𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

Ⅺ 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌

"WHERE IS SHE?!" NANCY YELLED, COWERING BEHIND ALEX. They watched the monster meld together, slopping and sticking together with slime-like moisture.

"I don't know," Alex answered, Chris's terrified words echoing in her mind. "But she's in trouble." Nancy's breathing increased moving even further away to cower behind Alex. Alex held her metal-cased arm out, a blue fire-like texture rippling around her fist. The monster shrieked, his jagged teeth threatening to tear its own mouth open.

"Shit," Nancy cursed to herself. "What do we do?"

"Nancy! Alex!" Jonathan yelled standing far behind the monster. "Run!"

"Listen to Jonathan, go!" Alex ordered, bursting the light above the monster, the same blue fire dropping from it, burning its way through its skin. The thing screeched slamming itself into a wall and knocking a ladder in front of it. Alex held her metal arm out firing the blue heat into the thing's face, melting the corners of its mouth.

Nancy slid through the crack in the door she was shoving herself at it, Alex standing in front blocking the thing. Alex charged a final blast, firing a shot at its face. Alex cursed spitting the blood that leaked down to her mouth that fell from her nose. Alex span running after Nancy. "Don't stop, keep running!" Alex ordered grabbing Nancy's arm and running down the dark hall, holding up her illuminated arm to lead their way.

The monster snarled, dragging itself behind the girls. "Take a right!" Alex threw her arm behind her heating up the lights the girls passed. Nancy pushed a door open, pulling Alex with her. The monster slammed against it, Nancy locking it just in time. The monster continued to pound against it, and Nancy panted, exhaustion taking over her lungs.

Squelching sounds started to pulse in Alex's ears making her gag. "Oh, my God," Nancy mumbled staring at the bottom of the floor. Alex followed her eyes, the monster starting to melt and slide under the door. Jonathan screamed out for the girls. Alex whipped her head around eyeing a small storage closet to the left. Alex gripped Nancy's arm shoving her inside. "No Alex-"

"Stay quiet, and do not come out," Alex ordered firmly. Nancy whimpered in fear and nodded slightly. Alex slammed the door shut eyeing the puddle of goo. Alex pressed the lock at the top of the metal casing on her left arm. It released locking itself into a long sword shape, her blue heated flames encasing the metal bar. The monster reassembled itself, growling at Alex.

It swung an arm down trying to throw Alex across the room, but Alex swung up as well hacking at its arm. The thing shrieked as its sloppy skin tried to push itself away from the blue flames. The recoil pushed Alex back slightly, but she kept her footing staring down the thing. It roared at Alex going to swipe again but Alex hacked at its arm again, chopping it off. The arm bounded to the side and the monster shrieked in pain swiping at Alex's stomach making a small gash. Alex stumbled slightly, pressing her free hand to her stomach and she took heavy breaths. The monster squared up with Alex again, and Alex steadied her footing. "Let's go then fucker!" Alex yelled, her eyes bursting into blue fire.

The door slammed open stopping their encounter. El stood in front of the other kids, shielding them with her arms. El screamed throwing it into the wall on the right and making it wail. Alex positioned herself in front of the closet door so El didn't throw it into Nany's hiding place. El screamed throwing the monster to the other side making it groan and try and hide in itself. El screamed again throwing it into the ceiling and then the floor. It found its footing, wobbly and unsteady growling at El. Alex lifted her sword up and slammed it down on the monster's face. The monster growled at the two and El screamed a final time, throwing the thing through the back window.

Alex pulled Nancy from the closet, handing her to Jonathan. Jonathan nodded at Alex and they rushed after the kids, Alex fixing the metal platting back on her arm. They ran to the kids outside and El threw her arms up, stopping everyone from walking any further. The slug creature slithered through the sewer grate, squelching and sliding to fits itself through the grate holes. Alex walked cautiously over to its slime puddle illuminated with her metal palm. "It's gone," Alex announced, standing back up.

The group sighed, finally getting some rest. Alex jogged back to Nancy pulling her into a hug. "Your side," Nancy noticed once they pulled apart.

"It's fine barely got me," Alex assured, brushing Nancy's hair back. "I need to find Chris," Alex announced turning away.

"She missing," Max called, stopping Alex from walking off. "Her and Dustin, Steve and his co-worker as well, we can't find them."

