"Yeah, cousin!" Jude yelled when El flipped the car, taking out the russians in the middle of the food court. They ran down the stairs.

"Judith!" Dustin yelled as he hugged him. "Still with your crop tops?"

"Only thing keeping me from killing myself." Jude joked as Mike and El hugged him next.

"You flung that thing like a Hot Wheels!" Dustin pulled away from his hug on El and Mike.

Lucas then found Erica. "What are you doing here?"

"Ask them. It's their fault." Erica threw a thumb toward Robin and Steve.

"True, yeah. Totally true. It's absolutely our fault." Steve nodded with his hands on his hips.

"I don't understand what happened to that car?" Robin spoke up, looking back at the, now crashed, red convertible.

"My cousins kind of a badass." Jude said confidently. "She's gets it from me. Not to brag."

"You failed." Max nodded.

"El has superpowers." Dustin threw a thumb her way.

"I'm sorry?" Robin looked in disbelief.

"Superpowers . She threw it with her mind. Come on, catch up." Steve rolled his eyes at her.

"That's El?" Erica gapped.

"Who's El?" Robin spoke up.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Nancy questioned the new girl.

"I'm Robin. I work with Steve." she nodded her way.

"She cracked the top secret code." Dustin grinned, slapping Lucas. Mike and Jude shared a look.

"Which is how we found out about the Russians." Steve slapped Robins shoulder slightly.

"Russians? Wait, what Russians?" Jonathan gave an alarming look.

"The Russians!" Steve yelled, motioning toward the car.

"Those were Russians?" Max gapped.

"Some of them." Erica nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas gave a wide eyed look down to his sister.

"Who is this kid?" Steve motioned toward Corey.

"We've met!" Corey gave him a crazy look.

"Why are you glowing?" Dustin pinched Jude's cheek. "Did you get a girlfriend?"

"Dustin!" Jude shoved his hands off, his shoulder touching Mikes.

"Didn't you hear our code red?" Dustin looked toward Mike.

"Yeah. I couldn't understand what you were saying." Mike huffed with wide eyes.

"Goddam low battery." Dustin sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you with the low battery?" Steve yelled over in Dustin's direction.

"Well, everything worked out, didn't it, Steve?" Dustin rolled his eyes.

"Worked out? We almost died!" Erica gave him a look of disbelief.

"Yeah, but we didn't, did we?" Dustin gave a point her way.

Corey was too busy being over whelmed by all the action around him, not feeling El slip away from his arms.

A thump had made them realize she was gone, fallen over a few feet away. Jude hurried over. "El."

They rushed to her side, Jude looked down at her in worry. "What is it? What?"

"My leg." she cried softly.

"Her leg, her leg. Okay." Jonathan nodded, rolling up El's pant leg.

"Oh." Jude's voice came out high at the sight of the wound, passing out.

"Jude!" Mike shook his away.

El let out a loud, painful yell, moving uncomfortably, waking Jude up as he blinked in shock. Mike him up right, clasping his hand over his eyes as his back was to his chest. "There's something in there."

"Jesus christ." Dustin gapped.

"What's happening?" Jude called from being Mikes hand. "I can't see!"

"Yeah, you don't want to." Corey squeezed El's hand. "It's gonna be okay, El."

"Keep her talking. Keep her awake, okay?" Jonathan spoke quickly as he hurried away.

"Wanna sing?" Corey cleared his throat. "We're talking away, I don't know what. Im to say i'll say if anyways. Todays another day to find you shying away. I'll be coming for your love, okay?"

"Take on meeee." Jude sung from behind Mikes hand, changing his tone. "Take on me."

Jonathan ran back over, a knife, a wooden spoon, and gloves already on his hands. "Okay. All right. El? This is gonna hurt like hell, okay?"

"Okay." El sobbed, Corey held onto her tightly.

"Need you to stay real still. Here, you're gonna want to bite down on this, okay?." Jonathan nodded, passing her the wooden spoon while Mike held onto Jude's face tighter.

"Don't let him go." Corey gave an alarming look to Mike.

"Holy shit. Holy shit." Dustin ranted as Jonathan rose the knife.

"Do it." Mike insisted.

Jonathan took a deep breath, cutting into the wound as El threw her head back in pain, crying and screaming from behind the spoon. Jude shoved Mikes hand away, not focused on the wound as he grabbed El's hand.

Another yell left her lips as Jonathan dug his hand into the wound, searching for the moving creature buried in El's leg.

"No! Stop it! Stop! Stop!" El yelled loudly, dropping the spoon from her mouth. Nancy hit Jonathan's shoulder quickly as he retreated his hands. "I can do it."

"I-" Jude got lightheaded.

"Okay." Mike put his hand over his eyes again, Corey rubbed El's back.

Mike and Lucas put a hand on her shoulders for support, El holding her hand out toward her leg, whimpering and yelling all at once as her leg moved in odd directions and ways. El began to scream, the traveling movement in her legs getting closer and closer to the open wound.

The glass behind them shattered everywhere. El removed the part of the Mind Flayer out of her leg, yelling as she held it mid air before chunking it across the room. She fell back as Corey caught her, Mike let Jude's face go. Looking over, the thing began to try and move away before the foot of Jim Hopper smooshed it.

"Mike." Jude spoke up when he got sight of El's wound. "I'm gonna-"

He passed out, Mike rolled his eyes as he caught him. Corey looked in disbelief. "This is the tough guy that kills ladies?"

•

kylie speaks

not just two chapters left
till may:(