KAT

KAT LEFT WILL'S BIKE BEHIND THE SHED, sneaking through the window. She placed her foot on the flowerpot stand, hoisting her body to balance her elbows against the first-floor rooftop. She then waggled her leg (missing twice) onto the roof, before messily sliding open Nancy's window and stumbling inside. God, how did Steve manage this five times a week?

She tiptoed from Nancy's room to her own, careful not to disturb her mother. Sighing, she double-locked her door and turned the tap on inside the bathroom, running her arm under the icy liquid. She had never been trained in medical science or anything, but the main part of her was refusing to go to the hospital until Mike and Nancy came home safely. Besides, going to the hospital would involve her parents or nasty questions about how she got the wounds, both of which she didn't want to deal with right now. She gingerly reached at the sweater at her hips to pull it over her head and swap it out for a thin fuzzy black one with longer sleeves to hide the injury. She rewrapped it, making sure the cloth was skin-tight against the skin of her left arm and hand. She then leaped right into her bed, though her mind was still spiraling. Her mental spotlight was about to center on whether Nancy and Jonathan were successful yet before the doorbell rang.

Shit. Kat's dad had a habit of checking in on all his kids every time he came home from work, which was sweet until he'd realize Kat was maybe a little bit bloody. Fuck fuck fuck fuck, she thought frantically as she shoved herself inside her closet, moving a few plastic drawers in front of her and sliding some dresses to hide her face. She finally slid herself into place, stilling her breathing.

"-I thought she was at Lucas', but Mrs. Sinclair said your house is the the designated hangout, so, you know...here I am," said a voice coming through Kat's partially-opened window, a voice that definitely was not Ted Wheeler and definitely was Billy Hargrove looking for Max.

A chill ran down the tip of her neck and Kat kicked open her hasty fort, before rewinding. If she went downstairs right now, she could divert Billy from finding Max, but then she'd have to handle her mother, which was prone to exposing her in front of guests. Whatever, Billy should never find Max, whatever they did.

"-Their driveway is pretty dark this time of night, so drive slowly," Mrs. Wheeler said, scribbling on a piece of paper.

"Oh, Kathryn," Billy said ominously, as if sensing her presence from behind. "Good to see you here,"

"Kathy?" Mrs. Wheeler said in confusion. "I didn't know you came home, sweetie,"

"Yeah- uh, I came in through the back. Just got changed before I heard the doorbell ring," Kat said uneasily, feeling the hidden hostility eminating from Billy, like a volcano threatening to erupt.

"Well, did you see Mike on the way back? I thought I told you to look after him and his friends for the afternoon," Karen said.

Damn. Now Billy knew she was with Mike.

"Yes, this, this is great. I'm actually looking for my sister Maxine, I heard she hangs out with Michael," Billy said in a rich, soothing tone that betrayed none of his further intent. "Did you see her with him anywhere?"

"No, I didn't," Kat faked confusion, though she knew she was never a good liar. "Mike and his friends went to Hawk two hours ago to see a movie, I didn't want to stay. Mike said I could leave if I wanted, that they were fine, so I did,"

"And what were you doing for two hours, sweetie? You could've come home earlier," Karen said concernedly, placing her hand in Kat's lap.

"I was at the library, mom!" Kat spoke chidingly, as if comforting a toddler. "Reading up on the Revolution for my history project,"

"Very well, then," Karen said, as if suddenly remembering they had a very attractive guest in their house. "Maybe Maxine joined my son after the movie? Either way, they'd probably be staying-"

"-Mom-" Kat's eyes grew the slightest bit wider and she could see Billy narrow his posture in suspicion.

"-at Will's house," Karen said with a flourish, handing Billy the paper.

"Mom, they wouldn't be at Will's house," Kat said, panic increasing inside her every second. "Will's sick, remember?"

"I thought he was released from the hospital a week ago,"

"Yeah, but he came back there last night for extra treatment, these things don't just go away. He's gonna need check-ups for the next month," the lies flowed from her lips.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that, Billy," Karen said apologetically. "But maybe you should check there anyway? I know Will has a fort in the back that Mike likes to sleepover in,"

Goddamn. Kat said, and she knew her facade had been stripped away.

"Very well, then. I'll see you later. Mrs. Wheeler, Kathryn," he said sultrily, shooting her mother a disgusting glance before walking out the door. It wasn't until he was on the porch and the door swung shut behind him that Kat came to her senses, storming outside.

"Hargrove! Hey, Billy!" Kat yelled behind him.

"Ice Queen, Kathryn Wheeler," he said, opening his arms as if giving himself a proper introduction. "I'm sorry we had to be properly greeted in a state like this,"

"Billy," Kat said, not even bothering with a sarcastic remark. "Hawk is on the other side of town from the Byers house. And Maxine isn't there, because my sister Nancy and her boyfriend is,"

Billy's eyes curved downwards, loosening his laid-back shoulders. 

