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Now Playing: Holding out for a Hero
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"Dude, turn that up."
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The clouds overcast Hawkins, dark and gray. The starry night sky is visible, but barely, hidden behind the clouds. Your eyes search the sky, it should clear up soon.
Will still rests beside you, his arms wrapped around his legs in a protective manner his eyes staring blankly at the car in front of him. He looks like he's deep in thought, like a simple touch would jolt him out of his reverie.
"C'mon we set it up." Mike says, stepping in front of you and Will, his eyes staring neutrally at you on the ground. He frowns slightly, as if he doesn't even feel it just slight disgust.
You stand up, legs cracking as does Will. Pleasure pores from the limbs as you happily twist your hips, cracking them.
You bend down and pick up the skateboard, just in case.
Mike leads your group, Lucas in the middle, the two girls behind him, leaving you and Will as the last ones. "What are we doing?!" You hiss, looking around nervously.
Mike turns around and stops for a moment, "I'll put the lock on the door to trap him in the Sauna, ill loop back around into the room after-" He raises his hands as he speaks, throwing them around as he spews his plan charismatically, not leaving a single detail out. "Lucas- you'll put the chain around the door, Y/N, or whatever—" He stops for a moment, glancing at you. "You help him. Will, you have to turn the heat up."
Lucas finally speaks up, "Hot." He sweats slightly, the nervousness setting in.
"Everything else is already set up." Mike finishes, smiling slightly to himself. "Come on." He gestures for you all to follow, which you do although hesitant.
"Wait-wait."
Mike stops, looking back at Max, "What are we gonna do?!" She asks, wide eyed the disrespect visible in her tone.
"You wont do anything, El has to use her powers to turn on the showers though—" he breathes in again, "And to try and lead him to the Sauna."
El raises an eyebrow, "How do I?" Her doe eyes staring into Mikes.
He smiles, "Jus-just use the doors or something." He stutters, a slight blush forming on his cheeks.
Max crosses her arms, "I wanna do something."
"Yeah she should do something!" You root quietly in support.
Mike sighs, rolling his eyes boredly. "Fine-" He says, "Get the weights out, just in case something happens. Now come on."
Max's eyes light up, finally being allowed into the plan, her new goal rejuvenating her spirits.
"Billy's showering right now, so be quiet, El can you take them to the door beside the Sauna." Lucas questions, his eyes shifting to the quiet girl.
She nods quickly, turning to look at you and Will, "Come." She murmurs, beginning her walk. You walk through the pool building, creeping past the showers with tiptoes.
"I still don't like how we have to do everything, right in front of Billy—" she talks fast, obviously anxious. "What if he turns around or- o-"
Lucas rubs her shoulders gently, caressing them lightly, her pale soft skin pushing softly against his grasp. "He won't turn around, I promise." He says, she gazes up up his eyes as he does as well, they look in love. It makes you jealous to be completely honest.
"Guys-" Will says, nodding towards El who's eyes are closed.
"Sorry," Lucas murmurs, his eyes shifting to Eleven anxiously.
"He's coming." She says, Mike peels around the corner to your right, jogging lightly, "I got him- he's coming this way."
Your heart drops to your stomach, your white knuckled grip tightening as hard as it can against your skateboard. It's saved your life as much as you can count, can it do it again. You look around, do you need to protect these people, they aren't your friends right?
Eleven nods while your still deep in thought, signaling to Michael it's time. "Go!"
Eleven opens the door and you all spill into the room quickly and quietly; like mice, obviously all of the teens have practice in situations like this. Your mind gathers the image quickly, Billy; Max's supposed brother stands in front of the dummy. You can barely blink before Eleven expands her right hand quickly, forcing it towards the door of the Sauna. It slams shut with a loud resounding thud throughout the room.
Everyone acts quickly after, following along the plan provided by Mike with obedience. Lucas slides the metal bar into the door of the Sauna and In-between a large almost impenetrable metal pipe. Will wraps a large chain around the bar, pipe and sauna door. Lucas flips the lock around in his hand quickly, his hands moving faster then the beginning to blink lights as El begins to use her powers to keep the door shut for the moment.
Billy slams into the door, Lucas' shoulder cracks under the strong push and Mike groans as he leans into the door. El's power was an obvious need.
You blink, falling out of your almost spectator like reverie. Springing to action with your arms and legs, you slam into the Sauna door, helping keep it shut. "Damn." Lucas says.
"Are you guys okay?!" Max calls over your shoulders, finally having placed all the weights on the ground.
