𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

ⅴ 𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒗𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆

CHRIS USHERED EVERYONE INSIDE. Alex and Miya sat on the couch, Chris squished on the edge, her eyes closed as she tried to focus on everything moving outside. Chris sighed through her nose, feeling Mike's glare on her face.

"You okay?" Chris asked, hoping for a different question than what he had asked for the past ten minutes.

"If you have powers too, why aren't you with El?" Mike snapped but still continued his pacing.

"Mines different, alright?" Chris repeated. "You may not have noticed but El and I are not the same," Chris snarked throwing herself back on the couch, her leg starting to bounce in anxiety.

Mike let out a sigh pacing again, and his steps finally got on Lucas's nerve. Lucas stopped sweeping the glass from the broken window making Max, who was holding a dustpan, stop as well. "Mike, would you just stop already?" Lucas used his arm to emphasize his point.

"You weren't in there, okay, Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs," Mike said exasperated.

"Demo-dogs!" Dustin yelled out from the kitchen.

"The chief will take care of her," Lucas defended.

Max kept her head down when she was speaking "Like she needs protection," Max mumbled.

"Listen, dude-" Steve called out walking to the group, Dustin as his side "-a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it. All right?" Steve took the cloth from his shoulder flipping it between his hands.

Mike rolled his eyes looking at Steve with a blank look "Okay, this isn't some stupid sports game." Mike said with a sigh.

"Second point," Miya called raising her hand to make a point. "We aren't even playing, we are on the sidelines." Alex nodded in agreement.

Steve nodded before speaking in a strong tone "So my point is..." Steve cut himself off stammering random noises. Chris looked at the other girls with a worried glance. "Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do," Steve finally finished.

Dustin looked at Chris in an understanding but almost pleading, hoping she'd know something that they could do. "Well..." Chris spoke trailing off pushing herself to sit up straight. "That's not entirely true. I mean, these Demo-dogs, they have a hive mind."

"When they ran away from the bus, they were called away," Alex remembered also pulling herself to straighten up.

"If we get their attention," Lucas stated.

"Maybe we can draw them from the lab," Max carried on.

"Clear a path to the gate," Mike finished.

"Yeah, and then we all die," Steve called hands on his hips.

"That's one way to look at it," Miya snarked with a cocky pout.

"No, that's not a point of view, Miya. That's a fact," Steve scolded moving his hands around.

"I got it!" Mike called rushing to the hall, Chris jumped up running after him with the others following. Mike knelt in front of a spot in Wills vine drawings pointing to a certain point. "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel. So..." Chris was ahead of him rushing back to an open room, tracing her hand along Will's drawings on the walls.

"Here, it's the heart, the core," Chris explained tapping in the large circle on the floor, "All the tunnels lead here."

Mike nodded in agreement, "Maybe if we set this on fire..."

"Oh, yeah? That's a no," Steve called his words going over everyone's heads.

"The mind flayer would call away his army," Dustin figured.

"They'd all come to stop us," Lucas spoke crossing his arms.

"We circle back to the exit," Max said jumping in on the plan.

"Guys," Steve tried to speak again but to no avail,

"By the time they realize we're gone..." Alex spoke.

"El would be at the gate," Miya finished.

"Hey. Hey! Hey!" Steve called out clapping with each word, finally drawing everyone's attention. "This is not happening." Steve pointed around at the group.

"But Steve-"

"No, no, no, no, no," Steve repeated cutting off Chris's sentence. "No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on. We're staying here. On the bench. And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job." Steve tore the cloth wipe off his shoulder using it as a pointer. "Does everybody understand?" Steve scolded with a warning glare to everyone.

"This isn't a stupid sports game," Mike said in a fast voice.

"I said does everybody understand that?" Steve repeated in a sigh his tone flaring in anger. "I need a yes."

It was silent and no one answered, but a roar of an engine disrupted them. Max was the first to react, running over to a window and peering out of it, Lucas at her side. The others followed standing behind the two.

"It's my brother," Max recognised staring at the car outside. "He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us," Max said in fear. Steve thought for a moment before stepping through the door.

