Eleven brushed her teeth in Max's bathroom. Rain poured loudly as thunder roared.

"I'm sorry, I did not quite catch your name"
"1893, please hurry El... I'm sorry" Billy's and Delilah's voice rang through her head as she stopped. Memories and flashbacks of everything that has happened in the past 24 hours flowed through her mind.

Billy and Delilah seeing El in the void

"What happened" Max asked as El found the bloody whistle

El in the void, finding Heather in the tub full of ice. Trying to save her

El seeing Amara in another tub of ice as Delilah sunk her in

"Which one?" Max asked as she showed the brunette two comics, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman.

"I don't know" Eleven whispered while she climbed in bed with Max. The redhead noticed her discomfort with everything that had happened

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about anymore, ok" Max reassured but El still wasn't sure that was the truth

"It doesn't make sense" she muttered

"What doesn't make sense?" Max questioned

"Heather, Amara, the blood, the ice"

"Heather and Amara had a fever, so they took a cold bath, but they're better now. That has to be it. I don't know where that blood came from, but... we saw her, we both saw her. She's totally fine." Max sounded like she was trying to convince herself that her brother and the girl she used to like weren't bad people

"What about Billy and Delilah"

"What about them" Max furrowed her eyebrows in confusion

"They seemed wrong."

"Wrong is kind of like Billy's default and I don't know about Delilah but she was just making new friends. But it's nice to know they're not murderers, because that would've totally sucked" Max lightly chuckled as El gave her a little smile, still unsure about the subject. She turned her head towards the comic book on the bed

"Who... is that" She asked as she pointed to the Wonder Woman comic book

"See, this is why you can't just hang out with Mike all the time, this is Wonder Woman, AKA Princess Diana. She's from paradise Island, which is like this hidden island where there are only women Amazon warriors." Max continued on to talk about Wonder Woman and read the comic with Eleven

"Do you copy, this is a code red. I repeat, this is a code red. Max, do you copy.
This. Is. A. Code. Red. Lucas's voice could be heard from Max's walkie. Max groaned and picked it up from the floor.

"Shut. Up" she yelled before slamming the antenna down and went back to sleep, or at least she tried

"She turned it off" Lucas scoffed in disbelief as he stared at Mike. The raven haired boy looked towards the phone on the wall

"You've got to be kidding me" The phone on Max's dresser rang. She groaned and got up, ready to yell and tell off the boys.

"I'm sleeping. Go away." She prepared to put the phone back onto its holder till she heard a voice.

"This is Mike, Do NOT hang up, something happened, something bad. Our very lives can be at stake." Worry could be heard in the boy's voice.

"What are you talking about."

"Just come over to my house, we'll explain everything." Mike said

"What"

"Hurry" Mike said before he put the phone back on the wall. He turned back to the two boys on the couch

"Try the twins again" he told Lucas

"They're both not answering"

"So, try them again" Mike said in a stern voice. Lucas sighed and try to get Delilah and Dustin to answer

"Dustin, Delilah, do you copy? I repeat, this is a code red."

Delilah sat in her bathtub. Of course it was full of ice, like it always was these past few days. Her now dead cold eyes stared at the white ceiling as her head rested on the edge of the tub.

Delilah lifted her left hand from out of the water and stared at her scarred hand. A deep and dark line ran across her palm. The cut she had gained a year prior. How the Mindflayer took more control over her. She then turned her arm to see black veins covering her arm, like an infection.

She waited a few minutes to get used to the cold then sunk in. She closed her eyes, feared that water would seep in and blind her. Until she felt her surroundings change.

She opened her eyes to see a black void. There was nothing but ankle high water at her feet.

"Hello" she said muttered groggily. She had not slept properly in other past few days and it was taking a major effect on her.

"HELLO, IS ANYONE HERE" Delilah yelled as she wandered around aimlessly.
Until she turned around and met the gaze of a boy.

"Hello Delilah" he smirked while tilting his head, like he was trying to figure the girl out. Delilah noticed that he had a British accent.

"W-who are you" Delilah asked. She noticed he had dark circles under his eyes. Both of them did

"Exactly Delilah, who am I? Who do you think I am" Delilah looked at him confused.

