chapter fifteen , the mind flayer

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Max Mayfield hated her family.

Well, she hated her stepdad and Billy, and she almost hated her mom for taking all that shit from Neil Hargrove. It just made Max so angry. Why didn't her mom ever stand up for herself? For Billy? For Max? But Max never stood up for herself either, so maybe she was just a giant hypocrite. Maybe she just hated herself too.

She did. She did hate herself. She was a kid, and here she was, already acting like her mom! Was that all she was good for? Taking beatings from shit men like Neil and Billy? Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess.

But then there's Kennedy, she thought as she looked at the other red headed girl a few feet ahead. Kennedy wasn't like Susan Hargrove. Kennedy was strong. She didn't take shit from anyone! Ever! She fought Billy! Why couldn't Max be like that? She wanted to fight back too.

"You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas Sinclair asked his friend Dustin as the group of five walked through the woods. Kennedy was a few feet ahead of everyone, her matted red hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt."

Max was walking along side Lucas, behind Steve Harrington and Dustin. "He was tiny two days ago." She recalled, holding Dart herself in her hands.

"Well, he's molted three times already."

Steve frowned. "Malted?"

"Molted." Dustin repeated. "Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms."

Kennedy waved her flashlight around. "When's he gonna molt again?" Max asked.

"It's gotta be soon. When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it. And so will his friends."

"Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats." Commented Steve as Kennedy turned around to face the group.

Lucas gawked, "Wait, a cat?" He stood in front of Dustin, "Dart ate a cat?"

"No, what? No."

Kennedy frowned, "Dude, what are you talking about? He ate Mews." She bitterly said, frowning again at the memory of the now dead cat.

"Mews? Who's Mews?" Asked Max.

"It's Dustin's cat." Steve deadpanned.

Dustin whipped around. "Steve!" He scolded.

"I knew it! You kept him!" Lucas shouted as he shoved his friends shoulder.

"No!" Dustin shouted as everyone stared at him. He stuttered. He was caught in a lie and he was totally screwed. "He missed me. He wanted to come home."

"Bullshit!"

Dustin threw up his arms towards Lucas. "I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?"

"Oh, so now you admit it?"

Max shook her head. "Guys, who cares? We have to go."

"I care!" Lucas shouted as he pointed at Dustin. "You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!"

"So did you!"

"What?"

Kennedy clamped her mouth shut as she looked between the two bickering boys. "You told a stranger the truth!" Dustin exclaimed, gesturing toward the Mayfield with his flashlight.

Max scoffed, offended. "A stranger?"

"You wanted to tell her, too!

"But I didn't, Lucas, okay? I didn't tell her!" Dustin shouted. Kennedy and Steve both looked away from the arguing preteens, looking in the direction of screeching in the distance. "We both broke the rule of law, okay? So we're even. We're even."

Kennedy's eyes turned gold as she looked around the woods. She tried to sense something, some sort of movement, but all she could hear was the distant screeches. She could follow them. "No, no! We're not even. Don't even try that. Your stupid pet could have ate us for dinner!" Shouted Lucas.

"That was not my fault!"

Steve called out, "Hey, guys?"

"He wasn't gonna eat us." Dustin reasoned.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "He was crawling to come say hello?"

"Guys!" Steves's shout caused the three kids to shut up and look over. Another screech in the distance caused Kennedy to whip her head around. Kennedy's eyes flashed yellow again, and she ran off. "Ken- Kennedy, wait!"

Max watched as everyone began running off trail. "Hey, guys! Why are you heading towards the sound?" She asked loudly. Now, Max wasn't dumb, she had seen enough horror movies to know this was a bad idea. However, feeling scared of being alone in the woods for more than five seconds, she grudgingly ran after them.

They came to an overlook that viewed the town of Hawkins. Kennedy looked around, fog overlaying the woods. She stood closer to the edge than the others, the wind in her hair.

"I don't see him." Said Dustin:

Lucas slowly raised his binoculars to his eyes, looking around. "It's the lab." He said finally. Kennedy looked in the direction of it. "They were going back home."

Kennedy clenched her jaw. "Then so am I." She said ever so softly under her angered breath.

"Wait, what?"

Everyone stumbled after Kennedy as she rushed through the woods. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to kick their Demogorgon asses and then tear out every employees throat with my teeth." She hissed lowly. Steve stumbled closer, grabbing the girls wrist to stop her.

"Okay, one: don't kill people. Two: are you insane?"

"Totally." Kennedy huffed. "But we don't have much time so let's go." Everyone shared wary looks before rushing into the woods, following Kennedy.

༺❀༻

Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler pulled up to the gate at Hawkins Lab.

To catch up, after visiting a man named Murray to help them expose the lab in any way they could, Jonathan and Nancy returned to the Byers house to find it covered in these vine like drawings. Then, Jonathan found a polaroid remnant on his floor. He didn't own a polaroid.

Simple context clues led them to the lab. The two climbed out of the car, looking up at the dark building. "Why are the lights off?" Jonathan asked slowly.

"Maybe it's closed?" Suggested Nancy, looking over the roof of the car.

"Security took the night off?" He muttered sarcastically. Jonathan climbed into the security box. "I don't think so." He fumbled with the buttons, pressing the red open button. Nothing. No sign of power.

Nancy waited for the gate to open. There was nothing. She walked around the front of Jonathan's crappy car, "It's not working?" She asked as Jonathan rapidly hit the button.

"No! The powers off."

Nancy looked over her shoulder, peering into the woods. "Jonathan?"

The Byers rapidly hit the buttons, flipping switches. "What?" He asked as he looked over. Rustling caused both of them to pause.

"I think there's something in the woods."

Jonathan stuttered as Nancy walked away from him. He rushed over, grabbing her shoulder. "Nancy, stay back." He whispered, the two of them inching closer to the edge of tw here the lab met the woods. They could see flickering lights. "Hello?" Nancy and Jonathan stood close. Touching shoulder to shoulder. "Who's there?" The lights came closer, "Who's there?"

"God, can you stop your yelling? My ears are sensitive."

Kennedy Theroux and Steve Harrington walked side by side out of the woods. Steve's flashlight highlights Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler. Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, and Max Mayfield piled behind them.

