He was back. Will said he was back. He was back. It repeated in Cassies head over and over as Mike tried to get ahold of the girls, resulting in Cassie pacing around slightly. Lucas' eyes followed her every move as she went back and forth. "Come sit, Cass."

She did, just as the girls showed up and they all crowded together around Mikes basement.

"I didn't think it was anything, at first. I mean, I think I didn't want to believe it." Will began to explain, sitting high on his chair, "The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead."

"Power went out that night, too." Mike spoke up with a nod toward Will. Cassie looked between the two, Lucas rubbed her back slightly.

"And then I felt it again at the field near the Nelsons farm the next day." Will went on, twisting his fingers as he spoke, "Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers."

"What does it feel like?" Max asked him between a mix of curiosity and not wanting to know.

"It's almost like... you know when you drop on a roller coaster?" Will asked the party.

"Sure." Mike agree.

"Yeah." Max right after.

"The heart rushing feeling of all your insides shouting to fly from your mouth?" Cassie nodded her head.

"No." El admits.

Wills looked at her. "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. I've felt it before, whenever he was close."

"Whenever who was close?" Max asked.

"The Mindflayer." Will admited.

Cassie rubbed El's back when she spoke, "I closed the gate."

"I know, but... what if he never left? What if we locked him out here with us?" Will looked over at her with fear and worry dancing within his hazel eyes, "Do you still have your notebook, Cassie?"

"Yeah, it's r-" she started, reaching into her pockets. She panicked when finding them empty, looking around.

"I have some." Mike grabbed a paper and pencil as Cassie continued to look around everywhere she sat.

They watched as he made a large scribble on the paper, "This is him. All of him. But, that day on the field, apart of hm attached itself to me."

Will rubbed his hand across the mindflayer drawing, the black left over color spreading across his palm, "My mom got it out of me and Eleven closed the gate. But the part that was still in me, what if it's still in our world?"

Will flipped the paper, slapping his palm down on the clean side to make a black smudge, "In Hawkins."

"I don't understand. The Demodogs died when El closed the gate." Max looked up from the paper, "If the brain dies, the body dies."

"We can't take any chances." Mike looked her way, "We need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayers back."

"Mind Flayers back." Cassie confirmed, her voice shooting up three octaves and taking a deep breath.

"Yeah. And if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again. A new me."
Will looked around at each of them.

"A new host." Lucas confirmed.

"How can you tell if someone's a host?" El spoke up.

"I don't know. He looks pretty normal to me." Max lowered the binoculars.

"Normal? How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?" Lucas gave a look of disbelief.

"I guess it's a little weird." Max admitted.

"More then a little." Mike cut in, "He was in a tub with ice. The Mind Flayer likes it cold. Plus everything El saw."

"But he's lounging at the pool, which is, like, the least Mind Flayer thing ever." Max explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Maybe Billy needed to feel the heat of the summer rays piercing his skin, welcoming sunlight into his dark soul once and for all." Cassie leaned on the fence, her cheek smooshed into her hand. "Yeah?"

"Sure." Lucas agreed.

"Not necessarily." Will spoke up. "The Mind Flayer 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."

"Okay, so we just...wait until he gets activated." Max nodded in confirmation as she stared over at Billy.

"No. What if he hurts someone?" Mike spoke up.

"Or kills someone." Will added.

"We can't take that chance." Mike agreed, looking back at Billy, "We need to find out if he's the host."

Cassie looked when Lucas was yanked away. Max gapped in disbelief. "Where are you going?"

"I have an idea. Boys only." Mike called as Lucas and Will trailed behind him.

"Seriously!" Max yelled.

"Just trust me!" Mike begged.

Cassie smiled, El looked oddly. "Happy?"

"They treated me like a girl." her face lit up.

El tilted her head, Billy's body crashing back into the sauna room wall. Cassie backed up with wide eyes.

"Now!" Mike yelled as El slammed the door shut, him and Will putting a broken pipe on the handle to avoid him getting out. Cassie held an arm infront of Lucas as Billy hit the door, yelling and grunting as he did so.

Billy spoke, "Max."

Their eyes all turned her way, the redhead hesitated a second, "Do it."

"Max! Let me out of here!" Billy yelled as Will turned the sauna heat up. Cassies plan on protecting Lucas went out the window, ending up hiding behind him instead. El held her arm out to keep the group behind her.

