Chapter Eighteen: Sauna Exorcism

(The Sauna Test, Pt. 3)

***

Alistair's heart was thumping in his chest, so loud he was surprised it hadn't exploded out of his chest.

It was way past closing time, afternoon slipping into night. Only Alistair, Will, Mike, Lucas, Cami, Max and El remained at the pool, along with Billy and Hugin, who joined the Party just before they started the plan. No one else was around and in danger if Billy was activated while they were exorcising the Mind Flayer out of him or at least loosening its control.

It was the perfect time to enact the plan.

Alistair forced himself to breathe, controlling his heart rate. There was no time to panic. Not now.

Especially when, judging by the faint clanging of the locker, loud in the otherwise empty building, the plan was about to start.

It was confirmed when a door suddenly banged, a signal as much as a notice to Billy there were people still here.

Loosing out a breath that had been knotted in his chest, Alistair stood up and crept to the edge of the corner he'd been hiding in, watching as Billy said, "Pool's closed."

The banging sounded again and Billy slammed his locker shut as he yelled, "Hey. Do you hear me? Pool is closed!"

He ran out to the entrance for the men's locker room, and that was Alistair's cue.

He stepped out, ducking in the shadows when Mike's voice rang out, "Billy."

"Who's there?" Billy demanded, turning.

"Billy," Mike sing-songed as Alistair ran forward, knowing he'd been seen out of the corner of Billy's eyes as he again demanded, "Who's there?"

"Billy! Billy!" Mike yelled as Alistair showed himself to Billy, waving and giving a shit-eating grin before running toward the sauna.

"You think this is funny, huh?" Billy demanded, but Alistair could hear Billy following.

"Billy. Come and find us," Mike cajoled as Alistair sprinted for the sauna, Billy right behind him.

"I find you and your buddy, and it's your funerals," Billy threatened, as he came closer to the sauna.

Almost there...

"Come and get us. Come on!" Mike egged, as finally, Alistair rounded the corner and darted into the sauna—jut as Billy arrived.

"Billy!" Mike cried from the walkie, and Alistair waggled his fingers as Billy grinned.

"Got you."

He laughed, clapping his hands as he came closer, Mike saying through the walkie, "Come and get us, you piece of shit."

Billy walked into the sauna, grabbed Alistair—

And his fingers went through him like mist.

Surprise ignited in Billy's eyes as Alistair grinned, flipping Billy the middle finger as he said, "Surprise, motherfucker."

Rage filled Billy's face and he stormed through Alistair, grabbing the CPR dummy as surprise and confusion came through as Mike's voice crackled through the walkie.

"Hey. Behind you."

Billy turned, seeing at the same time Alistair did El standing there.

"Hi," she said.

She jerked her head and Billy was flung back into the wall. Alistair's spirit disappeared, snapping back into his body as Mike banged the door open he, Lucas, Will, Max, Cami, Hugin and Alistair's body had been hiding in, yelling, "Now!"

They ran forward as El closed the door telekinetically just as Billy charged forward. Mike drove the pipe through the handle and Lucas and Alistair wrapped the chains around the handle and pipe, securing it tightly.

"Come on," Mike said hurriedly before it was secured and Lucas yelled, "Got it!"

At that, they joined back with the others, Alistair standing next to Will while El stood in the front of the group as Billy banged his fist on the door, yelling, face contorted in fury. When he saw Max, he calmed down as he breathed, "Max."

Alistair looked to Max as Cami moved closer to her, Max swallowing before she said, "Do it."

Will charged forward, turning the heat up.

The exorcism via sauna had begun.

That incited Billy to yell and rage again, banging his fist on the door again and again. Alistair tried not to flinch, but his heart spiked with every bang, a fear he could shatter the glass filling him every time he banged on the door. The chains rattled, but they and the pipe held, and as steam clouded the glass, Alistair could see sweat glistening on Billy's skin, tangling his ratty hair, saw the panic war with the rage in Billy's face—the panic of the Mind Flayer being trapped in a room with no way to escape the heat. Alistair stayed near Will, hoping to comfort him as he knew how traumatising this must be, their hands brushing. Hugin cawed uneasily, hopping about on Alistair's shoulder, feathers ruffled.

Over time, the temperature was cranked up, inching closer and closer to two hundred and twenty. And closer to the Mind Flayer losing control over Billy.

And yet, there was no sign, as Billy banged on the door again and yelled, "Max! Let me out of here! Let me out!"

Alistair watched as Cami held Max's shoulders, comforting her as Billy glared at them, snarling, "You kids. You think this is funny? You kids think this is some kind of sick prank, huh?"

