We got back to the mall just after the Mindflayer did and we all ran inside before it was too late. We all were standing on the upper level when Lucas and Will started talking.
"The fireworks" Will said and Lucas and him ran off
"What?" I ask and they came back with a ton of fireworks
"Everyone spread out" Lucas yelled and Steve and I grabbed a bunch of the fire works and spaced ourselves out from the rest.
"Flay this you ugly piece of shit!" Lucas yelled before he threw a second firework at the Mindflayer causing him to drop his focus on Eleven. As the creature struggles we continued to throw what we could when we could so the creature wouldn't get a break to focus on Eleven and Billy.
"Hey asshol! Over here!" Steve yelled and threw a firework in the Mindflayers mouth. When it turned back to snarl at us, I lit two and threw them into its mouth and they both popped off and the Mindflayer stumbled. We continued doing this until we started to run out of fireworks.
"We're out of time!" Steve yelled onto the radio to Dustin. We were out of our weapons, and I wasn't sure how much the rest of them had but I knew it wasn't enough to defeat this thing for much longer. I watched as Billy stopped his advance on Eleven. Hearing Dustin continuously yelling for Joyce and Hopper to close the gate.
Before I knew it I looked down to see Billy screaming in front of Eleven as he held one of the creatures worm like limbs, with his hands, stopping it from attacking her. As he continued to slow him down more parts of the Mindflayer attacked Billy and I watched as Max stood in horror watching him die saving us. With the last part stabbing Billy in the chest his body dropped to the ground as the creatures parts has retreated back to his host after killing him.
"Billy!" Max screamed as his body hit the floor and I felt my heart break for her.
I took a step back into Steve as I watched the Mindflayer begin to screech in pain and fling itself towards the railing we were at. Steve pulled me to the ground and the Mindflayer dropped all together and just stopped moving. I felt a tear fall down my face as I watched Max stand over her brothers body and I turned into Steve and hugged him. Crying because I hoped this was all over finally. We made our way downstairs to where the rest of the group was and we all stood in silence at the dead Mindflayer and Max crying.
We heard helicopters and sirens approaching the mall and we waited as Hoppers calvary came and escorted us out of the building. Steve and I walked together as we exited the building, having a medic pull us away due to us looking beaten. We sat in the back of an ambulance and I stood numb as Steve was being bandaged up.
"You're turn" I heard and I looked up to see the medic talking to me
"What?" I said and he pointed to where Steve was sitting so he could patch me up
"No i'm fine." I say getting ready to leave with Steve
"Ma'am? you're not. I can tell at least three of your wounds need to be sutured" He tells me and I lift my finger up to my head and feel all the dried up blood that had built up
"Just sot Hazel" Steve said to me and I sat down where he was.
After I got 4 stitches above my eye, a bandage on my nose, and 3 stitches on the back of my head, and was told I probably have a concussion Steve and I made our way up and gone from the ambulance we were sitting in and we sat on the concrete.
"Holy shit" I whisper at everything that had just happened. I looked over to see half of Steves head wrapped due to the wounds and I let out a laugh
"Whats so funny?" He asked with a smile
"You look like a mummy and I look like frankensteins monster" I say and he lets out a laugh as well. We laugh for a little, me personally feeling bad for laughing at such a time but all this sadness was too much.
"Should we go pick up Dustin and Erica from that hill. There's probably confused as shit right now" I state and Steve nods his head as he takes me hand. We make our way over to an officer and inform him on where my brother is and why and that we need him to drive us there to pick him up and get him and Erica safely here or home.
It has been three months since the battle at starcourt and it has oddly been the calmest three months of my life. I had found out Hopper hadn't made it back from the Russian lab, I felt like I was somewhat to blame since we let him go there. Dustin was safe and Suzie was real. Steve and I are as strong as ever. I had also found out Joyce and her family were leaving with Eleven, to have their fresh start.
"You put your mom down as a reference?" Robin asked from the backseat of Steves car. We were currently job hunting for them since, you know the mall was destroyed. And we were parked outside Family Video hoping they could work here.