"Stay here, I'll get rid of him," Steve ordered, walking out the door and closing it behind him. Chris let out a sigh before pushing herself against the door and staring out the peephole. She could see the two talking but she couldn't make out what they were saying. The two boys talked with each other for a few moments then Billy pointed to the window where the kids were crouched.

Alex ripped the group down, so they were either squished against the seat or awkwardly sitting on the floor. "Shit! Did he see us?" Dustin exclaimed too scared to check. Chris looked back out the peephole seeing Billy push Steve to the ground, Billy said something kicking Steve in the chest leaving Steve groaning on the floor. Chris backed away from the door pulling Miya with her. The three stood in front of the kids as Billy threw the door open.

"Oooh," Billy mocked. "I hit the jackpot, Lucas Sinclair, Alex Walker and Chrisanna Henderson," Billy let slip a cocky smile.

"Still pissy about being put in your place Hargrove" Alex seethed taking a step forward.

"Haven't I told you to mind your business, Walker?" Billy said moving to get in Alex's face, "Maybe I should show you the consequences." Billy slapped Alex to the ground kicking her to the side making her roll in the glass Lucas and Max were cleaning and smashing her head against the table.

"Alex!" Miya called running to lean by her side, Alex whining in pain.

"I've told you Henderson," Billy growled stepping closer to Chris, who also took a step forward, "Mind your-"

Chris cut him off striking Billy in the nose making a decent crack in it. "Haven't I told you to piss off," Chris growled back. Billy thought quickly grabbing her neck and slamming her against the wall knocking the wind from her lungs. Billy got right in her face.

"I knew someone had to put a bitch like you in their place," Billy growled and then he launched her at the edge of the hall wall making Chris drop to the floor. "Now where was I?"

"Billy, go away," Max said in a low voice.

"You disobeyed me," Billy spoke quietly, it was almost too quiet for Chris to make out with high pitch ringing in her ears. "And you know what happens when you disobey me." Billy paused for a moment letting his words sink in, "I break things." Billy gripped Lucas by the jacket walking him to the kitchen where he slammed his against a rack of pots and jars, smashing them.

Everyone screamed at Billy, either to let him go or stop, it was buzzing in Chris's head giving her a headache. "Chris!" Miya called still holding onto Alex as she bled from the glass wounds.

"I'm okay," Chris spoke trying to steady her breathing. Chris pulled herself to her feet when the door swung open and in stepped Steve.

"Holy shit," Steve mumbled before rushing to Chris, "Are you okay?" Steve asked quickly.

"I'm fine just lost my breath," Chris explained holding his arms as he gripped her waist noticing the small cut on her forehead. "Go help the others." Chris motioned her head in the direction of the kids and Billy. Steve nodded steadying Chris before rushing over to them.

"So dead, Sinclair! You're dead," Billy yelled in Lucas's face, dropping him to stand. Steve butted in grabbing Billy's shoulder and spinning him around.

"No. You are," Steve spoke striking Billy's nose and cracking it into a new position. Billy was thrown into the kitchen cabinets but laughed anyway, almost in a manic. Lucas ran back to the others and they pulled him into their arms.

"Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh?" Billy yelled still laughing with a stupid smile on his face, "I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about."

"Get out," Steve seethed in an unusually calm tone, but with so much anger behind it. Steve pushed his fingers against Billy's chest making him stagger slightly.

Billy was breathing heavily and he tried to get a hit on Steve but he simply ducked under it. Steve brought himself back up landing a hit on Billy's cheek sending him into the table knocking him against bottles and things. "Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!" Dustin called in encouragement with a smile. Billy tried to stand up but Steve hit him again on the other cheek sending him stumbling back against another set of cabinets. Billy pushed himself up and Steve struck him a third time sending him into the sink, making a clanging against the dishes. Chris pushed herself to stand, using the wall to give her leverage and the kids were yelling engorgement to Steve and insults at Billy. Billy let out a cackle before slamming a plate against Steve's temple, who was too late to dodge or defend against it.