"Yeah we're good..." He draws out the sentence his fingers beginning to fasten under the pressure he's obviously almost done. "Now." He steps back finally, allowing everyone to release and step away from the door.
Billy screams in fury, slamming his fist against the glass of the window like an angry gorilla before he stops. His eyes stare straight, non-blinking; trance-like, straight towards Max for no apparent reason, but there is one, one none of us know about.
Somethings here.
Your mind flickers to the encounter before, the way he made your skin crawl even being around him; something was wrong, something was not human.
You feel the same here.
"Max.." The words sound foreign in the man's mouth as he speaks, his charismatic smile turning to one of more evil proportions; his teeth show and the way his smile curves and never ends, his eyes never leaving Max.
"Turn it on." You order, turning to look at Max. She looks stunned, as if she doesn't know the man inside the Sauna, her eyes tear up and threaten to come.
You want to reassure her, you want to protect her.
Will slides over to the dial, his right hand twisting the clicking wheel all the way to the right till it reaches its hottest point.
He doesn't speak, staring straight towards Max with an unblinking gaze. "Max! Let me out of here!" He screams, slamming his fist against the door. His hot breath fogging the small square window, it's almost impenetrable.
Almost.
Max flinches and steps back from the door, the anger in the man's voice making her look like a deer in headlights, it's as if she can't take her eyes off him, or more like they can't take their eyes off each other.
Your heart beat quickens.
He cackles, it's not a laugh, it sounds fox-like in nature. Like a mimic of a real person if an alien or something had been copying it, but it sounds off. More like a cry. "You kids..." He slurs, his cheeks beginning to brighten to an ecstatic red.
"You kids. You think this is funny?" He questions, his eyes now leaving Max, glancing across each and every one of you.
"Open!" He screams, louder this time, an anger not human, an anger against the world from an animal.
"The god damn!"
"Door!" His mouth opens, impossibly wide as he screeches and slams his head against the door; he slumps to the floor and you find yourself thankful to be out of the intense glare.
Still, your heart beat never stops pounding out of your chest, and the Adrenaline never leaves your body.
Anxiously, Mike steps forward first, but he stops.
"We're at 220." Will states, his eyes flickering from the temperature to Mike.
"Max I promise.." Billy calls, "I've done some.." Max steps closer, her eyes finally being able to stare over the square window. "Bad things. I'm sorry, please! I'm sorry." He pleads, his voice cracking as from under his eyes the tears begin to consistently slide from his face. "Forgive me.." He murmurs.
"He made me do it.."
"Who did?" Max questions, stepping even closer to the doors window, the redhead not heeding caution.
"Max!" You hiss loudly, drawing her attention to you. Her gaze flickers to you and she stops moving.
"I didn't mean to do it, you gotta believe me.." His voice cracks again as he calls out her name once more. "Max.. please."
"Do what?" She asks him, "Billy! What did you do?!" She yells, her anger making her step closer, your mind struggles to think, should you pull her back, is it allowed, would she let you?
She steps forward and instinctively you pull her close, making Billy's vision of her disappear. "He made me do it."
"Don't lie." Max says, loud enough for Billy to hear, he cries a bewildering cry, it surprises you. You had not seen someone cry over something so heavily besides Steve.
"Please!" He screams, agonizing. "You gotta believe me!" He yells. "Max!"
"He fell over." Lucas says, worrying, his eyes barely peaking over the square door windows.
Mike steps closer, leaning over to look through the window.
"Mike-" El draws his attention, making him stop in his tracks. "Stop."
Slowly a rumbling seems to rise, like something is activated. "Something's wrong.." You murmur to yourself, glancing around the room, trying to figure out what it is.
He hasn't made any sounds.
Your heart drops, and your stomach fills with butterflies as you dash towards the doors small, rectangular window. Then you hear it before you see it, the flesh, it sounds like it's burning on a frying pan.
Your eyes sweep the sauna wide-eyes, Billy sprawls against the wall, his body unusually large. Like a steroid body-builder after a excellent pump. His black veins brim out of his skin, his elbows dark and ashy. His feet, almost looks dirty but you doubt it's dirt.
It's death.
He screams, so loud you have to cover your ears, it's louder then the almost impossible sound of skin burning on a grill. He groans and screams more, and you can hear it ricochet in your skull.
You fall back instinctively, Billy begins his bull-like rage attempt towards the door. Slamming his black veined, bulging shoulder into the door, pulling against the lock.
"Y/N." Will says, "Get back!" He looks almost worried for you.
"Holy shit, what's he so mad for?!" You ask, looking at his sister. She looks back at you wide eyed, her breath shuttering.