"Cmon Delilah you're a smart girl, THINK, who am I" The boy walked closer until he was right in front of the girl. Delilah glared until something clicked in her mind

"No" Delilah shook her head in disbelief. She didn't want to believe it. How could it be here.

It was only a shadow, nothing more

"That's right Delilah, I'm exactly who you think I am" The smirked as tears streamed down Delilah's face as she stared in horror.

"That keycard opens the door, but unfortunately, the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun. Whatever's in this room, whatever's in those boxes, they really don't want anybody finding it." Dustin explained to Steve and Robin what he had saw on the roof earlier this morning. Alex was not present, he explained to the three that he had to find Delilah.

"There's gotta be a way in." Robin said as she shook her head. Steve blew into his hat before dropping it on the table

"Well, you know... I could just take him out." Steve said way to confidently

"Take who out?" Robin made the mistake of asking

"The Russian guard. What, I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard, it's easy" Steve explained his horrible plan

"Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" Dustin said as he crossed his arms and stared at Steve

"Yes, Dustin, I did. And that's why I would be sneaking." Steve took his two fingers and made a walking action.

"Well please, tell me this and be honest, have you ever actually... won a fight?" Dustin asked

Ok, that was one time-" Steve referred to to the time he was beat the shit out of Billy Hargrove.

"Twice, Jonathan, year prior"

"Listen, that doesn't count" Steve disagreed as Robin stared boringly at them both as they fought for like what felt the 100th time

"Why wouldn't it, because it looked like he beat the shit out of you." Robin lightly laughed before her gaze fell on the vents in the back room.

"That just might work" she muttered before she rushed out of her seat and left the room. She grabbed the money from the tip jar and ran out of Scoops Ahoy with her bag

"Robin, hey Robin! Hey what- what are you doing" Steve asked

"I need cash" Robin explained

"Well half of that's mine. Where're you going"

"To find us a way into that room, a safe way. And in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up. I'll be back in a jiff." She explained before sprinting away. Steve turned towards Dustin who was licking ice cream from his scooper

"Oh, dude, come on man, not my scooper"

"I didn't think it was anything at first. I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it" the kids stood around Will as he explained to them why he thought, no knew the MindFlayer was back to haunt them.

"The first time I felt it was at the Day of the Dead." Will told them.

"Power went out that night, too" Mike interrupted

"And then I felt it again at the field near Nelson farm the next day. Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers." Will continued to list all the time and places he felt the Mindflayer

"What does it feel like?" Max asked

It's almost like... you know when you drop on roller coaster?" He asked

"Sure"
"Yeah"
"No"

"It's like... everything inside your body, is just sinking all at once, but this is worse. Your body... it goes cold and- and you can't breathe" El stared in horror as Will described the feeling

"I've felt it before, whenever he was close."

"Whenever who was close?" Max asked

"The Mind Flayer" Will muttered

"I closed the gate" Eleven whispered in reassurance

"I know, but... what if he never left. What if we locked him out her with us?" Will said as him and Eleven stared at each other

Will grabbed a piece of black chalk and a paper. He roughly drew an "outline" of the infesting shadow.

"This is him, all of him. But that day on the field, a part of him attached itself to me" Will swiped his hand across the paper. Black chalk collected on his hand.

"My mom got it out of me and Eleven closed the gate." He turned the paper over in a quick swift

"But the part that was still in me, what if it's still in our world? In Hawkins" Will slapped his hand onto the paper, the chalk residue staining the paper.

"I don't understand, the Demodogs died when El closed the gate. If the brain dies, the body dies" Max said

We can't take any chances, we need to assume the worst. The Mindflayer's back" Mike interrupted

"Yeah, and if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again, a new me" Will explained

"A new host" Lucas cut in

"How can you tell if someone is a host?" El asked before a knock was heard at the door

Mike rushed to the door and opened it to see a really worried Alex Ramirez

"Juro por Dios si está muerta, voy a-" Alex muttered in spanish before Mike cut him off

"Alex what are you doing here" The raven haired boy asked

"Have you seen Delilah in the past couple of days" the Cuban boy asked

"No why" Mike stared in confusion

"Shit, um, ok if you see her can you please tell me or just make sure she's ok for me" Alex asked

"Why does it matter" Mike asked annoyed

"Look Mike, I don't know if Delilah told you, but she is in serious danger and if I don't find her I'm worried something very bad will happen to her" Alex said sternly. Mike's eyes widen before he turned around to look at the others and looked back at Alex

"Come in"

Delilah stared at the boy as he stared back. It was like a they were having a staring contest.