"Steve!" Chris yelled out, the others shouting similar. Billy followed Steve as he stumbled back. Chris grabbed Dustin by the torso pulling him back as Billy threw another punch at Steve's temple sending him stumbling into the living room where Alex and Miya were.

"Steve!" Miya yelled still clinging to Alex.

Billy grabbed Steve by his jumper growling in his face. "No one tells me what to do!" Billy headbutted him to the ground. "Whoo!" Billy paced over to Steve climbing on top of him and continuously striking him in the face and temple. The kids kept yelling at Billy to get off, and Miya yelled the same.

Chris let Dustin go and grabbed one of the wooden chairs from the Byers dining table. Chris reeled her arms back and slammed the chair across Billy's back. Billy stumbled, swaying as he moved off of Steve. "You're fucking- fucking crazy," Billy hissed, standing straight in front of Chris.

From the corner of her eye, Chris could see Max grabbing something from the cupboard. "Maybe a little," Chris joked, dodging under one of Billy's swings and kneeing him in his crotch. Once Billy was kneeling Max stabbed him in the neck with one of the syringes they grabbed from the hospital. Billy stumbled not being able to focus on anything as he swayed around.

Chris glanced quickly at Max before rushing to bloody and beaten Steve. "Steve hey," Chris called softly pulling Steve's head in her lap. "Steve, can you hear me?" Chris called again gently brushing the hair from his forehead. Chris pressed her finger to his neck and felt a pulse. "Oh thank god" Chris mumbled still stroking his hair.

Chris looked up to see Billy crash into the floor. Max looked over grabbing Steve's bat that leant on a wall. Max held it over her shoulder standing over Billy whose head was rolling around as he failed to concentrate. "From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?" Max ordered holding the bat high,

Billy mumbled, and in a drowsy voice, "Screw you." Billy's head lulled back, ignoring his sister.

Max held the bat higher before bringing it down only centimetres from his crotch, the nails stuck into the floor. Billy's head shot up to look at the bat in between his legs. Max ripped it back up holding it high again. "Say you understand! Say it! Say it!" Max screamed.

"I understand," Billy mumbled in a quiet voice.

"What?" Max taunted emphasizing the grip on the bat.

"I understand," Billy mumbled a little louder. Billy's eyes dropped and he was finally out. Max dropped the bat and it clatters against the ground.

Max walked around ripping the keys from Billy's pocket. Max held them out in front of everyone, "Let's get out of here."

The boys, plus Max, ran off in searching for bandannas and goggles while Dustin and Chris stayed by Steve. "Dustin, can you clean him up please?" Chris asked handing Dustin some bandaids and cloth. Dustin nodded taking them from her hand. Chris grabbed a cushion from the couch and slid Steve's head from her lap and onto the soft pillow. Chris pulled herself to Alex, and Miya supported her weight. "Hey Al, how are you feeling?" Chris asked taking Alex's hand in her own.

"It hurts but I'm okay," Alex explained with a smile her head falling to the side.

Chris held out her hand, holding to fingers up. "How many fingers am I holding up?" Chris asked quietly.

"Four," Alex said touching her forehead. "By the way you're silent I'm guessing that wasn't right." Alex's gaze moved to the kids rushing around with all they need. "I'm gonna stay here, but you guys need to go."

Miya shook her head in protest, "No way, I'm staying with you" Miya said in a rush Chris nodded in agreement.

"Miya, I'll be fine, I just need to rest. I'll hold you back if I go in the tunnels, you know I'm not good with getting my ass kicked," Alex explained. "You have to go." Alex smiled, "Take Steve, he'll be able to help, he's better with getting his ass kicked." Miya chuckled but looked to Alex in concern and nodded anyway. Alex pulled Miya into a kiss holding a hand against her cheek.

"I love you, Alex," Miya mumbled staring into Alex's eyes.

"I love you too, now go help Chris put Steve in the car," Alex said with a laugh. Miya and Chris stood up walking over to Steve.

"I'll see you soon Alex," Chris called as she and Miya carried Steve to Billy's car.

෴

❝ there's a calm in my 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 ❞