"Steve?" Jonathan and Nancy both said at the same time. "Kennedy?"

Steve and Kennedy frowned. "Nancy?"

"Jonathan." Dustin followed. All of them confused as they stumbled closer to each other.

"What are you doing here?" Nancy asked in utter confusion. This was the first time they had seen each other since their breakup.

Steve shrugged, waving his bat. "What are you doing here?" He countered.

"We're looking for Mike and Will." Nancy replied.

Kennedy's eyes widened. "They're not in there, are they?" She asked.

Nancy shrugged. "We're not sure." She said sheepishly.

"Why?" Asked Jonathan, looking at the Theroux.

A loud screech came from the lab, causing all seven of them to look. Kennedy shrugged awkwardly "Thats why." She said lowly as lights beckoned from different windows along the lab. Kennedy turned toward the two people she hadn't really spoken to much recently. "You guys obviously missed a lot."

༺❀༻

Everyone was bickering, explaining, and rambling as they caught each other up on everything that's been going on. Kennedy stood by Nancy, looking over at her every now and again.

Nancy pushed through the group, "The powers back." She claimed, causing everyone to pause.

She was right. The power was back. Jonathan ran off back in the direction of his car, everyone close behind. The security box was lit up and Dustin quickly clicked the open button again.

Nothing.

Kennedy tilted her head. Dustin butted his way into the box, clicking the button himself. "I could climb it." She suggested.

Steve shook his head, "Okay, no. You know what? All you've done is talk like a crazy person tonight. You see that?" Steve pointed to the top of the hate. "Electric. Right? It will electrocute you."

"I'd heal."

"Do we seriously need to add on to our conversation from the other night that you don't need to go saving everyone all the time?" Steve sent her a warning look. Kennedy rolled her eyes in annoyance, looking back at the fence. Nancy was confused. What conversation did those two have?

Nancy wasn't jealous. Sure she liked Steve and would always have love for him, but she knew deep down they weren't working. There was something missing. Something both of them had with someone else. It just took them up til now to realize.

The gate suddenly started to open. Dustin smiled cheekily. "Hey! I got it." He chuckled proudly.

Kennedy sighed as she flicked her claws. She looked around, feeling shivers up her spine and realization settling into her skin. Dustin looks at her, frowning. "I know that look. I don't like that look."

Max shook her head. "What? What look?" She asked as everyone looked at Kennedy.

"She feels something." Lucas said. Nancy and Jonathan looked at each other.

Kennedy whipped her head around. Everyone froze, completely still as they saw Kennedys eyes. A stark white replacing the warm hazel. Her face still, expressionless. "Someone's dying."

Everyone nearly screamed and ran as suddenly Kennedy ran. She wasn't herself anymore. Nancy and Jonathan looked toward Steve. "Has she been taking her medicine?" Nancy asked abruptly.

Steve shook his head. "What medicine?"

"A pill! Has she taken any pills!"

The Harrington stuttered as he thought. "Not in a few days, I-" Nancy and Jonathan shared knowing looks. Steve watched as Jonathan and Nancy climbed into the Byers car. "What is going on!?"

"Just stay here!"

Mike Wheeler carried an unconscious Will. Will wasnt himself anymore. It was like he was being possessed by the shadow monster that had been tormenting him for months. Creating chaos and unleashing the Demogorgons. Jim Hopper ran into the Hawkins Lab doors with his gun. Joyce Byers screaming in horror as her boyfriend, Bob, is attacked brutally by a Demogorgon.

Mike looked up to see a running white wolf. "Kennedy!?"

Hopper shot his gun at the monster attacking Bob. A door busted down. There was more of them. The wolf ran through the closing door, letting out a sound as it tackled a monster. Hopper shot his gun repeatedly as more and more monsters came for them.

"Go!" He shouted at the sobbing and petrified Joyce. He whipped his head back around to the wolf, knowing it was the red headed teenage girl he had barely seen in weeks.

The wolf whipped its head around to the monster attacking Bob. Joyce screamed in protest as Hoppers arms latched around her waist. The wolf leaped through the air, tackling the monster to the ground as more Demogorgons came to attack the white furred creature.

Mike looked over as Hopper dragged the screaming and crying Jouce. "What happened!?" He shouted. There was no Bob. The white wolf came running out of the door just as Hopper slammed it shut, Demogorgons lunging at the glass.

Joyce screamed and shoved to get back to Bob. "No!" She sobbed.

"He's gone! He's gone!" Hopper informed the woman as he lifted her to her feet. The wolf snarled, getting into a stance as small Demogorgons threw themselves at the glass.

Car honking caused them to look back. Jonathan Byers slammed on the brakes. "Come on! Get in!"

Hopper grabbed Will, throwing the unconscious boy over his shoulder. Mike grabbed Joyce and they began rushing to Jonathan's car. Hopper rushed to his own vehicle. The wolf backed away slowly from the door, snarling as she turned and ran after the fleeing cars.

The group of four waited by the security box. Steve fumbled with his flashlight as he leaned against it. "I can't believe you like Kennedy Theroux." Lucas huffed.

"What? No I don't."

"Really? Then who gave her these?" Lucas, who had Kennedys bag hanging off his shoulder, held up a smushed bouquet of red roses. "Cause we all know Dustin's not nice enough to."

Dustin frowned. "Hey!"

Max looked down the road, "Guys," The boys all looked, seeing Jonathan's speeding car and Hoppers sheriff van close behind. They all ran off the road, nearly getting hit by Jonathan as he sped by.

Hopper came to an abrupt stop. "Let's go!"

Everyone began to pile in. Steve threw the front seat forward and let the three kids climb in. Steve goes to push it back, stopping at the sound of barking. Yes. Barking.

The familiar white wolf came running, and Steve squished himself against the car door to give the creature enough room to jump in. Max yelled in surprise, not having enough time to react as Hopper started driving as soon as Steve hopped in the front seat.

"Where are her clothes?" Hopper asked, knowing Kennedy would need to shift back.

