Mary Hopper had no doubt in her mind that she was about to die. But her life wasn't flashing before her eyes and she saw no bright light — only the emotionless face of her boyfriend as he pushed on her throat, strangling her with no regard for her life.

Suddenly, Charlie's grip on her throat loosened and Mary could momentarily see by him and to Corina that stood behind him, holding her hand out where shadows were sprouting from. They were wrapped around his arms and stomach, pulling him back but he fought against it, clawing at Mary's neck who turned her head away and pushed herself away from him, getting to her feet when Corina threw him across the room and released him.

Mary scurried to Corina, collapsing into her and the girl held her up, pulling her backwards, "Come on, we've got to go!" Corina yelled as Charlie recovered, slowly getting up.

Despite not wanting to leave Charlie being possessed by the mind flayer, Mary knew they had no other choice and nodded her head. Corina pushed her forward, letting her go first and she ran out the door behind her, "Where are we going?!" Mary called back, running onto the empty road.

"The woods!" Corina yelled, catching up with her just as Charlie came bursting through the door, looking around like a maniac for them — this time though, he was holding an axe in his hand.

Mary jumped on the balls of her feet, "Shit!" She hissed, grabbing Corina's wrist and running into the tree line. She didn't have to look back to know Charlie was coming after them because she could hear his heavy Dr. Martens stomping along the ground behind them.

It was hard, running late at night with no light source other than the moon in the sky and after being strangled half to death. Mary tripped but managed to catch herself. She looked over her shoulder, not seeing Charlie, "We have to hide!" She exclaimed, out of breath with her face still red.

Corina looked around, seeing nothing but thin trees. She looked back at Mary, "I can warp us some place, just say where and we can —"

"No," Mary spoke over her, "If we leave him, gods knows what he'll do! We have to do what Joyce is doing with Will, we have to flush that thing out of him!" Mary said, occasionally glancing around to make sure Charlie wasn't sneaking up behind them.

"How are we supposed to do that?"

"I — I don't — wait, the pool! It's closed at this time of year but if we get in there, we could get Charlie into the sauna —"

"And we can burn it out of him!" Corina finished, nodding along with her.

Mary grinned, "Exactly!"

Corina frowned, "But how do we do that?"

Mary thought it over for a moment before coming up with an idea she was sure would work, "We let him find us and when we do, we grab him, I think of the pool and you warp us there. Once we're in we make an instant break to the sauna and lure him there."

Corina nodded, "That could actually work — and here he comes now," She said, looking over Mary's shoulder and at Charlie that was marching through the darkness towards them. Mary turned, both of them facing him now, "You ready?" Mary nodded.

Charlie reached them, lifting the axe and preparing to swing. Mary quickly kicked him in the knee, making him drop. She grabbed his jacket and then Corina's hand and pictured the swimming pool — it was so far back in her memories that she had to dig as deep as the last time she went with her parents and Sara. She thought of every single title detail and by the time she opened her eyes, she was standing beside Hawkins Pool.

Charlie looked up, a glare in his eyes at his new surroundings. His fingers curled around the axe and Corina grabbed Mary, "Mary, look out!" She yelled, pushing her out of the way in time. The axe smashed through the tiles on the ground where Mary should have been and the girls stumbled towards where the doors were padlocked.

Corina looked at her flatly, "You didn't think of that, did you?"

"Shut up, Corina!" Mary exclaimed in a panic as she crouched down to the lock, "Do you have a hairpin?" She quickly asked as Charlie walked towards them, slowly and menacingly.

Corina quickly pulled one from her pocket and handed her it. Mary twisted it with her teeth and then shoved it in the lock, wriggling it around like any other time she broke into places. After a few seconds of Corina yelling at her to hurry up and jimmying the lock, finally, the lock came loose and the chains slipped to the ground.

Both girls got inside in a hurry and closed the doors just as Charlie swung the axe. The pair let out startled screams when it lodged into the door but didn't wait around for Charlie to get it unstuck. Instead, Mary grabbed Corina's wrist and began pulling her through the locker rooms until she reached the sauna.

