𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫. ►

CHAPTER FIVE: THE FLAYED

"She's flayed, just like Billy." Mike nodded, looking around, then glancing down to River who was nodding as well.

"Flayed?" Jonathan questioned, nervously looking around at all of them.

"The Mind Flayer.." River started, sitting up straight now as everyone looked to her. "H-He controls people, takes over their mind. He flays them, a-and once that happens, they practically become him." She muttered, finishing off, as Lucas looked to her with a nod.

"If there are two flayed..." The young boy started, furrowing his brows as Will nodded, speaking up.

"We have to assume there are more."

With a quick glance at each other, both El and River spoke up in unison. "Heather."

This had caused everyone to give them plain looks of confusion before River sighed, speaking up again. "El saw things."

"He was doing something to her." El nodded, "She was screaming. Bad screams."

"What's..good screams?" Lucas questioned suspiciously, causing Max's eyes to widen.

"Max said-"

"Doesn't matter."

"I'm sorry, I'm lost. Who is Heather?" Nancy looked around, waiting for a response from either of the kids.

"Lifeguard. She's a lifeguard at the pool." River clarified with a nod, as her friends did so as well, in agreement.

"Heather Holloway?" Nancy's voice grew more tense as she asked this, and everyone nodded in response, causing her and Jonathan to look at each other. "Tom."

They now all rushed into the car, River sitting by El as the boys sat in the back, after many whines.

"Seatbelts." Nancy reminded, as each kid put on their seatbelts, now waiting for her to go, and she did soon, abruptly driving out of the driveway.

˗ˏˋ✦ ✦ ✦'ˎ˗

After El had bursted the door open, everyone sent glances to each other before proceeding to walk into the house, cautiously. "Tom?" Nancy called out, looking around. "Heather?"

"Jesus, it's freezing." Max muttered, hugging herself as they walked around through a hallway, River glanced back at the three boys who gave her an uneasy shrug, before she looked back ahead.

"Do you guys smell that?"

Nancy had led them all into the kitchen, to see various chemicals spilled against the counter, laying everywhere. "'More chemicals."

"You think they're guzzing this shit?" Jonathan asked, looking back at Nancy as he picked one of the cleaning supplies up

"Yeah either that or they just went on one hell of a cleaning spring." She muttered, continuing to study all the chemicals over the counter.

"But last year, Will didn't eat chemicals" Max argued softly, turning to Will, "Did you?"

"No, this is something new." Will shook his head, causing River to nervously sigh.