"The Mind Flayer, it built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, to kill her and pave a way into our world." Mike explained, the group huddled around the fountain in the middle of Star Court. Jude leaned on his shoulder, sipping a smoothie Robin stole for him so he wouldn't pass out again.

"And it almost did. That was just one tiny piece of it." Nancy spoke alongside her brother.

"How big is this thing?" Hopper looked at the teens in questioning.

"It's big." Jonathan nodded his head. "Thirty feet, at least."

"Yeah. It sorta destroyed your cabin." Lucas frowned over at Hopper, an apologetic look across his face. "Sorry."

Corey wrapped his arm around El, meeting Mikes eye as they gave a nod.

"Okay, so, just to be clear, this big fleshy spider thing that hurt El, it's some kind of gigantic...weapon?" Steve gave an odd, questionable look.

"Yes." Nancy nodded.

"But instead of, like, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon... with melted people." Steve confirmed, the odd tone in his words still there.

"Exactly." Nancy agreed.

"Yeah, okay. Yeah, i'm just making sure." Steve nodded his head in confirmation.

"I feel you." Jude hummed in his disbelief. "Gotta get the statistics right."

"Are we sure this thing is still out there, still alive?" Joyce asked, confusion across her face with deeply frowned eyebrows.

"El beat the shit out of it, but, yeah, it's still alive." Max shrugged from in the middle of Steve and Lucas.

"But if we close the gate again-" Will began.

"We cut the brain off from the body." Max rose an eyebrow with a nod of her head.

"And kill it." Lucas grinned. "Theoretically."

"Yoo-hoo !" Murray called, running their way and flapping the papers in his hands. He slapped them down infront of them. "Okay, this is what Alexei called the hub. Now, the hub takes us to the vault room."

"Okay, where's the gate?" Hopper leaned over him.

"Right here. I don't know the scale on this, but I think it's fairly close to the vault room, maybe fifty feet or so." he explained, circling his finger around the small map.

"More like 500." Erica added in, getting a weird look. "What? You're just gonna waltz in there like it's commie Disneyland or something?"

Jude held back a grin at her words.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Murray looked down at her.

"Erica Sinclair. Who are you?" she gave him a sassy look.

"Murray...Balman." he hesitated, staring at the young girl.

"A scientist?" Corey whispered.

"Listen, Mr.Bunmam, i'm not trying to tell you how to do things, but i've been down in that shithole for 24 hours. And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die." Erica looked around at the group with a point of her finger.

"I'm sorry, why is this four-year-old speaking to me?" Murray stood up straight with a wave of his hand.

"Um, I'm ten, you bald bastard!" she snapped upwards to him.

"Erica!" Lucas scolded her with a look of disbelief.

"Get him, Erica!" Jude encouraged, Mike rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Just the facts!" she yelled back at her brother.

"She's right. You're all gonna die, but you don't have to. Excuse me." Dustin nodded his head, looking down at the map. "Sorry, may I?"

"Please." Murray gave a dramatic nod, scooting away sarcastically.

"See this room here? This is a storage facility." Dustin pointed down to one of the boxed off areas. "There's a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system. That will lead you to the base of the weapon. It's a bit of a maze down there but between me and Erica, we can show you the way."

"You can show us the way?" Hopper rose his eyebrows.

"You can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit." Dustin went back to his original plan, nodding at the sheriff. "We'll just be your navigators."

He stared at the trio a second. "No. Nope."

"Just, come back in one piece." Jude hugged Dustin tightly.

"Don't worry about me, Lady Killer." Dustin hugged him tightly. "Maybe a Dude Killer too?"

"What?" Jude pulled back with an alarming look.

"Don't What me." Dustin gave him an eyebrow rise. "I know you."

"And I don't know what you are thinking." Jude shook his head. "The Russians got to your abnormal large head."

"Hey, we should probably go." Mike spoke up toward the pair. Jude hugged Dustin again before walking toward Mike, Corey, Max, and El.

"Ready?" Corey asked Jude, his arm around El.

"Think so." The Mackenzie boy nodded his head. "Look at my poor face though."

"What's wrong with your face?" Corey looked oddly.

Jude leaned in closer. "See that scratch? Do you know how hard it is to look this good?"

"No scratch." El cracked a grin.

"Just a massive bump from passing out twice." Mike grabbed his head to feel the bump close to his forehead. "Some tough guy."

"Some tough guy." Jude mocked, trying to get out of his hold as Mikes arms locked around his head, Jude's fingers digging into his ribs to try and win.

"Boys!" Hopper called out, the pair stopping and staring his way. He sighed loudly. "Good luck."

Jude gave him a salute.

"Scoops Troop, do you copy? Billy has found us."

Mikes yells for help echoed through the mall. After the group had attempted to get secure in the car, it was revealed that Billy Hargrove had found them, causing everyone to quarantine in the mall once more.

The upside down car was Jonathan's idea to try. They needed the ignition cable but there was no way of getting it with the car leaned over the way it had. After they all positioned themselves behind it, ready to shove, the car didn't seem to make any movement. Jude stood back. Corey looked in disbelief. "Jude, you have to help!"

"Ugh, no." he shook his head. "If I damage my arm, my baseball career is over!"