She clicked on the generators and the light inside. It took her a moment, but after messing around with the dials she had it on and set at the highest temperature. The room began filling up with steam and both exchanged fulfilled looks.

They quickly hid behind the lockers, waiting for Charlie. Soon, they heard him walking towards them with the metal of the axe being dragged along the ground by his feet. It was an eery noise and made Mary cringe inwardly, turning her head away from the sound as if it would block it out, "Mary, Corina! You's in here?" Charlie called out but he sounded nothing like Mary's Charlie — his voice was far deeper, slower and chilling.

Mary swallowed hard, listening to his footsteps that were getting closer to the sauna. She looked to Corina who nodded her head and Mary exhaled before stepping out, "I'm right here." She said, holding her arms out and Charlie turned to look at her. A sadistic grin went on his face at the sight of her.

He lifted the axe from the ground and rested it over his shoulder, "Where's your friend, Mary? Where's Corina?" He asked her in a monotone, looking around the dark room for the redhead — the only light coming from the steamed up window of the sauna room.

"She's not here anymore, Charlie."

Charlie laughed, "Oh, she's here," she insisted, walking towards Mary that inched back, closer to the sauna room door. Charlie tilted his head, "Corina's got a soft spot for you. She hasn't left you. She's here somewhere — tell me where she is and you don't have to get hurt." He said as he advanced quicker and Mary copied his moves until her back hit the door of the sauna.

Mary tipped her head back, glaring at him, "Go to hell," She growled before grabbing onto his shoulders, pulling him into her and kneeing him in the crotch. Her hand quickly found the door handle and she opened the door whilst Charlie was doubled over, "Corina, now!" Mary yelled into the shadows of the locker room and Corina stepped out as Mary grabbed a metal pole from the ground.

She walked towards them and just as Charlie noticed her, he snarled like a rabid dog and lunged. But Corina threw her hand out, her palms facing him with a dangerous look in her eyes. He was suddenly stopped by shadows that were sprouting up from the floor and wrapping around him, pushing on his chest and his feet slid along the ground, the sound of his shoes screeching as he was being moved backward by Corina's power.

Mary stepped aside, brushing her hair out of her face as Corina stepped closer — and the nearer she got to Charlie, the further back he slid as he tried to fight against it. But Corina was stronger than him, even with the mind flayer controlling his body and the moment Charlie's feet were over the threshold of the sauna, Mary grabbed the door and slammed it shut and slipped the metal pole in her hands through the handle so it was locked.

Corina released Charlie and the shadows holding him crawled out from under the door and slithered along the floor until they reached Corina, disappearing at her feet. Mary looked at her, out of breath from the chaos and saw that blood was dripping from both of Corina's nostrils and that she was struggling to stay standing.

She rushed to her aid, grasping her waist, "Corina, hey, sit down." She said softly as Charlie began screaming and banging on the door.

Mary sat Corina down on the bench and the girls head hung as she breathed heavily, her shoulders heaving. She looked up, her eyes bloodshot, "You think that will hold him?" She asked, reaching up to wipe at the blood with the back of her hand.

Mary bunched up her sleeve and sat down by Corina, "Well, I don't have a plan B, so I hope so," She said, wiping at the excess smeared blood around Corina's nose. The redhead did a thing between a laugh and a scoff. Mary smiled, "Thank you, for what you just did." Mary said with gratitude.

Corina shrugged, "I didn't have a choice. It was lock him up in there or let him kill the both of us," She said, meeting Mary's eyes. She shrugged, "Why do you think the mind flayer took over Charlie anyway when it already has Will?" She asked, glancing by Mary and to the sauna room window that Charlie was pressed up against, his eyes closed and looking like he were ready to pass out from the heat as he quietly pleaded Mary to let him out.

"I don't know," Mary admitted, "But the mind flayer, it was losing its hold over Will so maybe it needed a new host? Someone that's been to the Upside Down before? Joyce is trying to get that thing out of Will right now — what if she already succeeded but it just moved bodies? And it makes sense it would come straight for you, I mean, you did say you were able to hold it off when you were in the Upside Down. It must know you're a threat to it."

