Thalassophile (Billy Hargrove)

It all fell down

Chapter 37

unedited

July 4th 1985

The air was sharp that morning, gray and heavy, like the sky itself was holding its breath. We met at the Wheeler cabin, just as we'd planned.

Everyone came. Mike and El stepped out of the car first, her hand curled around his tightly. Lucas trailed behind them, backpack slung over his shoulder, eyes wary. Will stood closer to the trees, arms folded, always watching. Max leaned against the car door, jaw clenched, red hair tied back, ready.

Jonathan and Nancy arrived next, trunk filled with whatever makeshift weapons they could scrap together, tools, bottles, flares. El's nose started bleeding before she even stepped on the porch. She wiped it away quietly. Then came Billy and me. We pulled up last, the old Ford rattling to a stop. I'd driven the whole way, but I hadn't blinked in hours. I turned off the ignition, and for a second, neither of us moved. "You don't have to do this," I said, looking at him. He gave me that small, broken smile, the one he only gave me. "I do," he said. "Because I lived when I shouldn't have. And because of this time... I get to choose." When we stepped out, the group gathered close.

No one said it, but we all felt it: this could be the last time we were together."We stick to the plan," I said, clearing my throat. "We go in through the back loading dock. El draws her in. Heather's still the anchor. If we break her connection to the Mind Flayer, if we free him, we end it."

"And if we can't?" Max asked, voice shaking. "Then we fight," Billy said simply. Nancy looked at me. "We all made our choice coming here. Let's finish this."

We moved in silence. Each pair took their seats in their car. Billy reached over and laced his fingers with mine for a moment before letting go.

"Whatever happens," he murmured, "I'm not letting you out of my sight." Starcourt was a tomb. We broke in through the back. The glass doors groaned, metal creaking as we slipped inside. It was all wrong without the lights, without the music or crowds. Just echoes. Just the hum of broken neon and shadows that seemed to shift when you weren't looking."She'll be drawn to us," El said. "She can feel me." We moved together, er, silently, steadily, in sync.

The kind of silence that only comes before something terrible. Our footsteps echoed under the flickering mall lights, the air thick with dust and memory. Every corner felt like it was watching us. Every sound felt like a trap.

I walked close to Billy. His arm brushed mine with every step, grounding me. He hadn't let go since the cabin. Not when we said our goodbyes. Not in the car. Not now. And I didn't want him to. Max stuck close to Lucas, her eyes forward, but her fingers trembling against the hem of her sweatshirt. Will and Mike exchanged tight glances, whispering fast between them. El was focused, her brow furrowed, like she could already hear Heather's breath in the walls. Jonathan and Nancy flanked us, wordless, weapons gripped in their hands. And then came the voices. Familiar. Desperate.

"Hey HEY!"

We turned the corner, and there they were. Steve. Robin. Erica and Dustin. Covered in dust, out of breath, armed with whatever they'd scavenged. Robin looked half-crazed, hair wild, breathing hard. "You didn't think you'd start the apocalypse without us, did you?" she asked, coughing through the smoke.

"We found another entrance through the service tunnels under Scoops," Steve added, looking at El and Mike. "Guess we got your memo late." The boys all hugged, happy to have their friend back. "And Suzie is real, tell them guys." Dustin said, Id and Robin shook her head, laughing, "Yeah, she is." Erica rolled her eyes, stepping forward. "Whatever. Just tell me what to punch." The relief hit me like a wave. For a second, it felt like we weren't walking to our deaths. Just... finishing what we started. Before I could say anything else, a voice rang out gravelly, warm, and worn.