Light ~ Billy Hargrove Story

Forgive Me Billy for I Have Lied

"What are you two doing?" I asked limping back into the kitchen to see Dustin and Steve shoving the dead demodog into the fridge. "Preserving this scientific discovery" Dustin shouted like I was crazy for even asking. "Right." I nodded moving further into the living room. "We can't just keep standing around, they could use our help" Mike snapped pacing back and forth in front of the window that was now covered with plastic wrap. "What would you suggest we do Mike? We have no idea where in the lab the gate is we'd be running around like chickens with our heads cut off" I sighed crossing my arms over my chest "Hopper said they started burning the gate and all of the demodogs came running. So what if we do the same thing" he suggested looking directly at me "You wanna go back to the hub and see if we can draw the demodogs away from the lab" I summarized hands moving to my hips as he nodded. "No, no way. I told Nancy and Hopper I'd keep you guys safe" Steve finally voiced "This could be our only shot at this Steve. If we can get the attention of these stupid things that gives El and Hopper a straight line to the gate." I murmured turning to face him, our eyes locked in a battle of wills. A battle that was broken by the loud and familiar rumble of a car being driven way to fast. "Oh no. It's Billy" Max gasped backing away from the window as the roar of the Camaro shook the pictures on the walls. "I'll deal with it. Get them in the kitchen" Steve ordered dropping his towel onto the table "Are you crazy? He'll kill you." I snapped grabbing his arm "Let me go talk to him" I recommended moving for the door "You can barely walk. What if he snaps and you can't fight back" he whispered squeezing my hand "Let me do this" he finished with a smile before heading out the door to face whatever wrath Billy had flowing through his veins tonight. "Harrington? Is that you?" Billy's voice sounded as I ushered the kids into the kitchen and out of sight before limping for the door. "Piper no, he'll be so pissed" Max whispered frantically "Just stay in here." I ordered pointing to each of them before returning on my mission to help Steve.

"Billy, what are you doing here?" I asked quietly limping down the front steps and into the dim lighting provided by the yard light. "I could be asking you the same thing Piper." He growled out blue eyes flashing dangerously as they remained locked on Steve obviously the bigger threat in his eyes between the two of us. "Ya see, this whole situation gives me the heebie jeebies" he admitted hands on his hips as he licked his lips, pulling his jacket off and dropping it on the hood "My 13 year old sister goes missing, my girl ditches school with a 13 year old boy and is nowhere to be found the rest of the day. And here they both turn up at some stranger's house with you Harrington." He murmured shoving Steve to the ground "I told you to plant your feet" he growled and began heading for the house. With my leg I was definitely not fast enough to catch up and the door slammed shut again just as I was reaching the stairs. "I told you to stay away from him. Maybe since she won't listen I can get it through to you" Billy's voice shouted from the kitchen as I limped through the house and got between him and Lucas. "Billy just calm down okay." I whispered hands on his chest trying to shove him further from the kids. "Where is your shirt? Are you hurt? Whose blood is this?" he questioned quickly his eyes roaming my body and finding a new issue with every pass. "I'm okay now and some of it is mine, a lot of it" I paused chewing on my lower lip as images of Bob being torn apart flashed through my head "A lot of it" he prodded lowly hands clenching and unclenching "A lot of it isn't" I shrugged reaching up and wiping away a tear that escaped down my cheek "Did you kill someone?" he asked seriously taking my hand and dragging me away from the scared kids and into the privacy of the living room. "No. No, I killed something but not someone" I admitted tugging on my hair nervously "Hargrove you need to leave" Steve ordered from the door "I'm not leaving without Max and Piper." The blonde shot back standing tall over Steve as the brunette walked over. "I'm not leaving." Max shouted clinging to the boys tightly "Billy, I can't there's something I need to see through" I whispered sadly shaking my head knowing I wasn't leaving until everyone was back and safe. "Then someone better start explaining what the fuck is going on because if you two stay. I stay." He growled staring down Steve and the kids until they finally relented.

