"MATERIAL GIRL" // Will Byers x Reader

The Flayed //CHAPTER 12

THE SOURCE OF ALL EVIL 

'It was the same thing, the exact same thing that happened to Will last year,' Nancy says, pacing around the room. 'And look at this. Look at the body temperatures.' She shows us the chart with Fertilizer Lady's temperatures on it. 

'He likes it cold,' Will says. 

'Okay, so this crazy old woman who was eating fertilizer...' Mike starts. 

'Mrs. Driscoll.'

'Right, yeah, Mrs. Driscoll.' He nods. 'What time was this attack?'

'Last night.'

'Right, but what time last night?' I ask. 

'Around 9:00.' Nancy clarifies. 

'You waited all night to call?' Jonathon mutters. 

'I was waiting for the doctors to run some tests,' Nancy shrugs. 

'You weren't there?' Will frowns. 

'Well, I'm here now, aren't I?' Jonathan throws his hands up. 

'Hallelujah!' Nancy says sarcastically. 

'Ooh,' Lucas raises his eyebrows. 

'Did they fight?' Will mouths to me. 

I shrug. 

'Um, so, wha... what time was your...sauna test?' Nancy asks. 

'Around 9:00.' We all say. 

'Well, that proves it.' Nancy's eyes widen. 'That proves my theory.' 

'She's flayed, just like Billy.' Mike says. 

'Flayed?'

'The Mind Flayer,' I say. 'He flays people.' 

Mike nods. 'Takes over their mind. Once they do that, they basically become him.' 

'If there are two flayed...' Lucas trails off. 

'We have to assume there are more,' Will sighs. 

'Heather.' El says quietly. 'Billy was doing something to her. She was scared. She was screaming. Bad screams,'

'What's a good scream?' Lucas frowns. 

'Max said..'

'Doesn't matter.' Max interrupts. 

'I'm sorry, I'm lost. Who is Heather?' Nancy asks. 

'She's a lifeguard at the pool.' Max explains. 

'Heather Holloway?' 

Nancy and Jonathan look at each other. 

'Tom.'

'We have to go.' Nancy says. 'Now.' 

'Go where?' Lucas frowns. 'I don't understand.' 

'If Heather is one of the flayed, per se,' Nancy says, looking around. 

'Then her parents could be too,' Jonathan finishes. 

_

'Seriously?' Mike groans as everyone takes the front and middle seats in Nancy's car. I look at Will, shrugging as we hop in the back. 

'Welcome to my world,' Will sighs, raising his eyebrows at Mike. 

'What did El mean about 'bad screams'?' Mike asks. 'What is a good scream?' 

'You don't want to know,' I say. 

'Seat belts.' Nancy says firmly. 'Let's go.' 

_

We ring the doorbell several times. No one answers. 

Nancy looks back at El, who opens the door with the flick of her head. 

'Tom?' Nancy calls, slowly walking into the house. 'Heather? Jesus, it's freezing. Do you guys smell that?' 

'Oh,' I gasp. 

'Oh, God.' 

'More chemicals,' Nancy gasps. 

'You think they're guzzling this shit?' Jonathan mutters. 

'Yeah, either that or they just went on a hell of a cleaning spree.' Nancy comments. 

'But last year, Will didn't eat chemicals,' Max says. 'Did you?' 

'No,' Will says. 'This is something new.' 

'Mr. Clarke, fifth grade. Posit.' Mike says. 'What happens when you mix chemicals together?' 

'You create a new substance.' I say. 

'What if they're making something?' Mike says slowly. 

'In themselves?' Max raises her eyebrows. 'I mean, come on, if you drink this crap, it'll kill you.' 

'Yeah, if you're human.' Lucas points out. 

We wander into the living room, where a meal is still laid out. 

An empty bottle of wine is laying on the carpet. 

'Blood,' Nancy says, leaning down towards a suspiciously red stain. 'Yesterday, Tom had a bandage on his forehead. He was attacked.' She pulls the bottle towards her, examining a red mark on it. 

Slowly, we walk down the hallway towards the garage. 

'They must have tied them,' Jonathan says. 'They must have taken them somewhere.' 

'Mrs. Driscoll,' Nancy starts. 'She kept saying..."I have to go back." What if the flaying, it's taking place somewhere else? There must be a place where all this started, right? A source.' 

'Somewhere he didn't want us to see,' El says. 

'If we can find the source, then maybe we can stop him. Or at least stop it from spreading or doing whatever the hell he's doing with those chemicals.' 

'How do we find it?' I say. 

'Mrs. Driscoll. If she wants to go back so badly, why don't we let her?' Will says.