For Always.

Seven.

Again, they were trudging through the woods. It was a lot more unsettling in the dark, and the bickering going on between Dustin and Lucas wasn't helping the mood.

"Hey!" Toni snapped, and the two stopped to look at her. "Shut up! Both of you! Who cares who broke what rule?! Those things would still be out there and we'd still be in danger no matter who did, or didn't do what?! So both of you better pipe down or I'm gonna administer some beatings! Do you understand?!"

"Sorry."

"Good." She breathed. "Now walk."

"Yes, ma'am." Max looked up at her.

"You're my new favourite person in the whole world." She said, and Toni couldn't help but smile.

"Stop making me smile, I'm trying to be mad."

"Hey, look." Steve said, looking off into the distance. From where they were, they got a good view of Hawkins Lab. It looked like it was having a meltdown. "You think that's where they're headed?"

"Maybe."

-----

Upon approaching the gate, they came across two figures.

"Nancy?" Toni spoke.

"Toni?" Nancy returned.

"Johnathan- what is going on?"

"We think Will's in there." Johnathan explained. "But we can't get the gate to-" Just as he said this, the gate slid open. "Nevermind."

"Go quick." Toni urged. "Go get them out." Nancy and Johnathan jumped into the car and drove in through the gate and towards the lab. "God, this is bad. This is so bad."

"Relax." Steve soothed, taking her hand. "We're gonna figure something out, we always do."

"What if we can't this time?" A few minutes after Nancy and Johnathan had left, they were driving past them once again, but this time away from the lab. Officer Hopper pulled up after them, throwing open the passenger door.

"Get in."

-----

Hopper hopelessly attempted to call for back up, while everyone else wondered and waited around in the Byers house. Toni was watching Will. He looked so small. She felt responsible for this. She should've tried harder. As her eyes shifted around the room, she found a picture of the boys' D&D characters and she smiled to herself. But, just then, it seemed something clicked in her mind. She grabbed his rule book, flicking through it for what she was looking for and moving into the kitchen.

"Hey, Dustin." She spoke, handing the book to him. He scanned the page, before nodding.

"Yes." He said. "Yes, you're so smart, Ant!"

"What?" Joyce asked, still in grieving as she had just watched someone she loved get ripped apart by the 'demodogs'.

"The mind flayer." Toni said. "It's a being from another dimension that enslaves species with its psychic powers because of its own perceived superiority."

"Can we get that in English?" Hopper sighed. "This is just game stuff."

"You have a better idea?" She sassed, and he gave her a look.

"Watch the attitude when talking to an officer of the law, Henderson."

"An officer of the law? Really? Yeah, why don't you go, and arrest the shadow monster- oh, that's right... you can't! Because it'll kill you, and probably Will, before you get close! So how about, you keep your greivences against me to yourself because we don't need it right now, officer."

"I swear to god, Kid-"

"What are you gonna do? You gonna arrest me too? Do it then."

"Okay, let's not." Joyce fumed. "Just relax, both of you." She then looked to Toni. "What's going on with you? You're never like this."

"I'm scared! I'm so fucking scared! And you better tell him to get out of my face because, officer or not, I'm about to swing for him."

"Come on, let's go for a sit down, hmm." Joyce smiled, taking her hand.

"Make sure you lose the attitude before you come back out here!" Hopper called.

"Why don't you lose weight before I come back out here!" Toni snapped back.

"Is she always like this?" Hopper groaned, looking to Dustin.

"Yeah." The whole cohort agreed.

-----

As it turned out, Toni ended up passing out on Johnathans bed. Maybe she was so ratty because she was so tired. However, her peaceful slumber was interrupted when she felt like someone had stabbed her in the back of her head. Her eyelids fluttered open, as the discomfort quickly became pain, which only got worse and worse. It burnt so bad, that she began screaming. Screaming like her body was on fire. Suddenly, Steve burst into the room, dropping beside the bed as she continued to yell in agony.

"Hey- hey! What's wrong?! What's the matter?!" He tried to ask. But all she could do as a reply was scratch at the back of her neck. "I don't know how to help you!"

"Get it out of me!" She begged in between breaths. "Please, get him to stop!"

"Who?! Get who to stop?!"

"Will!" From in the doorway, Dustin was watching what was going on. And listening to her words, something in his mind made sense.

"The hallucinations." He breathed, suddenly running out to the shed where they had Will. They'd tied him down and taped up everything that could lead to him knowing where he was and alerting the demodogs. Johnathan opened the door, seeing the panicked look on Dustin's face.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. "Who's screaming?"

"It's Toni. Will's hurting her."

"What?"

"He's hurting her! I don't have time to explain it, but you have to do something before it kills her!" Johnathan moves back towards Will, who's eyes are a lot darker than usual.

"What are you doing to Toni?" He asked.

"I need her." He growled.

"You're hurting her. You need to let her go." Will narrowed his eyes, and suddenly the screaming stopped. Back inside the house, Toni had reduced to sobbing while Steve held her close to him, doing his best to sooth her.

"He knows." She sniffed. "He knows where we are."

"How do you know?"

"He-- he was in my head, I could see... everything that Will could see I-- we have to close the gate."

"What gate? Toni, what are you talking about?"

"The gate, Steve, the gate. We have to close the gate... or it's gonna kill us all."

-----

Everyone had armed up for the arrival of the deomdogs. Hopper had a spare shotgun, and he turned to the others.

"Anyone know how to use one of these?" He asked

"Me." Toni breathed, emerging from the bedroom and taking it from his hands.

"You sure you're up for thus, Ant?"

"If I'm goin' out, I'm goin' out fighting." There was a moment of silence, and the only thing to be heard was a whimpering before the door was thrown open, and someone stepped inside. Toni dropped the gun by her side, a single word falling over her lips. "Eleven?"