"You're going to think they're crazy." Max whispered breaking the silence "I did" she admitted sending everyone apologetic looks. "Start from the beginning." Billy grunted taking a chair from the table and swinging it around so he could lean on the back when he sat down. It was a rush for everyone to get words out and the man's eyes shot back and forth quickly following the story that seemed to pour from the kids mouth's not wanting to make the man angry again. Dustin and Steve showing him the dead beast in the fridge when he began to laugh in disbelief, the man's expression sobering quickly at the thing. "Okay, so I got all that. Now how did this happen?" he questioned gesturing to my bloody and half naked body. "This morning when I got to school and Will wasn't there I knew something was wrong. I came here to check on him and Joyce said he had been sick. She was trying to get a hold of Hopper but he had gotten stuck in the tunnels the Mind Flayer had created" I started gesturing to the drawings throughout the house "Joyce, Bob, Mike and I went to rescue him, well when we got there the people from the Lab did too. They started to burn the tunnels but they're connected to Will and he was being hurt by it. They dragged us all to the lab to run tests, well the Demo-dogs got loose in the lab and we were trapped inside with them" I sighed playing with the edge of the makeshift bandage on my leg. "They started killing everyone. Bob and I separated from the others to get the power back on and get the doors open when we were attacked by one, I shoved Bob out of the way and took the brunt of the attack. I took care of it obviously" I shrugged gesturing to the amount of blood on my body "But not before he decided he was hungry" I mumbled feeling the outline of the mouth mark on my leg throbbing as I spoke leaving out the part about Bob dying. "One of those things" he pointed to the fridge where the dead demo-dog was stashed "Bit you!?" he shouted getting to his feet and rounding on me his hand moving to unwrap the bandage only for every single person in the room to shout no. "Easy Cowboy, this isn't my first rodeo with these things. Right now the only thing keeping me going is adrenaline and fear" I sighed holding his hand tightly just as much to comfort myself as to keep him from touching the wound "Is that what this scar is from?" he asked quietly free hand tracing the scarred skin of my stomach "Last year" I nodded "If you remove this bandage I will freak out, and be completely worthless the rest of the night" I shrugged "Now, we need to go. They need our help distracting these things" Max added passing me the nail bat which I passed off to Steve to pick up the shot gun on the table.

"I'll take this" Billy muttered pulling the gun from my hand and giving me a look when I went to argue. "So what exactly is the game plan" Steve questioned, the bat resting casually across his shoulder "We find the central area that Hopper had found the other night, coat it with gasoline and light it on fire" I stated easily "Once it's burning we run and hope we don't get boxed in by the Demodogs" I added as an afterthought "Start getting as much gas as you can, anything we can use to spray down those tunnels." I ordered the kids all running to do as I said. "No. This is a suicide mission. It's not happening" Billy growled lowly looking between me and Steve quickly "You don't have to help. You can stay here. But we need to do this Billy." I whispered "I'm with you man but she's also right. If we don't at least try more people are going to die tonight" Steve finally offered up staring the blonder boy down "Then let's go." He grunted following us outside to see the kids holding various lawn tools and yard toys filled with gas. "Okay, put them in the trunk of the Camaro. We need goggles and something to cover mouths. The last thing we want is one of you inhaling something down there" I sighed popping the trunk so Lucas and Max could dump their finds in the trunk while Dustin and Mike rushed inside to look for protective gear. "Why the Camaro" Billy questioned lowly tossing his jacket in the backseat before coming to my side. "It's the only car here babe. Trust me if we had another choice I'd pick it" I assured waiting for Dustin and Mike to drop their finds inside before slamming it shut. "Okay kiddos, backseat" I ordered waiting for them to climb in before Steve sat in the passenger seat and I climbed between Billy and the steering wheel. "Where am I going" Billy asked starting the car and backing out of the driveway "Start heading out of town, I'll tell you when to turn" Lucas stated from the backseat followed by the rustling of the map.