"Look, Kathryn. My sister is missing, and frankly, I'm not gonna stop until I find her. I love her just as much as you love Michael, so," he stepped back, holding his hands up in a 'go away' gesture. "Stay outta my way,"

He then casually walked to his Camaro, hopping inside, paper in hand. Kat watched in horror as he made a left to the road, anger and fear rising.

"Yeah, it's me, don't cream your pants," Steve said in the distance.

The bush was uncomfortable as hell, but Kat needed to walk the quarter-mile in order not to be noticed by Billy. Now, she was hiding in the shrubs of the Byers' front yard.

"What are you doing here, amigo?" he said, in a voice too friendly to be true.

"I could ask you the same thing," Steve said, moving protectively in front of the house. "Amigo,"

"Looking for my stepsister. Ice Queen told me she was here,"

Steve's eyebrows raised suspiciously at 'Ice Queen', but he remained defensive. "Huh, that's weird. I don't know her,"

"Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch," Billy defined, cigarrette smoke forming a halo of shadows around his tanned skin.

"Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, buddy," Steve replied monotonously.

"This whole situation, Harrington, I don't know. It's giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

"My 13-year-old sister goes missing all day. And then I find her with youi n a stranger's house. And both you and Wheeler lie to me about it,"

"Katie's a horrible liar; whatever she told you about your little sister would be true. I don't know what you don't understandabout what I just said. She's not here," Steve said cooly as Billy ran his tongue around his teeth like a dog ready to pounce on its prey.

"Then who is that?" Billy whispered as he pointed to the window with his cigarrette. Kat looked, and four faces were pressed against the glass. Jesus H. Christ.

"Oh, shit. Listen-" Steve began, before Billy gave him a harsh push on the chest as Steve fell upon the asphalt.

"I told you to plant your feet," he said casually through his cigarrette as he smudged against the back of his shoe.

"Billy," Kat said, frantically stepping out in front of the door. "Listen; this doesn't have to be violent, Max is safe,"

"You listen here," Billy said, grabbing her wrists as he forced her onto the door. "I'm tired of all the lying you do, Ice Wheels. Hiding kids with your boyfriend? Huh? Nah. It's cause you're a lady; I'll let you go. But stay. out. of my way," 

He bit out the last words, before pressing on her wrists as he shoved her aside. He'd pushed the part of her wrists that were wounded, though covered in wrapping and sweater sleeve, as Kat hissed in pain, before standing up and ramming the door open.

"Since Maxine won't listen to me,maybe you will." Billy had Lucas pressed against the wall, holding him up by the collar. "You stay away from her. Stay away from her! You hear me?!"

"Get away from him!" Kat yelled as she punched his side, Lucas falling to the ground.

Billy laughed maniacally, as if the punch was a mere flick on his statue.

"Thought you were all ice, Miss Wheeler!" he exclaimed, eyes so dark they might as well have been the devil. "Maybe you got a little fire in ya!" 

He then hurtled his fist at her, which she ducked. Swinging her own hand at him, she would've gotten a hard hit, if Billy hadn't grabbed her left wrist. The sting taking her by suprise, she messed up and Billy pressed her against the wall once more, his shuddering breaths running down her neck like being electrecuted.

"Let. Go," Kat said, struggling to find her voice as she stared into the withering abyss that was Billy Hargrove's eyes.

Billy chuckled a little, looking to her arm as the black sleeves of her sweater ran downwards, his eyes fixating on the wrap that was now visible. Kat's eyes went wide in panic, before Billy ripped the wrapping with one swoop, tearing his nails down her still-bleeding cuts. Kat screamed in pain, the lacerations now worse than ever as new cuts bubbled up with dots of red or mixed with the curled purple already present.

"You're dead, Wheeler. So dead!" he howled, before Steve came out of nowhere.

"No, you are," he said, grabbing Billy's shoulder as he threw a punch at him.

"Kathy! Kat, are you okay?" Mike ran to her as the boys tusseled.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine; are you?" Kat said, her vision becoming a little fuzzy. 

"Of course," Mike grinned hesitantly.

"I'm here to keep ya safe, got it?" Kat said, heaving herself up and letting the sleeves of her sweater fall once more. Billy had chased Steve into the living room, and Kat grabbed both of his shoulders like an animal before yanking at his hair to rip a chunk off with some effort. He then whirled around, causing Kat to fall to the ground, before punching his crotch with her good fist as he dragged her up to eye level.

"I said," he screamed at her. "Stay outta my way!" he hollered, before throwing her into a chest of drawers, the sharp, hard wood knocking at every part of her body. Her vision blurred into a rainbow of color, the red of Billy's shirt, the blue of Steve's, and the faint screaming of Mike and the other kids for them to get up. She could hear Steve's head repeatedly hitting the wood floor of the house as Billy threw one punch after another, but then he stopped.

