HEART FLAYER | b. hargrove

CHAPTER 007.

A Few Hours Later

The air at the Byers' home was thick with tension. The death of Bob and stress of trying to save Will and come up with some sort of plan was weighing heavy on everyone. The shed had been successfully camouflaged to to the best of their abilities and Joyce, Hopper, and Jonathan had taken the unconscious Will inside of it to try and reach past what they were now calling the 'Mindflayer' and communicate with the boy inside. 

Arwen sat on the front porch of the house as she attempted to regain some of her energy. Nancy had made her a sandwich a little bit ago and that seemed to help, but she insisted that she drink as much water as she can and rest, so she was doing just that. 

But all she could think about while recuperating was when Eleven was coming back. What the Mindflayer really was. Was it really just some intelligent creature from the Upside Down that wanted to thrive off the mind of a thirteen year old boy, or something else?

The sound of the front door opening and closing behind her snapped her back into reality. She glanced up to see Billy sitting down next to her. He didn't look at her, just stared off towards the driveway and spoke in a low, steady tone.

"You need to explain to me what's going on."

Arwen let out a breath and nodded, looking off into the distance as she began the whole story. She tried to shorten and simplify it as best as she could since they didn't really have all night to go into the full details. Plus, he didn't really need to know absolutely everything. She explained the true purpose for Hawkins Lab, how she and many other kids - including her little sister - were kept there since birth and experimented on to be used as weapons. That all of them had some form of telekinetic ability, but a few had some kind of a special twist with it. Like how Eleven can find people in the void and Arwen can manipulate flame, even recalling a girl who could make people see whatever she wanted them to with her mind. 

She then moved onto the slightly more 'unbelievable' parts of the story, which she was sure he would doubt heavily if he hadn't seen a Demodog (as Dustin had started calling them) himself just a couple hours ago. Eleven had opened a gateway into this other dimension that they called the Upside Down which was teeming with monsters and creatures straight out of a horror movie. It had all resulted in Will's disappearance a year ago and was now causing the possession of his mind. She'd especially informed him of the fact that he could not speak of any of this to anyone and that doing so could get him - and the others - killed.

Billy stayed completely silent as she spoke, his eyes seemingly unfocused as he stared at the 002 tattooed on Arwen's wrist as she absentmindedly traced her fingers over it while explaining everything. A few quiet minutes passed after she had finished and she ran her gaze over his face, being reminded of the bruised cheekbone and busted lip he had. 

"Now, tell me something," Arwen said softly, gesturing to his minor injuries. "Is that why you were so afraid of getting in trouble Saturday when Max had left?" 

The boy tensed up at her question instantly and shot her a cold look. His arms were rested straight out, elbows atop of his knees. The image heavily reminded her of 'The Fallen Angel' painting of Lucifer. He'd looked almost beautiful in an intimidating way in that moment. 

He doesn't answer her question. He just stood up and walked a few feet away to light up a cigarette. In a way, it only further confirmed her suspicions: Billy was a victim of abuse. His arrogant and angry personality had at least one reason behind it and honestly had made her despise him a little bit less. How could Arwen fully blame him for the way he acted when she, too, had hardened and become spiteful from her own past? Sure, not quite as much as him, but still. 

The sound of the phone ringing inside of the house made her eyes widen and Billy turned around to lock eyes with her. If the Mindflayer had heard that from inside the shed... it could figure out where they are. It could ruin everything. She quickly stood and ran inside of the house with Billy not far behind her. He locked the door quietly and everyone seemed to just stand still and listen, anxiously glancing at each other. Hopper carried in Will, who had been sedated once more, with Joyce and Jonathan following him. 

It felt like an eternity that they waited for something - anything - to happen, but in reality it only took a minute for a noise to be heard outside. Wary eyes watched Arwen as she took her lighter out once again. It was clear that she hadn't completely recovered yet, but she would keep on pushing her limits if it meant they would need her help to fend something off. 

A Demodog suddenly burst through the window, shattering glass all over the floor. Arwen held a ball of flame in her free hand within the blink of an eye, but it appeared this creature was already dead.

How...?

The locks began turning on the front door. Everyone simultaneously turned towards the sound with each of them holding some kind of weapon and pushing the children behind them. Arwen focused on keeping the fire in her hands alive and ready to blast a fucker in the face. Her heart hammered so loudly inside of her ribcage that she felt as if everyone in the room could hear it. Anything could walk through that door right now. Any-