He spat on the steam-clouded glass as he shouted, "You little shits think this is funny?!"

A microsecond later, confusion twisted Billy's face as he registered the heat flooding the sauna and demanded, "What is this?"

At that, panic flashed across his face before anger came over and he said, "Open the door."

When none of them made a move, Billy slammed the door, so loud and so forcefully, they all jumped, and bellowed, "Open the door! OPEN THE DOOR! Open the goddamned door!"

Billy let out a yell before he slumped down, more yells of anger and pain coming through as he slammed his hand on the floor. Will ran to the temperature controls, looking back at them as he said, "We're at two-twenty."

He rejoined them, standing next to Alistair as they watched the sauna, as the yells were now replaced by sobs and Billy crying, "It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault, Max. I promise you, it's not my fault."

"What's not your fault, Billy?" Max asked as she walked up to the door, as Alistair shared a look with Mike. This sounded like Billy, without the Mind Flayer's claws dug in. That meant it was losing control—that meant this was working.

"I've done things, Max. Really... bad things," Billy sobbed. "I didn't mean to. He made me do it."

"Who made you do it?" Max questioned.

"I don't know, it's like a shadow. Like a giant shadow," Billy answered and Alistair looked at Will, El and Mike. A giant shadow...

That could only be the Mind Flayer.

"Please, Max," Billy pleaded.

"What did he make you do?" Max pressed, her voice quiet.

"It's not my fault, okay? Max, please," Billy begged. "Please, believe me, Max. It's not my fault. I tried to stop him, okay? I did. Please believe me, Max. Please believe me."

Max pressed her hand to the glass, her face contorted as she assured, "Billy, it's gonna be okay."

"Max, please."

"It's gonna be okay. We want to help you. You just have to talk to us, okay? You have to talk to us," Max pleaded, trying to sound like she was trying not to cry.

Alistair's heart gave a sympathetic pang—as much as he loathed Billy, he knew how much pain it would be to see him possessed by the Mind Flayer, as much pain as he went through when Will was possessed.

He looked over to Will, meaning to comfort him—and letting him see Will tense up.

"I believe you, Billy. We'll figure it out together, okay?" Max said, but her voice faded to white noise, Alistair's attention focused on Will as he reached a hand to his neck, turning to Mike and Alistair as he breathed, "I feel him. He's activated."

Alistair's eyes widened.

"Shit," he breathed, turning to look at Max as she begged, "I need you to trust me. Please."

"Max, get away from the door," Mike said as Alistair moved to Max, heart pounding in his chest.

"What?"

"Get away from the door!" Mike bellowed—right before Alistair pulled Max back and Billy's arm slammed through the glass, a shard of ceramic in his hand.

"LET ME OUT, YOU BITCH!" he roared, swinging the shard wildly as Alistair pulled Max behind him, Hugin cawing angrily and feathers ruffled and wings raised to appear bigger, as El stood protectively in front of the others. "LET ME OUT! I'LL FUCKING GUT YOU! LET ME OUT!"

He roared and dropped the shard, grabbing the pipe and pulling it out, trying to get out, and he may have succeeded—if Lucas didn't fire his wrist rocket at Billy.

The rock struck true and Billy fell back into the sauna.

"Max, Al, come on!" he yelled, gesturing.

They didn't need to be told twice, Alistair pulling Max back to the safety of the group, just as the lights began flickering maniacally.

Immediately their little group gathered in a circle, eyeing the lights as Billy grunted and yelled in the sauna. Alistair found himself next to Will and Cami, and his veins burned with cold, his powers trying to reach for anything dead to reanimate, sensing the danger as Hugin croaked uneasily.

They all turned back as Billy let out an inhuman howl and turned back around, and Alistair's eyes widened.

"Holy fuck," he breathed when he saw the dark veins crawling over every inch of Billy's face, the glare in his eyes that was no longer human, but something older, something eldritch.

The Mind Flayer was glaring back at them.

"Mierda," Cami whispered, her eyes wide as she too stared at Billy. If any doubts of him being the host for the Mind Flayer were still lingering, they were gone by now as the creature glared at them through Billy's eyes, hatred and anger in that glare.

Before, with a roar, Billy charged at the door.

It buckled, but held, the chains clanking.

"He can't get out, can he?" Max asked, saucer-wide eyes never leaving the door. as Billy kept charging and charging.

"No way. No way," Lucas rebutted, shaking his head.

Billy charged and the door bucked again, hinges groaning.

"Are so you sure, Lucas?" Cami asked, her voice trembling.