Dustin shook his head. "She shifted running to you guys. I don't think she has any clothes." Everyone sheepishly looked at the wolf. It was kinda funny, to be honest. You try to not laugh at an oversized wolf sitting in a car with a bunch of preteens. Dustin whipped his head toward Lucas, pointing at him harshly. "I told you she barks!"

༺❀༻

The Byers house was still filled with drawings, a sleeping Will on the couch.

Nancy Wheeler was in the bathroom with the werwolf, holding some of Joyce's old clothes in her hands. The white wolf sat in the tub. "Nobody's coming in. You can, um,"

Nancy looked away respectfully as the creature shifted. It wasn't more than fifteen seconds until Kennedy was standing in front of her, taking the clothes from her hands.

"Thank you."

The Wheeler smiled politely, facing the door as Kennedy got dressed. "You did good, protecting everyone."

"How did you know about my medicine?"

Nancy pressed her lips together. "Sam Owens told us. Said it was to keep other powers maintained. Visions, and stuff." She explained as she looked at her hands. Kennedy hummed, pulling a long sleeve maroon top over her.

Kennedy pulled her hair out from under her top, reaching to grab the pair of jeans. "So, you and Jonathan?" Kennedy hummed. Nancy froze. "I can pick up things sometimes, like a scent. Emotions, I guess. Or something like that. And, um, you guys kinda smelled like-"

"Oh, god," Nancy gushed, embarrassed as she held her face in her hands. "Please don't say what I think you're about to say."

Kennedy shrugged, pulling the denim over her legs. "I don't care, you know. If you and Jonathan are,"

It would be selfish of Nancy to say she felt relieved. She really liked Jonathan, and she probably had for a lot longer than she realized. But Kennedy was so heart broken when Jonathan rejected her for Nancy, that the Wheeler girl didn't want to make it worse. So, hearing those words come from the redheads mouth caused Nancy to relax.

Nancy slowly turned around, seeing the fully dressed Kennedy. "I miss being friends." She blurted. Kennedy paused, not expecting that outburst. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you during your training and testing. I should have been and-"

"Hey, Wheeler," Kennedy climbed over the top of the tub, reaching to put a hand on Nancy's shoulder. "I pushed you away, not the other way around." Nancy pushed her lips together slightly as she looked at Kennedy's kind smile. "It was totally dumb of me to try and pretend like we weren't badass superheroes."

"Or that you're not a werewolf?"

Kennedy laughed, nodding. "Yeah. That too." The two girls looked at each other before wrapping their arms around their bodies. Kennedy sighed, looking up at the ceiling as she sniffed the air. "This house is in desperate need of a shower." Nancy bursted out laughing, Kennedy doing the same.

Jim was on the phone, talking to someone. Okay, he was totally yelling. Jonathan and Nancy were by Will, and Steve was passing the dining room while the preteens were at the table. Kennedy was digging through the Byers fridge, digging for food.

She was hungry!

"Okay, I'm not eating Demogorgons anymore." Kennedy grumbled as she pulled out packaged ham from the refrigerator. Everyone scrunched their noses, "Hey! Don't judge!"

Hopper slammed the phone on the hook. "They didn't believe you, did they?" Asked Dustin as he pressed his hands on the table.

Hopper slowly looked back at the group of young kids. "We'll see."

"We'll see? We can't just sit here while those things are loose!" Shouted Mike, frustrated by everything going on.

"Okay, maybe I will eat more Demogorgons," Kennedy hummed as she put a slice of ham in her mouth.

Hopper looked at the group with a stern glare. "We stay here, and we wait for help." He grumbled.

Kennedy looked over at Steve as Hopper walked away. Steve turned to see the red headed girl smile softly. "Do you want some ham?" She hummed as she held up the package. It was a small innocent gesture, but it caused Steve to smile wide as he reached over. Nancy turned to look in their direction, watching as Steve messily ate the sliced ham and Kennedy gave a gentle laugh.

Oh, Kenny was so oblivious.

Mike Wheeler looked at a pile of games Bob had brought to the Byers house to make Will feel better. A kind gesture the wholesome man made that resulted in him getting killed. And yet he was the very reason they made it out of Hawkins Lab alive. Bob Newby was somehow a hero and he'd never live to bask in it.

Mike stood up, walking to the pile of games and picking up a blue cube. "Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?"

"Really?" Asked Lucas, scrunching his face in surprise.

"He petitioned the school to start it and everything. Then he had a fund-raiser for equipment." Mike informed his friends. "Mr. Clarke learned everything from him. Pretty awesome, right?"

Dustin and Lucas nodded. "Yeah."

The blue cube rested on the table. Kennedy, who sat on the kitchen counter near Steve, looked over at the younger Wheeler. "We can't let him die in vain."

"Well, what do you want to do, Mike?" Huffed a defeated Dustin. "The Chief's right on this. We can't stop those Demo-dogs on our own."

Max rose a brow. "Demo-dogs?" She asked.

The Henderson shrugged sheepishly. "Demogorgon dogs. Demo-dogs. It's like a compound. It's like a play on words," He muttered into silence as Max nodded in understanding. Kennedy played with the sleeve of her shirt, pulling at the fabric. "I mean, when it was just Dart, maybe,"

"But there's an army now." Lucas cut in.

"Precisely."

"His army."

Everyone looked at Mike again. Steve had his hands on the counter behind him. "What do you mean?"

Mike looked around the dining table. "His army." Kennedy sat up straight. "Maybe if we stop him, we
can stop his army, too." Everyone began looking at each other, knowing Mike was on to something.

The Wheeler ran to show them a drawing. "That's it." Kennedy said, pointing at an eery drawing of the shadow creature that attacked Will. "The shadow monster."

"It got Will that day on the field." Mike explained to the group, "The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him."

Max averted her gaze in thought. "And so this virus, it's connecting him to the tunnels?" She asked as she looked at the tunnels drawn on the papers in the Byers house.

"To the tunnels, monsters, the Upside Down, everything. Even Kennedy."

Everyone looked at the werewolf. "What?"

"That bruise on your foot the day Will was taken last year, it's like the infection Will has. Except yours healed cause of your werewolf side. But now you and Will are connected. To each other and the Upside Down."