Corina stared at Mary and then laughed slightly, "For someone who apparently didn't know the answer to my question that was one hell of a theory."

Mary chuckled to herself, dipping her head, "Sorry, over-imaginative imagination." She said, pursing her lips to hide her smile.

The pair looked off to where Charlie was now gone from the window. Corina sighed, "You really think this will work?" She asked, looking at Mary they stared straight on.

"I hope so."

It had been over an hour since they had put Charlie in the sauna. Mary was now standing up at the window, resting the back of her head against it whilst Corina lay on her back on the bench, staring up at the ceiling. Charlie was on the floor in the sauna, screaming in agony like he had been for the entire hour. It was giving Mary the worst headache and unbelievable chills each time she heard it — she just wanted her boyfriend back.

She turned, putting her hand on the steamed up window, "Charlie, if you're in there please talk to me. Charlie, please — do something, say something." She pleaded. Corina sat up, looking over with a curious gaze since it had been the first time Mary had spoke in the whole hour. Mary looked at her boyfriend on the ground clutching his head. Somewhere along the way, he had torn of his leather jacket and top and sat in Jonathan's khaki's with sweat dripping down his chest.

Mary sighed, resting her head against the window when she got no response. And then she remembered now Joyce had communicated with Will. Without looking up, she began to speak, "Do you remember when you first asked me out?" She started, "We'd been friends for ages and I spoke about you to Steve all the time — he was so sick of hearing it. And finally, one day you asked if I'd want to go out with you and do you remember where we went?" She asked, speaking softly.

Charlie was no longer wailing as instead, sat with his knees to his chest and his head against his thighs, tears in his eyes and his skin in a deep sweat, "That's alright. I remember," Mary said, "You — You took me to Burger King? Do you remember? You were so nervous about it because you thought I wouldn't be pleased but — but I was so relieved because I had been worrying about how to act in a fancy restaurant that I was so happy you took me somewhere casual like Burger King." Mary was laughing at the memory with tears in her eyes.

"Thee uh, the first time you kissed me was after we raced Tommy and Carol. You had me drive and you cheered me on from the passenger seat the whole time and when we won you didn't even wait until I parked before grabbing me and kissing me — it literally made my head spin," Mary chuckled, diverting her gaze, "But maybe that was because of the racing." Charlie was laughing softly through his tears, a part of him trying to break through.

"And uh, do you remember that time you asked me to run away with you? I was terrified because of how committed to me you were — to how much you loved me. But now, now it's one of the only things I can hold onto and I can't — I can't lose you so Charlie, baby, please speak to me." She begged, the tears finally falling from her lashes as she opened her eyes and looked into the window.

Charlie was shaking, slowly at first but then it got out of control and Mary threw herself at the door, banging on the glass as Charlie's body went into a seizure, "Charlie!" She screamed, pounding on it as Corina quickly got to her feet. Mary moved to grab the pole but the redhead caught her wrist, stopping her, "What the hell are you doing?!" Mary yelled at her, her eyes wide.

"I think it's leaving, we just have to —" Before Corina could finish, a thick black shadow emerged from Charlie's mouth as he screamed into oblivion. His body then went limp on the ground as the shadow thrashed around the room much like a moth banging against a wall, "Okay, open it now!" Corina yelled with panic and Mary quickly grasped the pole, pulling it out and swinging the door open.

The shadow moved by them in a blur, getting out of sight. Mary quickly ran at Charlie and pulled his body out of the steam room. He was hot to the touch and seemingly not breathing, "Charlie, Charlie baby don't do this to me! Not again, god dammit! Not again!" Mary cried, grabbing at his face and the boys eyes flew open as his body launched forward.

He collapsed into Mary's shoulder and she cradled him, holding onto him like she would never let go again. The pair rocked back and fourth as Corina stood by and watched but said or done nothing.

Mary pulled back, smiling through her tears as she held Charlie's face, "I love you, I love you so much." She said before kissing him passionately.

         Charlie mumbles against her lips, sighing with relief, "I love you too."

( authors note )

        Yo, there's only one chapter left after this one and I'm buzzing! I cant wait to write season 3!

      Q: how did you feel about this chapter?