"You kids, you think this is funny? You kids think this is some kind of sick prank, huh?" Billy asked through the glass, spitting on it, "You little shits think this is funny? What is this? Open the door. Open the door!"

He made them all jump slightly, repeating himself over and over again to open the door.

Billy yelled out loudly as Will called out, "We're at 220."

Sobbing echoed from inside, "It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault, Max. I promise you, it's not my fault."

Max slowly approached, Lucas looked back at Cassie as she looked scared for Max.

"What's not your fault, Billy?" she asked, peering through the foggy window.

"I've done things, Max. Really...bad things. I didn't mean to." Billy cried from within the smaller, heated room. The group behind Max slowly approached as well with their own looks of fear and panic, "He made me do it."

"Who made you do it?" Max asked, voice small and gentle.

"I don't know, it was like a shadow." Billy spoke. El looked back at Will, Cassie followed and noticed the fear. She pulled Will to be behind her while she stayed behind Lucas, "Like a giant shadow. Please, Max."

"What did he make you do?" she asked him.

"It's nod my fault, okay? Max, please." Billy begged, crying and yelling at the same time, "Please believe me. It's not my fault. I tried to stop him, I did. Please believe me, Max."

Max began to cry as she put a hand to the glass, "Billy, it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay. We want to help you. You just have to talk to us, okay?"

"I feel him." Will mumbled, his hand coming up to the back of his neck, "He's activated."

Mike looked forward, "Max, get away from the door."

"What?" she turned back.

"Get away from the door!" Mike yelled, Billy hitting the window as glass flew everywhere. Cassie backed away, close to the wall.

"Let me out, you bitch! I'll fucking gut you!" Billy yelled, looking directly at Max, reaching down and yanking the pipe from the handle. Lucas grabbed Max, El quickly pushing her behind him.

Lucas looked back for Cassie, panicking when she wasn't there. "Cassie!"

She was pushed into the wall, inhaling as a lump was in her throat. He made sure El had Max, running to grab her hand and keep her behind him, but still close to the group.

The lights blinked above the huddled up group. Billy let out an animal like roar from inside the sauna, making them all look back his way. El threw a arm out infront of everyone as Max shook her head, "He can't get out, can he?"

"No way." Lucas shook his head.

Billy threw his body against the door a few times before knocking it down harshly, stumbling out onto the ground. The party all yelled in fear and backed up quickly. The boy stood up, facing El.  The weight from the bar picking up caught his attention, looking over to see El using her powers to lift it before yelling out, throwing it Billys way and knocking him backwards. Mike backed them all up close to the wall.

El breathed heavy, using her out reached hand to hold Billy against the wall with the weight. El screamed loudly as Billy pushed against it, having it move a few inches before he threw it harshly. El ducked down immediately, Billy had a hold of her head before she had the chance to recovered, yanking her backwards to stare at her face.

"El!" Cassie yelled in a panic.

"Go to hell , you piece of shit!" Mike yelled, hitting Billy with a metal pole when he came up behind him.

Cassie was quick to grab El and pull her to her feet when Billy grabbed the pole from Mike.

El lifted Billy off the ground before he had the chance to get near Mike. Cassie pulled him back in the group, Lucas had her behind him once she collected Mike. Billy yelled out as El cried, holding him up and getting higher and higher. She made a circle around the room. El and Billy screamed at the same time before her hands yanked to the side, throwing the Hargrove boy out of the side of the brick wall. Mike ran forward to catch El, Max close after.

"You okay?" Lucas looked back at Cassie with a deep inhale.

She swallowed hard. "It wasn't suppose to come back again."

"Woods." El spoke, behind the blind fold in Mikes basement.

"Woods?" Lucas questioned.

"He's with...Wills mom." El confirmed slowly.

Will gave an odd look. "My- my mom?"

"What are they doing?" Max asked her with an odd look.

"Ill....annoy." El spoke, earning odd looks.

"Like, she's so ill that she's suffering, withering in pain and sickness?" Cassie blinked.

"They're going to ill annoy." El explained.

"Mike! Breakfast!" Karen yelled from the other side of the door, hitting it.

"Not now, Mom!" Mike yelled over his shoulder before facing El again. "Illinois? Like the state?"

El pulled the blind fold off with a innocent shrug. "Ill-annoy."

•

kylie speaks

what makes me happy is
knowing when this book
ends, we'll only have to
wait a few weeks for season
four comes out vs my other
books that haven't been
updated for almost three
years