Steve waved his arm, "Woah, woah, woah, slow down." He told the group of kids as he snatched the drawing.

Mike looked at his sisters ex. "Okay, so, the shadow monster's inside everything. And if the vines feel something, like pain, then so does Will." He explained in the simplest form.

"And so does Dart." Added Lucas.

"Yeah. Like what Mr. Clarke taught us. The hive mind."

Kennedy took the drawing as Steve crossed his arms. "Hive mind?"

"A collective consciousness. It's a super-organism." Dustin told the older boy. Steve tried to understand as best as he could, but he was never good at science.

Mike pointed to the photo in Kennedys hand. "And this is the thing that controls everything. It's the brain." He said as he looked amongst the group.

Dustin's eyes become big as he looks at the photo. "Like the mind flayer." Lucas and Mike looked at their friend. That's it! That's exactly it!

Max, Kennedy, and Steve on the other hand all looked at each boy in confusion. "What?"

༺❀༻

THE MIND FLAYER.

Dustin had laid out Will's book all about Dungeons & Dragons. Everyone had circled around the table now. Nancy and Steve on either side of Dustin, then, circling around the table from Steve's left, was Mike, Hopper, Kennedy, Max, Lucas, Jonathan, and back to Nancy. "It's a monster from an unknown dimension. It's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home." Dustin explained after Hopper asking what the Mind Flayer was. "Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers."

Hopper rolled his eyes, "Oh, my God, none of this is real. This is a kids' game." He gestured to the book, earning another roll of the eyes from Kennedy.

"No, it's a manual. And it's not for kids." Dustin snapped back, not having any attitude from Hopper. He pointed his finger at the Chief. "And unless you know something that we don't, this is the best metaphor-"

"Analogy." Corrected Lucas.

"Analogy? That's what you're worried about?"

Kenedy cut into the conversation, pointing at the manual. "Whatever. This book has the best analogy for us to understand the shadow monster, right? So maybe by using this we can at least get an idea of what to do." She explained as she looked around the table, specifically the ones who weren't as educated on the game.

Nancy Wheeler had her arms crossed, "Okay, so this mind flamer thing-"

"Flayer. Mind Flayer."

Nancy exhales through her nose, "What does it want?"

"To conquer us, basically. It believes it's the master race."

"Like the Germans?"

Everyone looks at Steve Harrington. "Uh, the Nazis?" Dustin asked with a raised brow.

Steve looked around the table, confused as he wondered did he get something wrong. He looked over at Kennedy, who gave a small smile in his direction. Yeah, he was definitely wrong. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis." Stuttered Steve, leaning more onto the table awkwardly.

"If the Nazis were from another dimension, totally." Dustin shrugged his shoulders. As he explained, Kennedy looked back to see Hopper rob his eyes with his hands. This guy was definitely annoyed with these kids. "Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself."

"It wants to spread, take over other dimensions." Mike added in, looking towards Steve and his sister as he explained.

Lucas chimed in, holding his hands out. "We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it."

Steve pressed his lips together, waving his hand. "That's great. That's really great. Jesus!" Steve turned away from the table, his mind buzzing as he tried to think how the hell he got to this point of his life.

Nancy Wheeler picked up the book. "Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that's controlling everything, then if we kill it," The brunette looked up in Kennedy and Mikes direction.

"We kill everything it controls." Kennedy confirmed, quickly catching onto the concept.

"We win."

"Theoretically," Lucas told his friends, not wanting to get their hopes up too high.

Hopper, tired of this, decided to go along with whatever this was. spoke up. " Great. So how do you kill this thing? Shoot it with Fireballs or something?" He grabbed the book from Nancy, reading the pages.

Dustin laughed, "No. No Fireballs." He saw Hopper's look on his face, and Dustin stopped laughing. "Uh, you summon an undead army, because zombies, you know, they don't have brains, and the mind flayer, It likes brains." Dustin saw the unamused look on Hoppers face. "It's just a game. It's a game."

"What the hell are we doing here?" Hopper snapped as he slammed the book shut and tossed it to the table, walking away.

"I thought we were waiting for your military backup!" Dustin hollared.

"We are!"

Kennedy rolled her eyes, "I don't mean to be a pessimisst, but even if your military people do come, what in the hell are they gonna do to stop this thing? You can't shoot it with guns!"

Hopper turned to the teenage girl, now getting in her face. "You don't know that! We don't know anything!" He shouted right back at her as he waved his arm.

"Oh, really?" Everyone watched, noticing Kennedy wasn't backing down. Usually, she would. "Well, we know it's already killed everybody in that lab, we know the monsters are gonna molt again to be even bigger," Everyone shared looks, knowing Kenedy was right. "And we know that it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach Hawkins." She listed off as her eyes turned yellow. "So please, what are they gonna do?"

"They're right." Everyone spun around to see Joyce. She was still dressed in scrubs, and her voice was hoarse from tears. Mike grabbed Kennedy, pulling her away from Hopper before she decided to eat him. "We have to kill it. I want to kill it." The woman declared.

Hopper stuttered, walking over to the woman who stood in the entrance of the dining room. "Me, too. Me, too, Joyce, okay? But how do we do that?" He looked around, "We don't exactly know what we're dealing with here."

"No. But he does." Mike spoke up, starting to walk into the living room. Everyone scattered to follow him. "If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it's Will. He's connected to it. He'll know its weakness."

Max looked up, "I thought we couldn't trust him anymore. That he's a spy for the mind flayer now." She added softly.

"Yeah, but he can't spy if he doesn't know where he is." Said Mike, turning around to look at the group.

Nancy looked at Kennedy, speaking up. "Dr. Owens said Kennedy could go into minds." Everyone panned their eyes to the Wheeler. "She could go into memories, take them out, add them in, find them, anything." Eyes began to shift to the Theroux, who stood there awkwardly. "Maybe she could dive into the Mind Flayers mind through Will."

"But what if it knows shes there?" Asked Dustin, looking at Kennedy.

