[ 𝙶𝚘𝚕𝚍 & 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 ] ~ 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

XI - He's Back

There were not many people that Rylie Watson would say she loved. Really there were only two people who she could name off the top of her head as people she really loved. And those two people were Steve and Lucy Harrington. If she weren't in denial, she may have also admitted to the third person she loved — but she was both scared of her feelings and mad at him, so that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. She'd do almost anything for the people she loved, no matter how crazy, dangerous or stupid it was. And sadly, that apparently extended to the people she loved's friends. 

That's the only way Rylie could explain to herself why in the absolute fuck she was sitting with five middle schoolers in Nancy Wheeler's basement at eight in the morning. She didn't have a shift today, and didn't fall asleep until near 2 in the morning worrying about her. . .boyfriend? Was he still even that? She couldn't tell. But she was worrying about him, despite her better judgment. Because of her lack of a shift and inability to sleep the night before, she wasn't planning on waking up until at least ten, maybe noon if she could bring herself to sleep that long. And instead of her nice peaceful morning, she was woken up at seven thirty to a call from Eleven Hopper saying it was an emergency. How was she supposed to say no to that!? It was utterly unfair.  

"I didn't think it was anything at first." Will admit to the group of most of his closest friends. . .and Rylie. "I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it. The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead."

"The movie?" Rylie questioned, her brows pinched together.

"Yeah, the movie." Max returned without even turning to look over her shoulder at the blonde. 

"Power went out that night, too." Mike brought them back on topic. 

"And then I felt it again at the field near the Nelson farm the next day." 

"What were you guys even doing out the-" 

"Just listen, Rylie." Lucas huffed. 

The older rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair, unimpressed. 

"Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers." 

"What does it. . .feel. . .like?" Max asked, her attention focused on Will.  

"It's almost like. . ." He paused, thinking for a minute. "You know when you drop on a roller coaster?"

"Sure." Mike nodded.

"Yeah." Max.

"No." El said, getting a small snicker out of Rylie. Of course she didn't - when would she have been on a roller coaster? Rylie decided she should take Eleven on a roller coaster, she'd probably have fun. Most kids liked roller coasters, even the kids who had never been on one before. 

"and- and you can't breathe." 

Rylie's head snapped back to attention, looking at the Byers boy. 

"I've felt it before, whenever he was close."

"Wait- The like. . .thing that possessed you last year?"

Will nodded back to Rylie as Lucas whispered. "The Mind Flayer." 

"I. . .closed the gate." El mumbled. 

"I know, but. . .what if he never left?" Will turned to look at Eleven. "What if we locked him out here with us?" 

"That's great." Rylie mumbled sarcastically, watching as Will got out of his seat and started running toward his backpack. The other four followed, leaving Rylie to lean back in her chair. Why were these kids always running somewhere? 

"This is him. All of him." Will said, all five kids huddled around the table as he scribbled something down. "But, that day on the field, a part of him attached itself to me." The Byers wiped his hand across the drawing and held his hand in front of him. 

"My mom got it out of me. . .and then Eleven closed the gate." He flipped his paper over on the table. "But the part that was still in me, what if it's still in our world?" He pat his hand down flat on the paper before bringing it back up. "In Hawkins."

"I don't understand. The Demodogs died when El closed the gate. If the brain dies, the body dies." Max said. 

"We can't take any chances." Mike shook his head. "We need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayer's back." 

"I swear, it's always doom and gloom with you guys." Rylie sighed, pushing out of her chair and walking over to the table with them. 

"And if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again. A new me." 

Rylie's face fell, a shiver of cold running through her spine and a pang stabbing her chest. "Billy." She whispered, her eyes stinging with tears. 

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Word Count - 777

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Published - October 20, 2023

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