"Uh, just to be clear, we weren't fired. The mall burned down and like killed a bunch of people" I heard Robin explain to Keith. I stood back looking through the movies as I hear Steve try to name movies for Keith and I just shake my head wanting to help him, but I know he has to do this himself.
"This is stupid" Steve said as he passed me to walk around
"Oh come on. Even if Robin can't talk to him, theres other places to work." I tell him as I chose two movies
"Well I don't want to keep looking it's so boring" He tells me and I shake my head and walk over to him
"Listen. Harrington. You're not a quitter. If Robin can't talk to Keith, than I'll help you find another job. It's just a video store there is more." I tell him and kiss him
"I should get rejected from jobs more often if it means you kiss me" Steve said with a smile holding a movie in his hands
"Oh yeah?" I say with a laugh kissing him again
"If you purposely get rejected from jobs I won't be kissing you" I tell him as I lean forward like I was gonna kiss him but I pull back and he stumbles
"Oh come on!" He says putting the movie in his mouth following me towards where Robin was. We all turn around to see him knock down the cardboard cutout by the window as he makes a joke to Keith, causing Robin and I to laugh.
"Fine you got the job. Don't pull any shit. I don't need this place being destroyed" Keith tells Steve and he has a huge smile on his face
"Oh hell yeah man!" Steve yelled and held his hand up for a high five and Keith just ate another cheeto.
"Okay we're gonna go before Steve is fired before he even starts" I say after we put down our movies that we planned on renting and getting them scanned out from Keith. We make our way back to the car and we drop Robin off at her house.
"Did you say bye to the Byers?" Steve asked me as we drove down the road
"Yeah earlier today. Cried like a little baby" I said with a laugh trying not to bring the emotions back
"It's okay" Steve said placing his hand on my leg and I reached mine hand out to connect to his. I blink back tears, thinking about how much we had all been through together and the thought of them leaving. Steve lifted our connected hands up to his face and kissed the top of my hand to comfort me and I smiled to him squeezing it.
"I love you" I tell him as I hold his hand tighter
"I love you too" He tells me with a smile
"Hey maybe now we can go on a normal date" I ask and he laughed
"I've been waiting for this moment" He replied and I laughed as we continue driving.
Steve and I had hung out for a few more hours before he dropped me off at my house. I gave him a kiss goodbye as I made my way into my house. Everything was still the same but with all these emotions it felt different. My mom was gone but I saw Dustins bike in the from so I knew he was home.
"Dusty?" I ask knocking lightly on his somewhat open door wanting to check in on him
"Yeah." a faint voice called out from his room and I push the door lightly open to see him cuddled up on his bed with a picture of him and his d&d party dressed for halloween beside him
"How are you?" I ask knowing he was sad
"Not good" he said and I walk over to his bed and he sits up to hug me. He began to cry into my shoulder and I just held him there tightening the hug
"It's okay." I say calmly to him as we hug, quickly wiping the tear off my face. Dustin and Will have been friends pretty much his whole life. I never got to experience friendship like the way he has and I felt my heart break knowing that someone as close to him as Will was moving away.
"He'll he back. And you'll see him I promise" I tell him and he sniffles as he pulls away from the hug
"Yeah I know. I'm just gonna miss him and his stupid bowl cut" Dustin said with a laugh and I laugh with him pulling him to my side
"I'm gonna leave you for a bit" I say to him and stand up
"Wait. Can we watch a movie in your room, like we use to?" Dustin asked quietly and I smiled
"Of course we can" I say and I grab movies from the living room and popcorn
"You can invite Steve if you want" Dustin said as he turned on my tv
"Maybe another time." I tell him, just wanting him to know all my attention is on him. We get ourselves seated and ready to watch a movie.
"Hey can you, uh.. not tell Steve you saw me crying" Dustin said and I laughed at him
"Steve cries all the time" I say and He stares at me in disbelief
"Now pay attention" I tell him throwing popcorn at him so he can focus on the movie. So we can focus on now and not worry about the past few months, even years, or whatever has to come, good or bad. Just focus on our happiness at the moment.
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season three of Stranger things is done for my book,, and lucky us we got a confirmation on season four !! I can't wait !! Love you all and thank you for sticking with this book even though I thought I was done after season 2 but heres to another season 🤪🤪