Brave Like You (Steve Harrington)

Twenty-Five.

-Candace-

Everyone was filling everyone in on what has been going on since we've been apart. We told them about the Russians kidnapping us, and how there was a gate that they were using. Then Mike told everyone that the Mind Flayer is back, and he has Billy now the same way he had Will back in November. This was so fucking scary.

Eleven sat in Hopper's arms, her back resting on his chest as he soothes her as he cleans a wound on her forehead with a wet napkin. Basically the Mind Flayer had been collecting people to become bigger, and it's been using Billy to do that.

"Are we sure this thing is even still alive?" Joyce Byers asked.

"El beat the shit out of it, but yeah, it's still alive," Max said, sounding matter-of-fact and confident about it.

Will spoke next, "But if we close the gate again-"

Max cut him off, finishing his thought, "Cut the brain off at the body."

"And kill it," Lucas added, and he sounded a bit too enthusiastic about it. He looked around at all of us, and then he added to his thought, "Theoretically."

Murray had come back then, he had hand drawn a map. He pointed out a route they should take, but Erica had to put her two cents in and let them know if they did that, they were going to die. She said she had been down there, and she knew what it was like. Dustin backed her up, saying she was right, and then Murray allowed him to draw out an actual, safe route that would work. Hopper wouldn't allow it. Saying he wouldn't let the kids lead them on the way.

We all separated them as Hopper began to gather things that they needed to go into the control room. Steve, Robin, and I sat on top of the Scoops Ahoy counter. Dustin approached us, Erica trailing behind him, holding a set of keys, and he said we needed to go.

As we reached the front doors of the mall, Steve was so happy when he saw the car we would be taking. "No this is what I'm talking about!"

"Toddfather?" Robin read out, and I realized then she was reading the license plate.

"Screw Todd," Steve said, and he opened the door for me to get in the passenger seat, "Steve's her Daddy now!"

I laughed at him as I took the passenger seat. Erica and Robin crawled in behind me. "Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" Robin asked.

"Did he just call himself Daddy?" Erica asked.

Steve was settled in the driver's seat now, and he asked, "Alright, where are we going?"

After about 20 minutes, we were at the highest point in Hawkins, according to Dustin, and we were in an empty field somewhere I did not recognize. Once Steve knew Dustin was set up with everything he needed, he took my hand and told Dustin that he would come back for him.

Robin, Steve, and I headed back to the mall. We saw Billy was here. He was trying to get to Nancy. She had a gun, and she was shooting at Billy's Camaro. We saw Lucas and Will running back into the mall as we approached. Nancy ducked out of the way as our yellow Convertible crashed into Billy's red Camaro.

After Steve was able to slow down our vehicle, he stopped to look at Robin and I. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," I said, "I'm okay."

"I think I peed my pants again," Robin admits.

"Guys," I said, as my heart began to pound into my chest. An overwhelming feeling of fear washed over me. "You guys don't think that Billy somehow got Eddie mixed up in all of this, do you?"

"What?" Robin asked.

"It's possible," Steve said, "But didn't Will say that he went there the other day? Maybe Eddie hasn't seen Billy in a few days or something."