"You know obviously this isn't my original form, you of course know that, don't you Delilah. This is a boy, that I've managed to taken complete control of" Delilah shook her head, her tears had dried, creating white salty residue on her pale face.

"B-but I've never seen this boy, ever"

"Well that's because he's not from Hawkins. Somewhere in California. I'm not gonna tell you of course. But why would it matter, I'll have complete control over you soon like I have with him. You won't be able to think for yourself" The boys lips twitched upward as he gazed at Delilah's terror-stricken face

All of a sudden the boy stumbled. He fell into Delilah as she catched him and held him tight.

"Please, please stop him, whatever you do, don't let him win" the boy muttered before he vanished and turned to water vapour

"NO, NO, NO PLEASE, COME BACK" Delilah screamed and shouted as she hit the water over and over again before she "woke" up

Delilah gasped as she quickly lifted her self up from the ice cold water. She breathed heavily as she cried, her tears mixing with the fresh water on her cheeks.

"It is fascinating what 20 bucks will get you at the County Recorder's Office. Starcourt Mall, the complete blueprints" Robin later down the map of Starcourt Mall onto the table.

"Not bad"

"So, this is us, Scoops, and this is where we want to get" Robin pointed to a spot on the blueprint and to another one a bit further.

"I mean, I don't really see a way in" Steve said while he eyed the map

"There's not, if you're talking exclusively about doors" Robin removed the map on top to reveal a more detailed map.

"Air ducts" Dustin realized what Robin was blabbering about

"Exactly, turns out, this secret room needs air just like any old room and these air ducts... lead all the way... here" Robin took the market from the white board and drew a line connecting the room they were in to the secret they needed to get to and circled it.

Steve took off the grille that was covering the air duct in the room.

"Flashlight, thank you" he muttered with the screw driver in his mouth. Dustin handed him the said flashlight and Steve shined it into the air ducts.

"Ya, I don't know man. I don't know if you can fit in there. It's like... super tight." Steve said

"I'll fit, trust me, no collar bones, remember" Dustin reminded him of his condition he had

Uh, excuse me?" Robin said confused as Steve jumped down from the ladder and Dustin climbed up

"Oh, he's Uh... yeh he's got some disease, Chry, uh... it's chrydo, um something. Yeah I dunno. He's missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo" Steve horribly explained

"You mean Gumby" Robin corrected

"I'm pretty sure it's Gumbo" Steve said confidently before Dustin interrupted them both.

"Steve just shut up and push me" he yelled, his voice echoing in the vents.

"Ok, I'll push ya" the two began to argue as Steve tried to push him into the air duct.

A faint ringing was heard from behind Robin. She turned around to see Erica Sinclair at the counter

"Ahoy, sailors. All hands on deck, ahoy" she annoyingly shouted as she dance a salute and kept ringing the bell

Robin smiled, think of a great idea.

"I don't know, he looks pretty normal to me" Max said as the party, including Alex spyed on Billy after Eleven told them that she was suspicious of him and Delilah.

"Normal? How many times have you see him with a shirt on" Lucas said

"I mean, it's a little weird."

"More than a little, he was in a tub with ice. The Mind Flayer likes it cold. Plus everything else" the kids stayed in silence as they continued to stare at Billy

"El, did you see Delilah in a bathtub full of ice" Will asked the girl who had stayed silent. The girl shook her head

"No but I saw her, in the void. She was putting another girl in a tub of ice. Her name was Amara" Eleven muttered

"Amara Jackson from chemistry" Mike said as he stared in confusion

"I think"

"They were also hanging out with the Fallian twins from English but I think it was way more than a sleepover" Max inputed as she handed Lucas the binoculars.