The group now stared at the teenage werewolf who seemed to be even more than that. "I had a vision of Bob dying." She whispered softly. Joyce swallowed back tears. Kennedy shook her head, "Ever since I've been off my meds, I've been getting headaches, and my eyes hurt. And, and I'm hearing things." Steve and Dustin seemed the most surprised. Kennedy hadn't said a word about this since they've all been together. "Will. I hear Will," Kennedy slowly turned around, her eyes on the sleeping boy. "He want's to help, he just can't."

༺❀༻

Hopper and Kennedy had gotten the shed cleared out. The Chief was relatively shocked to see that Kennedy was stronger than all of the other kids, and even likely to be stronger than Hopper himself.

Now, Steve and Nancy were in charge of hanging up fabrics and materials to cover up windows in the shed. Nancy pulled pieces of duct tape, placing them on the edge of the wood for them to grab when they needed. She looked over at Steve, "What you did, um, helping the kids," Steve rested his arm on the wood as Nancy pursed her lips together. "That was really cool."

"Yeah." Steve hummed, standing on the ladder, "Those little shits are real trouble, you know?" He commented as he pulled the corner of the tarp they found upwards.

"Believe me, I know." Nancy hummed, shaking her head. "I'll never know how Kennedy does it."

Steve shrugged as he used the stable gun to attach the tarp to the wall. "She's insane. I mean, she took care of Holly the other night and got her to bed before midnight." He chimed as he waved his hand.

Nancy rose a brow. "Seriously? How in the world-"

"That's what I'm saying! She's like, the kid whisperer, or something. I swear, those shitheads only listen to her."

The Wheeler paused as she saw a look in Steves eyes. He always had that small twinkle when talking about something he liked. He had it when talking about Kennedy, or basketball, or even Nancy herself. But now, as he talked about Kennedy, Nancy noticed the twinkle in his eyes seemed to have tripled in size. She looked away, a small smile on her face as she thought about the possibility Steve Harrington finally realized his feelings for Kennedy Theroux.

Kennedy walked around the house with Jonathan, gathering supplies. Jonathan tilted his head as he looked towards her. "Do you remember the summer before sophomore year?" He blurted. Kennedy looked over, raising a brow. "You spent a week at our house cause my mom was working late all week. One night I came home from work and the house was a disaster-"

"Because me and the boys had a silly string war," The redheaded girl laughed at the memory. "And when we heard your car we totally jumped you."

Jonathan scoffed, "Yeah, totally an asshole move." He chuckled as him and Kennedy both looked at the ground, watching their shoes in the grass. He pressed his lips into a line. "I miss those days. When you and I were friends before I messed it all up,"

Kennedy looked up from the ground, staring at the side of Jonathan's face. "You didn't do anything wrong, Jonathan." Her voice was kind and laced in silk. "I pushed myself away from everyone," She shrugged. Jonathan stopped, turning towards her slightly.

"Yeah, but I was pushed away first."

Her shoulders slouched as she looked into the teenage Byers's sad eyes. She bit her lip and looked at the sky, "Because at the time I was mad. You didn't like me."

Jonathan nodded, "I did, I just-"

"You were in love with Nancy, I know," Kennedy whispered. Jonathan frowned, opening his mouth to say something. "I can sense things, tell when you're lying." Kennedy began to walk again, Jonathan a step behind. She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm happy for you, you know. You deserve to be happy."

"I'm sorry," He was sorry about a lot. For not being in love with Kennedy, for not pushing to be in her life, and for being a bad friend when she clearly needed one the most.

Kennedy smiled as she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, too," She hummed, reaching out with an arm. Jonathan smiled back, mouth closed, and stepped towards her. Their arms wrapped around each other, and it was the first time in almost a year Jonathan realized he and Kennedy could still be friends, even after everything. "But just know, if you ever hurt Nancy you will wake up to a wolf eating a deer in your bed."

Jonathan laughed but jumped back when there was a low growl in his ears. His face was pale as he saw Kennedy flash a fang-filled smile. He sighed, rolling his eyes playfully before making his way to the clothesline where his mom was. Kennedy hummed to herself, walking in another direction to help out Lucas.

༺❀༻

Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike were in the shed with Will. Everyone else was inside, doing one thing or another. Kennedy would come in for round two, if round one didn't work.

"If you keep swinging that bat, I'm going to literally grab it with my bare hands and hit you on the head with the other end."

Kennedy was sitting on the Byers couch, watching as Steve swung the bat back and forth to both entertain himself and prepare for the worse. Nancy and Dutin were in the kitchen, and Max and Lucas were sitting across from each other in the hallway. They waited. And waited. And waited.

Steve rose a brow at Kennedy, swinging the bat again. There was no way Kennedy would grab a nail-covered bat he's used to kill Demo-dogs. For one, it would hurt, and two, it was extremely unsanitary. Kennedy scowled, her eyes following the bat back and forth. Suddenly, Steve gasped as Kennedy grabbed the bat by the nails, tugging it out of his grip.

"Hey!" He hissed, reaching to grab it. Kennedy stood up, smiling wickedly. She jumped out of his reach. "Oh, come on," Kennedy giggled as she ran away with the bat, Steve close behind her. Nancy turned her head to see Kennedy rush down the hallway, Steve swearing as he nearly trips and falls.

Dustin looked over, "He got her roses." He commented blandly. Nancy turned to look at the Henderson with a questioning look. "Steve got Kennedy roses when she was upset."

Nancy smiled. "Of course he did." She said as she turned to see Kennedy running out of the Byers bathroom, somehow still not caught by Steve. "Do you think she likes him?"

"Definitely." Dustin nodded his head quickly. "She might not know it yet, but you can see it in her eyes."

He was right. Nancy could see the playful light in Kennedy's eyes that she had when she was around Steve. She always had that look. The puppy dog eyes Nancy herself once had for the Harrington. Kennedy's love language was acts of service or giving people things. Which was why for Steve's birthday he woke up to a large box containing a record player and vinyls with all of his favorite artists. There were even a few of Nancy's, which was just a bonus. By that point, Kennedy hadn't said a word to either of them for a long while, but it was still a gift she made a point to give him.

They were a match that everyone had been waiting on since Steve and Kennedy met.

Kennedy ran into Joyce's room, clambering over the bed as Steve ran in. They stood on either side, the bat still in the girls hands. She was a laughing mess, and Steve was panting as he tried to catch his breath. "You're cheating!" He accused, pointing a finger.