Billy let out another roar and he charged one last time.

And this time, the door gave way.

It crashed down, the chains breaking, as Billy rolled out onto the ground. El pushed them back, Hugin croaking loudly as Alistair tried to keep Will and Cami behind him.

Billy stood up, the Mind Flayer glaring at them, pure hatred from it twisting Billy's face—as he glared mostly at El, who stared him down right back.

El raised a hand, a weightlifting bar following the movement, before with a yell she slammed it in front of Billy, sending him careening into a wall, the bar pressed against his throat as the weights dug into the brick walls. Alistair kept an arm in front of Will and Cami as El focused all her power on keeping that bar pressed against Billy, bricks groaning under its weight and her power, digging into the brick, El grunting with exertion and the effort. And for a moment, Alistair thought she had it.

Until Billy pushed the bar back, getting it further and further away from his body, and he threw it at El.

The psionic girl fell down and shock froze Alistair as Billy marched up to her, grabbing her hair as she screamed.

And then, as he looked at them, he grabbed El by the throat.

Rage erupted in Alistair and he ran at Billy, cold fury in his veins and eyes as he yelled, "Let go of her, you son of a bitch!"

Hugin croaked angrily, raking his talons across Billy's face. He let out a cry of pain as Alistair swung a punch at Billy, connecting with his face, before he grabbed his arm, veins flaring white as he ground his teeth, white light shining. Billy screamed as Alistair's exorcising light reached for the Mind Flayer's darkness, his fingers digging in as the cold built and built in Alistair's veins as black crisscrossed every inch of skin on Billy, as his grip loosened around El's throat.

And maybe it would have worked. If Billy's free hand didn't grab Alistair and tore him off and across the room.

Alistair landed on the floor, hissing in pain, barely avoiding colliding with the wall. He choked out a breath as he made himself get onto his knees, Hugin croaking frantically. Blood dripped from his nose and he rubbed it away as he watched Billy lift El up. Black blood dripped from the scratches Hugin had left behind, as El kicked against Billy, screaming, "No! No! No!"

Fear beat in Alistair's heart and he wanted to save El, he wanted to try again, but Billy could kill him if he tried again, and he watched in horror as El's screams turned into choking gasps, as Will, Lucas, Max and Cami stood there in wide-eyed terror, and Alistair had to get up, it didn't matter if Billy could kill him, he had to save El.

But before he could do anything, Mike slammed the pipe against Billy's back with a battle cry.

The unexpected attack had Billy let go of El and she dropped to the ground. She coughed and Alistair instantly moved to her side, asking, "Are you okay, El?"

El let out a weak cough, as Mike lifted up the pipe and yelled, "Go to hell, you piece of shit!"

He brought the pipe down, but Billy caught it, flinging it away as he stood up, advancing on Mike. And Alistair didn't want to think what could have happened if El hadn't found new strength and caught Billy in a telekinetic hold, moving in front of Mike as the lights buzzed even more frenetically. Blood poured from her nose as she raised a thrashing Billy in the air, grunting with the effort before with a feral cry, she threw him through the brick wall.

Billy crashed through it, landing outside, and Mike caught El and they slid down the wall, Mike holding El as she cried, Alistair staring at her and wanting to comfort her. But they didn't have time to recover as they rushed forward, watching as Billy got to his feet. He turned, running away in the darkness—to wherever the Mind Flayer wanted him to be.

Alistair looked at his friends, knowing for certain what this meant.

Billy was definitely possessed by the Mind Flayer.

And they had to figure out a new plan to get it out and stop the Mind Flayer for good.

***

This was so fun to write!

Yep, Alistair used his astral projection to lure Billy into the sauna, and being iconic at once. And no, I didn't forget Hugin! Our fave undead raven is back :3

I loved writing this so much, the sauna test has to be one of my fave scenes (also, can you talk about how GOOD the scene where the Mind Flayer took control of Billy was? Like, the tension, the acting... it was so freaking good!!) And I LOVED writing Lucas take down Billy with that slingshot—I was so proud po my boy protecting Max :3

Another reason I loved this was showing Alistair being VERY protective of his friends, especially with Max in pulling her away and with El in trying to stop Billy! Especially with how Billy choked El, because I get why they would be scared, but Alistair's just like his sister when he sees his friends in danger, so it wouldn't make sense for him to stay on the sidelines (also, loved Mike in this scene jumping in and slamming that pipe into Billy! We love to see it!)

But we're now halfway through s3! And I'm literally so excited for the latter half, especially the last episode... >:)

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!