"What about you Alex, she tell you anything. She ever took a bath with ice" Mike asked

"Well, she told me everything that has happened in the past two years. She also told me that she thinks the Mindflayer is trying to take control of her or already has taken control. She DID try to take a ice bath multiple times but I stopped her before she could" Alex explained as he sighed. Everyone groaned realizing their friend was in serious danger.

"But she hasn't done anything suspicious and Billy's lounging at the pool, which is like the least Mindflayer thing ever." Max was really trying to convince herself that the two most important people in her life weren't in serious danger but despite inside she knew what they were saying was true.

"Not necessarily" Will cut in, everyone turning to him

"The Mindflayer likes to hide, he only used me when he needed me. It's like... like your dormant. And then, when he needs you, you're activated" Will explained

"Ok, so we just, wait till they both get activated"

"No. What if they hurt someone?" Mike disagreed with Max.

"Or kills someone" Will added

"We can't take that chance, we need to find out if they're the host, but we need to find Delilah" Mike stated

"Well that'll be easy" Alex said as he stared at Billy's lifeguard post. The party turned towards him in confusion.

"How" they all asked in perfect unison.

"Cause she's right there" Alex pointed towards where Billy sat. Delilah could be seen in a plain tank top and shorts. It looked like she was talking to Billy about something as Billy looked down towards her.

"Well, shit"

Delilah twisted and played with her Ruby ring as she waited for Billy to come out of the shower so they could go back.

A clanging noise could be heard. Billy and Delilah made eye contact. She tilted her head giving him a signal to kick whoever was there out

"Pools closed" Billy yelled before continuing to put on his clothes. The clanging continued as metal scraping was added

"Hey, do you hear me, pool is closed!" Billy yelled as he sped walked to the exit of the locker room. Delilah followed swiftly behind. Looking as mad as the young adult

"Billy" a voice sang through out the locker room

"Who's there" Delilah demanded

"Delilah" the voice taunted

"Who's there" Delilah taunted back in the same song-songy voice. The girl turned towards Billy and signalled him to leave, reassuring that she could handle this. Billy nodded before leaving through a different exit.

Laughter echoed throughout the locker room as Delilah inched closer towards the scourge of the voice.

"Delilah, Delilah" the voice continued to taunt the girl.

"You think this is funny huh" Delilah muttered

"Delilah, come and find me"

"I find you, it is your funeral" Delilah threatened as she continued to search for the person messing with her.

"Come and get me. Come on!" The voice encouraged. Delilah barged into the weight room that was connected to the sauna. She saw what she thought was person in the said room.

"Got you" she whispered as she laughed and stalked towards the CPR dummy.

"Come and get me you piece of shit" Delilah opened the door door to see the dummy, she walked further in and held the dummy in a choke hold.

"Hey, behind you" Delilah dropped the dummy and turned around to see Eleven. She prepared to go towards her but she was flung back and she hit the wall.

"Now" the rest of the kids came out of their hiding spot and locked locked Delilah in the sauna. Delilah slammed at the door as they all stared and gawked at her liked she was a wild animal.

"Alex" she whispered. Everyone turned towards Alex as him and Delilah stared at each other

"Do it" Alex said as he held her gaze with his girlfriend. Will ran forward and put the temperature to the highest heat.

"ALEX, LET ME OUT OF HERE" Delilah's voice echoed as she slammed her body against the door.

"Let me out"

"You guys... you think this is funny" Delilah's voice got deeper as she talked

" you guys think this is some kind of sick prank, huh?"

"What is this, open the door. OPEN THE DOOR. OPEN THE DOOR, OPEN THE GODDAMN" The kids jumped back in surprise at Delilah's shout. She fell to the ground and yelled like a toddler having a tantrum. Will ran to the thermostat to see it was at the maximum temperature

"We're at 220" he informed the others. Sobs were heard from the teen. The kids furrowed their eyebrows as she silently cried

"It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault Mike." This time everyone looked at Mike as he slowly walked forwards towards the door.

"I promise you, it's not my fault." She cried as she sat on the floor.