"How? I'm just running," She waved the bat casually, smiling cheekily.

"You run too fast! Werewolf," He breathed heavily, "Speed,"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "I can't help it I'm just better than you, Harrington," She teased. She waved the bat again, her hands trailing the wood.

With a slightly bruised ego, Steve jumped over the bed, Kennedy let out a squeal as he wrapped his arms around her torso. The bat fell to the floor with a low thump. Kennedy kicked her legs as Steve hoisted her off the ground, throwing her onto the bed. Kennedy pushed his hands away, laughing as he tricked to tickle her sides.

"You need to shut up before you give us away to Will." Steve accused, pointing at the girl with one hand while moving to tickle her with the other.

"Then stop tickling me!" She gasped out in between laughs. Steve used his leg to push her kicking one down, the two of them wrestling completely. The two of them laughed as it became an all-out tickling war.

Steve grabbed one of her wrist, holding it away. Kennedy tried to pull off, but was screwed when he grabbed her other one. He held her hands above her head, taking the advantage to tickle her again. Kennedy laughed, trying to hold back a squeal again as she tried to kick him off.

The edge of Joyces bed dipped as Kennedy kicked her legs which were now under Steve. The Harrignton's knees (which were on the edge) dipped, causing him to slide down. Steve caught himself from falling, letting go of Kennedys wrists and holding himself up with his hands on wither side of her head. Kennedy giggled, now laughing at his usual clumsy ways.

It was only then Steve and Kennedy realized how close they were to each other. His face now only inches away from hers, his brown hair hanging and her hands still above her, not moving. Their chests brush together each time they take ragged breaths. Her legs in between his. Kennedy's face turns pink as she tries not to make eye contact.

The lights in the house begin to flicker violently. Steve snaps his head up, not noticing Kennedy reaching for his wrist as she cranes her neck toward the door. The Harrington scrambles off of the bed, grabbing the bat and heading into the living room. Kennedy sat up, quick to follow.

Nancy was looking out the kitchen window with wide eyes. Kennedy looked around, her head beginning to ache more and more. Dustin looked over at the redheaded teenager, seeing her eyes go back and forth as she studied outside. Her breathing was slow, you'd almost miss she was breathing at all if you didn't watch long enough. Her eyes were mixed with something else.

Max turned her head, seeing it too. "What is it?" She asked, earning everyone's attention.

Kennedy didn't move, she stared out the window with wide eyes and slow breaths. Painstakingly slow. "I can feel him," She whispered. Her voice was sad, almost. Like she was going to cry.

"Feel who?" Nancy asked, turning to the girl. Steve was right behind Kennedy, staring at her as they waited for her to answer.

The lights stopped flickering. The corner of Kennedy's mouth turned upwards. "Will." Just as the words came from her mouth, Kennedy hissed in pain. She stumbled into Nancy, who reached her arms out to steady the redhead. Kennedy grabbed at her head. It felt like it was splitting down the middle.

"Get her a chair," Nancy pointed as Steve rushed to grab Kennedy. Dustin whipped a chair around, the two teens leading Kennedy to it.

Kennedy let out a low whine, tears rolling down her face at the pain. Steve grabbed her knee, crouching down to look up at her. "Ken, you need to be quiet, alright?" He knew it seemed insensitive, but he really didn't want to fight Demo-dogs with a group of thirteen year olds.

"I'm sorry," Kennedy whimpered as she fisted her hair into her hands. She inhaled sharply, letting out another groan as she crumbled. Steve grunted as Kenendy practically fell onto him and Nancy. She screamed, her mouth shut in an attempt to muffle the sound.

"What is it? What's wrong, Kennedy?" Nancy asked as she ran her hand up and down the girls back. Dustin, Lucas, and Max were frozen unsure of what to do.

Voices spun. Kennedy groaned lowly as her eyes slowly opened. Memories began to play in front of her, bleeding with the present. But they weren't her memories, she knew that as soon as she saw a drawing of a rainbow space ship. No, these were Will's memories. Her hand wrapped around Steves arm tightly as she gasped out in pain. Steve winced at her grip, but didn't push her off.

Kennedy whipped her head around, seeing new memories. Oh, these weren't Will's either. She knew that as soon as she saw a fifteen year old Kennedy come stumbling in with her lips against Jonathan Byers. She was seeing Jonathan's memories too. She gawked as she saw Nancy Wheeler walking in with Joyce, Hopper, and Jonathan. She saw a young Mike, Lucas, and Dustin running with presents for a young Will. She saw Joyce and Bob dancing in the living room. All the memories blending into one.

She was seeing everyone's memories in this very house.

Tears rolled down Kennedys cheeks. She yelped as the memories of the night her, Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve fought a Demogorgon. She jumped, causing the others in the room to jump too. "Kennedy, what is going on?" Steve asked her again. Kennedy sobbed as she watched twelve year old Will running into his house. He was running from a Demogorgon. It was the night he disappeared.

"It's the visions." Blurted Nancy. Everyone looked at the Wheeler while Kennedy jumped at another memory. Lonnie and Joyce's fights. "Owens said sometimes the visions will happen at once. Sometimes they're the past, sometimes they're the future." Nancy looked back at the Theroux. "What if Kennedy is seeing the past right now?" Kennedy heaved as she clawed at the floor. She tried to focus on Nancy, reaching for the girl to have some sense of what was real. Nancy obliged, her hand wrapping in Kennedy's quickly. "We need to find a way to center her back here. Keep her mind separated from the past and our memories."

Dustin looked around, "How are we supposed to do that?"

Nancy looked around, grabbing Kennedy's shoulders. "Ken, what colors am I wearing?"

The Theroux screwed her eyes shut as the Demogorgon came out of the wall. Joyce's memory. She opened her eyes again, looking at Nancy. "Brown," She stuttered out in between groans of pain. "And black." The Wheeler nodded, smiling.

"What color is Dustin's shirt?"

Kennedy sucked in a pained breath, and she felt a hand on her back. Steve's. She looked up behind Nancy, seeing the three kids. "Orange." She huffed out, "Marroon sweatshirt."