"It's really gonna be over if we die!" Lucas gave him an insane look. Jude huffed, going over and trying to push with his arm he didn't use to throw.

"Let me try." El spoke up as her and Will stood infront of the car and panting teens.  She walked forward, hand out reaching as they all moved. The metal sounded like it was being bent, possibly buffing out. El panted, giving a yell but failing.

Jude gave a thumbs up. "How come I didn't inherit super powers?"

"Wait." Mike spoke up when he heard him, looking with wide eyes. "I know what to do."

It wasn't long until some of the group was pushing, the others yanking down on a metal pole that they managed to lodge beneath the car. Between both the pressure, the loud echo of the car falling over went through the mall. Mike took a deep breath. "Told you. Physics."

Mike held his hand out to help Jude down.

"Uh, there should be a latch. Check under the wheel." Jonathan nodded as Nancy hurried toward the front door. "You see it?"

"I don't know. Hold on." she struggled to lean over.

"You see it?" Jonathan asked.

"It's dark." Nancy spoke.

"Nanc." Jude walked over, pulling the little light that was around his necklace off. "Use this."

The hood popped open after she got it.

"I don't know." the older Byers looked around. "It should be right here."

"Will?" Corey's voice made Jude look over, his eyes widened at the sight of the Mind Flayer crawling above them. The glass creaked.

"Nancy!" Mike yelled out in a panic.

"Hurry!" Lucas grabbed Jude and Corey as Corey grabbed Will.

"Mike!" Jude called, but him and the girls had ran off, too far.

"They'll be okay." Will yanked him, the Mind Flayer falling through the roof of the mall and letting out a loud screech. The five hid behind the car, Jude lodged between Corey and Will as they heard the creature from behind them. Dustin's voice began to ring from the walkie. Jude squeezed his eyes tightly, squeezing his hands together tightly.

"Please confirm your safety! Just answer! Is anyone there? Are you okay!" Dustin's yells echoed, barley being heard over the Mind Flayers snarling. "Griswold family, do you copy? Do you copy?"

A minor crash was heard, the Mind Flayers loud screech flying through the walls of Star Court. Jude watched the trio go to the Gap. "They went to The Gap."

"They're gonna get hurt that way." Nancy spoke face.

"Let me go warn them." Jude whispered back.

"You think you can get over there?" she gave him a weird look.

"Can one of you cause a distraction?" he suggested.

"I can." Lucas said confidently, holding his wrist-rocket.

"Be careful." Corey spoke, his arm around Will. Jude nodded, waiting for Lucas to fire his shot before running toward The Gap. He was quick and carful, all the baseball practice coming in handy as he ran toward the back. Jude gasped as arms grabbed him, a hand planted on his mouth.

"Shh, sh." Mike held him still with wide eyes. "Shh."

Jude nodded, letting the shock wear off as Mike removed his hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to save you." Jude said back,
Max and El weren't far behind him.

"We should get outside, right?" Max asked.

"It's not safe here, one step and we're crushed." Jude nodded in agreement.

"The elevator." Mike nodded, the trio helped El walk as they hurried
toward the closest hallway. His finger pressed relentlessly on the button, trying to get it to open quicker. El leaned against Jude as he tried to comfort her, wincing as he wrapped his arm around her to hold her up. Mike began trying to help him push the buttons, the sound of the door they just came through opening. Max turned back. "Billy."

The trio turned back in a panic at the name, stopping. Jude panicked, holding El as Mike pulled them both backwards. "Billy, you don't have to do this. You're name is Billy Hargrove. You live on 4819 Cherry Lane. Billy, please, i'm Max, i'm your-"

She was cut off by Billy hitting her, causing her to fall.

"Hey!" Jude tried to defend her, only his head was thrown into the door.

"Jude. Jude!" a voice rung as his body was being shaken. "Jude, wake up. Hey, dude, come on."

Jude winced at the headache, opening his eyes as Mike sighed in relief. "There's the man."

"Holy shit." Jude held his face. "Do I have a bruise?"

Mike and Max shared a look. "No...nooo."

"Where's my cousin?" Jude looked alarmed.

"Come on, we gotta get back to the mall where the Mind Flayer is." Max helped him to his feet, Jude grabbed Mikes hand tightly as the three sprinted down the only way to get back to where they originally came from.

The trio pushed through the final door, eyes falling upon the middle of Starcourt, looking at the Mind Flayer, El laying in the ground, Billy standing infront of her. The claw from it's mouth shot out toward El. Jude nearly lost his balance. "Eleven!"

Billy had stopped it, pushing the claw with all his might as El laid, hurt, but not dead behind him. Jude slide across the floor, pulling El back again the wall with him, wrapping his arms protectively around her. They watched the claws of the Mind Flayer pierce Billys body, his yells of pain echoing the mall, Max yelling his name when the final claw went through his heart.

The Mind Flayer began to screech loudly, stumbling around and crashing into things. The creature hit the ground, stilling, laid lifeless infront of them. They all stared in shock until Max's cries brought them back, leaning over a dead Billy. Mike kneeled next to the two, El reaching forward to pull Max back to them. Jude leaned on her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head as they group hugged. "It's gonna be okay, Max. It's okay. It's okay."

•

kylie speaks

dustin always knows.