"It's not him."
You look back at the man as he begins his second attempt; you look at him differently. This isn't a man or a person, this is a monster of children's nightmares that came to life.
Stories of child-hood stories, told by the fires with snow outside, the fire crackling with light as you and your brother slept close, you guys were closer when you were kids.
Billy slams into the door, jolting you out of your mind, the lock shakes violently, it won't stay, it will break.
"It can't break right?!" Lucas questions nobody in particular.
Your mind scrimmages through the times when you were lost months ago, survival was the only thing keeping your brain from going insane. It feels similar here.
Survival. It isn't a fight where he'll beat you down and leave you broken and battered. It's a fight where he's out to kill you.
And all of your friends.
"He will." You say, drawing a shaky breath. Their eyes turn to you, peeled open with fear.
You add, "He'll break it." You finish just as Billy smashes into another time; preparing yourself for the next mad dash towards the door.
He screams, like a wild animal and flings himself at the door once more. Slamming his entire body into it, the black pipe connecting to the wall ripping off; some of the foundation coming off with it. He rolls like a combat veteran and stands up with elite quickness in front of the crowd.
El steps forward slightly, her left leg angled towards Billy; in an almost fighting stance almost waiting for Billy to make a move.
She doesn't wait, she picks up one of the benchpress bars with two thirty-five weights on it and flings it towards Billy. It slams against his pecks, a bright red splotch appearing between the bar and his skin. His black veins bulge and bulge, his anger growing worse and worse.
He groans, pushing back against the bar with all the strength he can muster. He screams against the bar, finally throwing it off of himself, flinging it towards Elevens ankles at a perfect trajectory.
She screams in pain and falls to the ground instantly, blood from her nose dripping to the floor as the lights still blink over-head. She leans over her knees, the bar sitting in front of her.
Billy quickly walks up to her grabbing her by her pretty brown hair; he makes her gaze up at him as he smiles, he turns to look at each of you. His eyes resting on Max before he does whatever it is he's about to do.
He chokes her, hard. Her feet leave the ground instantly and her throat swells as she tries to breathe against his hand on her throat. "No!" She screams.
You fling yourself towards Billy, forgetting the Skateboard on the floor next to the door. You scream, the anger from everything leaving your body as you try your hardest to make him stop.
He drops her to the floor, once again she crumbles like a piece of balled up paper. Her legs still obviously not fine after the first attack on her legs.
He elbows you in your back, the skin instantly bruising under his onslaught of attacks. He hits harder and harder every-time; but you don't swing back, just trying to buy time.
It's as if your split between two worlds. The physical plane, feeling the brutal attack of a monster not human. The other being something spiritual; connecting to your emotions.
You feel nothing, nothing, just a deep numbness as he swings his closed fists harder and harder against your back. You can feel the eyes on you, you've never taken a beating like this. Hell you've never even been beaten up by anyone other then Steve.
Scars are cool right?
You groan and fall to the ground as he finishes his last strike against your back. You feel nothing, see nothing. The only thing connecting you to your senses is your ears.
They ring dreadfully loud, ricocheting throughout the emptiness in your head. You can't feel anything.
"Y/N."
A voice calls to you, waking you. It's warm, it reminds you of a summer day. Warm and comforting.
You barely open your eyes, you can feel the pain in your back it feels terrible, something's broken if not completely shattered.
Your still laying down, it hasn't ended. It won't end.
You look around the room, all of the kids are grouped together in a corner as Billy walks menacingly towards Mike.
What happened, why did he stop hitting you, what stopped him from attacking El?
You push yourself up on one arm glancing at Max, her eyes meet yours and their scared. Scared for who. For you?
You push yourself up on two hands, trying to mask your pain and make your way up.
Billy has Mike against the wall, he'll reach in a few seconds and if he hits him any way like he hit you it won't be good.
You scramble to your feet, past the waking El and towards the skateboard resting behind Billy. It must've rolled somehow, Mike must've kicked it backpedaling from Billy.
You swipe it off the ground stepping forward like a NFL quarterback with your dominant right leg, aiming at the back of his legs.
It hits clean and he falls to his left Knee. Unluckily, the skateboard shatters against his leg falling to small wooden pieces all over the floor, leaving the wheels rolling all over the room.
He looks at you, and you can barely even blink before he sends a right hand straight for your jugular.
You can't feel the hit, you can sure as hell feel the lights leave your body though as you undeniably got his fist swung through your face. This time, it doesn't leave you with any ringing.
It doesn't leave you with anything.