"What's not your fault Delilah." Mike asked as he stared at the girl through the small door window

"I've done things Mike. Really... bad things. I didn't mean too" Delilah cried as her tears mixed with her sweat.

"He made me do it" Delilah whispered, as if she spoke louder she would get into serious trouble.

"Who made you do it" Delilah shook her head at Mike's words

"He's like a shadow" she said, the others stared at each other.

"Like a giant shadow. Please Mike" she begged

"What did he make you do Delilah" Mike made the mistake of asking.

"It's not my fault, ok, Mike please. Please believe me Mike. It's not my fault. I tried to stop him ok. I did. But he has other people, H-he took control of other people." The kids perked up at her last sentence.

"Who did he take control over" Mike whispered, a single tear rolled down his face as he watched the girl he used to love fall into a million pieces.

"I-I don't know. Billy, Amara, H-Heather, h-he took control of someone else. In California, he took control over a boy in California" Delilah said as she sobbed on the floor. The party all looked at each other shocked.

"Please believe me Mike" Unbeknownst to the others, Delilah had grabbed a tile shard that had fell of the wall.

"I feel him, she's activated" Will muttered as he touched his neck and stared at Alex

"Mike, get away from the door." Alex muttered as he kept eye contact with Will.

"What"

"GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR" Alex yelled just before Delilah smashed the window apart

"Shit!" Mike yelled as he moved away from the window

"Let me out you little shit, let me out, I'll fucking gut you" Delilah screamed while she stook her head out the now broken window. She removed the pole from the door.

Lucas quickly put a rock in his slingshot and shot it, hitting Delilah directly in her forehead. Mike quickly ran back to the group before the lights started to flicker. Delilah groaned as she slowly stood up, feeling the Mindflayer taking over her.

The kids all looked around in confusion as the lights flickered. Delilah roared, a deeper and more menacing voice could be heard at the back of her throat.

She began to slam her body against the door, the pole that was protecting them and confining her, threatening her and their safety.

"She can't get out, can she"

"No way, no. way." Delilah continued to smash against the door as she roared. She hit the door one more time and she was free. The kids back as as she slowly stood up. Her gaze met Eleven's. Eleven picked up a weight from the wall and threw it at Delilah. She then held her in a choke hold, the weight keeping her against the wall.

Alex stared in horror and watched as his girlfriend was being choked. He noticed the black veins that covered her body.

Delilah slowly pushed the weight away from her neck as Eleven screamed, blood dripping from her nose. Delilah threw the weight at the girl, knocking her down in the process. She grabbed Eleven by her ponytail and lifted her up.

Delilah looked towards the party and stared directly at Alex before she started to choke the brunette in her arms. Eleven gasped for air as she coughed, her face going red as she was lifted up into the air.

"No! No, no" El struggled against Delilah's strong grip. Her eyes began to roll in the back of her head, about to pass out.

Mike sneaked pass her and hit Delilah across the head with a pole. Delilah dropped El to the ground and turned towards Mike.

Before she could do anything, she was stopped. She was now suspended in mid-air. Both her and El screamed and yelled as El used her remaining energy to get her away from Mike.

She then threw Delilah out the small brick building. El fell against Mike as he caught her. They both sank to floor as the subject cried. Mike helped her stand up as they walked to the hole that way made. The six kids stared as Billy, who was hiding had put Delilah on to his back and ran away

We'll meet again

"The girl, was it her" Amara asked as she cleaned Delilah's wounds.

"Yeah, it was her. She knows now, she knows about me" Delilah muttered. She grabbed Amara's hand as she reached to wipe away blood from her cheek.

"She could've killed me"

"Yes, but not us. Not us" the two stared at all the Hawkins residents they had flayed and The Mindflayer at the end of the line.

We'll meet again

Don't know where

Don't know when

But I know we'll meet again

Some sunny day

Keep smiling through

... drive the dark clouds far away

Y'all this took FOREVER YALL better eat this up I swear to god

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘆

You guys I can't stop adding characters someone pls stop me 😔

Also can you guys pls go report @/charliesstars she copied the book monsters by @-buzzbuzz and has gained over 100k reads for it pls I beg of you go report her and the book.

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