"Yeah, yeah, good," Nancy was talking smoothly. "What is Steve wearing?"

Steve was still. Kennedy turned around, Steve's hand falling off her back. Her hazel eyes went over his shoulder, seeing her past self attacking the Demogorgon. Tears pricked her eyes and her head began to ache again as she saw Jonathan throw the lighter. She watched as she and the monster ignited into flames. She could still remember the burning sensations, her skin melting away.

"Kenny, look at me." With her face in his hands, Steve steered her attention towards him. He could see every color in her eyes, even under the warm lights. They were a beautiful mixture of earth tones. Brown that mixed into green which melted into blue around the edge. Gold found its way through her eyes, mixing into the colors. Kennedy's hands dug into her legs. She breathed through her nose, jumping at the sounds of the Demogorgons roar. She went to look over, but Steve turned ber back towards him. "What am I wearing?"

She focused on Steve and Steve alone. She looked him over as she stuttered. Weak words coming from her mouth. "Blue shirt." She whispered as she looked at the fabric that hugged his torso. "Gray jacket." She remembered wearing it briefly earlier in the night. "Blue jeans. Brown belt." She listed off as she looked up at him. Steve smiled softly. The noises had seemed to get quieter. Less screams, lest furniture smashing. Things were dying down in Kenndey's mind.

"Yeah, yeah, exactly." Kennedy turned away from him for a moment, but Steve made her look at him again. "What color are my eyes?"

Kennedy looked at his eyes. He always thought his eyes were brown, but Kennedy disagreed. He had that same mixture of browns and greens that seemed to be focused on her and her alone. "Hazel." She whispered as she looked at him. Really looked at him. Steve tensed up under her gaze as she studied him. Steve reached an arm out, pointing at Dustin to grab something.

Dustin frowned, but when Steve made a gesture to an empty vase on the Byers counter, he caught on. Dustin ran to Kennedy's bag, fishing out the smushed roses from before. Nancy's eyes followed the bouquet as they went from Dustin's hands to Steves. "What color are these?" Steve asked, holding the flowers in front of the girl.

The scent filled her nose and she began to focus solely on the red flowers. She looked down, her lips turning upwards as she reached to the petals. Steve watched as Kennedy pulled out a familiar gold chain. Her necklace she always wore. The same gold chain with the hanging pearl. The necklace Steve got her. She had taken off before she went running into the woods earlier the day before. She didn't want to lose it. She studied the small pearl on the chain, and her hand grazed the soft petals.

"Red."

Silence had never felt so welcoming. Kennedys frazzled eyes softened as she looked away from the flowers, looking around the room. There were no extra faces, no voices, no screaming. There were no Demogorgons on fire or coming out of walls. It was just Kennedy, Steve, Nancy, and the three nervous kids. The splitting headache had dulled into a minor pain in her head, and she looked back at Steve. He could sense the relief in Kennedy's smile.

"I really need to get back on my meds." Kennedy finally said, earning sighs from everyone. Nancy helped the girl onto her feet, Steve pulling himself up with the chair. Kennedy gave a weak smile, looking around. "Sorry,"

Dustin waved her off. "Do that again, and I'll hit you." He threatened in the most loving way possible.

Kennedy slowly nodded, "Noted," She whispered.

The door swung open, Hopper and the others walking in. Everyone looked around as the Chief grabbed a pen and a ripped envelope. "What happened?" Asked Dustin.

"I think he's talking, just not with words." The man said as he scribbled dots and lines on the paper.

Steve knotted his brows together. "What is that?" He asked.

"Morse code." Everyone said. Steve clamped his mouth shut, wondering how these kids knew that but he didn't. Hopper began to scribble letters onto the paper under the lines and dots.

H-E-R-E

"Here." The kids read.

Hopper looked around the group, "Will's still in there. He's talking to us." He affirmed his suspicions. "Kennedy, it's your turn."

Quickly, Hopper gave orders and everyone began to rush. Joyce, Jonathan, Hopper, and Mike returned back to the shed while Dustin sat next to a walkie-talkie. Kennedy had a pen in her hand and she chewed on the end of it as she waited. She sat just outside of the shed. Hopper didn't want her too close, in case if something went wrong. So, Kennedy sat outside, her eyes shut as she focused on Will and what he was trying to get through.

"Dash, dot, dash, dot." Hummed Dustin as he began to use his own pen to write the pattern. Lucas looked at his morse code guide, telling Nancy what the letters were. Kennedy was writing religiously on her paper, her eyes still closed.

C-L-O-S-E

Max repeatedly looked out the window to look at the girl, making sure she was okay. Kennedy could hear the commotion in the shed, but she only focused on Will, on the words and letters that seemed to blurt in her mind.

Kennedy was surrounded by the dark.

She looked around in confusion. She could hear tapping, and she could hear the muffled sounds of Jonathan and Joyce talking. She could hear what they were saying to Will.

And then she saw him.

Will was standing there, looking at her. His eyes were wide. He could see her, he could see Kennedy. She could see him, too.

"Will!"

The two ran closer to each other, and instantly Kennedy's around wrapped around him protectively. Will clutched onto her torso tightly, tears rolling violently. He sobbed, but so did she. "Kennedy? How-"

"It's a long story," She whispered. Kennedy pulled away from the Byers boy, holding his shoulders. "Will, I need you to tell me how to stop the Mind Flayer."

"Mind Flayer?"

Kennedy nodded. "That's what they called it. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas." Will smiled. Kennedy looked around the darkness. "I need to know how to kill it so we can kill all of the Demogorgons and stop this." Will stared at her with scared eyes. He was terrified. Kennedy shook her head. "Please Will, you're our only hope."

"You have to close the gate."

"What?"

Will shook his head rapidly. "You have to close the gate at the lab. It's the only way! It kills everything connected to the Upside Down." Then, he went quiet.

Kennedy studied his expression. She could sense his fear. "What?" She leaned closer, "Will, what?"

"It will kill us, too."

She felt like throwing up.

Kennedy stood up straight. "What do you mean?"

