rushing to stand up as he looked to his little sister with a shocked expression, pulling the needle from his neck as he tried to go after Max but his feet failed him.

"You little shit." Billy slurred, dropping to the floor with a thud as he was now hardly conscious. "What did you do?"

Max then grabbed Steve's bat covered in nails before making her way back to her brother, holding the bat over her shoulder as if she were about to use it.

"From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone." Max spat at her brother, practically trembling with a mix of fear and anger. "Do you understand?"

Billy sighed, his eyes closed as he slowly slipped away from consciousness. "Screw you."

Max took the bat and slammed it onto the floor between her brothers legs harshly, lifting it back up as she screamed at him. "Say you understand! Say it, say it!"

"I understand." Billy murmured, just above a whisper.

"What?" Max questioned roughly.

"I understand." Billy repeated in a slur of words.

Max dropped the bat to the floor at that, bending down to grab the car keys from his pocket.

"Let's get out of here." Max announced, jingling the keys in her hand.

Kimmy smirked at her friend, Max smirking faintly to her friend in response.

...

Max is such a girlboss I love her so much she's one of my favourite characters.

Anyway I'm excited for the next chapter!!!

Hope you had/ are having a great day and enjoyed the chapter!!!

- AJ :)