"The hell is this?" he said, standing up and glaring at Max. Kat could make out the outline of a syringe at his neck. "You little shit, what did you do?" he muttered, before falling to the ground in peals of laughter.

Kat closed her eyes in a mixture of exhaustion and throbbing pain, as she heard Max impressively threaten her brother with Steve's baseball bat. After he understood what she wanted. Max fished the keys out of Billy's pocket.

"Lets get out of here,"

"Yep, just three more mailboxes,"

They were in Billy's Camaro, and Max was driving. After Kat protested that she was a great driver, the wheel was given to her for approximately two minutes, before she reported she was too dizzy to keep driving, making hazardous turns every curve in the road. So Kat was sitting in the back with Steve, Dustin and Mike.

"Nancy?" Steve mumbled at Kat, who furrowed her brows in confusion at the barely discernable word.

He reached for his head injury, which Dustin had helped clean of plate shards.

"No, don't touch it. Hey, buddy...It's okay. You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass,but you put up a fight," Dustin said soothingly.

"Yeah, you're fine," Kat chimed in, taking the ice pack and putting it on Steve's chin to even out the scenery.

"Katie?" Steve murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Are..." Steve trailed off, waving his fingertips as he tried to point at her. "Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"

"You saw me earlier, Harrington," Kat laughed. "I'm fine,"

"Okay, you're gonna keep straight for a half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai," Lucas said loudly and clearly.

"What's going on?" Steve asked faintly, and Max shot him a brief look from the diver's seat. "Oh my god,"

"It's just Max, she'll be fine," Kat said, recognizing his recognition.

"Relax, she's driven before,"

"Yeah, in a parking lot," Mike said dubiously.

"Yeah, that counts!" Lucas defended.

"Oh, my god," Steve said louder.

"They were gonna leave you behind. I promised that you'd be cool, okay?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on?!" he started yelling. "Oh, my God. No! Whoa!Stop the car. Slow down."

"I told you he'd freak out!" Mike said scathingly to Kat.

"Hey! Don't blame me on this one," Kat bickered.

"Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus!" Max screamed, and Kat shut up, clapping one hand over Steve's mouth as he mumbled against her palm.

"Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai. Make a left!" Lucas hollered.

"What!?"

"Make a left!" Lucas yelled back as Steve was thrown into Kat's side due to the momentum of the car rapidly turning, before the both of them were thrown back onto the seats as Max accelerated.

"Why aren't you driving!" Steve screamed at Kat, throwing her hand off his mouth. 

"I'm injured!" Kat screamed back.

"You're supposed to be babysitting!" Steve yelled to nothing in particular.

"We don't need a babysitter," Mike called in disgust.

Max then made the bold move to take another left right before the road ended, sending Kat crashing into Steve, squishing her bad arm into Steve's jacket as she struggled to find her balance among the screams as Max pulled to a halt inside the Farm.

"No! Listen- Hello!" Steve yelled, before finally taking a breath as the Camaro's tired screeched with the effort to stop.

"Jesus, finally," Kat closed her eyes, a headache coming on already.

"Whoa," Dustin said in awe.

"Incredible," Mike said in agreement.

"Told you. Zoomer," Max said into the rearview mirror.

They scrambled out of the car, Kat tossing the duffle bag onto the grass as the kids grabbed old swim goggles, bandanas, hats, and more. Steve stumbled out the car, looking hungover.

Kat strapped a pair of scuba diving goggles belonging to her mom on her head, as well as a pair of Nancy's old shin guards for soccer. She handed a Swiss army knife to Dustin as she tied a purple bandana over the lower half of her face. She put a lighter in her pocket, as she helped Mike get some gasoline in front of the hole.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Steve said blurrily. "What are you, deaf? Hello? We are not going down there right now.I made myself clear,"

"Ignore him," Kat said, rolling her eyes gently as she unrapped the wheel of rope.

"And what're you doing here, huh?" Steve turned to Kat, incredulous.

"Babysitting," Kat replied with a shrug.

She then followed Lucas into the outer layers of the hole.

"Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, all right? This ends right now!"

"Steve, you're upset, I get it," Dustin interrupted seriously. "But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance. Now, I know you promised Nance that you would keep us safe. So. Keep us safe,"

He handed Steve's backpack with the bat inside, and Steve shook his head slightly in reluctance before heading down the rope.

━━author's note ━━

and we are in the finale of s2! since there's a 1 month gap between the last action scene and the snow ball, there will be scenes in this book between those 2 time periods!

note that in the next chapter there is a gif which contains flashing; that of which some readers may be sensitive to