"I'm connected to the Mind Flayer. And you're," Wills eyes moved towards her leg. Kennedy looked down, seeing the bruise on her ankle had grown bigger. A lot bigger. "You're connected to the Upside Down, too."

Kennedy's throat ached. "So, if we stop this thing, we both," She trailed off. Will nodded, his eyes glossy. He didn't want to die, but he didn't want to live like this either. Neither did she.

There was a distant roar. The Mind Flayer was looking for Kennedy in Will's mind. He knew she was there.

Kennedy and Will shared looks. "You have to close the gate!" Will shouted. "Are you gonna tell them? About us?"

Kennedy shook her head. She wrapped her arms around Will tightly. "I love you, okay?" She whispered. "I'll see you soon."

Then she opened her eyes.

G-A-T-E

"Close gate," Everyone read all at once.

Just as they read the words allowed, the phone attached to the wall began to ring. Loudly. Kennedy ran inside just in time. "Shit! Shit!" Dustin exclaimed as he jumped around the group, taking the phone and slamming it back on the hook quickly. Kennedy closed the door, stalking towards the phone. Dustin went to grab it as the phone rang again. but Kennedy had already ripped the phone off and threw it to the ground with a harsh thud.

"Do you think he heard that?" Max asked the group.

"It's just a phone. It could be anywhere. Right?" Steve asked.

Kennedy sucked in a breath as she looked over at the door to the house that would lead outside, and to the shed. She used her hearing, listening to the sounds of Will's breathing. His heartbeat was racing and his breath was fast. She could hear his hands tightening into fists. She tilted her neck slowly as she looked amonst the group.

"I shouldn't have eaten the damn ham."

The loud sreeches could be heard in the distances, causing them all to walk into the livingroom. Kennedy stood by Dustin, looking out into the window as she looked around. "That's not good," Dustin said lowly. Kennedy shook her head, spinning towards the group.

"I need to grab something."

Nancy stumbled to follow Kennedy, "What are you doing?" She asked quietly as they walked into Will's bedroom.

Kennedy sighed as she opened the boys closet, digging through to pull out a familiar golf club. Kennedy turned around, holding it up in the air. Nancy recognized it instantly. Kennedy had used it almost a year ago to fight off a Demogorgon when the two of them were trapped. It was dented in some spots now, but overall looked the exact same. "Will found it when he was stuck there. I guess Joyce brought it back."

The group from the shed came rushing into the house. Hopper stormed into the living room with a gun in each hand. "Hey. Hey, get away from the windows!" Shouted the man. The kids backed up slowly, joining Nancy, Kennedy, and the others in the corner. Kennedy looked around the group. Hopper held out a gun. "Do you know how to use this?" He asked the older Byers son. Jonathan stuttered, "Can you use this?"

"I can." Said Nancy. Hopper didn't take the time to ask questions, tossing the gun in her direction. Kennedy slowly turned to Jonathan, scrunching her face as she held out the golf club.

"I think you need it more than I do," She said sheepishly. Just as Jonathan took it from her hands, her eyes turned yellow and she gave a toothy smile. She had fangs.

He still wasn't used to that.

Steve held his bat in his hands, and Kennedy stood in between him and Nancy. The Wheeler and Hopper had their guns aimed at the windows, and Jonathan now held the golf club tightly in his grip. Joyce was behind Jonathan with Will, Mike was behind Nancy, Dustin was behind Kennedy and Steve, Lucas was behind Hopper with his slingshot, and Max was just behind Lucas.

"Where are they?" Asked a frantic Joyce as the sounds of screeches continued.

Kennedy threw out her hands, claws flicking out as she snarled. Dustin couldn't help but smile. "She's so badass." He hummed, earning a look from Mike.

The growling got louder, letting the group know they were close. The creatures were trying to find a way in. A loud thud could be heard from outside, and everyone quickly jumped to turn in the direction it came from. Kennedy frowned as Steve nudged closer to Kennedy, half of him slightly in front of her. She scrunched her face in confusion, knowing damn well she was the only one here with a fighting chance of survival if all hell broke loose.

"What are they doing?" Nancy asked. It was only then Kennedy noticed Mike had stepped out with a hand held chalace from their D&D games. There was rustling, but nothing came inside.

There was another loud thud and a screech, causing them to turn to the front again. Kennedy frowned as different scents filled her nose. Familiar scents, not Demogorgons. She growled lowly as she snapped her head right before loud mosnter sounds came from outside again. The screech had stopped abruptly and Kennedy held up a finger. What was she smelling?

Glass shattered as something flew through the window. Everyone screamed loudly, even Hopper, and jumped back. Kennedy stumbled into Steve and Nancy as she looked down at the corner of the room. It was a Demogorgon, except it was dead. Okay, that's not normal.

Everyone was breathing heavily, scared for their lives. Hopper kept his gun aimed as he moved toward the creature. Kennedy followed, pushing Steve away from her as she did. She stepped in front of Hopper, her eyes searching for any life, her ears searching for a heartbeat.

"Holy shit," Dustin's voice was quiet as he looked at the small Demogorgon.

"Is it dead?" Max questioned, knowing they were all asking the same thing. Kennedy kneled down, nudging the creature with her hand slightly. Nothing. Kennedy turned to look at Hopper, nodding. It was definitely dead.

Silence settled between them all. Kennedy stood up slowly and her eyes panned to the door. Noises of the door unlocking caused everyone to look at it too. Everyone held their weapons up again, unsure of what could be waiting for them on the other side. It was especially concerning, as the door was unlocking from the inside.

The door slowly opened, everyone's eyes widening and lowering their weapons. Two figures stepped into the room. Kennedy's eyes wide as she looked between the two sources of the familiar scent. Eleven stood in the door way, a trail of blood coming from her nose. She was wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a sweater. Her hair was slicked back and it was longer than before, and she had makeup smudged around her eyes. Diana Theroux was behind the young girl, wearing all black aside from her dark red trench coat. Her curly blond hair rested on her shoulders as she tilted her head, looking amongst the group.

Mike's expression softened, and so did Elevens as they saw each other for the first time since she, well, supposedly died. However, Kennedy gawked between the two figures, only able to say one thing.

"Grandma? What the fuck are you doing here!?"

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