Alex sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Alright, I'll take Lucas and Max. I'll meet you at the Wheelers," Alex nodded, walking back to the others.

෴

ALEX RESTED AGAISNT THE COUNTER, FIDDILING WITH HER BRACELET. Will passed her an ice pack, letting her press it against her side. Alex discarded her shirt, just sitting in a bra and a hand-made gauze wrapped around her stomach. "Thanks," Alex smiled softly, spinning to watch Nancy.

"Yes, from The Hawkins Post," Nancy confirmed, holding the phone to her ear. "I... I called a couple days ago about the...Yes, yes, um...I was just... following up to see if anything else had gone missing, or if... Okay. Um, sorry to bother-" Nancy sighed clicking the back on the dial. Nancy sighed walking over to Jonathan who scribbled in the paper book. "Who's next?"

"There is no next," Jonathan said tossing the pen. "Unless you want to start calling random people's homes." Nany tossed her notebook down, it ruffling the paper underneath. "It doesn't make sense," Nancy breathed, throwing her hands up.

"What part of this made any sense?" Alex asked rhetorically. "The chemical rats or the overgrown slug El threw out a window?"

"There's a pattern, okay?" Nancy defended. "A consistency to their behavior. They've been feeding on these chemicals since this started, and... and, what, they just stop, out of the blue?"

"Maybe they have all the chemicals they need," Will offered. "Maybe they've all turned into those... things."

"But what about the source?" Nancy asked. "I mean, did the Mind Flayer just suddenly stop infecting people? And even if the flayed are monsters now, why can't El find them?"

"Because they're monsters?" Alex questioned.

"Okay, can you guys settle an argument for us?" Max announced storming over to the kitchen, Mike at her side, dragging his feet along the floor. "Who do you think should decide El's limits? Mike or Eleven?"

"The way that you frame that is such bullshit," Mike shouted.

"It's not bullshit, Mike. This is your whole problem," Max defended. "And it's also precisely the reason why she dumped your ass."

"El dumped you?" Nancy said in surprise.

"Yeah, because she is conspiring against me," Mike argued gesturing to Max. "She's corrupting her."

"No, enlightening her," Max debated. "The fact is, she's not yours. She's her own person, fully capable of making her own decisions."

"She's risking her life for no reason," Mike snapped.

"For no reason?" Alex snarled. The lights flickered overhead and Alex marched towards Mike. "My best friend is god knows where, the monster has flayed dozens of people and they're doing god knows what; probably killing. El's not an idiot. The only person who knows her abilities is her."

"Exactly, thank you," Max thanked.

"And she is her own person," Nancy agreed.

"Exactly."

"With her own free will."

"Exactly. El has saved the world twice, and Mike still doesn't trust her," Max reasoned.

"You wanna talk about trust, really?" Mike burst. "After you made Eleven spy on us?"

"Wait, what?" Lucas yelled in surprise straightening his posture.

"Oh, she didn't tell you this?" Mike asked in a snappy voice.

"No."

"Your girlfriend used El's powers to spy on us."

"No, no, no, I did not make her," Max snapped. "It was her idea. And why are we even talking about this, seriously?"

"Yeah, who cares?" Will spoke up, wanting to move the conversation along.

"I care," Lucas spoke up.

"Yeah," Mike agreed. "I guess girlfriends don't lie, they spy-"

"That's enough!" Alex shouted. "We have bigger problems than a glorified prank call. El can make her own decisions."

"I'm just trying to demonstrate how careless Max is with Eleven's powers," Mike defended. "In fact, how careless all of you are. You're treating her like some kind of machine when she's not a machine, and I don't want her to die looking for the flayed when they've obviously vanished off the face of the Earth. So can we please just come up with a new plan because I love her and I can't lose her again." Mike realized the words slipped from his mouth, and Lucas smirked in response.

"What's going on?" El questioned, pushing open the door, her scarf hanging around her neck.

"Nothing. Nothing," Mike said quickly.

"Just a family discussion," Lucas smoothed with a smile.

"Oh," El said casting her gaze down for a second. "I found him."

"Found who?" Nancy asked.

"Billy," El said curtly. The group gathered their way to the living room but Alex tugged Mike back.

Alex leant down, whispering so no one else would hear, "What you said earlier, about loving her, you'll regret it."

෴

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